FOR PRESS 9 JANUARY 1977
EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY: 9.00 pm
ADDRESS TO THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN YOUTH CONVENTION, CANBERRA
I am pleased to be with you tonight at your ninth National
Christian Youth Convention.
It is a particular pleasure to welcome to Australia delegates
and distinguished visitors from overseas. The fact that the
Convention has been able to attract so many people from so many
nations is a tribute to the continuing vitality of the Convention.
The response to the Convention has, I am advised, been unparalleled.
This is not surprising given the relevance and the diverSity Of the
issues which the Convention will discuss.
The Convention of-fers an outstanding opportunity for young people
of'different backgrounds and nationalities to come together and
grapple with some of the basic problems and significant issues
which concern modern societies. Issues such as the nature of
personal relationships, contemporary moral problems, the nature
of personal freedom and education, the problems of the disadvantaged,
religious ethics are of fundamental importance to contemporary
society as they have been to all societies across history. It
is particularly important that young people have opportunities
to come together and discuss such issues thoroughly.
What differentiates young people from older people is tha~ t theirs
is a learning period, a time of growth and development.
Conventions such as this have an enormously important contribution
to make to this process of development by giving young PE: 00le the.
opportunity to participate in a community, to live and to work
together. In this community, for an intense although short period,
young people can test their ideas against others, refine and
elaborate them, and sometimes change their ideas. It would be
facile to suggest that what would emerge is a unified consensus
on all the issues discussed. Young-people are as diverse-in their
political, social and philosophical perspectives as are people
over thirty. But by bringing fresh perspectives to bear on
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social issues, young people can assist in clarifying the nature
of these issues, and improve on existing solutions.
This Government is seeking to develop youth policies which will
support the process of continuing individual growth, and contribute
to establishing a society in which every individual has the
opportunity to develop his full potential. This goal cannot
be achieved by Government alone. All sections of the community
should be involved, and most importantly, young people themselves
should be involved -as masters of their own destiny.
To achieve a society in which all people have the opportunity to
realise their potential, the diversity of contemporary society and
contemporary youth must be recognised. There must also be a
balanced relationship between Government initiatives ' and the many
voluntary agencies and organisations which are associated with youth.
A practical example of the way in which the Government is seeking to
contribute to this type of relationship is the Community Youth
Support Scheme. This scheme is designed to encourage community
involvement in the provision of supportive programmes and services
to the young unemployed. Support under this scheme will be provided
for job search orientation groups and for voluntary community activities
which perform a useful function for the individuals involved and the
community. These include, among other things, the organisation of
youth recreation activities, social service activities, minor
maintenance to community facilities, and social surveys. I
Support is also being provided to enable the sharing of knowledge
and skills with other unemployed who could assist in imparting basic
job skills.
Another approach which has also been taken to the problem of the
young unemployed is the establishment of the special youth employment
training scheme. This subsidises employers providing training for
the young unemployed. In the first instance, priority was given to
school leavers from 1975 who had been unable to establish themselves
in stable employment. The scheme took off from the moment it began.
The acceptance the programme achieved in the community and
particularly with employers, enabled-the Government to extend the
conditions for entry. By mid-December, 3,600 young people had been
placed in employment under the scheme.
Both these schemes are practical demonstrations of the Government's
resolve to develop a creative relationship between the Government
and voluntary sector in meeting the issues faced by young adults.
Unemployment among the young is a particularly significant problem
because of the loss of self-esteem and dignity brought by the
prolonged inability to participate in productive employment.
There are also a number of other concerns and issues facing
young people. / Cabinet
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Cabinet has considered reDresentations from individuals and
organisations on the establishment of a Youth Bureau and an
inquiry has been established to report on youth matters generally.
It has been asked to examine the advantages of establishing a
Youth Bureau or Youth Advisory Panel to advise the Government
on all youth matters. Through the inquiry, the Government seeks
to identify the issues affecting youth and their needs to examine
the services provided by voluntary organisations and the three
spheres of Government and how these may be improved.
The inquiry will also look at how overseas experience can be
used to assist in the development of models of youth consultative.
and co-ordinating machinery. The inquiry will provide an important
way through which Government can obtain the views of youth across
the broad spectrum of issues.
If we are to make progress in coming to grips with the problems
facing Australian society and Australia's young people, we must
be willing to get the benefit of a variety of perspectives and
at least be forced to argue our position through.
This Convention will make a valuable contribution to the process
of discussion, of reasoning together, and I wish it every success.
I have great pleasure in declaring this Convention open. I
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