Page 2687 - Week 09 - Thursday, 9 August 1990
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government requires a continuing role in protecting young people, in asserting and defending their legal rights, and in stating their responsibilities should they offend.
Mr Acting Speaker, I commend these four goals to the Assembly as statements of principle which must guide the actions of any responsible government with the commitment to the well-being of young people. I offer them as an open statement of the perspective of the Alliance Government that is worthy of the consideration of all members of this Assembly.
However, statements of principle alone are not enough. As I said earlier, principles and responsibilities are inseparable. As a government, in fact, as an Assembly, we are all faced with a clear choice of directions. Should we remain content to incorporate our assistance to young people within the usual activity of government? Can we complacently hope that young people who have previously fallen through our safety nets of social and community support will be better off if we simply strengthen our subscription to existing remedies and existing services? Should we move to assist young people actively to take, Mr Stevenson, a proactive role, by clearly identifying and targeting services for young people and their families? Should we commit ourselves to go beyond the rhetoric so that our administrative arrangements reflect our principles and priorities and encourage innovation? In practical terms, as Minister responsible for youth affairs, to espouse principles without accepting responsibility is to take the safe road, but there are many government functions that can be undertaken to ensure the active assistance of young people.
To limit this traditional policy coordination role, as did the previous Chief Minister, without accepting the responsibility for planning, developing and delivering services is to sell ourselves short on our principles. Outcomes cannot be ignored for the sake of preserving well-intentioned but administratively crippled policies for preserving longstanding but outdated administrative boundaries. I will not labour the point; I believe our choice is clear. This Assembly must assume a proactive stance towards a provision of services for young people and their families. We must assume a forward thinking role in developing the necessary government and community services.
Mr Acting Speaker, the Alliance Government has demonstrated its commitment by commencing the administrative changes necessary to ensure a fair go for young people. I have strengthened the position of youth affairs within the Government, and I am encouraging the development of a responsive youth affairs unit. Further changes are necessary to ensure that we live up to the goals that I have stated; to ensure that our statements of principle have a complete enabling administrative arrangement; to ensure that there is no difference between the assistance we are aiming at in our four statements of principle and
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