She might only be in Year 12, but Toronto local Sienna Diessel already has one foot in the door of Parliament House.
With a passion for women’s health – specifically diagnostics, research and education – the student’s been working hard to bring several issues to light at a state level.
In fact, Sienna’s participated in the Y New South Wales Youth Parliament program, where senior pupils undergo six months of training through camps and workshops to take on the role of elected representatives.
She admitted to the Newcastle Weekly, it wasn’t a path she envisioned herself on.
“I never really grew up around politics, my family weren’t political at all,” she said.
“But, just seeing on the news a lot of the bad things that were happening, I started to become more interested.
“I was going to study political journalism, but I realised that I actually wanted to be that advocate and be able to make a change.”
Participants write, research and draft their own Youth Bills, which are then debated in the NSW Parliament in mock sittings, with MPs invited to chair the sessions.
Sienna is part of the Women’s Affairs Committee, which has written the “Inclusion of Women in Medical Research Youth Bill 2025”.
The legislation will be debated, possibly amended, and voted on during a residential camp taking place from now until Friday 18 July.
“As a woman, even though I’m only 17, I’ve already faced a lot of the consequences of misogyny in our society, specifically pertaining to women’s health,” she said.
“I’ve got my mother, aunts and grandmas… and they’ve all been really heavily-impacted by the lack of medical research and understanding of women’s health.
“So, being able to put my foot forward and try to help make a change to improve that is really important to me.”
Several other issues will be explored in this year’s Youth Parliament, including improving outcomes for young people in the criminal justice system, representation for First Nation’s youth, increasing education and career pathways, workforce development in regional areas, and redefining mental health for a community-based approach.
Y NSW CEO Rob Kennaugh said it was vital to give a voice to the future generations.
“Youth Parliament offers young people the opportunity to be heard on the issues that matter in their lives and communities,” he explained.
“This year’s participants represent a diverse and passionate generation that’s politically engaged, community-minded and ready to lead.
“Their contributions deserve serious attention.”
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