10 October 2005
South Australian Senator and former Democrats leader Natasha Stott Despoja will discuss politics, youth and her career with three students in a Talkback Classroom interview this week at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
Stott Despoja rose to political prominence in 1995 as the youngest woman appointed to the Australian federal Parliament. A political advocate for Australia's youth, she has been outspoken on issues such as tertiary education, employment and the environment. The Talkback Classroom student interview panel will grill her on these issues and the highs and lows of her political career.
The students who will interview her are: Alexander McClintock, Fort Street High School, Sydney; Emma Fist, Scotch Oakburn College, Launceston; and Genevieve Auld, Seymour College, Adelaide.
WHAT: Talkback Classroom with Natasha Stott Despoja
WHEN: 10.30am, Wednesday 12 October 2005
WHERE: Studio, National Museum of Australia, Canberra
Talkback Classroom gives students access to key politicians and public figures as part of the national civics curriculum.
An international Talkback Classroom will be recorded on 28 October, linking students in Canberra and New York to interview the United Nations' chief media spokesman, Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor.
Other guests at the National Museum this year are Dr Ameer Ali, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, on 9 November and Paralympian skier Michael Milton, who has just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, on 23 November.
Student preparation for this week's interview included meetings with parliamentarians and other experts organised by the Parliamentary Education Office.
The Natasha Stott Despoja interview will be edited and broadcast on ABC Radio National's Life Matters program.
For more information please contact Leanda Coleman on 02 6208 5338, 0438 620 710 or email media@nma.gov.au