“I got the chance to go last year, and so I absolutely loved it. I got my first taste and I would have been devastated if I couldn’t have gone back again this year,” Hannah said.

“That letter was very exciting in the mail!”

The year 11 student at Inverell High School received the news about a week ago, and she hoped it was down to the impression she made in 2013.

“I think it’s a lot to do with being passionate about something. Not necessarily being the best debater or public speaker, but having a passion for your community and that kind of thing,” she said.

“I hope that I’ve got that and hopefully I’ll be able to convey the ideas of my community and the youth of Australia and NSW at this forum.”

In the first school holidays, Hannah will attend a training camp for five days to meet with her committee and work on their report or bill. The camp also prepares them for presentation in the House.

“We do sessions where we learn about etiquette, and our dress code and ways to be confident in Parliament and what is the right thing to do basically, so we’re respectful of everyone.”

Hannah has already been in contact with her committee which includes some other returning Youth Parliamentarians Hannah met last year. Their topic is Indigenous Health in the Legislative Council.

“I’m in a team of about six to eight kids who are all around my age and yeah, we get along great. We’ve got a great advisor and it’s going to be great fun.” 

Other committees will concern themselves with issues of Education, Roads and Ports, and Justice and Law Reform.

Between school terms two and three, the students will stay at a residential camp in Sydney for the next stage of the process.

“We go into Parliament and we present our bills and reports, and we try and get them passed,” Hannah said.

The youth parliamentarians will follow the same processes as their adult counterparts and participate in Question Time, Matters of Public Importance and Private Members Business.

“It’s a great way to get your voice heard in politics,” Hannah said.

“Especially as each bill gets sent to members of Parliament and each sitting that we have in Parliament is chaired by an actual member, and they give us guidance and tips and really help to shape us and point us in the right direction, so yeah, it’s really good.”

Meeting a vast range of students of regional, rural and urban NSW is a rich chance for gaining perspective about other situations.

“Us rural kids, we talk to all the kids from metropolitan areas about the different kinds of issues they face and we go, ‘Wow, we can’t imagine facing those kind of things, Hannah explained.

“And then they talk to us about the things that we might be going through in a rural area, and they can’t believe them either.

“So we get a kind of similar ‘Oh my gosh’ sort of reaction out of both groups.”

She said the exposure to young achievers was inspirational.

“It’s great to be mixing up with kids, some of them who are a part of amazing national groups, and they’re going overseas as a part of Youth United Nations things, and you know, they’re amazing people.”

Though she has been avid about remaining a voice for regional issues, Hannah isn’t certain that life in the political arena is her future.

“I’m not sure if I actually want to pursue a career in politics, but I still want to be able to get my voice heard on social issues, whether I’m a politician or not,” she said.

“I think that’s what being a good politician is about; being able to voice the ideas of your community.

“Although maybe I don’t want to go into politics, I hope there will be politicians out there who understand that even though I’m not passionate about being a politician, I’m still interested in politics itself.”