25 Feb 2015
School Captain, Alice Hawkins is one of 120 Year 11 and 12 students from across Australia selected to investigate the need for an Australian Bill of Rights at the 20th National Schools Constitutional Convention, being held at Old Parliament House in Canberra from 24 - 26 March 2015.
The National Schools Constitutional Convention program provides senior students with an opportunity to become better informed about how Australia's constitution provides a democratic framework and encourages them to take an active interest in the operation of government. The topic of the 2015 Convention is ‘Checks and balances: do we need an Australian Bill of Rights?' Discussion at the Convention will include a focus on the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.
Facilitated by Emeritus Professor John Warhurst AO, Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University, the students will explore the need for Australia to have a Bill of Rights. This will include input from a panel of experts, group discussions on the issues and the opportunity to persuade other delegates of particular approaches. Students will participate in a mock plebiscite to determine the outcome of their deliberations.
The Convention is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training as part of its ongoing commitment to civics and citizenship education.
In becoming a national delegate, Alice was selected from around 4,000 students from government, independent and Catholic schools, most of whom took part in feeder conventions in their home state or territory. This is a fantastic opportunity for Alice to go to Canberra and debate current constitutional reform issues at Old Parliament House.