YANQ is the peak body for the Queensland Youth Sector
Youth Affairs Network Queensland
  • home
  • about
    • what we do
    • become a member
    • donate
    • our values
    • h*story
  • conference
    • 2014 conference
    • 2011 conference
  • news + resources
    • news from yanq
    • what is youth work?
    • become a youth worker
    • projects >
      • health projects >
        • stop drugging our kids!
        • sexual health
        • youth primary health development
      • youth disability advocacy queensland
      • multicultural youth advocacy network
      • reengagement in education
      • juvenile justice >
        • 17 year olds in adult prisons
        • youth in remand
      • workforce development
    • yanq publications >
      • research papers
      • policy submissions
      • media releases
      • network noise magazine
      • newtransitions journal
  • youth networks
    • yanq regional networks
    • youth interagency details
    • youth consultative network
  • COVID-19 Information for youth services
  • Online Forums
  • contact

A Silent Spring for the Youth Sector?

8/7/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
State Government, QCOSS, LGAQ - silencing the youth sector?

Over the past 6 months, YANQ has met with the Minister for Communities as well as senior public servants in charge of developing the youth strategy and has encouraged them to undertake comprehensive consultation with the NGO sector and young people. Unfortunately, the Queensland Government has missed an important opportunity to include in the recommissioning process and the development of the Youth Strategy genuine consultation that informs their policy and programs.

Instead, its very clear that the Government is trying to silence the voice of the sector by dismissing the historical knowledge that YANQ and other sector organisations have gathered over decades. Rather, the Government has enlisted the support of QCOSS and LGAQ and has sidelined the legitimate peak body for the sector, YANQ, due to the outcomes of our independent advocacy and consultation processes. At the end of 2012, YANQ undertook extensive consultations across many regions in Queensland about the recommissioning process. The evidence base was gathered and developed into a comprehensive report which was then tabled with the Government. Despite this, the Minister has been very hostile towards the report and towards the sector's own consultation processes, which have included recommendations to support the work of small community based NGOs. 

Any further consultations and reports undertaken by QCOSS and LGAQ are being funded directly by the State Government and exist only as smokescreens to undermine the consultation work that the sector has already done. YANQ proposed the signing of a MOU between key peak bodies in March 2012 that would allow for a framework of collaboration and non-competition between the peaks, and to role model this for the sector. QCOSS refused, and have continually denied that have been working with the State Government to undermine the youth sector's own independent processes.

It is with great sadness we now see QCOSS and LGAQ breaking their word and partnering alongside Government to silence the youth sector. It is telling that in all the communiques on the recommissioning process released by QCOSS/LGAQ, there has not been one mention of YANQ, the existing consultation undertaken by the sector, or of the already published report/s the youth sector has on hand to allow us to stand strong in the recommissioning process.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Home / News + Resources / News from YANQ

    News from YANQ

    Keep abrest of happenings at YANQ - you can also link with us via Facebook and Twitter.

    GO TO SECTOR NEWS >>
    Follow @news_yanq

    Archives

    February 2023
    December 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    May 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    January 2012
    August 2011
    June 2009

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.