John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge a recent meeting I had in Parliament House comprising the visit of a very important delegation. St Charles Catholic Primary School's year 5 students fit me into their packed Canberra schedule. I was delighted to see them here last Thursday afternoon and present them with their attendance certificates. The students were an impressive group of young people who are a real credit to their teachers—Sandra Frost, Pam Panos and Jill Zaven—who brought their class a long way on behalf of their schools. The school also visited a large number of other Canberra attractions, which I'm sure made their visit entirely worthwhile.

This week I'm looking forward to hosting the year 6 class of Ermington Public School—Betty Cuthbert's former school. The Parliamentary Education Office does a wonderful job in organising these visits. Knowledge of how our political system works is critical for a robust democracy to work well in the future. These visits contribute greatly to that end.

Both St Charles and Ermington Public participated in my inaugural Bennelong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Challenge earlier this year, which reflects their willingness to try new things and push themselves. Principals Jennifer Claro of Ermington and Peter Watkins of St Charles should be congratulated for setting such an impressive example for their students and teachers.