Year 11 Student, Darwin High School, Northern Territory

I come from Darwin and only decided to apply at the last minute. A friend had told me about it and so I thought what the heck. I wrote and sent my application the day submissions closed. When a teacher of mine told me I had been accepted I just squeaked, ‘what?’.

Every Voice Counts! allowed me to expand my knowledge and gain further confidence. I met great people from all around Australia, and visited well-known places such as Parliament House and the National Museum. We met some politicians as well. Meeting the then Minister for Education Science and Training, the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson, MP, was particularly memorable as he gave us our certificates of participation, and I also met the Members of Parliament from the Northern Territory, Mr Dave Tollner, MP and Mr Warren Snowdon, MP. I honestly feel that this student forum has really empowered me. I am so much more confident and grounded in my beliefs. It’s as if this forum has helped me take one step closer to reaching my full potential.

On our first day we were taken into the Main Committee Room of Parliament House where they usually hold inquiries. There we all sat around tables, with place cards displaying our names and the places from which we had come (I kept mine as a souvenir). We listened to the facilitators for a while, then went and listened to the House of Representatives try to pass bills. The Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson, MP came after that and gave us our certificates, and I questioned him on the nuclear waste debate currently raging in the NT (definitely a highlight). We then had a mock Senate hearing on access to clean water, and different groups presented a case to a board. We had to answer questions from the board about why our argument or proposition should be considered. We finished around 4:30pm, and after that had a chance to unwind back at the hotel. We played games that night which were amazingly fun! Everyone had a terrific time, even the facilitators!

On the second day we went to Old Parliament House, and listened to speakers such as Lindsay Rae from World Vision discussing the issue of access to clean water as a fundamental human right. As well as this, we had local and regional speakers. We worked on reports that were going to be submitted to the Department of Education, Science and Training and we wrote about issues to do with access to water. The group I was in thought access to clean water for Aboriginals was a major one in rural communities. However, some Indigenous people may refuse to have the water they drink chemically cleaned due to cultural beliefs. As well as this, we explored the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Old Parliament House, the National Museum and ScreenSound Australia. All were extremely interesting and definitely experiences I won’t forget!

Lastly, on the third day we worked on reports of issues that we were passionate about. The group I was in focused on the proposed nuclear waste dumps in the Northern Territory and offered solutions to it. We then presented our ideas to the other groups and they were all constructively critiqued.

I was incredibly unsure about attending the forum as I didn’t really know what to expect. However, though I was sad to board the plane back home to Darwin, I had a little bounce in my step and my head was held just that little bit higher.