Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Mission Australia Regional NT Leader Paul Royce says the latest youth survey found the environment, discrimination and mental health were among the top concerns of participants

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Mission Australia Regional NT Leader Paul Royce says the latest youth survey found the environment, discrimination and mental health were among the top concerns of participants · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that new data has been released by Mission
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Australia and it's revealed a unique snapshot into what young
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Territorians are thinking, feeling and are worried about. Mission Australia's
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  Speaker 1: Youth Survey Report for twenty twenty two found financial concerns
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  Speaker 1: and housing instability affected many young people and their families.
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  Speaker 1: The environment as well was at forty five point seven percent,
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  Speaker 1: equity and discrimination at thirty four point one percent, and
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  Speaker 1: mental health thirty point two that topped the issues. Those
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  Speaker 1: stop the issues that young people age fifteen to nineteen
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  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory want Australia to address. Now, joining
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  Speaker 1: me on the line to talk more about this survey
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  Speaker 1: and some of the results is doctor Paul Royce, the
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  Speaker 1: Regional leader from Mission Australia. Good morning to you, Paul.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie and might be talking to you from
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  Speaker 2: Larich Country.
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  Speaker 1: Oh great to have you on the show. Now, Paul,
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  Speaker 1: tell me about this survey. Why was it conducted and
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  Speaker 1: it happens each year it with Mission Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, as you said, this is our twenty first year
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  Speaker 2: of having the Youth Survey and it's really important because
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  Speaker 2: we recognize that young people have an important voice that
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  Speaker 2: sometimes isn't heard by older Australians who are actually making
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  Speaker 2: decisions on behalf of young people. So really important that
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  Speaker 2: Mission Australia can feed that information back not only to
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  Speaker 2: government agencies but local governments as well the ango sector
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  Speaker 2: and it provides some really good weight of evidence in
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  Speaker 2: terms of the way young people are feeling and the
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  Speaker 2: way they see the world that they live in.
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  Speaker 1: Well, how many people took part.
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  Speaker 2: Overall across Australia It was eighteen thousand, eight hundred, a
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  Speaker 2: smaller number of course in the Northern Territory because we
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  Speaker 2: have a smaller population, but we're still really happy with
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  Speaker 2: the results. The results that we have in the NTA
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  Speaker 2: are very similar to the ones that we see across
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  Speaker 2: all of our jurisdictions in Australia.
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  Speaker 1: So still a good sample size for the territory though, yeah, yeah, yep.
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  Speaker 2: And then I thing to see was that there was
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  Speaker 2: a good mix between female and male participants. Sometimes we
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  Speaker 2: see more women young women participating in some of these surveys,
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  Speaker 2: but it was great to see that there was a
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  Speaker 2: pretty even balance between women and young women and young
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  Speaker 2: men participating.
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  Speaker 1: And what were some of the serious issues that they
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  Speaker 1: were raising.
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  Speaker 2: Well, certainly the environment. When you look at the statistics
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  Speaker 2: for the environment, that has increased considerably over the last
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  Speaker 2: couple of years. So when twenty twenty it was about
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  Speaker 2: thirty percent of young Australian saw that was a significant issue.
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  Speaker 2: But when you look now in the Northern Territory where
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  Speaker 2: forty five percent of the population see that the environment
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  Speaker 2: is something that they are very, very concerned of, not
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  Speaker 2: concerned about just not only at a personal level but
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  Speaker 2: also at a national level. But interesting those other statistics
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  Speaker 2: equity and discrimination that's impacting on young people, particularly around
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  Speaker 2: young people of based on their age, their gender, their
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  Speaker 2: sexual orientation, but also mental health has been a combination
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  Speaker 2: for us and for young people, and so that comes
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  Speaker 2: up a lot when we do these surveys.
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  Speaker 1: Do you reckon there's been much change when you talk
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  Speaker 1: about that equity and discrimination, Like I remember being a
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  Speaker 1: young young girl and you know, feeling like I was
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  Speaker 1: sort of my voice was, you know, not really being
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  Speaker 1: heard particularly, you know, I reckon, when you first into
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  Speaker 1: the workface the workplace is a really young person. Do
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  Speaker 1: you think that that's sort of changing or getting any better?
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  Speaker 2: We always hope so but I and I think it's
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  Speaker 2: still obviously impacting a lot on young people, and particularly
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  Speaker 2: when we're looking at the lgbto community, Young Aboriginal and
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  Speaker 2: Torres Straight Island to young people. So obviously that's still
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  Speaker 2: very raw for young people. They still feel that they
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  Speaker 2: still see that whether it's themselves personally or in community
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  Speaker 2: or amongst friends and family.
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  Speaker 1: Now, in terms of the results and what you sort
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  Speaker 1: of use this information for, I understand that you know
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  Speaker 1: that it is something that's presented to the government, but
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  Speaker 1: how do you ensure that you know the voices of
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  Speaker 1: these young people are being heard.
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  Speaker 2: I think importantly we do sit at the table at
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  Speaker 2: a national forum. We also cansider the table at an
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  Speaker 2: anty level as well, which is great. But I think
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  Speaker 2: one of the interesting statistics to come from that is
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  Speaker 2: young people's view of housing instability, and I suppose that
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  Speaker 2: financial as you mentioned before, just that financial insecurity. So
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  Speaker 2: certainly what we would love to see is an increase
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  Speaker 2: in the EUTH allowance for young people, just so it's
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  Speaker 2: affordable for young people, but also having available more social
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  Speaker 2: and affordable housing for young people so when they are
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  Speaker 2: ready to exit home or if they don't have a
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  Speaker 2: stable house home environment to live in. Then there are
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  Speaker 2: some options for them as well. Well.
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  Speaker 1: Tell you what, it's always interesting I reckon to hear what,
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  Speaker 1: you know, what young people are thinking, what their biggest
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  Speaker 1: concerns are. I think that sometimes we as slightly older people, Paul,
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  Speaker 1: we think we know what they care about. Bush, you
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  Speaker 1: need to hear it from them, don't We.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, And we do still need to celebrate the amazingness
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  Speaker 2: of young people and their intellect and the view of
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  Speaker 2: the world. And I think it's really important that we
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  Speaker 2: don't more those statistics and we actually take that on board,
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  Speaker 2: and it'd be great to see those statistics and those
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  Speaker 2: views of young people use to change and shape policy
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  Speaker 2: at a national level as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I always reckon it's good too, you know, it's
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  Speaker 1: really good to hear what they are concerned about. And
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  Speaker 1: I'm very fortunate I work with a lot of young
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  Speaker 1: people here at the radio station and have involvement with
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  Speaker 1: plenty of young people around the community in various different ways.
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  Speaker 1: And I think that sometimes they get a bit of
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  Speaker 1: negative stick, you know, that they don't work as hard,
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  Speaker 1: or that they're you know that when I was young,
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  Speaker 1: those kind of lines. But you know, I know lots
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  Speaker 1: of wonderful young people and yeah, I think it's really
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  Speaker 1: important that they're heard.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, they are our future voters and an investment now
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  Speaker 2: in young people as an investment in the future for sure.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah spot on. Well, great to speak with you this morning, Paul.
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  Speaker 1: I always appreciate your time, but thanks so much for
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  Speaker 1: having a chat with us about the most recent mission
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  Speaker 1: Australia Survey.
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  Speaker 2: No wherries, Katie, thank you, thank you.