On Wednesday, 15 March 2023, the Year 10 and Year 12 Legal Studies students attended the Toowoomba Law Courts to observe the criminal proceedings.
Students have been studying Australian criminal law, including the elements of criminal offences, the aggravating and mitigating factors around why people commit crimes, the psychology behind recidivist behaviour, and rehabilitation processes for offenders.
By attending the court hearings, students were able to witness the court room procedures, including how the judges presided over matters, and the role of prosecutors and defence lawyers in upholding justice.
It was a compelling experience for the Glennie students as they analysed factors that impact criminal behaviour, observing first hand the impacts of addiction, mental health, and the traumatic family lives faced by some Toowoomba community members subject to criminal charges.
Students will take their learning from the District and Magistrates court hearings and create a Court Report for their end of term assessment.
Genevieve Lyons, Year 10: “The court excursion was very eye-opening and I enjoyed it! I learnt a lot about the way the law works in order to keep us all safe and I enjoyed listening to some intense cases that I was not aware could even be happening around us.”
Violette Murnane, Year 10: “Visiting the courts for Legal Studies helped me understand a lot of the terminology that we use in the classroom. It also helped me experience what a courtroom was like and showed me how the legal system is strictly enforced.”
Sophia Coorey, Year 10: “It was very interesting to see how the legal system worked on the inside, as well as seeing real cases take place in front of us.”
Lilias O’Connor, Year 12: “The court visit enabled me to see how prosecutors and defence lawyers argue their case before the judge. I will take on some of their advocacy skills in preparing for the UniSQ High School Mooting Competition in Term 2!”
Year 11 Legal Studies attend Youth Parliament
On Friday, 17 March 2023, five Year 11 Legal Studies students attended Youth Parliament at Queensland Parliament House in Brisbane. Students from 20 different Queensland schools debated the ethics and consequences of a data extraction bill, as well as a range of other issues impacting high school students in 2023.
Isabella Poole (Member for Mackenzie), Ana Campbell (Member for Tully) and Isobel Barron (Member for Pioneer) were part of the Opposition, opposing the Big Data Bill put forward by the Government to extract, collect and deploy data from Queenslanders, including by accessing their DNA and using trackers on their vehicles. Glennie students debated the ethics of the bill, including the right to privacy and presumption of innocence of Queenslanders.
It was fantastic to hear young peoples’ opinions on issues such as the expense of provisional driver’s licences, youth mental health initiatives, the implications of completing the QCE, the prevalence of youth crime, impacts of climate change, and Queensland’s vision for the 2032 Olympics.
The Queensland Speaker of the House, Hon Curtis Pitt MP, presided over the debate and, to conclude the day, he commended all the students on their advocacy and the importance of being leaders in their local communities. Glennie students, Sophie Giesemann and Bianca Gill, also discussed the importance of female representation in Parliament with Ali King MP, State Member for Pumicestone.
Our current Year 10 Legal Studies students are looking forward to participating in Youth Parliament in 2024 as part of the Year 11 Legal Studies program!
The Year 11 Legal Studies students will take their advocacy skills fostered at Youth Parliament into the UniSQ High School Mooting Competition in Term 2. We wish them all the best in their negligence appeal moot case!
Isabella Poole, Year 11: “Youth Parliament was an incredible experience for me. It brought students from all over the State to discuss and debate relevant topics to our society, and it was very enlightening to hear about the problems that are important to my peers.”
Isobel Barron, Year 11: “Spending my day in a political environment was both extremely exciting and exhilarating, there were many times of laughter and seriousness when we (everyone part of the day) spoke about our beliefs and ideas on what should be considered for the future.”
