Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

Contents Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Victorian Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Delivery/Organisational and Worker Issues . . . . . . . . 6 Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 SECTION 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Initiators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Steering Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Office for Youth Rural Regional Youth Committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Limitations of the Consultation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

SECTION 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Why the Focus on Young People in Regional, Rural and Remote Victoria? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Defining regional, rural and remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Myths of Rural Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Socio-Economic Profile of Rural Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Rural Health and Welfare Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Income & Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Unemployment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Aboriginal social and economic welfare in rural areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Policy Responses to Rural Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

SECTION 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Victorian Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Rural to Urban Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Health Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Drug and Alcohol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Sexual Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Same Sex Attraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Mental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Access to Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Education,Training and Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Youth Participation/Image/Public Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Accommodation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Income Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Delivery/ Organisational and Worker Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Recruitment and Retention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Health Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Regional vs Outlying Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Youth Service Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Koori Youth Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Worker Education and Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Education and Employment Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Youth Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Appendix 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Appendix 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Appendix 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Appendix 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Appendix 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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Acknowledgements The Centre for Adolescent Health and YACVic wish to thank very kindly and acknowledge the generosity of the Regional Youth Committees and organisations who met with us and made time to discuss the issues and locate relevant reports. In particular we wish to thank the Office for Youth,Youth Liaison Officers who arranged the meetings. Many thanks go to all the rural Regional Youth Committees who agreed to make time for us in their meetings and to dig out reports. Similarly we would also like to thank all the organisations we were able to visit on our trips throughout rural Victoria. Many thanks are due to our steering committee, Rowena Allen (Cutting Edge Youth Services, Shepparton), Sue James (School Focused Youth Services, Ballarat) and Warwick Buckwell (Youth Substance Abuse Service,Traralgon) who very wisely advised us as to the most appropriate way to undertake the consultation.

Authors Liz Davies, Postgraduate Manager, Education and Training Programs, Centre for Adolescent Health Janet Jukes, Executive Officer,Youth Affairs Council of Victoria Craig Hodges, Director, Community Programs, Centre for Adolescent Health Jamie Crosby, Chairperson,Youth Affairs Council of Victoria

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Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

Executive Summary The health and welfare of young people in rural areas of Australia is, according to a range of morbidity and mortality indicators, worse than their urban counterparts. In addition, workers who seek to address the needs of young people, face a range of barriers specific to rural areas. However, there are many examples of initiatives developed locally in rural areas by workers with young people to address their unique needs.This report provides an overview of the health and welfare issues facing young people in rural Victoria, the issues facing workers in delivering services to young people and documents examples of programs developed to address these issues. The Centre for Adolescent Health and the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria jointly conducted the consultation to draw together existing knowledge and research to provide a snapshot of the issues facing young people and workers with young people in rural Victoria.The consultation provides a focus for further discussion about the special issues faced in rural, regional and remote Victoria, in particular the ‘Reversing the Drift’ rural youth solutions summit, and informed the development of rural specific youth health and welfare training. The first section of the report outlines the consultation process and identifies limitations with this approach.The consultation involved meetings with the Office for Youth, rural Regional Youth Committees throughout Victoria, visits to organisations who provide services to rural young people and the collection of relevant research and reports. The second section of the report provides essential background information about rural Australia.It recognises the impact geographical location has on the nature, prevalence and impact of issues facing young people such as access to services, drug and alcohol use, transport etc. Similarly it is necessary to recognise the diversity between and within regional, rural and remote communities and the consequent difficulty in generalising about the impact of geographic location on youth health and welfare. In general, however, it is essential that ‘rurality’ in the development of policy and programs is taken into account for example, the need for vehicles, mobile phones, travel time etc. Perhaps part of the reason it is difficult to understand the impact geographic location has on young people and service delivery is the lack of an adequate all encompassing definition of ‘regional’, ‘rural’ and ‘remote’. For example, rural can be defined as all areas outside capital cities, or it can be those areas and towns with less than 1,000 residents. Myths that surround rural Australia also contribute to significant misunderstanding about the nature of rural Australia. Some myths include: rural virtue vs urban vice, rural Australians are backward, simple, conservative,‘red necked’, homogenous and harmonious, rural Australia is peripheral to Australian affairs, and farmers and farming are synonymous with rural Australia. These myths need to be challenged. For example, less than a third of rural Australians work in agricultural industries, thus rural Australia is about far more than farming. Rural Australia is hardly peripheral to the rest of the Australian population when one considers that rural Australia provides two-thirds of all export income, ensures Australia has a self sufficient food supply and provides a major holiday destination for Australians and overseas tourists. Over the past 20 years there has been a rural down-turn due to globalisation, deregulation and regionalisation, resulting in population loss in rural areas and a reduction of services. How rural Australia is tackling these major changes also debunks some of the myths with demonstrations of great innovation such as diversification of produce e.g. Alpacas, olives, emus etc. The settlement of the Australian population gives some clues as to the heterogeneity of Australia and to the issues young people and workers face. Australia is one of the most urbanised yet also least densely populated nations in the world. More specifically, 84% of Australians live within 50 kms of the coast and 0.5% of the population live on 50% of Australia’s landmass. In terms of health and welfare, rural Australians face lower social, economic and health status compared with their urban counterparts.This reflects the rural downturn over the last two decades and the difficulties unique to living in rural Australia such as isolation, and the difficulty of accessing basic health care, education, employment etc. The final section of the report documents the outcome of the consultation.The following issues were identified by one or more of the regions. Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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Victorian Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Issues ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

All regions identified lack of transport as a major issue for young people in accessing health and welfare services, education, training, employment, recreation etc. Increasing rural to urban migration, due to education and employment opportunities and negative perceptions of the rural community, and young people in the community. Health and welfare status of young people in rural areas lower than their urban counterparts, although mortality rates have decreased. Perceived increase in alcohol and drug use and teenage pregnancy. Same sex attracted young people at risk of health compromising behaviour and often face stigma from the community. Lack of access to health services due to lack of awareness of service, lack of transport and perceived lack of anonymity. Depression and anxiety the most common issues faced by young people High rural male youth suicide rate. High unemployment, lack of alternatives to secondary schools and low retention rates. Negative community perception of young people and lack of opportunities for young people to participate in community life. Lack of recreational opportunities, e.g. skate parks, drop in centres, BMX track etc. Lack of appropriate housing. Difficulty meeting mutual obligation requirements for income support.

Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Delivery/Organisational and Worker Issues ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Difficulty recruiting and retaining trained workers with young people, due to factors such as lack of long term funding and local youth work training. Urbocentricism in the funding of services which fail to account for delivery of services to sparsely populated areas over 100s or 1000s of miles. Fragmentation of funding between government departments and between State and Commonwealth governments. Short term funding of projects. Lack of accessible youth-specific drug and alcohol and mental health services. Difficulty in providing services to young people in outlying areas. Lack of coordinated service delivery at the local and regional level.

Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Models ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

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No ‘one-size-fits-all’ model of youth service delivery. Generalist youth workers considered most appropriate for rural areas. Outreach a good model for service provision. Role of local government in the coordination and provision of youth services. The need to build links with the local media to improve image of young people. Increased local control of funding for local youth service delivery. Examples of rural youth interventions, models and programs are highlighted.

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

Introduction The higher rates of illness, injury and death among rural young Australians compared with their urban counterparts is well known.The difficulties organisations and workers with young people face in delivering services to young people, who are often dispersed over thousands of miles, is perhaps less well known. As statewide organisations, both the Centre for Adolescent Health and the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic), have a responsibility to address the needs of young people and workers with young people in rural, regional and remote areas of Victoria. YACVic, as part of its re-establishment process, had made a commitment to meet with workers with young people in rural Victoria to discuss the special and different issues faced by people working with young people in country Victoria. At the same time the Centre for Adolescent Health was beginning to explore how it could better support and resource rural and remote young people, workers with young people and organisations, particularly in terms of the development of more appropriate training.Thus, the Centre for Adolescent Health and YACVic decided to work together and share resources to undertake a consultation throughout Victoria to identify and explore issues facing regional, rural and remote young people and workers with young people. The purpose of the consultation was to draw together knowledge from the varied and experienced membership of the rurally based Regional Youth Committees to inform training and to focus further discussion about the special issues faced in rural, regional and remote Victoria. This report begins by outlining how the consultation was undertaken throughout rural Victoria. The primary method of consultation was meeting with rural Office of Youth Regional Youth Committees and visits to rural youth organisations. The second section of the report provides some background information to rural Victoria including: a brief description of the regions; explores why geography, or where a young person lives - in this case regional, rural and remote areas - needs to be taken into account in understanding youth health and welfare and youth interventions; definitions of ‘regional’, ‘rural’and ‘remote’; briefly outlines the socio-economic and demographic profile of rural Australia and considers the major policy responses to rural Australia and Victoria. The third and final section of the report documents the outcomes of the consultation including relevant research on the issues identified.This section is structured to reflect the main issues focused on in the consultation: youth issues in rural, regional and remote Victoria; rural worker and organisational issues in regard to service delivery to young people; and identification of regional, rural and remote youth interventions, practices and models developed to meet the needs of regional, rural and remote young people.

