Video transcript
Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition 2023 - Years 5 and 6 state final

[intro music]

TONY DAVEY: OK, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2023 Years 5 and 6 state final of the Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition. My name is Tony Davey, and I am the speaking competition's assistant for the Arts Unit. I want to begin by acknowledging that we are meeting today on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and I want to extend my respect to the Elders of that nation and to any First Nations people here today. Welcome to a fantastic day of public speaking.

I'm going to keep this as short as I can so that we can get straight into the much better speakers. I want to begin by acknowledging that we have Jordi Austin here today, the leader of Arts, Sport, and-- help me out, what's the other one? Ah, Initiatives-- Initiatives in the NSW Department of Education. She is my boss's boss's boss's boss's boss. And we'll also hopefully get Nell Lynes later, who is the leader of equity from Multicultural Education Team in the Department of Education. Those 2 chunks of the department are the ones that cooperate to make today happen.

All right, so my job then is just to run through very quickly how we got here and give you a little bit of background, introduce a few adjudicators, and then hand you over to the chairperson. The 10 speakers that you are about to see, first of all, they got here by a few months back, winning one of 8 regional finals that were held all around NSW. I think South Grafton, Jamberoo, in Newcastle, at-- oh, which one was it?-- Eleebana, and then down at Young Public School in the Riverina, as well as lots of them at Lewisham Public School in the city.

Those regional finals work, and worked extraordinarily well this year, because so, so many parents and families were happy to just get up and drive the often 5 or 6 hours to those regional finals so that their kids can compete. It was pretty extraordinary to watch. I think there were like 170 regional finalists all up, and there were maybe 3 who Zoomed in. And I think 2 of those were on overseas holidays at the time. So I don't really blame them. So that's an awful lot of support from lots of families. Thank you to those parents and to those families who made that happen.

Before those regional finals, these 10 people were in one of 81 local finals that happened all around NSW. And you can imagine that the schools who host those finals do a crazy amount of work to let us take over their school halls and other bits of their school in order to do impromptu preparation. They have to recruit kids to help with timing and shuffling people around the place. Teachers need the day off. So there is no version of this competition that works without the support of the principals and schools and teachers all around NSW. And we want to begin by thanking them for helping us with those finals as well.

And then, long before those local finals, the other thing that your speakers today have done is probably win some kind of speak-off at their own school. So in order to get into this competition, there are only 2 students per school that are allowed to speak, which means thousands and thousands of kids in hundreds of classrooms are writing multicultural speeches and trying out to be the representatives for their school.

And we probably don't spend enough time thanking all of those kids who work so hard to make this competition so massive. So yeah, if you wrote a speech, and I bet a lot of you did this year, thanks for joining in the competition. Sorry you couldn't be 1 of the 10 kids who were here today, but there is always next year, and we hope you learn something along the way as well.

So that's how we got here today to these final 10 speakers. It's done in reverse order, which I'm sure sounded a bit counterintuitive to you, but that's because I gave the same speech at the Year 3 and 4 tournament. So I thought if I flipped them, it would sound wildly different.

3 more jobs-- I'm going to introduce to you, first of all, the adjudication panel. On the far left up there is Justin Lai. Justin is the 2018 National Plain English Speaking Award champion who went on to represent Australia at the international final. Didn't win, but we still have him on the panel here today. He's actually our most experienced public speaking adjudicator by a very long way. Thanks for coming, Justin.

Next to him, in the middle, is Justine Clarke. She's the speaking competitions officer for the NSW Department of Education. That makes her my boss and also responsible for all debating and public speaking in NSW schools. She's also our most experienced adjudicator.

And then, next to her is Louise Warren. Louise is a representative of the Multicultural Education team. She is their multicultural and community relations advisor, which basically means for you guys that she helps to teach your teachers about multiculturalism and how to deal with stuff like race and then teach it to you guys. So it's fantastic to have Louise along. Welcome to the adjudication panel. Those are your adjudicators for today.

One final job, and it is to introduce our chairperson and timekeeper, who are both from Jamberoo Public School. Thanks for coming along today, guys. Madeleine is your chairperson today. I'm told that she is a young business owner who runs a bakery. I'm not sure how that works when you're in primary school, but I was enthused to hear that. And I'm told that the timekeeper, Ava, is an excellent swimmer, which really doesn't have much to do with timekeeping, but is very good at butterfly. And that's what I was able to wring out of them when I met them this morning. The baking thing is particularly fascinating, I think.

I am going to hand you over to Madeleine and Ava. Thank you for coming along. And my last thing, of course, is best of luck to all 10 of you guys. You know this is going to be incredibly close. You know that all 10 of you are worthy winners today. And I would encourage you to think of this more as like a festival of multicultural speaking rather than an actual competition. Of course, you can't do that. You should also try to win. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. And I'll hand you over to Madeleine to run the rest of the tournament for us. Cheers.

[applause]

MADELEINE WILLIAMS: Thank you, Mr Davey. Ladies and gentlemen, in the Years 5 and 6 state final, each student may speak for 4 minutes. There will be a warning bell at 3 minutes and 2 bells at 4 minutes to indicate the speaker's time has expired. A continuous bell will be rung at 5 minutes.

JAIYAN DEY: A difficult journey begins with one simple step. Throughout history, humans have taken difficult journeys that have shaped our entire world as we know it. Whether it was a journey of the early humans on earth or the journey of my immigrant grandparents, we should not let it be a thing in the past. We must continue to take those strides ourselves to make our world a better place and to try and undo some of the negative issues created in history, such as racism, an issue that's been around for centuries.

Did you know that scientists are now sure that the first humans evolved in Africa? Fossils have actually been found there from a few hundred thousand years ago. They all likely had dark skin to protect them from the harsh sun. And over time, some of those people would walk a few kilometres a [? year ?] [? for they were born, ?] maybe following the animals that they will be hunting.

Back then, the sea levels were very low. So you could just walk to different lands. Those few kilometres every year would maybe add up to 100 kilometres over their lifetime. And their children and grandchildren would do the same. And that is how groups of people end up in different parts of the world. Those who ended up living in cooler parts of the world developed lighter skin, while in other areas they might have been taller or had clothes to keep warm. There are many examples. But that's how people in different parts of the world look different.

What is sad, however, is that over thousands of years, people forgot the stories of how their ancestors were actually from Africa and had dark skin. In 1492, an Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, made a long journey by boat and landed in Bahamas, where he met the natives, who, unlike him, had dark skin. Not realising that he just found his long-lost relatives, he was violent and brutal to them. He took their land and made them his slaves.

This is an example of racism, hundreds of years before the idea of racism was even thought of. And it happened all over the world, including Australia to the Aboriginals, which is why nowadays we acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of our land. Even though many stories of difficult journeys to the past been forgotten, one that is not old enough yet to be forgotten is that of my grandparents.

