Commonwealth Youth Parliament: Blog Post
States Assembly
15 September 2026
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As they always say, a week is a long time in politics. Well I’ve never known that to be more true than during my time at the 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Sydney, Australia.On day one, we were sworn in as members of parliament for the imagined state of New Albion. By day four, there had been two votes of no confidence, one attempting and failing to replace the elected premier and deputy premier, and the other successfully prompting a change of leadership in one of the five parties. Perhaps one of the funniest moments of our time in parliament was when the ousted party leader defected to another party, and was even given a new lanyard to indicate this.
Luckily for me, my own time as party leader was far less eventful. That said, it was far from a certainty. Prior to the event, having read the extensive standing orders document, I was unsure whether I was well-versed enough in the technicalities of parliamentary debate, having only limited experience from the Jersey Youth Parliament. I didn’t want to take on the position if there were going to be other people with more experience who would do a better job. But at the same time, I was torn — I wanted to make the absolute most of the opportunity I had been given. It was on the incredible boat cruise around Sydney Harbour that we were taken on just prior to the opening of parliament and elections getting under way that my mind was made up. The Hon. Ben Franklin (President of the New South Wales Legislative Council) spoke to me personally, and said that having read my initial application he was really hoping I would go for the position of party leader. I was extremely flattered, and mostly surprised, but it gave me the push I needed to put myself forward and go for it. This would turn out to be one of the best decisions I could have made.
I was incredibly humbled that my fellow party members put their trust in me to be the leader of the fictional Regional Development Party, and that sense of privilege fueled me to give my absolute all to the challenges set before me. However, I couldn’t have done it without such a supportive group of people – I’m honestly so proud of what we achieved together. Under this year’s theme, ‘Democracy in the Age of Artifical Intelligence’, we had the chance to debate draft legislation, propose amendments to a bill, participate in question time, make adjournment speeches and collaborate during coalition meetings. Outside of the chamber, we had the opportunity to learn about and immerse ourselves in First Nations traditions and culture, which was an honour. We were also lucky to attend some wonderful receptions, generously hosted at Government House NSW and the British Consulate (where I was often pulled into lengthy party negotiations over canapés!).
What I hadn’t appreciated beforehand was how sincerely everyone would assume the roles that they had been given, which added massively to the feeling of being in a real-world political simulation. We were assigned to our parties randomly, so we often had to put forward arguments that we didn’t necessarily agree with, which I think is an essential part of challenging and strengthening your own beliefs. It’s also a crucial part of collaborative politics, which is something that is sadly lacking in most political systems.
The enthusiasm of all the delegates had a big part to play in the realism of the week, as we passionately defended our party lines and non-negotiables. This often led to spirited heckling from all sides, creating some of the most enjoyable moments of the week, because underlying the heated cross-chamber debates, we knew there was a great deal of mutual respect and admiration. Once negotiations were finished, we were easily able to turn our minds back to newly formed friendships that crossed parties, countries and languages.
I learnt a huge amount from the current sitting politicians who acted as our party mentors during caucus meetings, as well as those that provided workshops and gave us their words of wisdom. But most of all, I learnt so much from my fellow delegates – a really astonishing group of people. It’s a rare thing to find a young person who wants to talk about politics, never mind the disadvantages of different political systems and the merits of mandatory voting. I think oftentimes it is easy to see these structures that we live our lives within as difficult, or perhaps impossible to change. Speaking to people from countries all over the world offered a real insight into the staggering differences between what we each consider to be the status quo. Given the problematic nature of a lot of Commonwealth history, it can be difficult to imagine its future as an organisation; but I think some of the answers lie in these conversations. The chance to join together as people and share our experiences with the aim of creating a more hopeful and democratic future for all is certainly something worth celebrating. It was a great privilege to hear the voices of my fellow delegates, and to learn about what is important to them and their communities.
So, I want to say a huge thank you to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretariat and the staff at the Parliament of NSW for all their hard work that made this unbelievable programme possible, I think we’ll all remember it for a long time. On a personal note, I want to sincerely thank the Jersey CPA Branch both for selecting me and for funding this life-changing experience.
Before CYP13, I could never have guessed that it was possible to learn so much about yourself and others in just one week. Now, after having the honour of representing Jersey at the 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament in Sydney, Australia from the 26th to the 31st July 2026, I know the truth of it.
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