Local young voice heard in Canberra’s Parliament House

A Beechworth Secondary College student had her 90-second speech read in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday. Delivered by Independent Federal MP for Indi Dr Helen Haines, year 7 student Devi Baulacky’s speech had been selected as part of the Raise Our Voice program. The campaign is open to all young people in Australia aged 25 or under to bring to the attention of politicians matters young people care about. Devi’s speech about social media and online bullying was among other statements by young people read in Parliament. Devi said young people's voices aren't heard as much as they should be, and people need to speak up. “A lot of young people are suffering with mental health issues because of online and social media bullying,” she said. “I felt proud to have my voice and opinions read out and heard in Parliament and hope the government will take action by bringing this to their attention.” In the 13-year-old’s statement, Devi said it started with harsh public mockery of quirky online posts. She spoke about the shocking backward step in the quest for equality for adolescents with the 'bring back bullying' trend becoming popular on social media. Devi said 90 per cent of the Australian population rejects bullying behaviours, viewing it as a serious social issue. “But 210,000 people are using this trend to gain more followers on their social media with people defending this online behaviour, which is appalling,” she said. Devi included the dictionary definition of bullying; repeated, intentional, aggressive behaviour that involves an imbalance of power or strength, aiming to hurt, frighten or humiliate another person. “There is a direct link between sustained cyberbullying and a dramatic increase in suicidal thinking and self-harm among the young in Australia,” she said. “When the problem is fixed, we should see a rapid improvement in mental health and people feeling safe on a device. “This issue affects everyone in this country, and it's better if we are all feeling safe than afraid.” Devi in her statement asked the question "What will the government do to fix this problem?” Dr Haines said for many years she has been involved in the Raise Our Voice campaign, to bring the voices and ideas of young people to Parliament. “I’m constantly inspired by what these young people have got to say,” she said. “Previous speeches have addressed family and domestic violence and regional healthcare. “Just because you’re not old enough to vote, doesn’t mean your voice doesn’t matter, and that’s what this program is all about. “As legislators, it’s our responsibility to consider how the decisions we make today will impact the next generation, and this is part of that." Beechworth College principal Patricia Broom said the program gave young people from small towns in rural areas a chance to have their say too. “They don't often have the same opportunity to say what's important to them and there are people who are prepared to listen,” she said.

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