Earlier this month I had the great pleasure of hosting the South West Student Forum at Western Sydney University's Liverpool CBD campus, a fantastic venue right in the heart of our city. It was the perfect setting for a truly inspiring day. The forum brought together almost 100 student leaders from high schools across south‑west Sydney for a full day of discussion, learning, and connection. Participating schools included Ashcroft High School, Miller Technology High School, Minarah College, Liverpool Girls High School, James Busby High School, Bonnyrigg High School and Hurlstone Agricultural High School. I sincerely thank each school for supporting their students to be part of such an important event.
The focus of the forum was simple but powerful: to explore how young people can create change in their communities, build resilience in the face of life's challenges, and achieve their personal and collective goals. It was incredible to see so many talented young people in one room—students from a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences, all bringing their unique perspectives to the conversation. What stood out most was their energy, their curiosity and their clear passion for making a positive difference in the world around them.
Too often I find that young people, particularly those growing up in south‑west Sydney, are left out of important conversations, especially in politics. Their voices are overlooked or dismissed, despite the fact that they are the future of our communities. They see firsthand the challenges and opportunities within our area and have clear-sighted ideas about what we can do better. As their local representative in this place, I want to make sure that young people in our region feel heard, valued and empowered. I want to make sure that the capable leaders I see in our schools and local communities have a pathway to being the media, business and political leaders in years to come. I want them to know their voices matter, that they absolutely belong in these conversations and that they have the power to shape the future, not just for themselves but for the whole community.
That is exactly what the forum was about. It aimed to give our student leaders the tools, inspiration and real‑world examples of leadership so they can see themselves as change makers—because that is exactly what they are. We were fortunate to have three incredible guest speakers who shared their stories, lessons and advice with the students. Each brought something unique to the day and left students with a lot to think about. Phillipa Collins from Western Sydney University spoke about the importance of youth voice, activism and empowerment, reminding students that change always starts with those brave enough to speak up. Merridy Thompson from the Holsworthy Air Force Cadets gave a powerful address on building resilience, setting goals and the importance of teamwork in overcoming challenges.
Finally, Liverpool's Young Citizen of the Year, Fariha Dean, reflected on her own journey as chair of Liverpool Youth Council and as a fierce advocate for our community. Also at the event were representatives from headspace Edmondson Park and from NSW Health's Fairfield Liverpool Youth Health Team, known as FLYHT. These importance services for young people are often underutilised, and having them there was a great way of sharing their presence and what they do with our student community. It was great to see so much interest in both services from the students.
The event was proudly presented by the Liverpool Youth Action Group [YAG]. I have previously spoken in this place with our YAG, and I established it last year to ensure that young people have a connection to the issues of the day and can build their skills to make a difference. The event was inspired by them, because they wanted to bring together students from various educational backgrounds—public, private and selective—to connect and build a network to help young people in south-west Sydney thrive and drive change. The YAG stepped up as peer facilitators on the day, working with groups of students during group activities to flesh out concepts, complete tasks and broaden the conversation.
For most of the group, this was new, but I am so proud to let the House know they are naturals. They took to it likes ducks to water. I thank all the members of the Liverpool Youth Action Group—Yousef Al Masri, Dakota Collis, Valencia Fifita, Manasseh Mauga-Hall, Anjani Prakash, Mariam Qahramani, Jazion Semeatu, Manraj Singh Pannu, and Kuber Thakur—for their fantastic work. I cannot wait for what they achieve next, because I know with their voices and their energy and their enthusiasm, our future is in good hands, and the community of Liverpool will be in good hands in the years to come.
