My Voice, My Choice: following a tour of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, acting as Members of Parliament, participants were given 30 minutes to draft and present a mock Private Members Statement on an issue of importance to them. As part of this segment, students received invaluable advice from Parliamentary speech-writers, who shared their insights into the art of speech-writing.
Day in the Life of a Staffer: this segment offered students a rare glimpse into the fast-paced and dynamic world of political staffers. Students had the opportunity to sit with a Parliamentary staffer from the office of Ms. Zoe McKenzie MP, Unity Paterson, who gave a detailed account of the roles and responsibilities that make up an average day, sharing the challenges and rewards in politics and the realities of working behind the scenes in politics, including the pressures and fast-paced nature of the job.
Question Time: as part of the program, participants had the opportunity to attend Parliamentary Question Time, where they witnessed the dynamics between different political parties, learned about the protocols and procedures of Parliament, and saw how issues of national importance are addressed.
Job Shadow: Junior Advocates spent the afternoon shadowing Parliamentary staffers and Members of Parliament, assisting them in a range of Parliamentary tasks, which gave them an unparalleled experience of how Australian democracy functions on a day-to-day basis.
Day in the Life of a Journalist: students were given a tour of the Federal Parliament’s press gallery by Katina Cirtus, a journalist at the West Australian, visiting the offices and studios of a range of news outlets, where participants had the opportunity to learn about a career in journalism and the role journalists play in holding our politicians accountable - a role that is becoming even more vital in an age of misinformation.
Day in the Life of a Politician: participants sat down with the Member for Berowra, Mr. Julian Leeser MP, who discussed his journey to becoming a Federal Parliamentarian and how he manages the wide range of meetings, debates, and constituency work while balancing the demands of party politics and the pressing needs of his electorate.
The ANC-AU would like to express its gratitude to the offices of the following parliamentarians for their indispensable involvement and support throughout the program:
Mr. Josh Burns MP - Member for Macnamara
Ms. Kylea Tink MP - Member for North Sydney
Senator Maria Kovacic - Senator for New South Wales
Dr. Michelle Ananda-Rajah MP - Member for Higgins
Mr. Peter Khalil MP - Member for Wills
The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP - Member for Bradfield
Mr. Simon Kennedy MP - Member for Cook
Ms. Allegra Spender MP - Member for Wentworth
Senator Dave Sharma - Senator for New South Wales
Mr. Julian Leeser MP - Member for Berowra
Senator Claire Chandler - Senator for Tasmania
Mr. Jerome Laxale MP - Member for Bennelong
Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham - Senator for New South Wales
Ms. Zoe McKenzie MP - Member for Flinders
Executive Director of the ANC-AU, Michael Kolokossian, said, “It’s encouraging to see ongoing interest in this program. You could feel the students started wanting to learn more, wanting to do more as a potential career in politics flashed before their eyes. We hope that the two-day program has inspired them to roll up their sleeves and consider a career in or around politics as they consider future career paths.”
Kolokossian added: “It was also great to have Anna-Maria Sulukojian from Santa-Sabina College take part in the program as our first non-Galstaun College participant. We hope to build on this in the third iteration of the program next year, where we can hopefully extend this amazing opportunity to more students from different schools.”v