Past generations on my mother's side journeyed from India to Africa to England. And eventually, they emigrated to Australia. On my dad's side, my grandpa had to flee Bangladesh when war between different races broke out. He walked barefoot with a suitcase in each hand and his 5-year-old brother on his shoulders to cross the border to India to seek safety, although I do question whether he was actually barefoot.

My grandma was studying medicine in university at the same time, and she too had to flee to India and travelled by not horse and cart but bull and cart. But all those stories of difficult journeys eventually led to one great destination, Australia, and to me being born here. Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Statistics show that almost half our current population was either born overseas or has at least one parent born overseas.

But racism is still an issue in our country, and so the difficult journey of change must continue, which takes me to my last point. Each and every one of us must make a difficult journey ourselves, an inner journey to dig deep within yourself, to be open-minded and willing to learn about other cultures, and especially to be brave and to stand up against racism.

Our whole community should feel safe and respected. How would you feel if you were accused of something you had no control over or the way you were born? Research shows there are many people who don't agree with racism. Only 1 in 3 people will actually act when they witness it. If you hear someone in the playground commenting on someone else's skin colour or looks, for example, tell them that they are out of line and tell a teacher.

Let's learn about the difficult journeys taken in the past, such as that of Columbus or our own family and friends, and use that to guide us in our own journey. Many great people of the past, such as Nelson Mandela, made difficult journeys that fought against racism and led to a positive change in our world. There is still a long road ahead. That step that you take and I take and your friend takes will all add up to make one huge wave of positive change. It's our responsibility. We are the future. Remember, even though we all look different, we all came from the same place. Don't be afraid to take that first step.

[applause]

MATILDA MCCULLOUGH: My backyard and probably your backyards are filled with barbecues, herb gardens, trampolines, and the most magnificent birds, animals, and sometimes snakes. But they are also filled with people. And in my backyard, most of those people are either Australian or English.

According to our latest census, which is a survey that goes around to every household and asks questions about who they are, 80% of people living in my suburb, Stanwell Park, were born here in Australia. Most of the remaining people were born in either England, New Zealand, South Africa, or Scotland. That's not a lot of variety. That's like going to an ice cream shop but the only flavours on offer are vanilla, light vanilla, or extra vanilla.

But when I visit Cabramatta, which is just 40 minutes up the road from my backyard, there is a lot more multiculturalism and a lot more flavours to get to know. According to the census, 60% of residents in Cabramatta were born in either Vietnam, Iraq, Cambodia, China, or Laos.

Sometimes my family and I go up to Cabramatta. And when I arrive, I see a lot of Asian writing and a lot of fruits and vegetables I've never seen before at my local Coles. The smells coming from the kitchens, definitely not fish and chips or meat pies being pulled from the oven. They may not have pies, but they do have the best bubble tea with tapioca pearls. Cabramatta is a melting pot, not only of soup and dumplings, but also of wonderful people.

And you know what? Even though the foods, smells, and writing may be different, I still see families walking together. I see grandparents sitting on park benches watching their grandchildren play. And I see kids kicking a soccer ball in their yards, just like my brother does in my backyard.

And it got me thinking, is there more to our backyards than the census shows us? Is my backyard just vanilla all the time? Stanwell Park may not be the most multicultural suburb on the weekdays. But on the weekends, people from all different suburbs, including Cabramatta, come down to swim and play in my backyard.

But why does this all matter? Is there something more to multiculturalism than just bubble tea? I think there is. Variety is the spice of life. And when we get to experience our backyards changing, we get a chance to appreciate how unique everybody is. We don't just have vanilla. We have a whole Messina full of different delicious flavours.

But as important as it is that other people come and visit my backyard, it is equally important that I go and visit other backyards, backyards like Cabramatta. So while the latest census data is great and it shows us what suburbs are like from Monday to Friday, what it does not tell us is just how many amazing people come on the weekends to my backyard.

[applause]

FREDDY STEVENS: The starting gun fires. Bang! You're off. The people next to you have the wind at their backs, pushing them forwards faster. They take the lead. But not you. You have the wind blowing against you, into your face, pushing you back, slowing you down, making it difficult to run and even breathe. The people with the wind at their backs don't realise it, but they have a massive invisible advantage, a privilege.

They don't understand your invisible disadvantage caused by the wind blowing against you. I am a white boy from a family of white middle-class parents who both went to university. And I benefit from white privilege. People don't follow me around the shops just because I'm black and they think that makes me more likely to steal something. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that although I have worked hard for everything that I've achieved, I have had the wind blowing with me, giving me advantages or privileges.

Before we can fix this inequality, we need to have empathy and understand what it would be like to be on the other side of white privilege, with the wind blowing us back. There are so many ways that the inequality of white privilege is felt, ranging from feeling like we don't belong and don't deserve to have our needs met to the tragedy of being shot because you're seen as a member of your race and not as an individual.

An example of this subtle form of racism and inequality is how, in 2023, companies are only just starting to release a more diverse range of skin-coloured Band-Aids. Imagine you walk into a supermarket to buy a Band-Aid. They're available in skin colour, but it's not your skin colour. The people who run these companies are white, and it just hasn't occurred to them to make dark Band-Aids. This may seem trivial, but this subtle form of discrimination can cause great harm.

Picture this. It's late at night, and you need to get home. You've lost your wallet and can't pay for the bus ticket. You ask the bus driver to help you out and let you on for free. What the bus driver says to you depends on the colour of your skin. This is not about the individual bus drivers being racist and mean but, again, how society is formed after years of discrimination. White privilege is ingrained.

Your name is Ralph Yarl. You're 16 years old, and you're told to pick up your brothers. But you mishear the address, and you knock on the wrong door. The white man inside sees that you are black, pulls out a gun, and shoots you through a glass door. You're shot in the head. You fall to the ground crying. He shoots you again. Showing incredible resilience and courage, you get to your feet and stumble away, knocking on 3 doors before anyone takes you in to help.

Ralph Yarl was an honour student, a member of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, and was a role model. The day that Ralph Yarl regained consciousness, he just sat there, and buckets of tears rolled down his face, not from pain but in despair that something like this could happen. But the shooter didn't care about that. He just saw a black boy, assumed he was a criminal, and shot him. He didn't treat Ralph as an individual with the right to be seen for who you are. His privilege or right to live in a safe society destroyed. And the man who shot Ralph, his white privilege meant he was released on bail after his arrest.

These stories highlight some of the many disturbing examples of white privilege being abused, privileges that should be shared by us all, no matter what our race or culture. We all deserve to feel like we belong, like our needs matter. We all deserve to be treated like individuals, not solely as members of a race. We all have the right to safety, tolerance, and respect.

