Journal articles on the topic 'Youth Employment Australia'

High rates of youth unemployment, worldwide, have led governments to advocate a range of policies designed to increase job offers to young workers. For example, the Australian Government is currently introducing a system of “training wages” which will see effective youth wages set well below adult award wages for a designated training period. This policy is designed to simultaneously increase the human capital of young workers as well as help to overcome the initial barriers to entry into the labour market. However, youth‐specific wages have been criticized on the basis of age discrimination and on equity grounds. Also, some US data question the employment‐boosting potential of reduced minimum youth wages. In this paper recent international findings on the relationship between youth wages and employment are presented and compared with empirical tests of the relationship using labour market data for Australia as a whole as well as the State of Queensland. The results are used to examine the likely impact of the introduction of the training wage on the youth labour market in Australia and to provide further generalizations on the wider issue of employment and youth‐specific wages.

As the hospitality industry globally suffers persistent skills shortages, organisations are increasingly looking to non-traditional labour markets to fill vacancies. Indeed, hospitality has a long tradition of employing from society’s margins [1]. Research has shown hospitality firms are more likely than other industries to hire people experiencing disability [2]. Therefore, hospitality has the need, the tradition and the capacity to implement and support lasting change in the employment of disability youth. The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which is overhauling the sector and transforming the way persons experiencing disability access services, is modelled on research demonstrating the broader economic benefits of greater inclusive workforce participation [3]. The scheme is also consistent with the fact that employment is the key to exits from disadvantage for most people of working age [4]. Yet Australia ranks 21st out of 29 OECD nations in disability employment rates [5]. These poor rates of providing inclusive employment are often levelled at firms’ unwillingness to hire applicants with a disability [6]. In late 2016, a disability services provider (DSP) and a registered charity partnered in a mobile coffee cart social enterprise to create open employment pathways for a group of disability youth previously employed in the ‘sheltered workshop’ model. A 360-degree ethnography combining interview and observational methods [7] was designed to investigate the holistic experiences of the youth and to gain insights into the levers and barriers regarding open employment. The agency/structure dualism framed the study, as it is recognised that agency is in itself not sufficient when its expression is constrained by an individual’s social deficits and the legacies of their entrenched disadvantage [8]. In all, five ‘baristas’ experiencing disability (across 10 interviews), 11 co-workers/managers from the DSP and the charity, and 21 customers comprised the sample. Previous research has identified industry’s reticence to employ people with disability as a key barrier, despite ability and willingness to work [5]. This study, however, identified a complex range of structural factors inhibiting the agency of disability youth to self-determine towards open employment. These included a history of poor experiences in institutional settings (e.g. schooling and sporting), the safety and security of sheltered workshops, parental oversight and the staffing requirements of DSP social enterprises. Surprising individual-level factors were also manifest, including the inability to responsibly manage new- found workplace independence and an absence of extrinsic motivators to work – given that the disability youth enjoyed financial security regardless of earnings. This research challenges the conventional wisdom that organisations alone need to revisit their willingness, capacity and preparedness for providing accessible employment, and rather suggests that deep-seated structural factors, and their impacts on youth, require concomitant attention. Corresponding author Richard Robinson can be contacted at: richard.robinson@uq.edu.au References (1) Baum, T. Human Resources in Tourism: Still Waiting for Change? A 2015 Reprise. Tourism Management 2015, 50, 204–212. (2) Houtenville, A.; Kalargyrou, V. Employers’ Perspectives about Employing People with Disabilities. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 2014, 56(2), 168–179. (3) Deloitte Access Economics. The Economic Benefits of Increasing Employment for People with Disability; Australian Network on Disability: Sydney, Australia, 2011. (4) McLachlan, R.; Gilfillan, G.; Gordon, J. Deep and Persistent Disadvantage in Australia; Productivity Commission Staff Working Paper: Canberra, Australia, 2013. (5) Darcy, S.A.; Taylor, T.; Green, J. 'But I Can Do the Job': Examining Disability Employment Practice through Human Rights Complaint Cases. Disability and Society 2016, 31(9), 1242–1274. (6) Lysaght, R.; Cobigo, V.; Hamilton, K. Inclusion as a Focus of Employment-Related Research in Intellectual Disability from 2000 to 2010: A Scoping Review. Disability and Rehabilitation 2012, 34(16), 1339–1350. (7) Sandiford, P. Participant Observation as Ethnography or Ethnography as Participant Observation in Organizational Research. In The Palgrave Handbook of Research Design in Business and Management; Strand K. (Ed.); Palgrave Macmillan: London, 2015; pp 411–446. (8) Graham, J.; Shier, M.; Eisenstat, M. Young Adult Social Networks and Labour Market Attachment. Journal of Social Policy 2015, 44(4), 769–786.

Equitable access and participation in higher education from regional youth is a major concern in Australia (National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE), 2015). Currently 0.9% of all university students in Australia come from a regional or remote area (NCSEHE, 2015). This statistic is alarming in the context of the ever-rising digital economy in Australia, and the increasing importance of higher education for employment. This article synthesises current literature relating to Australian regional youth’s low participation in higher education, and the implications of this for their employability in the rapidly-developing digital economy. The compilation of data relating to Australian youth and higher education emphasises the need for further research and understanding into how these young people make the decision to pursue university, and furthermore pursue a career in digital media. In relation to all undergraduate enrolments, the proportion of regional higher education students is stagnant or falling (NCSEHE, 2015). As a nation, the demand for digital competencies in the workforce is rising (Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), 2015). Access to these technologies in regional Australia is more limited and expensive than metropolitan areas (Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee, 2015). Consequently, regional youth risk missing out on the opportunity to master digital technologies to participate in the workforce both via their limited access to them at home, and their lack of participation in higher education where they would acquire skills for digital workplace contexts (Duncan-Howell, 2012).

The youth foyer model was designed to provide a package of support, including accommodation to homeless or at-risk young people, based on participation in education, training and/or employment as a supported transition to independent living and a sustainable livelihood. Commencing in the early 1990s, the UK has developed a large number of foyers while Australia is a relative newcomer to this kind of supportive youth housing. Unlike in the UK, existing and proposed Australian foyer income generated from current benefits and subsidies is not sufficient to cover the cost of support. We highlight the need for an extensible source of funding specifically for supportive housing for homeless and at-risk youth in order to ensure the financial sustainability and therefore replicability of the foyer model in Australia. We also discuss some issues relating to the translation of the model from one national context to another.

Background Young people with refugee experiences are widely acknowledged as encountering multiple disadvantages that affect their school completion and retention, university entry, and subsequent employment. This paper discusses the rationale for and protocol of a mixed methods investigation focusing on improving education and employment outcomes among refugee background youth aged 15 to 24 years from three focus regions: the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria), South Asia (Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar/Burma, Pakistan) and Africa (Sudan, South Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia, Somalia, DR Congo). Objective The rationale of the project is to identify the facilitators and barriers to successful transition from school to further education and employment; investigate participant awareness of support systems available when faced with education and employment difficulties; redress the disadvantages encountered by refugee background youth; and bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice in relation to social inclusion and participation. Methods The study involves collecting survey data from 600 youth followed by individual interviews with a subset of 60 youth, their parents/primary caregivers, and their teachers. A cross-sectional survey will assess facilitators and barriers to successful transition from school to further education and employment. Individual interviews will provide context-rich data on key issues relevant to education and employment outcomes. Results The study began in 2016 and is due for completion by the end of 2019. The quantitative survey has been conducted with 635 participants and was closed in March 2019. The qualitative interview stage is ongoing, and the current total in April 2019 is 93 participants including educators, youth, and family members of the youth. Analysis and presentation of results will be available in 2020. Some preliminary findings will be available during the late half of 2019. Conclusions This project will contribute new and unique insights to knowledge in relation to key factors influencing education and employment outcomes among refugee youth. This research will enable effective planning for the needs of some of Australia’s most disadvantaged and marginalized young people, leading to a sustainable improvement in the education and employability of young refugees. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/12632

Much recent academic and public discourse has centred on the fate of non-metropolitan Australia under successive federal neoliberal reform agendas. This paper discusses creative networks in non-metropolitan areas in light of this, with a focus on issues of youth unemployment and out-migration. First, it draws on research on creative industry development on the New South Wales Far North Coast to assess the efficacy of creative networks as a source of new job growth in rural areas. Second, and more broadly, the paper discusses the North Coast Entertainment Industry Association (NCEIA), a nascent creative network in the region. Several observations are drawn from its experiences. Creative networks in non-metropolitan areas face problems of informal and itinerant membership, and anti-socialisation attitudes, Yet they appear to have a substantial role in improving the conditions of viability for vulnerable cultural producers. When conceived as part of interventionist strategies to promote youth employment and to stem the youth exodus from rural areas, they may also have sociodemographic implications beyond the scope of their original intent.

