Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to inform the House about a very exciting event that is taking place in my electorate next week involving nearly 800 primary school students. This event has received such an overwhelming response from schools in Geelong that extra sessions have been scheduled so that everybody who wants to be involved in the event can be. I am referring to Parliament Alive, the Parliamentary Education Office’s outreach program that takes the parliamentary system on the road to schools across Australia. Thirteen schools in my region are participating this year. That is more than 750 children in eight sessions over two days. Most are primary school students in grades 5 and 6, but there are three secondary colleges using this opportunity to enrich their students’ learning in legal studies and in politics.

The program gives children the chance to play the role of a parliamentarian or a parliamentary official. It is a powerful teaching tool, because we all know that the best way to understand another person’s perspective is to walk in their shoes for a while. During the 1½ hour sessions, students debate legislation, make amendments and pass a bill through both houses. High on the list of primary school topics are issues that are close to kids’ hearts—such as whether or not TV should be banned and whether or not animals should be excluded from circus acts. Those who have watched these sessions unfold say how fantastic it is to see children discover that they do have a voice, that they have the capacity to hold opinions and that they have the ability to debate those opinions on their merits.

In a few short hours, these children change their minds about politics. They see that the political process can be interesting and something that they can aspire to. They also see that it can be fun. Given Australia’s system of compulsory voting, any opportunity to inspire interest and involvement in our political process is a wonderful thing. We are all familiar with the many visits that schools make to Parliament House throughout the year. The Parliamentary Education Office has been delivering its role-play program for 20 years. In that time, more than 1.3 million children have experienced what it is like to be an elected member or an official working in federal parliament. Indeed, only last week I was involved in a visit to this place from East Geelong Primary School.

Of course, not all schools are able to visit Canberra on a regular basis. Indeed, I am sure that many schools around Australia, certainly in my electorate, have had to look hard—particularly this year, in the current economic climate—at their capacity to schedule excursions to Canberra. The outreach program runs hand-in-hand with the Parliamentary Education Program to take parliament to the children who cannot make it to Canberra, and it has been very successful at doing this. Last year, the outreach program was revamped so that it could respond more directly to the needs of each electorate. Parliament Alive was born. Parliament Alive gives schools the opportunity to give their students a genuine experience of Parliament House on a more affordable basis. It is all about access and equity. Instead of visiting separate schools, the program sets up at a central venue and schools are invited to join in. In Geelong’s case, the students will enjoy the use of the City of Greater Geelong’s city hall, and we are very grateful for the assistance of the CEO of the City of Greater Geelong, Kay Rundle, and of the mayor, John Mitchell.

I will digress for a moment and mention that this morning Kay Rundle announced her resignation as the CEO of the City of Greater Geelong. Over the last six years, she has been a wonderful contributor to the City of Greater Geelong. She has certainly improved the standing of the local council, both within the local government community and within the community of Geelong—so much so that last year she won the SACS Award for Leadership in Local Government. I spoke to her this morning, and she said that she will miss her time in Geelong. We will miss her, too, but we wish her the best in her new role at the City of Port Phillip.

In terms of the Parliamentary Education Office, it is predicted that up to 9,000 students will participate in Parliament Alive across Australia this year. As I said, the enthusiasm of schools in Geelong to accept the invitation we extended has been overwhelming. It is Parliament Alive’s first visit to the electorate of Corio, and I am confident that it will not be its last.