Milli’s voice raised in Parliament

KARDINIA International College student Milli McDonald has urged her peers to “maintain their rage and enthusiasm” on the issues that will shape their future in a speech read in the nation’s capital.

The 17-year-old Year 12 student from Geelong was one of the writers in Raise Our Voice Australia, in which 40 federal Parliamentarians each read a 90-second speech from someone aged under 21 in their electorate.

Milli’s speech references her grandfather, who fled Yugoslavia’s Communist regime and arrived in Australia with just the clothes on his back and $8.

“For him, freshly 18, Australia was a welcoming, kind ‘golden country’, full of promise, hopes and dreams for his future family.

“I am now two months away from turning 18, and 53 years after my grandfather landed, have my own dreams for Australia. In 20 years, I envision a country that presents everyone with the opportunities of the ‘golden country’.

“I see equitable access to education, healthcare and careers that spans gender, race and sexual orientation.

“I see us upholding our international responsibilities: Doing our fair share on climate change. Treating those fleeing their homes with kindness and respect. To remember we have ‘boundless planes to share’.

“Our generation’s call to action is on climate. We must not see net zero as a threat, but an opportunity.

“We have an abundance of natural resources. 20 years gives us the chance to become a green energy powerhouse, to create jobs in green energy.

“We must maintain our rage and enthusiasm for gender equality. For racial equality. For climate justice. For refugees. For our ‘golden country’.”

Successful applicants to Raise Our Voice Australia addressed the question “What is your vision for Australia in 20 years?” and were invited to take plart in a workshop on the Australian political system.

Corio federal member Richard Marles, who delivered Milli’s speech on Wednesday last week, said he met the Year 12 student a few weeks ago and discussed former prime minister Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech, which had a significant impact on Milli.

“Milli’s speech is an important reminder that we need to be a country which provides everyone the same opportunities, where protecting our environment is a priority and that we cannot leave anyone behind.

“This is the vision from our Corio youth and I am very proud to deliver Milli’s words to Parliament.”

Other Victorian federal Parliamentarians listed as participating in the Raise Our Voice Australia initiative during Youth Voice in Parliament Week (October 18-22) include Corangamite federal member Libby Coker, Senator Sarah Henderson, Senator Janet Rice, Senator Lidia Thorpe and Senator David Van.

Raise Our Voice Australia run training, provide mentors and provide opportunities at the decision making tables around the country for young people, especially young women, and to ensure that public decision-making institutions reflect the entirety of the Australian population.

For more information, head to the Raise Our Voice Australia website.