Published on: 17 September 2020



On Monday last week our Year 6 boys were privileged to meet and hear from former WA Premier Hon Dr Carmen Lawrence as she discussed Australian democracy and how our parliamentary system operates. The visit was part of the ‘Alternative Canberra Experience’ which includes virtual tours of The Australian War Memorial, an incursion by the Electoral Education Centre, and excursions to Scitech, The Parliament of Western Australia and a Street Art tour.

Hon Dr Lawrence spoke about systems of government, democracy in Australia and other countries, Australia’s parliamentary system and the role of governments at both state and federal levels.  The boys were very engaged and asked some terrific questions about what inspired Dr Lawrence to get into politics and what traits are important for a politician to possess.

Deputy Head of Studies in the Prep School Jay Pyefinch praised Dr Lawrence’s contribution to the boys saying “As this week is the launch of our Alternate Canberra Experience, we wanted to have a guest speaker that would provide an insight into the world of Australian politics and the role of governments. As Dr Lawrence has been heavily involved in both state and federal politics, she was the perfect choice.”