Page 2686 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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arrangement. This integrated view is firmly supported by many experts, including Dr Don Edgar, director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, who believes that:
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 the family, education and work via that central task of parenting, of bringing our children towards competent adulthood.
I believe this emphasis on an integrated view of young people within the family is a result of our recognition as a government that many young people and their families have previously been outside the assistance of our departments of state. Through no fault of their own they have fallen between the various responsibilities of agencies, and in doing so have tragically missed the safety net of our social and community services.
Mr Acting Speaker, as a government we have taken the first steps towards tightening the administrative net and acknowledging the responsibilities of the ACT Government to the young people of the Territory. We have committed ourselves to progressive administrative arrangements which clearly enunciate our responsibilities for young people. I am sure that members of the Assembly would agree that matters of responsibility and statements of principle are integral and inseparable. Administrative arrangements are insufficient to assist our young people unless they are backed by commitment, by an understanding of needs, by our view of young people's lives which accounts for their development and transition to adult living and adult responsibilities.
This is our perspective as a government and our direction for the future. Such a view ensures that the ACT Government's youth policies and youth programs assist young people towards four fundamental goals. Firstly, we must assist young people in their development to physical and emotional maturity. We must ensure they have access to health services, support services and opportunity for recreation. Secondly, we must assist young people in their transition from family life to independent living. This goal is integral to our provision of services to young people in education and training, in housing and accommodation. Thirdly, we must assist them in their transition from the financial base of the family to their financial independence. Towards this end it is vital that we create the necessary employment to ensure young people a full and active place in our society. It is equally vital that we provide a safety net of social and community services, should we fall short in this endeavour. Finally, we must assist parents and guardians in their roles as the trustees of young people's rights. As guardians we have a responsibility to young people until they can autonomously exercise their human rights as mature adults. Responsible
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