If not contemplating further study, some of our young people will already have secured their place within Australia's workforce. For many more, their employment prospects are looking bleak in a highly complex and competitive job market. I particularly worry about those young people who grew up in entrenched disadvantage. In reality, the odds are stacked against them.

Living in financial hardship can severely affect a young person's educational outcomes and their longer-term employment and life outcomes.  While they're living in our poorest communities, their families may also be dealing with long-term illness, disability, or struggling to cope with long-term unemployment.  What they experience daily is mostly hidden from the rest of us, but all young people want to build the best life they can.

So how can we give young people the future they deserve? We can start by supporting disadvantaged students to develop the skills they need, so when they start school they're not already behind.

Then, as they progress through their school years, we can help them be motivated to attend their classes and keep them engaged with their learning so they have the best chance to finish year 12. This means working closely with our poorest families year after year. This means providing long-term financial, personal and educational support to young people to help them overcome the barriers they face.

Right now, however, we're simply not doing enough to create real change on a national level.  Poor children must be at the forefront of our national discussions about how to tackle Australia's highest level of youth unemployment in nearly 20 years.

Dr Lisa O'Brien, The Smith Family CEO