Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday last week I had the pleasure of running a mock parliament for the very talented and intelligent students of 6SB at Gumdale State School. I must say they were absolute pros, especially handling a very controversial topic amongst school students—that homework should be banned in all Australian schools. Whilst that certainly won't be happening any time soon, I was greatly impressed with the level of debate, the points raised and the willingness of students to get up, have a go and have their voices heard. Having a strong understanding of how our democracy works and the importance of respecting free speech and differences of opinion is an all-important skill for children to learn. I also want to acknowledge Ms Bateman. It is clear 6SB has a fantastic teacher who provides a wonderful learning environment for her students to thrive. There are definitely some future politicians in 6SB, and I can't wait to see the positive impacts they have on our community.