A trip to the nation's capital

On Monday 25th November, Year 9 Commerce students had the opportunity to visit National Electoral Education Centre and Parliament House in Canberra to support the unit of work on Law, Society and Political Involvement. During the excursion, the students got to experience the electoral process in action by running their own election. They also participated in the Parliamentary Education Office’s role-play which gave them hands-on experience of how laws are made through Parliament.

“I have enjoyed visiting Canberra and seeing interesting things such as the Parliament and National Electoral Education Centre. I have learnt something new and that it was interesting that they had paintings of the past prime ministers. This excursion helped my understanding of laws and political involvement from how to enrol when I turn 16 and to be able to vote at the age of 18.” –  Yasemin, 9 Commerce

“During our recent excursion to Canberra, we visited the iconic Parliament house where we had the opportunity to watch the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, in action. We explored the Senate, House of Representatives and learnt about how laws were passed. A highlight of the day was learning about the voting process, including the roles of the voting officials and the importance of a secret ballot. This experience improved our understanding of how laws are made, the significance of voting and our understanding of how political involvement plays an important part in shaping our future.”  –  Rianna, 9 Commerce 

 “Year 9 Commerce went to Canberra where we visited the National Electoral Education Centre and the Parliament House. At the NEEC we learnt about Australia’s voting system, including who is allowed to vote, how to become eligible to vote and how to vote. We participated in a mock election showing students how the Australian voting system works. We did a preferential vote, which in Australia means it is compulsory for voters to mark a preference for every single candidate on the ballot paper. After visiting the NEEC we headed to Parliament House where we witnessed the House of Representatives in action, discussing the Bill to ban social media for children under 16 years of age. Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, was also present in the House.” –  Laura, 9 Commerce

Ms Nice Heng

Year 9 Commerce Teacher

Social Sciences