The ACT Election to form the Eleventh Assembly of the ACT will be held on Saturday 19 October 2024. The formation of the Assembly will carry significant implications for policy priorities in the ACT over the next four years.
The Youth Coalition has been meeting with local political parties, current Members, and election candidates, to discuss key issues and our recommendations for consideration. Several parties and candidates have already made some election commitments relating to young people.
Key areas in which the Youth Coalition is seeking commitments, from all candidates and parties:
Child and Youth Mental Health Crisis (for background, view our Response to the ACT Budget 2024-25):
- Investment in the ACT Mental Health NGO Sub-Sector
1. Increasing the pool of funding available through the mental health NGO commissioning process;
2. Longer-term funding to support mental health programs that received short-term funding through the ACT Budget, such as WOKE and Stepping Stones. - Investment in Canberra Health Services (CAMHS):
1. Establishing a CAMHS clinic in Gungahlin and increasing capacity of the North Community Team;
2. Establishing a ‘young adult’ program delivered between CAMHS and Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS), for young people aged 18-25;
3. Expand access to the Mental Health Service for People with Intellectual Disability to young people from the age 12.
- Investment in System Coordination and Support:
1. Continued funding for the ACT Child and Youth Mental Health Sector Alliance;
2. Building upon ‘lived experience’ initiatives within the ACT Government, including the Youth Reference Group.
Youth Homelessness:
- Co-design an ACT Youth Homelessness Strategy, in partnership with key services and young people, that takes a ‘whole of community and government’ approach to preventing and responding to youth homelessness.
Gambling Harm:
- Implement best-practice consumer protections on poker machines across the ACT and reduce the number of poker machines from 3,500 to 2,000 within the next government term;
- Provide adequate funding for public health campaigns aimed at reducing gambling harm;
- Support a total ban on gambling advertising.
Anti-Racism:
- Establish initiatives across sporting groups, public transport, schools and services that prevent, and adequately respond to, young people’s experiences of racism; including by implementing the recommendations of the It Really Stabs Me report.
Domestic and Family Violence:
- Increased investment to support:
1. Primary prevention of DFV;
2. Improved system coordination and capability-building across sectors, including those who work with young people;
3. Frontline DFV services, including to respond to emerging service gaps for young people impacted by DFV.
Youth Participation in Democracy:
- Establish a Future Generations Act that legislates the requirement for government to improve the wellbeing of current and future generations in decision-making;
- Improve formal opportunities for young people to participate in ACT democratic processes, including by enhancing formal youth consultation processes.
Community Services for all Canberrans:
- Implementing the recommendations of the ACTforCommunity community sector campaign, to support a robust community services sector.
Authorised by Ms Hannah Watts on behalf of the Youth Coalition of the ACT.
