Speeches
Thursday, 20 March 2025
Receptions for Child Development Council
I warmly welcome you all to Government House.
As Patron of South Australia’s Charter for Children and Young People, I congratulate you all on becoming Ambassadors for 2025!
Thank you for standing up and wanting to be active citizens.
Over two receptions today, one this morning and one this afternoon, it is my pleasure to welcome 218 new Charter Ambassadors to their roles, a record number for the program.
I especially thank students and teachers from country schools for being here today.
I’m pleased to have visited Rostrevor College and St Aloysius College, and to now welcome their students to Government House.
My husband, Rod, and I also welcomed students from Indie College, Le Fevre High School and Nazareth College to Government House for school tours in recent years.
As I travel around South Australia, I meet many young people and visit many schools.
I am struck by how connected young people like you are with their communities.
You want to contribute and are enthusiastic about what you can achieve, now and into the future.
As Ambassadors, you understand the privileges and responsibilities that come with citizenship – the privilege of being able to share your voice freely, and the responsibility of using it to advocate for the wellbeing of yourselves and your peers.
During my career I have learned that better decisions come from the sharing of different opinions and of diverse talents, no matter how old we are.
As we work to tackle climate change, poverty, homelessness; as we work out ways to live without violence or abuse; as we make safe decisions about alcohol, drugs and relationships and other pressing issues outlined in the charter, young voices – your voices - are important.
To this year’s Ambassadors, I ask the question - how might you share the Charter and its goals with your school community?
I was pleased to learn that a focus of this year’s program is the Positive Impact Project, where you will take action within your school communities to promote some kind of positive change.
From presenting at an assembly, to making videos or podcasts, creating posters or games, writing articles or songs… you have so many ideas and I encourage you to think creatively about the changes you would like to inspire.
Students and teachers may also be interested to know that entries in the 2025 Governor’s Civics Awards will open at the beginning of term two.
The awards are presented annually and encourage students to deepen their understanding of the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as be active citizens in service to their communities.
You and your teachers can find out more on the Education Department or Government House websites. I’d love to see some entries from your schools.
Students,
I congratulate the Child Development Council on its stewardship of the program, engaging with young people, and, importantly, setting measurable goals.
To all the Charter Ambassadors here, thank you for being part of the program.
I look forward to hearing about how you put the Charter into action this year, and hope to see you back at Government House one day, perhaps as a student leader or a volunteer.
Make the most of today. I encourage you to speak to at least two people you don’t know – you never know, you could make some new friends. Ambassadors should stick together!