YACfest

Mr KENYON (Newland) (14:21): My question is to the Minister for Youth. What is the government doing to support the involvement of young people in local community decision making?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:21): I thank the youthful honourable member of parliament for his question. This morning I had the great pleasure of opening YACfest 2008 which is taking place as I speak at AAMI Stadium and which has over 100 enthusiastic young people in attendance. YACfest provides an important forum for youth advisory committee members from all over the state to come together and to share information, ideas and experiences.

It is our intention to take YACfest to rural locations next year in order to ensure the widest possible participation. I am sure that most members are aware that youth advisory committees (YACs) allow young people to work in partnership with local councils in order to ensure that their views on key issues are considered in council decision making. It is the government's belief that the needs of young people can best be met through all levels of government working in unison with local communities.

A critical part of this cooperation is ensuring that young people themselves are actively engaged in decision-making processes associated with issues that directly affect their lives. YACs participate in a wide range of activities in their local communities, including establishing youth-friendly public spaces, working on environmental projects, participating in cultural awareness campaigns and promoting positive health programs across a range of issues. Issues affecting young people, in the main, are no different from those affecting the general community.

The Office for Youth provides $250,000 in funding for the participation of 775 young people in YACs across 58 local councils. In addition, $30,000 of the funding has been directed specifically towards helping young people overcome barriers to participation, and this includes funding to encourage participation in YACs by young refugees and newly arrived migrants, the running of regional forums and supporting the involvement in YACs of young people with disabilities.

The outstanding success of the YACs is testament to the partnerships that have been developed among the Office for Youth, local government and young people. In order to further strengthen these partnerships, I am pleased to inform members that I recently co-signed a memorandum of understanding between the Office for Youth and the Local Government Association, which formalises the principles of cooperation, information sharing and collaboration in progressing those issues of importance to young people.

This is an important step to ensure that young people continue to be provided with opportunities to participate in community decision making. Our young people have much to contribute to our communities, and the community benefits from their participation in decision making on key issues.