Queensland students cash in on shopping smarts
- Queensland students and schools have scored thousands in prize money after showcasing their savvy consumer skills in this year's Buy Smart Competition.
- Buy Smart is an Office of Fair Trading (OFT) program designed to help young Queenslanders develop vital consumer and financial literacy skills.
- Carinity Education Southside was awarded the School Champion prize for its work supporting its students to build their consumer literacy.
Forty-five students from across Queensland and their schools have won a share of over $15,000 for their outstanding entries in this year's Buy Smart Competition.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity, Deb Frecklington, handed out the prizes to the winning students at the award ceremony held at Parliament House today.
"The way we use money has changed significantly, so teaching kids about how to use it is even more important," Attorney-General Frecklington said.
"Just two weeks into my role as Attorney-General, it was great to have the opportunity to meet so many young Queenslanders interested in learning more about consumer and financial literacy skills.
"More than 8,000 young Queenslanders – from the Torres Strait down to the Gold Coast and out west to St George – took part in the Buy Smart program this year."
Entries across three age categories addressed a range of consumer issues including scams, budgeting, online shopping, and buying a first car.
Among the first-place winners were St Dympna's Primary School Year 6 students Meredith and Ruby whose entry featured an episode of a 'talk show' called The Daily Gossip.
The episode focused on the topic of shrinkflation, with Meredith and Ruby acting as hosts and highlighting examples from popular brands and encouraging viewers to pay closer attention to unit pricing.
Other creative entries in this year's competition included a song about scams, a choose-your-own adventure book for online shopping and a stop motion film for teens buying their first car.
Carinity Education Southside – an alternative school for vulnerable girls – was awarded the Fair Trading Commissioner's School Champion prize.
The school was awarded $1,500 for its sustained commitment to teaching consumer literacy to its students, including many who are experiencing a form of personal hardship.
See the full list of winners on the OFT website .
