Ken Wyatt (Hasluck, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Some of us have aged, but some of us believe that we have not. Let me say that the beauty of that is that they are feeling empowered to express themselves. I know that when the Deputy Speaker was with the Thornlie group was that what they liked was the fact that they had a part to play. When we talked afterwards, they said that they had a better understanding of some of the interactions between the functions of the office. Most young people will see the Prime Minister or the Leader of the Opposition, because of where the cameras are. What they do not look at is the roles and functions of the clerks of the House and the staff who support us in the parliament. Developing that understanding will serve us well in the future.

Let me say that the quality of those speeches that I heard yesterday was outstanding. We have three young people who, if they follow their destiny and their dream, will, I have no doubt, be standing in this chamber and in our main chamber contributing to the debates on some of the legislation that they will have to deal with in the future. What I think is absolutely critical is that all of us play a role in developing our understanding as a nation not only of the freedoms that we have and the democracy that we enjoy but also of a parliamentary system, at both the national and the state and territory level, that enables ordinary Australians to become members of those great houses.

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