Winning topics covered mental health, housing and Deaf rights
Students who won the 2026 My First Speech competition travelled to Parliament House on 14 September and delivered their speeches to members of the House of Representatives and Speaker Milton Dick.
The winning entries tackled three issues: youth mental health, housing affordability and the rights of Deaf people. Dick welcomed the students and hosted the presentation where they addressed MPs inside Parliament House.
The competition asks students to picture themselves as a newly elected member of the House of Representatives. They then write a 500-word first speech on an issue they care strongly about.
Four MPs judged the 2026 contest
This year’s judging panel included the Speaker, the Hon Milton Dick MP, along with Ash Ambihaipahar, member for Barton, Sam Birrell, member for Nicholls, and Rebekha Sharkie, member for Mayo.
Dick said the program gives young Australians a chance to engage with Parliament and bring their views into the national institution.
“It is so important that we continue to look for these opportunities to give our young Australians the opportunity to engage with our Parliament,” Dick said.
He said hearing students’ voices and views showed “a vibrant and healthy democracy”.
Video of the speeches has been published on the House of Representatives YouTube channel, where viewers can watch the students deliver their entries.
The My First Speech program centres on the traditions of a first speech in federal Parliament, but shifts the exercise to students and the issues they want elected representatives to confront. In 2026, those concerns ranged from access to mental health support for young people to the cost of housing and recognition of Deaf rights.
The Department of the House of Representatives has also published information about the competition for students and schools seeking more detail about how the program works and what participants are asked to write.
