The Scoop Newsletter September 2015
YACSA Update Hello and welcome to the second edition of The Scoop. This month we met with Minister for Youth, Hon Zoe Bettison MP, to provide an update on our work and to hear what the government has on the cards. If you haven’t heard, the government has developed It Starts with YOUth, a youth strategy which is “a fresh approach to addressing the needs of young people”. The government will identify a key issue each year and form a working party to “apply a concentrated focus to understanding and responding to that issue”. The issues for this year are homelessness, ‘successful transitions’ into employment and youth engagement. YACSA is a member of the youth homelessness working group which will publish a white paper with recommendations by the end of September. We’ll keep you posted about that. We’re also a member of the youth engagement working group but there hasn’t been much progress. The group has only met a couple of times due to staffing changes at the Office for Youth but we’re aiming to get a result by the end of the year. We understand the Minister is also consulting directly with young people via local government and alongside country cabinet events so if you get the chance, we’d encourage you to go along and contribute your views. The next country cabinet will be held in the Barossa region on 18 October. Youth engagement is a key theme at the federal level too. The Abbott government made significant cuts – including to National Youth Week beyond 2016 – and the state and territory youth affairs peaks have written to the Minister for Education and Training to request a meeting to discuss the lack of youth engagement policy and activity. The leadership spill has impacted the timeframe for our plans but we’ll be able to provide an update soon. The unemployment rate was in the news again this month and it coincided with the federal government announcing that the ‘Transition to Work’ service will be rolled out in 2016, aiming to teach young people about applying for jobs and interviewing skills. We’re still not sure what jobs young people are meant to apply for, but at least they won’t have to wait four weeks to receive income support, as the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Youth Employment and Other Measures) Bill 2015 was defeated in the Senate (again). We understand the bill will be pursued by the government so we’ll continue to advocate for it to be scrapped.
contents YACSA Update
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Public Space
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The Spill
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Grinding to a Halt
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Becoming Comfortable in your City
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The Brocas
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Job Services Changes
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Handy Hansard
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Opportunities
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In mid-September we had a follow up meeting with young members about what we can do to support more active involvement in our work and we’re going to create a “policy” group and an “events” group. We’ll be calling for expressions of interest for both groups in the next week or so and will support each group to clarify its role and function including how often they meet. Keep an eye out for more information soon. Cheers Anne Bainbridge YACSA ED The Scoop September 2015
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Public Space What is public space? Public spaces are those that should be available and accessible to all people, such as roads and parks. Some public spaces such as libraries and public transport hubs have their own rules and regulations, like restrictions on opening hours or strict security policies. Because public spaces are usually free and centrally located, they are particularly attractive to young people. However, these spaces are not often constructed with young people in mind.
What is private space? Some places seem like they should be public space, but are actually private space. The best example is a shopping centre, which has a commercial function as well as being used by many people as a meeting spot. Young people can be seen as threatening or targeted as ‘troublemakers’ in this context, despite the fact that the majority of young people use the space in exactly the same way as everybody else.
Why is safe and inclusive public space important? Ideally, public spaces should bring people together and allow communities to develop and function well. In a world that is becoming increasingly commercialised, maintaining accessible, affordable public space is more and more important. For all young people, and especially those who experience social disadvantage due to ethnicity, sexuality or ability, access to relatively cheap and safe places and events is a real priority. The stigma that often surrounds young people in the public space needs to be broken down, and including young people in the planning and future of their cities is a great way to go about that.
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The Spill And just like that, Australia has it’s fifth change of Prime Minister in five years. On Monday, 14 September, Malcolm Turnbull challenged Tony Abbott to a leadership spill. Turnbull won the party vote 54 – 44, making Tony Abbott’s prime ministership the shortest since Harold Holt’s. We are yet to see whether this change of leadership results in an improvement in public sentiment for the Liberal government — they have underperformed on the two-party preferred measure in the past 30 polls. Speaking of polls, we’d love to hear what you think about the “revolving door” politics of the last few years.
