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Alumni

Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner alumna Patricia Akee
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

Patricia (Trish) Akee

Alumni Ambassador

Torres Strait Regional Authority

The Australian National University

Master of Culture Health and Medicine, College of Arts and Social Sciences

Trish is a Meriam Neur (Murray Island woman), from Waibene (Thursday Island), Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait). She comes from a strong and proud family, with lineage to the Geuram tribe from Mer and family connections to Dauar Island, Yarrabah, New Caledonia and Jamaica. Trish’s professional journey has been quite expansive. Over the past 20 years she has worked in a variety of roles in government, non-government and community organisations. She is a key community advocate and leader, supporting the local Torres Strait Islander community both personally and professionally in her role as Director of the Kara Buai Torres Strait Islander Corporation in Canberra.

Trish commenced her career in APS with the Department of Health and Aged Care, influencing and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health policy and programs. Following completion of a Master of Culture, Health and Medicine at ANU, she accepted a secondment opportunity with Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, in the department’s First Nations Policy – Closing the Gap team, where she has recently been promoted.

Her goal as a Pat Turner alumna and Torres Strait Islander leader in the APS is to elevate and strengthen the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the policy lifecycle.​

Dr Suzanne Akila
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2016

Dr

Suzanne Akila

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Australian National University

PhD title: Participation and the Protection of Citizens Abroad in International Law

Suzanne’s PhD examined how state and non-state actors participate in the protection of citizens abroad and why. It included in-depth studies of Australia, Germany and Mexico’s consular and protection frameworks and practice.

Suzanne is a Director in the International Legal Practice Group in the Legal Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has led the International Law Section, the International Law Advising and Treaties Section and the Sea Law and Antarctica Section. Suzanne was named Woman Lawyer of the Year for Government by the ACT Women Lawyers Association in 2018. She is a Visiting Government Fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School and has taught international law at ANU. She completed her LLM specialising in public international law at University College London and her LLB at the University of Western Australia.

Supervisor:
Professor Hilary Charlesworth
  • Akila S (2015) Participation and the Protection of Citizens Abroad in International Law [PhD thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Akila S, Cavenagh J, Mackay E, Smyth K (2010) ‘Australian Legislation Concerning Matters of International Law 2008’ The Australian Year Book of International Law: 273-306.
  • Akila S (2018) ‘Networks of protection’. In Cullen H, Harrington J and Renshaw C (eds), Experts, Networks and International Law, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Dr Talia Avrahamzon
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2019

Dr

Talia Avrahamzon

Research Australia (formerly Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet)

The Australian National University

PhD title: Everyday reconciliation at school: new celebrations and ongoing silences

Talia’s PhD explores how the education system engages in reconciliation at the policy, school and classroom levels as well as through the perspectives of children. Through a multi-disciplinary ethnographic inquiry into the everyday policies and practices in two urban primary schools on Ngunnawal Country, in the ACT education jurisdiction, the study responded to a gap in understanding how, why and for whom reconciliation is (re)constructed. The findings have implications for how individuals, organisations and the nation understand and engage with reconciliation beyond the education system.  They have been adapted to professional development for educators and Commonwealth and State/Territory public policy makers; university courses; and individual and organisational change evaluation frameworks on addressing intersectionality, anti-racism, and reconciliation.

Talia has been employed by the Department of Social Services (DSS) and then the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet since 2002 in various policy, implementation (including community engagement) and organisational culture (learning and development) roles. Talia is currently the National Strategic Partnership and Research Manager at First Peoples Disability Network, a human rights organisation. Previous to this she was the DSS Executive Director First Nations disability policy, where she established a national policy, research and data agenda in partnership with peak organisations, community and research partners. Since completing her PhD, she has also held research fellowships and teaching positions in the ANU College of Arts and Social Science, has been a Chief Investigator on intercultural understanding research and evaluation projects, and has co-designed and delivered Indigenous Affairs, Policy and intercultural capability professional development and training packages within the APS. During her scholarship, Talia was a visiting scholar at Queens University, Belfast (2015) and Victoria University, Wellington (2019) where she maintains strong research and policy collaborations.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Jerry Schwab
  • Bar-Tal D, Avrahamzon T (2016) ‘Development of delegitimization and animosity in the context of intractable conflict’. In Sibley C and Barlow F (eds), Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Prejudice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Avrahamzon T and Gorringe S (24-28 July 2017) ‘Reconciliation in Australian primary schools’ [conference presentation], World Indigenous Policy Conference on Education, Toronto, Canada.
  • Avrahamzon T (24-25 August 2017) ‘“We don’t focus on reconciliation as we do it all the time, it’s embedded in everything we do”: how two primary schools deliver messages about Indigenous peoples and cultures, Australian history and reconciliation’ [conference presentation], Oceanic Ethnography and Education Conference, Deakin University, Deakin, Australia.
  • Avrahamzon T (11-13 September 2017) ‘Reconciling the Contradictions of Reconciliation – Primary School Children’s Perspectives’ [conference presentation], Oxford Ethnography and Education Conference, Oxford, England.
  • Avrahamzon T and Herron M (3 November 2017) ‘Celebrating Reconciliation or Racism in Celebration: Institutional racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures in primary and secondary schools’ [conference presentation], 50 Years of Institutional Racism Conference, Deakin University, Deakin, Australia.
  • Avrahamzon T (2019) Everyday Reconciliation at School: New Celebrations and Ongoing Silences [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Avrahamzon T (1-3 July 2019) ‘Settled Reconciliation: ‘Settled reconciliation’ in education policy and practice – how celebrations of reconciliation can silence diversity’ [conference presentation], 2019 AIATSIS National Indigenous Research Conference, Brisbane, Australia.
  • Avrahamzon T (1-5 December 2019) ‘Reconciling education policies and the everyday practices in schools in relation to reconciliation in Australia’ [conference presentation], Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, Brisbane, Australia.
  • Avrahamzon T and Avery S (3 November 2021) ‘Intersectionality: Closing the Gap and Australia’s Disability Strategy’ [conference presentation], Australian Social Policy Conference, UNSW Social Policy Research Centre Sydney.
  • Avrahamzon T, Dinku Y, Murray M and Bowen T (2022) Core Cultural e-Learning Impact and Currency Evaluation. Report to Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
an image of Sharna Bartley
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

Sharna Bartley

Services Australia

Australian National University

Master of Public Policy

From Services Australia, Sharna is a proud Wuluwarra and Pitta Pitta woman, born and raised in Mount Isa Queensland. Sharna began her career in the public service as an APS2 and has since secured a wealth of knowledge through various jobs in service delivery; fraud and compliance; business improvement; human resources; parliamentary services, and; agency transformation.

Throughout her career Sharna has observed significant gaps between the intent of policy, to the delivery on the ground. Sharna aims to utilise the Master of Public Policy to empower her with the knowledge to close the divide between policy intent and program delivery.

Her goal is to support the public service to establish a best practice for seeking input from end users and communities in the development and implementation of policy and programs.

Helen Benassi
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2021

Dr

Helen Benassi

Department of Health and Aged Care

Australian National University

PhD title: Mental health help-seeking beliefs and behaviours in the Australian Defence Force: Intersections with e-mental health and self-management

Helen is currently Director, National Data and Research at the Department of Health and Aged Care. Her responsibilities include the oversight of national mental health surveys and data collections, including the National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing which, in 2023, provided the first national mental health prevalence rates available in over 15 years. Previously, Helen worked for the Department of Defence in mental health and psychology policy and research. Helen was responsible for the coordination of strategic mental health research within Defence and managed the delivery of a number of influential research projects examining mental health prevalence, service needs and resilience in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and veteran community.

