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Women in Parliament

On Wednesday 30 November, Kalia and I joined girls from a number of schools in Parliament House to learn about females in politics: how things worked, what went on and how women make an impact in our government.

We started our day with a warm welcome from old scholar and former ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ»ÆƬ teacher, Kimbra McCormack, and an icebreaker activity to meet the other girls from different schools who were there. We then listened to a brief talk from Michelle O'Byrne, ALP MP and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania.

Kimbra showed our group of girls to the Lower House, where politicians debate on many issues and bills. Kalia and I were lucky enough to score the Speaker’s chair (even though we could barely fit), then listened to the Speaker, Hon. Elise Archer talk about her role in the Lower House, how much of an impact it has and what it’s like to be a female politician. She spoke with such honesty and certainty, we could tell she loves her job.

After recess, we were split into two groups. Our activities alternated in being shown around the Parliament House and a role-play of the process that happens in the Lower House. It was interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes and how beautiful the Parliament House is. Being able to put the gown of the Clerk on was quite fun and having a deeper understanding with what goes on gave us an insight on how important a female’s role is. Our day consisted of learning about women in politics, what they have to go through and the inequality between women and men in the work force.

This day was a valuable experience. It gave us insight into the job of politicians in Parliament and showed us what issues are faced by our women politicians, and how much work we still need to do to be able to achieve equality between men and women, especially in Parliament.

We would like to thank the school for making this opportunity available to us, and especially to Mrs Fraser, who took us to the Parliament House and was able to learn more about these issues also.

Julia Narracott - 2017 College Vice Captain