Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is blessed to have a parliament with traditions that go back hundreds of years. I think it's really important that younger Australians learn about the parliamentary process, because, if they don't understand how parliament works, they can be taken advantage of by people manipulating them through their lack of understanding. So I was really pleased last week to have the Speaker of the House, the Hon. Milton Dick, for two days as we visited small schools in the north part of my electorate. We visited schools at Bullarah, Rowena, Pallamallawa, Gravesend and Croppa Creek. These schools have between 15 and 20 students all up and are based in quite remote, isolated farming areas. While these kids at the moment probably think they are a bit out of the way and missing opportunities, I'm sure later on, as they reflect on their education, they will understand what a wonderful gift they've had going to these small schools. So I was really proud of these schools. I was able to show the Speaker how resilient these country kids are and how dedicated the teaching staff are in delivering these services in these small, isolated schools.

I've got to say, I think the Speaker had his education enhanced as well. He now knows more of the finer points of pig chasing. He knows exactly where you have to use your knife, and exactly what part of the pig's body the dogs grab hold of, and I'm sure that was something that he didn't know before and now he does. But it just goes to show these kids were confident, they were engaged and they were happy to exchange with the Speaker. They asked questions about parliament and about our jobs, and it was good to have him there.

While we were there, we dropped in and had a look at the facilities at the Wathagar cotton gin as we were going past, because they're in the process of developing a hydrogen facility using solar.

At the moment, the cotton gin is being run pretty well entirely by solar. The hydrogen is mixed with air under the process, developing their own anhydrous ammonia, so a carbon neutral fertiliser. Their cotton is now branded with a rare earth so that you will be able to scan a document anywhere in the world and know what field that cotton came from. I think it's important that these kids are all aware that they're in the middle of this wonderful, innovative area. It was great to have the Speaker there and for him to understand part of my electorate.