A group of students from Hoppers Crossing Secondary College took the opportunity to have their voices heard in Parliament recently.
Year 11 students Jade Goodman, Krystelle Rush and Jecelin Cai joined year 12 students Kyra Moore, Nicole Carrier and Suleiman Mugisha in Spring Street as part of the annual YMCA Victoria Youth Parliament project.
The project gives young people aged between 16 and 25 a chance to train in public speaking and leadership, and develop bills to debate at Parliament House.
Bills successful at youth parliament are passed onto government ministers. Some have gone on to become state law, such as compulsory wearing of bike helmets.
The Hoppers Crossing students presented a bill which they had named the “Victoria Parole Conditions Reform”.
Jade said they developed the bill in response to parolees breaching their parole and committing further crimes.
She said the bill aimed to make it more challenging for serious offenders to obtain parole.
All six students said they would like for people aged under 18 to be given a greater voice in politics.
“We are the people of the future, and ultimately will be the ones voting either currently, or very soon, so it’s extremely important for us to have a say,” Kyra said.
