National Delegates for Schools Constitutional Convention
Darwin High School students Samuel Roussos and Mayatili Picton have been selected along with around 120 other Year 11 and 12 students from across Australia to travel to Canberra later this term.
As national delegates, Samuel Roussos and Mayatili Picton were selected from around 1,000 students from government, independent and Catholic schools, many of whom participated in their state or territory Conventions.
The National Schools Constitutional Convention event aims to promote understanding among young Australians about the Constitution and systems of government. The theme of this year’s convention is "Section 44: is it relevant in modern Australia?” Section 44 of the Constitution outlines the citizenship regulations when wanting to sit in Parliament, and has been a major topic of discussion and debate in 2017.
By student Samuel Roussos
The National Schools Constitutional Convention, allows 120 year 11 and 12 students from across Australia to travel to the nation’s capital to learn about the Australian Legal And Parliamentary System, along with pressing legal issues. Approximately 4 students from the NT were selected to go, with the application process consisting of a 300 word summary on whether Section 44 is relevant in modern Australia.We will travel to Canberra in week 8 for 5 days.
During that time, activities will include trips to Parliament and Government house, seminars, viewing sittings in the Senate, meeting politicians such as the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, and other fascinating events. At the end of the convention, a vote will be conducted to determine whether the group of 120 students believe Section 44 should be removed from the constitution, and that vote will be recorded in the Federal Parliament’s Hansard (the place in which they record what happens in Parliament) I think we can assume parents know this. Delete bracketed section?. It should be a very enjoyable week, full of learning and new experiences which I am very excited about.
Congratulations Samuel and Mayatili we look forward to hearing all about this fantastic experience.
