Member for Townsville Phil Thompson MP joined Ross Vasta MP for the final Bonner Youth Advisory Council (BYAC) Zoom of 2020 to offer inspiring insight into his journey from infantryman to parliamentarian.

Mr Vasta said BYAC was not only about giving local students a platform to have their voices and opinions heard, but to also provide insight on the inner workings of their Government.

“We had a fantastic turnout for the final BYAC Zoom meeting of 2020 and I hope they encourage their fellow students to get involved next year,” Mr Vasta said.

“My BYAC guest was the Member for Townsville who spoke about his journey into public life following a career in the Australian Defence Force.

“If there’s one message Phil passed on, I felt resonated, was his views on leadership and standing up for something you believe in – in his words it’s about ‘taking the hard right instead of the easy wrong’.”

Mr Vasta said BYAC participants asked some great questions around mental health, how students like themselves could reach our and why Phil took on further studies after his military career.

“It’s always great to hear about the issues at the forefront of young people’s minds and how they feel about other matters,” Mr Vasta said.

“I look forward to continuing the BYAC into 2021 and nominations are now open for the Junior (years 5-6) and Senior (years 10-12) BYAC.”

For more information or to get involved, contact your school and email your nomination to ross.vasta.mp@aph.gov.au

Students in Bonner can have their say on the issues important to them by taking part in the 2021 Bonner Youth Advisory Council (BYAC).

Launched in 2020, BYAC invites each high school in the electorate to select students to take part in the program, which provides young people the opportunity to meet with Mr Vasta and other community leaders.

“BYAC participants can be chosen by their school or they can self-nominate for the chance to be the youth voice of their peers,” Mr Vasta said.

“These are the future leaders of our country and we want to share and learn about the issues important to them.”

Mr Vasta said it was also a great opportunity for young people to learn about the role government’s play in their local community.

“The more they understand how the levels of government work and who is responsible for what, it provides them a clearer path on how to get involved, give feedback and influence change on the matters they care about,” Mr Vasta said.

“If you would like to be part of the 2021 BYAC, you can be nominated through your local high school or contact my office.”

Mr Vasta said BYAC members would have the opportunity to meet with different Members of Parliament and other community leaders to learn about the role they play, and share their feedback on important matters.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to have a voice and influence change,” Mr Vasta said.

Young people aged 15 – 17 can nominate for the BYAC by emailing ross.vasta.mp@aph.gov.au

Cutting down on our waste footprint and improving recycling methods were the main topics of the first Bonner Youth Advisory Council (BYAC) meeting on Monday, June 22.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said each high school in his electorate was invited to select students to take part in the program, as a chance to be the youth voice of the region.

“The BYAC participants were chosen as future leaders and the youth voice for their school to discuss and share the issues that matter most to them,” Mr Vasta said.

“The first meeting was held on Monday via Zoom and our special guest was the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans.”

Mr Vasta said topics discussed included how young people could encourage others to cut down on their waste footprint, and how the Government could support young people to achieve a reduction in their waste footprint.

“We had some great questions including how we’ve improved recycling in Australian and what policies we’re looking at to keep going down the path of plastic free, like supermarkets have done,” Mr Vasta said.

“The BYAC meeting was also a great opportunity to learn more about the role Assistant Minister Evans plays in shaping this policy area and the students who took part really did a fantastic job asking questions.

“I also shared some insight on some of the great waste management programs already operating in Bonner, including the Ocean Crusaders bottle cap recycling scheme.

“The more young people learn about the role we play in the community, it provides them a greater opportunity to get involved, give feedback and influence change on the issues they care about.”

Mr Vasta said he wanted to congratulate everyone who took part in the BYAC Zoom meeting, and he looked forward to organising the next one.