THE first national inquiry into youth homelessness in nearly two decades will hold public hearings in Brisbane and Townsville this week in a bid to raise awareness and find solutions to a problem confronting more young Australians than ever before.
The National Youth Commission (NYC) Inquiry into Youth Homelessness is being billed as an independent community inquiry and is the first to look into the matter since the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission inquiry led by Brian Burdekin in 1989.
Brisbane archdiocesan priest and youth advocate, Fr Wally Dethlefs, is one of four inquiry members.
He was also a panel member of the Burdekin Inquiry and has a long history of work in the area including spearheading some recent initiatives developed by Brisbane Catholic Education to tackle the issue of homelessness among Catholic school students.
Other inquiry members include Major David Eldridge from the Salvation Army; homelessness researcher, Associate Professor David Mackenzie, and Narelle Clay from Southern Youth and Family Services based in Wollongong.
Fr Dethlefs said despite some good initiatives being implemented following the Burdekin Inquiry, the number of young homeless people continued to rise throughout the 1990s and into the new century.
The National Youth Commission inquiry has already held public hearings in Geelong, Warrnambool and Darwin.
The Brisbane hearings will be held on April 10-11 at Brisbane City Hall and on April 12-13 in Townsville.