So what can we do? We as individuals must use the privilege of free speech to stand up when we see acts of racism. We must not tolerate racial slurs, jokes, mistreatment, or inequality. The privilege of a safe and bright future must be for all cultures. By accepting, celebrating, and admiring individuals for who they are, we can walk together with the wind at our backs towards a more harmonious and positive future. Only then will we have the privilege of racing on a level playing field.

[applause]

WENDY SU: I want you to imagine a successful CEO or lawyer. The person you just thought of is nearly certainly white. Despite being such a multicultural country, why is it that we can only imagine a Caucasian when thinking of a successful figure? The answer is surprisingly simple. Many of us still consider migrants inferior.

We must raise our voices to make Australia a more equitable place. 7 out of 10 students with a foreign background have been discriminated against. I have seen people cross the road just to stay away from somebody, simply because of their colour. I have heard people say, go back to your own country, and then laugh, as if it's that easy to live in a new land.

These words and actions have an undeniable impact on migrants. Yet it seems that in today's society, they don't matter anymore. Racist words and unkind actions have become so deeply rooted in our upbringings and surroundings. We're not born racist. However, we are exposed to such behaviour nearly every day.

If you go to a random Caucasian person on the street and ask them, Have you eaten Vegemite before? they will give you a horrible look of disgust. If you tell them all Caucasians look the same, they will be incredibly annoyed. Yet as an East Asian, I have been asked extensively, have you eaten dogs before? Or I have been told that all Asian people look the same.

Many people think that these words don't mean anything because everybody says them. But let me tell you, they do make us feel like we are outsiders. They do hurt. And if we don't raise our voices, then the situation is never going to change.

When given a resume, an employer is often biassed against people with foreign-sounding names. Studies have shown that Caucasians are 50% more likely to be contacted for job interviews, even if the resumes are nearly identical. It is appalling that migrants are losing well-deserved opportunities. How can we take pride in our name as a multicultural country if we cannot even treat everyone equally?

As members of a diverse community, it is our role to raise our voices so that migrants are given the respect and the dignity that they deserve. We are proud of multicultural Australia, so let's raise our voices and prove to migrants that our famous name is not just for show.

Migrants are contributing in all aspects of Australian society. They not only make up an integral part of our economy, but they also share their valuable, extensive culture and different perspectives with us. They are the people who give Australia the name of a country so rich in diversity. They deserve to be treated with the same respect as everybody else.

By raising our voices and calling for action, we can help Australians understand that our colour should not affect our future, nor does it change our capabilities. Silence is indifference. As one united nation, we need to break this silence.

Raising our voices can come in many different forms, and every one of us can do something to make a change. We could support and advertise through media, which would change the general perception of those with a different background, or simply by standing up for those who were a victim of discrimination. This would make our society a much more accepting and embracing place.

Our diversity is Australia's strength, never a weakness. So let's raise our voices together and make a difference, a positive difference, for ourselves, our country, and our world.

[applause]

MATTHEW HOWLEY: He came at you with a blinding flash of arm and released the ball like a bullet. To bat against him was to know real fear. In what Australian cricket legend Don Bradman later described as the fastest bowling he'd ever faced, Indigenous bowler Eddie Gilbert dismissed Bradman in a stunning opening over in the first Sheffield Shield match of 1931.

The first ball Bradman blocked. The second tipped his hat, sent him off balance, and made him fall backwards on the pitch. The third bounced over Bradman's head. The fourth knocked the bat from his hands. And the fifth had him caught behind, out for a duck. Despite this legendary display of bowling, I had not heard of Eddie Gilbert. I enjoy playing cricket and aspire to be like those who make the Australian team.

Have you ever thought about those who didn't make the team and perhaps why they didn't? Like many Aboriginal people at the time, Gilbert was forced to live in an Aboriginal settlement, removed from his family. He was only 3 years old when he was denied his culture, educated in white ways, and integrated into white society through cricket.

In my experience, playing cricket has been a choice and a way to connect with new people. During a time when I was being excluded at school, playing and training with my cricket team lifted my spirits and helped me to feel accepted. Gilbert's experience was very different. During his time playing cricket, he was made to sleep in a tent on the practice pitch, away from the team. One teammate refused to speak to Gilbert. Another deliberately tried to run him out in his first game. Some refused to share taxis, hotel rooms, or dining tables with him.

Gilbert was reported as saying, 'It's all right to be a hero on the field, but a black man can be lonely when he is not accepted after the game.' Gilbert also faced controversy over his bowling action. Some thought that no one could possibly be so fast with such a short run up. So he must be bowling illegally. After a [? inaudible ?] bowling by umpires, Queensland selectors reviewed Gilbert's arm action and viewed it in slow motion. They found no anomalies.

However, the allegation played right into the hands of those who stereotyped Aboriginals as lazy cheats. And despite taking 7 wickets against the touring West Indian team and 5 wickets in his final match, Gilbert was forced out of cricket due to his apparent bad form. Historically, Cricket Australia has failed to encourage and select Indigenous cricketers. Faith Thomas was the first Indigenous cricketer to play for Australia. She made her debut in 1958.

Jason Gillespie would be the next, in 1996. 460 men have represented Australia at an international level. Just 4 have been Indigenous. Fortunately, things are beginning to change. Initiatives encouraging kids from multicultural backgrounds to play cricket include the Usman Khawaja Foundation, a national Indigenous competition, and the First Nations Round in the Big Bash League, quite a step forward from Gilbert's day.

We are also seeing more First Nations players representing Australia, including Scott Boland, D'Arcy Short, and Ash Gardner. What we are learning from our past, from my involvement in cricket locally, Indigenous players are still underrepresented. There is more we need to do. Consultation with Indigenous people is an important step in identifying barriers to participation.

We can work together to create opportunities, encourage role models, and provide financial support and facilities. In some remote Aboriginal communities, sports facilities still comprise of an unmarked field. We must also show respect for culture and call out racism and discrimination wherever it occurs.

Gilbert died in 1978 after a long period of poor health, which is said to have stemmed from the racism and intolerance he suffered throughout his life. His cricket career ended in 1936. Sadly, it was not until 2007 that he received due recognition. A bronze statue of Gilbert was erected and a Queensland cricket ground and Indigenous sportsperson award were named in his honour.

Learning about Gilbert's experience has opened my eyes to another side of Australia's sporting history. We cannot change Gilbert's story, but it is a sobering reminder of the racism and intolerance First Nations people still face, both on and off the cricket pitch. We must all work towards making cricket an inclusive game with equal opportunities for all. The discrimination Gilbert suffered must never be repeated.

