By Aaron Cordy
GREATER Shepparton Secondary College Humanities students from years 7 to 9 had a glimpse into Federal politics last Thursday when the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honourable Milton Dick MP, met with Member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell MP, as part of Parliament in Schools.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for the kids in this region to have come to their school, to have them ask us tough questions, but more importantly to hear their ideas about the future. Hopefully, maybe see a speaker or prime minister,” said Mr Dick upon his visit to the region.
Parliament in Schools is a bi-partisan initiative that began in September 2022 to make civics education accessible to students regardless of their location. In collaboration with local federal members, the Speaker has visited schools across Australia to bring parliament to them.
Both Mr Dick MP and Mr Birrell MP spoke about their roles in government as well as what led them to pursue a calling into politics. They then handed the floor over to the students to ask the hard questions.
It was an honour for GSSC as Mr Dick was the first Speaker of the House of Representatives to visit Shepparton since federation and may have sparked some of the young minds present to think about getting involved in politics once they leave school.
