Get involved in government
Queensland is the first state in Australia to pass laws banning unnecessary cosmetic surgery procedures and solarium use by children and young people. The government's decision was influenced in no small way by the feedback received from hundreds of people who expressed their ideas and opinions online.
Whether you live in regional Queensland or in the city, your opinion can inform the government's views on issues that affect you and your community — and you don't have to be voting age to do it. ConsultQld on the Getinvolved website is your direct link to government about issues that are being considered. Public consultations allow you to put forward your thoughts about specific issues being considered. You can access information, answer questions, see other people's responses and view reports on completed consultations.
Climate change, motorbike safety, Indigenous cultural heritage and altruistic surrogacy are just some of the issues on which Queenslanders have had their say in the past year. Wesley Stubbings, an Aboriginal man representing the Townsville region on the Queensland Youth Council — which provides a forum for young people to exchange information and views with the State Government — says you won't be heard if you don't participate in forums and community decision making opportunities.
"Young people are connecting with the government and the government is connecting with young people more now than ever before," Wesley says.
Other ways to get involved include online petitions, parliamentary broadcasts, virtual tours of Parliament House and community cabinet meetings in regional Queensland.