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SECTION 1 Initiators Due to common interests YACVic and the Centre for Adolescent Health decided to conduct a consultation jointly. A range of methods was identified, including holding a Regional Youth Summit to draw people together to discuss the issues faced by people working with young people in country Victoria. To ensure that the consultation would be relevant and appropriate to workers with young people in rural Victoria it was decided to establish a small steering committee. Steering Committee A steering committee was formed of experienced rural workers with young people from various networks and regional settings across Victoria.The members of the Steering committee were Sue James (School Focused Youth Service – Ballarat), Rowena Allen (Cutting Edge Youth Services – Shepparton); and Warwick Buckwell (Youth Substance Abuse Service – Traralgon). In its first meeting, held by teleconference, the steering committee strongly advised against a summit that focused on information gathering.The group felt that rural issues were already well documented in research and were known by rural workers with young people. The steering committee instead suggested that it would be more appropriate to undertake a literature review and hold faceto-face meetings.These meetings and collection of research could then be used to put together an issues paper (this report) drawing together both material and knowledge that already existed. Only after focusing on the issues through a discussion paper did the committee feel that it would be worthwhile considering a summit. A ‘Reversing the Drift’ rural solutions summit has since been planned by YACVic for 9-10 May 2002 in Shepparton to ‘launch’ this report and enable rural young people and workers with young people, the opportunity to come together to discuss issues and share ideas with a focus on ’solutions’ to the issues. The steering committee recommended that the Regional Youth committees (RYC) were the most appropriate network to undertake face-to-face consultations.This recommendation was based on the very high level of expertise represented on RYCs and the representation of a wide range of sectors. Membership of RYCs reflects the nature of services provided to young people in each region, and includes community and government sectors. Commonly RYCs had representatives from local government, local youth agencies, schools, Department of Human Services, School Focused Youth Service etc. Less commonly represented were young people, health services, police, local media and Aboriginal organisations. The views of young people were included in the consultation largely through the research and reports received from the RYCs and a meeting with one of the local government youth groups who presented at a RYC meeting. In terms of Aboriginal views about youth issues we met with staff from a rural Koori Resource Centre and discussed issues in relation to rural, regional and remote Aboriginal young people in their area, and programs developed by the community to address these issues. Office for Youth Rural Regional Youth Committees In order to meet with the rural RYCs YACVic gained permission from the Office of Youth (OFY) to approach the ten rural regional youth committees to request a meeting with them.YACVic sent letters (please see Appendix One) to each of the rural RYCs to request a meeting and explain the purpose of our visit. Most of the RYCs were happy to meet, and we were included on the agenda of their regular monthly meetings.The South Western RYC declined the request to meet, consequently meetings were conducted with nine of the rural RYCs from February 2001 to May 2001, (see Appendix 2 which lists the RYC regions and RYCs visited). Janet Jukes and, Jamie Crosby from YACVic and Liz Davies and Craig Hodges from the Centre for Adolescent Health shared attendance at the meetings. At every meeting there was at least one Centre for Adolescent Health representative and one YACVic representative. The consultation with each RYC lasted between half an hour to an hour, with the structure of the consultation at each RYC meeting following the same format: 8

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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YACVic and the Centre for Adolescent Health representatives introduced themselves and briefly described their respective organisations. ■ Brief explanation of the purpose of our meeting. ■ Questions for discussion (see Appendix 3) which focused on the three key areas: rural, regional and remote youth issues; issues that impact on organisations and workers with young people in regional, rural and remote areas; and identification of models, interventions or practices which address regional, rural and remote youth issues. At each meeting we requested any reports or research that were available in the areas focused on in the consultation. Many RYCs were able to provide copies of relevant reports (see Appendix 4). Where possible meetings were also arranged with local organisations working with young people.This was largely determined by the time available in each region (see Appendix 5 listing the organisations visited). Following the meeting feedback from the RYCs was recorded and collated into themes.To ensure the feedback from the RYCs was recorded accurately in this report, a draft report was circulated to them for comment.Reports and research provided by the RYCs, and research collected by the Centre for Adolescent Health as part of the development of training in regional, rural and remote youth health, has been integrated into the information collected in the consultation.This is located in Section Three of this report.The RYCs who made the comments are identified, given the particular issue may not be common to other regions. However, that is not to say that the issue is just specific to the regions identified, it just maybe that the other RYCs did not talk about this particular issue in the consultation.

Limitations of the Consultation Process The Centre for Adolescent Health and YACVic both undertook the consultation as part of their respective core businesses and did not receive any additional funding.Working together thus resulted in some efficiencies, however both organisations were limited in the amount of resources they were able to contribute to the consultation. Lack of funding, time and resources were the key restraints. Ideally, in addition to the RYC meetings, consultations with young people in each of the regions would also have been undertaken. Similarly, a lot more meetings with individual agencies in each rural region would have been undertaken, particularly focusing on those not represented on the RYC, for example Aboriginal organisations, health services, police etc. More time in RYC meetings to explore the wide range of issues in more depth would have been valuable.The large number of issues RYCs had to attend to in the meeting, however limited their capacity to offer more time. More assertive follow up of reports and research from the regions would also have assisted in providing a more comprehensive picture. Pressures of workload affected material collected. Reports were mostly collected when we met with them and a few reports were forwarded following the meeting. As mentioned, the reports collected included local youth consultations and the Victorian Youth Round Table reports1 and observations from YACVic of youth consultations undertaken in rural areas went some way to ensuring young people’s voices were included. In addition, the members of each of the RYCs were representative of the ‘key players’ in each region.Thus, notwithstanding the constraints, the outcomes of the consultation are believed to be indicative of the key issues facing young people, workers with young people and their organisations, and of current youth interventions in all of the rural regions, with the exception of the South Western Region, as noted earlier.

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SECTION 2 Why the Focus on Young People in Regional, Rural and Remote Victoria? The importance of recognising the diversity of young people in terms of gender,age,class,ethnicity,religion,socio-economic background,geographic location and so on,is well established by those working with young people.Geographic location is considered a critical social factor2.The most obvious example of this is the health status of rural and remote Australians which is generally regarded as worse than their urban counterparts,with health worsening the further one travels away from urban areas3. The nature, prevalence and impact of youth health and welfare issues often differ dramatically due to geographic location. This consequently has a significant impact on the nature of interventions used in working with young people.Thus, the issues are often similar for urban and rural young people, such as identity development, but the experience is different due to the unique issues associated with living in a regional, rural or remote area. In addition, the diversity between and within regional, rural and remote communities, similar to the diversity between young people, also needs to be kept in mind. From a service delivery perspective,issues such as lack of anonymity in accessing services or limited provision of specialist services, mean alternative models and interventions need to be developed to meet the health and welfare needs of young people in these communities.Developing or adapting interventions to take rurality into account,however,can be difficult when the service models and funding arrangements for education,health and welfare services are often imposed without consideration of rurality,and are thus often inappropriate and ‘urbocentric’. This issue is considered in some detail in the next section. Furthermore, negative or highly romanticised perceptions of rural Australia often prevail and provide a ‘skewed’ picture of the true nature of rural Australia. As a result the cultural, social and economic contributions made by rural Australia are often overlooked. Examples of these contributions4 include: Cultural: Economic: Social:

Australia derives much of its identity from rural Australia, e.g. the values of self-reliance, loyalty, independence, resourcefulness, courage. Rural Australia is responsible for providing two thirds of all Australian export dollars, and ensuring Australia is self-sufficient in terms of good quality and stable food supply. Rural Australia provides a holiday destination and recreational opportunities for the majority of Australians. Among other things this also keeps Australian dollars in Australia, rather than overseas.Additionally, rural Australia attracts many overseas visitors’ tourist dollars.

Although there are many examples of such contributions, as stated, dialogue about rural and remote areas often focuses on the negative. In particular, youth health and welfare issues in regional, rural and remote areas tend to focus on the negative, e.g. rural downturn and youth suicide, rather than positives, such as the sense of community found in many rural and remote areas, or young people’s coping skills. In recognition of this, the consultation attempted to seek opinions on the positives, strengths and advantages for both young people and workers with young people in regional, rural and remote areas, as well as the disadvantages, negatives and limitations.Thus, this report hopes to present a balanced view of the issues facing young people and workers with young people and their organisations.

Defining regional, rural and remote The following are excerpts from a book recently released entitled ‘Rurality Bites’. This provides a very brief but good profile of rural Australia and succinctly summarises the issues related to how ‘regional’, ‘rural’ and remote’ Australia is understood and defined5. Australia is unique in that it is one of the world’s most urbanised, and yet also least densely populated, nations. More than 80 percent of Australians reside within 50 kilometres of the coast, almost 70 percent live in a capital city and nearly 40 percent live in Melbourne and

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Sydney6. Depending on the definition of rurality employed, between 10 and 30 percent (two million and five and a half million) of Australians live in rural and remote areas7.This proportion has declined throughout the century from around 35% in 1910. Rural populations are continuing to decline as urban areas, particularly our larger cities, grow in both numbers and proportion.While rural and urban residents are not generally different, some demographic differences have been identified. Slightly more men than women live in rural areas, proportionally more residents are married and the rural population is aging, consisting of families and retired people. More than one third of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents live in rural and remote areas of Australia and while specific rural areas tend not be ethnically diverse, this does not mean that rural residents are overwhelmingly Anglo. However, these general trends do not describe the diverse, heterogeneous and changing populations, environments, economies and cultures of rural Australia, including Indigenous, mining, farming and tourist communities, landscapes ranging from desert to rainforest, and residents who commute to cities or who are dependent on the flying doctor service. Definitions of what constitutes ‘rural’ have been debated for decades.Traditionally, definitions of rurality have been classified into three types, occupational, sociocultural and ecological8. Occupational definitions associate rurality with the primary industries; specifically farming, forestry, fishing, hunting, and mining. An area may be defined as rural because it has a large percent of its workforce employed in the primary industries or because a large proportion of the land is in agricultural use. However, employment changes over the past several decades have resulted in less than a quarter of rural Australians being employed in primary industries,9 raising problems with this definition and excluding communities based on tourism and service industries. Perhaps the easiest criteria to determine are ecological indicators of rurality.10 Population size is the most frequently used criteria, ranging from the rural including all areas outside capital cities to the rural being those areas and towns with less than 1,000 residents.The Australian Bureau of Statistics provide census data based on four different population sizes: more than 100,000 (major urban), 1,000-99,000 (other urban), 200-999 (locality) and less than 200 (rural balance).While useful for some analyses, grouping towns of 2,000 with centres of 80,000 residents into one category is clearly problematic for others…..Other studies of health and services often use access to services whereby residents are considered rural due to their limited access to medical care, government services or other facilities, such as the absence of traffic lights11. Sociocultural definitions assume that rural residents have their own subculture and differ culturally from urban residents…..However, such definitions are extremely difficult to pinpoint12and imply that rural Australia has a specific and almost homogenous culture, raising doubts about the diversity of rural Australia….Suggesting that rural areas are culturally specific tends to reinforce myths about rural residents being more traditional or even ‘backward’.13 While cultural differences between rural and urban areas may not be distinct, culture and history influence perceptions and understanding of rurality and, therefore, cannot be ignored14. ...Commonly, the urban-rural dichotomy is rejected in Australia, replaced by four categories: urban, regional, rural and remote (capital cities differ from regional centres, such as Townsville and Bundbury, which can be distinguished from the many small towns across the nation which are different again to remote areas) which may conceptually provide a better description of Australia15. Regardless of the specific criteria, all definitions seem to be somewhat problematic because classifications are imposed and arbitrary boundaries are used to distinguish urban from rural and one area from another…..Rurality is thus a multidimensional concept which is Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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difficult to define and measure, symbolically constructed and both historically and culturally contingent.16 For this reason, it is generally accepted that one universal definition is not appropriate. Despite the difficulties involved in finding a universal definition, there are clearly a number of common-sense understandings about what constitutes rural. At a very general level this has something to do with connections to agriculture, wide open spaces, isolation and self-reliance. The rural regions and RYCs we visited encompass regional, rural and remote areas of Victoria17. From an ecological perspective,Victoria’s rural population, defined as residents of postcodes with less than 25,000, located more than 200kms from a capital city, is 3,098,200 or 16% of the Victorian population18. However, no definition was selected and put forward as part of the consultation process rather the consultation relied on RYC members’ perceptions of regional, rural or remote. Issues around definition were raised by the Barwon RYC who noted that in some cases funding bodies considered Geelong ‘urban’ and in other instances as ‘regional’ which often resulted in Geelong being exempted from both categories. Victoria is not often associated as a State with remote areas, rather remoteness is often associated with the ‘outback’ in northern and central Australia.However, many rural regions in Victoria have remote areas in the sense that they have relatively limited access to services, facilities, goods, resources and so on19. For ease of readability the remainder of the report will use the term ‘rural’to encompass ‘regional’, ‘rural’ and ‘remote’ unless otherwise specified.

