Judith Adams (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I would like to provide the Senate with an overview of a great initiative by of one of my Western Australian colleagues in his electorate. The member for Hasluck, Stuart Henry MP, has created a vehicle for inspiring and developing the leadership potential of Year 11 students who are progressing on to their Year 12 studies. With four daughters, two of whom are still in their teens, Mr Henry has a strong interest in the youth of his electorate. The member for Hasluck wanted to provide an opportunity for high school students to better understand the parliamentary process and our system of democracy and provide them with the chance to visit our national capital and discover politics in an environment where they are free to form their own impressions.

The Hasluck Leadership Award was launched in 2005, Mr Henry’s first year as a federal parliamentarian, and is named in honour of the highly respected and influential Liberals Sir Paul and Dame Alexandra Hasluck. Dame Alexandra was a noted historian, and Sir Paul succeeded in several careers, including as a journalist, diplomat, academic and bureaucrat, before being elected as a federal member of parliament in 1949. During his time in successive Menzies governments, he held the portfolios of Territories, Defence and External Affairs. The Haslucks were known to people of all political persuasions as deeply intelligent and compassionate people. Sir Paul was appointed Governor-General in 1969 and served until 1974. His standing in public life and his reputation was as a well-informed, thoughtful man of enormous integrity.

In the seat of Hasluck, which runs from the southern suburb of Gosnells, along the foothills behind the airport in Perth to Midland, and encompasses areas within the Darling Range, has 12 high schools located within it. Each school is asked to nominate one Year 11 student who best exhibits leadership and citizenship skills. Seeing that the Hasluck Award has been running for three years, it is a highly competitive award, and the schools have all embraced it. Those students who have been lucky enough to win have come back to their schools and advised their colleagues and it has become highly sought after. This year, I would like to name and recognise each of these outstanding students who were nominated by their schools for the 2007 Hasluck Leadership Award. They are: Sarah Foster from Lesmurdie Senior High School, Tom Wale from Guildford Grammar School, Philip Beckett from Governor Stirling Senior High School, Marina Maclean from Thornlie Senior High School, Mathew French from Kalamunda Senior High School, Arielle Cooper from La Salle College, Kirsten Kamperman from St Brigid’s College, Jarrod Lomas from Lumen Christi College, Jessica Allerdrige from Southern River College and Joshua Oorshot from Mazenod College.

Once nominations have been received, each student is judged on their ability to demonstrate their leadership and citizenship skills through both written and spoken presentations before a panel of four judges. This year, the judges were selected from the community and included: Mayor Pat Morris from the City of Gosnells; Dr Scott Hollier from the Association for the Blind of WA; Helen Dullard, Chief Executive Officer of the Hills Community Support Group; and Andy Farrant, General Manager of Country Arts WA. As you can see, this panel comprised a highly professional and skilled group of people.

The 10 nominees were required to give presentations on two issues vital for the future of this country: leadership and citizenship. The standard of presentations was extremely high and, as a result, the judges recommended that a special commendation be included. The year 2007 marks the third year of the Hasluck Leadership Award and the first time a special commendation award has been included.

At a ceremony held in July at the Agonis Centre in Gosnells, the guest of honour, the Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, announced that Mathew French, from Kalamunda Senior High School, had received the special commendation award while Arielle Cooper, from La Salle College in Midland, and Jarrod Lomas, from Lumen Christi College in Gosnells, were named as the recipients of the 2007 Hasluck Leadership Award. The students arrived in Canberra on Sunday, 12 August and immediately hit the ground running. They were here in the House for four days and I was privileged to act as co-host for the students. It was amazing to see how, on the day they arrived, they were shy and absolutely overawed by the parliament, but, after being here for four days, they were real professionals posing for photographs and making impromptu speeches. It really gave me great regard for 16- and 17-year-olds. They were absolutely amazing ambassadors for Western Australia and the electorate of Hasluck.

In four days the students met the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and the immediate past-President of the Senate, the Hon. Paul Calvert. A photo was taken at 6 pm on the night before the President retired from his position, so they had the honour of being the last students to have their photo taken with him. Unfortunately, we could not catch up with the new President in time to get a photograph—that was a bit sad. The students met the Speaker of the House, the Hon. David Hawker; the Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr David Elder; the Hon. Julie Bishop; Senator the Hon. Chris Ellison; Senator the Hon. David Johnston; Mr Pat Farmer MP; the Hon. Judi Moylan MP; and Senator Alan Eggleston. They witnessed the swearing in of the new President of the Senate, Senator Alan Ferguson, and my Western Australian colleague Senator Mathias Cormann, and they listened to the first speech given in the Senate by Senator Cormann. It was a historic occasion on which they saw a Senate President leave, a new President sworn in and a Western Australian senator present his first speech to the Senate.

When the students met the Prime Minister, they asked for his advice to anyone considering entering politics. The Prime Minister suggested getting out into the world and gaining some life experience on which to call before entering the public sector. This point was brought home when they met the Hon. Pat Farmer MP and found his past achievements very inspiring. Between these meetings the students also visited places of national and cultural importance such as the War Memorial, the National Museum and Art Gallery, Duntroon, the Institute of Sport, the High Court and Old Parliament House.

I was delighted to meet these outstanding young people and very pleased to be involved with their program, having had the great pleasure to co-host them in Parliament House. My special thanks go to Alyssa Hayden for her excellent coordination of the students’ program and for being their house mother. The students proved to be fantastic ambassadors for their respective schools and always conducted themselves in a mature and responsible manner. Before the students left, I asked them what they had learned during the program. They commented that the hours worked by politicians were incredible and not what the media would have you believe. After attending question time in the House of Representatives they were amazed to see how answers from the government were reported by the media. They were impressed that every member, minister or senator they met had a strong career background before entering politics. Above all, seeing the true inside workings of politics was a genuine eye-opener.

The Hasluck Leadership Award has facilitated greater communication between Mr Henry and the high schools in Hasluck and has become a talking point for the students. The winners go back to their schools with such great tales of their experiences in Canberra and Parliament House that the award has become something that all students strive for. Both Mr Henry and I have been invited to attend each of the students’ school assemblies, where they will address their peers and teachers, further embellishing their experiences in Canberra. (Time expired)