Wednesday, 15 October 2025

 John PESUTTO (Hawthorn) (09:55): In August I was proud to once again host the Hawthorn Voices of a Generation public speaking competition. Students from high schools across my electorate were asked to pitch a policy to Parliament. The quality of ideas and passion shown by every participant was simply outstanding, from universal music education and youth mental health support to free public transport and gender equality. May I congratulate our 2025 winners Dylan Giles, who won the junior division, and Minh Trinh, who took out the senior division. Both are from Camberwell High School, a school that continues to excel in nurturing civic engagement, public speaking and an aspirational view of the future. The success of Dylan and Minh reflects the school’s commitment to developing future leaders. I also extend my sincere thanks to Swinburne University for their ongoing partnership and to our judging panel: Luke Bell, director of advancement at Swinburne; Cr Sophie Torney, mayor of Boroondara; and Ian Bentley, president of Rotary Club of Hawthorn.