Videos and songs could be sent to the federal government in a very different kind of Parliamentary inquiry submission from Indi’s youth.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
NESAY, a youth support service based in Wangaratta, has asked young people aged between 16 and 25 years for their opinions on what is working and what can be done differently as part of the the #YouthForIndi project.
The top five entries will be used as a submission into the federal government’s inquiry into regional development and decentralisation.
NESAY’s Casey May said she was excited for young people to contribute to community growth and success.
“Young people are influential and the voice of the next generation, so it’s fantastic to be able to provide them with this opportunity to contribute to the development of our community,” she said.
They have been encouraged to creatively express their opinions through video, song, story, multimedia and any other means.
Alpine Health was the first Border organisation to make its own inquiry submission, saying long-term sustainability was under threat because federal funding to replace aging buildings had been refused.
Board chairman Brian King’s letter said small towns like Myrtleford and Bright often missed out to the bigger regional centres.
“Decentralisation can’t just stop at Albury-Wodonga, Shepparton, Geelong and Bendigo,” he said.
“There needs to be more government recognition of the needs of rural and remote communities as it is clear the residents do not have the same access to health services.”
Alpine Health was struggling to compete with private aged care operators, which had received funding to upgrade to modern facilities.
“This is a fundamental flaw that can only be overcome by government investment,” Mr King said. “The investment required to place Alpine Health in a viable position for service delivery into the future pales into insignificance when compared to the full absorbed cost of the staffing, infrastructure and technology required to decentralise departments.”
Submissions into the regional development inquiry are open until September 15.
Young people can make their submissions to NESAY’s project at www.nesay.com.au or anyone can make a submission directly to the government inquiry’s homepage at www.aph.gov.au.
