Grade 6 Excursion

Parliamentary Convention

On Wednesday 15th August, we (Josh and Sukhjan) went to Parliament House, Melbourne to debate on the topic of a sugar tax. We attended the 2018 Parliamentary convention. The convention was held in the Legislative Chamber in the Lower House. We sat in the seats of the politicians and used the microphones they use during sitting days.

The program consisted of opening statements, guest speakers, group discussions and taking part in the soap box and voting.

Firstly, we started with the opening statements in which some schools attending were able to give their perspective on the proposed sugar tax. A lot of people spoke with very different arguments. After morning tea, we split up into mixed discussion groups to make argument for both sides of the topic. After we had discussed our reasons, we had a small vote to see  which side the majority was on. We had a spokesperson for each group to present  their ideas in the Legislative Chamber.

In the Soap Box session, everyone got a chance to speak and share their views on the sugar tax. Next, every student got to vote after everyone’s opinions had been shared. The vote was 45 - 46 in favour of the sugar tax, which is super close.

Overall, it was a great experience being able to be a part of it, but it wouldn’t of happened without Mr Ru’s organisation.

Sukhjan and Joshua