Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) — I would like to thank the 14 local students who have formed the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council, which met for the first time on 3 June. This is a group of talented, like-minded young people from all the secondary schools in the Yuroke electorate who will work together throughout the year. The aim of the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council is to find out and hear about the issues these students are concerned about. Often young people are overlooked when it comes to politics and issues within the community as they are not old enough to vote. This council gives youth the opportunity to voice their issues and be heard and to consider how these issues can be resolved. The issues discussed were public transport, vandalism, bullying and school resourcing. The group discussed some of the possible causes of these issues and helped come up with some appropriate solutions. I look forward to working with local council members and other levels of government on some of the other issues presented, such as rubbish and internet speed. Overall I think the Yuroke Youth Advisory Council will be a great success, and I look forward to hearing more over the coming meetings.

I also thank my recent work experience student, Alicia Cassar, for assisting in the preparation of this statement. Alicia is a lovely young lady, and I wish her all the best.