Helen’s PhD research examined stigma and barriers to mental health care in the ADF, as well as the role e-mental health plays in treatment-seeking behaviour, early intervention, and self-management in a workplace context. Helen was co-author on a number of 2018 and 2019 Department of Veterans’ Affairs reports examining mental health in current and former ADF members and pathways to mental health care, including technology use. Her research has been presented both within Australia and internationally in general and military community events, and she has contributed her knowledge in think tanks and international forums.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Phil Batterham
  • Benassi H and Steele N (2011) ‘Post-Operational Mental Health Surveillance: Middle East Area of Operations 2010’. Technical Brief 13-11. Department of Defence, Canberra.
  • Benassi H (2012) ‘Post-Operational Mental Health: Bi-Annual Surveillance Report’. Technical Brief 04-12. Department of Defence, Canberra.
  • Steele N, Benassi H, Chesney C, Nicholson C, Fogarty G (2014) ‘Evaluating the Merits of Using Brief Measures of PTSD or General Mental Health Measures in Two-Stage PTSD Screening’. Military Medicine, 179(12):1497-1502.
  • Van Hooff M, McFarlane A, Davies C, Searle A, Fairweather-Schmidt A, Verhagen A, Benassi H, Hodson S (2014) ‘The Australian Defence Force Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study: design and methods’. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5(1),  DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v5.23950.
  • Searle A, Van Hooff M, McFarlane A, Davies C, Fairweather-Schmidt A, Hodson S, Benassi H and Steele N (2015) ‘The validity of military screening for mental health problems: Diagnostic accuracy of the PCL, K10 and AUDIT scales in an entire military population’. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 24(1):32-45.
  • Searle A, Van Hooff M, McFarlane A, Davies C, Tran T, Hodson S, Benassi H, Steele N (2017) ‘Screening for Depression and Psychological Distress in a Currently Serving Military Population: The Diagnostic Accuracy of the K10 and the PHQ9’. Assessment, 26(8):1411-1426. DOI: 10.1177/1073191117745124.
  • Forbes D, Van Hooff M, Lawrence-Wood E, Sadler N, Hodson S, Benassi H, Hansen C, Avery J, Varker T, O’Donnell M, Phelps A, Frederickson J, Sharp M, Searle A, McFarlane A (2018) Pathways to Care, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study, Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
  • Van Hooff M, Lawrence-Wood E, Hodson S, Sadler N, Benassi H, Hansen C, Grace B, Avery J, Searle A, Iannos M, Abraham M, Baur J, McFarlane A (2018) Mental Health Prevalence, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study, Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
  • Kelsall H, Sim M, Van Hooff M, Lawrence-Wood E, Benassi H, Sadler N, Hodson S, Hansen C, Avery J, Searle A, Ighani H, Iannos M, Abraham M, Baur J, Saccone E and McFarlane A (2018) Physical Health Status Report, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study. Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
  • Burns J, Van Hooff M, Lawrence-Wood E, Benassi H, Sadler N, Hodson S, Hansen C, Avery J, Searle A, Iannos M, Abraham M, Baur J and McFarlane A (2019) Technology Use and Wellbeing, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study. Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
  • Bryant R, Lawrence-Wood E, Baur J, McFarlane A, Hodson S, Sadler N, Benassi H, Howell S, Abraham M, Iannos M, Hansen C, Searle and Van Hooff M (2019) Mental Health Changes Over Time: a Longitudinal Perspective: Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study. Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
  • Lawrence-Wood E, McFarlane A, Lawrence A, Sadler N, Hodson S, Benassi H, Bryant R, Korgaonkar M, Rosenfeld J, Sim M, Kelsall H, Abraham M, Baur J, Howell S, Hansen C, Iannos M, Searle A and Van Hooff M (2019) Impact of Combat Report, Impact of Combat Study. Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
  • Hansen C, McFarlane A, Iannos M, Sadler N, Benassi H, Lawrence-Wood E, Hodson S, Searly A and Van Hooff M (2020) ‘Psychosocial factors associated with psychological distress and functional difficulties in recently transitioned and current serving regular Australian Defence Force members’. Psychiatry Research, 286, DOI 10.1016/j.psyhres.2020.112860.
  • Gee B L, Han J, Benassi H and Batterham P J (2020) ‘Suicidal thoughts, suicidal behaviours and self-harm in daily life: A systematic review of ecological momentary assessment studies’. Digit Health, 6, DOI: 10.1177/2055207620963958.
  • Benassi H (2021) Mental health help-seeking beliefs and behaviours in the Australian Defence Force: Intersections with e-mental health and self-management [PhD thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Fikretoglu D, Sharp M, Adler A, Bélanger S, Benassi H, Bennett C, Bryant R Busuttil W, Cramm H, Fear N, Greenberg N, Heber A, Hosseiny F, Hoge C, Jetly R, McFarlane A, Morganstein J, Murphy D, O’Donnell M, Phelps A, Richardson D, Sadler N, Schnurr P, Smith P, Ursano R, Van Hooff M, Wessely S, Forbes D and Pedlar D (2022) ‘Pathways to mental health care in active military populations across the Five-Eyes nations: An integrated perspective’. Clinical Psychology Review, 91, DOI:10.1016/j.cpr.2021.102100.
  • Dell L, Casetta C, Benassi H, Cowlishaw S, Agathos J, O’Donnell M, Crane M, Lewis V, Pacella B, Terhaag S, Morton, D, McFarlane A, Bryant R, and Forbes D (2022) Mental health across the early years in the military. Psychological Medicine: 1–9.
  • Metcalf O, Lawrence-Wood E, Baur J, Van Hooff M, Forbes D, O’Donnell M, Sadler N, Hodson S, Benassi H, Varker T, Battersby M, McFarlane, A and Cowlishaw S (2022) ‘Prevalence of gambling problems, help-seeking, and relationships with trauma in veterans’. PLoS ONE, 17(5): e0268346, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268346.
  • Varker T, Cowlishaw S, Baur J, McFarlane A, Lawrence-Wood E, Metcalf O, Van Hooff M, Sadler N, O’Donnell M L, Hodson S, Benassi H and Forbes D (2022) ‘Problem anger in veterans and military personnel: Prevalence, predictors, and associated harms of suicide and violence’. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 151:57-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.04.004.
Peter J Bligh
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2020

Peter J Bligh

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation

Australian National University

Graduate Diploma of Economics

Peter joined the APS in 2012. He has provided advice on program design, program management, strategic policy and regulatory administration for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. While doing this, Peter has embedded strategies to enhance Indigenous outcomes across the breadth of his work.

Peter is using his postgraduate study to continue to enhance Indigenous outcomes by applying economics to policy formulation and evaluation. He is also hoping to develop embedded understanding of issues involved in the coordination of economic policies, and better analyse the economic effects of policy changes and communicate them to a public, business or government audience.

Melanie Broder
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2022

Dr

Melanie Broder

Accenture ANZ (formerly Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

The Australian National University

PhD title: Rhetoric over reality? Assessing the success of deterrence in cyberspace: Israeli and US cybersecurity approaches between 2008-2018

Melanie has almost two decades of experience across the Australian Federal Government, working in the Departments of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Defence, Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Foreign Affairs and Trade. Melanie has worked across policy, analysis, and capability areas, including large scale legislative reform and major policy shifts. Melanie’s defence and national security experience contributed to her passion for protecting Australia’s strategic interests from non-traditional security threats. After completing her PhD, Melanie worked as the cyber adviser for the Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security.

Melanie’s doctoral research used a qualitative approach to examine the practical applications of the principles of deterrence on cyber security from 2008-2018. Her study investigated the policies and relative success of the United States of America and the State of Israel. Melanie's work identified principles that may be appropriate for the Australian strategic context and contributed to a global understanding of the efficacy of cyber deterrence policies for governments.

Melanie is currently working for Accenture (Australia and New Zealand) as the Client Lead for Security across the Health and Public Service sector, delivering secure tech transformation for the Australian Federal Government.

Supervisor:
Emeritus Professor Roger Bradbury
Cris Castro
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

Cris Castro

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

The Australian National University

Master of Leadership

After completing a double degree in economics and commerce, Cris entered the public service in 1999 and was later accepted into the 2000 graduate program. Cris’ public service career has included policy and program roles covering Indigenous employment and economic development, strategic policy roles, corporate governance roles, and in vocational education and training policy and legislation.

Cris is a descendant of the Stolen Generations. With a father removed from his mother in Meanjin (Brisbane) on Turrbal and Yuggera country, Cris was born and raised on Ngunnawal land. Growing up in Canberra with two parents who worked in public sector roles, some might say his pathway into the APS was predictable.

Cris’ Master of Leadership degree included specialisations in business administration, public policy and leadership. Through his studies, Cris explored how emerging organisational performance frameworks and leadership models can best be applied in the public service context, helping to ensure the APS retains its ongoing relevance to both the Government of the day and to the public it serves. Cris was the recipient of the Pat Turner Coursework Prize in 2020 and 2021.

Since returning to service, Cris has been promoted to Assistant Secretary in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, responsible for driving efforts across DEWR to help Close the Gap.

Sir Roland Wilson alumna Jennifer Chang
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship -

Jennifer Chang

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Australian National University

PhD title: Labour Supply in China

Since starting as a graduate at the Treasury in 2004, Jennifer’s work experience has involved rigorous analysis of Asian economies, a deep understanding of the Australian economy and an appreciation of the importance of effective international economic engagement. In 2021 Jenny moved to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Jennifer’s study examines the dynamics of the Chinese labour market and links to an analysis of China’s broader economic growth prospects.  A deeper understanding of the Chinese economy is of critical policy relevance, with China’s overall growth trajectory of particular importance to Australia’s prosperity.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Jane Golley
Joseph Chien
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2021

Dr

Joseph Chien

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian National University

PhD title: Using administrative data to gain insights into microdrivers of productivity

Joseph has been at the APS for over 20 years and is currently the director of the Data Access and Confidentiality Methodology Unit (DACMU). Joseph's PhD research analysed administrative data to better understand the microdrivers of productivity.

His research interests include productivity analysis, network modelling, semantic web and synthetic data. Joseph is interested in advancing a synthetic data approach at the ABS to make its data more accessible for research while ensuring confidentiality of the providers.

Supervisor:
Professor Alan Welsh
  • Bailie J and Chien C H (2019) ‘ABS perturbation methodology through the lens of Differential Privacy’. Work Session on Statistical Data Confidentiality, UNECE/Eurostat, The Hague, Netherlands, October 29-31. Available at https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.46/2019/mtg1/SDC2019_S2_ABS_Bailie_D.pdf.
  • Chien C H, Welsh A H and Moore J D (2020) ‘Synthetic Business Microdata: an Australian example’. Journal of Privacy and Confidentiality, 10(2) DOI: 10.29012/jpc.733.
  • Chien C H (2021) Using administrative data to gain insights into microdrivers of productivity [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Chien C H (2022) ‘USING ADMINISTRATIVE DATA TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO MICRO-DRIVERS OF PRODUCTIVITY’. Bulletin of the Australian Mathematical Society, 105(1):175–176.
  • Sadeghi P, Chien C H (2024) 'On the Connection Between the ABS Perturbation Methodology and Differential Privacy', Journal of Privacy and Confidentiality, 14(2), https://doi.org/10.29012/jpc.859
Photo of Lisa Conway
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Lisa Conway

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

The Australian National University

PhD title: Public Administration in Blak and White: Uplifting the Cultural Capability of the Australian Public Service

Lisa is the Chair of the APS Indigenous SES Network and has worked for the Australian Government for the past 18 years in a variety of roles, including service delivery, social work, community engagement, fraud prevention, human resource policy and social and public policy development. She is currently the Assistant Secretary of the First Nations Employment Policy and Programs Branch at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Lisa has been recognised for her work helping Services Australia better communicate with First Nations service users and by the APS more broadly for her research and development of the Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness training for social workers.