[applause]

GEORGIA PILGRIM: My first journey was to Fiji, a family holiday full of sun, sand, and surf. I was fortunate to experience a journey full of excitement and exhilaration. But my journey was a holiday to a place from which I knew I would return. The biggest difficulty of my journey was working out how to convert the currency to buying my souvenirs and then how to fit them in my already bursting suitcase.

And so it wasn't until I met Olive in Fiji that I could consider the term 'difficult journeys'. Olive's first journey was to Australia, not for fun, sand, and surf, not for a holiday, for life. When I met Olive in Fiji, she was so excited to talk about Australia and hear of the opportunities I had. She worked at a resort my family visited many times over the years, and we became great friends.

Through Olive's story, I came to understand that the experiences of her 4 children were in great contrast to my own. They did not carry with them any souvenirs. They were not journeying anywhere. I didn't know then that Olive would come to be such a big part of my story, of my journey to understanding. With COVID came the collapse of the Fijian economy and the beginning of Olive's migration to Australia. Her difficult journey had begun.

But she didn't have the same difficulties as me. Her suitcase held little other than the dreams for a better life. Olive was one of the 171,000 migrants to Australia last year. But unlike Olive, many of these migrants come with that choice or loved ones or any knowledge of their new home. And the difficult journey will not end when their feet hit Australian soil because difficult journeys are not just physical.

New migrants are seen as different, as outsiders, and battle against limited opportunities, financial restrictions, and language barriers. We add to their hardship with our prejudice, dismissive actions, and our hurtful words. The real journey we all need to be on is one of progress and change and growth. And that is difficult.

Migration to Australia is a massive part of our story as a nation, part of our identity. But the journey is not complete, not for migrants and not for us. We must all be on a path, moving forward, a path that leads towards multicultural understanding and celebration. So how do we ease the journey for our migrants? How do we pick up the pace and journey towards understanding?

I could stand here today and tell you that our government should be doing more, that we need better policies, or that we should throw some more money at supporting migration programs. But that would just be pointing a finger and suggesting that the problem does not lie with us. The reality is we are the ones who can make the biggest difference to easing the journey of migration and securing the path to true multiculturalism.

We can create a culture of acceptance through our simple, everyday actions. Instead of fear and judgement towards those who appear different, we can offer a simple smile. Instead of dismissing migrants, their language barriers, or religious beliefs, we can ask questions and offer opportunities. We can open our minds and open our hearts and take a minute on our own journey to appreciate the difficult journeys of others.

My family have stayed close to Olive, and we've listened to her story, supporting her with her studies. We feel so fortunate to now have Olive working in our family business. Her difficult journey has enhanced all our lives. And our actions are just small gestures, small gestures that many of us are capable of.

So as the next migrants arrive on our shores, their journey should not be as difficult. Like Olive, they should be able to move forward with a map in one hand and a grip of companionship in the other. Because what we get in return is an enriched journey of our own and a suitcase bursting with souvenirs which show us where we've been and just how far we have come on our difficult journey to multiculturalism.

[applause]

INDIA BINKS: You're standing on the back of a school bus, hiding behind people who despise your background and call you a weirdo because of what you look like or what your culture says about your gender, when suddenly the bus stops and in enters men the size of giants, holding guns and calling your name. Shaking, you walk towards them and are asked to choose between either accepting something that you don't believe in or your life. What would you choose? Would you raise your voice?

It was on October 9, 2012, when this happened to a 17-year-old girl named Malala Yousafzai. She was just an ordinary girl that wanted to be treated the same as men and receive an education. But this was hard because the Taliban, an extremist Muslim group, had taken over Malala's town in Pakistan. They believed that Pakistani girls and women should be treated differently to men and would use force to make sure it stayed that way.

But that did not stop Malala from fighting for what she believed in. She said, if one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it? This girl cared so much about the right of education that when she was involved in a situation where she had to choose between other people's rights or her life, she chose rights. And unfortunately, she was shot in the head as a result of making this critical decision. She sacrificed herself to speak out and make change.

Luckily, the bullet missed her brain, and paramedics were able to save her life. And because of this great survival, girls of Pakistan are now able to go to school. Malala's courage, strength, and determination clearly shows that if you truly believe in something, you need to speak up in order to make change. It takes people raising their voice to make a difference. And had many people throughout history not spoken up for what they believed in, the world would be a very different place today.

As a multicultural country, Australia has experienced many situations that involve conflict and hardship. Combining so many different cultures in one country can be hard unless people are tolerant and open-minded. It takes people raising their voice to stand up for themselves and others to keep the multicultural nature of this country alive.

Another strong example of a person who raised their voice is Australian netball player Donnell Wallam. Donnell is a proud Noongar woman and is only the third Indigenous person to ever be selected to play for the Australian Diamonds. In 2023, Hancock Prospecting, a mining company, sponsored Netball Australia for millions of dollars, despite founder Lang Hancock having made terrible racist comments about Indigenous Australians in the 1980s.

Donnell, whose father was part of the stolen generation, raised her voice and refused to wear the company's logo on her representative dress. The rest of the Diamonds team supported Donnell, and the mining company withdrew their sponsorship. Whilst this impacted the sport financially, the benefit of Donnell speaking up for her people was far more important.

She said, if I'm not stepping up and having that conversation, then it's going to be on the next person that comes through. And I'm always going to be an advocate for my family and my mum. History was littered with people who raised their voice in order to stand up for what they believed in. This hasn't always led to great change, but there's a lesson to be learned that without people who are willing to put their own reputation, beliefs, or even their lives on the line, so many positive changes would have never have been possible.

In Australia, speaking up for what you believe in is as important now as it has ever been. Living in peace with others who don't necessarily look, speak, or act like you takes strength of character. It takes people standing up for themselves. You don't have to be the loudest. You just have to be the one that never gives up.

What of people like Malala and Donnell? They weren't fighting for their own personal gain. They were fighting to help those around them have a better life and were treated as equals. The time is now. Have the courage to fight for change. Have the empathy to make it more than just about what you want. Next time you're faced with an impossible choice, will you raise your voice?

[applause]

MADELINE KOT: In a world where reflection shapes perspectives, the phrase 'Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?' once echoed through the ages, a relic from the 1938 'Snow White' movie. This whisper serves as a reminder where fair skin was and still is seen as beautiful. I totally disagree with this.

In the 21st century, fair skin carries inherent privilege. Privilege refers to an exclusive entitlement or advantage made available to only specific groups. Privilege is unfair because you have no control over our race, gender, ability, or wealth. These are just characteristics that a person just happens to be born with.

What makes this harder is that no one claims to ask for privilege. In fact, they will deny it. If people have privilege, they'll try and tell other people that, oh well, it's not a big deal.

