Clean Up Brimbank: School drop outs on ‘pathway to prison’

Young Brimbank people are being hung out to dry by all government levels, locals say, due to low school funding.

Bored, poorly educated youth in Melbourne’s west are on the “pathway to prison” if drastic intervention isn’t taken, locals say.

As the State Government works to boost employment under its COVID-19 economic recovery plan, residents are calling on all levels of government to ensure their young generation doesn’t get left behind.

Brimbank is the third most disadvantaged council region in the state in terms of education and income, according to Census data.

Unemployment is at 10.4 per cent, higher than the average for greater Melbourne, and is driven in part by the large number of jobless youth — which amounts to 19.2 per cent of 15 to 24-year-olds — at least half of who have disengaged from education and can’t find a job.

Former Brimbank mayor John Hedditch, who retired from Brimbank Council at October’s election, said all levels of government were to blame for hanging Brimbank’s youth out to dry.

Teens within the area’s fast growing migrant community were particularly disadvantaged, he said, because English language programs were under resourced and could not offer sufficient places.

Former Brimbank Councillor John Hedditch said government funding for education and youth services was often funnelled into marginal seats instead of the areas most in need.

This meant many children found it difficult to keep up at school and dropped out without any real job prospects.

And he pointed to new industries such as renewable energy and advanced manufacturing that he said could be based in Brimbank and create skilled and unskilled jobs.

“Then their sons get on what (their mothers) call the pathway to prison,” Mr Hedditch said.

“You see the funding coming out budget after budget, election after election, and it's not coming to this area.

“There’s no reason a whole lot of people in this area can’t be put to work.”

Sunshine real estate agent Steven Tabban said he’d lived in Brimbank his entire life and was proud to call the area home.

Melbourne’s west — particularly Brimbank — had great liveability potential, he said, but action was needed to address long running issues of public drunkenness, drugs, violence, littering and anti-social behaviour.

Youth at a loose end for things to do resort to getting drunk in parks and committing petty crime, locals say. Picture: Troy Snook

“You’ll find nangs in carparks regularly, you find syringes,” Mr Tabban said.

“People report it constantly and they get tired of reporting it because it keeps happening.”

Mr Tabban said the new council needed a clear vision for the future to clean up Brimbank.

More investment was also needed by the State Government in youth arts, music and cultural programs to help youngsters connect with positive peer groups, he said.

And he urged the community to band together to lobby all levels of government to ensure they wasn’t overlooked for future infrastructure, health and education funding.

“Footscray’s really becoming an inner city suburb and Sunshine is really the next suburb out. I feel like the Albion, Ardeer areas will be your Yarraville, Seddon,” Mr Tabban said.

“When I look at the potential of the area, it’s absolutely massive … (but) when I look at the infrastructure and the investment into that, it’s not a lot.”

Leader has launched its Clean Up Brimbank campaign to shine a spotlight on issues in the area related to crime, education, health, unemployment and the environment.

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