Myths of Rural Australia There are many myths about rural Australia which are often entrenched in the Australian psyche and influence the way in which both urban and rural people understand and interact with rural Australia. Such myths can also negatively influence policy development and funding mechanisms which impact on young people in rural Australia.The following are some common myths. The rural-urban myth is reflected in beliefs such as ‘rural virtue’ and urban vice’ in which all is harmonious, good and natural in rural towns whereas the city is alienating and chaotic. A potential outcome of such a myth is the belief that there is less need for services for young people in rural areas because all is ‘good’ in rural Australia.This of courses stereotypes both urban and rural Australia and does not accurately reflect the reality, something which frustrates many rural young people who feel misunderstood by their urban counterparts. A common myth which pervades people’s understanding of those living in rural areas is that of rural Australia being backward, simple, conservative,‘red necked’, homogenous and harmonious. For example, young people in urban areas assume young people in rural areas do not use information technology such as the email or internet. Perceptions of ‘backwardness’ are contrary to the innovation displayed throughout rural Australia to adjust successfully to globalisation, regionalisation and deregulation. Diversification is one such example: emus, olives, alpacas, ginger and wine are some of the different types of farming that are increasingly being introduced. One Nation and Pauline Hanson have done much to reinforce the myth that rural Australia is red necked and conservative. This is contrary to the surprise election of the Labour party in 1999, in Victoria largely attributed to rural Victoria feeling that the Liberal party did not address the needs of rural Victoria. The myth that rural Australia is harmonious and homogenous is also erroneous. Diversity is clearly evident in terms of population size, remoteness, climate, geography, economic prosperity, main forms of industry, culturally and so on. Similarly there is political diversity, ranging from extreme left to extreme right views which can also result in conflicts within communities, such as conservationists versus those who work in the timber industry20. Similarly, those ‘for’ and ‘against’ economic development in their community also challenges myths of harmonious rural communities. The perception that rural Australia is on the periphery of Australian affairs is commonly held given the high degree of urbanisation in Australia with the locus of political, social and economic decision making in the cities. However this completely ignores the huge contribution, as outlined earlier, rural Australia has made socially, culturally and economically.

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Finally, another pervasive myth is the perception of farmers and farming as synonymous with rural Australia.This, until recently, was reflected in policy in which agricultural policy was regarded as sufficient to address all of the issues facing rural Australia. This myth is clearly disputed given, as outlined in the previous section, the comparatively small number of people in rural Australia who are working in agriculture compared with other industries such as service, tourism, mining etc.

Socio-Economic Profile of Rural Australia It is important to understand the context in which the consultation took place in terms of the current socio-economic state of rural Australia.The social and economic state of Australia also clearly impacts on the experiences and opportunities young people and their families have in rural Australia, as well as how youth, health and welfare services are delivered. Most of the significant changes that have occurred over the past few decades have occurred Australia-wide, thus this section does not focus specifically on Victoria. There are a number of characteristics which influence the health and wellbeing of communities in the bush that can be seen in rural areas.These include: isolation and problems of access; shortages and maldistribution of basic services such as health care providers, schools, communication; small sparsely dispersed populations; specific needs associated with particular subgroups of the population; and the special circumstances associated with often harsh environments21.The changes in the economic environment, in particular globalisation, deregulation and regionalisation, over recent years have had a significant impact on these factors. A major change of the past few decades has been the decline in agricultural industry in terms of export earnings, a declining agricultural workforce and a corresponding decrease in political clout.The rationalisation of the agricultural industry has occurred as a result of an increased reliance on farm technology rather than labour and the amalgamation of farms to achieve ‘economics of scale’; the latter has resulted in the reduction of family farms in favour of company owned farms, or agribusiness22.The changes to the agricultural workforce have resulted in workers moving to regional centres for employment, which contributes to the small town population downturn. Rural Australia is also generally more vulnerable to the global economy than urban residents, in that much of what is produced in rural Australia is exported and the demand and cost of these produced is determined internationally. In particular, governments’ adherence to economic rationalism over the past two decades has resulted in far less government intervention to ‘protect’ rural industry from the impact of international markets and natural crises such as drought or flood. Instead, there is an expectation that primary producers adapt to the new environment or leave.The new environment includes increased use of technology to improve the produce, diversification, becoming more involved in other aspects of the production process, e.g. marketing, and so on.The Government’s alliance is now with improving the industry rather than the wellbeing of the traditional primary producers. As a result those succeeding in the industry, e.g. agribusiness, are being supported by Government.Thus, the decoupling of industry from producers, traditionally farmers, is the principal factor underlying the rural crisis23. With the exception of some rural, regional and remote areas which are prospering, much of rural Australia is facing a decline, although last year saw far better export prices for primary produce than has occurred in over a decade. Generally however, it seems that what is productive for the rural economy is unproductive for rural communities.A good summary of the nature of this decline follows: As the agricultural population is reduced in line with existing trends, smaller rural service centres are forced to adjust.That is businesses close. People lose jobs, and young school leavers find it difficult to obtain local employment: others are forced to move for further education and training. As the town population declines retail turnover falls and more businesses close.The reduction in services and facilities is a signal to the more mobile professionals and those with young families that the local economy is in decline.Their response is to transfer out of the region, and their loss can be seen, quite visibly, in a reduction in the work of voluntary agencies.With little lobbying power remaining in the town the removal of further services and facilities by governments can be performed quite brutally without risking political backlash. First a courthouse may close, then a railway station. School teachers are transferred and Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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welfare personnel are centralised in one of the larger regional centres.Yet the irony here is that many people remaining in the country towns which are in the process of decline are the very people who need ready access to human services. Many are trapped in both a physical and a social sense – unable to sell their homes and unable to gain work.They are candidates for rural poverty24. This quote highlights another major impact on rural Australia also under the umbrella of economic rationalisation, the removal of services such as postal, telephone, social security services from many rural areas to regional centres.This reduces a community’s infrastructure which can result in people leaving the area and increases access problems for residents to these services. In essence regional, rural and remote residents are worse off socially and economically compared with their urban counterparts. Having said this, there are areas prospering in rural Australia which have experienced rapid population growth and wealth due to population mobility, tourism, centralisation, local economic diversification and shifts in production location25. Similarly, the well documented rural crisis has also resulted in many rural communities turning adversity into a challenge with opportunities for development26.Thus, the major economic and social trends described above need to be considered, however, they reveal little about regional variations.

Rural Health and Welfare Status Research has consistently demonstrated that rural areas are disadvantaged relative to urban, and the more remote places are further disadvantaged with respect to relative socio-economic disadvantage, social deprivation, life chances, material well-being and statistically-based quality of life indicators27. Income & Poverty Of the 37 poorest electorates in Australia, 33 are in rural areas. Generally socio-economic disadvantage increases as population density declines28. Poverty, both farm and non-farm, is generally higher and more prolonged in rural than urban areas, including small provincial cities.The rural Australians most likely to be poor are Aboriginal people, farm owners and farm workers29. Housing Rents in rural areas are generally lower than in urban areas, however the housing is often of poorer quality and is often less available than in urban areas30.This issue is raised in the consultation and discussed in the next section. Unemployment Higher and prolonged unemployment in rural areas, which is a key indicator of poverty, is an ongoing issue, particularly for Aborigines and young people. In addition, rural jobs that are available are often seasonal, poorly paid or require low skills levels. Health The health status of regional, rural and remote Australians tends to be poorer in comparison to their urban counterparts with respect to several health outcomes; they have higher mortality rates and consequently decreased life expectancy rates and also high levels of hospitalisation for some causes of ill health. Suicide rates are also much higher than in urban areas, in particular rural youth suicide31 with young men over represented.This is usually presented as an indicator of the stress facing rural communities. Rural areas have far less access and availability to health services compared with urban areas. Access to health services is further aggravated for many rural Australians due to the large distance many must travel to reach services, issues around unavailability of transportation and communication facilities, and higher levels of rural poverty and lower incomes32. Education Rural people achieve less educationally than their urban counterparts and have lower retention and completion rates33. The most educationally disadvantaged are those who have physical or intellectual disabilities, Aboriginal children and young people from remote settlements. In recent times the increase in rural poverty and lower incomes have also decreased 14

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educational opportunities for some young people. A similar pattern is noted for post-school qualifications with relatively fewer rural than urban people having post-school qualifications34. Aboriginal social and economic welfare in rural areas The social and economic welfare of Aboriginal Australians, urban and rural, is consistently worse than non-Aborigines according to any indicator of health and welfare, i.e. mortality rates, school completion rates, unemployment rates, and imprisonment rates35. However Aboriginal disadvantage is further accentuated by location, i.e. living in regional, rural and remote areas. Given the greater proportion of Aborigines living in regional, rural and remote areas than non-Aborigines, it could be said that disadvantage related to location is disproportionately burdened on Aborigines. Aborigines in rural areas are thus over represented in all aspects of disadvantage outlined above.

