Today I accepted on behalf of the State Government and Parliament the Youth Bills that were passed by students taking part in the 30th Tasmanian Youth Parliament in Hobart this week.
At the official closing ceremony, I also presented around 50 youth parliamentarians in Years 10–12 with certificates acknowledging their participation.
This year’s Youth Parliament tagline was ‘The Voice of Young Tasmanians’ which is exactly what Youth Parliament is all about.
Students sat in both the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council, with many of the sessions being chaired by ‘real’ Members of Parliament from both chambers.
Bills that were passed by the Youth Parliament included Youth Public Service, Opt-Out Organ Donation, Driver Re-Examination and Renewable Energy.
I have been thoroughly impressed with the students’ ability to articulate clearly their opinions on a range of complex issues, as well as the way in which they have grasped our political system and its procedures.
The Youth Bills will be provided to the leaders of each party and I have no doubt the concerns, ideas and solutions presented will help shape future policy.
The State Government supported the 2017 Youth Parliament program with a $13,750 grant through the organising body, YMCA Hobart.
I commend the students, the Youth Parliament Taskforce, the YMCA and our Tasmanian Parliamentary staff for their efforts in ensuring the week-long event was a success and surpassed all students' expectations.
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