Year 11 Student, Greenwood Senior High School, WA

I was one of four West Australian students selected to attend the Every Voice Counts! Student Forum that ran 18–20 October 2006, in Canberra. The event was attended by students from many different backgrounds from around Australia. As well as being a great opportunity to gain a better insight into the Australian Federal Parliament, the focus of the forum was to investigate and discuss the concept of a harmonious democracy and the role of young people in Australia’s democratic system.

Being from Western Australia, travelling to the forum involved a three-hour flight, which left early on the Tuesday morning, to Melbourne, where we boarded another flight to Canberra. That afternoon, we finally arrived at the hotel and all rushed to our rooms to unpack before we headed back to the foyer to socialise and meet all of the other students and facilitators.

We spent much of our time in Canberra at Parliament House, where we all met the Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, along with several other parliamentarians, and participated in a Joint Standing Committee Inquiry into Civics and Electoral Education, which was recorded in Hansard.

I think that one of the most anticipated events in our programme had been watching the House of Representatives Question Time. If you have ever watched the event on TV, you might have realised how heated the 'discussion' can get. Much to our group’s amusement, during our viewing of Question Time, no fewer than five Opposition MPs were ejected from the chamber for 'unruly or disruptive conduct'. Again, those of you who have seen Question Time may realise that it can quite often make some classroom debates appear highly civilised in comparison. Of course, debate, freedom of speech and freedom of opinion are all integral parts of any democratic system!

At Parliament House, on the final day of the forum, we all participated in a mock Senate inquiry, and compiled our own report on young people’s participation in Australia’s harmonious democracy, which was presented to a representative of the Department of Education, Science and Training. Over the duration of the forum, we also visited the Australian War Memorial, National Museum of Australia and Old Parliament House, which have all played a role in, or demonstrate, Australia’s democracy.

When visiting Old Parliament House we listened to various guest speakers who were all very informative and entertaining. They included Mr Simon Moss (Director of the Oaktree Foundation), Ms Samantha Maiden (political correspondent for The Australian), Mr Tim Goodwin (representative of the National Indigenous Youth Movement) and Mr Mustapha Kara-Ali (representative of the Muslim Community Reference Group).

Later, we also listened to presentations by a political adviser to the Attorney-General and a political adviser to the Federal Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. During their speeches, we learnt many funny facts and serious anecdotes about Parliament and our system of government, and my eyes were opened to a host of new job opportunities. Through the variety of topics their speeches covered, it was also evident that the idea of a democracy is not just expressed solely through systems of government, but also through the general community, media and non-government organisations.

Over the duration of the forum, I certainly learnt a lot more about the weird and wonderful world of politics. It was also great to be able to meet other students from around Australia; as the forum was only over three days, we all got to know each other very quickly! I really enjoyed the entire forum, and found that, as well as being a great experience, it has also increased my interest in (and knowledge of politics and current affairs.