Teen Parliament 2024: 31 Year 10 to 12 students to speak at Parliament House
South Australia’s leaders of tomorrow have converged on Parliament House for the sitting of the 2024 Teen Parliament.
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Prospective future leaders of South Australia have descended on Parliament House for the sitting of the 2024 Teen Parliament.
A total of 31 Year 10 to 12 students from across the state will take their seat in the House of Assembly from 9.30am on Friday to pitch their big idea for a brighter future for SA.
Politicians and change makers will watch on as the students spruik a range of ideas from raising CBD building heights to AI medical services.
Ten of the students will each receive a $10,000 scholarship following the event.
How shark attack tragedy inspired Scott’s big idea
Scott Graham wants to make sure there are no more deaths from shark attacks in South Australian waters after his 15-year-old friend was killed late last year on the Yorke Peninsula.
He has proposed that all sharks are to be tagged and a smart watch app will be developed that alerts swimmers when danger is near after surfer Khai Cowley was killed at Ethel Beach on December 28.
Khai was in the year below Scott at Cardijn College at Christie Downs.
“I thought of this because one of my friends got eaten by a shark,” Scott, 17, said.
“We did surf competitions together and we rode bikes, I was shocked and couldn’t believe it.”
The Year 12 student at the Tjindu Foundation for Indigenous teens, said he wants “to keep all the waters safe in rural areas shark planes can’t patrol”.
“If you get attacked in a rural area you don’t have much chance of survival,” Scott said.
The student, who wants to be a fisherman after school, said he wants to tell people about his idea so lives can be saved.
Scott is among the 31 teen leaders who are set to pitch their ideas for a brighter future for South Australia at Parliament House on Friday, with politicians and change makers watching on.
Among the other Tjindu Foundation students at the event will be Shayla Holloway, Tatum McLean and Jordan Harvey.
In front of her peers at Teen Parliament, Year 12 Shayla will appeal for more funding and research into hereditary pancreatitis, a condition which affects Indigenous people at a much higher rate than the general population.
Multiple members of Shayla’s family have the disease, which causes “unimaginable pain”.
“I cried when I found out my sister’s baby has it,” Shayla, 17, said.
Her older sister was one of the first people in SA to undergo surgery for the condition, which she said is often passed off by doctors as gastro.
“If people know symptoms they can be aware for themselves,” she said.
Fellow student Tatum McLean wants to help students transitioning from the APY Lands to Adelaide.
The 17-year-old visited the area last year and said she “got to experience first hand how they run their schools”.
Tatum said attendance was an issue in the area and wants “extra support” for students.
“It’s about helping them acclimatise,” the Year 12 student, who wants to be a sports journalist, said.
The Teen Parliament event will “make the future of SA stronger” with opinions of different age groups, she said.
And Year 11 student Jordan wants “the classroom to feel like home for Aboriginal kids”.
“It would be good to see some Aboriginal art, eat some Aboriginal food and learn language,” the 16-year-old said.
She advocated that all students should “take a week and go to the APY Lands and all different culture lands” to understand different perspectives.
Jordan, who wants to be a flight attendant because of her love of travel, said Teen Parliament is important so young people “have a say in how we can have a safer and better environment”.
MEET OUR TEEN PARLIAMENTARIANS
Denzel James, 18
Avenues College
Year 12
Aspiring politician Denzel James from Avenues College wants to expand Adelaide to further build up its business sector and population.
The 18-year-old’s idea is to introduce legislation to allow for an increase in the heights of skyscrapers within the CBD “so Adelaide can start to expand into a big city like Melbourne and Sydney”.
Year 12 student Denzel said this “one small change” would encourage the future expansion of Adelaide, and increase the population of the CBD to “allow businesses to become larger and hire more staff”.
“It would be a massive investment and infrastructure change for the city,” Denzel, from Modbury, said.
He has also proposed an expansion of Adelaide Oval.
