Youth peak council cut
By Nikki Ulasowski
CANBERRA — Federal youth affairs minister David Kemp has announced the end to funding of the Australian Youth Policy Action Coalition, the peak council of youth groups.
This move to silence a critic of government youth policy follows many measures that have directly attacked young people's living standards. These include the work-for-the-dole scheme, the youth allowance and cuts in funding to secondary and tertiary education.
The government is also threatening to introduce "voluntary student unionism" legislation, aimed at crippling university student unions.
Kemp has announced that AYPAC will be replaced by a new, hand-picked and thoroughly token Youth Roundtable, comprising 50 individuals from across Australia. The Youth Roundtable will meet twice a year and will "advise" the government on youth concerns.
AYPAC executive officer David Matthews said, "It is one thing for Dr Kemp to say he is giving young people a voice, but this government has shown no interest in listening to or acting on the concerns of young Australians.
"Will David Kemp give a rock solid commitment to act on the concerns that young people raise in the new Youth Roundtable or will this be another government whitewash?"
On June 24, the Senate passed a motion urging the federal government to restore funding to AYPAC. The motion was sponsored by Australian Democrats youth affairs spokesperson Natasha Stott Despoja.