The Napthine government’s budget cuts to employment services for young Victorians have been condemned at a rally held on the steps of Parliament on Wednesday, Shadow Minister for Children and Young Adults Jenny Mikakos said.
Ms Mikakos attended the rally together with Shadow Employment Minister Tim Pallas, and representatives from St Kilda Youth Service (SKYS) and Whitelion, including young people involved in these programs.
“SKYS and Whitelion provide assistance to young people, particularly vulnerable young job seekers, to help them find a job,” Ms Mikakos said.
“But these groups learnt after the budget was released that their state funding was being cut. What this shows is that this government doesn’t understand the difficulties faced by young people looking for work. These youth employment programs not only employ young people, but they provide them with the skills to get a job and keep it,” she said.
According to Ms Mikakos, four valuable programs groups are set to lose between $150,000-$250,000 each year, forcing these groups to either cancel or downscale their programs for next year.
Groups that have had their funding cut by the Napthine Government include SKYS, that has lost $220,000 from its hospitality program; Whitelion, losing $150,000 to support at-risk young people; Youth Connect losing $250,000 in funding; and YMCA Bridge Project – $150,000.
These groups have been at the forefront of connecting young people back into the community and employment. Without government support, it is expected the group will have to drastically reduce the number of young people they support.
Shadow Employment Minister Tim Pallas referred to budget cuts as the “cruellest cuts” the government could make, with Victoria already having the highest youth unemployment rate in the country.