STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms URQUHART (Braddon) (13:56): Last Friday, I had the great pleasure of visiting Rosebery District School on the remote and rugged west coast of Tasmania. Rosebery District School has students from kindergarten to grade 12 and serves a community with a population of around 1,000 people. Rosebery's name is taken from a mine pegged out in 1893.

Today the mine is operated by MMG, which is the main employer in the town. Towns and industries on the west coast are an engine room for Tasmania, delivering the resources needed to support jobs and manufacturing across Australia and further afield. Last Friday, Rosebery students in years 3 to 6 were lucky enough to experience the Questacon visiting program.

Questacon presenters Angie and Len delivered a very inspiring and interactive science experience for nearly 20 students. It was fascinating and engaging and, I hope, will encourage the students to think more about science in their everyday environment and consider studying science as they move into high school and later into the workforce. I'd like to acknowledge the visiting programs that our national institutions participate in.

I asked the students if any of them had visited Questacon or, in fact, Canberra. None of them had. These visits and exchanges with regional and remote communities are so important and make a difference.

I want to shout out to the students and thank them for allowing me to sit in through this inspiring session. I hope that they really get on and study their science.