Description
This book examines both the history and intent of youth policy in Australia. It investigates government intervention with youth from colonization through to the post-Federation era, challenging claims that youth policy is of relatively recent origin. A key concern of the book is with the logic of intervention. It utilizes an historical policy analysis to argue that governments in Australia typically seek to manage young people on behalf of the state. The book reveals that youth policy in Australia is not, as popularly imagined, invariably called into existence on behalf of youth. It shows instead that youth policy is often designed for the purpose of making use of youth. The book also maintains that generational interests have influenced the direction of youth policy in Australia. In examining various interventions over the years, it argues that youth policy is often mounted on a perception of youth as both a potential resource of the state that should be harnessed in its service and a problem population that needs to be contained, controlled and disciplined.
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