The state public speaking finals are tomorrow, and Callala Bay Public School’s Parri Barrel has learned her speech by heart, a speech that she truly believes in.
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Students were asked to discuss what multiculturalism means in our society, and how barriers can be broken down.
Parri thinks a legitimately multicultural Australia would mean a greater acceptance and knowledge of languages other than English.
“Australia can’t be a truly multicultural nation until we are multilingual, where we fully respect and understand each other’s language, so we can all live harmoniously together,” she said.
Parri would love to learn another language, to see prominent Asian languages incorporated into primary school curriculum.
“Victoria’s the only state where it’s compulsory for primary school children to learn another language,” she said.
“We need to start young.
“I don’t know another language but we haven’t had the opportunity to here.”
She’s really enjoyed listening to other perspectives on multiculturalism during the competition.
The well-spoken, confident speaker has done verse speaking in Eisteddfods since she was young.
“And we talk a lot in the family, at dinner,” she said.
“It’s pretty natural to talk about stuff to people and not feel shy.”
Parri won the regional round in August, and has been practicing with the help of her older sister, who is also a prize winning public speaker, and her parents.
