Since the pandemic began, roughly 20 per cent of our population has been left unheard. Their voices, calling out to be listened to, are effectively ignored. We've seen crisis convenings of leaders of businesses, charities, workers, and governments. We've had blueprints, road maps, plans and strategies, and more announcements than we can count.
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But we haven't heard from Australia's children and young people.
And yet, for this group more than any other, the long tail of the pandemic will have consequences for years to come. Their health, education, physical safety, economic security and even the significant rites of passage that are key to the formation of identity have all been hit hard.
More than half of all children and young people in Australia are at risk of adverse impacts on their education, nutrition, physical movement, social, and emotional wellbeing because of their physical disconnection from schools and early learning. The research that should be jolting us into action is piling up, and we are just beginning to understand the particular concerns of children and young people in this pandemic. Young people are telling us they feel more concerned about their future than they did before the pandemic. An ANUPoll heard this from nearly 60 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds. Tellingly, only 15 per cent felt more positive.
The peak unemployment rate for young workers (those aged 15 to 24) reached more than 16 per cent in July 2020, in the middle of the first lockdown response. This was the highest rate in 23 years. At the same time, the unemployment rate across the whole population was 7.7 per cent. Industries with relatively young workforces like hospitality, tourism and entertainment were some of the hardest-hit. By last month, even though the unemployment rate for young people had stabilised at about 11 per cent, the participation rate had dropped to 67 per cent - the lowest since the initial onset of the pandemic.
Young people are just withdrawing from the workforce - effectively giving up on being able to have a job. This will flow through to their entire careers, impacting their long-term earnings and future job opportunities. Of particular concern, is the low number of young people able to access support payments like JobKeeper because their jobs are casual. Our responses to this ongoing pandemic must shift to better reach the needs of the whole population - not just the needs of the age groups making the decisions.
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The pandemic has also amplified the existing challenges and inequalities many children were already facing. Those falling behind at school are likely to be even further behind, as they find it harder to access online learning tools as easily. First Nations students in public schools are four times as likely to not have internet at home as other public students. Overall, nearly half of all children and young people are at risk of negative experiences around education, nutrition, social and emotional wellbeing, just from being disconnected from school.
Perhaps the most significant impacts for children and young people are the messages we, the adults around them, have sent. Even as vaccines became available for their use, we continued to prioritise others. As we consulted widely with a vast array of stakeholders, we consistently avoided hearing their voices. We continued to make decisions that had the potential to affect them deeply, and never even sought their perspectives. Even when they were bursting with questions, we provided few opportunities for them to be asked or answered.
What does this say to children and young people about how they're valued by society?
Recent work by UNICEF Australia's youth ambassadors has shown this generation of young Australians is willing and able to participate in and contribute to the civic debates of our time. They possess a strong sense of purpose and believe in upholding human rights. They have voices - ideas and opinions - and they want an opportunity to use them. Work from our team at ARACY has shown participating in this way is a key building block to their overall wellbeing.
Australia's national focus in the COVID-19 response has been on protecting adults, and in particular the elderly. However, the impact on children and young people has also been immense. As the pandemic lingers, we must look to the longer-term effects and plan for all in the recovery. Let's work with children and young people, and bring our national leaders together to broker a COVID recovery plan for children. A plan that reflects their unique needs and respects their ideas in shaping a future we can all be part of.
- Penny Dakin is chief executive of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth.
