Six regional youth made their voices heard in Victorian Parliament last week in a push for the same opportunities as their metropolitan counterparts.
Five members of the Northern Victoria Youth Parliament Team fronted the Legislative Council on Tuesday, June 28, to present their Mandatory Youth Work Readiness Bill.
After months in the making, the bill passed with “overwhelming support”.
Shepparton’s Tom Saxton said that while it had been a journey, it was one that was not quite over.
“We know it’s going to be seen by the government now but it kind of just moves onto the next steps of the progress ― of trying to get it strongly considered, trying to get it talked about in Parliament and those kinds of things,” he said.
“Hopefully it can be really considered and in some ways put into action to help Victoria, and try to help Shepparton’s young people as well.’’
Youth Parliament is a program run by YMCA Youth Services, with 20 teams from across the state taking part each year ― proposing and debating bills on current state issues.
Though the team has six members ― four from the greater Shepparton region, one from Alexandra and another from Echuca ― one was unable to attend the tabling.
Mr Saxton said the bill stemmed from the belief of current curriculum taught in schools being a “blanket approach”.
“It’s for every single region and while that might work for subjects like science or chemistry, where what you’re learning is very objective, for something like careers education it’s very subjective,” he said.
“Because it should be based on every different region which will have different economies, different needs, different youth outcomes, which really dictate what young people need to be learning.
“What it would mean for Shepparton youth is a tailored careers education that really prepares them for the workforce and for real life.”
The bill includes implementing “skills needed to be successful in life and employment”, from allowing students to attain a tax file number through to building soft skills in confidence and communication.
Mr Saxton, who was majoring in politics in tertiary education, said the team was “absolutely incredible”.
Mr Saxton also took out the best debater award in the Legislative Council beating out almost 120 others, as voted on by the sitting Members for Parliament.
“None of us really knew each other and we all kind of found each other through the love of Parliament or the love of making change,” he said.
“We will feel like we've been able to achieve some good stuff.”