An example of privilege that many people might not even notice are Band-Aids. Have you ever seen a dark-skin Band-Aid? Well, I haven't. Would you like it if you had to wear a Band-Aid designed for a different skin colour? Johnson and Johnson, who are the leading manufacturers of Band-Aids, have not made a different skin-coloured Band-Aid in over 99 years. How ridiculous is that?

There are also some other forms of privilege, for example, how a shopkeeper would treat other races differently-- different meaning better treatment because they are privileged. I watched a video clip last month where an African man walked through a Kmart store. No one would say anything to him. He was basically ignored. But when a fair-skinned couple walked in, more than one shopkeeper went over to go and assist them.

The assumption had been cast that the African man who had darker skin had no money to spend. So why even bother with him? This is untrue because there are many rich people with darker skin, like Michael Jordan, Michelle Obama, and Lebron James.

So you still don't think privilege exists? Let me ask you, have you seen or heard about the doll test? This experiment was conducted in 1940 by psychologists Dr Kenneth and Dr Mamie Clark. The doll test looked at 253 black children aged 3 to 7 years old. They were each shown 4 dolls, 2 with white skin and yellow hair and 2 with brown skin and black hair.

In brief, each student was asked which doll they preferred to play with. The outcome concluded that African American children thought that the fair-skinned dolls were pretty, nice, and good. But for the dark-skinned dolls, they were ugly, evil, and bad. But when the final question was asked, which is, Which one do you look like? they all sadly and slowly pointed at the darker one. For me, this was very sad and hard to watch.

In 2016, the test was recreated for children in Italy. Let me tell you, the results hadn't changed. Nothing had changed almost 80 years later. How can these innocent children call themselves ugly, evil, and bad? Furthermore, even how a police officer treats a person is about having privilege. Police are more likely to be rougher when they arrest a dark-skinned person.

They may even get arrested for really minor things, like going into a store and not buying anything. You might be thinking, Maddie, that would never happen. Well, are you sure? Because it has happened. In America, where 2 dark-skinned men walked into a Starbucks, sat down at a table but didn't buy anything. So an employee immediately called the police.

I bet you don't believe me, but that's because it hasn't happened to you, probably because you have privilege. Do you want to live in this sort of world? If not, you need to act now. Act to end privilege's grip on our multiculturalism. You can discuss racism and challenge views. And don't let other people without privilege treat other people differently. Challenge how you think, and don't think exactly like your parents.

In 20 years, when we recreate the doll test, we need to ensure that we don't get the same heartbreaking results. Break the cycle. Act now. Save our future's doll experiments from repeating tragedies.

[applause]

AYALLA KANETY: [non-English speech]

I'd like to take you on a journey. When I was 4 years old, my family visited Israel. Late into the night, we were driving back home to my grandmother's apartment after dinner one night. We heard loud sirens outside. Abba, my dad, quickly parked us on the side of the highway and ushered us out of the car.

Mum told us we were going to sit outside on the grass and look at the stars. Abba held me tightly, and Mum held my sisters. Then we saw them, shooting through the sky, bright and glowing. Abba told us they were fireworks, but they weren't exploding. Mum suggested they were shooting stars. Later that night, Alma, my sister, wrote about them in her diary, how she saw her first shooting star. But what we didn't know, something that we only found out last year, is that they weren't shooting stars, they weren't fireworks, but they were missiles being shot from Gaza.

We were in Israel for a month while this war was going on. And for this month, my parents were carrying us in our sleep to the bomb shelter and my grandmother's house. And when the siren went on in the day, they would scuttle us out nervously, telling us how silly all these fire drills were. We were so lucky to be able to escape the fear and harm at that time, protected by our parents' belief that we would not know what really was going on. And simply, we could board a plane and escape the fear and harm back to the safety of Australia.

However, for my extended family, a majority of people living in war-torn regions, it's a long and difficult process, an ongoing struggle. Recently, the condition in Israel has escalated dramatically, and a full-on war has broken out between Hamas and Israel. On the seventh of October, 1,400 Israeli citizens were slaughtered, and more than 230 innocent civilians were abducted by Hamas into the Gaza Strip.

In retaliation to this, Israel's attempting to stamp out Hamas, and many innocent civilians have died in Gaza as well. It is horrifying to think that so many children around the world right now, like in war-torn Sudan, Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza, and many other conflict zones around the world, are experiencing this constant fear and harm and simply can't escape it.

Those who can have to literally run for their lives, find a safe passage out, and establish a whole new life in foreign and unfamiliar places, still with a strong sense of fear. They have to find shelter, food, work, education, and health care. All of these are difficult journeys towards lasting safety.

In addition to this physical journey is the journey for peace and trust, a difficult journey to the realisation that we're not all the same, but we do share similar hopes and dreams. The physical journey will not be successful and lasting unless we accomplish the inner journey for trust and peace. One of the greatest difficulties we face is the power of fear and mistrust. Fear can keep us safe and tell us when something is dangerous, but it can also make us hate and distrust each other.

Fear can drive us to make poor and dangerous decisions in an attempt to make us feel safer. Fear can persuade us to doubt the trusted and to view others with suspicion, even justify hurting others. But it is exactly fear we must resist.

So how can you help build trust and eliminate fear in your community? By focusing on these 3 things. Number one, respect, understanding that everyone has the right to live their life according to their values and goals while still integrating and participating in the wider society we are a part of. Two, connection, creating meaningful relationships, reaching out to one another. And finally, empathy, understanding the thoughts and feelings of others from their point of view rather than your own.

So let's begin a new journey, starting from this very moment. If trust is the foundation on which our laws and societies are built, it must be earned through consistent actions and not just empty words and should be extended to everyone equally. Now is the time for us to stand up and act so that no parent is forced to shelter their child on the side of the road from fear and harm, that no government needs to annihilate innocent civilians in order to protect their own, that no child has to grow up in fear and danger of harm. I'm willing to go on this difficult journey to help build a safer societies in my community. How willing are you?

[applause]

FRANCES ERRINGTON: I think I have one of the best backyards in all of Sydney, but I don't have a tyre swing, a slide, or even a pool. But I do have a backyard that is totally unique. Right behind my house is Camperdown Cemetery. And even though it does sound a bit spooky, it really is an amazing historical place with lots of different connections to our multicultural past and present.

My backyard has many different diverse people buried in it and lots of plants and trees. Graveyards connect us to generations of different people from all different backgrounds and families who have passed away and bring people together. And I'm here to tell you how. Firstly, the graveyard holds a long history of lots of different culture groups from different times. We have native kangaroo grass, which pre-dates European invasion of the area and is not allowed to be mowed because the grass is actually heritage listed.