Lisa’s PhD research focused on looking for opportunities to uplift the cultural capability of the APS to improve policy effectiveness and make it more culturally safe and responsive for First Nations peoples.

Supervisor:
Professor Ariadne Vromen

News and stories related to Dr Lisa Conway

Martin Dallen
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2021

Martin Dallen

Department of Defence

Australian National University

Master of Forestry

In his role in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Martin plays a key role in identifying and protecting Australia’s unique heritage, primarily focused on First Nations cultural heritage, cultural landscapes and iconic natural places.

Martin studied a Master in Forestry, which included undertaking a review of the Australian forestry sector’s performance since the Industry Commission’s 1993 Adding Value to Australia's Forest Products Inquiry Report.

Since his return to the APS, Martin has moved into heritage where he has brought valuable expertise and insights on ways to utilise environmental science to protect the landscapes that support Australia’s rich First Nations cultural heritage and our unique flora and fauna.

Martin’s goal is to advance the voice and self-determination of First Nations communities across Australia, particularly in areas where First Nations people are able meaningfully contribute to the decisions that affect Country. Since his return, Martin has overseen a number of highlights including leading the Australian Government’s efforts to recognise internationally the wishes of the Butchulla people to reclaim K’gari as the traditional name for Fraser Island; the appointment of First Nations people to advisory boards for World Heritage places; and leading the development of funding agreements with state agencies to eradicate invasive pests from sensitive ecosystems.

Image of Kayannie Denigan
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

Kayannie Denigan

Office of the Minister for Indigenous Australians (formerly Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts)

Australian National University

Master of Public Policy

Kayannie is Aṉangu Luritja with strong family and cultural ties to Bagarrmuguwarra and Kuku Yalanji Bama of Cape York. She is an experienced executive level leader and has led policy, research, program and grants management teams since joining the APS in 2015. She also has experience as a political staffer and in the not-for-profit sector. Kayannie graduated with a Master of Public Policy from The Australian National University in 2022.

Kayannie works at Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Arts, where she is responsible for visual arts and design policy and delivery of the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) Program. She joined the APS in 2015 after relocating from Far North Queensland and prior to moving to Canberra, had never considered a career in the public sector. Kayannie is passionate about creating and leading high-performing teams and championing the unique role that Indigenous staff play in mainstream APS agencies to deliver outcomes to all Australians.

Dr Nathan Deutscher
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2019

Dr

Nathan Deutscher

Department of the Treasury

Australian National University

PhD title: Empirical Essays in Intergenerational Mobility and Early Childhood Human Capital Formation

Nathan’s PhD research focused on intergenerational mobility—the extent to which economic outcomes pass from parents to children. Building on the work of past scholars, he worked with the ATO to build Australia’s first intergenerational tax dataset. His research has been published in leading economics journals, including a forthcoming paper in the Journal of Economic Literature and published papers in American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, Labour Economics, Economic Inquiry and the Economic Record.

Prior to his PhD, Nathan worked in Treasury in a variety of roles across social and tax policy, including as a Departmental Liaison Officer in the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer’s Office. On returning, Nathan played a central role in establishing its microdata units as a founding Director. These units have produced influential work on the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and policy response, including published research on labour market scarring and the effect of the JobKeeper program.   

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig

News and stories related to Dr Nathan Deutscher

Tess Evenstar
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Tess Evenstar

Attorney-General's Department

Australian National University

PhD title: Maternal employability, conditionality and the role of family services in the Australian social security system

Working at the Department of Social Services, Tess provided advice on children’s policy, family policy and programs, homelessness policy, family safety, gambling, welfare quarantining and financial wellbeing.

Tess’s research explores the concept of employability from the perspective of mothers in the social security system. She is also investigating mothers' views on the impacts of family services, such as playgroups and parenting programs. In her thesis, Tess argues many mothers build confidence and social connections through participation in family services which in turn increases their employability, both real and self-perceived.

Supervisor:
Professor Peter Whiteford
Owen Freestone
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2020

Dr

Owen Freestone

The Treasury

Australian National University

PhD title: Economic inequality over the life cycle in Australia.

Owen has worked in the APS since 2004. Since 2010, he has managed various teams within the Macroeconomic Group at Treasury, responsible for providing advice on the Australian and Chinese economies.

Owen’s PhD research explores the life-cycle dimension of income and consumption among Australian households, and how this is shaped by government policy. He looked to answer questions, such as the relative importance of individual differences versus other factors in explaining wage inequality in Australia, and the role that the tax-transfer system plays in cushioning workers from unexpected income changes. Owen has also published a number of research publications on economic topics like Australian household saving behaviour and structural change in the Chinese economy.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig
  • Freestone O, Daudry A, Obeyesekere A and Sedgwick M (2011) ‘The Rise in Household Saving and its Implications for the Australian Economy’. Economic Round-up, 2011, 2, The Treasury, Canberra.
  • Zhang D and Freestone, O (2013), ‘China’s unfinished state-owned enterprise reforms’. Economic Round-up, 2013, 2, The Treasury, Canberra.
  • Freestone O (2018) ‘The Drivers of Life-Cycle Wage Inequality in Australia’. Economic Record, 94( 307):424-444.
  • Freestone O (2020), Economic inequality over the life cycle in Australia [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
Cathy Fussell
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2024

Dr

Cathy Fussell

Department of Home Affairs

Australian National University

PhD title: Realising the collective value of data by governing with rather than over

Cathy joined the Australian Public Service in 2001. She has since had a broad range of policy and program roles within the health portfolio. Cathy’s recent work has focused on big data strategy and capability. She co-led the establishment of the Social Health and Welfare Analytic Unit and led Health’s cross-portfolio engagement on big data analytics projects through the Data Integration Partnership for Australia.

Cathy’s doctoral research explores how we can realise the collective value of data. Working at the intersection of theories of value and power, and public service practice, she unpacks what collective value looks like and how it can be systematically created. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s assemblage theory, Cathy interrogates how we think and talk about data, develops a collective theory of value and power, and applies that theory to practice. Cathy hopes this work will support the public sector policy and data communities to design, create, and facilitate supported data assemblages that create collective value.

For more information about Cathy’s research findings see: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/people/phd/cathy-fussell

Supervisor:
Professor Helen Sullivan

Fussell, C 2022, ‘Four Data Discourses and Assemblage Forms: A Methodological Framework’, Preprint. Available at: osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/jvcqw.

Fussell, C 2023, 'Why we struggle to realise the value of data: SocArXiv. Preprint. Available at https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/u8zcx

Fussell, C 2023 'Three propositions for realising collective value'. SocArXiv. Preprint. Available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/3pheu

Fussell, C 2023, 'Understanding value through Deleuze and Guattari’s metaphysics and ethics'. SocArXiv. Preprint. Available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/kt6f8

Fussell, C 2023, 'Searching for a positive theory of power'. SocArXiv. Preprint. Available at: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/v8qh9

Fussell, C (Forthcoming) 'What a power with looks like and why we should choose it'. SocArXiv. Preprint. 

Fussell C (2024) Realising the collective value of data by governing with rather than over [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.

Dr Christiane Gerblinger
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2021

Dr

Christiane Gerblinger

National Library of Australia

Australian National University

PhD title: The language of the rebuffed: a critical appraisal of how policy advisers communicate

Christiane joined the Treasury as a speechwriter in 2012. Before that, she worked across a range of areas in the APS, from analysing financial intelligence to providing advice on counter-proliferation, energy, health and rural policy. Along the way, and partly as a result of completing her first PhD in film and literature in 2000, Christiane continued to critically analyse discourse—but, instead of closely reading literary texts, her attention turned to analysing how public policy is communicated to governments and the public.

Christiane's Sir Roland Wilson thesis examined the language of rejected policy advice, with a focus on how policy knowledge is constructed inside public administrations and communicated to governments during controversy. Her analysis drew on three Australian policy case studies: the taxation of investment properties, the role of renewables in the national energy mix, and the Iraq war. A gap in methods with which to dissect the phenomenon of rebuffed language led her to construct a new framework informed by rhetorical, organisational and comparative analyses. She uncovered three different language typologies that: fixated on one strand of enquiry but sidestepped wider context; expunged complexity, thereby imparting an appearance of certainty and solid evidence; and routinely raised the presence of uncertainty, leaving advice unusable as evidence. When publicly released, the advice accompanying each proved problematic as means with which to account for political decisions. Her thesis returned outstanding examiners’ reports due to its unique contribution to political science, public administration, intelligence and policy studies, and communication.

Christiane returned to the APS in 2020 and is now a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science in ANU's College of Science.

