Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to bring to the attention of the Senate some letters I recently received from a group of primary school students. They are all in the 3/4 Fiji class at Camdenville Public School in Sydney. The letters are notable for the complex and timely topics they address and the heart-felt opinions which are expressed. Bronte, Kira, Jenny, Bella, Ruby, Ellie and Kayla voiced their concerns over animal welfare. Looking to the ocean first, they argue that killing sharks and whales is an unnecessary act of cruelty—concerns that my colleagues Senators Peter Whish-Wilson and Rachael Siewert also feel passionate about and have taken up many times. I think they would like to know that the International Court of Justice banned whaling in the Antarctic.

Regarding domestic animals, they urge dog owners to act responsibly and care for their pets. They also spoke with great concern about farm animals. They make a passionate case on factory farming, detailing how it is. They state:

… bad for chickens and other farmed animals as it is cruel. Chickens are probably the most abused animals on the planet.

I will let them know about the recent ban on caged egg production in the ACT, a reform led by the Greens.

Riley, Adam, Ethan, Jonathon, Nicholas, Cooper, Shakeel and Tiago protest the recent agreement to sell uranium to India. They wrote in their letter:

One nuclear missile could blow up an entire city and you know how bad that would be.

They warn of the catastrophic danger of nuclear weapons and note that the Indian government has not signed the non-proliferation treaty. Senator Ludlam has long argued that this is one of the biggest reasons to tear up the deal with India—and in my reply I will expand on that.

Roxy and Rizal took up another issue close to my heart, Australia's treatment of asylum seekers. They wrote:

We would be delighted if Australia could accomplish a law of freedom to refugees. We hope you can support our arguments and help refugees all over our world.

They note that, despite international conventions, refugees are still suffering. These students highlight that the Australian government is failing to honour our agreements, increasing suffering for those who have already suffered so much. Roxy and Rizal could be two international human rights lawyers in the making. Seeing young students tackle such a topic makes me optimistic about the future. Not only are they thinking deeply about issues which many adults struggle to address but they have taken the time to organise together and voice their concerns. One of the best things students can learn at school is the importance of engaging with the community. If we see something wrong, the future calls on us to voice our concerns and fix it. This is certainly what I believe, and it was heartening to receive these letters.

These letters also make clear the failings of our education system under successive governments. Just imagine the support that students like this could receive with a properly funded public education system. Instead of splashing out public funds on private schools, we could be ensuring that these bright minds get the resources and the teachers they deserve. If these students want to pursue their higher education in 10 years, what sort of higher education will await them? The Liberal government in New South Wales is well on its way to gutting TAFE, pushing students into private providers, where quality runs a distant second to profit. Our university system already loads up students with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, with massive increases on the cards.

Despite the damage that Liberal-National governments and Labor governments have inflicted on public education over the decades, these letters do make me optimistic that the future is in safe hands. I thank the students from the Fiji class for their correspondence and congratulate the whole team at Camdenville Public School, the students, the teachers and all the staff. I appreciated receiving your letters, and I hope this is just the start of an illustrious letter-writing future for all of these students.