National Youth Commission

into Youth Employment and Transitions

Update
April 2018

Introduction
Many of the issues that the National Youth Commission (NYC) into Youth Employment and
Transitions has an interest in addressing appear in the news daily. In recent weeks there have
been media stories on young people and wage fraud, debate over casualisation, NAPLAN and the
idea of a ‘Universal Basic Income’ (UBI). In the last few days there was an article in the Fairfax
media entitled ‘ATAR system on the nose’ in which the Chief Scientist – Dr. Finkel, whilst
defending the importance of STEM took aim at the ATAR system. David Gonski’s second major
review into Australian education just released highlights that there must be an urgent
modernising of the industrial-era model of school education and a move towards individualised
learning for all students.

These issues are all important as are others but many of these issues are treated in isolation from
others. The National Youth Commissions focus on ‘youth employment and transitions’ will mean
that wicked problems often debated separately can be examined as connected, and therefore
responses grappling with the complexity and inter-relatedness of these issues are more likely to
yield creative and more integrated policy solutions. The dimensions of these problem will be
explored by the National Youth Commission but in a solutions-focused way – what can we do –
what needs to be done – what reforms to systems do we need to consider.

The case for the proposed National Youth Commission (NYC) into Youth Employment and
Transitions remains deeply compelling and continues to attract partners who see the potential of
the NYC to bring about significant and much needed change.

Civil society providing leadership

When governments won’t do the right thing or can’t seem to do the right thing even when they
say they will, it is time for civil society to come together to make the future happen. The National
Youth Commission is a vehicle outside of party politics but deeply committed to the young people
of Australia, which can mobilise the ideas and the evidence as well as the community’s support
for action – action to build a transition support system for all young Australians but especially the
most vulnerable.
The NYC is about civil society leading the way in seeking solutions to youth employment and a
host of related transitional issues, doing the hard lifting on policy for government (whichever
party is in government) to follow.

Terms of reference for the NYC into Youth Employment and

Transitions
After receiving feedback from a number of our partners we have enhanced the Terms of
Reference for the National Youth Commission into Youth Employment and Transitions.

The National Youth Commission will follow the practices of a Human Rights Commission in how
testimony is sought from a wide range of stakeholders and how evidence is accumulated and
analysed. The Terms of Reference are as follows:

1. The Commission will inquire into the following matters;

a) the nature, extent of social and economic change that impacts on the labour market and affects
the employability and employment prospects and experiences of young Australians;

b) The effectiveness and appropriateness of educational curriculum and programs in school and
in post-secondary institutions as preparation for future employment;

b) the issues that affect young people as they embark on pathways to employment and attempt
to build sustainable careers;

c) the adequacy of the various service systems that are implicated in the transition of young
Australians from education to employment;

d) the effectiveness of existing policies and programs that are directly relevant to the transition
from school to work;

e) whether reforms and initiatives are required to improve the education, employment and
transition outcomes for young people:

i. amendments to relevant existing policy frameworks;

ii. changes to guidelines and operations of existing social and educational programs; and
ii. new reforms in policies, initiatives and programs to achieve a ‘youth employment
guarantee’,

2. In conducting its inquiry the Commission will give priority to matters, which in its
opinion, need to be developed and addressed expeditiously.

3. The Commission will submit progress reports and media communications to the
Australian community during the two-year inquiry process and a final report no later than
July 2020.
Timing
We had hoped that we might have been in a financial position to commence by now but raising
the independent funding from civil society organisations takes time and relationships. The NYC
will not accept funding from the Australian or State and Territory governments to ensure that the
Inquiry process itself is strictly independent from political influence or interference.

It has been important to build a wide coalition of support for the National Youth commission, not
just the funding base. This coalition not only contributes financially or in kind but it also brings
its expertise and influence to the NYC process and serves as multiple doorways for young people
to participate.

Some elements of the Commission have already commenced and others are about to commence
in July 2018.. The public hearings and fuller rollout will not begin until August/September of
2018.

Collaborative partnerships
A critical part of both the formation of the NYC and its delivery is the building of a multi-
stakeholder platform. We recognise that no one sector can solve Australia’s major societal
challenges alone, these roles are increasingly carried out through engagement in partnerships
and collaborative frameworks across civil society, and with stakeholders from business,
government and international organisations.

The NYC has now developed partnerships with over 130 NFPs, Peak bodies, Universities, the
Labour movement, employers, TAFE, local government, youth education, career counselors,
Indigenous organisations, disability services with a focus on young people, employer bodies,
multicultural youth services, youth health, rural and regional services and those working in the
youth entrepreneurship space.

Recently we have gained support from organisations such as the Australian Human Rights
Commission, the UK Work Foundation, an increasing number of local governments, Children and
Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA), Disability Employment Australia, Melbourne
Polytechnic the SDA and many others who have recognised the importance of the public policy
issues that the National Youth Commission into Youth Employment and Transitions has been
designed to address.

A number of partners are coming together to focus their support around specific cohorts of young
people. An example of this is the strong focus developing around Indigenous young people and
another focusing on young people from a multicultural background. We are also developing some
foci on young people with disability, young people in and exiting Out of Home Care and Juvenile
Justice, and young people in regional and rural areas.

NYC Website
We are currently in the midst of designing an NYC specific website which we will be testing with
a number of young people. It is our hope that the website will be launched publicly in late May/
early June.
Youth Participation
The National Youth Commission has a commitment to the real, active and participatory
engagement of young people in a discussion about their own future.

