Master of Culture Health and Medicine, College of Arts and Social Sciences
Patricia is a Meriam Neur (Meriam woman), from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. Her family lineage is primarily from the Meriam and Dauareb clans on Mer (Murray) and Dauar Islands. Her professional career has been expansive. Over the past 18 years she has worked in a variety of business and management roles in local and state government agencies in Queensland, focussing on community services and operational service delivery.
Most recently, she has worked for the Commonwealth Department of Health in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health programs, service delivery, policy formulation and implementation spaces. Her goal as a leader and as a Pat Turner Scholar is to ensure the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Nations’ peoples directly inform, shape and influence national health policy for all Indigenous Australians.
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.
Participation and the Protection of Citizens Abroad in International Law; Akila, Suzanne. 2015. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d76383ea66a0
Australian Legislation Concerning Matters of International Law 2008. Akila, Suzanne; Cavenagh, Jennifer; Mackay, Emily; et al. The Australian Year Book of International Law Online, 2010, Volume 29, Issue 1
Networks of protection; Akila, Suzanne. Experts, Networks and International Law, 01/2017
SRW Scholarship
Graduated
2019
Dr
Talia
Avrahamzon
Department of Social Services
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.
Talia has been employed by the Department of Social Services since 2002 in various policy, implementation (including community engagement) and organisational culture (learning and development) roles. Talia’s current role is focusing on First Nation perspectives and engagement in disability policy and delivery. Since completing her PhD, she has also held positions in the ANU College of Arts and Social Science and holds a Research Fellowship position at the ANU Centre of Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR). Talia co-convenes the Indigenous Studies first year undergraduate course and has co-designed and delivered Indigenous Affairs, Policy and intercultural capability professional development and training packages. 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.
Everyday Reconciliation at School: New Celebrations and Ongoing Silences; Avrahamzon, Talia. 2019. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d77832701eef
Bar-Tal, D; Avrahamzon, T. (2016) Development of delegitimization and animosity in the context of intractable conflict. In Sibley, C. Barlow, F. (Eds) (2016). Cambridge Handbook of the Psychology of Prejudice. Cambridge Press. Cambridge.
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship
2021
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.
PhD title: E-health solutions to support early identification and self-management of mental health in the Australian Defence Force.
For over ten years, Helen has 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, including the Longitudinal Australian Defence Force (ADF) Study Evaluating Resilience, and the ADF Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study.
Helen’s research will examine 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. She presented at the Society for Mental Health Research Conference in November 2019.
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., & McFarlane, A. (2019). Technology Use and Wellbeing Report, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study. Canberra: the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Bryant, R., Lawrence-Wood, E., Baur, J., McFarlane, A., Hodson, S., Sadler, N., Benassi, H., Howell, S., Abraham, M., Iannos, M., Hansen, C., Searle, A., & Van Hooff, M. (2019). Mental Health Changes Over Time: a Longitudinal Perspective: Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study. Canberra: Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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., & Van Hooff, M. (2019). Impact of Combat Report, Impact of Combat Study. Canberra: Department of Defence and Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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, the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Canberra.
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, the Department of Defence and the 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., & McFarlane, A. (2018). Physical Health Status Report, Mental Health and Wellbeing Transition Study. Canberra: the Department of Defence and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Searle, A. K., Van Hooff, M., McFarlane, A. C., Davies, C. E., Tran, T., Hodson, S. E., Benassi, H.P., Steele, N. M. (2017). Screening for Depression and Psychological Distress in a Currently Serving Military Population: The Diagnostic Accuracy of the K10 and the PHQ9. Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191117745124
Searle, A., Van Hooff, M., McFarlane, A. C., Davies, C.E. Fairweather-Schmidt, A.K., Hodson, S.E., Benassi, H.P. & 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. 16;24(1):32-45. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1460
Steele, N.M, Benassi, H.P, Chesney, C.J, Nicholson, C, Fogarty, G.J, (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, DOI: 10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00183
Van Hooff, M., McFarlane, A.C., Davies, C.E., Searle, A., Fairweather-Schmidt, A.K., Verhagen, A., Benassi, H., Hodson, S.E. The Australian Defence Force Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study: design and methods. European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2014 14;5. Epub 2014 Aug 14. DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v5.23950
Benassi, H. (2012) Post-Operational Mental Health: Bi-Annual Surveillance Report. Technical Brief 04-12. Canberra: Department of Defence.
