Thursday, 24 February 2022

Charis Mentoring leadership programs

Mr McGHIE (Melton) (17:16): (6241) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Youth Justice and Minister for Crime Prevention. Programs for Māori and Pasifika youth are vital for my electorate. Some of the young people in my community have been involved in youth justice. Māori and Pasifika families have been let down since the Howard government closed pathways for many in this vibrant community to gain permanent residency and citizenship when the scare campaign from the Tampa affair in 2001 destroyed the positive relationship with New Zealand passport holders. Back then the federal Attorney-General decided to reclassify New Zealand passport holders as permanent residents for tax purposes only. This dog whistling was an attempt to stop refugees who were accepted by New Zealand from coming to Australia. Since then the lack of support networks and programs available to our Māori and Pasifika communities have had a huge negative impact.

Last year Charis Mentoring was funded by the Andrews Labor government with a $15 000 grant to run summer holiday programs in order to work with vulnerable young people across the Melton area at a time when many can fall into trouble. They work with young people all across the west, so this will cover Melton and a few other electorates. At-risk young people were provided structured holiday plans in which case managers worked with each young person under supervision to create a holiday plan and align them with their interests and case plan, utilising the programs on top of existing Department of Education and Training programs and youth justice brokerage.

The tactile all-out leadership camp and rugby tag competition focus on Māori and Pasifika young people, and the Pasifika young leaders group will work with mentors to plan and run the two-day tag competition, teaching them leadership skills as they deliver the competition for their peers. This program will help between 80 and 100 Māori and Pasifika young people in Melbourne’s north-west. Can the minister please provide me an update on this program and the successes of this program that have occurred?