While Australia has experienced low COVID-19 case numbers relative to other countries, it has witnessed severe economic consequences in the wake of the pandemic. The hospitality industry, in which young adults are overrepresented, has been among the most affected industries. In this article, we present findings from an interview and a digital methods-based study of young hospitality workers in the Australian cities of Melbourne and Newcastle who lost shifts or employment due to the pandemic. We argue that the participants’ ability to cope with the loss of work was mediated by the degree of family support that they could access, with some experiencing the pandemic as an inconvenience, while others suffered extreme financial hardship. Findings from this study show that the most severe impacts of the pandemic play out along pre-existing lines of inequality and marginality, causing the most severe consequences for those who were already most vulnerable to them.

COVID-19 has created or amplified economic and social crises internationally. Australia entered its first recession in 30 years and saw a significant rise in unemployment. In response, Australian governments have increased their commitments to infrastructure construction to stimulate the national economy and combined this with new social procurement policies that aim to create social value for targeted populations like Indigenous peoples and unemployed youth. However, emerging social procurement research in construction shows a disconnect between policymakers and the practitioners who must implement them. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide theoretical and practical insights on creating social value in the context of construction employment created by new social procurement policies. Reporting a survey of 107 construction workers in Australia, it is shown that social procurement policies and construction employers can create social value when they provide work benefits like adequate pay and training and development and cultural benefits like inclusive workplaces. Recommendations are made to demonstrate how the results presented in this article can be used by contractors to create social value. This research is significant for advising how increased infrastructure spending commitments in Australia can create social and economic outcomes for workers, ensuring a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 crises.

Abstract The working holiday (wh) program is a cultural exchange program that offers youth ‘global experiences’ including short-term employment, travel, and/or study. Australia is the most popular destination for Japanese working holiday makers (whm s): over 10,000 Japanese whm s were in Australia before the pandemic hit the country in March 2020. Despite the fact that most had held secure white-collar jobs in Japan, they moved to Australia and voluntarily took precarious jobs in agriculture, hospitality, and childcare. What made them decide to accept such significant downward mobility and acquiesce to unfavorable conditions such as underpayment, non-payment, and sometimes even harassment? How did the covid-19 pandemic affect their lives in Australia? Based on data from surveys and qualitative interviews, this article analyses the relationship between globalism and a willingness for Japanese youth migrants to join the ‘underclass’ in Australia.

Many Sudanese Australians have faced re-settlement challenges since migrating to Australia from the late 1990s onwards. Challenges have included language barriers, obtaining stable housing, acquiring employment, acculturative stressors and discrimination. Moreover, many have been exposed to pre-migratory traumas and family fragmentation. Despite these difficulties, the vast majority of Sudanese Australians have integrated successfully into the fabric of Australian society. Yet a small number of young Sudanese Australians are at-risk for violence and other criminal activities, resulting in their over-representation in the criminal justice system. These circumstances have been the subject of sustained sensationalised media coverage in Australia. However, little academic attention has been afforded to these matters. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by identifying the self-reported life experiences and offending patterns of Sudanese-Australian youth in custody. Findings illuminated a number of key risk factors for justice system contact and opportunities for intervention.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the key global challenges relating to youth employment and consider some ways that they may be addressed to allow their inclusion in the contemporary workplace. Also, the paper provides a brief introduction and rationale for the other five articles comprising this special issue volume. Design/methodology/approach The approach concerns a review of the relevant literature and reports on the topic. Findings The challenges outlined in this paper and the others in this special issue volume emphasise the need for much more work to be done to address the current global challenges relating to youth unemployment. It points to: the difficulties many young workers face in taking the first step towards gaining employment; the need for stakeholder collaboration towards future policy investment as well as strategy implementation and integration. Originality/value To date, much of the research that has been conducted on the challenges of youth employment and inclusion appears to have focussed on Europe and the USA. This special issue volume includes countries that have been less researched to date: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, thus adding to current understanding of the topic in those contexts.

Volunteering is perceived as benefiting youth by facilitating university entry and access to better employment. However, little empirical evidence exists to show whether such perceptions are justified. Therefore, this article presents data on volunteering and attainment from a representative sample of Australians who were born around 1990 and participated in the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth between 2006 and 2016. Supplementing results of two-level hierarchical models involving person-year data with insights from several in-depth interviews, we argue that Bourdieu’s theory of social practice is a fruitful framework for understanding how volunteering affects university participation and occupational status of young people. Volunteering provides gains, but they are not large enough to view it as an instrumental means which young people use to advance their educational and employment prospects. Rather, volunteering can be considered as a form of cultural capital which is beneficial but enacted for reasons other than extrinsic rewards.

The article examines the concept of integration to achieve the process of inclusion of youth in the development of civil society, taking into account the socio-cultural context, taking into account the historical patterns of the country's development. Current legislation in the field of social protection of youth, in the field of employment, provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine regarding the legal regulation of the process of labor integration of youth are analyzed. The works of theorists of labor law and social security law O.M. Yaroshenka, Yu.M. Shchotova, P.M. Rossokhatskgo, T.A. Kolyady were studied. etc. on the subject of the problems of youth implementation of the right to work, as a guarantee of the development of spiritual, creative potential and economic independence. The article draws attention to the problems and obstacles faced by young people in the process of realizing their labor rights. Emphasis is placed on the importance of professional training that a young person can undergo to increase their competitiveness in the labor market. Just as professional training is the process of acquiring or improving professional knowledge, abilities and skills by a person in accordance with his vocation and abilities, which ensures the appropriate level of professional qualification for professional activity and competitiveness in the labor market. The experience of such highly developed countries as Great Britain, Germany, Japan, France, and the USA was studied. Measures taken by countries to limit youth unemployment are noteworthy. The example of Bulgaria is given, where the practice of developing age-differentiated employment programs for young people is widespread; Germany, where there is professional selection and career guidance at an early age; the combination of professional training and production activities at the expense of specially created government funds by local authorities takes place in Denmark; encouraging employers to employ young people aged 16 to 26 in the form of reduced amounts of social contributions for them as a kind of tax benefits is actively used in France and Spain; the active practice of involving young people in six-month internships with at least the minimum wage has a positive effect on the further employment of young people in Australia. Proposals are given for the introduction of advanced foreign experience.

“Programs for lower secondary students supporting their access to vocational education and training in the senior years: a cross-sectoral approach including school and industry profession development” is a project funded by the Career Education Association of Western Australia and the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. The project objectives, findings and recommendations from the preliminary research and other project developments are described. The Internet address for regular updated information is also provided.

