There are not many people in Victoria who have not felt the wrath of the Napthine government’s actions, or lack thereof, over the past three years and three months. Parents and students have suffered through education funding cuts. Public sector workers have suffered through huge funding cuts and job cuts across Victoria. Manufacturing workers continue to suffer due to the government’s inaction and lack of a jobs plan. Victorians in need of emergency care are suffering because of the government’s inability to run our health system. All the while Victoria’s crime rate continues to skyrocket. The list goes on and on.
However, I want to focus on young people in Victoria whom the Napthine government has failed over the past three years.
Victoria’s youth unemployment level is now hitting a crisis point, with some areas of Victoria reaching above 17 per cent youth unemployment. The Geelong, Warrnambool and Bendigo regions all have youth unemployment rates above 13 per cent. The Napthine government simply does not care about Victoria’s young people, and it does not have a plan for their future.
Young Victorians want to work and study to get the skills they need to start a long and successful career in their chosen field, but the Napthine government is doing nothing to assist young people to reach their potential. In fact the Napthine government, by decimating Victoria’s TAFE system, has acted to make it even harder for young people to secure employment. Young Victorians, particularly those living in regional and rural Victoria, have been forgotten by the Napthine government. All Victorians, particularly young people in rural and regional Victoria, deserve better.