The Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia (MYAN) has submitted a pre-budget proposal for 2024-25 to the Federal Government, emphasising the critical need for sustained funding for youth-focused settlement services and programmes. MYAN argues that these services are essential for young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds to thrive in Australia, particularly given the current cost of living crisis and risks to social cohesion. The organisation highlights how these issues disproportionately affect young migrants and refugees, potentially leading to poor financial, social, and health outcomes.
MYAN’s recommendations include providing adequate funding for youth settlement programmes, investing in youth-specific education, housing, and employment initiatives, and increasing support for programmes that promote cross-cultural understanding. They also advocate for community-led, youth co-designed initiatives to build bridges between different communities and for initiatives that amplify young people’s voices in political and civic domains. Additionally, MYAN endorses the pre-budget submission prepared by the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA), particularly calling for investment in implementing an Anti-Racism Framework and the reforms outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
