Ballarat youth take Parliament by storm

A TEAM of young people from Ballarat took part in the recent Y Victorian Youth Parliament and attempted to introduce a bill to review and amend sections of the Residency Tenancies Act 1997.

Isabella Koros, Vincent Nube, Ash Nguyen, Kiera Porter, and Jacob Osenaris are drawing from their own lives and experiences in order to try better those of other Victorians.

The Victorian Youth Parliament is run by the YMCA and seeks to empower young people to have their voices heard in the Victorian Parliament.

Young people aged between 16 and 25 are able to apply to speak up about issues they are passionate about.

When asked what inspired them to come up with the bill, Mr Nube said it was the personal experience of the Ballarat representatives.

“Most of [the team] has dealt with unfair treatment in some way, shape or form, whether it’s through family members or friends,” he said.

Because of the team’s experience in the current housing and rental market, this was the topic that resonated with them the most.

The group, all aged between 16 and 18, are about to enter the housing market and so making sure the regulations in place are ones that support renters is important to them.

Because they had these common experiences with this overarching idea, they thought it was important to bring some light to the issue and pressure it.

“This is the perfect time for us to give our opinion as the team is on the cusp of entering the rental market,” said Ms Nguyen.

These teens believe there are current flaws in today’s rental market and are hoping their bill will help amend those issues.

The group acknowledged that the cost of living has gone up, so close to when they are aiming to leave home and go out into the world.

The team wants to help to fix the current tenancy regulations before they go into the rental market saying, “If we don’t [revise the current laws], we’re the ones that suffer at the end of the day”.

The main clauses of the bill are aiming to amend current tenancy protections, to place limitations on rent costs, to improve communication between landlords and tenants, and to ensure equity for tenants.

Additionally, the team wants to make sure that houses or apartments are liveable and that an applicant is chosen purely based on their application, not from a personal bias.

On the day when their bill was going to be discussed by their fellow youth parliamentarians in the Legislative Council chamber at Victorian State Parliament, the team was nervously preparing for their debate, all of them hoping that it would pass through the upper house.

The team all spoke passionately and with conviction, with Ash Nguyen discussing how fair conditions should be the minimum.

“We are not asking for much,” she said, addressing the Opposition.

The room was alive with electricity during their speeches, and the Ballarat team was clear that their goal with the bill was ultimately to give a voice to the voiceless.

The Bill passed through the house, with 35 participants voting in favour and only nine against.

Throughout the entirety of the Youth Parliament program, the team has been impassioned and spirited, and there is no doubt that the bill could help to pave the way towards better living environments for renters.

– SASKIA DE LEEUW KYLE