West Tamar Council will have a fresh, young face sitting at the Councillor table at its final meeting for the year.
Grade 8 Riverside Primary School student Millie van Est has been announced as the Council’s new Youth Mayor for 2026.
The West Tamar Youth Mayor Program selects a student from years seven to nine to represent the youth of the municipality for one calendar, providing a focus for their views to be heard by the elected members.
Millie takes over the reins – and Youth Mayoral Chains – from fellow Riverside High School student Yuxuan See.
Millie said that in applying for the Youth Mayor role, she knew that she wanted to make a difference; not just for herself, but for all young person in the West Tamar community.
“So being chosen for this position means more to me than anything I can put into words, and I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me along the way,” Millie said.
“One of the biggest reasons I wanted to become Youth Mayor is because I believe every young person deserves to have a say in the activities, decisions, and changes that happen around us.”
In the year ahead, Millie said she had three main focus visions.
“First, I want to build stronger connections between young people and the West Tamar Council. I want even the shyest youth to feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas, and knowing that their thoughts matter,” she said.
“Secondly, I want to help create more opportunities for young people to express themselves and their personalities, whether that’s through art, sport, leadership, technology, or anything else that inspires them.
“And thirdly, I hope to encourage more collaboration between schools and the West Tamar Council.”
Mayor Christina Holmdahl said she enjoyed sharing her official mayoral duties with the Youth Mayor and had genuinely valued having a youth perspective on Council and community matters.
“As a Council, we greatly value the opinions of young people in the West Tamar and want them to be able to communicate with us about their views,” Mayor Holmdahl said.
“We have always encouraged West Tamar youth to let us know what they want for our community, but the Youth Mayor role helps to streamline this communication by including young people in Council’s decision-making process, as well as providing a stronger youth voice in the local community and increasing their understanding of the roles and functions of Local Government.”
Mayor Holmdahl said that the Youth Mayor role had grown in significance across Council since its inception in 2020.
“West Tamar was one of the first few councils in the state to introduce a Youth Mayor – and certainly the first in Northern Tasmania,” Mayor Holmdahl said.
“Given the feedback we’ve received from our previous Youth Mayors, I encourage all councils in Tasmania to consider introducing a youth mayor program in their municipalities – and who knows? Maybe one day we may see an entire statewide network of youth mayors right across the state, which would certainly be a positive outcome for the young people in Tasmania.
“I am certainly looking forward to working with Millie and helping her to develop her leadership skills, as well as gaining an understanding of her thoughts and suggestions on improving life for young people in the West Tamar.”
West Tamar Youth Development Officer Kirsten Howard said that the Youth Mayor position was an integral part of Council in that it demonstrated to young people in the community that they can help shape their future and be genuinely heard in decision-making.
“The role also helps teach youth about Local Government and what roles are obtainable,” Ms Howard said.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Yuxuan and his contributions to the West Tamar community have been significant. I have seen enormous growth in his confidence in terms of public speaking, being in front of crowds, presenting to YAC and in his everyday life.
“Similarly, I am looking forward to witnessing Millie’s growth over the next 12 months and supporting her in this position.”
The West Tamar Youth Mayor Program first began in December 2020.
Since then, five Youth Mayors have served in the role – Chloe White in 2021, Elizabeth Sexton in 2022, Noah Hedger in 2023, Alice Gregory in 2024 and Yuxuan See in 2025.
The role was borne out of the 2020-22 West Tamar Youth Strategy, which identified the goal of empowering young people with skills and confidence in the West Tamar municipality.”