Page 5448 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 8 December 2009
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MR SPEAKER: Mr Coe, a supplementary question?
MR COE: Yes, Mr Speaker. Minister, if you have, in fact, read the report why did you say last night, and I quote, “Sorry I haven’t read the …er … sorry I shouldn’t um … cut that”?
MS BURCH: Thank you for the question. It is so unexpected to have this question come my way today. I have read the plan. I presented it to cabinet for consideration and endorsement. The question was actually a particular question around examples of an implementation plan. There are over 160 items in the implementation plan with multiple performance indicators that will deliver on the young people’s plan. If the opposition want five seconds out of a five-minute grab and if that is how they are setting their policy then so be it. Our plan will deliver on making sure that Canberra is a youth-friendly city for Canberra. If they want me to read through the 160 items, I am happy to do that.
ACT youth plan
MR HARGREAVES: A new question. Nobody is rising to ask a supp. I am interested in this plan. My question, through you, Mr Speaker, is to my very dear friend the Minister for Children and Young People. I would like to know—
Mr Coe: Is she as good as you were, John?
MR HARGREAVES: She is better than you are ever going to be, mate. Dream on, son. I would like to know what exactly does the young people’s plan do to make Canberra a better place for young people. You ought to listen to this, Mr Coe, because it is really about you. You went right through it because you are a young person.
MS BURCH: I thank the member for his interest in young people in Canberra. The young people’s plan is a great example of how the Labor government will be delivering on the community’s future. It identifies the needs of young people in the ACT and sets out a detailed vision to address those—a very detailed vision, 166 items in a 12-month implementation plan that sits under the five-year strategic plan.
We have consulted widely with the community and with young people to develop the plan. The priorities of the plan cover health, wellbeing and support, families and communities, participation and access, transition and pathways, environment and sustainability. Within each of these priorities there are 166 key actions this government will be taking to make Canberra a youth friendly city.
For example, in the area of health and wellbeing and support, one of the defined actions is to develop a women’s and children’s hospital. In the families and communities priority area, a key action is to expand the housing young people pilot to improve service delivery to young people at risk of homelessness.
In the participation and access priority area, the key action is to develop and implement a charter of rights for children and young people in care, to be implemented in 2010. On the charter of rights, I am pleased that I joined Ms Hunter and the commissioner to launch the charter of rights just last week.
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