Benassi, H., & Steele, N. (2011). Post-Operational Mental Health Surveillance: Middle East Area of Operations 2010. Technical Brief 13-11. Canberra: Department of Defence.
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship
Graduated
2020
Peter J
Bligh
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
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.
PhD title: Rethinking deterrence approaches: three case studies in cyber security.
Melanie joined the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2015 after eight years in the Department of Defence working across policy, analysis, and capability portfolios. Melanie’s Defence experience contributed to her passion for protecting Australia’s strategic interests from non-traditional security threats. Melanie’s most recent roles have focused on national security through Crisis Management, and then in the Office of the Cyber Security Adviser.
Melanie’s doctoral research uses a qualitative approach to examine the practical applications of the principles of deterrence on cyber security from 2008-2018. Her study investigates the policies, methods and relative success of three different case studies: the United States of America, the State of Israel, and the Republic of Finland. Melanie's work aims to identify principles that may be appropriate for the Australian strategic context and contribute to a global understanding of the efficacy of cyber deterrence policies for governments.
Cyberdiplomacy: managing security and governance online: by Shaun Riordan, Cambridge, Medford, MA, Polity Press, 2019; Broder, Melanie. Global Change, Peace & Security, 08/2019
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship
2020
Cris
Castro
Department of Education, Skills and Employment
Australian National University
Master of Leadership
Cris works at the Department of Education, Skill and Employment. He leads a team responsible for reporting and overseeing state and federal government investment in the vocational education and training sector. The first ten years of Cris’ public service career focused on Indigenous employment and economic development, policy development and program implementation. More recently, Cris has worked in strategic policy and corporate governance roles.
Studying a Master of Leadership, Cris is looking to extend his knowledge and understanding of the complex systems and relationships that drive organisational performance. Through his studies, Cris will be exploring 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.
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.
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.
PhD title: Using semantic technology to better capture labour market network dynamics for productivity analysis.
Joseph began his career in the APS as an ABS graduate in 2001. Prior to starting his PhD, Joseph worked in the Methodology Division and was responsible for data integration, access and confidentiality methodology. Joseph also spent three years in the Economics Directorate at the OECD working on global macro simulation models.
Joseph’s research is analyses complex labour market dynamics to better understand the micro drivers of productivity. He has combined semantic web and network analysis methods to study the connections between firms and employees, and their impacts on productivity. Joseph hopes that his research will shed insights on productivity drivers and help the APS make better use of administrative data.
Research title: Is the Australian Public Service culturally responsive?
Lisa has worked for the Australian Government for the past 15 years in a variety of roles, including service delivery, social work, community engagement, fraud prevention and human resource policy. Lisa has been recognised by her department for her work helping them better communicate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers and by the APS more broadly for her research and development of the Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness program for social workers.
Lisa’s research will focus on applying cultural responsiveness to policy design to enable innovative solutions to closing the gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She hopes to identify opportunities and strategies to improve the cultural responsiveness of the APS.
PhD title: Ecological Perspectives on Strategic Military Mental Health Policy
Martine has been employed by the Department of Defence since 2007. Her research explores the Australian Defence Force’s strategic approach to mental health and wellbeing and how this influences the development of positive mental health in adults. Martine wants her research to inform the development of policy and interventions so as to promote positive mental health outcomes across the life-course and facilitate healthy transitions across the military lifecycle.
PhD title: How do the drivers of design and co-design for mainstream Federal Government grants affect the welfare of Indigenous Australians?
Anthony works at the Department of Social Services, contributing to the design and integration of performance and partnership functions under the Department of Social Services Grants Hub. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service, spanning several portfolios including Industry, Education, Health, Social Services and the Australian Public Service Commission. Seventeen of these years have been dedicated to working in Indigenous Australian policy and program delivery areas.
Anthony’s research uses a mixed-methods approach to examine the values and priorities that drive decision making by Australia’s federal public servants as they make critical choices about public spending (through grants) for social welfare.
Research title: Hearing the whispers of many: Journeys of Indigenous Australian women employed by Australian Public Service through entry level programs; and how the Australian Public Service facilitates retention, to positively impact intergenerational poverty.
