Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm has condemned the Palaszczuk Labor Government over funding cuts for Whitsunday youth since Labor came into power in Queensland.

Ms Camm said funding provided by the Queensland Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs for the Whitsunday local government area was significantly reduced from $230,914 in 2015-2016 to $143,499 in the 2022-2023 financial year.

“It is unacceptable that the Palaszczuk Labor Government has cut funding by almost 40% at a time when young people need to be our priority,” she said.

“There are services across our region like PCYC, YIRS, and YouthSpace that desperately need more funding and are ready to deliver more support on the ground for our youth.

“They can’t do this if Queensland Labor continues to slash funding for young people in our region.”

Ms Camm said the Whitsunday electorate had a higher proportion of youths under 18 and under 10 years of age than the state-wide average, with 23.68% of the electorate comprised of under 18s compared with the state average of 22.37%, and 12.45% of the electorate comprised of children aged 10 and under compared with the state average of 11.99%.

“This demonstrates to me that the Whitsunday region should be high priority, but instead of apportioning funding according to demographics, area growth and need, Queensland Labor is ripping off our youth,” she said.

“Today’s youth and the next generation of youth deserve access to critical services.”

Ms Camm called on the Palaszczuk Labor Government to reinstate funding to previous levels or higher.

“The Whitsunday region is growing at a great rate. Our youth funding allocation should be trending upwards in line with that growth, not taking a 40% dive downward,” she said.

“I have written to the Minister requesting full funding be restored in the upcoming budget.”

Sources:

• Funding allocation data

• Australian Bureau of Statistics