From Tuesday 21 to Thursday 23 March, Lily (12CFIN) and Alicia (12KNIC) represented the state at the 28th National Schools Constitutional Convention held at Old Parliament House in Canberra. 115 students across the nation attended to investigate, discuss and debate the topic of “is section 128 still a necessary requirement to change such an important document as the Australian Constitution?”. We engaged in lectures from keynote speakers, discussion groups, and soap box sessions, where we were able to share our personal opinions on the topic. We had the opportunity to watch Question Time at Parliament House and have a 'meet and greet' with our local Members of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Sharkie MP and Ms Louise Miller-Frost MP.

We attended an official reception at Government House where we met His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley as well as a tour and dinner at the High Court of Australia. The guest speaker at the dinner was Mr Sean Dondas, the Young Australian of the Year for 2022. He spoke on what led him to become an integral part of CanTeen's leadership team.

On the final day, we took part in a mock referendum, conducted by representatives from the National Electoral Education Centre. We were asked to vote “yes” or “no” on the proposed law: “to enable amendments to be made to the Constitution if approved by a majority of voters”.

Overall, it was an incredible experience where we were not only able to learn about section 128 of the founding document of our nation, our Constitution, but also were able to meet like-minded people and have incredible conversations, making lifelong friendships.

Alicia 12KNIC and Lily 12CFIN