Victorian Schools’
State Constitutional Convention
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
10 September 2007
41
10 September 2007 Victorian Schools’ State Constitutional Convention
Victorian School’s Constitutional Convention Program
Ninety-seven senior student delegates from the three education sectors, representing 27 secondary colleges, assembled at Parliament House on Monday, 10 September to participate in the 2007 Victorian Schools’ State Constitutional Convention. Rural/regional delegates represented 21% of total participation.
Now in its 14th year, the convention continues to provide a practical opportunity for senior secondary students to explore topical and community issues within the context of the Australian Constitution.
The topic for the 2007 Convention was ‘Future Victorian power generation plans should include a nuclear energy option’.
The Program opened with an keynote presentation by Sir Gustav Nossal, followed by debate involving Martin Sevior and Amit Golder (speaking for the nuclear option), and Tilman A. Ruff and Tom O’Connor (speaking against the nuclear option). Following student discussion groups, Rod Espie (Parliament of Victoria) conducted a vote which concluded in a 67:27 result against the motion. Student participation was facilitated through debate, discussion, feedback, soap-box session and vote.
Jaspreet Singh from Taylors Lakes Secondary College and Mark Holmes from Lalor Secondary College, briefed delegates about their experiences at the 2007 National Convention held in Canberra in March this year.
Stephanie Coulston and Dylan Elliot, student reporters from Thornbury High School (Class TV), conducted interviews and filmed activities during the day under the direction of their teachers, Colin Thompson (Producer) and Bill Smith (AV technician).
Twenty-five delegates from the State Convention will be selected to represent Victoria at the National Convention to be held in Canberra in March 2008.
The State Convention was administered by a Planning Committee comprising:
Sue Nilsen Association of Independent Schools of Victoria
Rosemary Darwinkle Australian Electoral Commission
Greg Whiley Catholic Education Office, Melbourne
Rod Espie Parliament of Victoria
Rachel Laurie Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Christine Pinto Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Gary Shaw Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Sonya Velo Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
VICTORIAN SCHOOLS’ STATE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Future Victorian power generation plans
should include a nuclear energy option
Legislative Assembly Chamber
Parliament House, Melbourne
10 September 2007
PRESENTERS
Chair: Ms Judy Maddigan, MP, Member of Essendon
Welcome: Mr Steve Herbert, MLA, Parliamentary Secretary for Education
Speakers:
Sir Gustav Nossal, Professor Emeritus (Pathology), University of Melbourne
Dr Martin Sevior, Associate Professor (Experimental Particle Physics), University of Melbourne
Dr Tilman A. Ruff, Associate Professor, Nossal Institute, University of Melbourne
Mr Amit Golder, Arts/Law student, Monash University Debating Society
Mr Tom O’Connor, Victorian Director, Oaktree Foundation; 2007 Young Victorian of the Year
Ms Jaspreet Singh, Year 12 student, Taylors Lakes Secondary College
Mr Mark Holmes, Year 12 student, Lalor Secondary College.
Closing remarks: Mr Martin Dixon, MLA, Opposition Spokesperson for Education.
STUDENT DELEGATES:
Blossom Ah Ket, Northcote High School
Eric Allilomou, Melbourne High School
Mouhamed Assafiri, Lalor Secondary College
Iara Balo, Elwood College
Richard Bauer, St Patrick's College
Sonia Borghetti, Taylors Lakes Secondary College
Shannon Bourke, Terang College
Tyler Brady, University High School
Sarah Bubb, Brauer College
Maximilian Buchanan, Elwood College
Shelley Burns-Williamson, Northcote High School
Marissa Buttera, Northcote High School
Petek Cagrier, Taylors Lakes Secondary College
Simone Caligiuri, Lalor Secondary College
Christine Cannon, Baimbridge College
Patrick Clearwater, Melbourne High School
Richard Cole, University High School
Stephanie Coulston, Thornbury High School
Shannon Davies, Thomastown Secondary College
Terry Dehghani, Lalor Secondary College
Brittney Duckett, Tallangatta Secondary College
Johnny El Halabi, Antonine College
Dylan Elliot, Thornbury High School
Sam Farfoud, Antonine College
Jack Ferguson, St Patrick's College
Elizabeth Forrest, University High School
Mascha Ghiradini, Elwood CollegeSahika Goker, University High School
Daniel Gonsalves, Mazenod College
Joseph Gould, Flora Hill Secondary College
Ben Graham, Eaglehawk Secondary College
Callan Green, University High School
Ruby Han, Northcote High School
Cal Hannan, University High School
