Wednesday, 12 August 2026

 Ella GEORGE (Lara) (19:14): (1776) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Youth. I ask the minister to visit students from Northern Bay College who have been involved with CatholicCare’s justice education program. In May I welcomed these students on a tour of Parliament House. Afterwards the students developed oral presentations on local issues which they turned into mock parliamentary speeches. In June the students presented these speeches at their school, and I was honoured to be invited to hear them present them. To say I was truly impressed by their efforts is an understatement. The 12 students who participated gave it their all, and I want to share some of their insightful and forward-thinking ideas.

Eh Tar Taw addressed online bullying, proposing a bill for schools to enforce bans on students bringing phones to schools. Nazifeh Hajimohammadyaqoub spoke on the effects of loneliness among young people and suggested free sports programs. Fereshta Husaini discussed the various impacts of youth crime and proposed support for young people through schools and community organisations. Yagana Ismail tackled youth unemployment and the challenge of gaining work experience. Moo Ku called for stricter enforcement of the recent social media ban for young people. Gay Nay Blu Paw spoke on the positive impact of sport, proposing funding for schools in low socio-economic areas to provide sports equipment and keep children engaged. Plehmah Jae also addressed youth unemployment, proposing wage subsidies and tax incentives for businesses hiring young workers. Sadia Ramazani introduced the local arson prevention bill, focusing on prevention, education and tougher action against offenders, referencing incidents like the Black Saturday bushfires. Janzeb Rohani proposed banning children under 16 from owning mobile phones to address the harmful effects of social media. Rumanzi-Uwineza-Lucky called for free university to prevent young people starting adult life in debt. Plae Reh addressed rising housing costs for young people and suggested removing stamp duty and offering low-interest home loans to help young people build their future. And a year ‍11 vocational major student from Northern Bay College proposed tax reductions and cost-of-living payments for low- and middle-income earners, offset by reduced government spending to avoid long-term additional costs for families. Special thanks to Janelle Hearn, Northern Bay College teacher, and Nestor Estampa from CatholicCare Victoria for supporting these students and providing opportunities like this. These impressive students are the future, and I look forward to introducing the minister to these bright young leaders.