Policy Responses to Rural Australia The majority of policies, services and funding which influence rural Australia are not rural specific, for example, secondary education, hospitals, transport, recreation, income support and youth affairs.The bulk of government funding is thus generic and often does not consider geographical location when determining the nature and extent of programs and funding on the ground. Much of the discussion in the consultation with regard to service delivery focuses on this lack of consideration of regional, rural and remote conditions in the development and implementation of policies commonly referred to as ‘urbocentricism’. It would seem rural specific policies have had little impact in youth affairs perhaps related to the fact that it is has only been in the last few years that a coordinated, federal approach to rural issues has been attempted. At a State level, similarly, rural issues have only recently begun to be addressed. The nearest current example of a Federal rural development policy is the ‘Regional Australia Strategy’, which is located in the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services.The aim of the Regional Australia Strategy is to: provide economic, environmental and social infrastructure necessary for Australia’s regions to realize their potential36. The Strategy aims to achieve this by improving communication between government and communities, and communication and coordination between departments in respect of regional activities and needs. The only youth specific initiative is a youth website called ‘The Source’, which has a rural section that provides links to the Rural Youth Information Service.The Rural Youth Information Service aims to provide young people aged 15 to 25 years living in rural and remote areas in Australia with a range of information services and referral particularly in relation to education, training, employment and accommodation37.

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SECTION 3 Victorian Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Issues The following issues were identified by the rural RYCs as concerns facing young people in their regions.The RYCs who made the comments are identified, given the particular issue may not be common to other regions. However, that is not to say that the issue is just specific to the regions identified, it just maybe that the other RYCs did not talk about this particular issue in the consultation. Rural to Urban Migration The Wimmera, Central Gippsland and Central Highlands RYCs all mentioned the issue of young people leaving the region, thus diminishing the youth population.This observation is supported by the statistics of the last published census which indicated that between 1991 and 1996 the loss of young people was particularly widespread in the wheat-sheep belt stretching from South Australia through Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. More specifically, in Victoria there was a net loss of 12.8% of males and 15.5% of females aged between 15-24 years from 1991 to 1996. Young people leaving rural and remote areas for regional or capital cities is by no means a new trend, however the level of loss is considerably higher compared with the 1980s38. The Wimmera RYC went on to report that there is a belief among young people that they are failures if they do not leave their community to go to the city. Similarly, in a workshop undertaken by Peter O’Meara with 80 young people from Benalla and Mansfield all of the young people believed that they would not be living in their community in five years time, with young people perceiving staying in their community as a second rate option to studying, living or working in Melbourne39. Employment and education opportunities are often the main reasons cited for moving to regional or capital cities. However, young people reported in O’Meara’s workshop that the most critical issues were the negative images of their community and the negative images of young people within the community as the reason for moving away.This finding has significant implications in terms of addressing rural to urban migration. Health Issues In general, as mentioned previously, the morbidity and mortality rates for young people in regional, rural and remote areas clearly demonstrate their compromised health and welfare status.The death rates for males and females are most commonly due to injury, motor vehicle accidents and suicide.The only ‘good’ news is that death rates have decreased for males and females between 1985-87 to 1995-97 regardless of geographical location; larger decreases were associated with increased remoteness, particularly for young males40. Drug and Alcohol Drug and alcohol use, depression, suicide and anxiety and sexual health issues were the key issues identified, in that order, by many of the RYCs (Wimmera, Goulburn, Loddon/Campaspe, Central Highlands, Central Gippsland, North East RYCs). Some regions had noted an increased problem with drug and alcohol and corresponding increases in Hepatitis B and C.This is of concern particularly in relation to those young people whose use of alcohol and/or drugs results in abuse, given the impact it has on their health and in terms of the association between substance abuse and other adolescent health problems such as motor vehicle accidents, injuries and mental health problems. In terms of the research into this area it is unknown whether youth drug use is higher in rural, regional and remote areas compared to urban areas; rather it seems that the nature and extent of alcohol and drug use varies from one rural area to the next41. In terms of alcohol consumption, recent figures do suggest a substantial increase in the number of rural young people who are drinking to hazardous or harmful levels, from 30.9% in 1993 to 61.4% in 1998 for 20-24 year olds, a higher rate than their metropolitan counterparts42. Sexual Health In terms of sexual health the Central Highlands and Loddon/Campaspe RYCs have both noted high teenage birth rates, which is on the rise in Bendigo.This is supported by anecdotal evidence which suggests that there are higher numbers of teenage

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mothers in rural, regional and remote areas than in urban areas.The reasons for this are multiple, including lack of access to health services (particularly termination services) and contraception, lack of education or employment opportunities etc. However reassuringly, a study of rural young people’s sexual behaviour and knowledge of sexual health43 indicated that the majority delay sexual activity until they are about 18 years of age, and young males are less likely to have had multiple partners than their urban counterparts. In terms of contraception, most sexually active rural young people use a condom and they have a very good knowledge about HIV, although less so about sexually transmitted infections. Same Sex Attraction The North East RYC identified sexuality as an issue of concern facing young people in their region.Same sex attracted young people are a particularly ‘at risk’ group in relation to higher drug use, homelessness, depression and suicide, and sexually transmitted infections.Young people who live in rural areas and are exploring their sexuality or are gay or lesbian often face extremely negative attitudes from the community and consequently are stigmatised and discriminated against44. Access to appropriate services, information and support are factors that positively influence the sexual health and wellbeing of young people, yet many of these are lacking in rural and remote communities. Mental Health In terms of mental health problems, depression, suicide and anxiety were the most common issues identified by the North East, Central Gippsland and Central Highlands RYCs. These mental health problems are consistent with some of the most common disorders in adolescence which are major depression or dysthymia, anxiety disorders, conduct and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance abuse/dependence.Twenty-seven percent of 18-24 years olds report mental health problems and 20% of 12 – 16 year olds report mental health problems45.The rates of mental disorder among young people in rural, regional and remote areas in particular is unknown, although hospitalisation rates for mental disorders for males and females aged 15 to 24 years old suggest higher rates of disorders than in urban areas46. Mental health problems among Aboriginal young people is higher than for non-Aborigines.This is largely attributed to unresolved grief and loss and post-traumatic disorders arising from European invasion, separation of Aboriginal children from their families, severe disadvantage and racism and the frequent deaths of friends and relatives47. Australia has a high youth suicide rate compared with other countries, reflecting a four-fold increase between 1960 to 1995. Rural youth suicide, particularly among young men, is well documented particularly those in small and isolated country towns. Aboriginal youth suicide is far higher than non-Aboriginal youth suicide48.The impact of invasion, racism and dispossession in addition to the factors outlined below mean Aboriginal young people can be very vulnerable to mental health problems and suicide. Having said this, overall youth suicide rates have dropped for the first time over the past two years. The causes of rural youth suicide and mental health problems are complex. Factors related to rural lifestyle, positive and negative, which have an impact on mental health problems and suicide amongst its residents have been explored49. Key aspects common to rural life that promote mental health in all residents, including young people, are increased opportunity for community connectedness, belonging, identity, informal support and connection to the physical environment. Conversely common aspects of rural life that can contribute to mental ill health include: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

The rural economic downturn, which has contributed to increased poverty, lack of essential infrastructure, loss of confidence and self esteem in communities. Higher unemployment. Poorer health. Lower levels of education. Natural disasters such as floods, drought, fire. Less opportunity and diversity of social contact. Ostracism by community for rebelling community norms. Entrenched gender stereotypes.

Clearly the above factors are generalisations, and their absence or presence, and the nature and impact of these factors vary in different rural, regional and remote communities. Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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Access to Services A common issue facing many young people in rural areas is the difficulty in accessing health and services, education and training, recreational pursuits etc.This is due to a range of factors including lack of transport and lack of knowledge of available services. In relation to health services a perceived lack of anonymity is commonly raised as a barrier to approaching health services.Young people often fear that they will be seen entering the health service or staff members at the health service are friends of their parents or related to them, and health professionals will not keep their details confidential. Education,Training and Employment The main areas of concern identified by the rural RYCs were high youth unemployment rates (Wimmera and Central Highlands RYC), lack of appropriate alternatives to local secondary schools (North East, Central Highlands,Wimmera, Goulburn, Central Gippsland) and low retention rates (Central Gippsland). Unemployment rates in regional, rural and remote areas for young people is consistently higher than in urban areas, however there is much variability between rural areas in terms of the nature and level of unemployment.The Wimmera RYC also noted that although there is a lack of employment opportunities in some parts of the region they have been unable to fill unskilled jobs and traineeships in other parts. A number of issues were raised in relation to the lack of appropriate alternatives to young people attending their local secondary schools.Young people who are excluded from their local secondary school often find there are few alternatives with regard to attending other schools due to lack of transport or transport concession cards. Alternatives to secondary schools such as JPET and TAFE are having difficulties meeting the needs of these young people, particularly those young people at risk. Another issue noted by the Loddon/Campaspe region is lack of funding to meet the health and welfare needs of young people under the age of 15 who are not attending school as it is assumed all young people under 15 receive these services at school. Low retention rates at secondary schools were identified as a big issue by the Central Gippsland RYC and was partly attributed to a lack of a vocational focus, high youth unemployment and limited local employment opportunities. Ironically, early school leaving then further reduces their opportunities for employment. Nationally the Year 12 retention rate for boys in rural and remote areas is only 54% (compared with 63% in capital cities); for girls it is 66% (compared with 74% in capital cities). Rates of retention for Aboriginal young people in rural areas is lower still. Youth Participation/Image/Public Space Wimmera and Central Highlands RYCs noted that young people did not believe their voice was being heard in terms of their needs in their community.Youth participation initiatives such as local government youth councils are explored in the last part of this section ‘Rural and regional youth models, interventions and practices’. The other major issue identified by the Mallee RYC was negative community perceptions of young people. This negative perception is often played out in terms of public space where young people are often perceived as threatening, resulting in local businesses and community members calling for ‘gangs’ or groups of young people to be banned from public spaces.This issue is often heightened in popular tourist areas, for example, Mildura. Similarly, the Goulburn RYC noted that in Mooropna and Shepparton ‘gangs’ of mid-teens have been accused of harassing community members at night.50 However, there is often no place for these young people to ‘hang out’ in the towns, so consequently they legitimately use public space. The relationship between negative community perceptions of young people and rural-urban migration was also earlier identified as a significant issue (see discussion under rural to urban migration). Recreation Boredom is a common complaint in rural areas. Common requests in the Wimmera, Central Highlands, Central Gippsland and Goulburn regions are for BMX tracks and skateboarding parks, which tend to be more male dominated pursuits. Drop in centres and more entertainment that is affordable in the weekends and nights e.g. raves and gigs such as Freeza are also common requests. This, no doubt reflects young people’s need for peer interaction, particularly if young people are not made welcome in public spaces in the town. Other recreational opportunities which are a central aspect in most rural communities are the football and netball clubs which provide young people with opportunities to develop social skills and to interact with other age groups in the

