What is the Australian Government Office for Youth?
The Australian Government Office for Youth within the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, aims to support better public policy development and implementation that takes account of the impact on young Australians. The office concentrates its efforts on those areas and interventions the evidence tells us will deliver the greatest results – in this way it will work to magnify and amplify the impact of the government’s substantial investment in young people.
The Office for Youth supports the Government’s priorities including the COAG Reform Agenda and the Productivity Agenda by contributing to the development of coherent and strategic policies which aim to ensure that every young Australian can reach their full potential.
Why do we need an Australian Government Office for Youth?
The overarching objective of the Office for Youth is to help the Government deliver on its commitment to create a society in which all Australians, including the 2.7 million young Australians aged 15 to 24 (2006 Census of Population and Housing Australia), can play a full role in Australian life, economically, socially and democratically.
The Australian Government Office for Youth recognises the importance of providing young people with the support and opportunities necessary for them to reach their full potential and thereby participate fully in a productive and progressive Australia.
Who is the Office for Youth aimed at?
The Australian Government Office for Youth works collaboratively across government departments and agencies to improve coordination and integration of policies and programs that affect young people.
The Office for Youth is a mechanism to support the achievement of the Australian Government’s high level objectives for young people.
Who is the Director of the Office for Youth?
The Director of the Australian Government Office for Youth is Dr Alison Morehead, of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
The Australian Government Office for Youth reports to the Minister for Youth, the
Hon Peter Garrett MP.
How does the Office for Youth work?
The Office works cooperatively with other government agencies to achieve the Australian Government’s objectives that young people:
- reach their full potential;
- make effective transitions to adulthood as they continue to learn; start work; make decisions that support a healthy lifestyle, live independently and form families and relationships of their own; and
- participate in broader Australian society, including their local communities as active, healthy, informed, engaged and responsible citizens.
The Office aims to:
- Take an evidence-based approach to identify the policy areas and program types that deliver the highest impact in terms of young people’s economic, social and democratic participation.
- Get involved early in policy development processes.
- Monitor and analyse Australian Government policies and programs for their impact on young people.
- Provide advice to the Government about cross-cutting issues which impact young people and make linkages as appropriate.
- Actively identify new issues either individually or in concert with other line agencies as appropriate.
- Coordinate high priority issues across the Australian Government.
- Advise other Australian Government agencies about impacts of their policies and programs on young Australians.
- Identify emerging needs of young people and provide advice to the Minister for Youth about implications for the Australian Government.
- Champion key issues that young people identify as having a high impact.
What does the Office for Youth deliver?
The Office for Youth is:
- progressing the Government’s youth agenda set out in the National Strategy for Young Australians,
- continuing the dialogue between young people, the youth sector and the Government through the Australian Youth Forum,
- assisting the youth sector through the Youth Development Support Program, and
- building on the evidence-base detailing what we know about Australia’s young people, informed by publications, such as the Investing in Australia’s Young People and State of Australia’s Young People reports
Why is the Office for Youth important?
The Australian Government Office for Youth reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to the focus on young Australians, as part of its broader commitment to social inclusion, believing that all Australians’ need to be able to play a role in sharing in our nation’s prosperity.
The establishment of the Australian Government Office for Youth, signal a commitment from the Australian Government to ensure that public policy development and the implementation of programs takes account of the impact on young Australians. It also ensures that issues impacting on young people across several Australian Government departments and agencies are managed in a coordinated and integrated way.
How does the Office for Youth fit with the Australian Youth Forum?
The Australian Government Office for Youth and the Australian Youth Forum have different, but complementary, purposes. While the Office for Youth actively identify opportunities for better integration of policy and program settings across the Australian Government, and analyse the impacts of these on young people to ensure the Government’s considerable investment is as effective as possible the Australian Youth Forum provides a direct channel of communication between the Government, young people and the youth sector.
The Office for Youth assesses the advice of the Australian Youth Forum based on the available evidence and from a policy and implementation perspective. It provides advice to the Minister for Youth and other relevant stakeholders based on this assessment.
Without compromising the independence of the Australian Youth Forum, the Office for Youth works with the Australian Youth Forum to ensure that the Australian Youth Forum is well positioned to provide advice about Australian Government priorities.
Where is the Office for Youth based?
The Australian Government Office for Youth is part of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The Office is located in Canberra.
How does The Office for Youth work with other agencies?
The Office for Youth has strong and productive relationships across Commonwealth agencies:
- adding value to, or complementing, the work of other agencies
- accessing world class, empirical evidence. This evidence is needed in order to identify priority policy topics, inform policy advice, and persuade decision makers
- being effective and constructive in the provision of advice and assisting other agencies to make links and
- demonstrating effectiveness though rigorous examination of the issues and advice about impacts and likely outcomes.