“If Adelaide Oval were to get redeveloped and more stands were to get added, it would add more of a tourism attraction,” Denzel said.
Zainab Rehman, 15
Mitcham Girls High School
Year 11
Aspiring young surgeon Zainab Rehman wants to revolutionise the way South Australians access medical care by harnessing the power of AI to connect patients from across the state to health professionals in minutes.
The 15-year-old was inspired by her family’s own experience dealing with long wait times.
The Mitcham Girls High School student has devised “MedConnectSA”, a digital program to reduce wait times by providing users with easy access to medical expertise.
“A couple months ago, my dad actually had a really bad psoriasis problem which basically causes inflammation in his joints so we went to the emergency room,” she said.
“I remember just being in the emergency room, waiting for about two hours to talk to a doctor or health professional just to look at him and be sent home with panadol because it wasn’t much of a big deal.
“AI is taking over the world, everyone uses AI, it’s a part of our daily lives and it’s getting smarter and smarter and has so much potential to transform how we approach health.”
Rachel Files, 17
Renmark High School
Year 12
Riverland student Rachel Files says too many people her age do not know about politics, and parliamentary process should be taught more in the school curriculum.
Year 12 at Renmark High School Rachel said many of her peers “do not know who the Prime Minister is” and are not prepared to vote when they turn 18.
She said more political education in schools would allow students to “create their own ideas and opinions on how they should vote”.
“People just don’t understand how important Australian politics actually is and how our voice actually counts,” Rachel said.
When the Year 12 student realised she could not study politics in Renmark, she enrolled in an online class at Marden Senior College in Adelaide.
Alex Johnson, 16
Sacred Heart College
Year 11
Year 11 at Sacred Heart College Alex Johnson wants South Australia to rival Queensland with world class theme parks to drive tourism to the state.
“I believe investing in theme parks to boost South Australia’s economy presents a multifaceted opportunity to stimulate growth, enhance tourism, and create a dynamic entertainment landscape,” the 16-year-old said.
“Imagine a famous theme park in Adelaide!
“There is definitely a lack of major attractions in Adelaide.”
Alex said theme parks in the state would benefit the state two fold: it would help the economy with increased tourism expenditure and also extend the length of visitors’ stay in SA.
“South Australia can cultivate unique attractions that showcase its cultural identity while pushing the boundaries of immersive storytelling and experiential entertainment,” he said.
Grace Leonello, 16
Thomas More College
Year 11
Teen Parliamentarian Grace Leonello, 16, wants to implement a teacher feedback system, provided by students, to “enforce continuous improvement” in SA education.
“The data and feedback collected would be used for teachers to foster healthy discussions and effective teaching methods within their classes,” the Year 11 student at Thomas More College said.
“I strongly advocate for the implementation of a system that encourages constructive feedback in a non-confrontational and anonymous fashion.”
She said the system would be implemented by releasing an advertisement inviting students to share their insights “on what they believe should be the criteria” for SA teachers at different year levels.
From there, the four most prevalent themes would be integrated into a five-star rating survey “covering key aspects such as relevance, relationships and responsiveness”.
“Teachers will be given feedback on a semester basis, facilitated through an anonymous online form sent via email,” she said.
Archie Haywood, 18
Sacred Heart College
Year 12
Sacred Heart College Year 12 student Archie Haywood wants to increase media access in South Australian court rooms.
The 18-year-old said greater media coverage would help to uphold principals of justice such as “independence, accountability and public confidence”.
“The media serves as a crucial aspect of justice in today’s society, ensuring that trials are conducted fairly, outcomes are just and that all decisions are made in accordance with the values of the community,” he said.
“By granting greater media access, South Australia can foster a more informed citizenry and promote a stronger democracy.”
Archie also advocated for open courtrooms which would allow photography and filming inside court.
“Courts should adopt policies that prioritise open hearings, allowing journalists and media representatives to attend and report on proceedings,” he said.
