Page 2667 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
report should have been filed away to gather dust. This we do not agree with. Mr Collaery fails to understand that homelessness is an ongoing problem and that it is totally appropriate for the States and Territories to be held to account for their performance in this area.
Mr Collaery: What did you do about it?
MRS GRASSBY: I did quite a lot and you have only implemented it; unfortunately you have done nothing.
Mr Collaery is feeling the strains of office. That is apparent. His outbursts appear to be nothing short of paranoia. I hope for the sake of Canberra's homeless youth that Mr Collaery will control his outbursts and cooperate fully with Mr Burdekin when the inquiry reconvenes in the ACT.
Finally, I would like to ask the Government to be more careful with the changes they make. This is not an area for pursuing ideology no matter what. There are precious lives at risk; there is no room for guessing or chance. All the reviews in the world are no good if there are no results. The plight of homeless youth requires a government's commitment to an improvement of service. Unfortunately, I think this Government is only committed to a blind ideology of cutting without any thought of the consequences.
MS MAHER (11.15): The issue of youth homelessness is very important to me because I am very interested. As Mrs Grassby stated, children are our greatest asset and they are our future.
Members of the Assembly will no doubt have noted the continuing debate on youth homelessness and youth services being conducted throughout the local media. It has ranged from the fashionable colour of T-shirts in Tuggeranong through to more serious issues of justice for young people. It has included issues such as the provision of community space in Tuggeranong Community Centre and more recently in Garema Place.
It would be as unfair to blame the media for the sensational reporting of the plight of homeless youth as it would be to blame the young people for being homeless. In both situations the community has a role to play. I am led to the conclusion that the way in which the media treats youth issues is a reflection on the current level of awareness and action about our young people within our community. It reflects desperation rather than clear thinking, and panic rather than sensible considerations of alternatives open to us as a government and as a community.
The Burdekin report and the subsequent funding process has acted as a catalyst for this debate. The media often portrays it as one of conflict between young people and the community, between community groups themselves, and of
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .