Mr MATT KEAN (Hornsby) [8.36 p.m.]: I am excited to support the member for Bankstown in bringing to the attention of the House a very important matter—Youth Week beginning on 13 April.
I am delighted to highlight the importance of Youth Week because it is an opportunity for us to celebrate the contribution of young people to communities right across the country. I am also honoured to stand here as the second-youngest member of the New South Wales Parliament, joined by a band of other young members like my friends the member for Oatley, the member for Kiama, the member for Menai and the member for Castle Hill. It would be wrong of me to claim that I am the voice for younger voters in the place, for the views and aspirations of young people are as diverse as those of our broader society. I am however conscious of the obligation that this Parliament has to work in a way that restores the confidence of younger voters in their government and in their democracy, and of the need to ensure that young people feel as if they have the opportunity to be listened to and that they matter.
I know from talking to young residents across my electorate of Hornsby that this must be an important task. Perhaps more than any other generation, those in their twenties and teens feel isolated from political processes. In large measure this is because they have lost faith in the capacity of successive governments to deliver and to act with integrity in New South Wales. My generation might be young, but we know spin and dishonesty when we see it; and there were bucket loads of it in this State during the 16 years of Labor. When young people see themselves constantly blamed for the perceived ills of society and the actions of a minority—be it binge drinking, irresponsible driving or crime and violence—they feel excluded from the political processes. As our society ages, the gap between young and old will self-evidently grow. It means that the difference between the looks, behaviour and aspirations of those in the youngest and oldest cohorts will be more pronounced.
It will require greater tolerance from both young people and old to accept that those differences are simply a manifestation of our own human individuality. Our society will be the stronger if young people have more faith in this institution and the processes of our democracy. It is beholden to us to make that so; and I hope the presence of a younger generation in this new Parliament will assist. We live in a time when young people should be able to look to the future with optimism. Australia has never been more prosperous and the opportunities for my generation have arguably never been better. We have skills and the capacity to travel the world. Globalisation has broken down barriers that tied previous generations to single careers and often single employers. We are better educated and tech savvy than the generations that have come before us.
But despite all of this, there is a pervading sense of insecurity among many of my generation. I think people of my generation are torn by the sometimes competing desires for a stable life or one that brings them excitement. While the opportunity to change jobs and careers many times during the course of our lives is one that many relish, there are also those who fear the unknown and unstable situations. It is perhaps why we have seen what seems to be a rise in the number of young Australians suffering from depression and mental illness. I note that the member for Bankstown highlighted the critically important issue of youth suicide, an issue on which I have spoken many times in this House.
This year the O'Farrell Government has set aside $350,000 to support a range of local and statewide Youth Week activities. We have provided grants to the152 local councils across the State on a dollar-for-dollar basis to support local Youth Week events and activities. Councils are working with their local young people to plan and organise local events and activities under this year's Youth Week theme of "Imagine. Create. Inspire." As part of Youth Week, in partnership with the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Youth Network, Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai councils and Wahroonga Rotary, I have organised a youth forum focusing on youth issues, particularly mental health. The event will be held this Thursday 5 April at Abbotsleigh in Wahroonga. We have invited more than 300 students from schools right across my electorate and we will be developing a youth advisory committee. The day has been organised to engage with young people in our community and to provide support and education about mental health related issues.
I take this opportunity to thank those who have made this event possible: in particular, Sharon Mizzi from Hornsby council, who has dedicated her career to promoting the interests of young people in my community; Jason Guest from Ku-ring-gai Council; Bob Howe from Wahroonga Rotary; and the indefatigable David Citer from the Ku-ring-gai Youth Development Service. Youth issues are not Liberal issues, they are not Labor issues and they are not Greens issues—they are issues for all of us, and I commend the member for Bankstown and those opposite who are here tonight standing up for young people in our community and celebrating their achievements.
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