Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The power and determination of young people to make change and right injustices amazes me. Last week we saw a great example, as thousands of students came out to strike for climate change action. But, closer to home, local students from Parramatta High School's Social Justice League and the Student Representative Council recently came together to support students and families at Gilgandra High School who are being affected by drought. The idea was put forward by their teacher, Helen Moore, and in September the Parramatta students raised over $1,000 at a 'Colours for the country' mufti day and sausage sizzle. They were invited to Gilgandra high to help the students there to take their minds off their struggles. As one teacher at Gilgandra put it: everyone had friends who knew of others doing it tough, and this made everyone glum. The Parra high students visited the Gilgandra school to see firsthand how the drought was affecting local families, and to provide a welcome distraction for local students doing it tough. Students from both schools took part in a range of social, sporting and cultural activities, and Parramatta high students visited some of Gilgandra's tourist attractions.

Congratulations and thank you to the students at Parramatta High School and their teacher Helen Moore. You've done a great service to the students and families of Gilgandra. Your efforts are appreciated. Well done.