Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the pleasure of attending Tarneit Senior College's year 12 graduation night. What a wonderful evening it was. The music was inspiring; the speeches equally so; and, what was most thrilling, it was an evening of absolute joy. The parent community could not have been more joyful. This is a senior secondary college, so their graduating year 12 class makes up a third of the school. Principal Michael Fawcett spoke with incredible pride about this group of students. I was there to give the Julia Gillard award to Susie Garada and the Lalor Hero award to Charlie Novalis. I really enjoyed the evening, most importantly, because it was unashamedly a celebration of a state school. The students in the school come from 55 different nations and ethnic backgrounds. They celebrate their diversity absolutely joyfully. One of the most compelling things about the evening was not just the joy in the room, but also the fact that an enormous number of these children were not first in family to head to university—they were first in family to complete secondary education. It was a wonderful occasion, and I look forward to next year.