For some, the 2025 election was a test of leadership. For others, it was a signal of maturity—from a new generation of voters, and from a country that may finally be ready to leave fear-driven politics behind.
The Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) sees the result as no accident. A surge in young voters, particularly those from migrant and refugee backgrounds, helped shape swings in key urban electorates. “Their message is clear: they expect action, and they are ready to lead,” said MYAN Chair Carmel Guerra. The group is calling on the Albanese Government to do more than listen—it wants genuine power-sharing on issues that matter most to multicultural youth.
Their priorities are tightly drawn. Housing affordability is at the top of the list, as rental stress deepens and home ownership fades into fantasy. Climate is next—less as an abstract policy issue, more as a survival concern. And running through all of it is a call for equity: anti-racism initiatives, mental health reform, and education that speaks to the real lives of young Australians.
“Young people from multicultural backgrounds turned out and made their voices heard,” said Guerra. “This government now has a mandate to work with them, not around them.” MYAN argues that youth should no longer be viewed as a demographic to be courted during elections and forgotten between them. “We don’t just want to be consulted,” added youth advocate Tess Poulose. “We want real power to co-create the solutions.”
Meanwhile, the refugee sector sees the election outcome as a rebuke to division. According to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), voters have rejected the scare campaigns of recent years. “Attempts to demonise people seeking asylum fell flat,” said deputy CEO Jana Favero. “Now the government must act.”
The list of demands is long, but urgent. First, pathways to permanency for the 8,500 people left in limbo by the now-abolished Fast Track system. Second, immediate evacuation and resettlement for refugees still held offshore, with worsening medical conditions and limited access to care. Third, the repeal of punitive amendments to the Migration Act introduced last year under pressure from the opposition.
These laws give the Minister sweeping powers to deport people or override protection decisions. “That kind of authority has no place in a fair refugee system,” Favero said. The ASRC is also calling for a basic safety net—allowing people seeking asylum the right to work, study, and access income support while their claims are processed.
For those living in legal limbo, some for over a decade, the frustration is no longer just political—it’s existential. Favero believes the new Parliament has a rare chance to reset Australia’s approach. “It’s time to stop managing people through cruelty. Compassion won the vote. It should now guide the policy.”
Both MYAN and ASRC are calling for long-term thinking: leadership pipelines for young people, and structural change for refugee support systems. Their voices are different but aligned. One speaks from schoolyards and social housing queues, the other from detention centres and courtrooms. But the message is the same: a better Australia is possible—and expected.
As Parliament reconvenes, these groups won’t be waiting politely. They’ve already shaped the result. Now they want to shape the response.
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