Women’s health identified as a key priority for young Australians as Youth Parliament’s National Matter of Public Importance launches
Women’s healthcare has been chosen as the 2025 Matter of Public Importance (MPI), to be debated in Youth Parliaments across Australia beginning in July. The MPI was officially launched at a national virtual event co-hosted by the 2025 Youth Governors, Administrators, and Y Australia today.
The MPI is a youth-led initiative that each year serves as a national platform to amplify youth perspectives and influence public, political, and media discourse, and continues to be a testament to the power and potential of young people in driving societal change.
Key focus areas in relation to women’s health will include increasing education and awareness, providing free period products in public spaces, reducing stigma and barriers that women commonly face, and boosting funding for diagnosis and treatment.
It comes at a timely moment as the Albanese Labor Government has promised to invest more than $790 million in Women’s Health, provide Australian women with more choice and better treatment at lower cost.
Each year, the MPI is chosen by young Australians, guided by Youth Governors and Administrators from the nation’s seven Youth Parliament programs. The topic is debated across all Y Youth Parliaments throughout the year.
Participants were asked to identify issues they believe deserve national attention, resulting in over 25 unique topic areas being raised, including:
• Education accessibility and reform
• Mental health support
• Climate change and environmental sustainability
• Cost of living and housing affordability
• Gender equality and women’s safety
• Access to healthcare and health equity
Running for over a decade, the MPI was first established in 2012 to highlight an issue young people believe deserves urgent national attention and action. Previous MPIs have included climate change action through government agencies, legalising same-sex marriage, introducing a national Universal Basic Income and creating a federal Human Rights Bill.