I rise to give a speech I selected from entries in the Raise Our Voice competition from 11-year-old Royce in my electorate of Isaacs. It reads:

I would like to share why I think the government should take more action on domestic violence against women and children.

In Australia, one in four women experience domestic violence from a family member or someone known to them.

Domestic violence is increasing every year, and women and children are losing their lives.

The Australian Government needs to educate itself so that it can recognise the signs that someone is experiencing some form of domestic violence, because not all violence is physical and it can be difficult to see.

I think the government could learn a lot by listening to and speaking with domestic violence survivors in Australia. By listening to survivors, the government could hopefully make changes and lower the statistics.

I think that people who work in places that may come into contact with victims, should be educated by survivors and professionals about domestic violence.

I hope that this country will start taking domestic violence more seriously so that we can reduce these statistics and, most importantly, save lives.

I have been exposed to domestic violence when I was little, involving my mum, and it was not very nice and can be very scary. I now live with my mum in our home, and I am happy. But I sometimes think about other kids and women who are in the same situation, and that makes me sad.

I hope that this is taken seriously.

Royce, thank you.

I'm delivering this statement today on behalf of 13-year-old Davey from the electorate of Indi as part of the Raise Our Voice program. Davey says:

It started with harsh, public mockery of quirky online posts.

It is a shocking backwards step in the quest for equality for adolescents.

I'm talking about the "Bring Back Bullying" trend that is becoming popular on social media.

Ninety per cent of the Australian population rejects bullying behaviours, viewing it as a serious social issue.

But there are around 210,000 people who are using this trend to gain more followers on their social media.

And there are also people defending this online behaviour, which is appalling!

The actual definition of bullying in the dictionary is: repeated, intentional, aggressive behaviour that involves an imbalance of power or strength, aiming to hurt, frighten or humiliate another person.

There is a direct link between sustained cyberbullying and a dramatic increase in suicidal thinking and self-harm among the young in Australia.

When that problem is fixed, we should see a rapid improvement in mental health and people feeling safe on a device.

This issue affects everyone in this country. It is better if we are all feeling safe, than afraid.

Davey asks:

So what will the government do to fix this problem?

Thank you, Davey, for raising this important issue. We should all be thinking about what more each and every one of us can do to stop online bullying.

This year, students in the Hunter took part in the Raise Our Voice campaign. Today I'm sharing a speech from Hannah:

The reality is stark: Australia is facing a significant cost-of-living issue.

Many Australians are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

Families are cutting back on essentials, skipping meals and doing whatever it takes to survive.

In a land that prides itself on being 'one and free', we shouldn't have to resort to this.

Changing this would benefit Australians nationwide.

There are various measures we can put in place to ease the pressure on everyday Australians.

We have the power to change this.

By strengthening and expanding universal healthcare, closing the gender pay gap and reducing the tax burden on ordinary Australians, we can put more money back into the pockets of the people who need it most.

I urge parliament and politicians to take action before it's too late.

If this continues, we won't be supporting the younger generation of this country.

No Australian deserves to be forced to live pay cheque to pay cheque just to survive.

Thank you, Hannah. Young people deserve to be heard, and your message about the pressures facing Australian families is clear. Your generation has an important voice in our parliament. These are real concerns for families right across the Hunter, and they deserve our attention and our action as well. Thank you, Hannah. Keep speaking up and keep being yourself. Cheers.