On Monday 8 September, our Unit 4 Politics class had the privilege of welcoming Raffaele “Raff” Ciccone, a proud 2001 alumnus and current Senator for Victoria. Raff, who has served in the Senate since 2019 as a member of the Labor Party and was the 100th Senator to represent Victoria, returned to campus wearing his old school tie and reconnected with Ms Garofalo and Ms Barcellona, reminiscing about his school days while inspiring the next generation.
He spoke candidly about his work as Chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee (and Deputy Chair of the References Committee), sharing insights on the importance of international trade, how the economy shapes behaviour, and the careful balancing of government budgets to maximise impact and net benefit.
Raff encouraged students to respect different perspectives, think critically, and question what they read – separating fact from fiction – showing that leadership is not just about committees and policies, but about people, values, and perspective.
