From the classroom to the chamber of Australia’s Parliament, local students now have the chance to speak about issues on the national stage with the competition ‘My First Speech’.

The Department of the House of Representatives is running a competition for students in years 10 -12, producing a 90-second speech on a topic of their choice.

Kiama High School principal Catherine Glover told The Bugle what this initiative will provide to students.

“Speaking competitions are a really good way of building student skills in that arena so that they feel confident to speak in front of their peers or others,” Glover said.

“It’s important to offer a broad range of opportunities for students.”

Kiama High School Alumni, Tay Byrne, completed the 2025 NSW Parliament Young Aboriginal Leaders Program earlier this year and paid tribute to her time at Kiama High School.

“I was able to be one of the Aboriginal leaders at Kiama High and that gave me good skills and opportunities with my public speaking,” Byrne said.

The national winner from each year group, accompanied by a parent or guardian, will be flown to Canberra to deliver their speeches live at Parliament House and participate in an engaging program tailored to deepen their understanding of the legislative process.

“This is a chance for our students on the South Coast to shine a national spotlight on the issues that matter most to them,” Fiona Phillips MP said.

Principal Glover sees this opportunity for students similarly to Phillips.

“I believe this is an opportunity to give students that voice and that ability, to be able to speak about something that they are passionate about,” Glover said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Milton Dick MP explained how the competition provides high school students with a unique opportunity.

“This competition will provide high school students with the chance to learn more about the way our nation’s democracy works, and how actively engaging with the parliamentary process can draw attention to the issues that are most important to them,” he said.

Phillips who is the federal member for Gilmore covered many issues from her maiden speech when elected in 2019, both personal and from the community she represents.

Notably, the key issues raised by Phillips were health, employment, agriculture and slamming the proposal for nuclear energy.

There have been many famous speeches in Australian parliament, but none more so than former prime minister Julia Gillard’s famous misogyny speech, which has millions of views on social media and was seen as a pivotal moment of progress in Australian politics and society for women.

According to the Parliamentary Education Office, the longest speech in the Australian Parliament goes back to 1918 and was made by Senator Albert Gardiner.

Gardiner spoke for 12 hours and 40 minutes on the Commonwealth Electoral Bill 1918. Following this, time limits for speeches were introduced in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Speeches from new members and senators’ range between 20 – 30 minutes.

For more information on the ‘My First Speech’ head to: https://mfs.houseofrepresentatives.gov.au.