Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm honoured to also be taking part in the Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign that a couple of my colleagues have spoken about already. It is a fantastic initiative that links young people with parliamentarians, to read speeches they have written and to try to increase the political literacy of all our young voters and voters to be. I'm delighted to read out the following speech from Ella from South Australia. Hello, Ella.

In the next 10 years, I would like schools to be places that kids and adults can learn at.

Schools could have afternoon clubs that adults, including elderly people, could visit to get help with digital technology problems. Adults often ask kids to help with computer and phone problems.

Adults usually help kids learn but kids can teach adults too. Kids helping adults would be good for the adults and the kids.

This could especially help older people who don't have their own adult children or grandkids. It could also help lonely people connect.

Some schools may have a mini cafe run by older students. There would be one or two teachers around to keep us all safe.

Parliament can help make this happen. The Minister for Education could ask schools to get involved. The Minister for Human Services and Minister for Seniors and Ageing Well could help advertise this to the community.

This would not cost much money because students would be volunteering their time.

The students would feel great knowing that they are really helping adults. Adults would learn from kids. Everyone would feel they belong.

Thank you, Ella. Thank you for such a great speech and for some great ideas there that people can take forward. As I said, I'm delighted to be part of this program and delighted to have had the opportunity to read out Ella's contribution to the parliament.