"The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children."

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

Login or signup to continue reading

Nelson Mandela's powerful 1997 message remains a simple but profound reminder that a society's values are measured not by how it treats its most powerful members, but by how it protects and supports its most vulnerable.

It also highlights a fundamental imbalance in our democracy. Children cannot vote. They cannot introduce legislation, influence cabinet decisions or hold governments to account at the ballot box.

Yet decisions made by adults today will shape their safety, health, education and opportunities for decades to come.

Children deserve more than to be the subject of government policy. They deserve a voice in shaping it.

That is why, as part of Children's Week 2026, Act for Kids has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to give children a stronger voice in Canberra by creating a dedicated minister for children in federal cabinet.

And the message from children themselves is clear: they want to be heard.

In research commissioned by Act for Kids, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1000 Australians aged 10 to 18, 98 per cent said it was important for children to have a voice in decisions that affect them - yet only 34 per cent said they felt adults listened to what they think.

That gap should give us pause. If almost every child believes their voice matters, but so few feel heard, we must ask whether our systems are genuinely designed to consider their needs and perspectives.

So why do we need a dedicated minister for children? Children's interests are too important to risk falling between government portfolios.

There are almost 5.8 million children under the age of 18 living in Australia, yet there is no dedicated federal minister for children whose central responsibility is to champion their interests and wellbeing in cabinet.

Instead, decisions affecting children are spread across portfolios including education, health, social services, justice and youth. Each has an important role to play, but without a dedicated minister focused on children as a whole, their needs can be overlooked amid competing priorities.

This fragmented approach risks creating........

© The Examiner