Worldwide, Indigenous youth face ongoing challenges and inequalities. Increasing our understanding of life course patterns in Indigenous youth will assist the design of strategies and interventions that encourage positive development. This study aimed to increase understanding of resilience and positive development in Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth across Australia and the United States of America. The Australian sample comprised 9680 non-Indigenous and 176 Pacific Islander and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The USA sample comprised 2258 non-Indigenous and 220 Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and Native American/American Indian peoples. Data were used to examine how Indigenous background, volunteering, and community involvement at average age 15 years (Grade 9) predicted five young adult positive development indicators: Year 12 (Grade 12) school completion, tertiary education participation, independent income, paid employment, and intimate relationship formation from age 18 to 28 years. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that while Indigenous youth showed slower increases in positive young adult development over time, when adjusting for socioeconomic disadvantage, there was a reduction in this difference. Moreover, we found that Grade 9 community involvement and volunteering were positively associated with young adult development for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. Findings indicate the importance of addressing structural inequalities and increasing adolescent opportunities as feasible strategies to improve positive outcomes for young Indigenous adults.

Refugees experience traumatic life events with impacts amplified in regional and rural areas due to barriers accessing services. This study examined the factors influencing the lived experience of resettlement for former refugees in regional Launceston, Australia, including environmental, social, and health-related factors. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with adult and youth community members from Burma, Bhutan, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Iran, and Sudan, and essential service providers (n = 31). Thematic analysis revealed four factors as primarily influencing resettlement: English language proficiency; employment, education and housing environments and opportunities; health status and service access; and broader social factors and experiences. Participants suggested strategies to overcome barriers associated with these factors and improve overall quality of life throughout resettlement. These included flexible English language program delivery and employment support, including industry-specific language courses; the provision of interpreters; community events fostering cultural sharing, inclusivity and promoting well-being; and routine inclusion of nondiscriminatory, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed practices throughout a former refugee’s environment, including within education, employment, housing and service settings.

It is widely recognised that employment is vital in assisting young refugees’ integration into a new society. Drawing on psychosocial safety climate (PSC) theory, this research investigated the effect of organisational climate on young refugee workers’ mental health (psychological distress) through stressful social relational aspects of work (e.g., harassment, discrimination). Drawing on data from 635 young refugees aged between 15 and 26 in South Australia, 116 refugees with paid work were compared with 519 refugee students without work, and a sample of young workers from Australian Workplace Barometer (AWB) data (n = 290). The results indicated that refugees with paid work had significantly lower psychological distress compared with refugees with no paid work, but more distress than other young Australian workers. With respect to workplace harassment and abuse, young refugee workers reported significantly more harassment due to their ongoing interaction and engagement with mainstream Australian workers compared with unemployed refugees. Harassment played a vital role in affecting psychological health in refugees (particularly) and other young workers. While refugee youth experienced harassment at work, overall, their experiences suggest that their younger age upon arrival enabled them to seek and find positive employment outcomes. Although PSC did not differ significantly between the employed groups, we found that it likely negatively influenced psychological distress through the mediating effects of harassment and abuse. Hence, fostering pathways to successful employment and creating safe work based on high PSC and less harassment are strongly recommended to improve refugees’ mental health and adaptation.

AbstractLimited academic attention has been afforded to young workers relative to their adult counterparts. This study addresses a phase of the employment relationship for young people that is very infrequently examined – during or around the time when the relationship ends. It examines the relative frequency of different forms of dismissal and the circumstances preceding the dismissals via a content analysis of 1259 cases of employee enquiries to a community advocacy organisation in Australia. Results indicate that dismissal was most commonly associated with bullying, harassment, and taking personal leave. Young men, compared to young women, were disproportionately likely to report allegations of misconduct as preceding dismissal, while females experienced higher rates of sexual harassment and discrimination. The research highlights the types and circumstances of dismissal across a range of employment contexts and reveals the complexities of youth employment relationships which may differ from those of the general workforce.

AbstractLimited academic attention has been afforded to young workers relative to their adult counterparts. This study addresses a phase of the employment relationship for young people that is very infrequently examined – during or around the time when the relationship ends. It examines the relative frequency of different forms of dismissal and the circumstances preceding the dismissals via a content analysis of 1259 cases of employee enquiries to a community advocacy organisation in Australia. Results indicate that dismissal was most commonly associated with bullying, harassment, and taking personal leave. Young men, compared to young women, were disproportionately likely to report allegations of misconduct as preceding dismissal, while females experienced higher rates of sexual harassment and discrimination. The research highlights the types and circumstances of dismissal across a range of employment contexts and reveals the complexities of youth employment relationships which may differ from those of the general workforce.

This case study provides an overview of the 1997 DEETYA (Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs) career information products, including the Job guide 1997 CD-ROM. Developments incorporated into the 1997 products greatly enhance the flexibility with which the career information can be used and enable these resources to be accessed by a much wider audience, both in Australia and overseas. The overall objective of these products is to assist students and job seekers to make informed decisions leading to effective career, education and training choices. In addition to describing the content of each product, the target audience is outlined.

The article examines the global and regional issues of international youth migration. The obtained results are most interesting for those regions where the population is shrinking and aging with a rising need to involve youth for educational services and local labor markets, or vice versa, for those losing youth due to their emigration. It is emphasized that youth create an economically active social group, which volume and quality significantly affect the country’s development. During the global migration trends identification, the authors identified the international youth migration flows’ differences and features. The paper notes that the global trends in the international youth migration development include: increase in volume and percentage of youth in the overall number of migrants and the local population; growth of youth migrants in more developed regions and high-income countries; the dominance of migratory centers for youth in Oceania, North America, and Europe; formation of powerful centers of migration of intellectual young labor resources in the UAE, Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. The available formational policy in youth migration regulation, on the example of India, China, Taiwan, Japan, USA, and Western Europe, is studied. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international migration flows is considered, including changes in international migration in 2020. Based on the UN data analysis on age groups of migrants within geographical regions, it was determined that the prerequisite for such a structure of migration centers is a high level of migratory attractiveness. Such migration-center structure is also explained by the significant level of cross-regional migration, as in the localized regions, their factors of «attraction-repulsion» are formed. It is stressed out that increas- ing military and political instability has led to the uphill of forced youth migrants. The paper proposes the flow optimization directions of international youth migration by formulating the link between migration policy and elements of other integration policies on migrant youth (employment policy, social, educational, information and security policies).

BackTrack is a multi-component, community-based program designed to build capacity amongst high-risk young people. The aim of this study was to conduct a benefit-cost analysis of BackTrack, which was implemented in Armidale, a rural town in New South Wales, Australia. Costs and benefits were identified, measured and valued in 2016 Australian dollars. Costs were estimated from program financial and administrative records. Benefits were estimated using a pre-post design and conservative economic assumptions. Benefits included education attendance or completion; employment; engagement with health service providers; reduced homelessness; economic productivity; reduced vandalism to local infrastructure; reduced youth crime; reduced engagement with the justice system; and program income generated by participants. The counterfactual baseline was zero educational outcome, based on discussions with BackTrack staff and expert informants. We tested this assumption compared to the assumption that participants had a Year 8 education. There was evidence of significant quantifiable improvements in several outcomes: high school attendance or completion, vocational education attendance or completion, unskilled or vocationally qualified employment and economic productivity. Reduced homelessness, engagement with health services and acquisition of job readiness skills, as well as reduced local infrastructure vandalism and reduced crime were further quantifiable improvements. The net social benefit of BackTrack was estimated at $3,267,967 with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.03, meaning that every dollar invested in BackTrack would return $2.03 in benefits. BackTrack represents a viable funding option for a government interested in addressing the needs of high-risk young people.

Institutional responses to high rates of youth unemployment in Western industrialized nations have been marked by costly labour market programs, career education services and systems of skill formation. The success of these responses has not been easy to demonstrate, and such programs ignore the fact that in imperfect labour markets the essential activity that does seem to be strongly related to successful job acquisition for any individual is that of structured job finding. Job-finding clubs (which use behavioural techniques to develop high levels of skill in obtaining jobs) have been demonstrated, both in the United States and in Australia, to be capable of significantly increasing the rates of employment among participating club members. The effectiveness and utility of this behavioural approach is outlined.

