Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to recognise two outstanding young Tasmanians who I recently had the opportunity to meet here in Parliament House. Rhylan Walters, from Scottsdale High School, was named Tasmania's winner of the 2026 Simpson Prize, and Imogen Ferguson, from Sacred Heart College, who was named Tasmania's runner-up. It was great to meet Rhylan and Imogen. They are thoughtful and engaged young people and a credit to their schools, communities and families. The Simpson Prize is a national history competition for year 9 and 10 students. It asks Australians to look closely at the experiences of those who served in the first and second world wars. Each year, students from across the country are asked to engage with challenging historical questions. They draw on primary sources from the Australian War Memorial along with their own research to build a considered and evidence based response.

In 2026, students were asked to evaluate how useful diary entries, letters and photographs are in understanding the experiences of Australians who served in a war. It's not an easy task. It requires careful thinking and understanding of different perspectives and a willingness to look beyond the headline stories of war and understand the lived experiences of those who served. This goes beyond learning dates and events; it's about interpreting evidence, understating different perspectives and recognising how the past continues to shape the present. This is what makes the Simpson Prize so important. It helps young Australians understand what happened and why it still matters. I was immensely proud of both Rhylan and Imogen, who represented Tasmania so well.