The Y’s Tripe G.
It’s been a while, and a lot has changed. Last time I blogged I had just been elected to the position of Opposition Leader of the YMCA’s NSW Youth Parliament. Since then I have taken part in the week long residential camp in which we debated 12 Bills, 3 Matters of Public Importance, 2 Petitions and allowed for each member of Parliament to give a Private Member Statement. It was a truly amazing experience and one I will hold dear to my heart for the years to come.
Some of the highlights from my perspective were for one the casual battle I had with the Premier Josh Favalouro or as I like to refer him to as, the Hon. JFaboulous Member for Latte Sippers across the state. To set the scene for those who weren’t present, after a hotly contested campaign for Premier myself and JFab went to lead our respective parties in parliament. The rivalry started on the first day, with calls of Latte Sippers and when I coined the phrase ‘ JFabulous’.
Another highlight in general was the hysterical banter that circulated the chamber at any given time, whether if it was a call of ‘Farmers, Farmers, Farmers’ or ‘Communists’ it all added to the emotion driven debate that went on during the week. If anyone wants to test themselves as a public speaker, NSW Parliament House, in the middle of a Youth Parliament session is definitely a good testing ground. You have to think on your feet, be witty yet logical and have powerful control of rhetoric so naturally I failed :P, but the rest of my esteemed youth parliamentarians rose to occasion.
To my delight, my Citizenship bill passed through with an overwhelming majority and was very hotly debated with highlights shown in the video attached. The amounts of memorable personalities from the experience are countless, whether it be the Member for Barwon and his ‘Social Marxist’ or the Member for Sydney and his..... everything. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQFhPSi9PrA
Finally, I have been elected to the position of NSW Youth Governor which is most probably the highest honour I have received. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I look forward to give it my all and represent the YMCA and the Youth Members for another year. To keep track of my journey, follow me on my Youth Govenor Twitter @NSWYouthGov and keep an eye out for some promotional video material.
YP2012’ <3
Geeth Geeganage Youth Governor