Indigenous Australians use kangaroo grass for making food. This was done for thousands of years. This is an example of the things in our graveyard that we preserve and respect the traditions around. The Dunbar anchor is another significant thing in the cemetery. You can read the inscription and learn how the Dunbar ship sank at Sydney Heads on the 20th of August, 1857, with only one survivor called James Johnson.

The Dunbar anchor represents a different culture of Europeans first travelling to Australia. The graveyard is also home to a famous fig tree, which is featured in the TV series 'My Place'. 'My Place' is a very important show because it reminds us about the perspectives of the people who lived here before, during, and after the colonisation by Europeans.

Perspectives are very important when we talk about multiculturalism. And 'My Place' is an example of there being lots of different stories to tell. The tree also symbolises something else. It shows that even as generations pass by it in the same place, the tree stayed the same. This is like the cemeteries around us. They stay the same, but the people who pass through them are different and diverse as years move on.

Secondly, graveyards represent the diversity of our community and can offer people a sense of belonging. People from all different cultures visit graveyards. Actually, an article was written in the newsletter 'The Conversation' about this. It said that 23% of people who are interviewed for this research visit cemeteries once a month. The majority of these people were from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. People from these communities felt that a cemetery was a place that could embrace their culture and could give them a sense of belonging in Australia for them and for future generations.

However, different cultural groups have different burial traditions, but they are not allowed to do that here because of the limited space and sometimes even prejudices against burial traditions. For example, I found it interesting that certain Tongan family groups like to remove bones from burial sites so they can use the same plot for future family burials. But unfortunately, these are very difficult to make happen in NSW.

To include people in our ever-changing society, these are the sorts of things we can think about with what we are doing. This begins by listening to other people's beliefs and respecting their traditions. So next time you walk past the cemetery, don't be afraid, and don't think it's scary. It's part of our shared backyard. Think of the history it holds and how it has, does, and will continue to become a very important part of our diverse, multicultural community. And it won't be hard to find because it's the dead centre of town.

[applause]

MADELEINE WILLIAMS: Welcome back to the impromptu speech section of the Multicultural Perspectives state final. In the Years 5 and 6 impromptu section, the students have 5 minutes in which to prepare a speech on a general topic provided by the adjudicators. Each speaker then speaks for 2 minutes with a warning bell at 1 minute 30 and 2 bells at 2 minutes to indicate the speaker's time has expired. A continuous bell will be rung at 2 minutes 30.

The topic for the impromptu speech section is 'under pressure'. The first speaker will be back in just a moment. Please welcome back Jaiyan Dey.

[applause]

JAIYAN DEY: As the tennis legend Roger Federer once famously said, 'Pressure is a privilege.' Many people think pressure is bad. It can ruin our chances of winning. Many people think they're like gigantic waves of nerves that can crash into us and make us lose focus. That's not entirely the case. It's a blessing in disguise.

We must feel lucky to be under pressure. We must feel privileged to be involved in this competition that could make you feel under pressure. I know it can be bad. It can be stressful sometimes. But don't fear. There are many strategies to help you overcome this ginormous feeling, such as breathe big. We can take 10 deep breaths which will help calm us down.

Or we could do-- we can be mindful. This strategy is called the game of 5's. We could be mindful by using our 5 senses-- touch, taste, smell, hear, and see. This will make us more mindful and calm us down. And last but not least, my favourite one, my mantra. A mantra is basically a word or some phrases that can calm you down.

Examples of this could be you can do it, you are strong, you got this. But ironically, my mantra is pressure is a privilege. In conclusion, if you are ever feeling under pressure, just repeat to yourself over and over again, pressure is a privilege. Thank you.

[applause]

MATILDA MCCULLOUGH: And now it is time for Matilda McCullough to play us 'Jingle Bells'. I stand up slowly and walk over to the piano. Under pressure and shaking, I sit down. I start to play the piano, and everything is going well until-- bing! I stuff up. I miss the note. I flubbed it. I feel empty.

I feel like I've put in so much effort to get to this point, and it's all been wasted. I'm sure you all have felt this at some point, where you have worked so hard on something and put in so much effort, and it comes to the point where you get to show it all, you get to present it, and it doesn't go well. You mess it up because you were under pressure.

But you need to remember that you've put in all that effort. You have tried so hard. And you are a winner. Even if you are under pressure and you messed it up, you will always be a winner, despite the outcome.

[applause]

FREDDY STEVENS: Davey Warner. Davey Warner. Some of you may have witnessed my most recent impromptu speech on David Warner and how he continues to cripple under the pressure on a high international stage. You may have heard me talking about how bad he is and how he's absolutely ruining-- me, myself. When I recently made a trip to England, I was under so much pressure, having to talk to all my cousins in England about Davey Warner because he's really bad, and I was under lots of pressure.

His career started really well. Pressure seemed to do absolutely nothing to him. He was facing world-class bowlers, scoring 100s, 200s, even. And now-- but then he started to cripple under the pressure. Pressure started to get to him, and he started to get his back rammed against the wall. We've had many recent tours, including England came to us in the Ashes series.

David Warner did not succeed under pressure then, and he kept continuing to fail. But the same was happening against South Africa. He was under so much pressure. And then, out of the blue, bang, he scored 300. It seems to be a Davey Warner thing. When his career is on the line, he uses his pressure and comes up. Entering this world cup, ICC, Cricket World Cup, Australia had a really horrible start.

And Davey Warner, under lots of pressure, was not performing. But recently, he has been. He's got some of the most runs in the tournament, which is really amazing. It seems to be, again, a Davey Warner thing. When your back's against the wall, you use the pressure.

Last night, Australia had a semifinal qualifying game against South Africa. We had just done a very good job at stopping South Africa-- stopping South Africa from scoring too many runs. But then Davey Warner, under pressure, had a big innings and saved us. This is really amazing how when he's under pressure he comes up and proves us all wrong. Hopefully in the semifinal-- on the grand final on Sunday, he can do the exact same thing, all under pressure.

[applause]

WENDY SU: Under pressure. What comes to your mind when you hear these 2 terrifyingly daunting words? Do you think about that math test that you still haven't studied for? Or that English assessment that you really, really don't want to do?

No matter what, we can all agree that we all absolutely hate being under pressure. It's that feeling of your mind racing and your heart beating. It's that feeling of fear and thinking that you're not good enough. Except sometimes, something that we often don't realise is that being under pressure is actually much more important than we think it might be.

In our world, we are often going to have many challenges. We are often going to have many hardships. Except, if we always run from these opportunities, if we always run from these hardships because we are afraid of being under pressure and not being viewed as good enough for society, then what are we going to achieve? By being under pressure and accepting that we have something to work on, we can all realise that we can improve.

And just the act of being brave enough to put yourself under pressure so you think that you and our world can have a better future, that is something to be prou of because with each challenge and with each time we're under pressure comes a new door and a new opportunity for us all.

