MYAN calls on all parties to step up.

As Australia heads to the polls, the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia (MYAN) is urging political parties to take bold action now to address the systemic barriers faced by multicultural young people and to treat them as key stakeholders in Australia’s future. Millennials and Gen Z now make up over 40% of the electorate, their voices matter more than ever. Yet young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds continue to be excluded from national conversations and are overlooked in policymaking.

With over 45% of young people in Australia having at least one parent born overseas, this generation represents the most culturally diverse in the nation’s history—yet their voices remain underrepresented in policymaking and public debate.

“This is a defining moment. If we’re serious about the future, we need to be serious about listening to and investing in multicultural young people,” said Carmel Guerra OAM, Chair of MYAN Australia.

“They are ready to lead — what’s needed now is political will and partnership.”

MYAN is calling on all political parties to commit to a comprehensive set of policy actions that will enable multicultural young people to thrive and contribute meaningfully to Australia’s social and economic future.

MYAN’s Election Priorities

• Combatting Racism and Discrimination: Implement the full suite of recommendations from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework. This must include nationally coordinated strategies, education campaigns, and accountability measures to tackle systemic racism in schools, workplaces, media, and public life.
• Genuine Co-design and Youth Leadership: Invest in sustainable partnerships and resourcing for co-design processes that centre multicultural young people. This includes supporting leadership development, capacity-building programs, and formal youth advisory mechanisms across all levels of government.
• Digital Safety and Inclusion: Address the disproportionate impact of online harm, misinformation and digital exclusion. This requires targeted funding for culturally appropriate digital literacy programs, online safety initiatives, and stronger regulation of digital platforms to protect multicultural youth from exploitation, cyberbullying and racial abuse.
• Social Cohesion through Meaningful Inclusion: Ensure that national policies across education, employment, health and the environment are developed through an inclusive lens—recognising the lived experience of multicultural young people and embedding their voices in mainstream youth and community programs.
• Targeted Investment in Mental Health, Housing and Economic Participation: Commit to early intervention strategies that address the compounding challenges multicultural youth face—particularly in accessing mental health support, secure housing, and meaningful employment. Raise Youth Allowance and Austudy above the poverty line and invest in affordable housing and pathways into secure work.

“Multicultural young people are driving conversations on justice, equity and climate. We’re asking leaders to match that energy with bold, intersectional policy,” said Nayonika, MYAN Australia Youth Ambassador. “We want to be at the table, not to just be consulted, but empowered to lead.”

“We know the challenges — we live them — and we’re ready to co-create the solutions,” says Nayonika.

“Multicultural young people are not just a distant promise — they are shaping our communities right now. It’s time for bold, future-focused policies that recognise their leadership, lived experiences and urgent call for change,” says Rana Ebrahimi, MYAN Australia National Manager.

“This election is an opportunity for political leaders to earn their trust by delivering meaningful change that reflects the diversity, ambition, and potential of this generation.”

MYAN Australia urges all parties to partner with young people and commit to evidence-based, long-term strategies that unlock the potential of Australia’s most diverse generation.

For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact 0447 418 726 OR: Rana Ebrahimi, MYAN National Manager at rana@myan.org.au.