Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently, I was delighted to join Councillor Andrew Wines and attend the opening of the St Andrew's school parliament at Ferny Grove, in my electorate of Ryan. All of the students from year 6 get involved in the parliament. They form committees, the head of each committee is a minister and then these committees develop bills. The bills are about key issues and key programs for the school, from supporting the local environment and doing outreach community work to doing sporting activities. They set out what they want to achieve in the year ahead. It was a very formal process. They had a Speaker and a Governor-General. They had a procession coming into the hall, and of course it was supported by parents and family. They had over 12 committees, which established all the goals for the year ahead, and they put forward some very well thought out ideas and plans for what they wanted to achieve.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to speak to the students, and I challenged them to come up with a petition that they could raise throughout the community and that I would present to the parliament for them; and to perhaps look at doing their own 90-second speeches about some of their achievements.

I congratulate these students on their dedication and on the very thought provoking bills that they presented.