These terms and conditions are designed to ensure the fair and transparent operation of the My First Speech competition.

By entering the competition, entrant agree to comply with these terms and conditions.

1. The purpose of the My First Speech competition is to provide a platform for senior secondary school students across Australia to connect with and learn about the work of the Australian Parliament. Students are asked to imagine themselves as a newly elected member of the House of Representatives and to write a three minute speech on a topic they are passionate about, as if they were making their first speech as a newly-elected member of the House of Representatives.

2. The My First Speech competition opens Friday 5 June 2026 and closes 11.59 pm AEST Monday 20 July 2026.

3. By entering the My First Speech competition, the entrant agrees to license their entry under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY‑NC‑ND 4.0) licence. Under this licence, the entrant retains copyright in their work but grants the department and the Australian Parliament a perpetual, non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, and share the speech in unadapted form, including but not limited to publication on websites, social media, and print materials. 

4. Any entrant under 18 years old must have a parent or guardian’s permission. This signed consent is incorporated in the entry form.

5. Each entry must be submitted in digital format via the online entry portal on the My First Speech website.

6. By entering the My First Speech competition, the entrant warrants that their entry is their own and original work.

7. Entries must not contain any material that infringes the copyright of any third party.

8. Entries must not contain offensive language.

9. The competition will be judged by members of the Australian Parliament and staff of the Department of the House of Representatives.

10. The judging process will be conducted in two stages, Shortlisting and Final judging to select one winner from each year group.

11. The decisions of the judges are final and no correspondence will be entered into. 

12. In the event that the entrant is awarded a prize, the person named as the entrant on the entry form is the sole recipient of prize. Prizes are not negotiable or transferable.

13. The entry must be no longer than 500 words (approximately 3 min in duration)

14. Winning entrants, or guardians where an entrant is 17 years or younger, will be notified by phone and be confirmed by email. The winning entries, along with the winner’s name, will be published on the Parliament’s websites and the Department of the House of Representatives (the department)’s social media accounts.

15. Any breach of these terms and conditions will result in disqualification.

16. Late or incomplete entries will not be considered.

17. Each winner will receive:
– a expenses-paid trip to Canberra for the winner and a guardian
– a formal presentation including a certificate with the winner to deliver their winning entry at Parliament House
– participation in a program at Parliament House, including a tour and attendance at Question Time in the House of Representatives, and a morning tea with the Speaker of the House.
– their speech showcased on the My First Speech website and the social media accounts of the Department of the House of Representatives.

18. The department will collect personal information (name, contact details, age, school, etc.) for the purpose of administering the competition and promoting the winners. This information will be handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988.

19. By entering the competition, participants agree to have their first names, likeness and entries used in promotional materials for the competition, including, but not limited to, the My First Speech website, social media, and press releases.

20. The department is not responsible for any technical issues, such as internet connectivity that may prevent submission of an entry.

21. The department reserves the right to modify or cancel the competition at any time, without prior notice, for any reason.

22. The department is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants. All activities related to the competition will adhere to the child safety policies of the department, including supervision by a guardian during the winners’ visit to Canberra.


Contact Information

For any questions or additional information about the competition, please contact us via email: MyFirstSpeech.reps@aph.gov.au