Youth Parliament

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (15:50): I thank the member for Chaffey for his contribution, and I really look forward to going out to his electorate in the near future and meeting with him and those advocates.

I also rise to speak today on the Youth Parliament program and acknowledge the presence in the house of youth parliamentarians, members of the task force, staff of the YMCA and the incoming Youth Governor. Welcome back to your house. I also acknowledge Michael Hicks, better known as Hicksy in this place, who is no doubt watching from inside this building right now. He was part of the very first Youth Parliament in South Australia.

One of the first emails sent to me, as the new member for Elder, was from Drew Cuffley. Drew is a young person from my electorate who had taken part in the Youth Parliament once before and was really keen to do it again. Drew said it was an amazing experience finding other inspirational young people with similar interests and that he found it helped him to overcome social anxiety. He did not expect to speak more than once, but with the encouragement of peers and mentors at the program he managed to speak six times in the debate as well as once during the adjournment speeches.

Hearing what a difference this program made to him, I was pleased to be able to make a contribution towards the cost of the program so he could do it again. After the program, he emphasised again how much it helped with his anxiety. He described Youth Parliament as:

…one of the most meaningful experiences I have had. Being around so many inspirational, smart, friendly, young people was an absolute honour and privilege.

So, ups to you guys. I have no doubt Drew is not alone in feeling that way. The coming together of so many passionate young people wanting to share their views and contribute to our community is very special. I thank the YMCA for making this possible and supporting participants to grow and develop.

I was delighted to attend the opening ceremony of the Youth Parliament program and to witness the future leaders of our state in action and to then read some of the bills that were discussed. This included the Gender-Affirming Healthcare Accessibility Bill 2022, which I was so happy to see was passed by this Youth Parliament. This bill aims to reduce significant barriers experienced by members of the LGBTIQA+ community, increasing access to gender-affirming health care, in particular for regional communities. This year, our government will begin work on an important piece of legislation that will ban conversion practices which are extremely harmful and prevent LGBTIQA+ people from being able to live freely.

I am so proud both of the young people seeking action on these important issues and also to be part of a government that understands the significance and importance of accepting who you are, not just for young people but for all. I commend the thoughtfulness of these young people in bringing light to this important issue and confirm my ongoing support for the LGBTIQA+ community.

Another Youth Parliament bill I want to mention, which was from participant Erin, whom I have known since she was a little baby, is the Accessibility of Sanitary Products Bill 2022 (SA). Period poverty is a barrier for young people to reach their full potential. This bill is an important tool in increasing awareness about the issue in the South Australian community. Period stigma creates a sense of shame, embarrassment or hesitation to talk about periods and is often cited as a reason for students missing school. This is a significant issue preventing equality of access to education and affecting outcomes for young people.

These are conversations that some people find a little bit difficult to have. There are still many adults who get squeamish at the very mention of a period, let alone when I start spouting the virtues of menstrual cups, which many of you would have heard me do a few times. There really are a number of virtues, including comfort, affordability, and less of an environmental impact, so I am always happy to have a chat about them whenever anyone would like. There is no need to feel squeamish about it.

People might find the topic of periods awkward, but we have to talk about them; otherwise, how can we address period poverty? I acknowledge this is an issue Irene Pnevmatikos and Connie Bonaros in the other place have done significant work on, and I am so proud of the young people who worked on this bill in Youth Parliament. I understand that this bill passed with the overwhelming support of both houses, so congratulations to everyone who was involved this year and I look forward to seeing what happens next year.

Mr ODENWALDER: Mr Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed: