Picture looks good for young Australians

A series of fact sheets released today by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Larry Anthony, show the picture is looking good for young Australians.

“There are 2.7 million young people aged 15-24 years, representing around 14 percent of the population. Australia’s youth population has more than tripled since 1921. Around 17 percent of young people were born overseas.

“Today’s youth are better educated than ever before and more young people are undertaking higher education. There are also fewer unemployed young people than in the past several decades.

“Young people are also enthusiastic about contributing to their communities. 27 per cent of young people aged over 18 years participated in volunteer activities in 2000. This is a huge increase on the 17 per cent reported in 1995.

“Our young people are the healthiest group of Australians. Only 19 per cent had visited a doctor in the two weeks prior to the survey compared with 26 per cent of people aged 25 years and over. The most common problem cited was headache.

“The Coalition Government has done much to support young Australians. One example is the introduction of Youth Allowance. It has encouraged many more young people to stay in education and further develop their skills and talents.

“Our young people are a diverse group and have a broad range of goals, interests and aspirations. We should all be proud of our youth’s many achievements and offer opportunities to help them develop and fulfil their potential,” Mr Anthony said.