This report documents a national co-design process to establish a strong, culturally grounded and community-led Youth Voice initiative for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

Developed through extensive engagement between February and June 2025, the report details the insights and lived experiences of more than 150 individuals, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, Elders, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), community leaders, non-government organisations and Children’s Commissioners, Guardians and Advocates across Australia. Consultations were undertaken across 13 remote, regional and urban locations through in-person consultations, workshops, youth gatherings, online meetings and written submissions.

At the heart of the report is a clear message from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and communities: existing systems too often engage young people in tokenistic or advisory-only ways, without genuine power-sharing or accountability. Participants consistently called for a Youth Voice model that is action-oriented, youth-led and grounded in culture, self-determination and community authority. Young people stressed the importance of creating safe and flexible pathways for participation, particularly for those with lived experience of government systems, while ensuring engagement processes are culturally safe, trauma-aware and responsive to local contexts.

A significant focus of the report is the importance of designing a model that reflects the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people’s experiences across communities. Participants emphasised that engagement must not be limited to formal structures or established leaders alone but must actively create opportunities for young people who are often excluded from decision-making spaces. Insights from the engagement process directly informed the development of a proposed Youth Voice framework.