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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-03 Daily Xml
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YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEES

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH (14:58): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a very gentle question about youth advisory committees.

Leave granted.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH: I'm a gentleman. The South Australian Youth Lobby has raised concerns about Mr Koutsantonis's plans to redirect funding from valuable programs run and funded through the Office for Youth such as the National Youth Week program and the Youth Advisory Committee program. The Youth Lobby has contacted young people, employers in youth sectors and members of the Local Government Youth Services Forum, which have all expressed concerns about these changes. While having the admirable aim of focusing on disadvantaged youth, this would reduce opportunities for support and participation of young people in general by shifting the focus from initiatives such as National Youth Week and youth advisory committees to more youth development officers and community development officers.

The Youth Lobby is concerned that these changes will detract from the National Youth Week as the largest celebration of young people in South Australia and that it will redirect funding away from using engagement, youth participation and youth leadership programs. The federal government's Office for Youth has also expressed concerns and South Australia is the only state that is heading in this direction with its funding allocations to young people. Many young people who are active in their communities, who are volunteering in their communities or who have gone on to work in the youth sector, began by participating in their local youth advisory committees. My questions are:

1. Have the councils and the minister been consulted about this decision by the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis to redirect funding away from National Youth Week and the youth advisory committees?

2. How many youth advisory committees and young people will be affected by this measure?

3. What alternative strategies has the minister put in place or will put in place to provide young people with opportunities to participate in their local councils?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:00): I thank the honourable member for his gentle question, delivered by such a gentle man. Clearly, this is a matter for the Minister for Youth in another place (Hon. Tom Koutsantonis). I am happy to refer these questions to him and bring back a response.

In relation to the Office for Women being consulted about this, I am not aware that it has been. I can check, but to the best of my knowledge I am not aware of that. I understand that the management of these funds is very challenging. Very often there are huge community demands on these funds and there are many different interest groups that want access to them. I appreciate that the minister has a very difficult task in prioritising the allocation of those funds each year. I am very confident that the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis will do that in a very considered and balanced way. I am happy to refer those detailed questions to the honourable member in another place and bring back a response.

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