Low-income young people in the ACT need access to free driving lessons to make it easier for them to access jobs and education, a youth advisory group has told the ACT government.
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The youth assembly report also recommended establishing a one-off grant for first-time young renters to help them cover the costs of moving out of home, and said public transport should be free for young people.
The grant would cover bond payments, removalist fees and first-time utility connection costs, the assembly recommended.
"This should aim to remove financial barriers associated with relocation for young people who are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or financial hardship and allow them to achieve autonomy," the assembly said.
The youth assembly, which meets every two years and is made up of Canberra young people aged 12 to 25, is run by the 15-member ACT Youth Advisory Council in partnership with the Community Services Directorate.
Youth Affairs Minister Yvette Berry tabled the council's report and the government's response in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
"The government's focus will now turn to building on these recommendations to ensure that we continue to respond to the needs of young people, welcoming and encouraging their participation in all aspects of community life," Ms Berry said.
The youth assembly, which met in June 2023, made 31 recommendations. The government agreed to nine, agreed in principle to 10 and noted 12.
The youth assembly said existing programs for young people to access driver training "do not reduce inequalities faced by vulnerable young people and do not provide a clear and definitive pathway for young people who need support with the costs of gaining a licence to do so".
"Additionally, the ACT government has previously provided a very modest amount of funding to community services to provide opportunities for disadvantaged community members to gain their provisional licence," the youth assembly's report said.
"However many of these programs are very limited in the number of people they can support, are not specifically for young people and do not appear to exist anymore."
The government agreed with the recommendation, saying it continued to deliver Youth InterACT scholarships and support for the Salvation Army's Drive for Life program.
The youth assembly had pointed to growing transport costs, which had risen by 19 per cent in five years, meaning young people were missing out on opportunities due to the stress of transport costs and often led to young people opting out of events.
The youth assembly's gender equality forum recommended providing free public transport for school-aged children, including at weekends, to make it easier for them to travel around the city.
The assembly's cost-of-living forum recommended making public transport free for students during peak hours in school terms "to reduce barriers to educational attainment".
The government noted the recommendation to provide all school-aged children with free public transport.
"The ACT government provides free transport on Transport Canberra services, from Monday to Friday during the school term, to eligible students through the student transport program," the government's response said.
The government agreed to review the legal protections for young renters but noted the recommendation to award grants to first-time renters.
"Rental support in [the Community Services Directorate] is targeted at people aged 16 and over. Establishing a grant limited for first time renters would likely need to be extended to other vulnerable cohorts to have any impacts on rental affordability in Canberra," the government said.
