Inspiring political discussions

Member for Monash Mary Aldred stepped into the classroom to inspire a class of years 11 and 12 legal studies students at Marist-Sion College recently.

Passionate about promoting civics education in schools, Ms Aldred said one the best parts of her job was speaking with students about federal parliament, the legacy of John Monash and why a parliamentary democracy was important.
She also explained to students that taking an interest in representative politics was a worthy calling.
"We are so incredibly lucky to have Mary come and speak to our class," Marist-Sion College pedagogical coach and legal studies teacher Nikki Davies said.
"She speaks with so much passion and is able to put our curriculum into reality for our students. Many have now expressed exploring a career in politics after hearing how they can help others."
Ms Aldred discussed how the federal parliament worked, some of her parliamentary committee work and why she considered the local aspect of being a federal member as the most important part of her job.
"The questions from students were exceptional," she said. "They included how you progress a policy issue from local to national prominence, how the parliamentary standing orders work, and why being able to respectfully disagree on big national issues is important."
"I always leave these class discussions feeling confident that the next generation of local leaders are intelligent, caring and dedicated to the future of our community," Ms Aldred said.