Supervisor:
Professor Joan Leach

Other

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Dr Camille Goodman
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2019

Dr

Camille Goodman

University of Wollongong (formerly Attorney-General’s Department)

Australian National University

PhD title: The nature and extent of coastal State jurisdiction over living resources in the exclusive economic zone

Dr Camille Goodman is an Associate Professor at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, where her research applies the law of the sea to address policy-relevant challenges with a focus on fisheries, offshore renewable energy, and the impacts of climate change. Camille teaches into a wide range of courses on the law of the sea, maritime regulation, fisheries and ocean governance, and is the convenor of the Women in Maritime Security Network, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Camille is also a Visiting Fellow at the ANU College of Law and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Sea Power Centre Australia. Prior to joining ANCORS in 2021, Camille worked at the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department for 15 years, providing legal and policy advice to the Australian Government on a wide range of public international law issues, with a particular focus on law of the sea and international fisheries. She acted as the Australian Government legal adviser at international meetings and negotiations, and managed litigation before international courts and tribunals.

Camille undertook her doctoral research at the ANU College of Law between 2015 and 2018 as a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar, focusing on the nature and extent of coastal State jurisdiction over living resources in the exclusive economic zone. While the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea clearly gives coastal States ‘sovereign rights’ to explore, exploit, conserve and manage the living resources of the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, the nature and extent of these rights—and the way in which coastal States can employ them—is not well understood. Camille’s research addressed this gap, reviewing and analysing the practice of 145 coastal States to articulate and justify a contemporary statement regarding the nature and extent of coastal State jurisdiction over living resources in the exclusive economic zone. This research formed the basis of Camille’s first book, Coastal State Jurisdiction Over Living Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone, published by OUP in November 2021.

Find Camille's University of Wollongong profile here or you can get in touch with Camille directly - cgoodman@uow.edu.au

Supervisor:
Professor Donald Rothwell
  • Campbell B and Goodman C (2009) ‘Litigation against foreign States: the Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 (Cth)’, Judicial Officers’ Bulletin, 21(9):71-72.
  • Goodman C (2009), ‘The Regime for Flag State Responsibility in International Fisheries Law - Effective Fact, Creative Fiction, or Further Work Required?’ Australian and New Zealand Maritime Law Journal 23:157-169.
  • Goodman C (2013) ‘ “Strength through Cooperation”: A 21st Century Treaty for Multilateral Maritime Enforcement in the Pacific’ Australian Year Book of International Law, 31:12-39.
  • Goodman C (2017) ‘Striking the right balance? Applying the jurisprudence of international tribunals to coastal state innovations in international fisheries governance’. Marine Policy, 84:293-299..
  • Goodman C (2017) ‘Australian Jurisdiction and International Law’, in Crawford E and Rothwell D R (eds), International Law in Australia 3rd edition, Thomson Reuters, Sydney.
  • Goodman C (2017) ‘The Cooperative Use of Coastal State Jurisdiction with Respect to Highly Migratory Stocks: Insights from the Western and Central Pacific Region’, in Martin L, Salonidis C, Hioureas C G, Laird I, Sabahi B and Whitesell A M (eds), Natural Resources and the Law of the Sea Exploration, Allocation, Exploitation of Natural Resources in Areas Under National Jurisdiction and Beyond, Juris, New York.
  • Goodman C and Matley H (2018) ‘Law Beyond Boundaries: innovative mechanisms for the integrated management of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction’. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 75(1):402-404.
  • Goodman, C (2018), ‘Rights, Obligations, Prohibitions: A Practical Guide to Understanding Judicial Decisions on Coastal State Jurisdiction over Living Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone’. The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 33(3):558-584.
  • Goodman C (2019) The nature and extent of coastal State jurisdiction over living resources in the exclusive economic zone [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Goodman C (2021) Coastal State Jurisdiction over Living Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • Goodman C, Davis R, Azmi K, Bell J, Galland G, Gilman E, Haas B, Hanich Q, Lehodey P, Manarangi-Trott L, Nicol S, Obregon P, Pilling G, Senina I, Seto K and Tsamenyi M (2022) ‘Enhancing Cooperative Responses by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations to Climate-Driven Redistribution of Tropical Pacific Tuna Stocks’, Frontiers in Marine Science. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.1046018.
  • Goodman C (2022) ‘Winds of Change: Australia’s Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021’ Asia-Pacific Journal of Ocean Law and Policy, 7(1):37-150. doi: 10.1163/24519391-07010011.
  • Goodman C, Davis R, Azmi K, Bell J D, Galland G, Gilman E, Haas B, Hanich Q, Lehodey P, Manarangi-Trott L, Nicol S, Obregon P, Pilling G, Senina I, Seto K and Tsamenyi M (2022) ‘Enhancing cooperative responses by regional fisheries management organisations to climate-driven redistribution of tropical Pacific tuna stocks’ Frontiers in Marine Science, Article 2432.
  • Wuwung L, Croft F, Benzaken D, Azmi K, Goodman C, Rambourg C and Voyer M (2022) ‘Global Blue Economy Governance: A Methodological Approach to Investigating Blue Economy Implementation’ Frontiers in Marine Science, Article 2388.
  • Goodman C (2022) ‘The Lotus Case (France v Turkey) in Letts D and McLaughlin R (eds), Maritime Operations Law in Practice: Key Cases and Incidents, Routledge, London.
  • Goodman C and Voyer M (2022), Submission to the Senate Environment and Communications Leglislation Committee Inquiry into the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2022, Australian Parliament House, Canberra.
  • Goodman C (2023) ‘Compulsory Settlement of EEZ Fisheries Enforcement Disputes under UNCLOS: “Swallowing the Rule” or “Balancing the Equation”?’, Goettingen Journal of International Law 13(1):27-80.
  • Anggadi C, Goodman C, Klein N and Rothwell D (2023), ‘Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea: Implications for the Customary International Law of the Sea’, Ocean Development and International Law, 54(3):277-303.
  • Goodman C (2023), ‘Harnessing the wind down under: applying the UNCLOS framework to the regulation of offshore wind by Australia and New Zealand’, Ocean Development and International Law, 54(3):253-276.
  • Haas B, Goodman C, Hussain S and Davis R (2023), ‘Fact or Fiction? Unpacking the Terminologies used in Allocation Discussions’, Marine Policy, 152, Article 105630. 
  • Voyer M, Christopher T, Ahmed A, Carr C, Croft F, Davis A, Goodman C et al (2023), ‘Illawarra Offshore Wind Zone Proposal’, Submission to the Public Consultation, 4 October 2023 (University of Wollongong, Australia).

News and stories related to Dr Camille Goodman

Dr Angelia Grant
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2015

Dr

Angelia Grant

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Australian National University

PhD title: Three essays on the US business cycle, expectations formation and model comparison

Angelia was one of the 2012 Sir Roland Wilson Scholars. She researched business cycles and economic fluctuations, with a particular focus on comparing conclusions based on different economic models. She examined the role of particular structural shocks during the 2001 US slowdown and Great Recession, and whether the assumption of rational expectations or adaptive learning in a large macroeconomic model for the US economy provides a better model fit. Angelia's thesis also proposes a new econometric method for computing a model selection criterion that is rarely used in applied work given its computational burden.

Angelia returned to the Treasury in 2015 after submitting her thesis. She held positions as the Principal Adviser (Forecasting) in the Macroeconomic Conditions Division and as the Head of the Macroeconomic Conditions Division. She also worked as a Principal Economic Adviser to a former Treasurer and served as an Alternate Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, where she represented the Asia and Pacific Constituency. Angelia is currently Australia’s G20 Sherpa and Head of the Multilateral Economic Engagement Division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Supervisor:
Professor Warwick McKibbin
  • Grant A (2015) Three essays on the US business cycle, expectations formation and model comparison [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Chan J C and Grant A (2016) ‘Modeling energy price dynamics: GARCH versus stochastic volatility’, Energy economics, 54:182-189.
  • Chan J C and Grant A (2016) ‘On the Observed-Data Deviance Information Criterion for Volatility Modeling’. Journal of Financial Econometrics, 14(4):772-802.
  • Chan J C and Grant A (2016) ‘Fast computation of the deviance information criterion for latent variable models’. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 100:847-859.
  • Grant A and Chan J C (2017) ‘Bayesian Model Comparison for Trend-Cycle Decompositions of Output’. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 49(2-3):525-552.
  • Grant A (2017) ‘The Early Millennium Slowdown: Replicating the Peersman (2005) Results’. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 32(1):218-233.
  • Grant A and Chan J C (2017) ‘Reconciling output gaps: Unobserved components model and Hodrick–Prescott filter’, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 75:114-121.
  • Grant A (2018), ‘The Great Recession and Okun’s Law’. Economic Modelling, 69:291-300.
Szabina Horvath
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Szabina Horvath

Department of Defence

Australian National University

PhD title: Australia's extraterritorial human rights obligations

Szabina Horvath joined the Directorate of Operations and International Law at the Department of Defence in 2009. Szabina has provided advice on detainee management issues, maritime operations, domestic implementation of international legal obligations, gender issues, interrogation doctrine, and a range of other international humanitarian law issues, as well as human rights matters relevant to military operations. Szabina is currently seconded to the Australian Submarine Agency.

