Tuesday, 17 October 2023

SYN Media

Matthew BACH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (22:11): (512) My adjournment matter tonight is for the Minister for Youth, and the action that I seek is for the minister to match the pledge that was made by the coalition parties at the last election to double the base funding for SYN Media. SYN Media is a really interesting and quite unique media organisation in our broader landscape that is run entirely by young people. On a personal level, I do not always agree with the editorial positions that are taken by SYN Media, but I do respect the role that SYN Media plays. A few weeks ago I was alerted to the fact that SYN Media was having to furiously fundraise lest in just four weeks time the organisation has to shut its doors. I think that would be such a shame because the organisation has a really strong focus on outreach. The organisation has a really strong focus on training up young people, on dealing with school groups. The organisation wants to talk about a whole range of interesting issues that impact young people. Some issues, as I say, ultimately I find myself agreeing with SYN Media and its hosts about and others I do not, but I do think that it has an important role to play.

Some time ago, in another lifetime, I worked as an official in the Office for Youth, and without wanting to appear hubristic I could say to the government that should I be let loose on the budget of the Office for Youth I could easily trim millions and millions from that budget, without young Victorians seeing any negative impact, in order to find the loose change necessary – just $100,000 or so – to double the base funding for this important media organisation that does really good work. It is entirely youth led.

We have a new Minister for Youth. I know that Minister Spence when she was minister shared my view that SYN Media should be supported, notwithstanding the fact that she was not able to gain support from her caucus colleagues at the last election for a very modest increase in the base funding for SYN Media. I would urge Minister Suleyman to seek to do so now, and I want to assure Minister Suleyman that if she was able to secure the very modest increase in base funding that I am asking for it would be met with the full bipartisan support of the Liberal and National parties, as ultimately then we would be able to keep this important organisation on the air.