Neha Kasbekar Wins 2012 Governor-General's Undergraduate Essay Competition

31 October 2013

The Constitution Education Fund Australia (CEFA) joins the Dean of the Sydney Law School, Professor Joellen Riley to congratulate Ms Neha Kasbekar on winning the 2012 Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition. Her paper on the recognition of Australia’s first peoples in the Constitution was judged the best from the six participating finalists by an eminent panel chaired by The Hon Justice Kenneth Hayne AC of the High Court of Australia in late July this year. 

The panel included The Hon Justice Pamela Tate of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Victoria, Dr Peter Gerangelos (Professor of Constitutional Law, The University of Sydney), Mr George Harris (Partner, Baker & McKenzie), Dr Peter Johnston (Senior Barrister and Lecturer in Constitutional Law) and Professor HP Lee (Sir John Latham Chair of Law at Monash University).

^{L-R: Professor Joellen Riley, Mrs Ros Winterton, Ms Neha Kasbekar,Mrs Kerry Jones,
Mr Phuong Van and Professor Peter Gerangelos at the Sydney University Law School
Morning Tea on 24 September 2013}

CEFA’s Executive Director, Mrs Kerry Jones and Deputy Director, Mr Phuong Van joined Neha, Professors Riley and Gerangelos and teaching staff of the Law School at Sydney University for a morning tea to honour her win on Tuesday 24 September 2013. Mrs Ros Winterton also attended to acknowledge the 2012 Professor George Winterton Trophy which will be presented to Neha in an official CEFA ceremony to be held early 2014. 

Now in its tenth year, it is one of Australia’s most prestigious essay competitions and provides university students with the opportunity to be recognised for their academic skill, talent and research into topics relevant to the Australian democracy and the Australian system of government.

CEFA would like to express our gratitude to Professor Gerangelos for his continuing academic guidance and assistance with the Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition and Professor Riley for her strong support of the competition. Neha’s win and the merit of the Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition is recognised in the recent Spring edition of the University of Sydney’s Law School’s magazine Jurist Diction. CEFA supporters will be sent more information on this prestigious recognition in the near future.

YOUR RESPONSES

Dear Kerry,

Thank you very much for this information. You are doing sterling job.

Best wishes,
Georgia and Peter Deretic

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FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: HAPPY CITIZENSHIP DAY 2013!

17 September 2013

Dear All,

Happy Australian Citizenship Day!

Today we celebrate the importance of Australian citizenship and what it means. We celebrate our rights and responsibilities and how they are balanced with the freedoms we enjoy in our Australian democracy, considered by most as one of the best in the world. We recognize our own communities and celebrate the fact that those things which unite us are much more than the things that divide us. Tolerance, inclusiveness, care, compassion, mateship, a fair go, working for harmony and peace, these are some of the values that help us pull together when the chips are down. From 40,000 years of indigenous occupation, through European settlement and right through to today it is the people who are Australians who have given shape to our vibrant multi-racial and multi-cultural society. The daily workings of our Australian Commonwealth is defined for us in our Australian Constitution endorsed through our first referendum in 1901 through a peaceful federation. Today  Australia is recognized as a leading democracy on the world stage.

Yet, Australian citizenship and its privileges are too often taken for granted. Our right to peacefully and safely participate in the political process was again demonstrated recently in our September 7 federal election. Despite weeks of noisy campaigning, election day itself was a festive happy community gathering to vote around sausage sizzles and cake stalls.  Contrast the ongoing political turmoil in the Middle East, offering a special opportunity to remind us Australian citizens of just how lucky we are.

Recently one of our CEFA Directors met a man just arrived from Egypt under our Refugee Migration Programme. He was a lawyer in his home country but wanted to come to Australia to escape religious persecution and is now doing manual work to earn a living. He curiously questioned our director about the conduct of the recent election. He asked “How come there are no fights in the streets?” To which our director replied “there’s a lot of talk and debate, some of it robust. On Election Day, we all vote. Some people will be happy with the election outcome, some will be disappointed. But the next day, we wake up and just get on with our lives again. It’s as simple as that.” The Refugee couldn’t believe it – but he said “Thank God for this country then.”