Scientifically robust analysis of trade-offs for onshore gas activity can inform the design of strategies for socially acceptable and efficient use of energy resources. Here, we present lessons from a portfolio of research spanning three States and different industry stages conducted as part of the Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA). Considering the effects of onshore gas development on regional economies, an important lesson is to look at net changes, considering decreases as well as increases in economic activity. In Queensland, where competing claims about employment effects were raised in public debates, measuring reduced agricultural employment in addition to increases to the number of jobs in other sectors were crucial to providing a balanced analysis. Another lesson is to take a broad view of economic dimensions beyond employment and income. Our research shifted the public debate when we demonstrated that the construction phase in Queensland improved youth retention, gender balance and skill levels. Another lesson is that economic effects of gas development (positive or negative) can occur before stakeholders expect them. In New South Wales, we observed that the exploration phase had a significant positive effect on income (but not employment). A further lesson is that effects differ between domestic and export markets. Research from South Australia has demonstrated that the potential regional benefits of gas development substantially depend on meeting the energy needs of other local industries such as manufacturing. These lessons can inform public debate and policy settings and help balance different priorities such as energy needs, regional development and environmental sustainability.

The study is about international kinship care arrangements in Ethiopia, focusing on Ethiopian children who applied for an Australian Orphan Relative Visa. A qualitative case study research method was used. Study participants were nine children between the ages of 13-17 years and nine parents/guardians of those children. Other participants were five experts from the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, and Federal First Instance Court. In-depth interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview guides. Additional data were also derived from observations and document reviews. Thematic data analysis was used. Data from all sources were triangulated and categorized under the themes that emerged from the data. This study identified two categories of children: those who cannot get proper care either due to the loss of parents or due to incapacity of parents to take care of them, and those children who use international kinship arrangement as a mechanism to access a better life in Australia. Children expressed their expectations to get a better education, employment, material benefits, and living conditions after placement abroad. They also expressed concerns about how well relatives abroad will treat them. The findings further revealed that the Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs was not appropriately documenting pre-placement and post-placement information. Since international kinship care is different from international adoption in its nature, there was a lack of clarity on the legal protection that should be given to children, which puts them in a precarious socio-legal situation. This study can be used as a starting point to understand and consider international kinship care arrangements as one important alternative child care option.

The article aims at analyzing domestic and foreign experience in social policy provision (the essence of the concept, its basic models and directions), as it acts as a kind of lever to determine the principles, priorities, directions of the social sphere development. The article suggests a new definition of the "social policy" concept through analyzing the content of the category in question. The public administration approach to understanding the "social policy" concept is also outlined. The article identifies the priority directions of transformations in the EU member states’ social policy, which are taking place due to globalization challenges. Based on these areas, the main principles of European social policy are identified, namely: inclusiveness, gender equality, digitalization, support for youth policy development (employment, education), and financial education of citizens. Social policy in such countries as Canada, Germany, China, and Australia is analyzed, and peculiarities of its changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic are considered in the following areas: support for employment, social protection and the unemployed; social support for certain social groups; support for business development. The main means helping to implement the outlined areas are identified, namely: creation of funds to support certain social groups; formation of favorable conditions for lending to small, medium and large businesses; financing of various social programs (providing employment, training, and wage subsidies). The main directions of domestic social policy in the COVID-19 pandemic are also given. Relevant conclusions on domestic and foreign experience in the implementation of social policy are formed. Further research can be related to the issues of creating a mechanism for an effective social policy implementation.

Access to appropriate health and social care is challenging for vulnerable populations. We used a ‘pop-up’ delivery model to bring community-based services in contact with communities with poor access to health and social care. Our aim was to examine whether pop-up events improve access to essential health and social support services for selected vulnerable communities and increase collaboration between community-based health and social services. Set in south-eastern Melbourne, two pop-up events were held, one with people at risk of homelessness attending a community lunch and the other with South Sudanese women helping at-risk youth. Providers represented 20 dental, housing, justice, employment and mental health services. We made structured observations of each event and held semi-structured interviews with consumers and providers. Pre-post surveys of managers assessed acceptability and perceived impact. We reached 100 community participants who had multiple needs, particularly for dentistry. Following the events, participants reported increased knowledge of services and access pathways, community members spoke of increased trust and partnerships between service providers were fostered. The pop-up model can increase provider collaboration and provide new options for vulnerable populations to access needed services. ‘Bringing the service to the person’ is a compelling alternative to asking consumers to negotiate complex access pathways.

The formation and development of the Ukrainian school and educational affair as the basis for the professional training of Ukrainian youth in the Western countries in the second half of the XX-th century is examined in the article. The emphasis was given to the complexity and multiplicity of this process, which was caused by the socioeconomic and educational policies of the states, which became a new homeland for the Ukrainians, geography and compactness of their resettlement, employment in the different branches of the economy, the presence in the diaspora of the professional intelligentsia, its national awareness, the state religious life, etc. Accordingly, in different countries (Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Canada, USA, Australia, Argentina), this process was different, more or less intense and had results, but it still remains an object of interest as an important support of native cultural heritage, an inexhaustible source of preserving its spirituality bearers. The institutional forms and types of obtaining of pedagogical education by Ukrainians in the Western countries of the second half of the 20th century, the peculiarity of teaching and educational activities in different types of educational establishment and the main tendencies of the development of the Ukrainian school and educational affairs are presented. Among them: an expansion of the network of pre-school establishments, primary, secondary and high schools in connection with the arrival of emigrants to countries of Western Europe, America and Australia; public uniting efforts of leading Ukrainian public associations in preserving the national identity and spirituality of Ukrainians born outside Ukraine's native land; development of scientifically grounded, adapted to the needs and conditions of Ukrainians living in the diaspora of the theory of teaching and national education of younger generations; improving the content of studying and educational process in all types of schools, bringing it to the standards of the existing state education system and the increased requirements of economic and cultural life of the countries that have become a new homeland for Ukrainians.

Purpose There has been a significant growth in the employment of peer workers over the past decade in youth and adult mental health settings. Peer work in mental health services for older people is less developed, and there are no existing peer work models for specialist mental health services for older people in Australia. The authors developed and implemented a peer work model for older consumers and carers of a specialist mental health service. The purpose of this paper is to describe the model, outline the implementation barriers experienced and lesson learned and comment on the acceptability of the model from the perspective of stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach To ensure the development of the peer work model met the needs of key stakeholders, the authors adopted an evaluation process that occurred alongside the development of the model, informed by action research principles. To identify stakeholder preferences, implementation barriers and potential solutions, and gain insight into the acceptability and perceived effectiveness of the model, a range of methods were used, including focus groups with the peer workers, clinicians and steering committee, consumer and carer surveys, field notes and examination of project documentation. Findings While the model was overall well received by stakeholders, the authors experienced a range of challenges and implementation barriers, in particular around governance, integrating the model into existing systems, and initial resistance to peer work from clinical staff. Originality/value Older peer workers provide a valuable contribution to the mental health sector through the unique combination of lived experience and ageing. The authors recommend that models of care are developed prior to implementation so that there is clarity around governance, management, reporting lines and management of confidentiality issues.

The Australian labour market in 2016 was characterised by fragmented improvements. While headline economic growth has strengthened, a pessimistic business environment has been accompanied by patchy employment growth. This growth has been driven by male part-time employment and roles in the lower wage segments of the labour market, including clerical, community service and manual labour occupations. While the unemployment rate has fallen and retrenchments have dropped across the labour market, youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, while older job seekers have become more likely to fall into long-term unemployment. High youth unemployment has stimulated debate about the role and regulation of unpaid work experience, while popular commentary about the effects of automation on the labour market is yet to appear in the statistics. Wage growth remains very subdued.

