Speeches
Tuesday, 21 October 2025
2025 Youth GLF Graduation Ceremony
Rod and I are pleased to join you today for the graduation of 19 dedicated young leaders as part of the 2025 Youth Governor's Leadership Foundation.
To the graduates: congratulations on completing this program.
As Governor, fostering leadership in our state is one of my priority areas, and I am heartened by the commitment you have shown throughout this journey.
You have stepped outside your comfort zones, dedicated your time and energy, and engaged deeply with challenges that matter not just to South Australia, but to our world.
During his term as Governor, the late Sir Eric Neal, who died recently at the age of 101, spotted a gap in terms of developing the leadership capacity of our state.
One of his greatest legacies as Governor was the creation of the Governor's Leadership Foundation which, in 2022, evolved to include the Youth Program.
I am pleased to see that the Youth Governor's Leadership Foundation Program has evolved further, expanding its intake from year 10 students only, to years 10-12.
As former diplomats, we are also pleased that, this year, you worked in groups focused on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals you were most passionate about: no poverty, good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, and climate action.
These goals represent some of humanity's greatest challenges – they are ambitious, complex, and at times can feel overwhelming in their scale.
Yet they are also profoundly important, and progress toward them requires exactly what you have been developing: leadership that is grounded in empathy, collaboration, and a deep sense of purpose.
Through your work with not-for-profit organisations, you have also gained insight into how real change happens –usually not through grand gestures, but through sustained effort, active listening, and a willingness to understand perspectives different from your own.
Students,
Senior school is a pivotal time in your lives.
You are laying foundations for your future, discovering your strengths, and beginning to understand the power of your voice.
Over many years in leadership roles, I have learned that good leadership is not about having all the answers or always being the most self‑confident person in the room.
It encompasses self-awareness, resilience, and the willingness to collaborate – qualities that are far more valuable than traditional notions of authority and control.
I believe that some of our best ideas are developed through actively listening to other people, and I hope this program has reinforced that for you.
The program has given you tools to enhance your communication, problem-solving, planning, ethical decision-making, and conflict resolution skills.
More importantly, I hope it has helped you see yourselves as leaders – not leaders of tomorrow, but leaders today.
In your families, your schools, and your communities, you have opportunities right now to make a difference.
I encourage you to keep stepping up and seizing those opportunities.
I thank the Leaders Institute board members and staff, the mentors who have generously provided their guidance, and the families and friends who have supported these young people throughout the program.
Better leaders create a better South Australia, and your contribution to developing these graduates is an important contribution to our state.
And, finally to the graduates, as you move forward – through final exams, into the next phase of your education, and beyond – I encourage you to stay connected with the networks you have built and to continue reflecting on what you have learned about leadership and about yourselves.
I wish you all the very best for the exciting journey ahead.