Video Transcript
PMs address transcript
G’day to everyone who has come together for today’s youTHINK: Your Say events. I’m sorry I’m not able to join you in person, as I’ve brought the whole team of Cabinet ministers to Brisbane for one of our regular Community Cabinet meetings. We’ve held Community Cabinet meetings in a dozen places across Australia so far. It’s a great way to hear different ideas and opinions about some of the challenges we are all facing today. This youTHINK: Your Say initiative is another way that the Australian Government is engaging with Australians to hear the ideas and the views of young Australians in particular. The Australian Youth Forum really is democracy in action. It gives young Australians a voice – a voice the Australian Government wants to hear. Today’s event has been made possible thanks to a strong partnership between the Australian Government and the Salvation Army, helped by many other non government organisations which work with, and for young Australians. There are some serious and very important matters on your agenda today: youth homelessness, how the global recession affects you, and other important concerns. I want to thank you for getting involved and giving your time and energy. Democracy involves many voices, and many conversations. And sometimes it requires patience, because usually things don’t change overnight. When things do change, it’s always because there has been enough people bringing their voices and their energy to achieve that change. In the words of President Obama, “Yes we can”. When there’s a thousand young people coming together in more than thirty different locations across Australia, you’ve got momentum and you have the capacity to make a difference. Remember that each of you have different backgrounds, different life experiences and different ways of seeing things. Those different ways of seeing things are shaped by the different personalities, different family experiences, different places you’ve lived in and different things that have influenced you. As you engage in discussion and debate, it’s important that you respect every other voice. It’s always important to have the courage to speak up when you’ve got something to say. In a moment, you’ll be sharing insights from this morning’s discussions with the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis. I know that Kate has been looking forward to today and I’m looking forward to hearing the feedback she has from each of the discussion groups today. So thanks again for coming, thanks to the Salvos, and thanks to all the other organisations who have pitched in to help, and all the best for a great day ahead.
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