Australian Green's Youth Policy Package Released
Greens dominate youth vote
New PowerActive package for
youth announced
12 October 2001
Growing Youth Appeal
New analysis released today shows that the Greens are now the most youth-focused party in Australia. Almost 2 in 5 Green voters are first time or young voters.
This mirrors a global trend where the s11 (or 'Battle for Seattle') generation are increasingly turning to the Greens in dozens of countries where they are in Government or have prominence in parliament.
The Greens believe that their core
concerns and messages have appeal to young people;
-
ecology
- humanitarian idealism
- global concern
-
anti-corporate
The most significant demographic in the Green vote is the youngest voters, the 18-24 bracket who dominate s11-type protests. Morgan polls over this year show that young people are turning to the Greens in particularly large numbers in recent weeks, coinciding with the refugee crisis.
Vote Analysis
The youth share of a party's vote is the best measure of how it is positioned electorally. The youth share of the Greens vote is 36.9% nationally. Over 2001 the second place getter has alternated between the ALP and the Democrats.
Analysis of Morgan polls for this year, released by the Greens today, shows that 21.3% of young voters intend to vote Green in the House of Representatives. This is almost as many votes as the Liberal and National Parties combined, who are sitting on 21.9%. The remaining minor parties are left far behind with the Democrats on 10.5%, One Nation on 0.7% and others combined on 4.3%.
Participation, Parliament and Policy
The Greens have actively sought the participation of young people, here and overseas. In April this year the first Global Young Greens conference was held in Sydney, with 300 participants from 50 countries. Young MPs from national and state parliaments gathered with s11-style activists to discuss the global future and what the Greens should do to represent youth. The Global Young Greens produced policy suggestions which further strengthened the Greens already strong youth policies.
Youth activist hold regular meetings with Greens politicians. Parliamentary 'Disinformation Tours' have been held in the Federal, NSW, Tasmanian and ACT parliaments by Greens youth activists and MPs. These tours expose young people to the machinery of government, offering them access to the press gallery, assistance with lobbying, communications training and information on the legislative process.
The Australian Greens annual conference in August ratified the new youth policy which is being launched today.
PowerActive : a Package for Youth
The Greens believe that the idealism and energy of young people can change the world. The PowerActive package aims to help young people use their power for change through activism and their own self-fulfilment.
Underpinning the whole Greens approach is the idea that young people are successful at managing their lives in an increasingly insecure and ecologically damaged world. Youth do not need policies because of problems created by them; they are not victims, losers, druggies, criminals or any other negative.
The highlights of the PowerActive package for youth are to;
-
protect young workers from 'McWages' exploitation
-
remove GST from public transport and books
- give
teenagers the vote
- repeal mandatory sentancing
-
support rural lesbian and gay youth with coming out
-
increase funding for public education by $4b to bring
Australia up to average OECD levels
- support youth
arts
- Regional Youth Advisory Committees
- establish
a Commissioner for Children
- decriminalise personal use
of cannabis
- replacing detention centres with community
based, family-friendly asylum seeker holding centres
-
ban all alcohol and tobacco advertising
The package is
drawn form the Greens Youth policies launched today but is
enhanced by complementary initiatives in other policy
packages which will be launched over the campaign, such as
Housing, Justice and Education.
The PowerActive package has a strong emphasis on rights and on youth activism and culture. Young people have made clear to the Greens that these two sides of life cannot be divorced.
On the rights front young people require better legal protection of their rights: to earn a fair wage, to practice their sexuality, to be respected by the law and to vote as young as 16 if they wish.
On the culture front young people demand the freedom and resources to have their voice heard. The s11 culture of Internet activism and media intervention should be encouraged. Youth culture and the arts will be the source of new ways for young people to take charge of their lives and deal with threats posed by drug dependency, homelessness and alienation.
National Policy - Young
people
Principles
The Australian Greens believe the
key issues for Australia’s young people are:
a) access to
secure, affordable and appropriate long term
housing;
b) meaningful work and a competency based wage
system;
c) access to education and training;
d) a
clean and healthy environment;
e) access to diverse
cultural and recreational facilities;
f) access to
reliable and affordable transport;
g) access to a living
environment which is free from the threat of physical or
emotional abuse or discrimination of any kind;
and
h) access to health services which focus on the
social, economic and environmental factors that impact on
the lives of young people.
Information about services
available to young people must be accessible and
comprehensible.
The Australian Greens oppose all forms of
ageism, and support initiatives to counter this, including
public education and affirmative action.
Youth interests
must be included in public policy decision-making, and this
requires greater input from young people
themselves.
Recognising that young people have a positive
contribution to make to society, the Australian Greens
support representation from young people at all levels of
government. Young people must not only play a central role
in formulating those policies which affect them, but they
should be included more widely in general policy
formulation.
