Aspiring pollie Amelia Glass retains her Vasse seat in Y WA’s Youth Parliament

Rosa Brook teenager Amelia Glass will once again represent the region in Y WA’s Youth Parliament.

The 17-year-old will effectively act as the incumbent for the seat of Vasse during ongoing activities in the program after winning selection for the mock seat for a second time.

In the 30th year of the Youth Parliament program, Amelia was among 59 young people chosen for the program which offers those aged between 15 and 25 a taste of life in politics.

Amelia has already tested herself in the program which sees participants develop mock legislation to address issues close to their hearts.

She told the Times regional issues and especially education for rural students were key to her concerns.

“I’m super interested in regional development,” she said.

“No one should be left behind in this State just because they live away from Perth.

“There is a clear difference in healthcare, education and other vital services, and this needs to be fixed to give regional youth the best chance at success.”

Amelia said the program held a lot of appeal because young Western Australians were the future of the State.

“Every decision that is being made right now is directly impacting our lives into the future, and no matter how minor the decision is, it can still have a massive effect,” she told the Times.

“Young people should have a voice, as it is our future that is being impacted right now.”

Y WA chief executive Tim McDonald said the Youth Parliament program provided keen young people with critical insight into the workings of government as well as how policies were developed.

“Our intentions are always based around empowerment and giving young people a voice,” Dr McDonald said.

“This program is truly representative of the views and concerns of the State’s next generation of community leaders.”

Amelia previously developed legislation focused on addressing inequities in regional education by providing incentives to teachers for personal development as well as relocating to regional WA.

Ironically, some similar policy considerations have since been floated during the recent State election.

Amelia told the Times she ventured back for a second term because as well as her fulfilment, the program was fun.

“It is such a cool program that helps you build a community with other like-minded young people, as well as a platform to help convey youth ideas to the Government and guide policy decisions,” she said.

“You also get a really interesting range of perspectives from people who come from all over.”

The program runs across coming months and culminates in official functions at Parliament in early July.