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North Shore Bearpit Public Speaking Competition

Published on: August 2023

Record: HANSARD-1323879322-134020

North Shore Bearpit Public Speaking Competition

Ms FELICITY WILSON (North Shore) (19:58:36):

Each year in this very place I welcome local primary school students from across my community to participate in the North Shore Bearpit Public Speaking Competition where they are able to put their oratory skills to the test in the oldest Parliament in Australia. Excitingly, this year we had a record number of schools participating, which just goes to show that this event is going from strength to strength and that the schools and the students who participate are enjoying the challenge of crafting their own speeches and then delivering them with confidence. After completing several rounds at their school, the finalists from each school are invited to present their speeches in this Chamber. It is such an enjoyable day, with students encouraged to bring friends and family along to witness their speeches. The parents and grandparents in attendance enjoy the day just as much as the students. I know that because I have had many of them stop me on the street, in car parks, and even at ALDI on a weekend to tell me how proud they were of their children and how much they enjoyed being in this place. I have also had a couple of requests for more time with Peter Tuziak, who does such a great job during his presentation to the students, parents and staff.

Some of the topics chosen are close to my heart, such as whether we should ban sugar—which is a big problem for me; I shudder to think of the implications of a world without sugar—were dramatically presented by the students. All students spoke with poise, some with great humour and many of them with dramatic gesticulation and movement. They were all incredibly inspiring. I have to say, the calibre of the speeches was outstanding. I will be so bold as to say that they were better than many of the speeches delivered in this Chamber during business hours.

One of the speech topics that I was really taken with was "Should kids be able to vote?" The array of responses to this question was astonishing. While some initially painted a dark dystopic future of kids blackmailing politicians for their vote with the promise of candy, others painted a utopian society where kids could help decide on the future that they truly want. These students displayed amazing insight and capability on the day, as I am sure they do every day.

I acknowledge Arche Manns and Harrison Thomas from Mosman Preparatory School, Zara Edgecliff‑Johnson and Isabelle Morrish from Beauty Point Public School, Chester Johnson and Lulu Chidgey from Marist Catholic College North Shore, Ava Van Zyl and Livia Giannotti from Neutral Bay Public School, Eloise Duxbury and Eloise Chambers from Loreto Kirribilli, Charlotte van der Ploeg and Fredrika Hall from Queenwood, Xavier Kyngdon and Spyridon Giallussi from St Aloysius' College, Harry Johnson and Amelie Cauchois from Middle Harbour Public Shool, Isabella Pails and Lily Lambkin from Mosman Public School, Elle Holbrook and Poppy Grispo from Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, and Ben Walton and Harry Klineberg from Shore School.

North Shore Living

I thank our three judges. They had the toughest job on the day. It was an arduous task to choose our winners and runners‑up. I give special thanks to our very own Serjeant‑at‑Arms, Simon Johnston, who joined us on the day, magazine editor Michelle Gillio, and Mosman Collective's Anna Usher. They gave wonderful feedback to the students, who were grateful to have people with such expertise, skill and knowledge providing them with their insights. I thank the Parliament staff who assisted on the day, including the catering team and the front desk staff. My team and I particularly thank Peter Tuziak, who engaged the students in a wonderful mock session where they debated the topic "Should kids be able to vote?" I am happy to report that it passed with a large majority in support—we should all be a little concerned. We can thank Peter for stewarding that legislation through our mock parliament. A special thanks to my team, Emily, Chris and Lisa, who as always worked very hard, months in advance, with the schools and with the Parliament to organise this event.

I congratulate our winners and runners‑up for this year's North Shore Bearpit Public Speaking Competition. In stage two our runner‑up was Charlotte van der Ploeg from Queenwood who spoke on the topic "If I could have one superpower, it would be…". Our winner from stage two was Ben Walton from Shore School, who spoke on the topic "I couldn't live without…". Ben gave a loving and very funny speech about how he could not live without his siblings—even if he was the favourite. Our stage three runner‑up was Harry Klineberg from Shore School who spoke on the topic "An act of kindness can change the world." Our winner from stage three, with a simply fantastic speech, was Fredrika Hall from Queenwood, who spoke on the topic "Should kids be able to vote?" I congratulate them all.

I am already looking forward to our next North Shore Bearpit Public Speaking Competition. I thank and congratulate everyone who participated in their school competitions. I particularly thank the teachers and school staff who work to make sure that this competition can be rolled out across our schools. I know it is a lot of effort and work, but for me this is the hope of our future. The way in which our children are able to articulate their views, thoughts and passions and know that they can share them with us to influence outcomes is incredibly inspiring. It is probably the best day of the year for me in this role and I encourage even more local primary school students to get involved next year.