Senior Policy Officer, Office of the Australian Safety and Compensation Council.
There were a few reasons why I applied to DEEWR. My honours research looked at different employment services and, after analysing the programs, I was interested in policy. Also, as a person with cerebral palsy, I looked into organisations with good diversity and equity policies in place. DEEWR’s diversity policy seemed to be quite comprehensive, hence my interest in the organisation.
I have a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in political science and art history, from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining DEEWR I worked part-time in the Victorian Public Service. After a bit of time in the state government public service I was interested in gaining an Australian Government perspective on policy.
I remember it being 40 degrees on the first day and I was very nervous. At the orientation I thought, ‘This could be really interesting…but what have I got myself into.' On the third day we were given name tags with the names of our home groups on them and we were all trying to figure out what they meant! Now, the very same acronyms are a part of everyday language!
Finally understanding how the department works and being confident in my skills and my work. For example, in my third rotation I was responsible for writing a research proposal where I had to conduct research and liaise with stakeholders—it was good having that level of responsibility.
I’ve made lasting friendships and developed networks that can help my career. I gained knowledge of how the public service works, and experienced a broad range of work through the different rotations that are exclusive to the Graduate Program.