Ms Stronach paid a visit to locals under the age of 25 on June 9 and 10 as part of her nationwide Listening Tour which aims to discover the issues most important to young Australians.

The discussions held through the entirety of the tour will directly influence discussions at the United Nations General Assembly and within the Australian government(s).

"We call it a Listening Tour because it is my job to listen to the concerns and needs that young people in this country want to address and change," Ms Stronach said.

"It's heartbreaking that a lot of these young people feel it's the first time they've ever really been truly listened to by some person with a level of authority.

"I'm not the Prime Minister, I can't click my fingers and make things happen but I do have a platform to have my voice heard."

During her visit, Ms Stronach spoke with people involved in headspace Katherine as well as the newly established Youth Advisory Council.

"What I have primarily heard is that there's not enough support for mental health within the community," Ms Stronach said.

"Community safety was also brought up quite a bit. They mentioned lockdowns in schools happening constantly but said there has been no proactive addressing of the issues that are causing these lockdowns.

"They also mentioned quite a high prevalence of self harm and suicide rates. Some of the young people were saying they know someone who has died by suicide every single year.

"Education is the key solution to a lot of these issues."

Another topic of discussion brought up was the housing crisis in Katherine, something Ms Stronach said has a 'no-brainer' fix.

"They mentioned the housing crisis and that's quite a big concern at the moment," she said.

"With the housing crisis, that's a bit of a no-brainer. There needs to be more infrastructure built to support the growing community and to actually incentivise people to stay."

It is hoped the Listening Tour will continue in future years with the 'need' for more discussions to be held, particularly in remote communities.

"The young people at headspace Katherine were incredibly receptive and vocal about what they needed and so excited to have this conversation, you could see their eyes light up," Ms Stronach said.

"Unfortunately, a lot of the time these opportunities just don't exist in these communities, particularly in remote and rural ones.

"For me, it's really frustrating because these are the voices we need to listen to most, the voices that aren't being heard.

"It'll be the plan to come back and do a large-scale listening tour in these communities who need and deserve it."

For those who may have missed out on Ms Stronach's visit to Katherine, she has advised those eager to share their voices to get in touch by visiting https://ausyouthrep.unyouth.org.au/.

"We are open for consultation for any young person or group in Australia. We can hold zoom consultations until September/October so there's still a lot of time for young people to have their voices heard," she said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: