Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 52:20 to 57:01
Minister Anne Aly outlines her role in promoting youth engagement through the Office for Youth and various Youth Advisory Groups covering climate change, mental health, and First Nations issues.
Topics: Education, Social services
Speakers: Senator Jess Walsh, Senator Paul Scarr, Senator Marielle Smith, Unknown Speaker
before we kick off, we do have media in the room. So with the committee's endorsement, um we'll allow the taking of photographs, but subject to all the usual preamles that you would have heard a million times this week applying. And please let me know if anyone has an issue with it. Um but otherwise, we will dive straight into outcome one for schools. Um I'm doing 10-minute rotations. I'll give you a nudge at that point. I'm starting with the opposition and then um I believe we will have Senator Allman Payne with us online. So um Senator Scarr, you have the call.
>> Uh thank you chair. And before I ask questions of the department in particular in relation to the office of youth given we have the minister with us uh I thought I might ask you minister are there any particular policy areas where wearing your hat as minister for youth you provided input into government policy decisions over the last six
>> Uh thanks for the question Senator. So uh the role of the minister for youth uh is to promote the engagement of youth themselves uh in the matters that affect them. Uh the goal is to assist um their voices um to be heard um on the issues that are important to them. Uh and we do that um with the office for youth um in a number of ways um including um by having um a number of bodies that young people participate in. Um your question I think was do I then go and give advice to other ministers
>> or provided input in terms of presumably that advice comes in. Uh are there any areas where say over the last 6 months since last estimate you've sought to elevate those concerns coming through the processes in relation to any particular policy areas or decisions of
Just trying to understand your question meaning me personally
>> well in your capacity as minister right so presumably the government puts forward a policy it could have a particular impact with respect to young >> uh have there been any occasions over the last 6 months where you've given uh the particular uh the particular sorry we've got the bills going uh where you've given a input with respect to the perspective of young people You talked about young people providing their input through the processes or giving voice to their concerns through the mechanisms operated by the office of youth. Has that led to any particular policy
So in terms of the mechanisms um that are operated by the office for youth um we have um five uh youth advisory groups that we're focused on uh and they are engaged uh in in policy. Uh we have youth advisory groups on climate change and water, mental health, first nations, sports participation, uh and um countering foreign interference. Uh and in addition to those specific youth advisory groups um the office for youth um also as part of our engage youth policy um assists departments to engage with young people um on the issues that matter to them as
>> Okay. So what's your role as minister then in terms of providing input
>> to support
>> wearing that hat >> as minister for youth?
>> Yeah.
>> Do you have any role or is is the office of youth coordinating that for you?
>> Well the office um for youth is effectively my department in this portfolio. uh and uh you know our our role um together um is to support young people uh to engage in the decisions that >> impact them.
>> Okay. So so I guess that's helpful. So have there been any particular areas over the last 6 months which you can point to to say in relation to government decision X we made sure the uh government had the benefit of the uh the views that you've received through the mechanisms you referred to.