Erin 11KSTA and Lily 11RBEN were invited to attend the SA Secondary Schools Constitutional Convention. The day started with a student activity which gave the opportunity to interact with students from other schools to discuss and debate the Australian Constitution, namely 'Should the Australian Constitution be easier to change?' There was a diverse range of Legal Studies students which allowed for differing perspectives from the young people of Adelaide on the Constitution, and some improvements that could be made.

The proceedings of the day included guest speakers:

• The Honourable Blair Boyer MP, Minister for Education, Training and Skills
• Dr Joe McIntrye, University of South Australia 'The Australian Constitution and our history of change' 
• Cornelia Koch, University of Adelaide 'Different models of Constitutional change'. 

All speakers have worked extensively in constitutional law making for very informative talks that helped influence debate.

The 2023 South Australian Constitution Convention is an enjoyable experience held in Parliament House. Question time was interesting and a highlight of the day. The students had the opportunity to ask questions regarding the topic of the day or about what it is like to be a Member of Parliament.

The debate section of the Constitutional Convention was what everyone was looking forward to all day. Students gathered in the House of Assembly and in groups sat according to their views on the issue. It was interesting to see people from all different backgrounds, schools and areas’ opinions and reasoning on the same issue. It also gave students an insider’s perspective on the processes used to make changes to our constitution.

Rick Sommariva
Legal Studies Teacher