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community. However many clubs’ acceptance of excessive drinking provides unsuitable role models for the development of young people’s alcohol use51. Transport Every RYC identified lack of transport as a huge issue in terms of education and employment opportunities, recreation, entertainment, access to health and welfare services and so on. If public transport is available it is often costly, infrequent or operated at inconvenient times, which sometimes results in having to add accommodation costs to transport expenses.Thus young people are often reliant on their family for transport52. Suggestions as to how to address this fundamental infrastructure issue is explored in the last part of this section ‘Rural and regional youth models, interventions and practices’. Accommodation The majority of rural RYCs identified lack of accommodation as an issue noting shortages in either respite (Central Highlands and Barwon RYCs), emergency (North East RYC) medium and long term accommodation (Goulburn and Central Gippsland RYCs) or general lack of appropriate housing (Loddon Mallee RYC). A common result of a lack of appropriate housing is young people forced to use unsafe accommodation such as a pub, or contend with problematic mixing of tenants. Consequently some young people opt to live elsewhere such as their car, rather than use what options are available such as a caravan park. Similarly, it is noted that there is a scarcity of public housing or private rental stock which young people can rent.Young people are often discriminated against in the private rental market, particularly if there is a high demand for rental housing. Further, some young people may not be suitable for the private rental market due to a lack of independent living skills. Lack of access to suitable accommodation often leads to young people living in overcrowded conditions and/or substandard housing53. Another issue that was noted by the Central Highlands RYC is increasing numbers of low income families moving to rural outlying areas in pursuit of cheap housing.This often means that these families are very isolated and consequently less able to address issues they may have.Young people in these families will therefore suffer because of this isolation and poverty. Income Support The Barwon RYC notes that the mutual obligation requirements of the Common Youth Allowance were often more difficult for rural young people to fulfil due to the lack of transport, postal delays or housing problems. Consequently, many young people do not receive regular income support, or are penalised, which further disadvantages these young people.This was supported by Wimmera RYC who told of a young woman having to travel a total of eight hours to a major centre for a compulsory Centrelink meeting, with her new baby.

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Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Delivery/ Organisational and Worker Issues Recruitment and Retention Attracting and retaining workers with young people and managers was identified as a major issue for at least five of the RYCs:Wimmera, Loddon/Campaspe, Central Highlands, Barwon, Goulburn, and North East.This is consistent with other studies that report rural human service organisations frequently experiencing staff recruitment and retention difficulties which result in high turn over and interruptions to service delivery54. The main reasons identified for recruitment and retention difficulties are: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

■

Prevalence of short term 12 month contracts which are an insufficient incentive to attract workers from the city (Wimmera, Loddon/Campaspe, Central Highlands and Barwon RYCs). Difficulty providing support structures for workers, e.g. supervision (Central Highlands RYC). Lack of local formal youth work training (North East, Goulburn and Central Highlands RYC). Lack of qualified youth workers attracted to rural positions (Wimmera, Goulburn and Central highlands RYCs). Lack of professional development for youth workers (Loddon/Campaspe and Central Highlands RYC). Low pay and professional standing for youth workers who in rural areas are expected to have multiple and generic skills e.g. be able to drive a bus, have information technology skills, basic mechanical skills, knowledge of gambling, drug and alcohol, Centrelink, etc (North East, Goulburn, and Loddon/Campaspe RYCs). Lack of future security and opportunities or lack of career paths (Loddon/Campaspe and Central Highlands RYC).

These issues do not seem to be unique to youth services but are also highlighted as issues for rural human service organisations generally55. In addition to these issues a survey of New South Wales rural employees in health services also noted the high work load, limited number of services to refer young people to, and lack of opportunities to consult with other professionals about problems they face in working in rural areas56. Presumably these problems are also faced by rural workers with young people. Funding Most of the RYCs identified a range of funding problems in the delivery services to young people in rural areas.These issues seem to be echoed by rural human service organisations in general throughout Australia57. One of the main issues was lack of consideration of local needs in terms of allocation of funding. An example of the lack of consultation with local areas was described in the East Gippsland region where the RYC was not notified about the school nurse program until it was advertised in the local newspaper. Lack of consideration of local needs partly reflects the fragmentation between government departments and at a State and Commonwealth level. For example, government initiatives may each fund a worker for one or two days per week to focus on different issues in a community, rather than pool the money to fund a fulltime worker to address all of the issues and be a part of the community (Wimmera, Central Highlands, East Gippsland and Barwon RYCs). Such fragmentation also contributes to organisations being accountable to multiple funding bodies whose requirements are often complex and demanding. Meeting these requirements takes time, resources and skills which can result in small rural organisations diverting their energies from service delivery (Central Highlands RYC). Another factor contributing to the lack of consideration of local needs is the degree of control Central or Head Office has over funding decisions compared with the regions or local communities (East Gippsland and Loddon/Campaspe RYCs). A major issue identified by most of the RYCs is the trend for government funding to be short term, generally 12 months, or tagged as pilot funding. Lack of continuity of funding is a significant contributing factor to the issues of recruitment and retention, raised above, in particular increasing the stress and lowering the morale of workers. From an ethical perspective short term funding brings into question whether increasing young people’s expectations, with the introduction of a new program which is then defunded, is doing more harm than good.The introduction and subsequent removal of programs often results in, among other things, a reduction in young people’s and the community’s trust in youth programs (Barwon RYC). Consequently, youth workers attempt to respond to the needs of young people from the program

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Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

that was defunded whilst also conducting their own programs, contributing to a workload issue. Such funding timelines also do not take into account the time needed for a worker to be trusted in the community. The Barwon RYC has produced a discussion paper for the Minister for Youth Affairs outlining the above issues surrounding short-term funding. Pilot funding can also disadvantage rural organisations that are generally less able than those in urban areas to attract continuing resources due to the lack of infrastructure that is required to compile funding submissions and the power to compete against large urban organisations58. The urbocentricism of funding formulas was raised as an issue by many RYCs (Loddon/Campaspe and Goulburn). In particular the lack of recognition of the need for increased infrastructure funding for mobile phones, laptops, travel time and cars given many workers spend a considerable time travelling around the region. Lack of such funding results in the restricted ability to deliver services particularly to young people in outlying areas. Concern was also expressed about the lack of funding and recognition for activities such as advocacy, planning and networking as part of the work of organisations delivering services to young people.These activities are essential yet are generally not funded. The difficulty in defining regional, rural and remote as considered in the first section of this report, also has implications for funding. For example, the Central Gippsland area often misses out on funding because it either goes to the La Trobe region where the regional city absorbs the majority of the funds, or money is allocated to specific rural areas such as East Gippsland (Central Gippsland RYC).Similarly Geelong can miss out on funding opportunities due to sometimes being defined as a city and other times as a rural area (Barwon RYC). The impact of the withdrawal of services from rural communities was mentioned in the first section of this report. Similarly, the withdrawal of youth services has a ripple effect on the community and requires young people to access transport to travel to required services (Barwon RYC). Health Services The focus of issues with regard to health services was the lack of adequate drug and alcohol and mental health services in many of the regions (Central Highlands, Central Gippsland, Loddon/Campaspe, North Eastern, Goulburn RYCs). The lack of drug and alcohol services in rural, regional and remote Victoria reduces the ability of young people to address substance abuse problems.The drug and alcohol services that are available are under a great deal of pressure to meet the demand for specialist drug and alcohol treatment. Consequently, some people do not receive assistance or are reliant on generalist health workers.In particular it was noted that there is a lack of detoxification and rehabilitation services for young people (Central Gippsland and Loddon/Campaspe RYC). It was also noted that drug and alcohol services were unable to meet the psychosocial needs of young people, nor address the link with mental health problems (Central Highlands RYC). In terms of mental health services, the scarcity of services and lack of access and transport to these services in rural, regional and remote communities reduces the opportunity for young people with mental health problems or illnesses to be effectively treated. Although there is an increase in adolescent mental health beds they are all based in Melbourne, resulting in urban young people often using ‘rural’ beds. Also of concern is taking young people out of their local community to receive treatment for mental health problems (North East and Goulburn RYC).Due to the lack of mental health services for young people, adult mental health services are often used by young people which are often inappropriate and can be a traumatic experience for young people (North Eastern RYC). A lack of sexual health services in areas of high teenage births was also highlighted as an issue. More generally, access to primary health care was identified as very difficult.This was attributed partly to a lack of perceived anonymity in accessing such services resulting in young people preferring to go to Melbourne to access primary health care services. Regional vs Outlying Areas A very common theme for many RYCs that arose in terms of youth service delivery throughout the region was how to provide effective services to young people living in outlying areas of the region (Wimmera, Central Highlands, East Gippsland and Barwon).This issue is summed up nicely: Regional service providers frequently express frustration at their inability to service small communities, due to the physical size of their region, budget restraints/limited staffing, the distances involved, and difficulties in providing consistency of support to young people in small Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

21

communities. Many community participants were critical of regional services for not reaching beyond the borders of the town/city/centre in which they are located.They were resentful of their inability to obtain funding for local services on the basis that a regional service ‘covered’ their community59. Similarly many statewide youth services in Melbourne tend to focus on metropolitan needs rather than regional, rural and remote needs.The diversity of needs within a region were also highlighted as an issue in terms of being able to service effectively the diverse needs of the region (Barwon RYC). Youth Service Models The key issues raised in terms of models of youth service delivery was the lack of relevance and applicability of urban models to rural areas, and that there is no ‘one size fits all’ model for all rural areas (Wimmera, Central Highlands and East Gippsland RYCs). For example, the ‘one-stop-shop’ or co-location model may work well for young people living in a regional centre, but is likely to be inaccessible for young people living 300 kms from the regional centre. In terms of urban service models, lack of consideration of travel time, transport costs and so on mean they are often inappropriate to the needs of young people and workers from rural areas. These issues are highlighted in the following quote: Service deliverers, rural communities and policy makers alike would be pleased to be presented with a collection of favourite recipes for successful rural youth service models. However, production of a recipe book would be a simplistic solution to improving service access to rural young people. Effective service delivery in rural areas has been achieved in a number of communities. But to recommend that an effective service model in one rural community be transplanted to another would be as potentially disastrous as wholesale transplantation of urban models to rural communities60. The role of local government in youth service delivery was also raised (Wimmera, East Gippsland and Central Highlands RYCs). Currently the role of local government in terms of youth issues varies. Some local governments deliver youth services, play a coordination role, and/or resource a youth council. In terms of the focus of youth service delivery, Barwon, East Gippsland and the Central Highlands RYCs noted a lack of early intervention and prevention interventions in rural areas. This perhaps reflects the lack of service coverage in rural areas which often results in focusing on those young people with the highest and most immediate needs, rather than on prevention and early intervention. Coordination The nature and degree of coordination achieved among youth related services varies between and within regions. Most workers with young people do have contact with other organisations at the service delivery level where they ‘share’ the same client. Coordination at infrastructure, management and service planning levels tend to be less common.There appears to be general agreement with regard to the benefits of coordination, e.g. shared information, resources, joint funding. However, there are a number of barriers which make effective coordination very difficult to achieve. Barriers include: ■