Drawing on research interviews and relevant document analysis, this paper analyses the changing forms of the national education agenda as it was developed and modifed in the Australian Education Council from 1987 to 1993. Particular attention is given to four significant developments in this period: national curriculum statements and profiles in schooling, and Mayer competencies; the training reform agenda; higher education; and the National Strategy for Equity in Schools. The study is located against general developments in Australian federalism and the changing political complexion of State governments across the period which led to the creation of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs.

Purpose – The psychopathy checklist: youth version (PCL: YV) checklist is an assessment of youth psychopathic traits and is regularly validated by way of its associations with re-offending and violence. Yet existing research has been conducted with predominantly white Caucasian cohorts and extant evidence suggests that associations with recidivism are stronger in samples with greater proportions of white offenders. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study investigated the cross-cultural validity of the PCL: YV for an ethnically diverse Australian sample of 175 young male offenders in custody. Participants were assessed in custody with the PCL: YV and offending data were collected post-release for up to 18 months. Findings – PCL: YV total and domain scores were comparable across ethnicity; however the instrument demonstrated stronger relationships with recidivism for Australian participants with an English speaking background compared to Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse participants. Practical implications – The authors advocate the cautionary employment of the PCL: YV as a violence risk prediction instrument with minority young offenders regionally, pending further evidence. Originality/value – This study addresses the capacity of the PCL: YV to predict violence across different ethnic groups. Cross-cultural youth psychopathy research is currently inadequate and existing studies suggest that the PCL: YV is a weaker predictor of violence in culturally diverse samples. This investigation provides much needed information on the capacity of the PCL: YV to extend to different ethnic groups who are represented Australia’s youth prison population. This is the first study of its kind regionally, and more importantly is the first PCL: YV study with an Indigenous Australian comparison group. This is particularly important given that Indigenous Australians are heavily overrepresented in Australia’s criminal justice system and require appropriate risk assessment measures to ensure they are not misclassified. Research such as this is now of particular interest given the recent judicial decision made in Ewert vs Canada.

Objective: To examine (1) the 12-month prevalence of social anxiety disorder (SOC), separation anxiety disorder (SEP) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a large, nationally representative sample of Australian youth; (2) patterns of comorbidity between these disorders; (3) demographic and socio-environmental correlates and (4) the psychosocial impact and service use associated with each condition. Method: Data are from the 2013/2014 Australian national, face-to-face household Young Minds Matter survey of mental health and wellbeing. Informants were parents or carers reporting on 6310, 4- to 17-year-olds (55% of eligible households). The presence of each of the three anxiety disorders was determined based on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children–Version IV. Results: In the past 12 months, 6.6% of youth had experienced at least one of SOC, SEP or GAD, with rates of 2.3% for SOC, 4.3% for SEP and 2.3% for GAD. Rates did not differ by gender but were significantly higher for SOC and GAD and lower for SEP in 12- to 17-year-olds than 4- to 11-year-olds. Comorbidity between these disorders was high, although lower for SEP. Having SOC, SEP or GAD was associated with not living with both biological parents, having a parent with a mental health problem, elevated negative family events, low carer employment and peer victimization. The association with family risk factors was greater for SEP than for SOC and GAD. Although the majority of anxious youth had received professional help, this was less likely in the younger cohort. Conclusion: Social, separation and generalized anxiety disorders in young people are relatively common and impairing, with a high level of comorbidity. There are both commonalities and differences in socio-environmental correlates. The majority of anxious youth received some form of professional assistance, although the rate was lower among children compared to adolescents.

Early school leavers have always been perceived as being at a disadvantage in the labour market, even prior to the days of extreme youth unemployment. Although recent years have seen increasing numbers of young people remain at school or engage in some other form of post-compulsory education or training, there are still many young people who leave school early and do not complete any form of post-compulsory education or training. This paper attempts to review the Australian context on this issue, including research findings on profiles of early school leavers, their eventual employment status and its individual and social cost. The paper then briefly reviews government policy and suggestions for education and training structures and, in particular, the renewed focus on career education and facets of its role with early school leavers.

AbstractRecently the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) conducted a nationwide survey on programs that exhibit best practice in addressing student behaviour issues (de Jong, 2004). Seven themes related to the characteristics of best practice were identified in this survey. Alternative education programs (AEPs) was one of them. Although contentious in the context of inclusive education, this survey indicated that, provided they are embedded in best practice, AEPs are still considered to be a creditable means of meeting the needs of adolescent students with challenging behaviour in most Australian education jurisdictions. This being so, what constitutes best practice in the construction and delivery of an AEP? This is the main focus of our article. We briefly define AEPs, submit a continuum of types of AEPs, consider the cases against and in favour of AEPs, and conclude by presenting the characteristics of quality AEPs according to three categories, namely: (1) organisation and partnerships, (2) pastoral care and ethos, and (3) curriculum and pedagogy.

BUZZING is a pilot project which introduces a new way of working with disengaged and long-term unemployed young people (aged 15 to 24 years) to support their transition into employment using gamification and online platforms to drive engagement. The project is funded by the Australian Government's Department of Employment under their Empowering YOUth Initiatives, and delivered by not-for-profit organisation United Synergies. This article gives focus to the design considerations that underpin the work of an internal evaluator working on the BUZZING project, and enrolled in an evaluation unit within a postgraduate course. The step-by-step process used to create an evaluation plan inclusive of purpose, context, scope, method and methodology are illustrated, supported by evidence-based justifications. Furthermore, counter-bias design considerations such as a mix of different methodology inquiry, data sources and researchers (triangulation) are discussed and recommendations given for an ethical evaluation framework. The practice of using evidence-based rigour in evaluation is promoted for organisations which seek to demonstrate positive social change within complex environments. The capacity building and professional development of internal evaluators in the not-for-profit sector is therefore recommended to drive accountability, ethical practices and continual improvement for public good from within the organisation. Finally, White's (2009) theory-based impact evaluation is adopted as the evaluation method as it maps out the causal chain from inputs to outcomes and impact, testing the underlying assumptions to understand why a program has, or has not, had an impact.

In 1988 the Aboriginal Education Policy Task Force called for broad equity between Aboriginal people and other Australians in access, participation, and outcomes at all stages of education. Aboriginals are not achieving a comparative level of success at school compared to non-Aboriginals. Symptomatic of problems in our schools are, the over representation of Aboriginals in lower classes, the high drop-out rate of Aboriginal children and their low participation rates in the senior years of high school. Some 17% of Aboriginal youth continue their schooling to year 12 compared to 49% of all students (Department of Employment, Education and Training, 1988, p.7). The failure of Aboriginal children to achieve at school has been widely interpreted as an individual failure on the part of Aboriginal children. Poor attainment has been attributed to lower I.Q. and ability, inadequate home environments, and poor parenting and not to the inadequacies of the education provided, to prejudices Aboriginal children face or to the active resistance by Aboriginal people to the cultural destruction implicit in many educational programs (McConnochie, 1982, p.20). An examination of the determinants of school success shows that Aboriginal children’s cultural values, beliefs and practices and Australian schools are often in conflict. To improve the outcomes for Aboriginal children schools are required to assess whether or not they are catering for the inherent needs and talents of individual Aboriginal children.

