Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Hansard source

We now turn our attention to young Australians in the budget. I've some questions for the minister. This budget has no evidence that young Australians have a vehicle to be heard by this government. We know that when the coalition were first elected then Prime Minister Tony Abbott abolished the Minister for Youth and the Office for Youth. I am pleased that there is now a minister for youth. Unfortunately, his policy development seems to have disappeared. I assume he is a magician.

In 2019 the Youth Taskforce was announced. As we heard in estimates some time ago, it was working to develop a national youth policy framework. That report was due to be handed down in December. It was not handed down in December. What we know from the most recent budget estimates is that the Youth Taskforce has been disbanded, but there is no policy framework. That's still being worked on, despite the final report being due in December.

It is clear there is a problem here. There seems to be a lack of urgency. I would like the minister to talk about why the Youth Taskforce was disbanded before a national youth policy framework was delivered. I would like to know where the national youth policy framework is up to in its development. I would love to know, as it was not tabled in December, when we will actually see this national youth policy framework. It would be good for the minister to give us a preview of some of the issues we can expect to see. Will it outline a way that young Australians can have a direct voice in government? Will it outline a structure or some sort of mechanism within government to allow young Australians to have a direct say in the decisions made by them? Will the minister commit to listening to young Australians? These are important questions that many young Australians have been asking me lately.

My next question is: how much money has been budgeted? We couldn't see any budget line item that would be delivered as part of the national youth policy framework. How much money will be allocated to that framework? What programs might be associated? Obviously the job hiring credit, after promising 450,000 jobs, resulted in 1,000 jobs. We know that the PaTH program has been a bit of a disaster, with young people not choosing to take it up because it doesn't lead to employment. We know the ability to put extra into your super to save for a deposit has been undersubscribed by young Australians. Certainly the runs on the board are not good for this government. That is symbolic of the fact that they are not listening to young Australians.

I would love the minister to give us some time frames about when this policy framework might be developed and tell us how the consultations are continuing to progress, considering that the Youth Taskforce has been abolished; what programs we can expect; when we might expect it; what the government's commitment is to listening to young Australians; and how that will be achieved. These are questions that young Australians are talking about with me. They are feeling disenfranchised as a result of this government's lack of engagement. They are feeling like they've got nowhere to turn, especially after the very tumultuous time that many young Australians have had during the COVID period. They would like to see a plan from this government. That's certainly what they're telling me. I'm very keen to hear from the minister about what that plan might be.

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