Students demand answers on how politicians will address youth issues

For Queenslanders, this is the first time many year 12 students will be old enough to vote at a federal election while they’re still in school. 

As the newly 18-year-old Queenslanders prepare to head to the polls, ABC Radio Brisbane’s School of Hard Talks set out to find out what questions the school leavers felt still needed to be answered.

In the week after the election was announced, about 80,000 young Australians aged 18–24 enrolled to vote, meaning 88 per cent of that age cohort will get to have their say, according to the final Australian Electoral Commission figures.

The students’ questions covered issues ranging from whether politicians would address housing prices, the cost of living, climate change, supporting First Nations mental health, and the future of migration.

Liberal National Party senator Amanda Stoker, Greens senator Larissa Waters, Australian Labor Party senator Murray Watt and Independent candidate for Groom Kirstie Smolenski discussed the questions on Afternoons with Kat Feeney. 

Queensland year 12 student Kemiyah wants to know how the federal government will support First Nations mental health.(Supplied: Kemiyah) Housing prices a key issue

Matilda from Fairholme College asked the panel what their plan was to help young people enter the housing market.

Ms Waters reiterated the Greens’ pledge to build social and community housing, funded by “raising taxes on big corporations and billionaires who don’t pay their fair share at the moment”.

“Young people these days have given up on the dream of owning a home, it feels so out of reach for most ordinary young people,” she said.

“We’re saying we want to get rid of those tax perks that make it easier for you to buy your sixth or seventh home while some people still can’t buy their first.”

But Ms Stoker took aim, saying it was easy for Ms Waters to “rail against people who have multiple properties — but they are the people that provide supply that helps to drive rental affordability”.

“I don’t think Australians have given up on the dream of home ownership. I think it’s really, really important to them,” she said.

Queensland LNP Senator Amanda Stoker and Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters answer questions.(ABC Radio Brisbane)

The government has committed to expanding its home guarantee schemes, allowing people to build or buy a home with a 5 per cent deposit, or 2 per cent if they’re a single parent, by 35,000 places.

The LNP has also pledged a new Regional Home Guarantee aiming to encourage more construction outside capital cities.

Labor Senator Murray Watt said election pledges to address housing issues included building 30,000 social and affordable homes over five years.

“But what we’ve also announced, which would help people like Matilda in our regions, is an expansion of the government’s existing program for regional first home buyers,” Mr Watt said.

“What we’ve said is we would expand an existing government program for 10,000 more cases where people can have … a Labor government guarantee a portion of their deposit so that they don’t incur that mortgage insurance cost.”

Ms Smolenski said the main issue was a lack of supply combined with rising prices and highlighted that there was also a rental vacancy rate of about 0.3 per cent in Toowoomba.

“We need all levels of government to collaborate together, so we need the federal government to support the state government, but especially council, that’s the biggest problem we have, there’s not the land … so we have got a lack of supply,” she said.

Election news: Cost of living pinch

On the cost of living, Caboolture State High School student Brock asked how addressing wages could help him “live the Australian dream” and buy his own home, while Aayen from Ipswich State High School wanted to know how the government would help address the cost of transport.

Ms Stoker highlighted that unemployment was at just 4 per cent.

“That puts employees in a position where they’re able to negotiate from a position of strength in a way that plays well for future wage growth,” she said.

“We’ve got the lowest youth unemployment, under 10 per cent, for the first time since 2008, that means young people are going to get that same benefit too.”

Queensland Senator Murray Watt and Independent candidate for Groom Kirsten Smolenski discuss issues facing young people in the lead up to the election.

Speaking on wages, Mr Watt said, if elected, Labor would strengthen industrial relations laws, cracking down on abuse of casualisation and labour-hire workers.

Labor has already promised it would fund a union-backed wage increase for aged care workers — to be determined by the Fair Work Commission.

On wages, Ms Waters suggested the government could lift the minimum wage, increase public servants’ pay to influence the private market, and address the gender pay gap.

“It’s also important that we lift those other student support payments and job seeker payments because people are living below the poverty line. That doesn’t help anyone trying to get work if they can’t afford the jacket to put on for the interview or the bus fare to get there.”

She also said the Greens would “love to see that proportion of [federal] transport funding increase for active and public transport”.

Analysis from our experts: Climate change

Aurelia from Trinity Anglican School in Cairns asked the panel whether they would do more to address climate change and reduce emissions before 2050, which she described as “too late”.

Aurelia wants to know if political parties will do more to address emissions before 2050.(Supplied: Aurelia )

“If elected, will your government cut emissions immediately, innovate and form new international partnerships on an accelerated timetable?” she asked.

Ms Waters said the Greens, who wanted a 75 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2035, were hoping to have more Greens in parliament, and hold the balance of power in the government to “use that influence to improve laws”.

Mr Watt said the Greens’ target was unrealistic and said Labor’s plan was “very ambitious but realistic and practical policy on climate change and emissions reductions”.

Ms Stoker said LNP had a tangible and practical plan to reach net zero by 2050.

“Like with most policy, the sensible thing to do doesn’t lie at the extremes, it lies in balancing a genuine need, which we all accept, that environmental protection and cutting emissions is a genuine need, with the other important needs we have in our community like the rights, for instance, for people living in Moranbah to a job,” she said.

Meanwhile, as a candidate for the seat of Groom, Ms Smolenski is campaigning for recycled water to be introduced in Toowoomba to address water supply concerns in the region

Listen to the full discussion on ABC Radio Brisbane.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 2 minutes 46 seconds2m 46s ALP and LNP talk cost of living after high inflation figures

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Posted 14h ago14 hours agoWed 27 Apr 2022 at 9:41pm, updated 13h ago13 hours agoWed 27 Apr 2022 at 10:29pm