<div><p><em>This research sets out to unravel the history of Lennox Mine from its inception in 1970 tracing the contribution of the mine to the economic development of Zimbabwe from its colonial beginnings up to the current period when the new visionary owner, Honourable Gandiwa Moyo, Deputy Minister of Mines who inherited a dysfunctional mining enterprise set it on course again as a pillar for economic production, under the erstwhile management of the Lennox General Mine Manager, Edgar Mashindi. The research seeks to explore how the mine management, operating under harsh economic conditions prevailing in Zimbabwe has empowered African entrepreneurs and employees and resuscitated life to the dying town of Mashava. Mashava is back on its former footing as a lively booming bedroom town of Masvingo City, forty kilometres away: supermarkets, bars, salons, housing projects, new shops are sprouting up once again as Mashava claims its proud place as a gold producing enclave of the Zimbabwean economy. Hundreds of unemployed youths from all over Zimbabwe have descended on Mashava, seeking employment and investment opportunities resulting in an unprecedented economic boom which is being felt country wide. Only recently hordes of flea female market traders opened shop at Mashava to sell clothes, shoes, household furniture and related paraphernalia to local residents and they reported that business was excellent and confirmed business plans to return every month end to sell their wares. A few years back Mashava was an abandoned mining town with all services shut down after the Capitalist oligarchic organization which owned Mashava ceased all operations and expropriated capital to Australia and Europe and started out new commercial ventures in those respective European countries. The Zimbabwean Electricity Supply Association [ZESA] shut down electricity supplies to Lennox Mine after the mine incurred a debt of close to a quarter of a million. Today, Lennox has agreed on a payment plan and electricity has been reopened triggering high gold productivity as the mine returns to its normal production levels.</em></p></div>

Many Australian-based companies are currently providing company information on-line. Now some companies are introducing the option of on-line job applications. The Internet will also play a key role in the delivery of employment services when the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs launches new labour market reforms in 1998. What is the difference between a keyword, an online, an HTML and a scannable résumé? What about security issues? This article examines what careers professionals need to know in order to advise their clients about this type of job application. Using the Internet for job applications speeds up the process of applying for a job. Job seekers can obtain an application form, company information, fill out the form and submit it in a much shorter period of time than using other communication methods. The production of stunning looking resumes is no advantage for e-mail, scannable or on-line applications. With these types of resume, uniform presentation is essential and the content of the resume is the primary feature, with keywords of paramount importance. Conversely, for HTML resumes presentation is crucial and those who can turn their resume into an interesting multimedia presentation will have an advantage over other applicants. Jandt and Nemnich (1995) and Riley (1996) are resources that careers professionals may find useful. The main requirement for careers professionals is to develop a good knowledge of the jargon, which will enable advisers to provide helpful assistance to their clients. Understanding how the various kinds of resumes differ from each other is also necessary to giving sound advice. Finally, clients need to be made aware of the security and privacy issues that may arise when making electronic job applications.

Background Web-based self-report surveying has increased in popularity, as it can rapidly yield large samples at a low cost. Despite this increase in popularity, in the area of youth mental health, there is a distinct lack of research comparing the results of Web-based self-report surveys with the more traditional and widely accepted computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Objective The Second Australian Young and Well National Survey 2014 sought to compare differences in respondent response patterns using matched items on CATI versus a Web-based self-report survey. The aim of this study was to examine whether responses varied as a result of item sensitivity, that is, the item’s susceptibility to exaggeration on underreporting and to assess whether certain subgroups demonstrated this effect to a greater extent. Methods A subsample of young people aged 16 to 25 years (N=101), recruited through the Second Australian Young and Well National Survey 2014, completed the identical items on two occasions: via CATI and via Web-based self-report survey. Respondents also rated perceived item sensitivity. Results When comparing CATI with the Web-based self-report survey, a Wilcoxon signed-rank analysis showed that respondents answered 14 of the 42 matched items in a significantly different way. Significant variation in responses (CATI vs Web-based) was more frequent if the item was also rated by the respondents as highly sensitive in nature. Specifically, 63% (5/8) of the high sensitivity items, 43% (3/7) of the neutral sensitivity items, and 0% (0/4) of the low sensitivity items were answered in a significantly different manner by respondents when comparing their matched CATI and Web-based question responses. The items that were perceived as highly sensitive by respondents and demonstrated response variability included the following: sexting activities, body image concerns, experience of diagnosis, and suicidal ideation. For high sensitivity items, a regression analysis showed respondents who were male (beta=−.19, P=.048) or who were not in employment, education, or training (NEET; beta=−.32, P=.001) were significantly more likely to provide different responses on matched items when responding in the CATI as compared with the Web-based self-report survey. The Web-based self-report survey, however, demonstrated some evidence of avidity and attrition bias. Conclusions Compared with CATI, Web-based self-report surveys are highly cost-effective and had higher rates of self-disclosure on sensitive items, particularly for respondents who identify as male and NEET. A drawback to Web-based surveying methodologies, however, includes the limited control over avidity bias and the greater incidence of attrition bias. These findings have important implications for further development of survey methods in the area of health and well-being, especially when considering research topics (in this case diagnosis, suicidal ideation, sexting, and body image) and groups that are being recruited (young people, males, and NEET).