Max Mander, 16
Saint Ignatius College
Year 11
Max Mander says mandatory defensive driving training is urgently needed to lower the road toll among young motorists.
“For every 10,000 young drivers (aged 16 to 19) in South Australia, 16 of them die in car-related accidents,” the 16-year-old Saint Ignatius College year 11 student said, adding: “16 deaths are 16 too many.”
He said while 16 to 19-year-olds made up five per cent of the population, they contributed to 11 per cent of fatalities on the roads, and 14 per cent of serious injuries.
“These statistics suggest that a change in the way we teach young adults to drive is urgent,” he said.
“With the use of ever-growing advancements in technology, virtual reality replicas of real-life scenarios can be used to enhance a young driver’s perception and prepare them for how to react in a life-threatening situation.”
He said both VORT and logbook driver assessments were “too heavily focused on preparing drivers for low-risk situations”.
“By prioritising a reverse parallel park over how to react in an emergency situation, the state is failing to prepare our young drivers,” he said. “A greater emphasis must be placed on high-risk situations or situations of life and death.”
Sharon Ng, 15
Woodcroft College
Year 10
Sharon Ng wants South Australia to be a global leader in medical AI.
Doctors can be given more time with patients if “AI doctor robots” replaced their human counterparts for tasks such as consultation, first aid and administrative work, the Year 10 student said.
And the 15-year-old wants to start trialling the technology in schools.
“Usually the school doctors do not need to treat intense patients, and usually students see the school doctors with injuries or only slight discomfort.
“If those AI doctor robots can successfully replace doctors in schools, then they can also replace doctors in hospitals.”
The Woodcroft College student said implementation of the technology is “not rocket science” and can be done in the next decade.
Scott Graham, 17
Tjindu Foundation
Year 12
The past 12 months have seen a high volume of shark attacks in SA, but Scott Graham has a plan to keep swimmers safe.
Of the four fatal attacks in Australia last year, three of them were in SA.
Scott wants all sharks to be tagged, which links to a smartwatch app that alerts the user when it is within a certain radius.
“Then they have time to get out of the water,” Scott said.
“It keeps the sharks safe as well as humans and other sea creatures, so then we don’t have to kill them.”
He said the technology would maintain underwater ecosystems without the use of nets or drum lines.
Mengze Cao, 16
Seymour College
Year 11
Mengze Cao wants more targeted training programs and apprenticeships for high-growth sectors.
She said the programs would help plug skills gaps and lower the state unemployment rate.
“Accessibility should be ensured to all, including those from rural regions, ensuring SA has the necessary skills for emerging industries,” Mengze said.
She has also advocated for more government grants, loans and business development services to “assist SMEs in accessing resources necessary for growth in emerging industries”.
“With the job landscape evolving, the government bears the responsibility of preparing its people,” Mengze said.
Her changes would “help bridge the gap between the available workforce and industry demands,” Mengze said.
Shayla Holloway, 17
Tjindu Foundation
Year 12
Shayla Holloway is campaigning for more awareness and funding to treat a hereditary illness affecting her family and Indigenous communities.
“Pancreatitis runs in my family and multiple of my siblings … have experienced misdiagnosis first hand,” she said.
The Indigenous student wants more research and education funded in the state for hereditary pancreatitis, which impacts First Nations communities at a much higher rate than the general population.
“This would help with educating citizens about the symptoms, causes, and create preventive measures for pancreatitis which will make it easier for people to recognise symptoms themselves,” the 17-year-old said.
Zara Hutchinson, 16
Walford Anglican School
Year 11
Zara Hutchinson has advocated that the state better harness its natural resources as it prepares for the impacts of climate change.
The 16-year-old wants to improve “the conservation of rainwater which flows out to sea during periods of intense rain”.
“Changes must be made in the way we harness our natural resources,” she said.
Zara has been developing the idea since Year 9, when she designed a mechanism to catch excess flood water called ProtectaTank.
The idea involved placing the tanks in the verges of streets prone to flooding to collect the excess water.
