Coffs Youth need more government support. Their future health and well being depends on a stable environment and healthy society. However, youth statistics paint an embarrassing trend of disadvantage and disengagement locally. The Coffs Harbour Greens submission to Coffs Harbour Council’s Youth Issues and Options Paper 2020 outlined support for a council wide youth strategy. However, we also made explicit requests to council to better support young people through a range of progressive ideas. Please read our submission.

Everyone has a right to education, whether you are leaving school, changing careers, retraining later in life or looking to gain new skills and knowledge. The Greens’ plan will fund unlimited free TAFE and undergraduate university for everyone, increase Youth Allowance by $75 a week, and boost uni funding by 10%, so everyone can get a access to a world-class education. Find out more about the Australian Greens Plan here!

Instituting adventure sports locally has never been more important for all ages especially young people. With disengagement worse in low socio-economic areas like Toormina, getting young people outside and in nature, having fun and clearing their heads must be seen as a priority. While not all young people are drawn to adventure sports, the young people who are should be encouraged and barriers to engagement strategically reduced. The formalisation of mountain biking or rock climbing, for instance, would provide opporunities for social enterprises and entrepreneurial operators to engage youth around excercise, mental wellness, adventure, healthy risk taking and social connections. Establishing opportunities in adventure sports would grow the strong bodies and minds of our youth.   

Our Coffs Coast economy would employ many more people if professional investment and planning in our regions visitor economy was widely driven. The mountain bike community, for example, need permanent tenure to build confidence in applying for grants, formalising trails and creating signage. The household service industry, which employs 25 000 locals and includes a wide range of services from lawn mowing to the arts to mechanics, would benefit greatly across the board from mountain biking investment alone research has shown. The Coffs Coast economy could be a big winner from ecotourism as well as keeping people healthy in body and mind.