How does this affect your engagement with Australian politics? Where do you think we’ll go from here? What issues do you hope Malcolm Turnbull focuses during his term? Let us know your thoughts by email or on our Facebook page. Sept 2013
Abbott wins election, announces that “the time for campaigning has passed, the time for governing has arrived”
July 2014
The new Senate includes eight microparty crossbenchers, leaving the government struggling to gain ma ority
Dec 2014
A abinet reshuffle introduces a second woman and promotes Scott Morrison to the ept. of Social Services
June 2015
Aug 2015
Treasurer Joe Hockey becomes a liability to the Abbott government, in spite of his more moderate second budget
Bronwyn Bishop resigns as Speaker after weeks of backlash against the hoppergate entitlements scandal. Abbott is supportive up to her resignation
May 2014
Joe Hockey delivers unpopular budget that endeavours to bring the budget back to surplus. Public opinion deems the budget unfair and aimed at low-income earners. Many measures never make it through the Senate
Nov 2014
The first-term iberal government in S is defeated in the state election. Many took the une pected loss as a message to the ederal overnment
Feb 2015
ollowing weeks of poor polling, gaffes and a comprehensive P loss in ueensland, Abbott faces a spill motion brought on by A MP uke Simpkins. o one challenges for leadership and Abbott is victorious, although he only wins of the votes
14 Sept 2015
Julie Bishop alerts PM Abbott that he no longer has the support of the party room. Malcolm Turnbull challenges for leadership and wins, 54 votes to 44
The Scoop September 2015
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User: Orderinchaos / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0
Grinding to a halt In July, the North Terrace skate park closed with no replacement facility in sight. Plans have been released for a temporary structure in the East parklands that will cost close to $500 000, but construction has not yet begun. For the meantime, Adelaide city skaters are forced to travel to suburban skate parks or use public spaces, which can sometimes attract fines. Dignity for Disability MLP Kelly Vincent was “very disappointed” in the government’s failure to provide a new space for South Australian young people to skate and ride. “It is clear this government does not prioritise our health and wellbeing as young people,” she said, as plans for a new, permanent skate park had not been finalised during the three years since the North Terrace site was flagged for closure. Most advocates of a city skate park agree that it’s important for the new structure to be centrally located, close to public transport and constructed in consultation with everyone that will use it. The Riverbank precinct seems an obvious choice, as it already has a focus on recreation. The proposed temporary skate park has been planned in conjunction with the SA Skate Space Association, who advocate for inclusive skate spaces. SASSA representative, Andy Walker, said that they have tried to incorporate as many interesting features as possible within the constraints of the temporary design.
“We’ve just taken a lot of good obstacles from other skate parks that we’ve seen and tried to put the best bits into one. It’s only meant to be a temporary space, so everything’s going to have to be transportable.” He worries that the temporary facility is a “band aid solution” that has no solid timeframe until a permanent park opens. Greens MLP Tammy Franks agrees, saying that a temporary structure is “$490 000 that’s being spent needlessly”. She also thinks
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that, “for young people it means a place to go, a place that’s social, that you can recreate, meet friends, try new things and that gives you an outlet and it’s a pretty healthy outlet”.
By being involved in the planning and creation of a new park, young people get a sense of ownership and investment in the space, as well as moulding it to suit their needs. The Marion Council’s new Oaklands Recreation Plaza, opening on October 10, is an example of how community consultation can help shape a space that can be used for skating, BMX and scooter riding, as well as Parkour. The Adelaide City Council should work with the strong community of skaters and riders in the CBD to make a move on a permanent, state-of-the-art facility. Until then, young people are left hanging.
The Scoop September 2015
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User: THOR / Flickr / CC-BY-SA-2.0
Becoming comfortable in your city
There, you almost certainly have to use specially designed training centres which don’t often provide the same challenges as the real world, both physically and mentally. Funnily enough, Canberra, with all of its government buildings, is pretty tolerant of Parkour!
When you think of your city, the term ‘adventure playground’ may not spring to mind, but Parkour is one way to discover an urban environment in a whole new way. The discipline of Parkour began last century in France and has spread around the world as a combination of fitness, philosophy and social interaction.
One interesting case in Adelaide is that of the Festival Centre Plaza which, as a thoroughfare connecting North Terrace to the Riverbank precinct, you would expect to be classified as public space. However, the Plaza is owned by the Adelaide Festival Centre (AFC) and they have sought to maintain control over the use of the space, often resulting in people being kicked out for training Parkour. Conversations with the AFC have so far come to nothing, even though you’d think that the values of Parkour chimed with those of an arts venue, as we enliven the space.
