CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Dr ALY (Cowan—Minister for Small Business, Minister for International Development and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (16:39): Raise Our Voice in Parliament, now in its fifth year, gives young Australians the chance to share their hopes, their challenges and their ideas for the future directly in this place. It's always one of the most inspiring moments of our parliamentary calendar.

This year I have the privilege of reading a statement from one of my constituents in Cowan, Nina Shiloh. She is aged 18 and she has chosen to speak on the incredibly important issue of youth mental health and belonging. She writes: The mental health of immigrant youth is something that is often invisible but felt deeply.

Behind the statistics are people like me and my friends, carrying the weight of two worlds. At school we are told to 'fit in', but, less often than not, we are reminded not to 'lose ourselves' at home. And in between, we are left wondering: Where do we truly belong?

Exclusion, racism and silence break us down. I have seen friends hide their accents, stop speaking their first languages, and even laugh off racist jokes, just to survive. Every time this happens a piece of their identity is chipped away, and, when young people feel like outsiders in the only place they are supposed to call home, the damage to their mental health is huge.

She says: The government must act now. Schools need real anti-racism programs, not token lessons. Health services must have staff who understand our cultures, languages, and our pain.

And policies must protect us, not just on paper but in practice. Because when youth feel they belong, they thrive, they carry their culture with pride, contribute with strength and see a future worth building. That is the tomorrow we deserve and I ask you, parliament, to help us create it.

Well, Nina, thank you. Thank you for your courage, your honesty and your vision. And thank you for reminding me of my childhood growing up in Australia and of the pain that I had to overcome as well.

You speak to so many people, both young and old, in your words. They are wise words for somebody so young, and they remind us that, when young people are included, respected and supported, we all benefit, not just in Cowan but right across Australia. So, with that, I commend Nina's vision as a guide to a future that we can all—each and every one of us, both in parliament and out there in electorates, right across Australia—build together.