The Director of Queensland's youth peak body Youth Affairs Network Queensland (YANQ), Siyavash Doostkhah, has today accused the Queensland Government of abandoning and betraying young people and youth workers by cutting their support services.

"Premier Newman is acting like an unprepared Army General who leaves his solders in trenches without information, support, logistics, training and supplies", said Mr Doostkhah.

"The situation we now have in Queensland is the Premier insisting his government is all about front line services, whilst severely cutting all support systems for these services. The Newman Government has single-handedly put the entire youth sector in Queensland on the verge of collapse."

Government funding cuts have impacted significantly on support services to young people, with education, training, employment, justice and health services all being affected. The Government has also commenced a review of all youth programs, following on from initial 10% cuts to funding. More youth services are likely to lose their funding in the near future.

Leading youth affairs organisations around Australia have today expressed their strong opposition to plans to silence the principal voice for young Queenslanders and the youth sector that supports them

The Queensland government has indicated that funding to the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ) will cease in just over two months, making it impossible for the voices and needs of young people to be heard in important decision making processes that affect their lives. Executive director of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, Andrew Cummings said, “YANQ is the only body in Queensland recognised as having the ability to speak out on the interests and wellbeing of young people across the state. Without YANQ, Queensland will be the only state without the capacity to contribute to important national debates affecting their young people, such as education reforms, youth disability services under the NDIS and Indigenous affairs.”

YANQ has received Queensland government funding for the past 21 years. In that time it has consolidated a strong network of youth support services - able to provide informed and evidence-based advice to government on the most pressing needs for young people and improve decisions that impact their lives.

The Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ) is concerned that the Minister for Communities has abdicated her responsibility to manage young people’s issues as part of her portfolio and is calling for the Premier to intervene.

Mr Siyavash Doostkhah, the Director of YANQ said, “This is a new government with some inexperienced Ministers who are making some serious mistakes.

“The knowledge vacuum in which decisions are being made is a very concerning sign. The Minister responsible for youth has not been seeking briefings from her department’s Office For Youth and has defunded the only peak body for the youth sector in Queensland, YANQ.”