“South Australia is the driest state, in one of the driest countries in the world, which makes it vital for us to discover more ways to improve,” Zara said.
Sarcha Taylor, 16
Tjindu Foundation
Year 12
Sarcha Taylor wants education policy to reflect Indigenous ways of learning.
Jordan Harvey, 16
Tjindu Foundation
Year 11
As a Warringu young person “who has strong connections to culture”, Jordan Harvey believes all Indigenous people should have access to education in a “culturally appropriate environment”.
“As a culture, we have a large number of young people institutionalised and this needs to be reduced,” Jordan said.
“I think that a program needs to be developed to target institutionalisation from a young age. “This program needs to be developed within community with the support of elders to ensure its effectiveness.”
Chloe Wyatt-Jasper, 15
Playford International College
Year 10
Mental health resources are good but are not enough to adequately support younger generations, Chloe Wyatt-Jasper believes.
She has made an impassioned plea for more funding to help people struggling with mental health issues.
“Our generation is suffering, I am suffering,” she said.
Harrison Lindholm, 15
Whyalla Secondary College
Year 10
Barriers for students in rural and remote regions of South Australia must be removed, according to Whyalla Secondary College student Harrison Lindholm.
He said it is “impossible to get funding” as assessments for disability are hard to access outside of metropolitan areas.
And at school, Harrison said he finds it difficult to extend himself to achieve in a rural setting.
“In my experience it has become apparent to get support to extend my thirst for knowledge and skills is a quite difficult one,” he said.
Keira Trevorrow, 15
Mount Barker High School
Year 10
Proud seventh generation Ngarrindjeri basket weaver Keira Trevorrow wants to reduce the levels of mental health issues and substance abuse in Indigenous communities.
“Witnessing my brother’s struggles with substance abuse has highlighted the need for a nuanced understanding of these issues,” Keira said.
She wants healthcare professionals and mental health workers to be trained to deal with issues specific to Indigenous communities.
Shreya Choudhary, 16
Marryatville High School
Year 12
Shreya Choudhary had called for more healthcare infrastructure at Adelaide BioMed City.
“By adding more infrastructure such as clinics that can host further doctors, we can ensure that all levels of healthcare are available,” Shreya said.
“This will further take off pressure from local clinics as well as hospital waiting rooms.”
She said with an increasing population, the healthcare system needs to expand to meet demand.
Dalila Amimu-Mbutho, 16
Playford International College
Year 12
Dalila, from Davoren Park, said young people in her area lack support.
She said a lack of support for students “hinders their progress and impacts their futures”.
Her solution is more support in schools in lower socio-economic areas.
“When I was in my early years of school, I was quiet and didn’t talk much,” she said.
“I’d just sit in class and smile, as I never really had any idea of what was going on.
“I have friends who could really benefit from a personal SSO.”
Natasha Moore, 17
Naracoorte High School
Year 12
Some students do not do well in tests, so Natasha Moore has devised a system to make sure no one is disadvantaged.
“A more comprehensive system should be implemented that takes into account a student’s overall performance in various aspects of their academic and personal development,” Natasha said.
“This system can include multiple forms of assessment such as class participation, project work, presentations, and group discussions.”
She said “a more holistic approach” would allow students to be evaluated fairly and accurately.
Maeve Nicholas, 14
St Michael’s College
Year 10
Maeve Nicholas has a plan to make South Australia’s beaches safer with aerial patrol data.
“South Australias coastlines are a huge asset, but currently people are uncomfortable with the recent shark attacks and deaths,” she said.
Sharing aerial data with surf clubs and showing live messages when there is a shark present would help let swimmers know about potential danger earlier, Maeve said.
“Every South Australian deserves to enjoy their beach time.”
Peyton Turner, 15
Kaurna Plains School
Year 10
Peyton Turner wants the Kaurna language to be taught in all schools within the traditional land area.
She also wants it to be compulsory that “all classrooms display a cultural map for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to feel welcome”.
