Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Policies such as the five per cent housing deposit are about assisting Australians into homeownership. It's just one example of everything that we're doing, along with fee-free TAFE and HECS debt relief, to assist young Australians to get ahead.

Young people in the Northern Territory who I'm proud to represent are showing great initiative, and a local example is Youth Yarn, which is led and driven by the young people themselves. On Saturday evening just past, Youth Yarn, in collaboration with Malak markets and Pathfinders NT, hosted the first-ever youth takeover at Malak markets. Youth-led business stalls and fantastic live performances were a platform for young people to showcase their skills, connect with the community and build their confidence.

This week here in Canberra I'll co-chair the National Leadership Forum, Australia's leading event for developing young leaders, including young Territorians who have come down from Darwin and Alice Springs and young people from every state in the Commonwealth, as well as Pacific leaders, to explore and expand their leadership through the lens of values, compassion and connection.

In Darwin we have federal funding for a youth engagement hub. Unfortunately, the CLP NT government has not progressed the building of this hub. We need these places for mentorship, leadership and support of our young people so that they can flourish.