Children and Young People | Australian Greens

Principles

The Australian Greens believe that:

All children and young people have a universal and immutable right to agency, safety, bodily autonomy, privacy, education, housing, social support, mental and physical healthcare, and a sustainable environment regardless of their circumstances. These rights are inherent in all children and young people and must be promoted and recognised in all interpersonal, community, institutional, and structural settings.
Young people have a right to participate in decision-making and policy creation in their communities. This right should be supported in all procedural and institutional settings and recognised as essential to successful policy creation and implementation. Where an issue overwhelmingly affects young people, they should be supported to lead the creation of all policy responses.
Failure to address anthropogenic climate change is an act of profound intergenerational injustice.
The rights and wellbeing of children and young people should be central to government climate action responses and economic policies to deal with wealth inequality.
The rights of young people at work should be promoted and recognised in all employment contexts, including the rights to freedom of association, collective bargaining, freedom from all forms of discrimination, and fair pay for time and work.
The rights of children and young people, particularly the rights to privacy, safety, and agency, should be promoted and recognised within the contemporary social context with particular attention towards their participation in digital contexts and spaces.
Institutionalisation is invariably detrimental to the health and wellbeing of children and young people. See also: First Nations policy principles

Aims

The Australian Greens want:

Fully funded child protection programs, service delivery, and decisions which implement the principles outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The National Children's Commissioner, government youth advisory bodies and other youth peak bodies to be better funded to ensure that children and young people have the means to express themselves in their community and contribute to decision-making and policy-creation at all levels of government.
Guaranteed, adequate, and secure income support for young people to enable full participation in education and training opportunities.
Improved education and opportunities for secure and satisfying employment for children and young people including in remote, rural and regional areas.
To eliminate poverty and homelessness of children and young people.
Affordable, accessible and secure housing options for young people, especially for those in transition from at-risk situations.
A significant reduction in the rates of suicide and mental health conditions among children and young people including through effective and accessible mental health services.
Greater emphasis on, and funding for, prevention and early intervention programs to help set up children and young people for lifelong success, which will reduce future harm and costs to society.
Fully funded, effective and accessible services for children and young people, particularly for addressing mental health, suicide, drug and substance use, sexual and reproductive health, disability or special care and protection needs.
Recognition in our justice system that the ability to form criminal intent develops no lower than 14 years, regardless of the nature of the offence.
To raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years.
No imprisonment of children.
Any restrictions on the liberties of young people to be a last resort and based on a therapeutic model.
Programs to divert young people from the criminal justice system and reduce the risk of reoffending, including justice reinvestment programs.
Electoral law reform to allow young people aged 16 and 17 to vote.
The promotion of healthy food, including a ban on junk food advertising on media platforms and content aimed at children.
An increased investment in programs that focus on community awareness, prevention and reporting of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of, and violence against, children and young people.
Well-funded, high quality services for child survivors of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Ensure that young people leaving out-of-home care are given the support they need and are not disadvantaged or left homeless.
The development of new, and improvement of existing, education and preventive health programs for children and young people, particularly in disadvantaged areas.
To increase programs and services to redress inequitable outcomes for First Nations children and young people, that are led, co-designed and delivered by First Nations peoples.
Dedicated programs and services to address the needs of young people from diverse communities, young people of colour, young disabled people and LGBTIQA+ youth.
Policies and programs which recognise and promote the rights of disabled children and young people and remove barriers to the realisation of these rights.
Policies and programs which empower children and young people to participate in online social contexts in line with their rights to safety, privacy, and bodily autonomy.
Measures to prevent the sexualisation of children and young people in media and advertising.
National planning standards that ensure children have appropriate access to quality outdoor green spaces for the promotion of their mental, social and physical health.

(Children and Young People Policy as amended by National Conference October 2023)