Page 2674 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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changes have occurred in the administrative structure of the ACT Government which I believe will significantly assist the Government's capacity to address the needs for children in crisis.
I think it is particularly valuable that we now have consolidated in the portfolio of my colleague, the Attorney-General, a number of areas which directly impinge on the problems that are raised in this paper. I am referring, for example, to the areas of youth, housing, community services and the law. These are four critically important areas for youth in crisis, and it is appropriate that they should all be grouped under the one Minister. To my knowledge, this is the only such grouping of any government in this country, and I think that although we have many reasons to curse the particular structure of our ACT Government, particularly the small size of our ministry, we do have some advantages flowing in in circumstances such as this. This is one such advantage.
The advantages of linkage are well understood, and reference is made to this in the statement tabled by my colleague the other day when he quoted from the Institute of Family Studies report, or statement, which made reference to this. I quote that statement:
In this Institute's view, only a coordinated policy approach which is fully aware of the altered structural circumstances of young people in Australia has any hope of success in meeting youth needs and providing a positive future for them. The pressures facing young people result from an unprecedented period of change affecting all Australians. In that context, youth issues should be seen as a central part of family policy. Youth policy cannot sit aside from family policies, nor can solutions be found which ignore the integral links between family, education and work via that central task of parenting, of bringing our children towards competent adulthood.
Having said that, it is the case that education is not tied into that single portfolio responsibility, nor for that matter is health, but I think the fact that I am able to liaise with my colleague, the Attorney-General, to some extent obviates the fact that it is not possible to bring all these things under the one umbrella. Naturally also others in the Government have an interest in this area, such as the Executive Deputy with responsibility for youth affairs, and she and myself and my colleague Mr Collaery will ensure as much as possible that coordination and collaboration produces the best results.
I think that the emphasis placed on the role of families in the Government's response is a very important one. This has been stated to some extent even in the Burdekin report, and in other places, including our response. It is worth restating that the Government's first priority must be the
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