— Travis (TJ) Ranson
As you can imagine, Parkour being a practise that relies on using elements of the city in order to train, you soon run into the tricky question of what exactly is ‘public space’. Legally, there are two kinds; defined public spaces that are owned by the council and should be free for everyone to use, and publically accessible private space such as buildings, alleyways and car parks. In Adelaide, you quickly work out where training will be accepted and where you will be moved on. Most of the concern about using privately owned spaces to train revolves around liability if anyone gets hurt; it’s often a matter of working out strategies to coexist with private owners, both officially and unofficially. Although security in Adelaide is pretty tightly monitored, it’s nowhere near the situation in America.
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Reponses from the public vary wildly. Some people react in a very negative manner, making the assumption that we don’t know what we are doing or worrying that we’re being unsafe. Some people just straight out ignore us!
Seeing someone training Parkour breaks their model of what should be done in the world. However, we do also receive a lot of positive reactions, as passers-by stop to watch and congratulate us on successfully completing a movement. There does seem to be the assumption that, because
we are a group of (often) young people doing an unusual activity in a public space, we are automatically troublemakers. Police have sometimes been called by alarmed members of the public, although in my experience, these interactions have been positive. While officers always take down names and search bags, once we explain what we are doing there is never any issue.
Parkour allows people to move through space in a different way, viewing the city from a different perspective. They say that if you want to know about what happens around the streets of a city or find a stolen car, ask the taxi drivers. Well, if you want to know pretty much anything else about your city, ask someone who trains Parkour — by exploring abandoned buildings and out-of-the-way alleys, we’ve got a pretty clear picture of what goes on in the spaces that are easy to forget. While Parkour ticks many boxes, including expanding social networks and improving physical and mental health, it is perhaps the lifestyle that exists alongside it that is the most interesting. Learning mental strength, as well as motivation and preparedness, is all part of the discipline’s philosophy: be strong to be useful. I’ve noticed that people who train Parkour tend to be more civically engaged, which makes sense when you think about it. If you’re using a space
regularly, you’ve got more incentive to respect and maintain it, so training Parkour gives you a vested interest in your city. I’m coming to realise that being physically connected to the place you live is so important in fostering feelings of safety and validity. Recently, I taught a workshop with a group of refugees. Using Parkour to discover the city in a very tangible way enabled these people to become more comfortable and familiar within the space. Making a place feel like ‘home’ is a complex task, but surely beginning to know your new city is the first step to this kind of ownership and power. Ultimately, public space opens up the possibility of interactions that may not otherwise occur. Parkour is one way to encourage people to use the space in a highly visible way, connecting people to their city and promoting respect for public spaces. It’s these kinds of shared experiences that allow a city to form a sense of community and, surely, that’s what we’re all working towards.
Travis started doing Parkour nine years ago and is the founding President of the South Australian Parkour Association. He teaches regular workshops at the Movement Culture training space that he co-founded in the CBD, Point A.
The Scoop September 2015
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The Brocas Woodville has a new community space, The Brocas! The Brocas is located at 111 Woodville Road, St Clair, a short walk from Woodville train station and next to St Clair Recreation Centre. The two storey building has 5 activity rooms and a large kitchen and warehouse that can fit up to 100 people.
The multi-purpose community space is designed to be used by: • Young people keen to get a local project off the ground • Local people wanting to share their skills and knowledge with the local community • Clubs wanting to share their interests through come‘n’try or ongoing sessions • Organisations or groups that want to bring activities to the West • Anybody else with new or quirky activity ideas Got an idea for a local community project or activity, big or small? Need space for a community activity or to plan and develop your entrepreneurial idea? Want to know more? Send us an email.
ScoopSeptember September2015 2015 88TheTheScoop
20 people achieved a Certificate II in Construction as part of The Brocas refurbishment project, thanks to our partners, Programmed Facility Management and Carey Training
Job Services changes For those receiving welfare payments, there has been some confusion around the transition from Job Services Australia to the new jobactive program as smaller community providers have been replaced by larger for-profit providers. But how will this affect you?