Don't think that you're the only one that's scared because you're under pressure. Think about all the famous people in our life. Think about Elon Musk. Think about JK Rowling. After all of their successes, they had so much pressure on them. They probably felt just as you feel now when you were nervous and when you were unsure. Except, because they accepted that challenge, that is why they have risen to why they are so great today.

And because of all these people that are putting themselves under this pressure and accepting the hardships, that is why our world is advanced and as wonderful as it is today. So when you think about that math assessment, when you think about that English test that you really don't want to do, please remember, with pressure comes good experience. With pressure comes opportunities. And most importantly, you've got this.

[applause]

MATTHEW HOWLEY: Right now, our government is under pressure to solve many of the world's greatest problems. And a massive problem right now is plastic pollution. A truckload of rubbish enters our oceans each minute. And Boyan Slat, environmentalist, is trying to help. But we can't put people like him under pressure to solve all of these. We also need to help.

We need to be a massive part of this because when under pressure, people fail. People slip under pressure. And we need to all work together and help each other so that we don't pile a whole heap of pressure on these people that are just trying to help.

Many people, when under pressure, make silly mistakes. And my school, I know, is trying to help these people, because in our school, there is plastic on the ground. But each day, we have a time limit where we come and pick up rubbish, all of us. We work together. And yet people still don't pick up rubbish. Not everyone is working together to help yet.

And this puts heaps of pressure. And working under pressure is really hard. This puts pressure on the people who are actually trying to help, the people who are a massive part of this. As I said before, our government is under massive pressure, and they need to make the correct changes.

They need to make fast food chains not sell drinks in plastic containers and food in plastic containers because fast food restaurants aren't going to make the change themselves because they do what is convenient and not what is right.

We all need to work together, not put pressure on our government and not put pressure on environmentalists like Boyan Slat. We all must work together so that we don't put pressure on others because that is not right. Thank you.

[applause]

GEORGIA PILGRIM: Right now, we're living our lives through a screen. We aren't putting pressure on ourselves to limit this time on our devices. We're too busy getting the right angles and the right photos. We're not living in the moment and experiencing life for what it is. We're too busy on our devices. We all know someone who's addicted to their phone, and this has a lot of negative effects on all of our lives.

Like in a live event, we shouldn't be under pressure trying to get the right angles and the right photos just to play it back later. We should be living in the moment and experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. Last weekend, I went to an unplugged wedding, and we were able to not be under the pressure of having to get photos as the bride was walking down the aisle. We were able to relax and not be under pressure getting the right photos.

My Mum is the worst offender. All the time when we're on holidays, she always puts herself under pressure trying to get the right photo with the right lighting. She props us up in front of a big beach wave and spends another hour playing with the filters to make it look even more magical. She sometimes even judges the holiday based off how many likes she gets. She shouldn't be putting herself under this type of pressure.

We need to get rid of-- and it's denying the real memories we hold in our hearts and in our heads. Instead, we need a photo to remember all of these experiences. We need to get rid of this pressure that we are under when it comes to our devices. Our NSW government have already started as of banning phones in schools in Term 4. They've taken off the pressure of kids having their phones at school.

We need an age restriction so that our future generations aren't under pressure to go on apps and media with friends. We need some self-control so that people aren't putting pressure on themselves to get the right photo when it counts and many more phone-free events because, sure, photos are nice, but what if the moments being captured are taking away from the experience itself?

We need to stop putting ourselves under pressure by filming, getting the right angles. We need to live in the moment and stop putting pressure. We need to stop this addiction.

[applause]

INDIA BINKS: Our icebergs are melting in the Arctic. Rubbish is floating around in our ocean. But we are still not pressuring ourselves to make a stand to fix this. What I have noticed throughout the course of my life is that humans work best under pressure. And if we all of a sudden start pressuring people to fix this gigantic mess of climate change that we have made, action will act-- action will start to take place more quickly.

Our natural world is falling apart because of us. And because we are not applying ourselves pressure to clean up this mess, it is starting to get worse. There are so many easy ways to fix this giant mess we have made that, if we are put under pressure, are accomplishable.

I can make a stand and pressure myself to walk to school every day to stop my car producing greenhouse gases to go into the atmosphere that help climate change thrive. My school can collect rubbish every Friday because we have ice block wrappers absolutely everywhere after ice block days.

Our houses all around the world can start using renewable energy, which are sources to stop the amount of fossil fuels going into our environment. If we just pressured ourselves to do these things, then maybe our world wouldn't be as catastrophic as it is today. Our animals wouldn't have been coming endangered, our oceans wouldn't have been polluted, and our government wouldn't have to start-- wouldn't have to start paying so much attention to this thing when they could be doing so many more important things.

So if we just start pressuring ourselves to clean up this mess, because ourselves pressuring us-- because ourselves pressuring each other really enforces the fact that this needs to stop. We need to take action so that our environment can stay the way it is. Because, after all, we only have one Earth, and we need to take care of the one we have.

[applause]

MADELINE KOT: Under pressure, what does that mean to you? Well, for me, it means when my sisters are in something and I haven't gotten in yet, and I really want to get in. For example, someone-- for example, someone is under so much pressure-- someone is under so much pressure, and they're probably not going to react-- if someone is under so much pressure, they're probably not going to react or do anything in a respectful manner.

Imagine a girl named Sarah. She has a very important test coming up. This test decides if she gets into selective or not. If she does not get into selective, she will have to go to her local school, which will probably not help her in life. It will not give her any opportunities like a selective school will. She'll be under so much pressure, and this might affect how she does her test.

While she was doing her test, all she can think about is how she needs to get in. This is going to affect how she does her test. She's probably going to go so nervous and then forget all the time that's going past. So if someone's under pressure-- so if someone's under pressure, you can't blame them for-- if someone's under pressure, you cannot blame them for not feeling their best while doing the tests.

[applause]

AYALLA KANETY: For my sister's birthday this year, she was finally allowed to get her first form of social media, Instagram. She had been begging my parents for ages so that she could keep in contact with her friends online. Now, the reason she wasn't allowed is my parents were telling her there's so much pressure that comes with having Instagram or any form of social media.

Anyway, she's still got it, and now she's able to connect with her friends. She's had so much fun being able to talk and scroll through everything that there is. But she's also spent way too much time on her phone since then. She's been under the pressure that every time her phone dings for a notification, she has to go and check it, even if people are speaking to her.

Now, why is she pressured to do this? Well, when her friends or someone she knows sends her a message, she feels like she's missing out. Everybody does. You really want to check it because you don't want to leave them hanging, because that's apparently not how it works on social media.

