Student parliament in session at Northern Beaches Council chambers

Some students were as young as seven, but the collective enthusiasm for democracy was obvious when pupils from Allambie Heights Public School made their way to the Council Chambers at Dee Why on Thursday afternoon for a session of parliament.

With school captain Emma Morris the Prime Minister for the day, a range of motions were put forward, argued for and against and then voted on by the members of the parliament.

Most notably, the parliament unanimously passed a motion to raise funds for firefighters and those impacted by the recent bush fires.

Other items up for debate were school-branded water bottles, permission to scooter in the southern playground after school and a story time in the library once a week.

Once the motions were put and for and against arguments exhausted, the children were asked to put heads down on their knees, close their eyes and raise their hands up high if they were for the motion, just to keep some anonymity to the voting.

Mayor Michael Regan attended the student parliament session and was impressed by what unfolded.

“It was amazing, the kids were very engaging, it was a real example of democracy in action,’’ he said.

“I also loved the fact that the exercise involved kids from year one through to year six.

“You never know, some of the kids in the room could go on to become our local Councillors and beyond that potentially forge careers in politics.”

School captain and parliament Prime Minister Emma Morris felt the best part of learning about democracy was the level of group involvement.

“To see everyone get a say and have a voice was great,’’ she said.

“It was also a real buzz to be Prime Minister for a day and to meet the Mayor in person.”

Prefect Jay Taylor, a fellow year six student and returning officer on the day, fielded questions from the gallery and also found the experience beneficial.

“It was interesting, I didn’t really know what to expect,’’ he said.

“We have learnt all about how politics works in Canberra, so to be in the same room at our local Council where many important decisions for the community are made was fun.”