Szabina’s research examined Australia’s extraterritorial human rights obligations. Specifically, the research considered Australia’s human rights obligations when engaged in extraterritorial armed conflict, with reference to other extraterritorial situations which may enliven Australia’s human rights obligations. Szabina’s thesis includes a decision-making framework for determining when Australia may owe specific human rights obligations.

Supervisor:
Professor Rob McLaughlin
  • Horvath S and Mackenzie-Gray Scott R (29-30 January 2018), 'Workshop on Intelligence Sharing in Multinational Military Operations' [conference report], Workshop on Intelligence Sharing in Multinational Military Operations, School of Law, University of Nottingham.
  • Horavath S (2018) 'The Law of Armed Conflict and the Use of Force: the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law', Review of The Law of Armed Conflict and the Use of Force: the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law by F Lachenmann and R Wolfrum (eds), in Rothwell D, Zagor M and Saunder I (eds)The Australian Year Book of International Law, Brill, Leiden.
  • Horvath S (9 January 2021) 'Disinformation in international forums: the civil society loophole', ILA Reporter, accessed 6 March 2024, https://ilareporter.org.au/2021/01/disinformation-in-international-forums-the-civil-society-loophole-szabina-horvath/
  • Horvath S (2023) Australia's extraterritorial human rights obligations [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
Dr Paul Hubbard
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2019

Dr

Paul Hubbard

Department of Finance

Australian National University

PhD title: The nature and performance of China’s state owned enterprises.

Paul’s PhD, is on the “Nature and Performance of China’s State-owned Enterprises”. During his research, Paul was a frequent contributor to the East Asia Forum, and presented testimony to the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in Washington DC in February 2016. He also spent a period as a visiting scholar at Peking University in 2015

Paul joined the Department of the Treasury as a graduate in 2006. Since April 2017, Paul has worked at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet on international economic issues, attending three G20 Summits. In July 2018, Paul received a Secretary’s Excellence Award ‘for making an outstanding contribution to the Department's critical and strategic thinking across disciplines.’  Paul returns to ANU from time to time to present guest lectures and seminars relating to the Chinese economy.

Supervisor:
Dr Shiro Armstrong
  • Hubbard P (2004) ‘Accountability in the grey area: employing Stiglitz to tackle compliance in a world of structural pluralism, a comparative study’, Freedom of Information Review, 111: 26-32.
  • Hubbard P (2005) ‘Freedom of Information and Security Intelligence: An economic analysis in an Australian context’ Open Government: a journal on Freedom of Information, 1(3):EJ).
  • Hubbard P (2007) ‘Putting the power of transparency in context: Information’s role in reducing corruption in Uganda’s education sector’, Working Paper 136, Center for Global Development. Accessed 15 March 2023, https://www.cgdev.org/publication/putting-power-transparency-context-informations-role-reducing-corruption-ugandas.
  • Hubbard P (2008) ‘Chinese Concessional Loans’ in Rotberg R I (ed), China into Africa: Trade, Aid, and Influence, Brookings Institution Press, World Peace Foundation, Washington, USA.
  • Hubbard P (2008) ‘China’s regulations on open government information: Challenges of nationwide policy implementation’, Open Government: a journal on Freedom of Information, 4(1): 1-34.
  • Hubbard P (2009) ‘Urban congestion-why ’free’ roads are costly’, Economic Round-up, 2:1-19.
  • Hubbard P, Hurley S and Sharma D (2012) ‘The familiar pattern of Chinese consumption growth’, Economic Round-up, 4: 63-78.
  • Hubbard P and Williams P (2014) ‘Some of China’s SOEs are more equal than others’, East Asia Forum Quarterly, 6(4):8-9.
  • Hubbard P (2016) ‘Managing Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment’. The China Quarterly, 228:1106-1108.
  • Callaghan M and Hubbard P (2016) ‘The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Multilateralism on the Silk Road’. China Economic Journal, 9(2):116-139.
  • Hubbard P (2016) ‘Where have China’s state monopolies gone?’. China Economic Journal, 9(1):75-99.
  • Hubbard P and Sharma D (2016) Understanding and applying long-term GDP projections, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research, Canberra. Accessed 15 March 2023, https://eaber.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/EABER-Working-Paper-119-Hubbard-Sharma.pdf.
  • Hubbard P (2016) ‘Reconciling China’s official statistics on state ownership and control’, Macroeconomic Working Papers, 25575, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Hubbard P (2016) ‘Fragmented authoritarianism and state ownership’, East Asia Forum Quarterly, 8(4):6-7.
  • Hubbard P and Fan H (2016) Managing China, ANU Press, Canberra, Australia.
  • Hubbard P and Xiao W (2017) ‘Open government information in Chinese state-owned enterprises’. Information Polity, 22(1):57-64.
  • Hubbard P and Williams P (2017) ‘Chinese state owned enterprises: An observer’s guide’. International Journal of Public Policy,
  • 13(3-5):153-170.
  • Luo L, Qi Z and Hubbard P (2017) ‘Not looking for trouble: Understanding large-scale Chinese overseas investment by sector and ownership’ China Economic Review, 46: 142-164.
  • Brødsgaard K E, Hubbard P (2017) ‘China’s SOE executives: drivers of or obstacles to reform?’ The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies, 35(1):52-75.
  • Xu J and Hubbard P (2018) ‘A flying goose chase: China’s overseas direct investment in manufacturing (2011–2013)’. China Economic Journal, 11(2):91-107.
  • Hubbard P (2018) The Nature and Performance of China’s State Owned Enterprises [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Hubbard P (2018) ‘The Future of the Belt and Road: Long-term Strategic Issues - By Andrew Elek’, Asian Pacific Economic Literature 32(1):144-145.
  • Zentelis R, Hubbard P, Lindenmayer D, Roberts D and Dovers S (2020) ‘More bang for your buck: Managing the military training and environmental values of military training areas’, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 8, Article 100053.
Dr Neal Hughes
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2015

Dr

Neal Hughes

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences

Australian National University

PhD title: Water property rights in rivers with large dams

Neal’s research focused on the design of water markets, particularly market mechanisms for managing major water storages. Recently, Neal’s PhD research was used to inform the ACCC Murray Darling Basin water market inquiry. Neal’s PhD also explored the application of machine learning techniques to economics.

Since returning to the APS, Neal has led several major projects at ABARES, including the development of new economic models of Australian farms and water markets, drawing on techniques developed as part of his thesis. At ABARES, Neal has produced a range of research on agricultural policy issues including the effects of drought and climate change on Australian farms, and water policy in the Murray-Darling Basin. Neal writes regularly on these issues in The Conversation.

Visit Neal's website to learn more about him and his research. 

Supervisor:
Professor Quentin Grafton
  • Hughes N, Hafi A and Goesch T 2(009), 'Urban water management: optimal price and investment policy under climate variability', Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 53(2):175-192.
  • Hughes N and Goesch T (2009), Management of irrigation water storages: carryover rights and capacity sharing, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N and Goesch T (2009), Capacity sharing in the St George and Macintyre Brook irrigation schemes in southern Queensland, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N (10-12 February 2010), ‘Defining property rights to water in complex regulated river systems: generalising the capacity sharing concept’, AARES Conference (54th), Adelaide, Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society.
  • Hughes N, Lawson K, Davidson A, Jackson T and Sheng Y (2011), Productivity pathways: Climate adjusted production frontiers for the Australian broadacre cropping industry, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N (9-11 February 2011), 'Estimating irrigation farm production functions using ABARES irrigation survey data’, AARES Conference (55th), Melbourne, Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society.
  • Hughes N, Gibbs C, Dahl A, Tregeagle D and Sanders O (2013), Storage rights and water allocation arrangements in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N (2014) ‘Applying reinforcement learning to economic problems’. ANU Crawford PhD Conference, Canberra, The Australian National University.
  • Hughes N (12 August 2014), ‘Water storage rights: decentralising reservoir operation’ [conference presentation], 77th International Atlantic Economic Conference, Madrid, International Atlantic Economic Society.
  • Hughes N (14 November 2014) ‘Applying reinforcement learning to economic problems’ [conference presentation], ANU Crawford PhD Conference, The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Hughes N (2015) Water property rights in rivers with large dams [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • Hughes N, Gupta M and Rathakumar K (2016), Lessons from the water market: the southern Murray-Darling Basin water allocation market 2000-01 to 2015-16, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N (3 February 2016) ‘Water property rights in rivers with large environmental water holders’ [conference presentation]. Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society 2016 Conference (60th), Canberra.
  • Hughes N, Lawson K and Valle H (2017) Farm performance and climate: climate adjusted productivity for broadacre cropping farms, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Gupta M and Hughes N (2018) Future scenarios for the southern Murray-Darling Basin, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Gupta M, Hughes N and Wakerman-Powell K (2018) A model of water trade and irrigation activity in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N, Galeano D and Hattfield-Dodds (2019) The effects of drought and climate variability on Australian farms, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Whittle L, Galeano D, Hughes N, Gupta M, Leg P, Westwood T, Jackson T and Hatfield-Dodds S (2020) Economic effects of water recovery in the Murray-Darling Basin [report], Australian Bureau of Agicutlureal and Recourse Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N, Donoghoe M and Whittle L (2020) ‘Farm Level Effects of On-Farm Irrigation Infrastructure Programs in the Southern Murray–Darling Basin’. Australian Economic Review, 53(4):494-516.
  • Hughes N, Gupta M, Soh W, Boult C, Lawson K, Lu, M and Westwood T (2020) The Agricultural Data Integration Project, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N and Gooday P (2021) Climate change impacts and adaptation on Australian farms [report], Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Chancellor W, Hughes N, Zhao S, Soh W, Valle H and Boult C (2021) ‘Controlling for the effects of climate on total factor productivity: A case study of Australian farms’, Food policy, 102, Article 102091.
  • Hughes N, Gupta M, Whittle L, Boult C and Westwood T (2021) A model of spatial and inter-temporal water trade in the southern Murray-Darling Basin [Working paper], Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  • Hughes N, Soh W, Boult C and Lawson K (2022) ‘Defining drought from the perspective of Australian farmers’ Climate Risk Management, 35, Article 100420.
  • Hughes N, Lu, M, Soh W, Lawson K (2022) ‘Modelling the effects of climate change on the profitability of Australian farms’, Climatic Change, 172, Article 12.
  • Hughes N, Soh W, Lawson K and Lu M (2022) ‘Improving the performance of micro-simulation models with machine learning: The case of Australian farms’, Economic Modeling, 115, Article 105957.
  • Hughes N, Gupta M, Whittle L and Westwood T (2023), 'An Economic Model of Spatial and Temporal Water Trade in the Australian Southern Murray-Darling Basin', Water Resources Research, 59(4), Article e2022WR032559.

