Bendigo youth push for public safety

“VICTORIA is changing, and you are going to be part of driving this change, make your voices heard and stick with it,” said State MP Mathew Hilakari last week at the opening of the Victorian 2023 Youth Parliament.

As part of the event a group of students from the City of Greater Bendigo put forward a bill to alter Victorian legislation to increase public safety in regional and rural areas.

The bill was drafted by a group of students from the City of Greater Bendigo in the Y Victorian Youth Parliament Program.

The team members who advocated for more public safety in regional and rural areas included Lily Correll, Max McKellar, Ryan Peterson and Yuwal Kannan.

Due to their strong arguments and advocacy efforts, the Youth Parliamentarians passed the bill in the Legislative Assembly chamber of State Parliament on Thursday 29 June.

The students from the City Greater of Bendigo team raised the issues due to their concerns that there are public safety issues, particularly for young people, in the area.

“The data was truly alarming to us, and we felt compelled to take action,” said Ms Correll.

The participants were passionate about the issue as they recognise the need for all people to feel safe in their local community.

“Public safety was something of great concern to us and something that we wanted action on,” said Mr Peterson.

Creating the bill was just one of the ways the local youth parliamentarians were aiming to achieve action.

Ms Correll conveyed the necessity of implementing stronger legislation in place “due to seeing crime increase, poverty increase, and the cost-of-living rising.”

Ms Correll statement highlighted the importance of the need to include a stronger “legislation that’s not only going to protect individuals but support them” and address societal issues that create a safer and more supportive environment for the community in regional and rural areas.

Mr Kannan said that it was “dismal” in terms of “the lack of police enforcement and support that citizens in rural areas receive as compared to people who live in metropolitan Melbourne.”

The bill passed the Youth Parliament by a slim margin of 19 votes in favour to 18 votes against.

Both sides argued well and showed that action needs to be taken into consideration when referring to public safety in Regional and Rural Areas.

The Bill will now be presented to the Minister of Youth Natalie Suleyman for consideration.

– AIDAN SINCLAIR