ANGIE BELL MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS, SPORT AND YOUTH
26 JUNE 2026
The Albanese Government has once again demonstrated that it is not interested in listening to young Australians, with the decision to cease funding the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) – Australia's only national peak body representing young people.
This latest blow comes just weeks after Senate Estimates revealed the Government failed to consult the Office for Youth before announcing its controversial tax changes, despite claiming those policies were designed to advance "intergenerational equity" and support younger Australians.
Shadow Minister for Youth, Angie Bell, said the pattern was impossible to ignore.
"First, Labor refused to consult young Australians on major tax changes that will shape their financial future. Now, they have pulled funding from the only national organisation dedicated to representing the voices of young people," Ms Bell said.
"These decisions reveal a government that talks endlessly about youth engagement but repeatedly sidelines young Australians when it matters most."
AYAC represents the interests of millions of young Australians aged 12 to 26 and plays a critical role to ensure young people have a voice in policy development, advocacy and decision-making.
The decision to cease funding comes at a time when young Australians face unprecedented challenges, including housing affordability, rising living costs, barriers to employment, pressures in education, and growing mental health concerns.
"If the Government is serious about listening to young people, why is it dismantling one of the few national mechanisms that allows their voices to be heard?" Ms Bell said.
"Young Australians deserve more than tokenistic consultation and carefully managed conversations. They deserve a genuine seat at the table."
Senate Estimates recently confirmed the Government did not seek advice from the Office for Youth on its tax changes before announcing them. Despite having access to the Office for Youth, Youth Advisory Groups, the National Youth Summit and Youth Meets Parliament participants, the Government chose not to consult young Australians on a policy that will have significant consequences for their economic future.
"The Government's own National Youth Survey identifies cost of living and housing as the top concerns facing young people, yet Labor excluded them from discussions on one of the most significant economic decisions affecting their generation,” Ms Bell said.
"Now, instead of strengthening youth representation, Labor is withdrawing support from the very organisation established to amplify their voices."
Ms Bell said the decision would send a deeply disappointing message to young people and the broader youth sector.
"After years of hard work across the youth sector to revive and strengthen AYAC, this decision is devastating."
"Young people are not just Australia's future, they are a vital part of Australia's present. Their perspectives matter, their voices matter, and they deserve to be heard."
"Labor's actions speak louder than its words. This Government is showing its true colours: when it comes to listening to young Australians, it simply doesn't care what they have to say."