Media Release

The inaugural National Youth Roundtable has already made a valuable contribution to Government and will continue to give young people a voice into the next century, the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr David Kemp said in Canberra today.

Addressing Roundtable delegates at an official lunch attended by the Prime Minister and senior Ministers, Dr Kemp praised the quality and thoughtfulness of the work which had come from the Roundtable during the past three days.

"This is an impressive group of young people with a very diverse and broad ranging agenda of issues of concern. We are here to listen to what they have to say and congratulate the Roundtable delegates for their support and commitment to the Roundtable process," said Dr Kemp.

At the lunch today, delegates representing each of the workshop discussion groups, presented short summaries of their workshops.

"The preliminary outcomes presented today demonstrate the extraordinary amount of vigorous discussion and exchange of ideas that has taken place. The Government is ready to listen to what these young people have to say," said Dr Kemp.

"This generation are the future leaders of tomorrow and it is vital that we listen to their concerns now and act on them to help shape the future that all Australians want."

Dr Kemp said the Government would continue to use the Roundtable to get young people’s feedback on issues of the day.

"We have tried to design and structure the Roundtable in a way that will ensure that it becomes a valued institution in Australia."

The Roundtable, made up of 50 people aged from 15-24 from diverse backgrounds around Australia, has been meeting in Canberra for the past three days to discuss a range of issues vital to Australia’s future.

Dr Kemp attended several of the Roundtable’s working group interim presentations which covered a wide range of issues, including health and wellbeing, education, national perspectives, lifestyle and economy and employment. He said the issues raised by delegates such as the need for education about reconciliation and the involvement of Indigenous people in the improvement of their situation in terms of health, education and justice would be of great assistance in informing the reconciliation process.

Delegates will return to their communities tonight to continue consultations during the next six months about the issues they worked on during the Roundtable, before presenting their final reports at the second meeting of the Roundtable in September this year.

For further information: Samantha Herron 0412 639 754 or 02 6277 7460

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