Sam Harrison, St Patrick's College
Samuel Hearne, University High School
Emma Hogg,
The Hamilton & Alexandra College
Mark Holmes, Lalor Secondary College
Jack Howes, University High School
Mary Ioannidis, Northcote High School
Marti Kaiser, University High School
Simone Karmis, University High School
Louis Karp, Elwood College
Varun Khatter, Northcote High School
Rishi Kher, Melbourne High School
Olivia Kidman,
Eaglehawk Secondary College
Olivia Koh, University High School
Zara La Roche,
Bairnsdale Secondary College
Denholm Lappas, Elwood College
AnaBia Leite, Elwood College
Marie Lenartowicz, University High School
Emma Lewis, Eaglehawk Secondary College
Caleb Lim, Elwood College
Freya List, University High School
Felix Lofgren, Elwood College
Mara Mathieson, Northcote High School
Danielle McDonald,
Orbost Secondary College
Lyle McLeman, Cann River P-12 College
Oscar McLoughlin-Ning,
University High School
Caitlin McNamara,
Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar
Benjamin Mobilio, University High School
Brwa Mohammed,
Thomastown Secondary College / Vincent Moore, Mazenod College
Paula Muir, Baimbridge College
Elena Mujkic,
Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar
Charbel Nehme, Antonine College
Siobhan Neyland, University High School
Katja Novakovic, Northcote High School
Miriam Nowak, University High School
BJ Oakford, Notre Dame College
Adriana Ochoa, Elwood College
Meghan O'Connor,
Bairnsdale Secondary College
Peter O'Keefe, Notre Dame College
Peta-Pearl Politis, Methodist Ladies' College
Liam Power, Elwood College
Vaughan Quinn, University High School
Michael Raju,
Lalor North Secondary College
Kristina Ricketts, University High School
Daniela Rocha, Elwood College
Amy Roulston, Orbost Secondary College
Tom Scott, Elwood College
Nathan Segal, Koonung Secondary College
Michael Serratore, Mazenod College
Sarah Shafik, Lalor Secondary College
Jaspreet Singh,
Taylors Lakes Secondary College
Josie Smart, Northcote High School
Maria Stranieri,
Thomastown Secondary College
Ethan Tunstall,
Bairnsdale Secondary College
Jake Twohig, University High School
Gaetano Vangeli,
Lalor North Secondary College
Carla Ward, Baimbridge College
Vaibhav Wardhen, Melbourne High School
Ben Warner, Notre Dame College
Cherie Wasa, Lalor Secondary College
Ashlee Weidenbach, Notre Dame College
Nicholas Whan,
Flora Hill Secondary College
Katrina Williams, University High School
Welcome and introduction
The CHAIR (Mrs Maddigan)— Good morning and welcome to the Legislative Assembly of the Victorian Parliament. My name is Judy Maddigan and I am the member for Essendon. It is great to have you all here today. This is a bit aweinspiring, I think, when you come in here for the first time. Parliament House was actually built 151years ago. The stonemasons who built it— you can see it more on the outside— were one of the first unions to get the eighthour day because they went on strike while they were building this chamber, which I think was very sensible of them because the government of the day had already said when it wanted Parliament to open, which was in November, so they did very well. It is a great building which you will be able to have a look at later on this morning.
We have a number of guest speakers this morning, but I will introduce them to you as they get to speak rather than all at the beginning. I welcome you all very much. If there is anything else you need to know or anything like that, please feel free to go out and ask the attendants in the vestibule. Today is being recorded by our Hansard reporters, who are the very elegant people sitting over here on my left. We also have standards of what is allowed to be said in Parliament, but I am sure we will not have to refer to any of them this morning. Our first speaker this morning to open our activities and the debate on whether future Victorian power generation plans should include a nuclear energy option is the Parliamentary Secretary for Education, MrSteven Herbert, who of course is a member of the government, a member of the Labor Party.
MrHERBERT(Parliamentary Secretary for Education) — To Judy Maddigan, the member for Essendon and former Speaker— Judy was the Speaker in the 55thParliament and it is good to see her back in that chair; I can tell you she is a harsh taskmaster so make sure you abide by the rules of Parliament— my parliamentary colleague Martin Dixon, who will be here later today, Sir Gustav Nossal, our distinguished guest speakers and students, it is a pleasure to be here today to open this Schools State Constitutional Convention. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we stand, the Wurundjeri people. I acknowledge their culture and the important role indigenous people have played in this region.