It was the Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan who first introduced the term ‘global village’ into the lexicon, almost fifty years ago. He was referring to the phenomenon of global interconnectedness of which we are all too aware today. At that time, we were witnessing the world just opening up. In 1946, British Airways had commenced a twice weekly service from London to New York. The flight involved one or two touch downs en-route and took a scheduled 19 hours and 45 minutes. By the time McLuhan had published his book “Understanding media; the extensions of man”, there were regular services by jet around the globe. London to Sydney was travelled in just under 35 hours. Moving forward to a time immediately pre-covid, there were over 30 non-stop flights a day in each direction between London and New York. The travel time from London to Sydney had been cut by a third, to slightly under 22 hours, with just one touchdown en-route. The world has well and truly ‘opened up’. No place is unreachable by regular services. But that is just one part of the picture. In 1962, the very first live television pictures were transmitted across the Atlantic, via satellite. It was a time when sports’ fans would tune in besides a crackling radio set to hear commentary of their favourite game relayed from the other side of the world. Today of course, not only can we watch a live telecast of the Olympic Games in the comfort of our own homes wherever the games are being held, but we can pick up a telephone and talk face to face with friends and relatives in real time, wherever they may be in the world. To today’s generation – generation Z – this does not seem in the least bit remarkable. Indeed, they have been nicknamed ‘the connected generation’ precisely because such a degree of human interconnectedness no longer seems worth commenting on. The media technology and the transport advances that underpin this level of connectedness, have become taken for granted assumptions to them. This is why the global events of 2020 and the associated public health related reactions, have proved to be so remarkable to them. It is mass travel and the closeness and variety of human contact in day-to-day interactions, that have provided the breeding ground for the pandemic. Consequently, moving around and sharing close proximity with many strangers, have been the activities that have had to be curbed, as the initial primary means to manage the spread of the virus. This has caused hardship to many, either through the loss of a job and the associated income or, the lengthy enforced separation from family and friends – for the many who find themselves living and working far removed from their original home. McLuhan’s powerful metaphor was ahead of its time. His thoughts were centred around media and electronic communications well prior to the notion of a ‘physical’ pandemic, which today has provided an equally potent image of how all of our fortunes have become intertwined, no matter where we sit in the world. Yet it is this event which seems paradoxically to have for the first time forced us to consider more closely the path of progress pursued over the last half century. It is as if we are experiencing for the first time the unleashing of powerful and competing forces, which are both centripetal and centrifugal. On the one hand we are in a world where we have a World Health Organisation. This is a body which has acted as a global force, first declaring the pandemic and subsequently acting in response to it as a part of its brief for international public health. It has brought the world’s scientists and global health professionals together to accelerate the research and development process and develop new norms and standards to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and help care for those affected. At the same time, we have been witnessing nations retreating from each other and closing their borders in order to restrict the interaction of their citizens with those from other nations around the world. We have perceived that danger and risk are increased by international travel and human to human interaction. As a result, increasingly communication has been carried out from the safety and comfort of one’s own home, with electronic media taking the place of personal interaction in the real world. The change to the media dominated world, foreseen by McLuhan a half century ago, has been hastened and consolidated by the threats posed by Covid 19. Real time interactions can be conducted more safely and more economically by means of the global reach of the internet and the ever-enhanced technologies that are being offered to facilitate that. Yet at a geopolitical level prior to Covid 19, the processes of globalism and nationalism were already being recognised as competing forces. In many countries, tensions have emerged between those who are benefitting from the opportunities presented by the development of free trade between countries and those who are invested in more traditional ventures, set in their own nations and communities. The emerging beneficiaries have become characterised as the global elites. Their demographic profile is one associated with youth, education and progressive social ideas. However, they are counter-balanced by those who, rather than opportunities, have experienced threats from the disruptions and turbulence around them. Among the ideas challenged, have been the expected certainties of employment, social values and the security with which many grew up. Industries which have been the lifeblood of their communities are facing extinction and even the security of housing and a roof over the heads of self and family may be under threat. In such circumstances, some people may see waves of new immigrants, technology, and changing social values as being tides which need to be turned back. Their profile is characterised by a demographic less equipped to face such changes - the more mature, less well educated and less mobile. Yet this tension appears to be creating something more than just the latest version of the generational divide. The recent clashes between Republicans and Democrats in the US have provided a very potent example of these societal stresses. The US has itself exported some of these arenas of conflict to the rest of the world. Black lives Matter and #Me too, are social movements with their foundation in the US which have found their way far beyond the immediate contexts which gave them birth. In the different national settings where these various tensions have emerged, they have been characterised through labels such as left and right, progressive and traditional, the ‘haves’ versus the ‘have nots’ etc. Yet common to all of this growing competitiveness between ideologies and values is a common thread. The common thread lies in the notion of competition itself. It finds itself expressed most potently in the spread and adoption of ideas based on what has been termed the neoliberal values of the free market. These values have become ingrained in the language and concepts we employ every day. Thus, everything has a price and ultimately the price can be represented by a dollar value. We see this process of commodification around us on a daily basis. Sports studies’ scholars have long drawn attention to its continuing growth in the world of sport, especially in situations when it overwhelms the human characteristics of the athletes who are at the very heart of sport. When the dollar value of the athlete and their performance becomes more important than the individual and the game, then we find ourselves at the heart of some of the core problems reported today. It is at the point where sport changes from an experience, where the athletes develop themselves and become more complete persons experiencing positive and enriching interactions with fellow athletes, to an environment where young athletes experience stress and mental and physical ill health as result of their experiences. Those who are supremely talented (and lucky?) are rewarded with fabulous riches. Others can find themselves cast out on the scrap heap as a result of an unfair selection process or just the misfortune of injury. Sport as always, has proved to be a mirror of life in reflecting this process in the world at large, highlighting the heights that can be climbed by the fortunate as well as the depths that can be plumbed by the ill-fated. Advocates of the free-market approach will point to the opportunities it can offer. Figures can show that in a period of capitalist organised economies, there has been an unprecedented reduction in the amount of poverty in the world. Despite rapid growth in populations, there has been some extraordinary progress in lifting people out of extreme poverty. Between 1990 and 2010, the numbers in poverty fell by half as a share of the total population in developing countries, from 43% to 21%—a reduction of almost 1 billion people (The Economist Leader, June 1st, 2013). Nonetheless the critics of capitalism will continue to point to an increasing gap between the haves and don’t haves and specifically a decline in the ‘middle classes’, which have for so long provided the backbone of stable democratic societies. This delicate balance between retreating into our own boundaries as a means to manage the pandemic and resuming open borders to prevent economic damage to those whose businesses and employment depend upon the continuing movement of people and goods, is one which is being agonised over at this time in liberal democratic societies around the world. The experience of the pandemic has varied between countries, not solely because of the strategies adopted by politicians, but also because of the current health systems and varying social and economic conditions of life in different parts of the world. For many of us, the crises and social disturbances noted above have been played out on our television screens and websites. Increasingly it seems that we have been consuming our life experiences in a world dominated by our screens and sheltered from the real messiness of life. Meanwhile, in those countries with a choice, the debate has been between public health concerns and economic health concerns. Some have argued that the two are not totally independent of each other, while others have argued that the extent to which they are seen as interrelated lies in the extent to which life’s values have themselves become commodified. Others have pointed to the mental health problems experienced by people of all ages as a result of being confined for long periods of time within limited spaces and experiencing few chances to meet with others outside their immediate household. Still others have experienced different conditions – such as the chance to work from home in a comfortable environment and be freed from the drudgery of commuting in crowded traffic or public transport. So, at a national/communal level as well as at an individual level, this international crisis has exposed people to different decisions. It has offered, for many, a chance to recalibrate their lives. Those who have the resources, are leaving the confines of the big capital cities and seeking a healthier and less turbulent existence in quieter urban centres. For those of us in what can be loosely termed ‘an information industry’, today’s work practices are already an age away from what they were in pre-pandemic times. Yet again, a clear split is evident. The notion of ‘essential industries’ has been reclassified. The delivery of goods, the facilitation of necessary purchase such as food; these and other tasks have acquired a new significance which has enhanced the value of those who deliver these services. However, for those whose tasks can be handled via the internet or offloaded to other anonymous beings a readjustment of a different kind is occurring. So to the future - for those who have suffered ill-health and lost loved ones, the pandemic only reinforces the human priority. Health and well-being trumps economic health and wealth where choices can be made. The closeness of human contact has been reinforced by the tales of families who have been deprived of the touch of their loved ones, many of whom still don’t know when that opportunity will be offered again. When writing our editorial, a year ago, I little expected to be still pursuing a Covid related theme today. Yet where once we were expecting to look back on this time as a minor hiccough, with normal service being resumed sometime last year, it has not turned out to be that way. Rather, it seems that we have been offered a major reset opportunity in the way in which we continue to progress our future as humans. The question is, will we be bold enough to see the opportunity and embrace a healthier more equitable more locally responsible lifestyle or, will we revert to a style of ‘progress’ where powerful countries, organisations and individuals continue to amass increased amounts of wealth and influence and become increasingly less responsive to the needs of individuals in the throng below. Of course, any retreat from globalisation as it has evolved to date, will involve disruption of a different kind, which will inevitably lead to pain for some. It seems inevitable that any change and consequent progress is going to involve winners and losers. Already airline companies and the travel industry are putting pressure on governments to “get back to normal” i.e. where things were previously. Yet, in the shadow of widespread support for climate activism and the extinction rebellion movement, reports have emerged that since the lockdowns air pollution has dropped dramatically around the world – a finding that clearly offers benefits to all our population. In a similar vein the impossibility of overseas air travel in Australia has resulted in a major increase in local tourism, where more inhabitants are discovering the pleasures of their own nation. The transfer of their tourist and holiday dollars from overseas to local tourist providers has produced at one level a traditional zero-sum outcome, but it has also been accompanied by a growing appreciation of local citizens for the wonders of their own land and understanding of the lives of their fellow citizens as well as massive savings in foregone air travel. Continuing to define life in terms of competition for limited resources will inevitably result in an ever-continuing run of zero-sum games. Looking beyond the prism of competition and personal reward has the potential to add to what Michael Sandel (2020) has termed ‘the common good’. Does the possibility of a reset, offer the opportunity to recalibrate our views of effort and reward to go beyond a dollar value and include this important dimension? How has sport been experiencing the pandemic and are there chances for a reset here? An opinion piece from Peter Horton in this edition, has highlighted the growing disconnect of professional sport at the highest level from the communities that gave them birth. Is this just another example of the outcome of unrestrained commodification? Professional sport has suffered in the pandemic with the cancelling of fixtures and the enforced absence of crowds. Yet it has shown remarkable resilience. Sport science staff may have been reduced alongside all the auxiliary workers who go to make up the total support staff on match days and other times. Crowds have been absent, but the game has gone on. Players have still been able to play and receive the support they have become used to from trainers, physiotherapists and analysts, although for the moment there may be fewer of them. Fans have had to rely on electronic media to watch their favourites in action– but perhaps that has just encouraged the continuing spread of support now possible through technology which is no longer dependent on personal attendance through the turnstile. Perhaps for those committed to the watching of live sport in the outdoors, this might offer a chance for more attention to be paid to sport at local and community levels. Might the local villagers be encouraged to interrelate with their hometown heroes, rather than the million-dollar entertainers brought in from afar by the big city clubs? To return to the village analogy and the tensions between global and local, could it be that the social structure of the village has become maladapted to the reality of globalisation? If we wish to retain the traditional values of village life, is returning to our village a necessary strategy? If, however we see that today the benefits and advantages lie in functioning as one single global community, then perhaps we need to do some serious thinking as to how that community can function more effectively for all of its members and not just its ‘elites’. As indicated earlier, sport has always been a reflection of our society. Whichever way our communities decide to progress, sport will have a place at their heart and sport scholars will have a place in critically reflecting the nature of the society we are building. It is on such a note that I am pleased to introduce the content of volume 43:1 to you. We start with a reminder from Hoyoon Jung of the importance of considering the richness provided by a deep analysis of context, when attempting to evaluate and compare outcomes for similar events. He examines the concept of nation building through sport, an outcome that has been frequently attributed to the conduct of successful events. In particular, he examines this outcome in the context of the experiences of South Africa and Brazil as hosts of world sporting events. The mega sporting event that both shared was the FIFA world cup, in 2010 and 2014 respectively. Additional information could be gained by looking backwards to the 1995 Rugby World Cup in the case of South Africa and forward to the 2016 Olympics with regard to Brazil. Differentiating the settings in terms of timing as well as in the makeup of the respective local cultures, has led Jung to conclude that a successful outcome for nation building proved possible in the case of South Africa. However, different settings, both economically and socially, made it impossible for Brazil to replicate the South African experience. From a globally oriented perspective to a more local one, our second paper by Rafal Gotowski and Marta Anna Zurawak examines the growth and development, with regard to both participation and performance, of a more localised activity in Poland - the Nordic walking marathon. Their analysis showed that this is a locally relevant activity that is meeting the health-related exercise needs of an increasing number of people in the middle and later years, including women. It is proving particularly beneficial as an activity due to its ability to offer a high level of intensity while reducing the impact - particularly on the knees. The article by Petr Vlček, Richard Bailey, Jana Vašíčková XXABSTRACT Claude Scheuer is also concerned with health promoting physical activity. Their focus however is on how the necessary habit of regular and relevant physical activity is currently being introduced to the younger generation in European schools through the various physical education curricula. They conclude that physical education lessons, as they are currently being conducted, are not providing the needed 50% minimum threshold of moderate to vigorous physical activity. They go further, to suggest that in reality, depending on the physical education curriculum to provide the necessary quantum of activity within the child’s week, is going to be a flawed vision, given the instructional and other objectives they are also expected to achieve. They suggest implementing instead an ‘Active Schools’ concept, where the PE lessons are augmented by other school-based contexts within a whole school programme of health enhancing physical activity for children. Finally, we step back to the global and international context and the current Pandemic. Eric Burhaein, Nevzt Demirci, Carla Cristina Vieira Lourenco, Zsolt Nemeth and Diajeng Tyas Pinru Phytanza have collaborated as a concerned group of physical educators to provide an important international position statement which addresses the role which structured and systematic physical activity should assume in the current crisis. This edition then concludes with two brief contributions. The first is an opinion piece by Peter Horton which provides a professional and scholarly reaction to the recent attempt by a group of European football club owners to challenge the global football community and establish a self-governing and exclusive European Super League. It is an event that has created great alarm and consternation in the world of football. Horton reflects the outrage expressed by that community and concludes: While recognising the benefits accruing from well managed professionalism, the essential conflict between the values of sport and the values of market capitalism will continue to simmer below the surface wherever sport is commodified rather than practised for more ‘intrinsic’ reasons. We conclude however on a more celebratory note. We are pleased to acknowledge the recognition achieved by one of the members of our International Review Board. The career and achievements of Professor John Wang – a local ‘scholar’- have been recognised in his being appointed as the foundation E.W. Barker Professor in Physical Education and Sport at the Nanyang Technological University. This is a well-deserved honour and one that reflects the growing stature of the Singapore Physical Education and Sports Science community within the world of International Sport Studies. John Saunders Brisbane, June 2021

