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ABC TV’s Q&A: young to suffer most in coronavirus fallout

The challenges facing young Australians due to the coronavirus pandemic were debated on the ABC’s Q&A on Monday.

Angelica SnowdenAngelica Snowden
@ang3snowden
3 min read
12:22AMMay 19, 2020
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Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox: ‘Out of this will come different jobs, a different sort of economy, a new normal.’ Picture: AAP
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox: ‘Out of this will come different jobs, a different sort of economy, a new normal.’ Picture: AAP

The challenges facing young Australians due to the coronavirus pandemic including debt, career prospects and relationships were debated on the ABC’s Q&A on Monday.

Grattan Institute economist Danielle Wood said young people have borne the costs of COVID-19 “particularly highly”.

“One-third of young people are now unemployed or underemployed as a result of this crisis,” Ms Wood said.

National Youth Commission commissioner Sophie Johnston said young people have been hit harder than other demographics because they disproportionately work in casual jobs.

“What that's really highlighted is the failure of casualisation across the workforce, particularly for young people,” Ms Johnston said.

“We have one of the highest rates of casualisation in the developed world.”

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said there is “no simple answer” to helping young people find secure employment in professions that line up with their interests and chosen area of study as the demand for skills in particular areas changes due to COVID-19.

“Out of this will come different jobs, a different sort of economy, a new normal,” Mr Willox said.

“We will emerge from it, and the economy will change shape, and opportunities will emerge, and it's about having skills that are transferable and portable,” he said.

Airtasker chief executive and co-founder Tim Fung argued with Ms Johnston about the value of the gig economy as an opportunity for young people.

“I wouldn't call flexible labour insecure,” Mr Fung said.

“Insecurity comes about because we have this idea that there's only one – full-time jobs – or zero, no job,” he said.

Actor and climate advocate Yael Stone said the arts industry has suffered significantly due to the crisis and that many jobs in the industry are not eligible for the JobKeeper scheme.

“When the government doesn't choose to include those people who do that job, it says: ‘That doesn't matter. We don't care about that’ ”, Stone said.

“Alongside that there's also been a removal for Australian content minimums,” she said.

“And again, another kick in the face.”

As the panel debated a question about young people bearing the brunt of social isolation to keep older people safe, Stone called for older generations to do more to combat climate change in return.

“Generations like mine and older generations need to come to the party, and there needs to be real sacrifice and real change,” she said.

“The opportunity has arrived here in this chaos that, as we reform a really damaged economy, now is the time to embrace those renewables, to make that change.”

Ms Wood said gas should be considered as only part of a solution to jump start the economy and reduce emissions.

“I think we need to be careful when we're looking at the long-term recovery that we're not locking in technologies that aren't going to be there for the long-term,” she said.

“So there is, you know, certainly a role for gas in the system at the moment that I would say, when we're looking forward, we should be looking at how it is we can integrate renewables into the grid better.”

Ms Johnston said the COVID-19 pandemic has led conservative governments to adopt “socialist democratic” principles to support people without work and in need of money throughout the crisis.

“We're seeing major investment in people, making sure that people at the lower end of the spectrum who aren't earning much money are being adequately paid and aren't being left behind,” she said.

“Which is completely different to the old way of thinking where we were talking about big-business tax breaks and trickle-down economics and those sorts of really outdated ideas.”

On relationships, Mr Fung said the rapid transition to physical distancing led to many people embracing online technology not only for work but also to maintain social relationships.

“It's amazing to me to see the transition of people going through things that are traditionally done in person to things that are done remotely,” he said.

“So I think it's the case of working on making sure that we have superfast internet connections and being able to have our remote interactions to replicate, you know, the things that were traditionally done in person.”

On a more serious note, the panel concluded their debate by discussing the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health of young people.

Ms Johnston said that in order to appropriately help young people cope, mental health issues should not be looked at in isolation.

“We've been talking to young people in cities, regions and rural towns, and it keeps coming up,” she said.

“We can't just look at it in this really isolated way because there are so many factors that come into it.”

Read related topics:Coronavirus
Angelica Snowden
Angelica SnowdenJournalist

Angelica Snowden is a reporter at The Australian's Melbourne bureau covering crime, state politics and breaking news. She has worked at the Herald Sun, ABC and at Monash University's Mojo.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/abc-tvs-qa-young-to-suffer-most-in-coronavirus-fallout/news-story/9f85f106ce943a243df8c775cc83be1a