During my time here, I've had the privilege of receiving dozens of wonderful speeches written by young Australians as part of the Raise Our Voice program. Thanks to everyone who submitted a speech. It was really difficult to choose which one to read. I've got some very passionate and articulate young constituents.

Here is Alice's speech:

Dear members of parliament, my name is Alice. I'm 10 and I live in Brisbane. To me, climate change is the biggest issue shaping our future. Oceans are warming, coral is bleaching and ecosystems are suffering. All around the world today these horrible occurrences are happening and some events that are even worse. Do you care about this planet? The planet that gives food, water and a home to everything? The planet that gives us life. The planet that our own kind is destroying. If you do care then why isn't more being done as we approach the unrecoverable tipping point of climate change? Why are humans so resistant to positive change?

Well, I care. My friends care. My generation cares. This is because if we don't do something now, we will have to face the consequences of the future. We will have to pay the price, not you. So if you do care about Australia's future then start making an impact. Some things you could do include: increasing government incentives for renewable energy sources; investing in more solar farms, wind turbine farms and hydroelectricity projects, including working towards harnessing tidal power to generate electricity.

There are many things you, me and all Australians can do to make more sustainable choices such as using environmentally friendly products, recycling and composting. So what are you waiting for?

Thanks, Alice, for that excellent speech. Alice is completely right, of course, and it's her generation that inspires me.

Sadly, our political system allows big corporations, including fossil fuel companies, to donate huge sums of money to political parties. Then those political parties do as they're told by big corporations—they are bought. It's a fundamental structural, moral and ethical problem destroying trust in our politics, and it shouldn't be allowed. Later this month, I will present a bill to fix exactly this problem. It would ban fossil fuel corporations from making political donations, removing one of the worst corrupting influences on our government, poisoning our politics. I hope the other parties will support it. But of course, they've profited from this system forever, so I'm not holding my breath. In the meantime, I encourage young people like Alice to keep up the fight. The most powerful thing ordinary people can do is take on these big companies whose undue influence is corrupting our politics and damaging our future, and we should all stand up together for what is right.

I'm also thinking about the future and what AI means for our minds, our planet, our lives. Many Australians are understandably sceptical of AI. The government just can't keep up with the technology. We have seen across many sectors the huge damage that rapacious, profit driven, unregulated corporations can do—massive water-guzzling data centres, a new frontier of resource extraction. Is generative AI a useful tool or a quandary for education and learning? Will AI be beneficial to our society? These are the questions I am asking my community in Ryan to think about.

I want to know how real people feel about AI and its impact on their lives. If AI is here to stay, we've got to ensure that it's regulated and useful to us, not just to corporations. It can't be yet another drain on our communities. We can't let massive global corporations write the rules on this—companies like Microsoft's data centre company, who, by the way, paid no tax in the last financial year. The government have one chance to get this right, and they should know that regular Australians are watching closely. I'm looking forward to reading through the responses to my AI survey in the coming weeks, and to sharing Ryan's view in parliament.

It's well-known I am passionate about young people by providing them with a platform. That is why I signed up to the Raise Our Voices campaign and encourage local young constituents to submit a speech about an issue they care deeply about. This year I chose to read the speech by Anastasia, from Carrum Downs, about what our children are hearing on the radio and the effects this can have on their perception of healthy relationships and their mental health. Anastasia, who is watching and listening from home, says:

My name is Anastasia I am 17 years old and part of the Dunkley electorate.

The issue I face is the decline in community standards and the decreasing morality of teenagers that results in teen crime, teen pregnancy and an overwhelming lack of respect for others.

The Australian government with community support passed new media legislation in 2025, then porn legislation in 2026 due to their studies identifying detrimental effects on Australian youth. The legislation amends and restricts access for children under 16 years of age on social media due to community alarm over the internet and information that could be harmful. This age restriction went from snapchat, Facebook, Instagram to porn sites, only fans and other websites.

The legislation was in response to community outrage, initially over media bullying and teen suicides. The government received multiple submissions from the eSafety Commissioners research.

Some effects these submissions included are; poor mental health, sexism and sexual aggression and violence, sexual coercion and abuse by boys, child-on-child and peer-on-peer sexual abuse and shaping of sexual behaviours.

So, I put to you: why does this ban not extend to radio stations, music, music videos, free to air TV and other media? 9/10 songs on the internet speak about love, sex, violence between partners, drugs and disrespectful behaviour. I propose that the government review music and artists and the content that has slipped under the radar of the government's media legislation and harm minimisation plan.

The only "safe" radio station in Melbourne is 89.9 Light FM who are a non-government funded organisation. Light FM guarantee no harmful material and are a G-rated, no swear words, no sexual innuendos or smut talk by their presenters or in the music played. In comparison kiss FM were known for racy talk, sexual innuendos and derogatory banter between their presenters.

The government is prepared to ban harmful visual media and restrict access but not yet address and prepare to ban the same content found through artists and music, to safeguard developing minds and the morality of our nation?

Children put on songs and they are pure verbal porn. Why block visual porn if you still let children subject themselves to audio porn? Doesn't audio porn just have the same affects? Children and teenagers can access this through every music app and even karaoke sites. Is this not what the government was trying to protect our youth from?

There are many examples of songs all over the internet with hidden meanings, it is not appropriate to read these examples due to parliament standards yet it is heard playing in shopping centres and radio stations to all ages, yet censored for you right now.

Thanks, Anastasia, for your insights and suggestions. The points you have raised are very astute. Anastasia, as you know, the federal government is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of children and young people. We need to ensure that the standards in the Australian Broadcasting Industry Codes of Practice are implemented. I highly recommend that you submit a petition on this particular issue to the federal government's petitions website. We will continue to listen to the community and young people such as yourself and make changes to ensure the care and protection of the community.