You will be pleased to learn that we have appointed 4 young people as Youth Commissioners (see;
NYC Commissioners). Our NYC Youth Advisory Group which has members from around Australia
has commenced meeting

We have also appointed a number of young people as NYC Ambassadors and will be seeking more
young people to fulfill this role. If you know of any young people who may be interested in
becoming an NYC Youth Ambassador please have them contact us on info@nycinquiry.org.au

Whilst any out of pocket expenses will be met, the role of an NYC Ambassador is a voluntary role
and includes:
 To advise the Executive Officer of the NYC on how to effectively engage young people.
 To recommend creative way to communicate with young people about the NYC.
 To ensure that the NYC’s work continually reflects and addresses young
people’s issues pertaining to employment and transitions
 To represent young people and share their views and ideas based on young people’s
interests in youth employment and transitions.
 To provide feedback on products being produced by the NYC.
 On occasion to represent the NYC with the media and/or at public forums

Our Youth Advisory Group has started meeting with 15 young people from different parts of
Australia.

NYC Commissioners
You will recall that Maj. David Eldridge (Ret) – Former Chair of the Prime Ministers Pathways
Taskforce, Prof. Mick Dodson (ANU) and Dr. Wilma Gallet (Founder and former CEO of
Employment Plus) have all agreed to serve as Commissioners.

We are extremely happy to welcome as a Commissioner - Lisa Paul AO PSM. Lisa has been a Chief
Executive in the Australian federal government from 2004 to 2016, most recently as the Secretary
of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. She currently serves on
the Naval Shipbuilding Advisory Board as well as the Boards of Navitas, Advanced Personnel
Management (APM), Social Ventures Australia, Australian Schools Plus, High Resolves, the
Australia American Educational Leadership Foundation Ltd and the Australian Research Alliance
for Children and Youth. She is an Australian National University Policy Fellow, a Fellow of the
Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational
Leaders, National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia, a Fellow of the
Australian Institute of Management, a member of Chief Executive Women and a Fellow of the
Australian and New Zealand School of Government. She is also a delegate to the Australian Davos
Connection. Ms Paul is an independent non-executive director of Bond University Limited.

Four young people have also been appointed as Commissioners. These four young people were
chosen from a range of expressions of interest submitted by young people across Australia. They
are Sophie Johnston, Tasman Bain, Finbar Piper and Jesse Williams.
Sophie Johnston is the former President of the National Union of Students and has spent a
number of years advocating for students and young people in the higher education sector.

Jesse Williams is a qualified secondary teacher, with experience in teaching students from
marginalised and low socio-economic backgrounds. He is currently employed with the Guild, in
student welfare and advocacy, at Edith Cowan University (ECU) where he is also completing his
PhD in education – specifically focusing on improving multicultural learning outcomes.

He is the Founder and Chair of the Youth Disability Advocacy Network (YDAN), the peak
representative body for young people with disabilities in Western Australia,

Finbar Piper is a Juris Doctor candidate at Melbourne Law School. He has recently been the
Director of Political Engagement at Oaktree, a youth-led aid and development organisation,
where he was involved in managing national campaigns to deliver bipartisan support for youth
empowerment and a stronger foreign aid budget.

Tasman Bain is an advocate, humanitarian, the Co-Founder of Meri Toksave (a Pacific youth-led
gender justice charity) and the Chair of the Australian Red Cross Queensland Youth Advisory
Committee.

In our last update Bulletin, we indicated that Prof. Sara Glover – former Director of the Mitchell
Institute – Victoria University would serve as a Commissioner. Unfortunately, Prof Glover is no
longer in a position to undertake the role of a Commissioner.

NYC Patrons
A panel of eminent Australians have stepped up to serve as patrons of the NYC – Professor Brian
Burdekin, founding Commissioner of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
(HREOC; Dr Rhonda Galbally, a leading disability advocate; Professor Brian Howe, a former Labor
minister and Deputy Prime Minister; Mr. Simon McKeon, Chancellor of Monash University and
former Australian of the Year; Ms. Jill Reichstein, head of the Reichstein foundation and a leading
Australian advocate of social change philanthropy; Reverend Tim Costello, until recently the CEO
of World Vision and Ms. Amanda Vanstone, former Howard Government Minister.

We are happy to welcome as a Patron Saul Eslake. Saul has worked as an economist in the
Australian financial markets for more than 25 years. He currently runs his own economics
consultancy business, operating out of Hobart, and in April 2016 took up a part-time position as
a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Tasmania. He is a well-known and respected
independent economics commentator in Australia.

NYC Experts Reference Group

We have over 50 expressions of interest from academics both domestic and internationally, as
well as NFP’s, think tanks, training providers and young people to join the NYC Experts Reference
Group.

The Experts Reference Group will:

a) Provide advice to the NYC on salient issues, research and policy implications.
b) Write brief overview papers or make short presentations on questions and topics of relevance
to the NYC inquiries.
c) Identify and pass on relevant papers and reports from the specific fields of expertise.
d) Review written submissions provided to the NYC by individuals and organisations.
e) Review draft content for the NYC National Report.
f) Participate in policy workshops.

We are currently finalising how we will operationalise the Experts Reference Group and meetings
will commence in June 2018.

NYC Funding
The funding that is required to run the NYC is from a range of sources within civil society and
independent of government. We are continuing to make good progress towards our goal of $2.6
million. We have had some significant commitments made both financially and in-kind but are
still short of what is required to begin recruiting staff on contracts.

We anticipate being in a position to commence the formal proceedings of the Commission early
in the second half of 2018.

NYC Information
If you require further information, please contact Keith Waters on ph. 0408 569 888 or
e: keith.waters@nycinquiry.org.au