Visit Neal's website for a full list of his publications.

News and stories related to Dr Neal Hughes

Dr Nerida Hunter
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2017

Dr

Nerida Hunter

Department of Education

The Australian National University

PhD title: Geodemographic and life course perspectives of population ageing in Australia: informing the policy response to population ageing

Nerida began her training in demography in 2010 at the university of California and subsequently joined ANU to complete her PhD as a Sir Roland Wilson scholar. Her PhD undertook applied demographic research of Australia’s aged and ageing population. She examined the size, structure and characteristics of the aged population across 328 regions of Australia, looking at; healthy life and working life expectancies; lifespan and life course disparity; and projections of growth and settlement of the aged population through to 2031. She was also a student affiliate of the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research.

Nerida worked in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) from 2006 to 2015 on a wide range of social policy issues. After completing the Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship, Nerida rejoined the Australian Public Service and advanced to the Senior Executive Service. Since 2016 she has worked in the Department of Social Services, Treasury and Department of Education.

Supervisor:
Professor James Raymer
Shane Johnson
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Shane Johnson

The Treasury

Australian National University

PhD title: Essays in Empirical Tax Policy: Taxpayers' Responses to the Australian Personal Taxation System

Shane’s research interests include domestic and international tax policy and fiscal policy. His current research is focused on examining taxpayers’ understanding of, and responses to, the Australian taxation system. Shane hopes his research will provide insights for the future design, implementation and administration of the tax system.

Shane has also contributed his time and skills to the Australian Taxation Office to produce the Australian Longitudinal Individuals File, a 10 per cent sample of tax records available for researchers in academia and public service. He was also instrumental in helping produce the Australia’s Future Tax System review. Based on his research from that review, he has co-authored a paper with international expert, Peter Sorensen.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig
Sir Roland Wilson alumna Katy Jones
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship -

Katy Jones

The Australian National University

PhD title: School attendance and primary school-aged Indigenous children

Katy joined the public service in 2006 at what is now the Department of Social Services. An interest in the well-being of Indigenous people, particularly in remote areas, led her to take on work for the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health in Sydney, and also with the Indigenous Coordination Centre in Darwin. Since 2012, Katy’s work has been on the evaluation and policy development of income management.

Katy’s research will explore the historical, political, social and economic context of the non-attendance of Indigenous primary school-age children in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. It will take a multi-method approach, investigating attendance trends through use of school attendance data, and will use qualitative data to explore, on individual and community levels, the reasons why some policies may, or may not, support or improve school attendance.

Supervisor:
Professor Nicholas Biddle
Adina Jordan
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

Adina Jordan

The Treasury

Australian National University

Master of Public Policy

Adina joined the Public Service as a graduate in 1999, working in a range of offices across the Human Services and Social Services portfolios. She has worked in the Department of Social Services on family policy and in the department’s program performance reporting area. Adina has also worked across strategic, corporate and program areas in high level projects.

Adina undertook a masters by coursework with a focus on public policy. In her study, Adina considered the influence public policy has on complex policy systems, the trends shaping leaders and levers for guiding decision making and leadership. Returning to the APS in 2022, Adina is using her postgraduate knowledge to influence her contribution to policy and contemporary policy frameworks.

Deborah Katona
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2021

Deborah Katona

National Indigenous Australians Agency

Charles Darwin University

Master of Public Policy

Deborah currently works at the National Indigenous Australians Agency. She more than 15 years’ experience in the APS, working in contract management, policy and coordination roles. Her most recent position was working in the Indigenous Affairs Group of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, overseeing delivery in the East Kimberley.

Deborah completed a Master of Public Policy at Charles Darwin University. The Master of Public Policy is designed with a focus on northern contexts that will provide a strong theoretical and practical understanding of the design, implementation and evaluation of public policy in remote, regional, Indigenous and northern contexts.

Craig Leon
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Craig Leon

Conscious Solutions (formerly National Indigenous Australians Agency)

Australian National University

PhD title: Unconscious bias in the Australian Public Service: implications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment

Craig joined the Department of Human Services in 2016, having worked in four other APS departments and agencies and the ACT Government over a period of 20 years. With experience across policy, program administration and human resources in central, state and regional roles, Craig has purposely remained in Indigenous Affairs throughout his career.

Craig combined his professional experience, qualifications in strategic HR, and interest in cultural proficiency in his PhD research. Craig’s research used a mixed methods approach to investigate where unconscious bias impacts practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment in the Australian Public Service. With his research, Craig aimed to turn the organisational focus inward by investigating how Australian Government bureaucracy functions from a culturally proficient perspective.

Supervisor:
Dr Boyd Hunter
Dr Marie McAuliffe
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2017

Dr

Marie McAuliffe

International Organization for Migration (formerly Department of Home Affairs)

Australian National University

PhD title: Self-agency and asylum

Marie’s PhD research examined the migration patterns, processes and factors involved in irregular maritime migration to Australia of Afghan Hazaras between 2008 and 2013. Her research focused on the conceptualisation of international migration, and irregular maritime migration specifically. In 2018, she was awarded the Charles Price prize for outstanding doctoral research in demography for her thesis. She has published and edited extensively in academic and policy spheres on international migration, serving on the editorial boards of scientific journals Migration Studies and International Migration, and is an associate editor of the Harvard Data Science Review. Marie maintains visiting scholar positions at ANU’s School of Demography and the Global Migration Centre at the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies (Geneva). Marie serves as a senior official in the UN system as the head of the Migration Research Division and editor of the flagship World Migration Report in IOM Geneva. In her role she has led the implementation of migration research projects funded by the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and USA, with research partners from across the developing and developed world. She leads migration research and analysis initiatives with a wide range of partners, including the World Economic Forum, MIT Technology Review, Meta and the International Union for the Scientific Study of Populations as well as several universities.

Marie started work with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) in 2000. She has worked for the department in offices in Canberra, Seoul and Moscow. Marie has led branches and sections in DIBP, the Australian Public Service Commission, and the Department of Workplace Relations. She has consulted to the International Labor Organization as well as in the private sector. For three years Marie managed DIBP’s largest research program as well as a research/analytical function on irregular migration.

