Children’s Parliament to tackle poverty in the 2168 postcode

The 2168 Children’s Parliament (The Parliament), an important partnership between Liverpool City Council, the NSW Department of Education and Mission Australia-Miller Pathways, will reconvene on Wednesday 9 June to discuss outcomes related to concerning survey findings about the impact of poverty on children in the 2168 postcode.

Facilitated by The Parliament members in November 2020, the survey consulted 675 children aged between nine and 12 from 10 primary schools across the 2168 postcode and Lurnea Public School. Among the key findings was that more than four in 10 children surveyed see poverty affecting other children and families within their community, highlighting unemployment, drugs and alcohol, gambling addiction and family breakdowns as major causes.

The survey also unpacked the impact of poverty in children’s everyday life with more than half of children (55 per cent) surveyed reporting that they see mold in their homes and their homes need repair. Meanwhile four in 10 (41 per cent) said they have witnessed someone in their school miss out on food, while the same number said they or someone they know has missed out on school excursions because of poverty.

Liverpool Mayor Wendy Waller said the Parliament’s research indicates just how far-reaching poverty is within our community, having an impact on even our youngest and most vulnerable members.

“Poverty might seem to be a mature issue; however, this research suggests that children aren’t immune to the effects of poverty, recognising its impact on theirs and other children’s health, housing, education and feelings of safety. In fact, more than 80 per cent of children we surveyed believe living in poverty affects children’s learning at school.

“Suburbs in the 2168 postcode, where most survey respondents are from, are historically identified as areas of high socio-economic disadvantage. There have been few or no upgrades to housing provisions since the 1960s.

“While concerning, these survey findings aren’t surprising and highlight how much work needs to be done to break the poverty chain in our community for today’s youth and future generations to thrive.”

Mayor Waller said the pandemic further highlighted instances of poverty within our local community with almost one in 10 children saying they did not have devices or access to Wi-Fi during the lockdown.

“The Parliament completely flips the old adage that children should be seen and not heard, giving children a voice on matters important to them and a platform to actively participate in civic life. We believe there is an opportunity to enact real change at a grassroots level through initiatives like this,” Mayor Waller said.

Established in 2016 under the Commonwealth Government’s Communities for Children programme, the Parliament consists of 44 children representing 11 schools within the 2168 postcode of the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA) – one of the most disadvantaged areas in the nation.

The NSW Department of Education has worked closely with Mission Australia-Miller Pathways and Liverpool City Council over the past five years to support the creation and development of the 2168 Children’s Parliament. The Children’s Parliament provides students with rich learning of democracy in action, leadership and the value of social responsibility in the context of their local communities.

The NSW Department of Education, with Liverpool City Council, supports the coordination of workshops and excursions for the elected children parliamentarians from primary schools in the 2168 postcode area which culminate in two parliament sittings per year.

The wellbeing of students is one of the department’s top priorities. The challenges of poverty are met in many ways through schools, mainly enabled by needs-based funding and local programs that support children, young people and their families to access the supports and opportunities they need.

Parliamentarians identify and discuss matters of importance to them, research and consult their peers through surveys and present their findings and recommendations at two Parliament sittings each school calendar to an Ambassadors’ Panel and broader audience comprising representatives of government and non-government agencies, Council staff, school principals, teachers, and families. The Ambassadors’ Panel role is to provide advocacy and action on matters raised.

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