“We need these strategies to continue to ‘Close the Gap’,” Peyton said.
Amelia Boulden, 17
Loreto College
Year 12
Amelia Boulden has a plan to close the gender pay gap in South Australia.
“As a young woman on the cusp of entering the workplace, I am acutely aware of the gap between women and men’s average earnings,” Amelia said.
She wants to mandate that employers conduct gender-neutral job evaluations.
“This is crucial to ensuring fair compensation for all individuals irrespective of gender,” she said.
Emily Chapman, 16
Blackwood High School
Year 11
Emily Chapman has developed a “holistic wellbeing program” to be rolled out in SA high schools to support students.
“Now more than ever, students require help and support to navigate life during their secondary schooling years,” Emily said.
The program would include an online “one stop shop of information” on a range of issues relevant to young people, a confidential phone service and a platform to advertise job vacancies.
Indulee Jayawardena, 17
The Heights School
Year 12
International students need more support in order to attract more of them to come to South Australia, Indulee Jayawardena has said.
“Despite the benefits international students bring, several obstacles diminish the quality of their educational experience and decrease the appeal of the international student experience,” Indulee said.
Securing internships and work in particular was an area of concern for international students, she said.
“This issue may be addressed by creating a central body that will oversee the internship application and acceptance process,” Indulee said.
Brendan Talbot, 16
St Michael’s College
Year 11
Mental and physical health issues can be solved with fishing, Brendan Talbot said.
“Fishing is proven to improve physical and mental health, as well as providing positive social connections,” he said.
An avid outdoorsman himself, Brendan has proposed an initiative called YOUthFISH which will propose a meeting spot each month via social media to allow young people to take up the hobby.
“The online platform will have hints and tips, as well as highlight the benefits of fishing,” he said.
James Elias, 16
Playford International College
Year 11
James Elias has seen classrooms “decimated” due to a lack of support staff.
“I want to propose that lower category schools ranging from one to three receive support outside of additional funding,” James said.
“Lower category schools need support for teachers safety, wellbeing and training for students with certain complexities.”
He said more funding for certain schools would allow them to employ more support officers which would “lighten the load on the classroom teacher”.
Elisabeth Mulimbalimba, 14
Tyndale Christian School
Year 10
Poetry and song can help educate young people on the effects of harmful drugs, Elisabeth Mulimbalimba proposed.
“Most youths take substances because they want to feel better or different, but some others take it because of socialising with friends,” Elisabeth said.
“We could help educate the youths on the effects of drug abuse by holding yearly school competitions whereby secondary schools are invited to present poems and songs on drug abuse.”
Tatum McLean, 17
Tjindu Foundation
Year 12
Tatum McLean wants to introduce tailored programs for students moving to urban areas from remote communities.
“Continuing an educational journey at a new school can be challenging, especially for children moving to an urban area from the APY lands,” Tatum said.
“The thought of navigating a crowded city, combined with the challenge of learning a new language, would definitely be overwhelming.”
Tatum wants to help acclimatise students from those communities by teaching “the diverse tapestry of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Aidan Sbattella, 16
St Michael’s College
Year 11
Aidan Sbattella wants to better connect South Australia via rail.
Specifically focusing on the southern suburbs, it would mean a transport intersection would be built at Aldinga to “serve as a focal point” for bus services in the area.
“This would all accommodate the recent growth and proposed development in the area,” he said.
Billy Doherty, 15
Adelaide High School
Year 11
Innovation should be the key focus of government spending, Teen Parliament student Billy Doherty has said.
The 15-year-old said SA can experience increased economic growth by “tapping into our competitive advantages” with innovation.
“The first step is investing heavily in research and development,” Billy said.
His “ambitious target” is to double spending on research and development of future technology in the next five years.
“This investment will help grow our emerging industries like space, robotics and renewable energy technologies,” he said.
“It will also attract more students and researchers to our world-class universities and research facilities.”
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