Today over 20schools are represented here at the Schools State Constitutional Convention, which is a major event in Victoria’s civics and citizenship education calendar for schools across the state. It is very important, as the Chair said, that we are here in this very special place, because the Parliament of Victoria— where you sit— is in fact one of the historical icons of this nation. This Parliament House is the only building in Australia that has been the host to a colonial Parliament, to a state Parliament and to a federal Parliament. Many of you may not know that the federal Parliament was held in this building for more than 20years— from 1901 to 1927— before the first federal Parliament House was built in Canberra. Back then federal members of Parliament would have sat in the seats you are occupying right now and made decisions that created Australia as the nation we know today. Hansard reporters will be recording each and every word that is spoken here, as happens in the normal Parliament, and that will be part of the formal records of the Parliament of Victoria for evermore.
The theme of this constitutional convention is ‘Future Victorian power generation plans should include a nuclear energy option’, which is a current and controversial topic. The nuclear energy debate is complex, but it is one which governments around the world are starting to engage in as part of the response to the major concern that governments and people have about global warming and the growth worldwide in the demand for energy. The Victorian government has taken a proactive stance on climate change. In fact up until two months ago I was the Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment. I shifted across to become the education parliamentary secretary when the new Premier took office not that long ago. We have a major emphasis on trying to reduce emissions, trying to reduce consumption and trying to produce cleaner energy. We do this through a range of mechanisms, but primarily through the Victorian renewable energy target scheme. That is a scheme that has triggered new investment in renewable energy projects, including wind power, geothermal and major solar power stations.
It is interesting to note that today the government released figures which show that something like 228000Victorian households have switched from coal generation to clean power generation. That is over 40per cent of the national total and puts Victoria in the leading light in terms of ordinary people switching and trying to do their bit for climate change and to take up the use of renewable energy. However, the Victorian government is not a supporter of nuclear power— I am sure many of you will know this— and under the Nuclear Activities (Prohibitions) Act 1983, state Parliament legislation, nuclear power stations and waste dumps are banned in Victoria. This is in stark contrast to the commonwealth government, who have put nuclear energy back on the national agenda and are currently investigating the proposition of starting up a nuclear power industry in Australia. Ultimately the level of public support for and against nuclear energy will have major implications for the direction of government policy. It is a controversial topic, and I doubt that any government would take it on or reject it unless they were sure that the public would come along with that decision. I understand that you all here have copies of papers outlining many arguments for and against the topic. The papers and the presentations of today’s speakers will put forward the pros and cons and help you weigh the risks and potential benefits of nuclear energy.
I encourage you all to participate fully and ask the important and hard questions, and to challenge your own views and the views of others. Your participation in this debate affirms our basic ideals of democracy, equality, freedom of speech and social justice. Today’s convention promises to be a wideranging, invigorating and highly productive forum. You can ensure its success by both contributing to the debate and listening to the views of others. I know that I, for one, will be looking forward to reading the transcript tomorrow or the next day and actually having a look at the level of the debate and the outcomes that you have got from this, because— like everybody else— members of Parliament also have to make up their minds on where they stand on this important issue.
In closing, I would like to thank the state planning committee, the teachers from the host schools for their work in organising this and regional events across Victoria. I wish you all the best in the challenges that you have today. I hope it is a productive debate, and I hope it is an enjoyable day for all of you.
Delegates applauding.
The CHAIR— Thank you very much, Steve. To set us up we are very lucky today to have with us today SirGustav Nossal, an emeritus professor of the University of Melbourne. I am sure you all know a great deal about Sir Gus, but just to help those of you who do not: SirGustav Nossal is a dedicated internationalist and has championed the cause of health in developing nations since 1976, when he took a year’s sabbatical leave to work as an adviser to the World Health Organisation in Geneva. On returning to Australia he initiated a project to develop a vaccine against malaria, which had been a major killer of children in tropical nations. He is a leading advocate for and organiser of global immunisation campaigns to eradicate childhood diseases. When Professor SirGus stepped down in 1996, after 31years at the helm of Australia’s internationally renowned Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and as Professor of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne, he devoted considerable energy and intellect to the immense task of ridding the planet of two childhood scourges— measles and poliomyelitis. The University of Melbourne has recognised eminent immunologist Professor SirGus’s lifetime contributions to global health by creating a new global health institute in his honour— the Nossal Institute for Global Health. Welcome this morning, SirGus.