Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

DUNIAM (—) (): Today I want to reflect on a great experience I had down in Tasmania, noting a statistic I remember reading recently around the amount of Australians that ordinarily have contact with their elected representatives: between five and 10 per cent of people, throughout their lifetime, will have contact with a member of local government, state government or federal government. It was a great pleasure on that basis, noting that statistic—

As low as that, Senator Ayres. Maybe you see more; I don't know!

I went to Collinsvale Primary School, a great public primary school just outside the Hobart city area. At the request of the Collinsvale Primary School middle class, who have been doing a great job lobbying politicians state, federal and local—and I'm sure Senator McKim, who's nodding his head, has had some interaction with them as well and no doubt supported their good works. This small class of students took it upon themselves to lobby each level of government for support for playground equipment. And you know what? They've succeeded. They have shown others what it takes to get a good outcome for their community.

I want to pay tribute to the class teacher, Ms Whitney Bowerman, and the students: Alex, Alin, Brooke, Dieter, Emily, Ivy, Lochie, Lucas, Lucy, Mitchel, Mizuki, Nate, Rex, Ryan, Wyatt and Zack. And I say to other students across the country: take note of this team from Collinsvale Primary School. They've lived by the saying, 'If you don't ask, you don't get.' They asked and they lobbied hard. They contacted Liberal, Labor and Green representatives state, federal and local, and they've succeeded. I commend their class and their teacher for demonstrating to those students the value of contact with politicians, of being able to lobby effectively for what they want. I hope we see more of this from our students right across Tasmania and, indeed, across the country.