Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I noticed that Senator Canavan was running in, so I thought I would stand and he can go next.

Queenstown sits on the rugged west coast of Tasmania. It's a community of around eighteen hundred people and it's a community that's reinventing itself from the closure of the Mount Lyell copper mine over five years ago now. The Mountain Heights High School has some amazing teachers and one of these is Alex Burgess-Norris, who has recently been recognised with a statewide award for her teaching and leadership excellence. Alex came to Mountain Heights School from right here in Canberra in 2019 on a two-year placement through the Teach for Australia Leadership Development Program. She's now in her fourth year at the school, teaching humanities, social science and English.

Alex said that she was thrilled to be given the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Council of Educational Leaders Award, commenting:

Teaching is so fulfilling for such a diverse range of reasons.

She said:

It's the relationships with the students, the creativity in preparing lessons, connecting the school with the wider community, opportunities to learn, the fast-paced environment—you're always on your toes—and the professional collaboration with other teachers.

And of course the students, who are so resilient and have taught me so much.

Alex's previous career was in environmental science, and she decided to make the switch for teaching via Teaching for Australia. For that, I say thank you. What a great switch.

I've had many visits to Mountain Heights School over the years, and what never ceases to amaze me is the drive and commitment from the teachers towards ensuring that the students get the best out of their schooling to ensure that they get the best out of their lives. Congratulations to Alex, and I hope that she decides to stay at Mountain Heights School for many, many years to come.