Williamstown High School student Tom Hughes, 16, put forward a bill alongside his team, to make public transport free for concession cardholders.
The bill stated that Victorians use public transport to commute to essential services and when concession cardholders did not have enough money to pay for their journeys, it can be fraught with stress.
“People who have limited access to income, they are struggling the most. If they can save on public transport they can spend that on other essential items they need,” Hughes said.
Kergen Angel, 24, who was elected by last year’s Youth Parliament to be Victoria’s Youth Governor, said for some young people, speaking in parliament was like “being in [Harry Potter’s] Ministry of Magic” and that they now felt they had “the right to have [their] voice heard”.
Angel said every young person had to have a full, complete and engaging civics education. The fact that 32 bills had passed into legislation was a testament to the fact young that people had an important part to play in politics, he said.