AYAC’s Federal Pre-Budget Submission 2026-27: A Summary
AYAC recently submitted its Federal Pre-Budget Submission for 2026–27, outlining practical and targeted investments to strengthen national youth sector infrastructure and improve outcomes for young Australians. This paper summarises our asks, and our rationale for prioritising them.
AYAC is conscious of the breadth and diversity of challenges facing young Australians. For this submission, we have taken a pragmatic approach, building on our work over the past two years and amplifying recommendations from leading advocacy organisations which compliment this work.
Part 1: A National Youth Infrastructure and Two Project Proposals
The central message of the first half of our submission is that to effectively support young people, Australia needs a strong, coordinated, and well-resourced national youth sector infrastructure.
Why a National Youth Sector Infrastructure Matters
AYAC believes more can be done to strengthen the youth sector at a national level, ensuring the Australian Government fulfils its responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and optimising its capacity to harness the collective energy of Australia’s youth sector.
While we welcome the increased focus on youth participation in recent years, particularly through the establishment of the Office for Youth, current investment in national youth infrastructure remains fragmented and short-term. Funding for national youth organisations continues to be largely program-based and piecemeal. This limits long-term planning, weakens workforce sustainability, and reduces opportunities for strategic collaboration across the sector.
The submission argues that without stable, coordinated investment, youth engagement at the national level cannot reach its full potential.
A Call for Long-Term Investment
By investing in national youth sector infrastructure, the Australian Government can unlock the collective capacity of Australia’s youth sector. Stable funding creates the conditions for:
Stronger collaboration between government, youth organisations and communities
More coordinated approaches to policy and practice
A supported, skilled and sustainable youth workforce
Better long-term outcomes for young people
To achieve this, AYAC is seeking a five-year funding agreement that would enable us to operate as a fully resourced national youth affairs peak body and deliver two targeted national initiatives aligned with current government policy priorities.
Project Proposal 1: Safeguarding Young People Aged 12–18 Pilot Program
AYAC proposes the development of a national safeguarding training and resource pilot program for adults working with young people aged 12–18. This initiative would be supported by an online hub that:
Maps existing safeguarding approaches across jurisdictions
Identifies gaps in policy and practice
Directs users to practical, youth-centered training
Objective: To strengthen the capacity of adults to recognise, prevent, and respond to safety risks across a wide range of environments — from schools and community organisations to online spaces. This initiative will help create safer, more supportive settings where young people can thrive.
Project Proposal 2: Youth Connection and Wellbeing in the Context of Social Media Minimum Age Restrictions
AYAC proposes an initiative that complements eSafety’s existing Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) monitoring and evaluation project.
Through this work, AYAC will:
Bring young people, the youth sector and other stakeholders into closer, ongoing dialogue aimed at better supporting young people to negotiate the change.
Support the dissemination of research findings
Promote best-practice recommendations
Engage young people in shaping safe online participation
Objective: To understand how SMMA restrictions impact young people’s connection and wellbeing, and to identify safe, accessible online spaces that support participation, learning, and social connection.
Part Two: Addressing Key Challenges Facing Young People
Part Two of AYAC’s submission focuses on persistent and emerging challenges affecting young Australians, including:
Education
Youth justice reform
Housing and homelessness
Raising the rate of income support
Mental health
Cost of living pressures
These priorities were informed by leading advocacy organisations, including the Australian Child Rights Taskforce and HomeTime, whose work highlights the urgent need for systemic reform and coordinated action at a federal level.
Looking Ahead
AYAC’s Federal Pre-Budget Submission 2026–27 presents a clear pathway for strengthening Australia’s national youth sector.
The proposed investments will strengthen national youth sector infrastructure, address emerging policy challenges affecting young Australians, improve national sectoral and policy coordination, enhance child safety on a national scale, and support effective engagement with young people
We look forward to working with the government, the youth sector and young people to turn these recommendations into action.
To read the full submission click here.