The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House

The Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House is a living museum of social and political history, located in a nationally listed heritage building in Parkes, Canberra. The Museum of Australian Democracy helps people to understand Australia’s social and political history by interpreting the past and present and exploring the future. They achieve this by:

• bringing alive the importance of Parliament in the lives of Australians;
• interpreting, conserving and presenting the building and our collections;
• providing entertaining and educational public programs; and
• providing a range of other services that enhance the visitor experience.
   

They have generously provided the facilities for three days of Parliamentary sittings.

The ACT Legislative Assembly

The ACT Legislative Assembly is the newest and smallest legislature in Australia, having been created in 1989. It has 17 members elected from three electorates (Brindabella, Ginninderra and Molonglo) and is responsible for both state and local functions across the Territory.

This is the Seventh Assembly; it was elected for a four year term on 18 October 2008. As a result of that election, the Australian Labor Party holds seven seats, the Canberra Liberals hold six seats and The ACT Greens hold four seats. 

The Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly has graciously granted the Youth Parliament use of their Chamber and other facilities for one sitting day. 

National Library of Australia

The National Library of Australia is the country's largest reference library. Their role is to ensure that documentary resources of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people, as well as significant non-Australian library materials, are collected, preserved and made accessible either through the Library itself or through collaborative arrangements with other libraries and information providers.

By offering a strong national focus in all that they do and cooperating with others who share our goals, the Library contributes to the continuing vitality of Australia’s culture and heritage. 

The National Library is generously providing facilities for our election day event, caucus meetings, and committee meetings throughout the Program. 

UnionsACT

UnionsACT is the peak body of trade unions in the ACT and represents 24 affiliated unions and over 34,000 members in the ACT. They are also an affiliate of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). They are represented on a number of government advisory bodies including the Work Safety Council, the Procurement Board, ACT Joint Council, the ACT Leave Authority, and the Construction Industry Training Council to name just a few..

They aim to be an effective peak body by employing political, organising and industrial strategies to achieve their aims.  They do this by co-ordinating identified joint union industrial campaigns around key industrial issues affecting union members in the ACT across all industry sectors. They are also keen to develop a stronger public profile in the ACT community. They work closely with a broad range of other community groups and members to represent and lobby on behalf of workers and their families in Canberra.

UnionsACT is proud to be a sponsor of the YMCA Youth Parliament as we advocate strongly for young people to understand and participate in civil society and the democratic institutions that we all enjoy in Australia. UnionsACT is sponsoring a number of participants, providing advocacy training, political support, and endowing a prize for Youth MPs.  

Dr Richard Denniss on behalf of The Australia Institute 

Dr Richard Denniss is Executive Director of The Australia Institute, a public policy think tank based in
Canberra. An economist by training Richard’s research centres on the design of  market regulation,
particularly in the areas of the labour market and the environment. Prior to his current position, Richard
worked as Strategy Adviser to the leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Bob Brown, and was Chief
of Staff to the then leader of the Australian Democrats, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja. He is currently
an adjunct professor at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University. 

He has kindly volunteered his time, on behalf of The Australia Institute, to talk to the 2011 Youth
Parliamentarians at Australian Parliament House.  The Australia Institute is the country’s most
influential progressive think tank. Based in Canberra, it conducts research on a broad range of
economic, social and environmental issues in order to inform public debate and bring greater
accountability to the democratic process. The Institute is funded by memberships, donations
from philanthropic trusts and individuals, and commissioned research. With no formal political or
commercial ties, the Institute is in a position to maintain its independence while advancing a vision
for a fair and progressive Australia.

Mr Paul Howes on behalf of The Australian Workers Union

The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has kindly agreed to donate the time and skills of their National Secretary, Mister Paul Howes, to the speaking schedule of the YMCA of Canberra Youth Parliament. Mr Howes has more than a decade of union activism behind him – as an ordinary union member, as a union delegate, working for a peak trade union body, and as an AWU official.

He was born in Sydney, and grew up in the Blue Mountains, after leaving school Paul became active in his union as a delegate. At the age of 17 he became a Research Officer with the Labor Council of NSW (now Unions NSW). Paul worked closely with the AWU in organising workers at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and later became an official with the New South Wales Branch of the Union.

Paul joined the National Office of the AWU in 2003 as the National Organiser and organised the Alumina, Mining and Steel industries for the AWU across the country. In 2005, Paul was elected as National Vice President and become the youngest person in the history of the Union to hold a national leadership position. He worked in reforming the union's internal structure, implementing new strategies to organise non-union workplaces and consolidate membership in the steel, construction, mining, aluminium, glass, public sector, manufacturing and aviation industries. Paul was elected National Secretary following the election of former National Secretary Bill Shorten to Federal Parliament in the 2007 election and was re-elected unopposed in 2009.

The AWU now has around 135,000 members across Australia and has over 200 staff. Established 123-years ago, the AWU is the country's oldest and most diverse union, with 45 offices across non-metropolitan Australia.