Reception for Youth Members Attending the 2014 YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament

Speech by the Acting Governor, Chief Justice the Honourable Tim Carmody:

It is Robyn’s and my absolute honour to host you all here, at this magnificent residence at Fernberg. Tonight is especially important to us, because today is my very first day as Acting Governor.

It’s a position I have been in since about 9.10am this morning, at the exact moment when the wheels of the Governor and Mrs de Jersey’s plane left the tarmac; they are on their way to India, Europe and the UK (where, among other things, they will have an audience with Her Majesty The Queen) and they have asked that I convey their sincere apologies for not being able to be here tonight.

So I have only been Acting Governor for about ten hours, which is significantly less time than Her Excellency has been the twenty-fourteen Youth Governor. Later on we may compare notes …

Congratulations on your significant appointments as Youth Members of the 2014 YMCA Queensland Youth Parliament.

Over the past six months, working in your Committees, you have formulated your own Youth Bills that you will debate in the Queensland Parliament this week. You have come to learn about our democratic processes from the ‘inside’. In doing so, you have inherited cherished traditions, values, ideals and beliefs that are central to the proper functioning of our society. This puts you in a very privileged position.

It is particularly pleasing to see that the only requirements to becoming a Youth Member are that you are 15 to 25 years old, and that you are interested and have enthusiasm. Interest - or better, passion - and enthusiasm, are guiding beacons through the fogginess that sometimes descends on our personal and professional lives. I urge you to pair your enthusiasm with your gifts. Ensure you continue to develop them. Do not let their brightness fade.

This week may be one of those hinge points in life that opens the door to personal growth and, perhaps down the track, professional achievement. Remember the contribution your family and friends have made to this significant accomplishment, including your Mentors and the other members of the Youth Parliament Executive who have guided and supported you through this process. They will no doubt been your best moral support throughout the gruelling week ahead.

As Acting Governor, I have the honour of congratulating you, on behalf of all Queenslanders, on your achievements. Good luck this week, and I look forward to reading the Acts of Parliament to which the Youth Governor will provide Assent later this week. Please, let us enjoy this memorable occasion with some fine Government House hospitality.