Job Services Australia
jobactive
July 2009 – 2015
from July 2015
Streams 1, 2 and 3, 4
Streams A, B, C
Streams designate a person’s capability to go straight into work. Barriers to work may include having left school before year 12, parenting or caring responsibilities or physical or mental disability.
Streams 2 and 3 have been combined into Stream B. There seem to be minimal changes to the qualifications for each stream.
Job Plan
Employment Pathway Plan
A re-branded version of the EPP that includes applying for up to 20 jobs a month, training and meetings with your jobactive provider. Face-to-face meetings with Centrelink are no longer required.
The EPP sets out your “personal employment goals” and the services and training required to meet these goals. This plan also includes the number of jobs you must apply for in a fortnight and any other obligations (such as meeting regularly with your Centrelink and your JSA provider).
Work for the dole
For those that have been unemployed for more than six months, Work for the Dole is now compulsory. The places that are eligible for WFTD are more strictly monitored (for example, you can no longer volunteer at your local school unless it is a registered WFTD provider). The number of hours per week has also increased to 25 for under 30s.
Work experience
Young people under 30 who are out of work for more than 12 months must complete 15 hours a week of “work experience” activities, including: • Part-time or casual paid employment • Education or training • Work for the Dole activities • Green Corps environmental activities • Voluntary work in the community and not for profit • sectors • Drought Force farm based activities
You thought it was dead but it’s baaaaack ...
Job Commitment Bonus
Long-term unemployed young people may be eligible for a Job Commitment Bonus of up to $6 500 if they can get continuous work for more than a year.
The four week wait for the dole has been reintroduced to parliament on Malcolm Turnbull’s second day as Prime Minister. The bill, which penalises “job ready” young people who are out of work, has now been voted down twice in the Senate. Officers from the Department of Social Services have admitted that the policy is not based on any international evidence to show that a waiting period would boost employment figures. National Welfare Rights Network President, Kate Beaumont:
“We need to avoid scarring tens of thousands of young people each and every year with a raft of harsh and punitive social security policies that basically blame them for the failures of the labour market to provide sufficient jobs for all those that want them.” The proposed bill also aims to increase the minumum age to receive Newstart from 22 to 25 as “people in this age bracket may perceive an advantage by remaining in receipt of newstart allowance and a disincentive to pursue full-time study or employment”1. Currently, those on Newstart receive around $100 more a fortnight than out-of-home recipients of Youth Allowance. Both payments are less than half the national minimum wage and more than $100 a week below the poverty line. 1
Social Services Legislation Amendment (Youth Employment) Bill 2015
The Scoop September 2015
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Handy Hansard Hansard is the official report of the debates and proceedings of the SA parliament. We like it because we can see who’s been saying what about youth affairs and young people. You can access it yourself and search for terms, but we look at it regularly so we will provide a snapshot for you in this section of the newsletter. Over August, the Attorney-General John Rau talked to the parliament about the ‘Reboot Intensive Intervention Trial’, or the Youth Justice Boot Camp Trial in his capacity of Minister for Justice Reform. You can find the full transcript here.
From the minister’s opening statement: I can confirm that the agencies involved in designing the program as part of a multi-agency team included the Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (Youth Justice), the Attorney-General’s Department, South Australia Police, the Department of State Development (Building Family Opportunities), the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (Change SA), the Department for Education and Child Development, the Courts Administration Authority (Youth Court) and the Operation Flinders Foundation.
On 14 April 2015 a competitive grant process commenced in order to engage an organisation to provide communitybased support services for young people who offend. Applications closed on 15 May 2015. On 12 August 2015 I announced that the not-for-profit organisation Helping Young People Achieve was successful and would receive $900,000 over two years to deliver the trial in partnership with Red Cross.
The shadow Minister for Justice, John Gardner, asked the Hon. Rau whether the Minister for Youth had been involved “in the development of this policy before the election, or indeed in the development of the scoping work that has been done since the election”. His response:
The trial is based at the Adelaide Youth Court and primarily targets 15 to 17 year olds at their second or subsequent offence who are at risk of further offending. Intended outcomes of the trial include reducing offending behaviour and increase positive behaviour by young persons, including engagement in education, training, employment or organised activities, such as sport, performing arts, volunteering or other forms of civic engagement. The trial has now commenced with two referrals from the Youth Court currently being assessed for suitability. Further to my comments yesterday, I can confirm that the appraisal stage of the trial is still being finalised, and the procurement process for the evaluation is expected to be settled shortly.
