National Schools Constitutional Convention
Madeline Hele to debate whether Section 128 is still necessary
We are so proud of Year 12 student Madeline Hele who was successful in her application to attend the National Schools Constitutional Convention from Tuesday, 21st March to Thursday, 23rd March 2023. Madeline was among 116 Year 11 and 12 students from around Australia who attended the 28th National Schools Constitutional Convention (NSCC), which was held at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra. The program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education (DOE), coordinated by National Curriculum Services (NCS) and supported by the Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA) and Department of Education from all states and territories.
The topic for the 2023 Convention is, ‘Constitutional Reform - Is section 128 still a necessary requirement to change such an important document as the Australian Constitution?’. This topic will provide students with the opportunity to examine Section 128 of the Australian Constitution and discuss if the requirements for alteration are still appropriate. A range of stimulus speakers will discuss the issues with students for them to debate with all delegates.
Outcomes from the Convention will be incorporated into a Communiqué that will be forwarded to the President of the Senate, Senator Sue Lines, for tabling in Parliament and recorded in Hansard.
As a national delegate, Madeline travelled with 29 other students from NSW. Madeline said;
"The NSCC was one of the best experiences of my life, as I got to discuss political issues with other like-minded people and meet some of the greatest friends, from a variety of states. Giving young people a voice in these matters is imperative for Australian democracy and creating the next generation of political and legal figures, which is why all of the delegate's responses to the presented issues are to be made into a report and sent to the President of the Senate, Senator Sue Lines and is to be tabled in Federal Parliament. From this opportunity, I have been able to expand my knowledge and further my interest in politics as a future career path".
Other elements of the program will include the Prime Minister’s Welcome Reception at Parliament House hosted by The Hon Patrick Gorman MP, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, a meeting with the Governor-General, The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) at Government House, and a dinner at the High Court of Australia.
I refer you to Madeline's recount of her experience as a national delegate:
From the 21st-23rd March, I was amongst the 116 delegates representing their states and territories in the National Schools Constitutional Convention in Canberra. The convention aimed to engage the senior students in examining Section 128 in the Australian Constitution and its relevance in society today, with the current topic of the Indigenous Voice Referendum, in mind. Australia’s history of referendums, the effectiveness of a double majority and the possible inclusion of territories in a referendum was of key discussion. The three-day trip was incredibly engaging, with numerous excursions to other key political and constitutional locations, including Question Time in the Federal House of Representatives, Government House, the High Court of Australia and the Museum of Australian Democracy.
We were spoken to by numerous political and legal figures such as the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, the Hon Patrick Gorman, Emeritus Professor John Warhurst AO, from ANU, the Assistant Minister for Education, the Hon. Anthony Chisolm and Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC.
Numerous Keynote presentations were given across the two days, including from Professor Kim Rubenstein from the University of Canberra, and discussed Australia’s Constitutional Referendum Law and the history of Australia’s referendums. Keynote 2 related to Section 128 in current practice and if it was fair for all, presented by Fr Frank Brenan (AO), Adjunct Professor from Newman College and the University of Melbourne. The following keynote, highlighting a First Nations view on the Voice Referendum, was powerfully given by Professor Peter Anderson from the Walpiri and Murinpatha nations of the NT, and the Queensland University of Technology. Our final keynote was from Dr Andrew Banfield from the Parliamentary Library, and focused on how other countries, such as Canada and New Zealand use and conduct referendums. Following the keynotes, we were to break off into our working groups and answer questions provided to us and discuss the topics presented. Following our discussions, one member from each group presented them to the rest of the Convention in speech format. At the end of the group discussions on both Wednesday and Thursday, we also had the opportunity to use the soapbox, which provided for some controversial, yet engaging discussions.
On Wednesday, we swiftly took off from the Convention to Government House to meet His Excellency General the Hon. David Hurley AS DSC (Retd) and Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley. After a quick tour of Government House, and a sing-a-long with Her Excellency, we headed to the High Court for dinner. At the dinner, we were able to have a quick tour, which included a mini mock trial in one of the courtrooms, and we were also able to hear a speech from the amazing Sean Dondas, ACT State Recipient of the Young Australian of the Year Award in 2022. Here, he spoke about his career in public policy and his work with the amazing CanTeen.
Following our final working session, on Thursday, we were then presented by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Andrew McLachlan CSC. More entertaining soapbox speeches and a mini referendum of our own, momentarily distracted us from our soon departure, as well as a fun tour around the Museum of Australian Democracy. As the Convention closed, a wave of sadness washed over everybody as we all had to say goodbye, for what was most likely forever.
The NSCC was one of the best experiences of my life, as I got to discuss political issues with other like-minded people and meet some of the greatest friends, from a variety of states. Giving young people a voice in these matters is imperative for Australian democracy and creating the next generation of political and legal figures, which is why all of the delegate's responses to the presented issues are to be made into a report and sent to the President of the Senate, Senator Sue Lines and is to be tabled in Federal Parliament. From this opportunity, I have been able to expand my knowledge and further my interest in politics as a future career path.
Madeline Hele