NSW Presidential Legislative Council - Public Speaking and Student Voice
On 10 April I attended the speaking competition for the Bicentenary of the Legislative Council. I had to create a six-minute speech on the topic “Actions speak louder than words” and competed against 11 other students from Years 10 - 12 from a variety of schools in Port Macquarie and neighbouring regions. It was both enjoyable and humbling seeing how well everyone spoke and I was shocked to find that I was awarded the winner and can progress to the next stage which will be held in NSW Parliament House in Sydney on the 25th. I learnt a lot from other students and the adjudicators (Honourable Ben Franklin MLC and Leslie Williams MP) and will take this newfound knowledge (and excitement!) into the next stage.
Elise Miles
Year 12 Student
On 14 April I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to attend the Bicentenary Of The Legislative Councils 200-year celebratory roadshow tour of regional towns in New South Wales.
The council sat for around an hour and a half and gave local youth the chance to express their opinions of the issues that we face today.
Some of the issues that we spoke about were the mental health crisis in Australia as a whole, but particularly Australian youth and men. We spoke about what it means to live in a regional community and how that affects us in terms of the opportunities that are accessible to us. In this discussion the students raised their concerns about the limited study spaces available to us and suggested local libraries stay open during after school time. The issue of digital ID and how it will affect regional communities was a big topic of discussion that I raised and was pleased and surprised to be met with many other youths being equally as concerned as I am. Another big topic of conversation was regional towns and their access to public transport and ways that this issue could be addressed.
I really enjoyed the experience and found it very interesting to hear the views and voices of other young people from our local and extended community. I loved being in an environment with other like-minded people, but also in a space where we felt confident and comfortable to express our opinions and views with healthy rebuttal.
Claire Downie
Year 12 Student