TIM PALLAS (Werribee – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Trade and Investment) (09:43): I rise to update the house on my recent involvement with the Wyndham Youth Civic Participation Project this week at Parliament.

I was joined by my colleagues the members for Tarneit, Point Cook and Laverton on Tuesday when we met with 12 of our constituents aged from 18 to 25 who have an interest in becoming lawyers, policymakers and community leaders. The project is run annually by Wyndham City Council to connect Wyndham’s youth and local, state and federal governments and help them to better understand how governments operate. We had the chance to discuss our different stories and experiences and how we think government can improve the lives of Victorians. It is inspiring to see that there are so many young people in Wyndham who want to do the same and start with an enthusiastic approach towards public service and civic life.

One of the participants of this year’s program is Nordin Hammouche, who completed his work experience in my electorate office two years ago. While his year 12 studies took precedence over a visit to Parliament this week, it was great to see that his interest in how governments can make the lives of people better has been well and truly sparked. I thank all participants for visiting us at Parliament. It was an honour to meet you, and I wish you all the best for the remainder of the program.