I expect that in the process of this being formulated, what happened before the election I can say with confidence did not involve the current minister because before the election she was not the then minister, as I recall. It was formulated before that point in time and, as I said, it was an election promise. Since that time, the lead work has been done by the Attorney-General’s Department. It is my expectation that they would have spoken to people like corrections, youth justice and various other people. Exactly to what extent they have spoken to them and to whom they have spoken, I do not know, and I can seek to ascertain that.
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Opportunities
SHine SA Sexual Healthline The Sexual Healthline is a free, confidential service, so if you want to talk to someone about your sexual health, but feel more comfortable with a conversation over the phone rather than seeing someone directly, then contact us on:
Telephone: 1300 883 793 Toll free: 1800 188 171 (country callers only) Monday – Friday, 9:00am12:30pm Our receptionist team will put you in touch with a sexual health nurse. An interpreter can be arranged free of charge if required. And if you prefer to use email, our sexual health nurses are happy to respond to your questions at sexualhealthhotline@shinesa.org.au.
All sessions held at NSS:
Northern Sound System 73 Elizabeth Way Elizabeth SA 5112 To book call: 8255 5560 For more information: playford.sa.gov.au/nss All sessions are free! Book in to avoid missing out. Basic Barista & chocolate treats Thursday 1 Oct 10am - 1pm 15 - 18 years
DJ Workshop Bring 4 tracks on a USB (if possible) Tuesday 6 Oct 1pm - 3pm 10+ years
• testing and treatment of Sexually • • • • • • •
Northern Sound System School Holiday Program Wearable Art: Create a T-shirt Monday 28 Sept 10am - 1pm 10+ years
You can contact the Sexual Healthline about any sexual health issue, including:
RAA Car Maintenance Workshop Thursday 8 Oct 1pm - 3pm 16+ years
• • • •
Transmitted Infections pregnancy testing safer sex information emergency contraception unplanned pregnancy information and counselling contraception: The Pill; Implanon; IUD; Depo injection; Condoms sexual difficulties sexual diversity, sexual and gender identity rights, responsibilities and the law puberty issues sexual abuse and assault counselling Hepatitis B vaccination
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The Scoop September 2015
Opportunities
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You have recently been elected to Parliament. Now it’s time for your first speech in the House of Representatives Chamber. All your family, friends and colleagues are watching. Not to mention the entire nation. What are you going to say? High school students are again being invited to put their views to the House of Representatives as part of this year’s My First Speech competition. The nationwide competition is now open to all Australian secondary students enrolled in years 10 to 12. First, second and third place winners will be flown to Canberra with a parent or guardian to present their speech live at Parliament House.
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email: johnsonrob@missionaustralia.com. This foundational skills program is funded through the Government of South Australia’s WorkReady initiative
This foundational skills program is funded through the Government of South Australia’s WorkReady initiati
XMAS Retail Pre-employment Program
Stores everywhere are about to launch their search for Christmas casuals to assist with the extra demand for customer service. Improve your chances of succeeding with this XMAS Retail Pre-Employment Program. with courses running from September through November. 4 day course from 9am to 3pm (Monday to Thursday) $320 per person (No GST) Tea & coffee included 112 Coventry Road, Smithfield Plains 5114 Book online at www.paraworklinks.com.au
Students are being asked to imagine themselves as a newly elected MP and to write and present a three minute speech about an issue or issues they are passionate about. Entries will be judged by Member for Longman and Assistant Minister for Innovation Mr Wyatt Roy MP, Member for Griffith Ms Terri Butler MP and Member for Melbourne Mr Adam Bandt MP. Go to www.aph.gov.au/myfirstspeech for more details and to view the speeches of last year’s winners. Entries are due by Friday 23 October 2015.
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Do you want to see your opportunity for young people here, or do you have an idea for content you’d like to see in The Scoop? Get in touch with us at yacsa@yacsa.com.au.