Youth Development Programs

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (16:00): My question is to the Minister for Youth. Can the minister inform the house on how the South Australian government supports young people to be involved and engaged in the community, particularly those living in regional South Australia?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (16:00): I thank the member for her question. The South Australian government's new Leadership, Engagement and Partnerships youth development program, known as LEAP, was developed in 2013 as a program that facilitates a positive approach to youth development and participation across the state.

The LEAP program allows eligible organisations to apply for funding, which will be put towards developing and delivering programs of activities for young people aged 12 to 25, which aim to support South Australia's youth population in achieving their goals and help them to realise their full potential. LEAP is underpinned by a positive approach to youth development which incorporates youth participation. Young people are provided with formal and informal learning opportunities to develop life skills and also to engage with and influence their local communities.

The program is being delivered as a two-year pilot, with two separate rounds of funding. Eligible organisations—including not-for-profit; non-government; local councils and government; independent, Catholic and special schools—have been able to apply for up to $15,000 (GST exclusive) of first round funding to deliver their program and an additional $1,000 of supplementary funding for programs that engage young people experiencing disadvantage to offset the cost of engaging these participants.

Round one closed on 10 January 2014 and a total of 25 applications were received. These were assessed by a panel, consisting of representatives from the University of South Australia, the Adelaide City Council and the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, against their ability to meet the eligibility criteria and the key mandatory elements required to develop a LEAP program.

At the recommendation of the panel, a total of $123,550 in first round funding has been awarded to nine successful applicants. I am very pleased to advise the house that the District Council of Mount Barker, along with the District Council of Streaky Bay, the Migrant Resource Centre and Ocean View College are amongst the nine organisations that successfully obtained a one-off grant to be delivered in 2014-15.

The successful programs for the first round of funding have a strong focus on social inclusion by involving the following groups of young people: those who live in regional South Australia; those who identify as being Indigenous; those with multicultural backgrounds, with particular emphasis on recently arrived migrants and those on protection visas; low-income families; carers; and people with disabilities. I think that members of this house can agree that an investment in young people is an important one. The LEAP program is an investment that reaches young people of all backgrounds and circumstances across our community.

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop has a supplementary, I take it.

Mr WILLIAMS: No, sir. I am not sure whether what I am seeking is a point of order or a point of clarification. I note that the mother parliament, the House of Commons, does not allow ministers to read answers to questions, the principle being that it expects ministers to be across their brief and not simply to be parroting something that the bureaucracy has generated for them. I am just wondering, sir, if you can point out to our house whether we accept that principle that ministers should be across their brief and not simply parroting something that the bureaucracy has generated or whether we would allow ministers to simply read from a brief that has been prepared by somebody else. It goes to the heart of responsible government, sir.

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop might recall previous parliaments. He has not had the privilege of being a minister, so we do not know what his policy would be if he were a minister in question time, but I do remember when asking questions to me, even very short questions, he read them off notes prepared by opposition staff, and on one occasion hilariously didn't read them correctly. It has been the custom of the house to allow ministers to use copious notes, and I am sure that is what the minister was doing.

Mr WILLIAMS: I can assure you, sir, no bureaucrat ever wrote a question for me.

The SPEAKER: No, they are not bureaucrats: they are opposition staff. They are not appointed under the Public Sector Management Act. Does the Deputy Premier have a point of order?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Mr Speaker, a point of order arising from the last point of whatever it was: I understand that there is actually according to the standing orders—and you might assist us with this—no differentiation between a minister and any other member reading things.

The SPEAKER: Indeed.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: And if one were to form a view hypothetically that ministers shouldn't be allowed to read anything, then I assume that it would follow that nobody could read anything.

The SPEAKER: Yes, and I am looking forward to the maiden speeches and perhaps I could apply the member for MacKillop's dictum to the maiden speeches if he wishes. The member for Morphett.