DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S AWARD

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Youth. Would the minister inform us about the appointment of the new chair to the Duke of Edinburgh Award's state award committee and the elevation of Mr Robert Gerard to the position of co-patron of the award?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for her very important question and acknowledge her ongoing interest in the area of youth affairs. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is an international youth development program for young people between the ages of 14 and 25. The award encourages participants to challenge themselves to succeed on a number of levels.

The award creates opportunities for participants to make new friends, develop new skills and increase their job readiness and job opportunities with a focus on local communities and volunteering. There are three levels of the award—the bronze, the silver and the gold—which require different levels of commitment, different levels of time, and quite different levels of effort. Young people can start at the level that best suits them. The government's commitment to the youth of the state through youthconnect, South Australia's Youth Strategy 2010-14, has a target to double the number of new participants in the award by 2014.

Mr Robert Gerard has chaired the committee for over 10 years and during that time has been a very fine ambassador for the award. His significant personal and financial support are to be highly commended. In light of Mr Gerard's great contribution and high profile, I have appointed him to the position of co-patron alongside His Excellency the Governor. In this capacity, Mr Gerard will continue his involvement with the award and continue to support South Australia's involvement in this, the 50^th anniversary year of the award.

I can also advise you, sir, and the chamber that I have appointed Ms Judy Potter to the position of chair of the state award committee. Ms Potter has a long history of holding senior positions in South Australia and has served on boards at a state and national level. As chief executive of both SA Great and Carclew Youth Arts Centre, she successfully restructured both organisations and developed new partnerships and initiatives for the benefit of all stakeholders. I have great confidence that the appointment of Ms Potter will greatly assist the state award committee and the Office for Youth achieve greater participation in the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the coming years.