State and Federal government policies that require human services generally, including services related to young people, to operate in a competitive environment, e.g. applying for tenders. Consequently health and welfare services for young people in the region are expected to regard each other as ‘rivals’ rather than organisations which need to work together. The change in government in Victoria has to some degree lessened the pressure to compete (Barwon RYC). ■ The ‘cultural’ differences between workers and organisations who work with young people can result in misunderstandings, prejudices etc. For example, teachers, health workers and youth workers often have different ways of understanding a young person, including the use of jargon (Barwon RYC). ■ Lack of time and resources to meet with and work with other organisations who work with young people (Wimmera RYC). The importance of coordination between local services is being recognised and addressed with the development of networks such as: School Focused Youth Services (to develop links between youth services and schools and more broadly the community to enhance the responsiveness to young people); Local Learning Employment Networks (to increase links 22

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

between schools and the education/training and employment sector); and Primary Care Partnerships (coordinate all workers and services who provide primary care services within a local area to better meet the needs of the client).The degree to which the government initiated networks outlined above engage youth services varies, in one region it was observed that the Primary Care Partnerships had not engaged with youth services. It was noted that the current push for collaboration between organisations and sectors, as reflected in the development of the above networks, is a lot easier when there is already a culture of working together and when there is broad representation and a willingness to be involved (Barwon and Central Highlands RYC).It was noted that such collaboration and networking had helped to alleviate the lack of youth services (Barwon RYC). Another issue raised in relation to coordination is connected to the fragmentation of funding sources mentioned earlier. Often each funding body required projects or programs funded to have their own local steering committee. For example, it was estimated in Ballarat that there were 44 steering committees on youth issues.Clearly, the proliferation of youth-related bodies in one region does not assist in the coordination of services. The other major issue raised in relation to coordination was the difficulty of coordinating service systems at the borders of two States e.g.Victoria and New South Wales or the borders between two government regions (Mallee, North East, East Gippsland and Central Gippsland RYCs). An outcome of the lack of coordination between the two State or regional service systems was often young people falling between the gaps of the two service systems and not receiving any services.

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Regional, Rural and Remote Youth Service Models General A comment made by many of the RYCs was the need for generalist youth workers (Wimmera, Central Highlands and Goulburn RYCs). Outreach was also identified as a good model for rural youth service provision. The need for generalist youth work and youth workers is consistent with rural human service delivery generally which advocates that workers need to be flexible and generic; specialised role definitions are often seen to be inappropriate to the needs of the community. Like other members of the community, workers are expected to turn to whatever issue is at hand, regardless of training or organisation role: “In a rural community if you don’t know how to do something, and there is no-one else around who does, then you simply have to do your best. Practitioners, too, are expected to devise novel solutions, regardless of the limitations of their training, organizations or professional literature. Just as the lack of local specialised expertise has bred many bush mechanics and lawyers so too has it produced many bush social planners, community developers, researchers and therapists61. That is not to say that all rural youth workers are untrained. Many are qualified and have extensive experience, however most have to also take on other roles for which they often do not receive formal training in areas such as research, mental health promotion etc. In terms of the youth service system it was recommended that each local government area has at least one youth worker, not necessarily based at the local government offices, to ensure that each local government had a youth budget and youth focus including a youth policy and action plan. RYCs had a range of ideas about the role of local government in youth issues. For example Wimmera RYC recommended that local government rather than State government be responsible for rural youth issues. In consultation with local youth organisations, local government could offer recreation services, coordinate and develop youth services, consult young people, and develop youth policy. Another RYC thought that the local government role in youth issues would differ depending on the needs in each local government area. However, it was noted that if a local government was not a suitable auspice for a youth worker it may be more appropriate for another agency in the local government area to take this role. It was also recommended that all community organisations in rural communities need to have a youth focus, for example the Country Fire Association, Rotary, Lions etc (Wimmera and East Gippsland RYC).This is consistent with another comment that advocated that adults, such as those from rural community organisations, need to be included in youth activities to assist young people in the development of skills e.g. mentoring (Wimmera and Central Gippsland RYC).The use of adults in youth programs to assist young people in the development of skills is occurring in many rural communities. The need to build links with the local media, for example having a local reporter be a member of a RYC, is advocated to encourage positive reporting of young people in the media (Wimmera and Mallee RYCs).This recommendation reflects the need to address the issue of negative portrayal of young people in rural communities. Another recommendation is the need for ‘youth friendly’ general practitioners to be compensated for longer consultations with young people (Barwon RYC).This perhaps reflects the need for GPs to be able to establish a rapport and explore young patients psychosocial issues rather than just the presenting medical problem. The importance of undertaking advocacy with State Ministers and local government is also noted as an important part of the work of youth services to better meet the needs of local young people (Goulburn RYC). Funding The issues raised around funding in the previous section indicate a feeling among RYCs that local needs are often not sufficiently taken into account. A few of the RYCs suggested ways in which funding could better reflect the needs of young people in their region.For example the East Gippsland RYC recommended that an agency familiar with the area become lead agency or a consortium of relevant agencies is established who is able to purchase and provide relevant services to the area, i.e. relevant services are bundled into one contract. Similarly, the Loddon/Campaspe RYC suggested that ‘youth’ funding be pooled according to geographic region so local areas are better able to plan a service program. 24

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

In relation to the issue raised in the previous section about meeting the needs of young people in outlying areas of a region, it was suggested that an output based funding formula needs to be weighted to reflect higher costs of service delivery to young people in outlying areas. For example, $10/young person living in a regional area and $15/young person living outside regional areas (North Eastern RYC). In response to the issue around short term funding the Barwon RYC recommends that funding for youth programs that meet an identified community need, are highly successful in reconnecting young people to family, schools, peers and community, are positively evaluated and undertake continuous improvement processes should receive recurrent funding. Interventions A number of service delivery designs developed for young people in regional, rural and remote communities in Victoria were outlined by some of the RYCs. Outreach services reduce the costs and inconvenience for young people to access services but increase expenses and travelling for the organisation. An example of an outreach model which provides multipurpose services is The Big Red Bus operated by Cutting Edge Youth Services (CEYS) which provides mobile youth services throughout the Moira Shire of Northern Victoria.The program was established to overcome the difficulties involved for rural isolated young people trying to access services. The Bus houses a kitchen, counselling space, information racks and computers.The Bus, in addition to providing youth work services such as counselling, information and referral about education, training, employment, income support, accommodation, health, legal support and family issues, works with other community agencies to offer a range of services including Centrelink and maternal and child health services.The bus regularly visits the four main towns in the Shire and 18 smaller town and communities. Often the bus is the only human service available in the small towns and is used by the whole community, thus the youth worker needs to be knowledgeable about a wide range of services. The youth worker is not a part of the community which often makes the service more anonymous.The bus is highly valued by the communities with one small town building a bicycle rack, paved an area and supplied chairs at the spot under the trees where the bus parks.The cost of operating the bus is high in terms of repairs, maintaining the computers and petrol and staff costs62. In contrast to the outreach model,‘in-reach’ models have also been developed which provide multi-purpose youth services in regional centres. For example,‘Nexus’ is a ‘one-stop-shop’ which provides a range of health, welfare and recreation services for the young people in Horsham. Community support for the Centre is demonstrated by the community’s involvement in renovating the building for Nexus.Youth workers are available at most times, with Nexus staffed by workers and volunteers at all times, with a range of local organisations offering services and programs.The service is open on weekday and weekend afternoons and evenings.Young people are involved in the management and operation of Nexus. Nexus has a café, pool table and skate park available and runs a range of programs including: dance parties; career guidance; Jam nights; cartoon drawing; newsletter production; yoga; pool competition; young parents group; karate; body image/self esteem group for young women; leadership program; personal development; basketball competitions; anger management; relaxation and stress management; Seasons loss and grief program; life skills; drama group etc. Another example of a model is the Bendigo Youth Resources Framework currently being developed by local government which is an ‘in-reach’ co-located multipurpose youth service. It is explicitly attempting to service young people in outlying areas via 1800 information lines and internet youth kiosks in rural areas throughout the region. Principles underlying the development of the model are: one entry point to the youth sector; resources, activities and events; multiple access modalities to cater for age, rural isolation, disability and other issues that inhibit access to the site; promotion of young people’s wellbeing; youth driven; co-location; safe and welcoming environment; and partnerships between agencies. The model includes: ■

24 hour 1800 info-line – available for young people to access the service and will provide a youth specific information service and referral. ■ Internet service – provide information to young people and promote a sense of belonging and a cultural forum for young people in the region including youth kiosks in rural areas of the region. ■ Information and referral centre – a youth friendly space providing information about services, events, recreational activities, public transport in the region and providing Internet facilities for young people. Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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■ ■

■ ■ ■

Café/venue – the café would be operated by a hospitality/catering training program and would be available as a safe social space for young people and be used by community groups for functions. Co-location – office space available for co-located services such as health services, youth development officers, locum workers from agencies, employment services, recreation services, school services. A development of a protocol as to how these services would operate would be focused on. Meeting and counselling rooms – workers with young people and organizations could access space for meetings and seeing young people. Data collection, analysis and evaluation – a system to collect data about young people in relation to the service will be developed to improve data available about young people in the region, in conjunction with a research institution. In terms of young people’s access to services the development of ‘youth cards’ with local and 1800 numbers has been undertaken by some rural areas (Central Gippsland RYC).