Supervisor:
Professor James Raymer
  • McAuliffe M, and Koser K (2015) ‘Unintended Consequences: How Migrant Smugglers are Exploiting the International Protection System’, Advance, Australian National University, Winter 2015:30-33.
  • McAuliffe M and Laczko F (eds) (2016) Migrant Smuggling Data and Research: A global review of the emerging evidence base, International Organization for Migration: Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M (ed) (2016) ‘Afghan Displacement Special Issue’. Migration Policy Practice, IV(3).
  • McAuliffe, M (2016) ‘How transnational connectivity is shaping irregular migration: Insights for migration policy and practice from the 2015 irregular migration flows to Europe’. Migration Policy Practice, VI(1):4-10.
  • McAuliffe M (2016) Resolving policy conundrums: Enhancing humanitarian protection in Southeast Asia. Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC.
  • McAuliffe M (2016) ‘Migration moderate, ‘master weaver’ and inspirational team leader: Reflecting on the lasting legacy of Graeme Hugo in three spheres of migration policy’. Australian Geographer, 47(4):383-389.
  • McAuliffe M and Jayasuriya D (2016) ‘Do asylum seekers and refugees choose destination countries? Evidence from large-scale surveys in Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka’. International Migration, 54(4):44-59.
  • Jayasuriya D, McAuliffe M and Iqbal M (2016) ‘The dynamic nature of migration aspirations: Findings from a longitudinal study of households in Sri Lanka’. Occasional Paper Series, Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M and Ruhs M (eds) (2017) World Migration Report 2018. International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M (2017) Self-agency and asylum [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M (2017) ‘Protection Elsewhere, Resilience Here: Introduction to the Special Issue on Statelessness, Irregularity, and Protection in Southeast Asia’. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 15(3):221-231.
  • McAuliffe M and Koser K (eds) (2017) A long way to go: Irregular migration patterns, processes, drivers and decision making. ANU Press, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M and Mence V (2017) ‘Irregular maritime migration as a global phenomenon’, in McAuliffe M and Koser K (eds), A long way to go: Irregular migration patterns, processes, drivers and decision making. ANU Press, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M and Jayasuriya D (2017) ‘Placing Sri Lankan maritime arrivals in a broader migration context’, in McAuliffe M and Koser K (eds), A long way to go: Irregular migration patterns, processes, drivers and decision making. ANU Press, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M (2017) ‘Seeking the views of irregular migrants: Decision-making, drivers and migration journeys’, in McAuliffe M and Koser K (eds), A long way to go: Irregular migration patterns, processes, drivers and decision making. ANU Press, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M, Weeks W and Koser K (2017) ‘Media and migration: Comparative analysis of print and online media reporting on migrants and migration in selected countries’, in McAuliffe M and Koser K (eds), A long way to go: Irregular migration patterns, processes, drivers and decision making. ANU Press, Canberra.
  • McAuliffe M (2017) ‘The Human Development Visa Scheme: Applying Practical and Sustainable Policy Levers to Actively Encourage Migrants to Undertake Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’, in McAuliffe M and Klein Solomon M (Conveners) Migration Research Leaders’ Syndicate: Ideas to Inform International Cooperation on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M and Klein Solomon M (eds) (2017) ‘Migration Research Leaders Syndicate Special Issue’, Migration Policy Practice, VII(3).
  • McAuliffe M (2017) ‘Protection Elsewhere, Resilience Here: Introduction to the Special Issue on Statelessness, Irregularity and Protection in Southeast Asia’, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 15(3):221-231.
  • McAuliffe M and Triandafyllidou A (2018), Migrant Smuggling Data and Research: A global review of the emerging evidence base, Volume 2, International Organization for Migration: Geneva.
  • McAuliffe, M & Ruhs, M (eds) 2018, ‘World Migration Report Special Issue’, Migration Policy Practice, VII(4), International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M (2018) ‘The nexus between forced and irregular migration: Insights from demography’, in Hugo G, Abbasi-Shavazi M J and Kraly EP (eds) The Demography of Refugee and Forced Migration. Springer & IUSSP.
  • McAuliffe M and Goossens A M (2018) ‘Regulating International Migration in an Era of Increasing Interconnectedness’, in Triandafyllidou A (ed) Handbook on Migration and Globalisation, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Cheltenham.
  • McAuliffe M (2018) ‘Migration moderate, ‘master weaver’ and inspirational team leader: Reflecting on the lasting legacy of Graeme Hugo in three spheres of migration policy’, in Klocher N and Dun O (eds) Population, Migration and Settlement in Australia and the Asia-Pacific: In memory of Graeme Hugo, Routledge, Oxon and New York.
  • McAuliffe M and Khadria B (eds) (2019) World Migration Report 2020, International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M (2020) ‘Immobility as the ultimate “migration disrupter”: COVID-19 and the securitization of migration’, Migration Research Series Paper No 64, International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M, Bauloz C and Kitimbo A (2020) ‘The challenge of real-time analysis: making sense of the migration and mobility implications of COVID-19’, Migration Policy Practice, 10(2):15-21.
  • McAuliffe M (2020) ‘On the margins: Migrant smuggling in the context of development’ in Bastia T and Skeldon R (eds) Handbook of Migration and Development, Routledge, Oxford.
  • McAuliffe M, Blower J and Beduschi A (2021) ‘Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Migration and Mobility: Transnational Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic’. Societies, 11(4) Article 135.
  • Iqbal M and McAuliffe M (2021) ‘After decades of instability, what does the future hold for Afghan migration?’, Agenda [Blog], World Economic Forum, Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/what-does-the-future-hold-for-afghan-migration/.
  • McAuliffe M and Triandafyllidou A (eds) (2021) World Migration Report 2022. International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M, Freier L F, Skeldon R and Blower J (2021) ‘The Great Disrupter: COVID-19’s impacts on migration and migrants globally’, in McAuliffe M and Triandafyllidou A (eds), World Migration Report 2022, International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • Beduschi A and McAuliffe M (2021) ‘Artificial intelligence, migration and mobility’, in McAuliffe M and Triandafyllidou A (eds), World Migration Report 2022, International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M (ed) (2021) Research Handbook on International Migration and Digital Technology, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Oxford.
  • McAuliffe M and Sawyer A (2021) ‘The role and limitations of data science in understanding international migration flows’, in McAuliffe M (ed), Research Handbook of International Migration and Digital Technology, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Oxford.
  • McAuliffe M and Blower J (2021) ‘The role and limitations of data science in understanding international migration flows’, in McAuliffe M (ed), Research Handbook of International Migration and Digital Technology, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Oxford.
  • McAuliffe M, Abel G, Kitimbo A and Martin Galan I (2022) ‘Data, design and deep domain knowledge: science-policy collaboration to combat misinformation on migration and migrants’, Harvard Data Science Review, 4(1), DOI: 10.1162/99608f92.b3353b93.
  • McAuliffe M (2022) ‘Afghan displacement and migration: situating the current humanitarian-displacement crisis’, International Migration, 60(1):268-270.
  • Iqbal M and McAuliffe M (2022) ‘The “eighth phase” of Afghan displacement: Situating the top ten issues for policymakers’, Migration Research Series, 71, International Organization for Migration, Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M and Iqbal M (2022) Struggling to Survive: Gender, Displacement, and Migration in Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington.
  • McAuliffe M and Bauloz C (2022) The San Antonio Tragedy Was Sadly Not Uncommon, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC.
  • McAuliffe M (16 December 2022) ‘Who will be our migrants of the future? Celebrating International Migrants’ Day with a keen eye on the growing gender gap’ [blog], People Move. Accessed 22 March 2023, https://blogs.worldbank.org/peoplemove/who-will-be-our-migrants-future-celebrating-international-migrants-day-keen-eye-growing.
  • McAuliffe M (25 January 2023) ‘AI in migration is fuelling global inequality: How can we bridge the gap?’ Agenda. Accessed 22 March 2023, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/ai-in-migration-is-fuelling-global-inequality-how-can-we-bridge-gap/.
  • McAuliffe M (2024) ‘By the wayside: gender dimensions of stranded migrants during the COVID-19 crisis’ in McAuliffe, M and Bauloz C (eds) Research Handbook on Migration, Gender and COVID-19, Edward Elgar: Oxford.
  • McAuliffe M and Bauloz C (eds) (2024) Research Handbook on Migration, Gender and COVID-19, Edward Elgar: Oxford.
  • McAuliffe M and Oucho L A (eds) (2024) World Migration Report, International Organization for Migration: Geneva.
  • McAuliffe M, Rojas Coppari P, Abassi-Shavazi M J and Maunganidze O A (2024) 'Migration and human security: Unpacking myths and examining new realities and responses', in McAuliffe M Oucho L A (eds) World Migration Report 2024, International Organization for Migration: Geneva.
Dr Michael McKenzie
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2016

Dr

Michael McKenzie

Attorney-General’s Department

The Australian National University

PhD title: Rethinking International Cooperation: Crime, Policy and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations

Michael’s PhD research examined the conditions that promote criminal justice cooperation between Australia and Indonesia. His book based on the research is Common Enemies: Crime, Policy, and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations (OUP, 2018).

After completing his PhD, Michael served as Counsellor (Legal) at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta (2016-2018) and Minister-Counsellor (Legal) at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby (2019-2021). He is currently on secondment to the Australian Federal Police as a strategic adviser in Pacific Asia Command. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet).

Supervisor:
Professor Veronica Taylor
  • Connery D, Sambhi N snd McKenzie M (2014) A Return on Investment: The Future of Police Cooperation between Australia and Indonesia, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
  • Connery D, McKenzie M and Sambh N (2014), Partners Against Crime: A Short History of the AFP-POLRI Relationship, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
  • McKenzie M (2016) Rethinking International Cooperation: Crime, Policy and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
  • McKenzie M (2018) Common Enemies: Crime, Policy, and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • McKenzie M (2018) ‘A Common Enemy: Police Cooperation Between Australia and Indonesia’, in Lindsey T and McRae D (eds), Strangers Next Door? Indonesia and Australia in the Asian Century, Hart Publishing, Oxford.
  • McKenzie M (2019) ‘Securitising transnational crime: the political drivers of police cooperation between Australia and Indonesia’ Policing and Society, 29(3):333-348.
  • McKenzie M (2020) Between Politics and Policy: International Cooperation Beyond COVID-19, E-International Relations, https://www.e-ir.info/2020/06/04/between-politics-and-policy-international-cooperation-beyond-covid-19/.
Steve Munns
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Steve Munns

Australian Public Service Commission

Australian National University

PhD title: Violence at work: reducing assault and abuse experienced by frontline staff in public service roles

Dr Steve Munns is currently the Assistant Commissioner, for the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Branch at the Australian Public Service (APS) Commission. He is a proud Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung man currently living on Jagera country in Brisbane. His mob are from Grafton in the Northern Rivers area of NSW.

In his role, he is responsible for the First Nations Unit, the Diversity & Inclusion Strategies Team, Inclusion Policy Team and the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Unit. Current projects being developed and managed in the D&I branch are the SES100 initiative aimed at boosting First Nations employment across the APS; the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Strategy; the Disability Employment Strategy; and the ADDRESS model for responding to psychosocial hazards.

