Young people told to be seen but not heard
Tasmanian youth grab a rare opportunity to have their say, explains
INthe wake of the Federal Budget announcements last month, young people could be forgiven for thinking that their opinions are irrelevant and their concerns do not matter.
The lack of recognition and investment in Australia’s 4.3 million young people on budget night sent a clear message: our future generation is not a priority.
Over the past five years, young people have watched the Federal Government systematically remove almost all mechanisms used to hear from, and connect with, young people.
In 2013, the youth minister position was removed from Cabinet for the first time since 1978. In 2014, the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition was defunded and the Office for Youth ceased to exist. Then, in 2017, funding for Australia’s largest annual celebration of young people, National Youth Week, ended.
In 2018, high unemployment rates, rising youth homelessness, low housing affordability and grossly inadequate income support payments continue to burden Australia’s youth.
By limiting consultation and representation, how is the Government supposed to make decisions in the best interest of future generations?
Young people make a significant contribution to our community and have the right to have their voices heard. Somehow it seems like our government has just stopped listening.
It is undeniable that the issues and interests of young people are important to political change and they often have the most to gain from policy reform.
In recent years, young Australians have demonstrated an overwhelming desire to contribute to decisions that affect them and their future. This couldn’t be more evident than the recent same sex postal survey which saw thousands of young people enrolling to vote.
In Tasmania we operate with limited youth resources and no direct representation from a state youth minister, however we do have a unique opportunity to hear directly from young people in a plat- form specifically designed to inform policy development.
The Tasmanian Youth Forum (TYF) is nationally recognised for its ability to provide young people aged 12-25 years with the opportunity to directly respond to government policies and priorities on youth affairs.
Each year, the statewide forum focuses on a specific topic relevant to young Tasmanians, with previous events covering youth housing and homelessness, youth employment and education.
This year, the forum will focus on health and wellbeing, with discussions on mental health and illicit drug use predicted to feature heavily on the agenda.
With the annual event set for this Friday at Launceston Conference Centre, the level of interest from young Tasmanians has been incredible.
Provide the mechanism for participation and young people will grab the opportunity with both hands.
Although a rise in interest for TYF is encouraging for the work of the Tasmanian youth sector, it is clear the increased involvement is stemming from a continued lack of consideration for youth affairs in government decision-making.
With participation expected to be at an all time high, state and federal governments must recognise TYF 2018 as an integral consultation opportunity, and show the young people of Tasmania that their voice does matter.
Young people must be a part of the solution to addressing the issues and challenges that they face in our society, not seen as a problem for others to resolve.
The involvement of young people must be firmly embedded in political processes across all level of government.
The time is now. Tania Hunt is chief executive of the Youth Network of Tasmania. Visit ynot.org.au to learn more about Tasmanian Youth Forum.