The Tasmanian (Australia) Office of Youth Affairs and Family conducted consultations concerning issues impacting young people living in rural and isolated areas. Eight workshops specifically for youth were attended by 123 young people. Five community forums were attended by 25-30 participants each. The difficulties of living in isolated situations…

This report examines the challenges facing young people living in rural Australia in relation to their health and well-being and explores the relevance of personal resilience to offset these challenges. Specifically, the report synthesizes the literature on rural Australian youth and the results of focus groups undertaken in five rural…

Bush Talks is an initiative of the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission that aims to identify the major human rights issues confronting rural and remote residents, to inform rural Australians about human rights, and to develop projects to advance human rights in rural Australia. This paper summarizes major issues raised by…

The imbalances between the higher education participation of rural and urban Australians are significant and persistent. This study examined the attitudes, goals, and plans of Australian senior high school students via a survey of over 7,000 students in grades 10-12 in three states, complemented by interviews with about 350 students in 20 rural…

This study explores current education, training, and employment issues and opportunities for rural youth in Australia, and suggests ways in which relevant education, training, and employment options and prospects can be generated for rural youth. Specifically, this study documents the ways that economic and social changes in rural communities have…

The Disadvantaged Country Areas Program in Australia involves a limited number of areas in each State selected according to their relative poverty, special need for improved educational provisions, and lack of opportunities for employment and training for young people. All schools in the declared areas are expected to share the services and…

The Schools Commission's Disadvantaged Country Areas Program, an important strategy in promoting social and educational equity for rural children in Australia, is the focus of this paper. After a brief consideration of the historical background of the establishment of the Disadvantaged Country Areas Program, the objectives and operation of the…

This report draws on the Youth in Transition surveys to present educational participation rates for various categories of Australian youth. The focus is on how educational experiences differ among the categories and on the way in which such differences may have changed over time. Chapter 2 describes the way in which educational participation of…