Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about the extraordinary young people in Menzies. Over the past few weeks, I've been very fortunate to visit some of our local secondary and primary schools and even childcare centres as well as to host some young activists in my office. I'd like to thank the Minister for Education, Jason Clare, for visiting Box Hill High School with me and speaking with some of the school leaders from years 8 to 11. These young people had a particular interest in our under-16 social media ban and the implications of artificial intelligence. I was particularly impressed by how articulate and informed these students were and by how nuanced their views were on these complex issues.

I also had the privilege of hosting a youth roundtable in partnership with the Centre for Multicultural Youth and the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, together with my good friend the member for Deakin. I would like to sincerely thank Carmel, from the Centre for Multicultural Youth, and Rana, from the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network, for their commitment and tireless work in the multicultural youth space.

Now, I'm sure that, like a lot of my fellow parliamentarians, if I had to do a media appearance, I would anticipate some of the questions and prepare accordingly. But there is no preparing for the questions a group of year fives will throw at us. Some went right to the heart of why we are here, like, 'If you could change one thing about Australia, what would it be?' Others went to how our democracy works, but I was also asked probing questions like: 'What is your favourite colour?' 'What brand of microwave do you have?' 'Can you share your salary with me?' I even visited some of my youngest constituents, at Creative Play Early Learning Centre in Bulleen, with Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth Jess Walsh. I'd like to thank the minister for coming out to Menzies to visit these young constituents. There I met with the director, Georgina, a passionate childhood educator who has been working in the industry for over 25 years. I was very happy to celebrate with her and her team the 15 per cent pay rise that will come into place on 1 December, delivered by the Albanese Labor government. For too long, our early childhood educators have not been properly compensated, and it was wonderful to see them recognised for the essential and skilled work that they do. When we arrived at the childcare centre, we found a small whiteboard with some questions three- and four-year-olds had prepared beforehand. Two that stood out were, 'How did you become an important person?' and 'How do you grow more bones?'

I'd like to thank all the young people and children in Menzies for your engagement and curiosity. You are our future, and our future is in good hands.