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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 04 Hansard (Tuesday, 30 March 2004) . . Page.. 1257 ..

The key focus of the inquiry was on this social risk and how to support young people who are experiencing this risk. We found that the ADU was providing a very positive service in helping young people improve their education and improve their social skills, to the point where we have recommended that the government investigate establishing another ADU-type facility on the north side of Canberra so that more students will be able to access the good work being done in these types of programs.

We heard that the ADU cannot keep a waiting list because of the way that it operates and that it continually has referrals being made to it that it has to knock back. I think that it is of major concern that there is so much demand, that there are so many young people who are at great risk of failing in their education, and we are not able to assist them in the best way possible.

As was said in evidence by the Youth Coalition of the ACT, if something isn’t broke you don’t need to go and fix it. I think that the ADU does have a good setting for youth services in terms of the links it is able to make with the rest of the youth sector and the rest of the community. I think that it is well placed there. The core of its submission was that the work that is being done is being done in that youth sector role with the support of youth workers to address those social issues as much as to bring in that educational support. We do have a diverse range of young people in the ACT, as there is a diverse range of young people across the world. We need to work to target their individual needs in the best way possible so that they all have the same opportunities.

I commend this report to the Assembly and to the government. I hope that it will be another report that draws the government’s attention to young people at risk and the work that is being done to support those young people at risk, how that support needs to continue and, in fact, how that support needs to grow so that more young people can be provided with the best that we can give them to help them on the path to being great contributors to the community.

MR CORNWELL (11.35): I rise as a member of the committee to commend the report. My comments will be brief. I do support the recommendations. I hope that the government will investigate them carefully, particularly investigate whether a similar program could be established on the north side of Canberra.

I would refer members to paragraph 3.2, which notes various performance targets. However, I am not quite as starry eyed as other members of the committee. I do not believe that the ADU is the be-all and end-all for everybody. I do take the point that, as is quoted in chapter 3, everybody agrees that what is going on there is really good. I have no arguments with that. I think that that is a good thing. Nevertheless, I do not think that it is the be-all and end-all.

But that is no reason to say that the ADU should not be continued as a discrete program. Clearly, a number of programs are needed in this area—one size does not fit all. I believe that the ADU is fulfilling an important role. I hope that there will be no tampering with it by the government. This report is virtually saying, “Leave it alone and let it get on with what it’s doing.” Lastly, I repeat, take a look at whether one should be established on the north side of Canberra as well.

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