00:00For the past 90 years, a prestigious impromptu speaking event, the Lawrence Campbell Oratory
00:07Competition has been exclusive to 15 schools in NSW, primarily boys and private schools.
00:15Now there's an equivalent for girls, the Dame Enid Lyons Oratory Competition, which
00:19held its first ever finals on Wednesday evening at the Sydney Opera House.
00:24Ahead of the big day, Governor-General Sam Mostyn hosted the 10 finalists for morning
00:29tea at Admiralty House, where she spoke about the importance of encouraging young women
00:34to speak up.
00:35It's important for a generation that wants to be heard, whose ideas really matter, prosecuting
00:41those ideas, sharing them on stages in front of audiences, having the confidence and the
00:46skills to do that really makes a big difference and this group of finalists are exceptional.
00:51This new competition plans to become an annual event, platforming impromptu speakers from
00:56girls' high schools, both public and private, across the state.
01:00An opportunity that this cohort of finalists are positive about.
01:03This is one of my first competitions, so to have this as my introductory experience, I
01:08just think represents the opportunities that so many younger girls will get.
01:12I'm really happy that this competition was open to public school girls and it's really
01:16about equal opportunity and equal involvement.
01:19It's really a space where girls' voices are championed.
01:23And it also provides a platform where we can showcase public speaking and it's worth two
01:27other girls.
01:28In front of an audience of about 400 people, Year 12 student Celia Watson took home the win,
01:34saying the final outcome was unexpected.
01:36I mean it's great that we have a platform now because there's ways to get involved in
01:41public speaking that's not just through this competition, there are other competitions,
01:44but it's really great to have one that's for girls and one that's so unique in the way
01:48that it's impromptu.
01:49Organisers of the competition hope to see more schools, particularly public schools,
01:54put up more students for the impromptu speaking competition, platforming young and diverse voices
01:59from girls' schools across the state.
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