Coordination The nature and degree of coordination, as mentioned in the previous section, varies across rural Victoria. A well established network is the Barwon Action Taskforce (BAT), the Taskforce performs similar roles to a regional peak youth body, i.e. networking, coordination and sharing of resources between organisations.The importance attached to BAT in the region is reflected in its funding source, i.e. local youth organisations fund the costs of BAT. BAT attributes much of its success to its long history in the region, in youth work terms, of 22 years (Barwon RYC). A sub-regional Taskforce has also recently been established, the Colac Action Taskforce (CAT). Other networks identified as effective information sharing bodies include the Swan Hill Youth Health Network and the Country Youth Affairs Network. The Victorian Country Youth Services (VCYS) was formed from the Country Youth Affairs Network and provided effective resourcing and support for young people and workers with young people throughout rural regions in Victoria until its funding was cut in the late 1990s (East Gippsland RYC). Goulburn RYC noted that they ensure that they have regular contact with the other local networks such as Primary Care Partnerships and the Local Learning Employment Network to ensure that information is shared and coordination can occur, however it was noted that this requires a lot of time and resources. The use of technology to aid networking was raised,‘Polycom’ a teleconferencing device which enables a number of people in a room to speak without relying on a hands off phone, and video conferencing facilities were helpful. However often metropolitan organisations did not have such facilities so the use of this technology is used more for networking between rural areas. Koori Youth Programs There are many examples of youth programs and activities that meet the needs of regional, rural and remote Koori young people. For example, the Central Gippsland Aboriginal Health and Housing Cooperative and Koori Diabetes Services, Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Cooperatives and Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative recently undertook projects that provided young people with positive cultural experiences including the development of skills, e.g. cooking, art and ‘broadening their horizons’ for the future activities. The majority of these programs and activities are undertaken by, or in conjunction with, Aboriginal organisations such as rural Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations. These organisations provide excellent and innovative programs and services operating from an holistic understanding of health and wellbeing. For example, the Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative, mentioned above, undertakes a lot of health promotion through their football and netball clubs. Players have to be immunised before they can play, healthy meals are provided at practice and games and informal mentoring often occurs between the older and younger members of the teams. Other projects include linking elders and young people in the task of growing a garden. Health Rural youth suicide has been raised earlier as a particularly alarming issue. In one of the rural regions a spate of youth suicides resulted in the development of a post-vention model to respond to the suicides.The model was developed by and for rural areas and takes into account that often the youth workers are personally affected by the suicide as part of the community. It was noted that there was a lack of critical incident skills within the youth sector (Goulburn RYC). 26

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

One region was particularly concerned about the mental health and housing needs of 17 – 24 year olds due to the adult services not being able to meet their needs adequately. A conference is being planned to address this issue (Loddon/Campaspe RYC). Worker Education and Training A lack of qualified youth workers and the lack of relevant curriculum appropriate to working in rural areas prompted Shepparton youth agencies, led by Cutting Edge Youth Services, to develop and offer a Diploma in Youth Work. The aim of the course is to train existing local workers and to attract new workers to the youth sector.The course commenced in 2001 and is provided by a private rural education and training organisation.The course has a practical focus with the course participants spending most of their time in a youth agency undertaking a project whilst being mentored and attending classes once a week. Thus, youth agencies benefit both from being involved in the training of workers and having workers available to undertake projects. Another youth work course that is now available has been established at the Horsham campus of the University of Ballarat, as with Shepparton the primary reason for the establishment of the course was to address the shortage of trained youth workers.The North East RYC indicated that they also had a demand for training in the region for workers. In terms of the increasing use of information communication technology (ICT) in the provision of courses, particularly by distance education, it was noted that many workers with young people would need professional development in ICT skills and access to the internet. Access to the internet is not uniform across the regions, it was estimated that only 18% of youth services in regional Victoria have access to the internet (North East RYC). In terms of professional development an annual or bi-annual Victorian forum for rural workers to network, meet with and find out about metropolitan and other rural resources and to show case examples of practice was suggested. Education and Employment Initiatives A number of regions have developed programs to address the issues raised in the second section of this report with regard to the difficulties faced in terms of education, training and employment. One program has been established which aims to support young people in their move from a rural to an urban area for education and training, and to encourage their return.Workco Ltd, based in the Wimmera region in Victoria, has established another company in Melbourne which provides Workco with a unique opportunity to stay in touch with young people from the Wimmera region who have come to Melbourne.Workco are able to facilitate employment opportunities in the Wimmera region for young people who have gained work skills and education or training in Melbourne to encourage them to return. Similarly,Workco aims to encourage young people to stay in the region by introducing young people to workers who have been able to develop a successful career in the region63. Another program in the Wimmera region established by Loddon Neighbourhood House and other agencies is the Alternative Curriculum Program which has been established for young people unable to return or access school or TAFE. An initiative has also been developed to meet the needs of young people who have been excluded from secondary school, the ‘Second Chance Agreement’, initiated between some of the schools in the region (North East RYC).The program has assisted some students but has not assisted as many students as it had hoped.The only other alternative for these young people is short term educational interventions e.g. at risk camps. Youth Participation Some of the regions described examples of projects, programs and groups that provide young people with opportunities to be involved in their community. For instance, in the Wimmera region Youth In Action focus groups were established to give young people the opportunity to discuss issues related to their area.These groups are now working on ways to address their issues in their local community. In Gippsland the Wellington Shire Council has established SHOUT, a youth committee who have developed a youth card, and undertaken work around the area for young people e.g. a video on safe scooting (SHOUT Youth committee/Central Gippsland RYC). In the Loddon/Campaspe region, the Macedon area has a range of youth participation initiatives including opportunities to be on radio, contribute to a newsletter for young people etc. Recreation A Victorian Government entertainment initiative entitled ‘Freeza’ in which young people organise and run drug and alcohol Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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free gigs in their local communities has been regarded as an effective program for rural and regional areas of Victoria by many of the RYCs. A youth initiative that is being developed in the Wimmera region is mobile skateboard ramps that can be shared among the rural towns in the region. In terms of the arts, Central Gippsland Life Youth Theatre and Streets of Harmony programs are operating which provide recreation, self esteem building, responsibility and education and training. Transport The widespread issue of lack of transport for young people was outlined in the second section of this report.A number of regions are exploring how best to address this issue. A few of the regions are undertaking an audit of existing community transport resources and mapping young people’s transport needs throughout the region (Wimmera , Goulburn and North East RYCs). Most regions have a range of existing transport resources in addition to public transport such as school owned buses, local government vehicles, health and welfare service buses and cars etc. Potentially these vehicles could be used to address the transport needs of young people, however bureaucratic issues such as liability, existing commitments for these vehicles, costs and drivers needs to be resolved. The Wimmera RYC is also advocating for research to be undertaken to explore the feasibility of making available full or partial drivers licences to rural young people in Victoria earlier than the current age of 18 years, for employment, education and training purposes. It is argued that the benefits to road safety of having a driving age of 18 needs to be offset with the disadvantages young people face in terms of accessing employment, education, training, health and welfare services. The need to advocate for public transport subsidies and to address the transport issues in rural areas was also raised (Loddon/Campaspe RYC). It was noted that metropolitan public transport is heavily subsidised. If rural public transport was similarly subsidised there would probably be sufficient transport, e.g. one community bus/mini van per shire. It was also suggested that the Victorian government lobby rural local governments to address the transport issue by holding a local meeting of all relevant stakeholders, e.g. young people, youth workers, organisations with transport etc.

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Conclusion The outcomes of the consultation reflect both the range and complexity of issues facing young people, workers with young people and organisations throughout rural Victoria, and their unique and innovative responses to addressing these issues. The news for young people is mixed: urban drift appears to be increasing; mortality rates, including youth suicide, decreasing; alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy increasing; high youth unemployment and lower educational achievement; lack of transport and opportunities for recreation; and lack of suitable housing. Whilst workers and organisations working with young people address the issues outlined above, they face their own issues: difficulty attracting and retaining workers with young people; urbocentricism of policy initiatives and funding formulas; lack of specialist health services; difficulty in providing services to young people in outlying areas; and lack of coordination of services. The issues outlined above are being addressed by: developing their own models of youth service delivery that reflect local needs; advocating for more suitable funding formulas; coordinating delivery of services; local education and training of workers; involving young people in their community; and exploring how to improve transportation for young people. Thus, whilst rural Victoria is faced with a wide range of issues affecting young people and workers with young people, each region is working towards positive solutions to these issues. However improved understanding and relevant policies, funding and community responses to these issues are needed to support workers and organisations and improve the wellbeing of young people.

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Appendix 1 Letter from YACVic and Centre for Adolescent Health to rural RYCs to explain the purpose of our visit/consultation

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Appendix 2 Rural Regional Youth Committees Visited February – May 2001 The map below outlines the rural Regional Youth Committiee regions. Regional Youth Committees visited were: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Barwon Central Highlands Central Gippsland Eastern Gippsland Goulburn Loddon/Campaspe Mallee North East Wimmera

Loddon Campaspe Mallee Region Loddon Campaspe RYC Mallee RYC Goulburn North Eastern Region Goulburn RYC North Eastern RYC Gippsland Region Central Gippsland RYC East Gippsland RYC Barwon South Western Region Barwon RYC South Western RYC Central Highlands Wimmera Region Central Highlands RYC Wimmera RYC

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Appendix 3 Questions for Discussion at Consultation Issues affecting local young people, workers with young people and models, practices and interventions that address these issues Key issues have been identified for young people and organisations/workers with young people in rural and regional Victoria to initiate discussion of issues in your area . The issues identified are not in anyway definitive, more educated guesses. Obviously issues will differ in different areas given the diversity of rural and regional areas. Key youth issues that impact on young people in regional/rural Victoria ■ ■ ■ ■

Lack of access/lack of transport to health and welfare services, entertainment, recreation etc Community connectedness e.g. know local community, sporting clubs etc Lack of educational and employment opportunities in the area Opportunities to engage in recreational activities such as horse riding, surfing etc

What do you consider to be the issues, both positive and negative, that impact on young people because of living in regional/rural Victoria? Has this always been the situation? Have the issues changed over time? Do you anticipate any changes in the future? Key issues that impact on organisations that provide services to young people and worker issues ■

Lack of relevance or inappropriateness of urban based models, interventions and practices and funding arrangements to your area ■ Local community involvement and support ■ Lack of resources due to geographical location e.g. travel costs and time, lack of access to professional development opportunities ■ Coordination/collaboration between local services and workers with young people What do you consider to be the issues, both positive and negative, that impact on organisations that provide services to young people and workers with young people because of living in regional/rural Victoria? Has this always been the situation? Have the issues changed over time? Do you anticipate any changes in the future? What models, interventions and/or practices address the issues raised above? What strategies were tried in the past? Do you anticipate any changes to the current models, interventions and/or practices?