Goals
The Australian Greens
will:
a) facilitate processes which allow young people to
express their needs and aspirations at all levels of
government, as well as in their own
communities;
b) listen to young people through regionally
based Youth Advisory Committees comprising representative
groups of young people with a range of interests and skills,
who will meet to discuss ideas, initiatives and solutions to
problems, as well as provide feedback and advice on
government programmes. These Advisory Councils will have
input at both state and national levels, to assist with
greater coordination of national, state and local
initiatives;
c) support transferring the Youth Bureau to
the Prime Minister’s Department, to ensure greater
coordination in youth policy formulation; and
d) support
the right of people from the age of 16 years to vote and to
hold public office, in recognition of the increasing
awareness of and responsibility towards current issues of
young people.
Short Term Targets
a) Unemployment
The
Australian Greens will work towards the implementation of a
national employment strategy for young people, to be
administered at a local level with a focus on facilitating
community development.
Local employment committees will
be established. They will provide training, financial
support and the development of job opportunities which
address needs within local communities and promote green
jobs.
The Australian Greens support local employment
initiatives which foster ideas through facilitation and
network building as a complement to initiatives such as the
now defunct LEAP program.
The Australian Greens will work
to reintroduce a improved version of the LEAP scheme in
consultation with young people.
The Australian Greens
support increased employment and education opportunities,
including rental assistance, for disadvantaged young people,
including youth in rural or remote areas.
The Australian
Greens support greater representation of young people on
regional economic organisations and greater recognition of
community-based organisations which generate environmentally
and socially useful employment opportunities.
All labour
market and training programmes must be developed in
consultation with young people and should not be
discriminatory on any grounds, including age.
b) Education
Our education system must be able to provide the
intellectual and social skills necessary for confronting the
social and environmental problems now facing Australia. The
skills and knowledge of indigenous as well as non-indigenous
ancestry and culture must be shared with our young people to
give them an understanding of the basic solutions to our
cultural crisis.
The Australian Greens are committed
to:
a) diverse and inclusive curricula at the school
level;
b) supportive school environments that cater for
social and academic development and raise
self-esteem;
c) support for early intervention
programmes;
d) more flexible pathways to employment and
training;
e) increased emphasis on training in life
skills;
f) ensuring training programmes are relevant and
accessible, and that they are connected to ongoing
employment opportunities; and
g) civics education to
enable greater understanding of and participation in all
spheres of government.
The Australian Greens support the
senior college system already operating in some states and
territories to encourage greater autonomy among upper
secondary students.
(see also policy: Education)
c) Youth Justice
The recognition of young people’s issues and
needs is inadequate in Australia’s legal system. Young
people often feel regulated by the law but without adequate
access to and support from the legal system or their legal
rights. Young people should be protected from violence,
discrimination and exploitation.
The Australian Greens
support:
a) establishing a Children’s Bureau including a
Commissioner for Children and a Children’s Ombudsperson;
and
b) the development of a Children and Youth Justice
Strategy which would include community legal education and
an advocacy programme for young people.
d) Health
There
are many serious health issues facing young people in
Australia. Good health is closely connected to lifestyle.
While young people should be encouraged to take
responsibility for their own health, the Australian Greens
recognise that physical and emotional wellbeing is often
compromised by inadequate access to appropriate housing,
income support, meaningful work, creative or recreational
opportunities as well as by degradation of the
environment.
An integrated and holistic approach to
health policy is necessary. In policy: Health, more
specific proposals are presented.
Recognising the urgency
of the problem, the Australian Greens support the
development of strategies to deal with youth suicide and
mental health problems among young people.
The Australian
Greens also support increased HIV/AIDS education and more
preventive programmes targeted to young people with eating
disorders.
e) Housing
The number of homeless youth in
Australia is increasing and projections suggest this
situation will worsen in the future. Adequate housing and
especially secure long term housing are fundamental to young
people working towards their chosen lifestyle. The
Australian Greens address this problem in policy: Housing
and Urban Planning.
The Australian Greens support
facilitation of community housing and housing cooperatives
in urban areas as a means to servicing the young
homeless.
The Australian Greens support co-housing and
other forms of multiple occupancy.
Young people should be
involved in the planning and development of housing
appropriate to their needs.
f) The Environment
Young
people have a clear interest and concern in the wellbeing of
the planet. Respect for the environment is essential to the
security and wellbeing of future generations.
The
Australian Greens support community-based employment,
housing and cultural activities which increase the quality
of life and empower young people without consuming vast
amounts of resources and generating excessive waste.
The
Australian Greens encourage government support and
facilitation of innovative environmental projects including
urban community farms and gardens, alternative housing
construction and design, energy conservation and alternative
energy generation, recycling and secondary resource
management.
ENDS