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CFMP's 2025 Student Voice Forum

As part of the Committee for Frankston & Mornington Peninsula’s Strategic Plan 2025-2030, our guiding principles include:

  • “To partner with schools and education providers and ensure youth in our region are represented in forums, roundtables and policy discussions facilitated by CFMP.”

As the peak advocacy body for our region, we take our role in empowering our region’s future leaders seriously – and we’re delighted to be able to offer valuable forums for our school members and student leaders.

This two-part forum consists of two significant Committee-facilitated events which were attended by local representatives from all levels of government and business leaders from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.

On Friday 20 June, student leaders from CFMP Member Schools joined local representatives and businesses leaders for the Committee's first Student Voice forum. 

We were joined by Jodie Belyea MP, Paul Edbrooke MP, Paul Mercurio MP, Cr Emily Green (Frankston City) and Cr Max Patton (MP Shire).


Cr Green and Cr Patton provided a snapshot of life as a young person in community leadership positions, and why students should consider getting involved in politics within their communities. 

During the workshops and panel Q&A, the Committee ensured that student voices were listened to.

We provided students with direct access with key local decision-makers and local representatives, and facilitated workshops and an open panel Q&A.

 The Workshops covered five key areas that were raised as critical issues at the School Leaders Presentation Event, including:

  • The Environment, climate change, and renewable energy – What difference can we make as individuals and as a region?
  • Cost of living challenges for young people are ignored, our HECS debts are too high, and there are far fewer economic opportunities for young people in 2025.
  • Gender, Age and mental health: Tackling the scourge of domestic violence and violence against women, and better funding and support for mental health.
  • Young people care about politics less than ever before. Is this true? How do we fix it or make it more engaging and impactful for youth particularly in our region?
  • Housing – how do we deal with the challenge of getting young people into their first home? Is the great Australian dream out of reach for the next generation of young people on the peninsula?

Our workshop facilitators, led by Committee board members and business leaders, prompted conversations about solutions, proposals, initiatives and responses to some of these key issues.


They key takeaways from the Student Voice Forum for 2025 were:

  • The top issue for student leaders in our region is housing affordability.
    • Many feel they will require assistance to buy their first home.
    • Many believe the expectations of home ownership are different to the previous generation. Young people are likely to be more comfortable in smaller builds with community links.
    • Many expressed specific concern about the local housing market and its affordability, which may see some priced out of their own hometowns.
  •  Students would like to see more direct action and support for mental health and domestic violence programs within schools.
  •  The prospect of a significant and burdensome HECS debt is a worry shared by many local students.
  •  Disengagement with politics by young people can be addressed by better education of politics in schools and promoting young people to leadership positions across all levels of government.
  • Students are interested in taking direction environmental action locally and are seeking to partner with local government or environmental organisations to provide practical responses to local environmental issues.

Our MP's and Councillors will now take these concerns to Federal Parliament, State Parliament and our local council chambers.


Thank you to South East Water for hosting this year's event, and our Committee board members and CFMP members for facilitating workshops with the students. Thank you also to Blake Alford-Ryan and Jon Christie from Frankston High School for taking the initiative on this forum and helping it be a tremendous success.

Thank you to our elected representatives for attending this forum or the School Leaders Presentation breakfast held in March. 

  •        Jodie Belyea MP, the Federal Member for Dunkley
  •        Zoe McKenzie MP, the Federal Member for Flinders
  •        Paul Edbrooke MP, the State Member for Frankston
  •        Paul Mercurio MP, the State Member for Hastings
  •        Chris Crewther MP, the State Member for Mornington
  •        Cr Emily Green, Frankston City Council
  •        Cr Max Patton, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
  •        Liberal Candidate for Dunkley, Nathan Conroy
  •        Labor Candidate for Flinders, Sarah Race
  •        Independent Candidate for Flinders, Ben Smith


Committee Member schools that participated across both events included:

  •        Frankston High School
  •        Flinders Christian Community College
  •        Balcombe Grammar
  •        Mt Eliza Secondary College
  •        Woodleigh School
  •        Mornington Secondary College
  •        Peninsula Grammar
  •        Toorak College
  •        Foundation College