Have you ever wondered how to get children interested and involved with politics?
Federal Member for Dobell, Emma McBride, has a way to engage the youth of the Central Coast with the art of democratic discussion.
She has been visiting schools in her electorate to run mock parliaments, which teach students how the government works by re-creating the house of representatives to discuss bills that the students can understand and weigh in on, such as a bill to ban homework.
On April 30, McBride visited Lakes Grammar, Warnervale, where she held a mock parliament for the school’s Year 6 and Year 5/6 Opportunity Class.
“The mock parliament that I run in schools is based on the parliamentary education office program, which is complementary with the school curriculum, so often I’ll visit schools before they make a trip to Canberra where they go to Parliament House, or sometimes, I will see them when they get back.
“It’s a really good opportunity for local students to say how decisions made in Parliament can directly and immediately affect them, and their local community,” said McBride.
The program, created by the Parliamentary Education Office, aims to educate students on how bills and proposed laws are introduced, debated and voted on in the lower house.
It is aimed at students from Year 5-12, where the class is divided into government, opposition, minor parties and independents, where members of each team take on different roles such as Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Speaker, Clerk, Serjeant-At-Arms, Opposition Members and Party Whips.
During the mock parliament at Lakes Grammar, McBride introduced the No Homework Bill, where summative speeches from the Prime Minister, and Opposition Leader were made, and final votes for the bill were counted by the Whips.
The No Homework Bill was passed by the students.
“It always generates a lot of really lively debate, there is lots of discussion, particularly around homework.
“I’ve often disappointed students by letting them know that even though the No Homework bill was passed in the mock parliament, it doesn’t mean that homework doesn’t exist in their school.
“It spawns lots of conversations and I always get asked really good questions by local students on a range of different topics.
“I had a student recently ask me about coronary care that people can receive at Wyong Hospital.
“I’ve also received 30 letters from students about different local issues or concerns that they had which I have been following up.
“Canberra and the decisions made there can feel very far away, and this program is a really good way of bringing these decisions and their impacts into the classroom,” said McBride.
Since being elected in 2016, McBride has hosted a mock parliament at over 25 schools.
“I’ve done it with primary and high school students, and I always come away with some really good ideas and some really good questions.
“With high school students, we have discussed voting age, or what age you have to be to get a driver’s license,” said McBride.
“Mock Parliament is always a wonderful learning opportunity for our students, Emma McBride’s visit provided our students with an insight into the workings of Democracy in Australia,” said Opportunity Class Teacher at Lakes Grammar, Anne Livette-Vial.
“What was very pleasing from the day was the number of students who strongly defended the benefits of homework, the students were highly engaged and intrigued by the concept of a Parliamentary debate and we are very thankful for Emma’s time to make this possible”.
Harry Mulholland