The tables were turned as Catholic Regional College students grilled Fraser MHR Daniel Mulino during a roundtable discussion at the St Albans school on Tuesday, August 30.
Students in years 7 through to year 10 quizzed Dr Mulino on various topics including tackling climate change, foreign aid, reducing homeless and increasing training.
Dr Mulino said he was impressed with the students’ commitment, community involvement and perceptive questions.
Australia’s refugee intake was a topic important to Iraqi-born Year 9 social justice captain Wilson Ghrepta, who spent four years in a refugee camp in Jordan, before coming to Australia four years ago with his parents and two older brothers.
The students said the roundtable was an engaging introduction to politics and how politicians needed to balance competing interests.
The student leaders comprised of the school’s captains, vice captains, social justice captains and members of the Student Representative Council.
They hailed from diverse cultural backgrounds including from Indonesia, Iraq, Albania, Malta, South America, South Sudan and Singapore.
Their study interests ranged from wanting to becoming engineers, teachers, journalists, doctors and police officers.
The students hope to visit Canberra and tour state parliament soon.
