Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It saddens me to hear of some of the pressures that students are under as exam time comes up. I want to say to them: it is very important that you do your best, but life goes on no matter what the results are. We need to get the message out there that you should work hard towards your goals but your ATAR score should not define you. What you are going to do in the future is a big decision, and when I finished year 12 I had no idea—I certainly did not expect to be having a say in the parliament on how the country is being run.

This is a time where there is a lot of pressure on our students. We want to make sure that they are well supported. We want to make sure that they have the message that there are many pathways to success. We want to make sure that they understand that this is the beginning and not the end, and that we stand by them at this time.

We need to make sure, when we are thinking about our education, that we are teaching resilience and optimism as well as maths and science. I just want to send this message out very seriously to the people and the students in the electorate of Mallee. We have had some very difficult circumstances as a result of some students who have not been able to cope with the stress levels at this time, and so I say to the children of Australia: enjoy your studies and enjoy your life. You have your whole life ahead of you. Just do your best.