Steve’s previous postgraduate studies have been in the areas of Cognitive Neuroscience, Forensic Psychology and Public Administration. His PhD research aimed to understand the nature, prevalence and severity of service user violence and aggression perpetrated against frontline APS staff. He explored the issues associated with the risk of violence and aggression through understanding pre-incident factors, including staff and service user behaviour, as well as operational and physical environments. Steve’s research used a multi-phased mixed methods approach. He hopes the evidence-based outcomes of this research will provide insights that will lead to greater proactive risk mitigation policies, a reduction of service user violence and aggression but more importantly a decrease in physical and psychological injuries incurred by frontline public servants.

Supervisor:
Professor Roderic Broadhurst

Munns S (2023) Violence at Work: Reducing Assault and Abuse Experienced by Frontline Staff in Public Service Roles [PhD thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.

Conway L, Daffy L, Faulkner S, Lahn J, Munns S and Richardson G (2024) 'First nations First: First Nations public servants, the future of the Australian public service' Policy Quarterly 20(1): 30-29.

Picture of Emily Pugin
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

Emily Pugin

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Australian National University

Master of Public Policy

Emily Pugin is a Kombumerri woman from the Gold Coast, Queensland. She joined the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) in 2013 and has worked across Australia’s foreign policy, international development, multilateral and trade portfolios. Most recently, Emily was posted as a diplomat to Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, where she had a range of multilateral and bilateral responsibilities to advance Australia’s interests. Emily lead Australia’s engagement at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime where she negotiated international drugs policy and represented Australia at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which covers a range of global security issues. Emily has also managed Australia’s bilateral relationships with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Slovakia. Emily is undertaking a Master of Public Policy at ANU’s Crawford School and will return to DFAT upon completion to further her contribution to the development and implementation of Australia’s foreign policy.

Tristram Sainsbury
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2023

Dr

Tristram Sainsbury

Department of Industry, Science and Resources

The Australian National University

PhD title: Essays in Empirical Policy Evaluation: COVID-19 fiscal policy and the early release of superannuation

Tristram has worked in the Australian Treasury for close to a decade, alongside two years as Research Fellow and Project Director at the G20 Studies Centre at the Lowy Institute. His work has covered a range of tax, international economic and fiscal policy issues. He has  worked at Crawford School on behalf of the Australian Treasury and been a visiting scholar at both the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany and the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.

Tristram’s research will investigate the impact of Australia’s tax and transfer system over people’s lifetimes. He will use cross‑government investments in administrative data to focus on the extent of smoothing and rich-poor redistribution.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig
  • Sainsbury T (2015) US Global Economic Leadership: Responding to a Rising China, Lowy Institute for International Policy, Sydney.
  • Wurf H and Sainsbury T (2016) Making the Most of the G20, Lowy Institute for International Policy, Sydney.
  • Sainsbury T (2016) 'Do we need more economics in Australian economic diplomacy?' Australian Journal of International Affairs, 70(6): 613-624.
  • Sainsbury T (2023) Essays in Empirical Policy Evaluation: COVID-19 fiscal policy and the early release of superannuation [PhD thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.
Image of Siddharth Shirodkar
Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2021

Dr

Siddharth Shirodkar

Indigenous Business Australia

The Australian National University

PhD title: Unlocking Indigenous entrepreneurial potential: A mixed methods study of the pathways and barriers to business for Indigenous Australians.

Dr Siddharth Shirodkar is the Principal Economist at Indigenous Business Australia. Siddharth has worked in Indigenous economic development since 2015, joining the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to work on Indigenous entrepreneurship. He has worked as an economist in the Australian Government for close to 15 years, including at the National Indigenous Australians Agency, the Treasury, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and with the former Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Siddharth’s PhD research was on the pathways and barriers to Indigenous Australians starting a business. He has taken a mixed-methods approach to investigate factors that are limiting opportunities for potential Indigenous entrepreneurs to get into business, including the impact of racial bias. His study involves econometric analysis and ground-breaking qualitative techniques to identify Australia’s hidden entrepreneurial potential. Siddharth submitted his PhD thesis in January 2021, and received his doctorate in July 2021.

    Supervisor:
    Dr Boyd Hunter

    ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

    • Garton P, Sedgewick M, and Shirodkar S (2010) ‘Australia’s Current Account Deficit in a Global Imbalances Context’, Economic Round-up 2010, 1, The Treasury, Canberra.
    • Shirodkar S, Hunter B, and Foley D (2018) ‘Ongoing growth in the number of Indigenous Australians in business’. Working Paper 125, ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Canberra.
    • Shirodkar S (2019) ‘Bias against Indigenous Australians: Implicit association test results for Australia’. Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, 22(3-4):3-34.
    • Shirodkar S and Hunter B (2019) ‘Factors underlying the likelihood of being in business for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’, Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 22(1):5-28.
    • Shirodkar S, Hunter B and Foley D (2020) ‘A new method of estimating the number of Indigenous business owner-managers’. CSRM & SRC Methods paper, No. 2/2020.
    • Shirodkar S and Hunter B (2021) ‘Implicit biases and their effect on Indigenous business ownership’. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 24(1):1-24.
    • Shirodkar S (2021) Unlocking Indigenous entrepreneurial potential: A mixed methods study of the pathways and barriers into business for Indigenous Australians [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.

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    Penelope Sullivan
    Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2024

    Dr

    Penelope Sullivan

    Murray–Darling Basin Authority

    Australian National University

    PhD title: The techniques and strategies governments use to influence one another in federal water management: lessons for Australia from the US and Europe

    Penny Sullivan was a Sir Roland Wilson scholar and PhD candidate at the Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU. She had over ten years of experience working on water management in the Queensland and Australian public services. She worked on developing and implementing the controversial Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

    Her research focused on intergovernmental relations in federal water management, seeking to understand how state and federal governments pursue their objectives in water conflicts with each other. With the support of a Sir Roland Wilson scholarship she was able to conduct extensive fieldwork interviewing practitioners and participants for case studies in Spain and the United States, as well as in Australia.

    Supervisor:
    Associate Professor Keith Barney, Dr Daniel Connell
    Image of Carlyn Waters
    SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2022

    Carlyn Waters

    The Australian National University and Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

    The Australian National University

    Master of Business Administration

    Carlyn has over 30 years’ experience working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs at local, state and national levels and is committed to supporting employment, education and economic opportunities for Indigenous people.

    She joined the Australian Public Service in 2000 and currently is a part time Senior Fellow in the Practice of Business at the ANU College of Business and Economics and part time Branch Head in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. When she isn’t working in these roles, she is volunteering as a Non-Executive Director for The Stars Foundation (a not for profit that supports Indigenous girls and young women to attend and remain engaged at school, complete Year 12 and move into work or further study) and the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (a national not for profit committed to leaving a better Australia for our kids).

    Carlyn is committed to improving outcomes for all Australians and uses her postgraduate study to support and explore opportunities for economic growth between Indigenous communities, Australia’s business sector and government partnerships.

    Rachel Wawra
    SRW Pat Turner Scholarship Graduated 2023

    Rachel Wawra

    Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

    The Australian National University

    Master of Professional Psychology

    Rachel started as an Indigenous Graduate at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) in 2007. Since that time, she has held various policy roles throughout DFAT, including a posting and short-term mission to Solomon Islands. Most recently, she has managed the New Colombo Plan (NCP) alumni program and led a number of NCP First Nation initiatives.

    Rachel is completing her final year of the Master of Professional Psychology at ANU. She recognises how underrepresented First Nations psychologists are in Australia and particularly the Australian Public Service (APS). On completion of her studies, she hopes to provide cultural support and assistance where needed at the individual level, as well as contributing uniquely to the shaping of Departmental policy and influencing policy more broadly across the APS.

    Dr Rick Zentelis
    Sir Roland Wilson Scholarship Graduated 2017

    Dr

    Rick Zentelis

    Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

    The Australian National University

    PhD title: Bombing for Biodiversity: Integrating the Military Training and Environmental Values of Military Training Areas

    Rick’s PhD looked at a better way to manage military training areas (MTAs). He used his unique experience and in depth knowledge of environmental management to develop a MTA management model that will increase training utility, reduce costs associated with training area management and increase environmental protection. The model is also applicable to sectors such as forestry and agriculture.

    Rick has been employed by the Department of Defence since 2005. He has been involved in the environmental management of the Defence Estate, developing the department’s policies and approaches on biodiversity, heritage, biosecurity, bushfire and erosion.

    Supervisor:
    Professor David Lindenmayer
    • Zentelis R and Lindenmayer D (2014) ‘Conservation: Manage military land for the environment’, Nature, 516, Article 7530.
    • Zentelis R and Lindenmayer D (2015) ‘Bombing for Biodiversity—Enhancing Conservation Values of Military Training Areas’, Conservation Letters, 8(4):299-305.
    • Zentelis R (2017) Bombing for Biodiversity: Integrating the Military Training and Environmental Values of Military Training Areas [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra
    • Zentelis R, Lindenmayer D, Roberts J and Dovers S (2017) ‘Principles for integrated environmental management of military training areas’,.Land Use Policy, 63:186-195.
    • Zentelis R, Lindenmayer D, Roberts J and Dover S (2018) ‘Towards integrated management of Australia’s ecologically significant military training areas’, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 25(2):193-211.
    • Zentelis R, Hubbard P, Lindenmayer D, Roberts D and Dovers S (2020) ‘More bang for your buck: Managing the military training and environmental values of military training areas’, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 8, Article 100053.
     
    The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.