To celebrate on this Citizenship Day, CEFA is launching a new twelve months Civics and Citizenship Campaign for all Australians building further awareness of the workings and history of our Constitution, our democracy and the values that underpin it. Details will be sent out to all supporters in the near future.

Meanwhile, if you have an inspirational citizenship story you would like to share, please do so on our CEFA website blog at http://cefa.org.au/index.php/competitions/share-your-values. You can be further inspired by watching our CEFA film ‘The Australian Way’ scripted by CEFA Director Tom Keneally. It would be a wonderful thing if all CEFA supporters forwarded this email today to at least one new friend who might likewise be motivated to join us on this great day.

Yours in educating for democracy,
Kerry 

YOUR RESPONSES

Dear Kerry
Thank you for your email. I have just finished our own celebration. I also wrote about the day in my Mayoral Column in todays Inner West Courier. Page 12.
Innerwestcourier.com.au

Kind regards,

Councillor Morris Mansour
Mayor
Ashfield Council

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The best definition I've seen of 'democracy' is: Where a Government can be opposed without hatred & changed without violence; where an elected majority respects every 'right' of the minority; where the 'best' brains of the Country work with the elected representatives to legislate what is best for the Country.

If this is valid, there are few real democracies.
Arthur Hartwig

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Dear Kerry,

Your letter is very inspiring. Keep up the good work.

Best wishes,
Georgia and Peter Deretic

Final Judging Panel Announces Governor-General's Undergraduate Essay Competition Winners

15 August 2013

The Constitution Education Fund Australia (CEFA) is delighted to announce the winners of the Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition. Now in its tenth year, the competition is one of Australia’s most prestigious and provides university students with the opportunity to be recognised for their academic skill, talent and research.

Finalists this year were interviewed by an eminent panel chaired by The Hon Justice Kenneth Hayne AC of the High Court of Australia. His Honour hosted the judging of the finalists in his Melbourne Chambers of the High Court on 31 July 2013.

The panel included The Hon Justice Pamela Tate of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Victoria, Dr Peter Gerangelos (Professor of Constitutional Law, The University of Sydney), Mr George Harris (Partner, Baker & McKenzie), Dr Peter Johnston (Senior Barrister and Lecturer in Constitutional Law) and Professor HP Lee (Sir John Latham Chair of Law at Monash University). 

• First Prize was awarded to Neha Kasbekar (University of Sydney), who wrote an essay discussing the yes and no cases in the current push for recognition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Australian Constitution. The judges were highly impressed with Neha’s extensive research and her written and verbal critical analysis of the topic, awarding her the Professor George Winterton Prize.
•  Second Prize was awarded to Jessica Rogers (University of Technology Sydney), for an essay on whether ‘uniform taxation is the glue that holds the federation together.’ The judges enjoyed an engaging interaction with Jessica and her further exploration of the themes of her essays in her interview.

•  Third Prize was awarded to Joshua Sproule (University of Queensland), who considered the question relating to the High Court’s position on the Workchoices case in 2006. The judges were particularly impressed with Joshua’s verbal discussion of his topic and the further research he exhibited.

Erin Tanner (Griffith University), Sebastian Condon (University of Queensland) and Samuel Ryder (University of Queensland) were commended for their essays.

CEFA’s Executive Director, Mrs Kerry Jones, stated “I am delighted that the Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition, now in its tenth year, provides the opportunity for so many university students to engage with Australia’s Constitution and our vibrant democracy. I would like to thank our distinguished panel of judges, the preliminary judges and the students who have been involved in the competition. I would like to congratulate the winners and wish them well in their future educational and professional endeavours”.

To access the highly topical and engaging questions for the current Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition, go to www.ggessaycomp.com.auThe current competition closes on Monday, 30 June 2014 at 5pm AEST. This year’s competition is sponsored by Reconciliation Australia, trading as Recognise.