HUMANITIES
VCE LEGAL STUDIES SUPREME COURT EXCURSION
On Wednesday 10 June 2026, two of the Year 12 Legal Studies classes had the opportunity to visit the Supreme Court of Victoria and observe a live murder trial.
Upon arriving at the historical 1884 building, we were guided to a civil courtroom for a Q&A session with a Supreme Court judge from the common law division. Drawing on his past experiences as a barrister and current judge, he shared valuable insights into the realities of both occupations, giving us a wider understanding of careers within the legal system and the operation of common law cases.
Next, we toured the Law Library of Victoria, which houses an extensive historical collection of Supreme Court cases alongside portraits of notable judges. A highlight was viewing the original historical document outlining the sentencing of Ned Kelly.
At 11 am, the murder trial of Timothy Loosemore resumed. We sat in the public gallery to observe the live proceedings. Loosemore was accused of murder and allegedly setting the victim's house on fire to conceal the crime. During our time in the courtroom, we listened to the prosecution present evidence regarding the fuel and the fire. Just two weeks after our excursion, Loosemore was found guilty of manslaughter.
This excursion was an incredible experience that helped reinforce our Unit 3 knowledge of criminal law. It was fantastic to contrast the operations of the Supreme Court with the Magistrates Court we visited in Year 11 and to truly witness the principle of ‘open processes’ in action.
Tori Sam
Year 12 Student
AUSTRALIAN ECONOMICS OLYMPIAD
The Australian Economics Olympiad was held on Saturday 23 May, and a total of 23 students across Years 10, 11 and 12 signed up to compete. Economics is the most popular it’s ever been at McKinnon, and as a teacher it is great to see this increasing interest towards the subject. Students who signed up were keen to test their knowledge and skills, but more importantly it gave students the opportunity to connect with content through an application to real-life events. Students were required to think critically about the current global supply chain disruptions, the growing wealth inequality in our Australian economy, and propose solutions on real economic issues.
Joshua Foong has advanced to the second round of the Australian Economics Olympiad (AEO) for the second consecutive year, placing him in the Top 40 students nationwide.
During the second round, Josh worked with a group of students from across different states, where they together planned, and presented to a panel of Economists. The group evaluated the economic logic underpinning the changes to Australia’s immigration policies that have been implemented over the past year, and to project their impact on the Australian economy.
Hania Zahra
Economics Teacher
The Olympiad was challenging and complex, however, the difficulty of the questions were what made it such a fun moment. It required us to think and adapt various real life economic skills before choosing and writing our answers, which truly tested our knowledge, and how well we understood the concepts of Economics, domestically and internationally. The set of 44 questions were all very unique, and I am genuinely glad that I gave the Olympiad a go.
Lynn Ly, Year 11
The first round consisted of an online test with multiple choice questions and short answer questions too, where the Top 40 students would pass to the next round, which is a team-based competition based on a policy case study.
I would recommend this competition to all students who love Economics and want to pursue it into senior school and university, as it gives you a great opportunity to see how you go on a national level, and the Top 50% percent of students get to have an online open day experience for the University of New South Wales, to learn more about studying economics in university. Overall, the experience was really great and is a must for those who want to pursue Economics in the future.
Loukas Kollias, Year 11