CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Ms BRISKEY (Maribyrnong) (09:50): Last Thursday, grade 6 students at Ascot Vale West Primary School took over our nation's parliament for about an hour—a responsibility bestowed upon them by the Speaker of the House, the Hon. Milton Dick. The controversial question before that parliament was whether pineapple belongs on pizza.
I'm less than pleased to report that the 'noes' had it, but the chamber was more orderly than it is sometimes here on a Thursday. I was delighted to welcome the Speaker's Parliament in Schools program and his National Flag Roadshow to Maribyrnong, and I thank him for bringing the enthusiasm that he has for civics and democracy to our lovely school in Ascot Vale.
The students had questions afterwards. Some were about the job—the good, the bad, whether we get along. Others were about policy.
I got a question about artificial intelligence; it was great to see these 11-year-olds thinking about their future. Then, outside, we unfurled the Australian Parliament House flag, which is 13 metres long and takes an entire year level to lift. My thanks to the grade 6 students at Ascot Vale West Primary and to Emma Butcher, the acting principal, for such a wonderful morning.
Two days earlier I was also in Ascot Vale, at Wingate Avenue Community Centre, for a potluck lunch put on by the students of the Adult Migrant English Program. They each brought a dish, most of them from their own kitchens and from their own countries, and set it out along a long table to share amongst everyone. The AMEP is a free English tuition program funded by the Commonwealth.
The students are learning a second language, often times around work, family and everything else. Celebrating with them over lunch was incredibly special. I visit Wingate often because a lot of my community's week happens in that building—early learning, community classes, services for people who need somewhere to go.
It has long been holding that corner of Ascot Vale together, and it has done so for the newest arrivals and some of the most vulnerable alike. On Tuesday, I got to see the finished product of some of the projects that my office has helped fund through the Stronger Communities Program. Wingate has used these grants to pave the emergency exit because the old tiles were broken and slippery when wet.
They replaced their computer lab; when Windows 10 support ended, every machine went obsolete on the same day. But now they've got access to the digital services they need. To everyone in Wingate—the staff, the teachers, the volunteers and the committee—thank you for your amazing work.
And to those grade 6 students at Ascot Vale West: thank you for tackling the big issues from pineapple on pizza to artificial intelligence. Our future is bright.