Year 10 students from Bellingen High School recently experienced the inner workings of state politics during a visit to NSW Parliament House in Sydney today.
Students visited the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly chambers and took part in a mock debate.
The visit formed part of How the Legislature Works, an education program run by NSW Parliament that is designed to give students a practical understanding of how Parliament and the legislative process operate.
Year 10 student Abbey Glyde said the experience gave her a deeper understanding of how Parliament works in practice.
“I liked when we went in the Upper and the Lower House, it was so interesting to learn about all the different roles that everyone has. And when we were role playing, it was really cool because it was about something that actually happened in Parliament, and we got to hear what real life people said and how it went down. It was really cool,” Abbey said.
Fellow student Anya Skinner said she enjoyed learning about the history of Parliament House and taking part in hands-on activities.
“I liked learning about the history of Parliament House. We got shown the Chambers and we got to role play some bills. It was really interesting,” she said.
The Hon. Chris Minns MP, Premier of New South Wales, said a strong democracy depends on an informed and engaged community.
“The Parliament of NSW education programs give students a deeper understanding of how laws are made, how Parliament operates and how citizens can participate in shaping their society. It is an important investment in civic education and the next generation of leaders,” Mr Minns said.
For regional schools, Parliament offers a Regional Travel Subsidy to help reduce the cost of visiting Sydney. Bellingen High School’s visit was supported by this subsidy, which recently increased to $500 this year to make the program more accessible for regional communities.