Despite the heightened policy attention youth homelessness has received over recent decades, it remains an ongoing critical issue within Australia. Previous research suggests that the way policies represent a problem can influence how the problem is addressed. This study investigates how Australian policies represent youth homelessness, and explores how these representations influence the nature of support services available for homeless youth. This is achieved through a critical discourse analysis of youth homelessness policy documents from 1989 and 2008. The analysis suggests that the earlier policy highlights the responsibility of the government to care for and protect homeless youth, whereas the later policy places greater emphasis on the need for social inclusion. These values reflect the political contexts of the time, and directly influence the approaches taken to service provision in response to the policies. Further, both policies fail to adequately engage the voices of homeless youth. This is considerably problematic in terms of contemporary youth services, as it directly contradicts many services’ underlying assumption that youth have agency and the ability to improve their own circumstances. Overall, the analysis suggests that greater levels of informed discussion are needed between governments, communities and, importantly, homeless youth themselves to ensure their needs are effectively addressed through policy
