56 young people from 35 jurisdictions took part in a week-long Commonwealth Youth Parliament organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). The 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament (CYP) was hosted by the Parliament of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia from 26 to 31 July 2026. 

Participants aged 18 to 29 acted as Members of the ‘Parliament of New Albion’, a fictional urbanised, federal, coastal nation of 8.5 million people. They represented mock political parties, including a minority governing party, two opposition parties and two crossbench parties. 

Delegates were assigned roles including Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, government and opposition whips, members of Parliamentary Committees and Ministers and Shadow Ministers for Public Administration, Labour and Digital Transformation. 

At the opening ceremony, the President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales and former CPA President, Hon. Ben Franklin, MLC welcomed the participants:  

“I’m delighted to welcome so many young leaders from across the Commonwealth to Sydney for the 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament. This week gives participants the opportunity to debate and amend legislation, speak in the Chamber on issues important to their jurisdictions and network with one another. 

It has been a privilege for the Parliament of New South Wales to host this remarkable programme in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. I have no doubt these young leaders will make an important contribution to the future of democracy across the Commonwealth.” 

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales, Hon. Greg Piper, MP said: 

“The theme of this week is democracy in the age of Artificial Intelligence. You’ll get to experience question time, Committees and all the excitement of a sitting week.” 

The opening of the 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament was conducted by the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Hon. Margaret Beazley, AC, KC, who delivered the opening address and later welcomed the young leaders to a reception at Government House. 

The 13th CYP centred on a debate over the Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Integrity Bill. The Youth Parliamentarians debated, amended and voted on the Bill, which would create an independent AI Commissioner to oversee high-risk uses of Artificial Intelligence in areas like elections, policing and welfare, alongside new privacy protections and a right to human review of automated decisions. It would require disclosure of AI-generated political content, ban deceptive deepfakes of candidates and force platforms to remove flagged AI content within six hours during campaigns. The much-debated Bill passed on the Third Reading with amendments.

As well as the main programme, delegates participated in a tour of the New South Wales Parliament, a boat trip around Sydney Harbour, a First Nations cultural immersion session and a panel discussion with Australian Parliamentarians on democracy in the age of Artificial Intelligence.

Youth participants also heard from New South Wales Premier, Hon. Chris Minns, MP; the Minister for Climate Change, Energy Environment & Heritage and Leader of the Government in the New South Wales Legislative Council, Hon. Penny Sharpe, MLC; and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Hon. Andrew Bell, AC. 

The CPA Branches represented at the 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament were: Australia Federal, Australian Capital Territory, Delhi, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kelantan, Kenya, Kiribati, Manitoba, New South Wales, New Zealand, Nigeria, Niue, Northern Territory, Pakistan, Punjab (Pakistan), Queensland, Rajasthan, Samoa, Singapore, Tamil Nadu, United Kingdom, Uttar Pradesh, Vanuatu, Victoria, Wales, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Meghalaya. 

Reflecting on the week’s programme, Puneet Sabhnani from Gibraltar, who served as a party spokesperson on Technology, said:  

“This week has been a great experience. I’ve had the chance to meet people from across the Commonwealth, from the Falkland Islands to Samoa, Kenya and more. It’s been eye-opening to see how different people think about and use AI.” 

Jahnavi Mahana from Uttar Pradesh, India, said:  

"Not only did we get to debate different aspects of Artificial Intelligence through CYP, but we also got to hear from Australian Parliamentarians on their personal experience of AI. It was fascinating to hear about how legislators are approaching these issues.” 

The Commonwealth Youth Parliament is the CPA’s flagship youth programme. Held every two years, it is designed to introduce young Commonwealth citizens to the role and purpose of Parliaments as democratic institutions and providers of good governance. 

• Read the CPA blog: ‘From Local Chambers to the Commonwealth Stage: How Youth Parliaments are Empowering Young Leaders’ 
• For images of the 13th Commonwealth Youth Parliament, please click here.

-ENDS- 

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is an international community of 180 Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance. Founded in 1911, the CPA brings together Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and implement the enduring values of the Commonwealth. It offers a vast opportunity for Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and to share good practice.