Students taking part in the 27th Tasmanian Youth Parliament today presented the Liberal Government with nine Youth Bills that were passed this week, as well as Policy Recommendations they have formulated.

This year’s Youth Parliament theme was ‘Not a Statistic’ with Bill topics including raising the drinking age to 21, access to contraception, voluntary voting at age 16, mental health in schools, public transport and legalising paintball.

Students sat in both the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council, signifying the increasing popularity of the program for Tasmanian students in Years 10 – 12. This year, 52 students from 14 schools and colleges state-wide took part in Youth Parliament.

Youth Parliament is designed to give young people a unique opportunity to learn about our Westminster parliamentary system by writing and debating their own Youth Bills on issues that are important to them, to gain experience in public speaking and foster civil engagement.

Policy workshops were also held on the five areas of employment, education, mental health, political involvement, and drugs and alcohol.

I was honoured to accept the Youth Parliament Bills and Policy Documents on behalf of the Liberal Government, and to present students with certificates for their participation.

Having interacted with the group and watched some of their spirited debates this week, it was impressive to see the articulate and respectful way in which they provided considered opinions on a range of complex issues.

The annual organisation of Youth Parliament is no small feat and I commend the Taskforce, made up of about a dozen volunteers who have all participated in Youth Parliament as students previously, YMCA Hobart and staff members of the Tasmanian Parliament, for their efforts in ensuring the week-long event ran smoothly and was an experience participants will remember for life. I also thank those Members of Parliament from both Houses who participated in the program.

The Liberal Government supported the Youth Parliament program with a $13,750 grant through organising body, YMCA Hobart.
Elise Archer, Speaker of the House of Assembly