IntroductionAustralians who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) and receive income support span a wide spectrum of working ages. Australian research has concentrated on NEETs aged 15--29 years, in line with international standards. This paper investigates extending the NEET concept to include all working age persons 15--64 years and the value added to welfare policy through analysis of a new linked dataset. MethodsAn observational study design was implemented with individuals aged 15-64 years recorded as receiving Department of Social Services (DSS) income support payments from September 2011 being linked with Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census data from August 2011 to create a linked dataset for analysis. Descriptive analyses were undertaken of NEET status by Census socio-demographic characteristics, and we modelled the adjusted likelihood of NEET status by Census demographics. ResultsSome 1.37 million or 45.2% of linked DSS payment recipients qualified as NEET. Of NEETs, more than twice as many were female, nearly half were aged 45--64 years, and under 1-in-5 were aged 15--29 years. Multivariate analyses showed that NEETs were more likely to be older, have low educational attainment, have a disability, and to be Indigenous. ConclusionsYoung NEETs aged 15--29 years represented less than 20% of linked DSS payment recipients classified as NEET, suggesting that standard NEETs reporting neglects information on around 80% of the working age NEET population in Australia. Combined with other demographic insights, these results have implications for welfare policy, and indicate a wider range of demographics should be considered under the NEET classification. This may also have implications for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reporting.

Background with rationaleAustralians who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) and receive income support span a wide spectrum of working ages. Australian research has concentrated on NEETs aged 15–29 years, in line with international standards. This paper investigates extending the NEET concept to include all working age persons 15–64 years and the value added to welfare policy through analysis of a new linked dataset. Main AimTo determine whether the NEET concept is policy relevant when applied to all working ages. Methods/ApproachIndividuals aged 15-64 years recorded as receiving Department of Social Services (DSS) income support payments from September 2011 were linked with Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census data from August 2011 to create a linked dataset for analysis. Descriptive analyses were undertaken of NEET status by Census socio-demographic characteristics, and we modelled the adjusted likelihood of NEET status by Census demographics. ResultsSome 1.37 million or 45.2% of linked DSS payment recipients qualified as NEET. Of NEETs, more than twice as many were female, nearly half were aged 45–64 years, and under 1-in-5 were aged 15–29 years. Multivariate analyses showed that NEETs were more likely to be older, have low educational attainment, have a disability, and to be Indigenous. ConclusionYoung NEETs aged 15–29 years represented less than 20 per cent of linked DSS payment recipients classified as NEET, suggesting that standard NEETs reporting neglects information on around 80 per cent of the working age NEET population in Australia. Combined with other demographic insights, these results have implications for welfare policy, and indicate a wider range of demographics should be considered under the NEET classification. This may also have implications for OECD reporting.

In 2014, the importance of providing all young Australians with opportunities to be actively engaged with and literate in the cultures and languages of Asia continues to be evident in curriculum documents and the media. Whilst there is wide spread agreement that the study of Asian perspectives is important for the successful future of many young Australians, one could question why none of the countries located to the east of Australia have been mentioned in either the Melbourne Declaration (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2008) or the Australian curriculum, as these countries are also some of Australia’s closest neighbours. If Australia, as a nation, is truly aiming to develop its young people to be global citizens through the teaching and learning of different cultures and beliefs, then it does not seem unreasonable to say that young Australians also need to develop an appreciation for their East-side neighbours. However, as it stands the curriculum is argued as a crowded place; adding might result in the loss of something else. This article demonstrates how the French language classroom can be used as a means to contribute to developing the international-mindedness of young Australians in regards to their East-side neighbours without adding to the crowding of the current Australian Curriculum.