Are you ready for a true-to-life parliamentary experience for your primary school students?

You are invited to nominate up to 10 students from Years 5 and 6 to participate in the 2025 Junior Indigenous Youth Parliament.

*Participants from Townsville Junior Indigenous Youth Parliament 2019*

The Youth Parliament is an exciting opportunity for students in the Cairns region to debate a motion on a youth issue or speak in an adjournment debate about any issue falling within the jurisdiction of the Queensland Parliament.

All primary schools in the following state electorates are eligible to nominate:

- Cairns

- Barron River

- Cook

- Mulgrave

How many students can I nominate?

Schools are invited to nominate up to a maximum of 10 students from Years 5 and 6. The number of student participants allocated per school will depend on the number of schools that nominate for the Youth Parliament.

*Students prepare a speech to present on the day.*

What is the commitment for students and teachers?

Teacher Briefing

An online briefing session for teachers will be held via Microsoft Teams. Teachers from participating schools must attend either ONE of two scheduled briefing sessions:

23 June 3:45 - 4:15 pm
26 June 3:45 - 4:15 pm

At the briefing you will receive details of the program and information about operational and administrative matters. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and seek advice about preparing for the event.

Preparation

Students will need to prepare a one-minute speech to present on the day.

Student Briefing

Teachers and students should arrive by 9:00am on the day of the Youth Parliament, to be seated and ready for the start of the 9:30am student briefing.

*Students receive a briefing prior to the event.*

Teacher information

Parents and caretakers will be required to complete a Photo Consent form. Please note that the media often attend Youth Parliament and students may be photographed or filmed.

Media Interview — *Participating students may be photographed or filmed by the media.*

Australian Curriculum Links

The responsibilities of electors and representatives in Australia’s democracy (ACHASSK145)
The roles and responsibilities of Australia’s three levels of government (ACHASSK144)
Examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and present (ACHASSI127)
The key institutions of Australia’s democratic system of government and how it is based on the Westminster system (ACHASSK143)
Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventions (ACHASSI133)
The key features of government under the Australian Constitution with a focus on: the separation of powers, the roles of the Executive, the houses of parliament and the division of powers (ACHASSK193)
Present ideas, findings, viewpoints, explanations and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, citations, graphic representations and discipline-specific terms, conventions and concepts (ACHASSI163)