Small schools equal a big crowd at Parliament House

Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay was pleased to host a group of students from some of the region’s small schools at Parliament House last week.
About 50 Years 4, 5 and 6 students from 10 small northern region schools spent time at Parliament House and Mr Torbay said they spent time viewing the final Parliamentary session for the year.
“The visit by this cohort of young students really brightened up the last week of Parliament and I enjoyed hosting them during their visit to Macquarie Street,” Mr Torbay said.
“I also welcomed the opportunity to answer their questions about our parliamentary processes and found their questions often made more sense than some of those coming from the floor of the house,” he said.
“During their visit they spent time in the public gallery observing MPs make speeches and the Speaker kindly acknowledged each school as she commenced the day’s sitting.
“Many of these students would not have had an opportunity to visit Sydney before and these organised excursions provide an excellent opportunity to meet students from similar schools and experience city life.
“I understand the students also attended the 2011 Schools Spectacular during their time in Sydney.
“It is important that young people have some knowledge about how Parliament works and these visits are a great way, perhaps to inspire future MPs, hopefully some with an appreciation for regional issues.”