From the Assistant Principal

Late last year the College was notified that Eleanor Albuquerque (Year 12) had been selected to represent the College to participate in the 2021 National Schools Constitutional Convention. To be selected to be a part of this nation wide event Eleanor was required to provide a written response to the question  How has the Australian Constitution remained relevant during 2020?  

A panel of judges made up of representatives from NSW Department of Parliamentary Services selected only 30 students from across the state to participate in the National Conference.

The 26th National Constitutional Convention was held early this year and Eleanor has shared her experiences below. Congratulations Eleanor!

On the 24th and 25th of March I participated in the National Schools Constitutional Convention 2021, at NSW Parliament House. Myself and 116 other students across Australia engaged in the 2-day program within 11 state and territory hubs. Consisting of working groups and keynote speakers, the convention addressed the topic; “Should the Constitution have a new preamble that would recognise our history, our aspirations and the many peoples and groups that make up our nation?”. 

On the first day of the convention we heard from Dr Andrew Banfield who addressed what a preamble is, providing valuable context for us. Building on this understanding, Dr Benjamin Jones spoke on approaches to writing a preamble, presenting a range of recommendations and advice. Finally, we heard from Eddie Synot and Kirk Zwangobani who offered suggestions from Indigenous and multicultural perspectives on how a new preamble could recognise our history and the multicultural nature of modern Australia. Within the 11 state and territory hubs, each group was asked to propose a new preamble. On the second day, we individually voted for our preferred preamble and proceeded to work all together to modify the preamble that received the most votes. After engaging in a referendum, it was agreed that it was necessary to alter the Constitution to insert the proposed preamble established. 

I am grateful to have engaged in this valuable experience and thoroughly appreciate the skills and knowledge that I developed during it. 

The proposed preamble that we wrote is as follows: 

“As the people of Australia we are united across States and Territories to serve the common good.

Interconnected through culture and heritage, we recognise the First Nations peoples, whose sovereignty was never ceded, and on whose land we reside and swear to protect. Through these aspects we strengthen our Australian identity. We shall live our lives under the rule of law, in respect to our democratic values set out by the Commonwealth.

We acknowledge the ever-changing nature of Australian identity, recognising that time will bring new peoples, cultures and ideals.

We pay our respects to those who have served and continue to serve our nation in times of peace and conflict.

We pledge to be people who strive for equality, regardless of gender, race, faith, or culture while swearing to protect the honourable Constitution of Australia.”

Eleanor Albuquerque, Year 12

School Buses

It is imperative that students at the College are using their OPAL Cards when using buses to travel to and from school. Current statistics of bus usage by the students are not representative of the numbers of students relying on buses for transport to and from schools and there is a significant shortfall in the statistics.

The statistics that are gathered does have a significant impact on the number of buses services that are provided to the College and we need to be sure that students are using the OPAL Cards if we are to maintain the number of bus services allocation to the College at this stage; and to increase the number.

I ask all parents and carers to talk with their daughters about this important issue. Should you have any concerns related to the travel of your daughters on the buses, I welcome the feedback. Added to this, I ask that you, too, contact the Bus Depot as well to raise your concerns with them.

This article on College life meets The Archbishop’s Charter for Catholic Schools – Charter #2, #6 & #8