Denison College Kelso High Campus Year 12 student Zac Belmonte will be one of 100 students attending the NSW Schools State Constitutional Convention at Parliament House in Sydney this Tuesday, October 30.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The one-day convention gives selected senior high school students the opportunity to discuss and consider issues related to the Australian Constitution.
This year’s convention will focus on Section 44 of the Constitution, which sets out restrictions on who can be a candidate for the Parliament of Australia.
With Section 44 serving as key topic in the dual citizenship scandal that has generated controversy in federal parliament over the past year, Zac, 17, has followed the fiasco with plenty of interest.
“It’s a bit strange that people cannot run for politics based on their heritage, they need to change it up a bit to reflect modern Australia,” he said.
“I know a lot of people who have dual citizenship that share the same values and views as everyday Australians, which to me is essential for politics.”
Zac was nominated by Kelso High principal Mick Sloan and Year 12 advisor Josephine Driver to attend the convention on the basis of his strong interest in politics and his involvement with the school’s Student Representative Council [SRC].
As well as being the only student to attend the convention from a Bathurst school, Zac will be the sole Central West representative present at the event.
Zac, who is also a keen painter, will be the first representative from the Central West since 2015.
“At the convention, every student has a chance to share their point of view, leading to a vote to send 30 of those in attendance to the national convention in Canberra next year,” he said.
“It’s not really a debate, but more of a discussion.”
Zac’s interest in politics stemmed from the 2016 United States presidential election, in particular Donald Trump and his policies, and he has career aspirations to potentially enter the political sphere after school.
“I’d love to get involved with local politics one day, and maybe move on to federal politics,” he said.
“You might see me as mayor of Bathurst hopefully!”
