How much thought have you given to the Australian Constitution lately?
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Red Bend Catholic College captain Grace Taylor has just devoted days to discussion on the document with her peers from all over the country - and has a whole new appreciation for its importance.
The Voice to Parliament, what should and shouldn't be enshrined in the Constitution, and equal say for Australia's territories were among the key topics Year 11 and 12 students raised at this year's National Schools Constitutional Convention in Canberra.
Grace was selected from her Legal Studies class to attend the NSW Schools Constitutional Convention in Sydney then nominated by her peers there to attend the National Convention.
The aim of the program is to provide senior students with an opportunity to become better informed about how Australia's Constitution provides a democratic framework and encourages them to take an active interest in the operation of government - and for Grace it was an incredibly valuable experience.
Although learning about the Constitution is part of the Legal Studies curriculum it wasn't necessarily something Grace had looked at in-depth before either.
She along with other delegates were challenged to discuss whether Section 128, the section that outlines the referendum process required to change the Constitution, was still a necessary requirement to change the important document.
"We talked a lot about the Norther Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, whether they should be included in the double majority for voting," Grace said.
The double majority means that, in the event of a referendum, Australia needs a majority of voters from a majority of states to vote "yes" to a change, not just an overall majority - for example if the "yes" voters all come from NSW and Queensland.
"There were delegates from every state and those two territories and they felt pretty strongly about being included," Grace said.
"It was very interesting to see what other people my age thought of the topic and to build on the knowledge I already had.
"There were some amazing keynote speakers that were experts on the topic and some of the things they brought to light were very interesting."
Delegates attended Question Time at Parliament House, met with Member for Riverina Michael McCormack and other MPs, had dinner at the High Court and spent two days of solid learning and discussion at the Museum of Australian Democracy at the Old Parliament House.
Grace, a boarder from the Murringo area who hopes to study a Bachelor of Law and Psychology at university after her HSC, said the whole experience was incredibly valuable.
"I was among 115 different people that were on the same page as me and it was really healthy discussion and the ability to gain a lot of insight," she said.
"Most of the people I met were from urban areas, so even the difference between living out here in a rural climate compared to them was very different but it was insightful.
"It was almost overwhelming but really interesting - and by the end I felt more included and like I did have the ability to participate in those debates."
