Adjournment: Yuroke Youth Advisory Council

Ros SPENCE (Yuroke) (19:12:54) — (14 847) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Youth Affairs, and the action I seek is that the minister meet with members of my Yuroke Youth Advisory Council. As the minister is aware, I established the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council in 2015 to provide young people with a platform to express their concerns and represent their peers. This year’s youth advisory council consists of young people aged from 14 to 20 from a diverse range of backgrounds, all of whom have made a fantastic contribution as the council has investigated the topic of youth employment.

Advisory council members are currently preparing a report on their work this year, which has included meeting with a range of experts across the year, and planning, promoting and delivering a youth employment forum, which took place on 2 August. I know advisory council members would greatly benefit from meeting with the minister, as previous advisory council members have throughout this term of government, and I look forward to her response.

Response: 

I congratulate the Member for Yuroke for convening the 2018 Yuroke Youth Advisory Council as a platform for young people across Yuroke to represent their peers and express their views.

The Andrews Labor Government’s Youth Policy: Building Stronger Youth Engagement in Victoria reflects our commitment to engaging young people and embedding their voice in policy, program and service development. Through annual Youth Summits and the Victorian Youth Congress the government has established mechanisms so that young people can have a say about issues that really matter to them.

I thank the Member for Yuroke for the invitation to meet with the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council and hear about the issues important to them.

It was wonderful meet with the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council on Wednesday 19th of September and have the opportunity to hear what they have been working on as well as issues such as youth employment.

The Andrews Labor Government has invested in a package of initiatives to strengthen young people’s access to employment pathways and jobs. Initiatives such as Jobs Victoria, the Major Project Skills Guarantee, the Youth Employment Scheme and the Youth Cadetship Scheme are all providing opportunities and support for young Victorians to secure jobs.

In the 2018-19 state budget we have invested $21.9 million of funding to increase employment opportunities for long-term unemployed youth and other jobseekers facing barriers to employment. This includes $10 million to extend the Jobs Victoria Employment Network; $6 million to establish new services to connect young people from Aboriginal and migrant communities as well as women into jobs on Victoria’s major projects; and $5 million to establish a specialised employment support program for long-term unemployed youth and young people facing barriers to employment.

I encourage members of the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council to continue to engage in local projects such as the advisory council and I congratulate Ros Spence for her ongoing commitment to the amplifying the voices of young people in her electorate.

 

Jenny Mikakos MP
Minister for Families and Children
Minister for Early Childhood Education
Minister for Youth Affairs