Community & Business
5 May, 2026
Local Student Represents District on Ministerial Student Advisory Board
Charles Turkington from Clifton State High School had the honour of representing his school and community at the Ministerial Student Advisory Council (MSAC) meeting in Brisbane on Friday 27 March. There, he and his board members had the chance to sit down with Education Minister John Paul Langbroek to discuss Education in Queensland.
Charles, winner of this year’s Young Citizen of the Year title at the Australia Day Awards, is hinting at career aspirations with his inclusion in the Ministerial Student Advisory Council.
The Advisory Council has operated since 2018 with representative students from state and non-state schools across Queensland.
MSAC provides Queensland school students with the opportunity to speak directly with the Minister for Education and the Arts about a range of education matters.
Members are selected through the Department of Education’s regional nomination process with two students chosen by the Minister for Education and the Arts to represent each region.
Council members’ tenure is two years and a region’s recruitment of members occurs in relation to tenure conclusion.
The board consists of eighteen students from across the country, from government and non-government schools who come together to advise the Education Minister on the lived experiences of students.
Charles has been a member of the board since March 2025, representing the Darling Downs and South-West Regions.
When nominated for the role by his principal in grade 11, Charles felt as if the chance to represent a small country high school like Clifton would be invaluable.
“I was nominated for this position by my Principal in Year 11, who at the time was Mrs. Tracy Kirby,” he said.
“She believed that I suited the role well, and I decided that the rural, small-school perspective in Clifton would be valuable to have considered directly by Government officials, and my peers from across Queensland. Charles said.
On Friday the 27 of March Charles made his way to Brisbane for an MSAC meeting.
“During this meeting, we prepared and presented a report on our perspectives considering the rise of AI in our world (particularly in schools), strategies to prepare for the 2032 Olympics, and the skills necessary for everyone to be involved citizens.
“We also discussed the roll-out of an anti-bullying campaign that we helped to model last year.”
Mr Langbroek presented Charles with a certificate to acknowledge his contributions to the MSAC.
The students engaged in presentations led by departmental staff then workshopped their summary of discussions and feedback into a presentation to the Minister and Director-General of the Queensland Department of Education.
