Students have their say in the australia 2020 summit

Media Release, Julia Gillard, Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations,
11 April 2008; The Age, 12 April 2008; The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2008

The Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Ms Julia Gillard, has released the Voices of the
Future Schools Summits feedback report, following the 2020 Schools Summits held across Australia over the past
month.

Over 500 schools nationwide participated in the Schools Summits, including primary and secondary schools,
government and non-government schools, large and small schools and metropolitan and rural schools.

Ms Gillard said that ‘Australian school students clearly have plenty of ideas. And they have responded with energy
and enthusiasm to the invitation to be part of the 2020 Summit’. She also called the summits a ‘resounding success.’

According to students, the biggest issues were energy-efficient transport, national healthcare strategies, education
and ‘how to tackle an ageing population. However, their biggest concern was global warming. Over 80 per cent of participating schools responded to the topic: Population, Sustainability, Climate Change and Water. Other topics were:

• Future directions for the Australian economy – including education, skills, training, science and innovation as part
  of the nation’s productivity agenda
• Economic infrastructure, the digital economy and the future of our cities
• Future directions for rural industries and rural communities
• A long-term national health strategy – including the challenges of preventative health, workforce planning and the ageing population
• Strengthening communities, supporting families and social inclusion
• Options for the future of Indigenous Australia
• The future of the arts, film and design
• The future of Australian democracy, a more open government (including the role of the media), the structure of the Federation and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
• Australia’s future security and prosperity in a rapidly changing region and world

Students across Victoria have suggested that motorists use alternative fuel sources, such as gas and solar power, and
that families should be restricted to owning one car, and that technology be used to connect the city to rural and remote areas as a means of generating jobs in rural communities. A group of Year 5 and 6 students also suggested that the pressure on public transport be reduced by making it ‘safer for kids to ride bikes and walk’.

2020 School Summit submissions to the Federal Government included poems, drawings, songs, futuristic stories and multimedia presentations. A copy of the Voices of the Future Schools Summits Feedback Report can be downloaded here.

 

 

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