The Wellspring

Held in Melbourne from the 1 -3 May, the first National Youth Affairs Conference in eight years offered an excellent opportunity for young people and those that work with young people to get together to assess progress and discuss issues of national significance to Australia’s young people.

From a national perspective, a few issues received a lot of attention:

• The development of codes of ethics and / or practice for youth workers in each state and territory was heavily discussed. Most recently an issue in Victoria, which is currently seeking the introduction of a Victorian Youth Sector Code of Ethical Practice, the discussion formed the final discussion panel at the Conference (see the front page of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria’s (YACVic) website), with Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ) Director Siyavash Doostkhah arguing against the introduction of Codes.
• There was substantial discussion around the tokenism of the National Youth Roundtable, with Edith Cowan University researcher Jude Bridgland-Sorenson presenting the findings of her six-year long research project that found that it was a “politically-manipulated waste of time”. Reporter Michael Turtle, formerly of Triple J and now the ABC’s new reporter at large for youth issues, ensured the story got coverage on ABC local radio’s The World Today and Triple J’s Hack.
• Of course, funding for a national youth affairs peak was also raised several times in several different sessions, and overwhelmingly supported by participants. Representatives from the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition met with Senator The Hon. Nigel Scullion, Minister for Community Services, who was formally presented with a funding submission for his consideration. The next day, Ms Tanya Plibersek MP, Shadow Minister for Women and Youth reaffirmed the Australian Labor Party’s commitment to re-establishing a Minister for Youth position and funding a national youth affairs peak. The Shadow Minister said:

  “Young Australians will be given a formal, funded mechanism to advise a new Labor Government on how policies affect them which will be independent, more representative and have a broader role than current youth advisory bodies.

  “This mechanism will be called the Australian Youth Forum, and will bring together young people and advocates to discuss problems affecting youth, and how the federal government can be part of a solution.

  “The Australian Youth Forum will be a formal communication channel between outstanding youth representatives and service-providers and the Federal Government.”

  The Shadow Minister also said that the ALP would repeal the much-discussed Electoral Roll reforms that were widely seen to have disenfranchised young Australians.

• Lastly, Conference delegates were saddened to hear that, after 23 years, Streetwize Communications will wind down its operations. The organisation, which is well-known for reaching hard-to-reach groups with its well-researched comic books, pamphlets, kits and DVDs on issues such as discrimination, employment and health, finally succumbed to the financial difficulties that had plagued it since its inception. Streetwize are currently giving away all remaining stock until Friday 25th of May. If you’d like to grab something, go visit Streetwize at:

  Streetwize Communications
  Tel: (02) 9319 0220
  Suite 6, 245 Chalmers St
  REDFERN NSW 2016

  And remember to thank them for their hard work!

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