Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday, I met with some people from organisations called FoyerInvest and the Foyer Foundation. Part of the reason they've come to Canberra is because they're looking for the federal government to invest in a concept known as Youth Foyers. Part of the reason they came to me is because I have a Youth Foyer in Shepparton in my electorate of Nicholls—it's called the Shepparton Education First Youth Foyer, and it was funded by the Victorian government some years ago, and opened in 2016.

The foyer provides stable accommodation for young people who are either at secondary school or at university or TAFE but who are unable to live at home for a variety of reasons: socioeconomic disadvantage, substance abuse amongst their parents—there are a range of reasons. This is such a great concept because it stabilises these young people and allows them to participate in education, and that's what we need to do. This has been such a big success in Shepparton. In my previous role as the CEO of the Committee for Greater Shepparton, I organised breakfasts between business leaders and the young people who are participating and living at the Youth Foyer to try to make networks between them so that people without social capital have social capital and can get jobs. I think this is such a good program. It works in my electorate, and the more people we successfully get into education, the better off we'll be. I implore those opposite to consider funding it.

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