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Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

Appendix 4 Youth related reports from the rural RYCs Barwon RYC (2001) Recurrent funding for Youth Services – A Discussion Paper for Government. Barwon RYC: Geelong City of Greater Bendigo (2000) Young People’s Information and Resource Framework Bendigo. East Gippsland Regional Youth Committee (1998) Delivery of Services to Young People in Gippsland – Draft. East Gippsland Regional Youth Committee (2000) The East Gippsland Youth Document 2000/2001 – Draft. Goulburn Youth Affairs Group (1998) Youth Services Our Future – A conference Addressing the Provision of Youth and Family Services – Conference Papers. Goulburn Youth Affairs Group Inc: Shepparton. Grelli, C. & Sinclair, L. (1999) Services Delivered in Partnership – an Analysis of Linkages within the Generalist Youth Sector, Hume Region. Department of Human Services: Hume Harrison, C. (2001) What’s On at Nexus. Nexus: Horsham. McDonald, J. & Hayes, L. (2000) School Focused Youth Service Central Highlands Wimmera/Grampians Region – Service Mapping Report, Needs Analysis Report, SFYS Coordinators Reports and Interim Brokerage Allocations. School Focused Youth Services. Macedon Ranges Youth Advisory Committee (2000) Make Yourself Heard!! Macedon Ranges Youth Forum. Kyneton. Project Partnerships (2000) High Risk Adolescents Coordination Project – Final Report Goulburn and Wodonga Area Mental Health Services: Goulburn. Rawson, J.(1998) A Scan of Young People’s Needs in the North East Hume Region North East Regional Youth Committee: Mansfield. School Focused Youth Service (2000) Grampians/Central Highlands-Wimmera School Focused Youth Services Newsletter. Thomson, M. & Bryant, P. (2000) The First Twelve Months… 1999 School Focused Youth Service in Baw Baw, La Trobe and Wellington Shires.Oz Child Wellington Shire (2001) Wellington Youth Services Network – Youth Issues. Sale

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Appendix 5 Organisations visited throughout the consultation ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

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Wellington Shire Youth Services. Sale, Gippsland. Nexus Youth Centre, Horsham Horsham Secondary College, Horsham Wimmera United Care – Youth Work Team, Horsham Sunraysia Community Health Centre, Mildura Mallee Accommodation Support Programme, Mildura Mildura Youth Centre, Mildura.

Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

References 1 Office for Youth (2000) Report Number 3 – Opportunities for Rural Young People for Self-Expression and Participation through Music, the Arts, Recreation and Sports. DEET: Sale; Office for Youth (2001) Report No 5 – Designing Accessible Youth Services. DEET: Devenish. 2 Fitzpatrick, K. & La gory, M. (2000) Unhealthy Places – The Ecology of Risk in the Urban Landscape. Routledge: London. 3 Humphreys, J.(1998) Rural Health and the Health of Rural Communities. La Trobe University: Bendigo. 4 Sher, J.& Sher, K. (1994) ‘Background Paper: Beyond the Conventional wisdom: rural Development as if Australia’s rural People Really Mattered.’ Issues Affecting Rural Communities – Conference Proceedings. James Cook University:Townsville. 5 Bourke, L.& Lockie, S. (2001) Rurality Bites. Pluto Press: Sydney – Dr Lisa Bourke has kindly given permission to allow this excerpt to be used in this report 6 Australian Bureau of Statistics (1997) 1996 Census for Population and Housing. Canberra: ABS (CDATA) in Bourke, L.& Lockie, S. (2001) Rurality Bites. Pluto Press: Sydney 7 Op cit 8 Bealer, R.C., F.K.Willits & W.P. Kuvlesky (1965) ‘The meaning of ‘Rurality’ in American Society’ Some Implications of Alternative Definitions’ Rural Sociology 30:255-266 in Bourke, L. & Lockie, S. (2001) Rurality Bites. Pluto Press: Sydney 9 Australian Bureau of Statistics (1997) 1996 Census for Population and Housing. Canberra: ABS (CDATA) 10 Bealer et al., 1965 ; Dunn, P. (1989) ‘rural Australia : Are you Standing In It ?’ Rural Welfare Research Bulletin July (2): 12-13. 11 Cameron-Jackson, F.B. (1995) ‘Semantic complexities in defining rurality: towards a definition based on human considerations.’ Education in Rural Australia. 5 (1):1-7 12 Dunn (1989) 13 Kapferer, J.L. (1990) ‘Rural myths and urban ideologies.’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology 26 (1):87-06 14 Op cit 15 Cameron-Jackson (1995) 16 Bealer et al (1965)) 17 Cameron-Jackson (1989) 18 Australian Bureau of Statistics (1997) 1996 Census for Population and Housing. Canberra: ABS (CDATA) 19 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed – Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate. 20 Kapferer, J.L. (1990) ‘Rural myths and urban ideologies.’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology 26 (1):87-06 21 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate. 22 Cullen,T., Dunn, P. & Lawrence, G. (1990) Rural Health and Welfare in Australia. Charles Sturt University: Riverina. 23 Sher, J. & Sher, K. (1994) ‘Background Paper: Beyond the Conventional wisdom: rural Development as if Australia’s rural People Really Mattered.’ Issues Affecting Rural Communities – Conference Proceedings. James Cook University:Townsville. 24 Cullen,T., Dunn, P. & Lawrence, G. (1990) Rural Health and Welfare in Australia. Charles Sturt University: Riverina: 41. 25 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate. 26 Bourke, L.& Lockie, S. (2001) Rurality Bites. Pluto Press: Sydney 27 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate: 29 Rural life of us: Young people and workers with young people in country Victoria

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28 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1998) Health in rural and Remote Australia. Cat No PHE 6, Canberra: AIHW 29 Op cit 30 Op cit 31 Baume, P. & Clinton, M. (1997) ‘Social and cultural patterns of suicide in young people in rural Australia’, Australian Journal of Rural Health,Vol 5:115-120 32 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate 33 Op cit 34 Op cit 35 Dodson (1993):119) in Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate. 36 http://www.dotrs.gov.au/regional/ras/indesx.htm Further information about the programs within this strategy can also be found at this address. 37 For further information about RYIS please see the website http://www.detya.gov.au/youth/index.htm 38 Sher, J. & Sher, K. (1994) ‘Background Paper: Beyond the Conventional wisdom: rural Development as if Australia’s rural People Really Mattered.’ Issues Affecting Rural Communities – Conference Proceedings. James Cook University:Townsville. 39 Birrell, B., Dibden, J. & Wainer, J. (2000) Regional Victoria:Why the Bush is Hurting. Centre for Population and Urban Research Monash University: Melbourne. 40 O’Meara, M. (2000) ‘Making Space for Young People in Your Community’ Queensland Rural Futures Conference Proceedings. Cooktown 41 Moon, L., Meyer, P. & Grau, J. (1999) Australia’s Young People: their Health and Wellbeing. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Canberra 42 Griffiths, S., Dunn, P. & Ramanathan, S. (1998) Drug and alcohol Services in rural and Remote Australia. Charles Sturt University: New South Wales. 43 Williams, P. (1999) Alcohol-related Social Disorder and Rural Youth: Part 1 – Victims. Australian Institute of Criminology: Canberra. 44 Dunne, M., Donald, M., Lucke, J. & Rapheal, B. (1993) ‘A survey of sexual behaviour and knowledge of sexual health of rural youth’ 2nd National rural health Conference Proceedings: 229-236. 45 Harrison, L. & Hillier, L. (2991) ‘Sexual health and wellbeing issues for same sex attracted young people in rural areas.’ Health Education Association (Victoria) Vole 1, No 3:14-16. 46 Australian Bureau of Statistics (1998) Mental Health and Well-Being Profile of Adults. Catalogue No 4326.0 47 Moon, L., Meyer, P. & Grau, J. (1999) Australia’s Young People: their Health and Wellbeing. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Canberra 48 Hunter, E. (1998) ‘Loss and recovery: Indigenous Journeys’ Grief Matters September: 12-14 49 Baume, P. & Clinton, M. (1997) ‘Social and Cultural Patterns of Suicide in Young People in rural Australia’ Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol 5:115-120 50 Wainer, J. & Chesters, J. (2000) ‘rural mental health: neither romanticism nor despair’ Australian Journal of Rural Health Vol 5:115-120; Fuller, J., Edwards, J., Procter, N., & Moss, J.(2000) ‘How definition of mental health problems can influence help seeking in rural and remote communities’ Australian Journal of Rural Health Vol 8:148-153; Baume, P. & Clinton, M. (1997) ‘Social and Cultural Patterns of Suicide in Young People in rural Australia’ Australian Journal of Rural Health, Vol 5:115-120 51 Wyn, J., Stokes, H. & Stafford, J. (1998) Young People Living in rural Australia in the 1990’s. Youth Research Centre:

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Melbourne. 52 Munro, G. (2000) ‘Challenging the culture of sport and alcohol’ International Journal of Drug Policy Vol 7:199-202 53 Wyn, J., Stokes, H. & Stafford, J. (1998) Young People Living in rural Australia in the 1990’s. Youth Research Centre: Melbourne 54 Quixley, S. (1992) Living, Learning and Working – the experiences of young people in rural and remote communities in Australia. National Youth Coalition for Housing: Canberra/ 55 Morton, 1990; Dalle (1994) in Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate 56 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate 57 Bartik,W., Kowalenko, N.Whitefield, K. & Wignall, A. (2001) ‘Anxiety and depression in young people – a collaborative rural and remote service model’ Youth Studies Australia Vol 20, No 3:38-42. 58 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate 59 Op cit 60 Quixley, S. (1992) Living, Learning and Working – The Experiences of Young People in rural and Remote Communities. National Youth Coalition of Housing: Canberra. 61 Barker and Milligan (1990) in Quixley, S. (1992) Living, Learning and Working – the Experiences of Young People in Rural and Remote Communities. National Youth Coalition of Housing: Canberra. 62 Cheers, B. (1998) Welfare Bushed: Social Care in Rural Australia. Aldershot: Ashgate: 98. 63 Baldwin,T. (2001) ‘The Big Red Bus’ Health Education Association (Victoria) Vol 1, No 3:6-9. 64 Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (2001) ‘Wimmera Regional Youth Committee’ Yikes Newsletter Youth Affairs Council of Victoria: Melbourne.

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2 Gatehouse Street Parkville VIC 3052 Ph: 9345 5890 Fax: 9345 6273

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