Now, who is this affecting? This isn't only affecting my sister. This is affecting so many teenagers and young people all around the world, but even some people my age. But why are they getting affected? Well, technically, they shouldn't even be signed up to social media yet.

So what can we do about this issue? Well, it's actually pretty simple because the people who just messaged you, you don't need to check it straight away, because they must know that you have more important things to do. They can wait because what you have to do in your life and what you're doing at the moment is way more important than what's going on in your phone.

So the next time your phone dings with a notification, tell yourself, they can wait. Because when it comes to social media, nobody should be under any pressure.

[applause]

FRANCES ERRINGTON: Isn't it amazing how when you dive underwater, the pressure gets more intense? In the summer holidays, I love going to the beach. Like, I love going to the beach. I love snorkelling. I love swimming. I love going to the beach with my family. And I went to Clovelly recently. And I dove right under water, but my ears started ringing. I know that sounds weird, but my ears hurt when I go far underwater. And that's because of the pressure. Nowadays, there are incredible inventions that take us deeper underwater.

But sometimes they even go wrong. At school, all my friends were talking about a submarine that caved in because of the water pressure. It went so far under that the water pressure caved the whole submarine in. That's really horrible. In the past, so many people have wondered about what takes up 70% of our world. I wonder about it too. Do you? They've tried to find out, but because of the technology that we didn't have back then, it's been really difficult for them to find out.

Books have even been written about it. '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' talks about a monster that they thought was attacking ships. The kraken is another story that some people don't even know about, that people don't even know is true. But because of all the unknown depths, who knows what could be there?

In the future, who knows what could happen? The pressure of the sea is so intense, and we might want to go even deeper because of the new technology that's advancing as the years go on. Because we've sent a rover to Mars, who says we can't send something underwater? One day, we might even be able to do that and learn more about the incredible things. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll live underwater. So in conclusion, the pressure of the water has made it hard for us to discover these things. But in the future, who knows what could happen?

[applause]

JUSTIN LAI: I got to say, it's lovely to be back. I think this competition specifically is probably my favourite to adjudicate because you get to see the up-and-coming faces of public speaking in NSW. And every year, everyone is always so talented. But I think this year Tony highlighted just how many people have to join this competition to make it as competitive as it is. And the 10 speakers that we got in this final today were some of the highest quality speakers me and this panel have had the pleasure of watching. So can I just get one massive round of applause again for all the speakers?

[applause]

So what this adjudication is going to be structured like is we're going to start by talking about general feedback, things that the panel really liked, and then some sort of general areas of improvement that all speakers could take on, going into sort of same things with the impromptu, and then, as always, coming to a conclusion with the decision of the winner.

So in terms of how everyone-- this was a superbly high-quality final, as I just talked about. What I think the panel wanted to speak about specifically with all speakers was that they were all very well-mannered, charismatic, and individual speakers that brought a lot in terms of their presentation. That was something that was a really remarkable thing consistently across the entire final, that everyone was so confident, funny, joking, but also able to demonstrate-- play the heavy keys a little bit and say really deep and meaningful things. So that was a really amazing thing to see, especially on speakers at this level.

And as well as that, speeches were really rhetorically quite well done, using great techniques that you've no doubt learned across all your time doing public speaking, really well-structured, able to balance between personal stories as well as really make kind of sophisticated arguments about the way the world works and the way that multiculturalism plays a huge role in our lives. So that was really fantastic to see.

So more in terms of things that speakers could take on as feedback going into what is hopefully a long and storied career doing public speaking throughout their time at school. Firstly, in terms of impromptu-- sorry, in prepared section, in terms of content, what the panel wanted to note was that speeches often tended to have a large number of concepts in the speeches that didn't necessarily connect in any way other than just by being about multiculturalism.

So a thing to think about and work on is to add a bit of thematic or conceptual throughline in the speech, a thing that ties things together in a way that isn't just about multiculturalism but might be about something additional to that, maybe an area of society where multiculturalism plays a facet of but is not just entirely about.

The second thing would be in terms of solutions. So all speakers know at the end of a speech to come and give the audience a little bit of a meat on the bone to chew on and explain how they might go about and change the world. But I think an interesting thing to do with your solutions is to give specific and tailored solutions to the problems that you're trying to identify in the world.

So speakers will come out and they would say things that were quite general about multiculturalism. A lot of things that we heard were things about attitudes that people in the audience could take. But what I think speakers could do in the future is try and tailor those solutions and maybe make them a little bit more policy based or make them specific to the kinds of issues that they'd highlighted in their speeches.

In terms of the impromptu section, the topic was 'under pressure'. Obviously, a lot of room to talk about the current situation that all speakers found themselves in, but everyone did a really admirable job. A lot of speakers ended up talking about being under pressure from a personal standpoint.

And what I think I would recommend and the panel would recommend is thinking a little bit about talking about examples or instances of being under pressure that might be in the world around you, so not just talking about instances where you've personally felt under pressure but expanding that to maybe make a larger point that also isn't just maybe about under pressure in general but might be about something or some idea in the world being under pressure that allows you to demonstrate, I think, a great use of the topic and allows you to add on to the topic in a way which shows off your skill in impromptu sections.

I think a good thing to do would be to also think a little bit more about where pressure might come from. So, often, speakers would just talk about being under pressure as the starting point but maybe not looking back and being more investigative of where pressure might come from and what pressure might even look like. Let's now get to the fun part and talk about today's winner.

Today's winner in terms of their prepared had a really, really fantastic and quite specific prepared. I think their use of examples was really, really interesting and very detailed. They had a great sense of storytelling and also took the central concept of the speech, which did take the panel somewhat by surprise, and really stretched it out to make an excellent point, one which really resonated with everyone here, no doubt.

And in terms of their impromptu, their impromptu was fantastic. It was specific. It identified a problem in the world, but it also used the topic in different ways, which was quite an advanced sort of impromptu sort of technique to use. They talked about the different ways that you could be under pressure or the different ways that different parties might be under pressure, not just maybe in the world but in their own personal experiences. And that made the speech stronger, and that made this impromptu probably one of the best of the final.

And for that reason, I'm very pleased to announce that this year's Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition winner for Years 5 and 6 is Matthew Howley.

[applause]

TONY DAVEY: He will receive a certificate and a winner's bag from Artline. And then, hilariously, a gold medallion from Ms Austin. And finally, just to see if he can hold it all, we are also going to make him take the trophy and see how this turns out. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2023 champion, Matthew.

[applause]

LOUISE WARREN: Hi, Matthew, do you think you can do it?

JORDI AUSTIN: Do you want me to hold your certifcate for you?

MATTHEW HOWLEY: Yeah, there you go.

JORDI AUSTIN: You got it?

TONY DAVEY: Totally doable.

JORDI AUSTIN: You stand next to him. There we go.

[applause]