Matt Smith (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The speech I'm about to read was written by Noah Solomon, affectionately known as the work experience kid. In September I had the privilege of hosting Noah Solomon, a year 10 work experience student, in my office. Over the week they sat alongside my team and listened to the concerns of local constituents and joined me at meetings. Noah raised some important issues that young people really care about right now. The main concern he highlighted was climate change. He spoke about the problems caused by the climate crisis that affect young people directly like extreme weather events, damage to homes and communities and ongoing uncertainty about the future. He also reviewed the recently released national climate risk assessment, which shows these risks are already happening and impacting our health, economy and environment.

Fortunately our prime minister announced Australia's new 2035 climate target, at 62 to 70 per cent reductions in emissions from 2005 levels. This is a bold step for our country, giving young people hope and a clear goal to work towards as we push for real action both locally and across the nation. Noah was also interested in how young people could get involved in politics beyond youth councils, parliaments and advisory committees. I told him that volunteering is one of the best ways to start because it opens doors and creates opportunities for younger people. I also taught him how to work with constituents, how to listen, how to stay calm and how to do your best to help them. Spending the week with Noah reminded me how important it is to listen to young people. Their fresh perspectives often highlight what needs to change for a better future. Thank you for your time in my office, Noah, and thank you for preparing this speech for me.

Noah was a really great kid. He took the time to listen and learn, and he showed a real interest in the democratic process and what it felt like to be on the ground helping constituents. He travelled with me up to the tablelands to hold community offices. He sat with elders under the tree. He sat with me and former member Warren Entsch as we discussed some of the issues that were happening in the region. It's really inspiring to have a young person, at 15 years old, put their hand up like that and really show an interest in the future of their country and want to make a difference. He was a really great kid. He started answering the phone at one point, which—look, we weren't thrilled with that! But he did his best, I wish him all the best in the future, and, as he knows, he is welcome back in our office at any time.

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