Malala Yousafzai is now taking her message to Melbourne on Tuesday.

She received a standing ovation at Sydney's International Convention Centre on Monday night when she urged young people to believe in themselves.

"Do not let your age stop you from changing the world," she said.

She told the Sydney crowd about the discrimination faced by women globally and praised the Me Too movement for raising awareness of gender inequality in western countries.

Ms Yousafzai, who is studying at Oxford University, also called for better treatment of refugees across the world.

The 21-year-old Pakistani woman rose to international prominence in 2012 when a masked gunman got on a bus and shot her in the face as she was on her way home from school in northern Pakistan, in response to her public advocacy of girls' right to an education. She was 15.

Before being shot, Ms Yousafzai had been blogging for four years for the BBC about life under the Taliban and the restrictions on the lives of local women.

Her family relocated to England after the shooting, allowing Ms Yousafzai to complete her secondary and tertiary education.

At 17, she became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and established a foundation in her name to fundraise for girls' education.

The event, organised by The Growth Faculty, is part of its Women World Changers series.

Australian Associated Press