Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was once said that democracy ‘forever teases us with the contrast between its ideals and its realities, between its heroic possibilities and its sorry achievements’. We have seen this week much robust debate in this parliament, and much of it about questions of leadership and honesty in public life. Democracy can, by its very nature, be frequently combative, and so it should be. For the moment, however, I would like to step outside the confines of this House and report on some feedback I received today.

Last fortnight, this parliament was host to 24 emerging young leaders from my own electorate of Ballarat. The young people, mostly aged in their 20s and 30s, are members of Leadership Ballarat and Western Region. It is a program of discovery, self-exploration and challenge that uniquely equips young leaders to guide the Ballarat region into the future. Over two days, these young people met with political leaders of different political persuasions, as well as two leading members of the press gallery and the Speaker for a series of half-hour, off-the-record question and answer sessions.

I would like to share with the House some of the feedback I have received from the group members about their trip to Canberra, and what they learnt from their experience. One participant said:

To meet with and have discussions with the nation’s leaders (and two leading journalists) was a great privilege and something I will remember for the rest of my life. These politicians are just people, like you and me, and their contribution to our nation is mainly a positive one. They are clearly passionate about our country and what they believe in. What an eye opener …

Another comment was:

If you want to see a myth busted—go to Canberra. Parliament and politicians are far from dull and uninteresting. Listening to what our politicians have to say builds confidence in the fact that there are people representing us who are smart, passionate and committed to serving us as a community.

Another participant wrote:

It was a wonderful experience to meet and talk with some of our country’s leaders. They were genuinely open and inspirational and offered personal insights into leadership that I will remember and use in work and family life.

Yet another participant talked about the insight gained from those meetings:

It has changed the way I view the political process and the role of politicians in a very positive way …

These comments are both timely and, I believe, not to be taken lightly.

In the daily and often rushed schedule of this parliament it must be noted that almost a dozen members of this House and of the other place, as well as the Governor-General, two senior members of the press gallery and the Speaker, took time out of their busy schedules to meet with these young people. According to the feedback I have received, all were not only open and honest in their exchanges but generous with their time and their insights, and in almost every case they left a lasting impression of genuine commitment and energy to public service.

Many in our electorates form a view of politicians and politics from what they read, hear and see in the media. But when they come here and meet our leaders face-to-face they are impressed by the dedication, hard work and vision of many of our representatives. The comments received by me today are a timely reminder of the calibre of the people who work here, their motivation and why many of us are drawn to public life. I want to personally thank all of the ministers and parliamentary secretaries, the Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Nationals in the Senate, the Governor-General, Paul Bongiorno, Laurie Oakes and the Speaker, who provided these young leaders from my electorate with such a rich and rewarding experience here during their short time in Canberra. It was an occasion that has clearly inspired them to actively engage in the political process and I encourage there being more of it.

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