The National Schools Constitutional Convention has been running for 23 years and this year Chloe Saunders and I, along with 13 students from other schools had the great privilege of being selected to represent WA at the Convention from 12th to 15th March 2018. This year the discussion was based around Section 44 of the Australian Constitution - the grounds for disqualification in parliament that caused the citizenship crisis - and its relevance to modern Australia.
On the first day, we went to the National History Museum where we were able to view how Australia has been shaped throughout time. From there, we met with the delegates from the other States and attended Senate Question Time, which was certainly a memorable experience. We had an address from The Honourable Karen Andrews representing The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull. We were able to ask questions to some of the Senators on their opinions on Section 44.
Day two marked the beginning of the Convention and the delegates were able to hear speeches representing differing views on Section 44. The Honourable Simon Birmingham, the Minister for Education and Training, then addressed the delegates. At the end of the day we had the pleasure of meeting the Governor General in Government House, where we able to ask his opinion on Section 44 to help with our discussions. That night we were treated to dinner at the High Court of Australia and heard the inspiring story of Zack Bryers, the 2018 ACT Young Australian of the Year.
Day 3 was the final day of the Convention. It began with a very interesting panel discussion on how other nations deal with dual citizenship in their countries, namely Canada and New Zealand. We then went into our discussion groups once again to report back what changes, if any, would we make to Section 44. At the conclusion of our discussions The Honourable Scott Ryan, President of the Senate, gave a very interesting speech. The day concluded with a mock referendum to change Section 44 of the Australian Constitution.
The Convention was an exhausting, yet truly wonderful experience and helped to further stimulate an interest in Australia’s political system amongst all who attended.
Written by Liam Drumm (Year 12)