Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm proud to read a speech from 16-year-old Haajrah Alam, who lives in Tangney. The speech is in response to the following question posted by Raise Our Voice Australia: 'What should Australia's new parliament accomplish?' Here are her words:

Every media outlet in Australia has covered the topic of our nation's deplorable educational inequality. Having read my fair share of these reports … I've found the pattern. It always ends the same. Every piece ends with a call for an increase in political will. The political will to ensure young people are taught equally.

Some young people don't have the chance for a fair go. They may live in a regional or less affluent community and attend schools needing more funding. And no matter how hard they work, they can't reach the desired benchmark because Australia doesn't seem to value an educated population. Those at the bottom somehow have further to fall than those at the top.

And yet parliament has been ignoring this issue. Our system needs reform. We must ensure that those disadvantaged due to intersectional circumstances are given the attention they deserve. I want change for those to come.

Thank you, Haajrah.