In Melbourne’s western suburbs, Primary School children have been acting like Councillors for the past 40 years. Hobsons Bay have been participating in the what is believed to be the longest running Junior Council in Australia. Celebrating its 40th anniversary in October, this is a unique program designed to give year five and six students from Hobsons Bay primary schools an insight into the workings of Local Government.
During the school term, Junior Council meets eight times a year in the Council chamber. It is fully funded by Council and relies on the cooperation of all the schools in the municipality to provide staff to supervise students on transport and at the meeting.
Twenty-two local primary schools each appoint three students to represent them at Junior Council meetings. One student acts as the Junior Councillor, while the other two attend as observers and become Councillors at subsequent meetings.
The Junior Council meeting is run formally in the Council chambers, and is usually chaired by one of Hobsons Bay’s Ward Councillors or the Mayor. The minutes of the meeting are circulated to all participating schools. The meeting creates a genuine flow of communication between the students and Council.
Junior Councillors raise questions, bringing to Council’s attention local issues affecting their school or community. Issues are then referred to Council officers for answers or action and reported on at the next meeting.
Hobsons Bay Mayor, Councillor Bill Baarini, said Junior Councillors provide Council with intimate knowledge of many issues. School traffic concerns, litter, road maintenance and recreational facilities are often on the Junior Councillors agenda.
The meetings provide the Junior Councillors and observers with an insight into how a Council operates, what is – and is not – under its jurisdiction in the municipality, how official meetings are run and opportunities for public speaking. There is also a guest speaker at each meeting who provides information to the students on a wide range of topics such as dog laws, community activities and what it takes to be a Citizen or Young Citizen of the Year.
The program was initiated by the former Altona Council in October 1964. It exists today thanks to the determination of Langhorne Ward Councillor Dick Murdoch, a former School Principal, who campaigned to retain the program because of the enormous educational value the program provides to both students and Council. The program recommenced under the auspices of Hobsons Bay City Council in March 1997.
“Our most recent Junior Council meeting on Wednesday 4 August 2004 was our 61st and the 316th since it began in Altona,” Councillor Murdoch said.
He said Junior Council made City Hall a real place for young people, who would otherwise have no idea what happens behind the doors of Council offices or what the Mayor or local Councillors do.
“I am amazed at the confidence of our Junior Councillors, and appreciate their input at each meeting as it keeps Council in touch with what is happening in our local schools and the issues that affect Hobsons Bay’s young people,” he said.
