October 8, 2009 

 

On September 28^th, 2009 supporters of The Constitution Education Fund Australia (CEFA) joined the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC and His Excellency Mr Michael Bryce AM AE at the Ian Potter Centre, National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square in Melbourne for the 2009 CEFA National Awards Ceremony.

 

 

^{Above: (L-R) Ms Joo Young Hong (Commended Finalist), Mr Andrew Vincent (3rd place), His Honour Justice Dyson Heydon AC, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor-General, Mr Josh Quinn-Watson (1st place) and Ms Humaira Lutfi (2nd place)}

The Governor-General spoke to a distinguished audience which included Justice Dyson Heydon AC of the High Court of Australia, prominent academics from the Law and Humanities faculties of the University of Melbourne and Monash University and the winner and finalists in the 2008 Undergraduate Essay Competition.  Her Excellency spoke of her pride in being the Patron-in-Chief of CEFA. She emphasised the importance of empowering all young Australians through civics engagement and values education. She encouraged young people to participate in the Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition because it provides a vitally important avenue for them to discuss and engage with topical issues that have wide-ranging effects on Australian governance and the directions and future of our nation and the world. 

^{Above: Her Excellency, Ms Quentin Bryce AC presenting
the Professor George Winterton 1st Prize trophy to Mr Josh Quinn-Watson} 

The first prize winner, Mr Josh Quinn-Watson, thanked CEFA for the opportunity to broaden his understanding and engagement with the Australian Constitution. He eloquently recounted his enriching experience through being involved in the essay competition. He also briefly explained to the audience the topic of his essay which was whether civic participation in Australia would improve if we were to adopt a system similar to that used in the USA. He will use his Professor George Winterton First Prize of $5,000 to further pursue his post-graduate studies overseas. Second place awardee, Ms Humaira Lutfi, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to have her views discussed and heard by distinguished leaders of Australian society.   

Justice Heydon who served as Chairman of the Final Judging Panel for the Essay Competition spoke of the benefits that the CEFA Essay Competition provides by allowing undergraduate students from all faculties at Australian universities to explore important issues around the Australian constitution and Australian governance. In so doing, His Honour expressed the hope that the program will help students to better develop their clarity of thoughts and the ability to express them precisely as they develop in their chosen careers.

The questions for the 2009 Governor-General’s Undergraduate Essay Competition are now available online. This year’s questions once again are designed to encourage participants to explore ideas relating to constitutional matters, freedom of speech, Australian citizenship and topical political and economic issues. For further information, please click here. For any further enquiries, please contact the CEFA Executive Director, Mrs Kerry Jones, on 02 9251 8511 or 1800 009 855.