Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Australia’s top young spelling champions on Monday, where he faced some challenging spelling requests. When Queensland student Jillian Strong asked him to spell the scientific name of the platypus (ornithorhynchus anatinus), Albanese diplomatically passed the challenge to fellow champion Aditya Paul, who spelled it perfectly.
Albanese did take on some spelling challenges, successfully spelling both “astrophysicist” and “filibuster.” This showed improvement from the previous year’s meeting, where he had struggled with several difficult words.
The meeting featured three national spelling champions: Jillian Strong from Queensland, Aditya Paul from Sydney, and Echo Feng from Canberra. Aditya, who had initially planned to ask the Prime Minister to spell “bourgeois,” chose an easier word after observing a busy Question Time in Parliament.
The spelling champions shared their preparation methods, which included extensive reading. The competition attracted over 70,000 students from nearly 1,400 schools across Australia, making it the largest turnout yet. The contest divides participants into three age groups: Years 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8.
This marked the fourth year of the national spelling competition, with Albanese presenting the awards for the third consecutive year. He took time to meet with the winners and their families, taking photos to commemorate the occasion.
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