YOUTH PARLIAMENT

The Hon. S.G. WADE (15:52): I rise to speak on the 2011 Youth Parliament held in this parliamentary building last week. Participants from around the state came together, as they do each year, to take part in the South Australian Youth Parliament program. It is a program partly funded by the Office for Youth and coordinated by the YMCA. Last week was the 17^th YMCA-managed program to be held in South Australia. I take this opportunity to congratulate the contributions made by the 79 youth parliamentarians.

The program is well-known for its capacity to engage young people from diverse backgrounds, and this year's contingent included young people from a range of cultural and linguistic, socio-economic and geographic backgrounds. Year after year I am impressed by the quality and passion of the participants, and this year was no exception. The application of bright minds to current issues is always stimulating.

This year we were treated to debates on bills such as the legalisation of prostitution, music education, traffic in the CBD, shop trading hours (I am very keen to send a copy of that to the SDA), addiction (substances), dependence reduction, education reform, environmental sustainability, and teen pregnancy prevention. In the adjournment speeches the youth parliamentarians addressed a range of issues such as youth suicide, teen depression, the need for lifeguards at Wallaroo, volunteering in community organisations and the media's influence on politics.

It is important for this parliament to tap into the vision of the youth parliament. While the debates of the youth parliament unfortunately are not published in Hansard, the bills are provided to the Minister for Youth. I am not aware of the process that ensues from there, but I suggest that as a parliament we should work with the youth parliament to see how we can better disseminate their ideas. Perhaps a full set of the bills and motions could go to cabinet and shadow cabinet, with perhaps a copy placed in the parliamentary library.

I wish also to commend the efforts of the volunteers, the YMCA and members of the Office for Youth for facilitating the development of the program and ensuring its continuing success. I was fortunate to be able to attend a number of sessions, but particularly I enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies. I was present to hear an impressive closing speech by the 2011 Youth Governor, Samantha Mitchell, and I noted that one member of the other place present was drawn almost to tears. Samantha Mitchell has done an outstanding job as Youth Governor and been a strong voice for the youth of South Australia over the past year. I congratulate her and wish her well.

I also warmly congratulate Mr Thomas Manning on his appointment as Youth Governor for 2012. I met Thom two years ago at Government House at an event to acknowledge his educational achievements. He is an intelligent and articulate young man with a strong interest in politics and parliament, but above all Thom is a passionate youth parliamentarian. Thomas Manning initially entered the program under the Create Team and was elected Leader of the Opposition at the age of 16—one of the youngest the program has ever had.

Thom brings a clear vision to grow the program as an inclusive program, non-political and accessible to all South Australians. To this end, Thom and his team plan to travel to the state's rural areas and engage with the Migrant Resource Centre and other stakeholders. Thomas is currently undertaking forums across the state to engage a range of previous participants in the program as part of the development of his strategic plan to ensure that the aims of the program are met.

One of the goals of Thom and his team is to expand the program by increasing the number of participants. I wish Thom well in that goal, and I urge all members of this council and the other place to be alert to opportunities to support and engage with the youth parliament and to encourage a youth voice.

In that context, I would like to acknowledge the support that the parliament is already providing for the youth parliament. In particular, the Hon. Tammy Franks was a regular observer of the proceedings. I also noticed the Hon. Kelly Vincent on a number of occasions, as well as John Gardner and Rachel Sanderson, and of course the Minister for Youth herself was present for the closing ceremony to receive the bills. I think it is encouraging that a number of our members are taking the opportunity to engage with the youth parliament during that week. We should look for opportunities to do that through the whole year.