Out and About
Legal Studies & Politics Workshop
Congratulations to Gerard Felipe of Year 11 who successfully applied to the LEAP into Law program offered by Learn, Experience, Access Professions, a collaborative initiative funded through the Commonwealth’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program. Below is a summary of his experience and I have no doubt we will see him one day either in the court room, as Premier of Victoria or Prime Minister. Well done Gerard.
Ms Cindy Twyford, Teacher
Hosted by Victoria University at the Sir Zelman Cowen Center, 40 students from various schools across Melbourne and regional Victoria enjoyed a Legal Studies & Politics workshop on 1 July 2016.
Law Professor, David Thomson, Teacher in Residence, accompanied by one of his Law students at Victoria University, welcomed students and gave a brief summary of their experience with studying and teaching law.
To begin, students were split into six groups, where each group had the chance to ‘Be the Judge’ and engaged in a sentencing exercise directed from guest speaker Carmela Pezzimenti, an experienced criminal law barrister (Victoria Bar) who also presented an overview of the sentencing process of someone who has committed a crime.
After a short break for morning tea, Rod Ratcliffe, Acting Juries Commissioner, gave a deep insight into the ins and outs of trial by jury and the myths that come along with it.
Following lunch, The Honorable John Pessuto MP, Shadow Attorney General and Member for Hawthorn ran the politics part of the workshop. Students learned about life as a politician and considered current political issues including the CFA dilemma.
Overall, it was a great experience. I was fortunate enough to learn the many different opportunities that come with a law degree & the strengths and weaknesses of trial by jury, in addition to the complexity of Victoria’s current legal system.
By Gerard C. Felipe (Year 11)
Student Leader Calls for the Voting Age to be Lowered
Frankston High School student and member of the VICSRC Executive Danai Harawa, alongside Spencer Davis from Footscray City College, have launched a petition with change.org calling on Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten to allow voluntary voting for 16 and 17-year-olds. This article featured in The Age newspaper over the holidays. Congratulations Danai! Please read link below.