31st National Schools Constitutional Convention (NSCC)

On Tuesday 24 March, I had the great privilege of being one of 25 Victorian delegates who flew to Canberra to attend the 31st National Schools Constitutional Convention, where over 100 students from across the country convened to discuss the intricacies of our federating document. 

Across the three days of the conventions, distinguished guests, fruitful discussions, and thought-provoking activities guided us in the exploration of the constitution, whilst in the process, we were able to develop a sophisticated understanding of our parliament, electoral, and political history.

On the first day of the convention, we had the honour of attending the parliament house to view the house of representatives in action, receiving a welcome from The Hon Milton Dick, the speaker for the house of representatives, before being received by The Hon Jason Clare MP, the minister for education. We then had the opportunity to meet the other members of parliament, and I was particularly fortunate to be able to meet the MP for the electorate that I lived in, Cassandra Fernando, discussing the immensely fortuitous chance to attend the invent.

On the second day, we were introduced to Emeritus Professor Clement Macintyre (University of Adelaide), Professor Gabrielle Appleby (University of New South Wales), and Emeritus Professor Anne Twomey (University of Sydney) who each imparted their wealth of knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. 

This was then complemented by the passionate speeches of Former Senators Nick Minchin and John Faulkner. This compactly scheduled day, however, culminated in our visit to Government House, the home of Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia. We had the pleasure of having Her Excellency give us a tour of her home, where we got to witness the very rooms where legislative history was made by former Governor-Generals.

Finally, on the concluding day, we received a lecture from Professor Alan Fenna (Curtin University), before hosting our own referendum and presenting our very own Communique to The Hon Sue Lines, the president of the Senate. We were also able to attend a tour of the Museum of Australian Democracy, also known as the Old Parliament House.

At the conclusion of the event, it was retrospectively evident that, although the primary objective of the convention was to discuss the contents of the Australian Constitution, what ultimately prevailed was the new connections we made. It is not news that Australia is a large country, and to have some of its brightest young minds congregating at one event, was to me the most propitious experiences I could ask for. To be able to come to Canberra and share my thoughts with like-minded peers from across the country, I could not possibly recommend anything more.

By Luke Yu