Dominic de Moura McCarthy

In May 2026, I was selected as one of 19 emerging leaders from Australia and Papua New Guinea to participate in the Australia–Papua New Guinea Emerging Leaders Dialogue, held in Cairns from 5–9 May 2026. The high-level leadership program brought together young professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs and community leaders to strengthen bilateral relationships and foster collaboration between the two countries across areas including regional development, trade, education, diplomacy and people-to-people connections.

From 26–30 November 2025, I had the privilege of delivering my fourth Youth Leadership Summit through the Pacific-Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA), this time in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Since launching the inaugural Summit in New Caledonia in 2022, followed by Tonga in 2023 and Nauru in 2024, it has been encouraging to see the program continue growing across the Pacific and bringing together young leaders from increasingly diverse backgrounds and communities.

On Saturday 25 October 2025, the Pacific-Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA) proudly joined the Queensland Nauru Community (QNC) in celebrating Angam Day 2025 at the Sunnybank Community Hall in Brisbane. I celebrated with members of the Nauruan community, friends and partners from across the Nauruan local community and diaspora to mark this significant national occasion

On Saturday 4 October, I had the privilege of implementing and delivering a community youth athletics event at the Mackay Aquatic & Recreation Complex. Through the Pacific Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA), and with support from the Queensland Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund, I brought this initiative to life for local youth.

Held from 14–17 September 2025, I attended the inaugural PNG Regional Youth Summit, hosted by the Pacific-Australia Youth Association (PAYA), under the theme “Navigating the Right Direction Beyond 50”, the four-day event was a celebration of leadership, learning and the spirit of a united Pacific.

This month, I had the honour of attending the Queensland Multicultural Community Reception, hosted by the Premier of Queensland, The Hon. David Crisafulli MP. It was a significant moment, not just personally, but for the Pacific-Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA) and the young leaders we represent across the Pacific and Australia.

In July 2025, the Pacific-Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA) and EnglishEquip took another step forward in their shared mission of equipping Pacific youth with the tools to lead. Building on the momentum of our partnership announced in June, the EnglishEquip team delivered two dynamic workshops, one in Koné, New Caledonia, and one in Mata’Utu, Wallis and Futuna, introducing young leaders to English language opportunities across the Pacific.

On 24 October 2024, I was involved in delivering Future-Ready: How Economic Empowerment Can Deliver Social Mobility for Youth, an official side-event to the Third OECD Ministerial Summit on Social Inclusion for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in Bogotá, hosted by the Australia–Latin America Emerging Leaders Dialogue (ALELD) and the OECD in collaboration with Universidad del Rosario and supported by the Australian Embassy in Colombia.