After completing her Masters of Business Management thesis, Lee-Anne returned to the Department of Human Services through the graduate program in 2011. In her current social work role, Lee-Anne contributes to the provision of compassionate and holistic support to Services Australia customers who present with complex life circumstances.
Lee-Anne’s doctoral research will inform governments, the Australian Public Service, various departments and academia of the significance entry-level programs have in changing the lives of Indigenous Australian women. Using predominantly qualitative analysis, this study has implications for fundamental shifts in employment outcomes in a way that directly influences levels of self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and, in turn, future generations.
'Hearing the Journeys: The Factors that Impact Female Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Victoria'; Lee-Anne Daffy, Master Thesis, Master of Business Management, RMIT, 2011
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship
2019
Martin
Dallen
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Australian National University
Master of Forestry
In his role in the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Martin plays a key role advancing Australia’s sustainable forest management objectives in the Asia-Pacific region, and promoting the free trade in sustainably and legally harvested wood-based products.
Martin is studying a Master in Forestry, with a view to progressing into a research year to explore the economic and regulatory barriers faced by managers of private and
Indigenous-owned forests that inhibit the commercial utilisation of these forests. Better understanding of these inhibiting factors can lead to potential actions taken by governments at various levels, ultimately enhancing the economic and social prospects of rural, resource-dependent communities.
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
Australian National University
Kayannie joined the Australian Public Service (APS) in 2015 after relocating from Far North Queensland. She has experience working across policy, customer service and program management roles in government, as a political staffer and in the not-for-profit sector in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, training and reconciliation. At the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Kayannie manages policy, operations and heritage responsibilities in Australian territories.
Kayannie is Aṉangu Luritja with strong family and cultural ties to Bagarrmuguwarra and Kuku Yalanji Bama of Cape York. Kayannnie has an academic background in Aboriginal history and will undertake a masters by coursework with a focus on public policy, which she plans to use in future senior roles in the APS. Kayannie is interested in supporting and encouraging Indigenous women to consider executive roles across Indigenous-specific portfolios and the broader APS.
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 are passed down from parents to children. Using maturing longitudinal datasets, twin studies and administrative data, his thesis examined how mobility varies across groups in Australian society, and investigated causal mechanisms, such as the role of nature versus nurture, and the potential impact of public policy.
Nathan has worked at Treasury since 2008 in a variety of roles across social and tax policy. He worked as a Departmental Liaison Officer in the Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer’s Office between late 2011 and 2013, where he advised on individual income tax, indirect taxes and welfare policy. He is currently Acting Manager of the International Outlook Unit.
Empirical Essays in Intergenerational Mobility and Early Childhood Human Capital Formation; Deutscher, Nathan. 2019. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d5147aea28f1
The Relationship between Immigration to Australia and the Labour Market Outcomes of Australian-Born Workers; Breunig, Robert; Deutscher, Nathan; To, Hang Thi. Economic Record, 06/2017, Volume 93, Issue 301
SRW Scholarship
2019
Fiona
Dunne
Attorney General's Department
Australian National University
PhD title: The Walker Talker Project: can a structured professional judgement tool help predict those at risk of violent extremism?
Fiona joined the APS in 2002, working as a psychologist across both state and federal government. Fiona’s experiences have broadly focused on risk assessment and driven her interest in better understanding extremist violence. She is passionate about applying research to real-world contexts and improving evidence-based knowledge to inform decision making.
Fiona’s doctoral research investigates the use of structured professional judgement to indirectly, but reliably, identify, triage and manage risk associated with extremist violence. Being able to better differentiate factors salient to risk in an Australian context provides opportunities for early identification, intervention and disengagement.
PhD title: Welfare service consumers as regulators: Case studies of welfare service regulation and consumer influence in commodified welfare markets.
Anna has been a social policy director in the Department of Social Services since 2016. She previously spent many years working for government and non-government welfare services in the homelessness, domestic violence, mental health and disability sectors. Anna’s current focus has been on regulatory systems for welfare services. Most recently, she led work to develop the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission, which was established in 2018.
Anna’s involvement in NDIS policy has informed her research topic, with a particular focus on the regulatory implications in welfare models, which include consumer-directed funding. Her thesis will examine how consumers of welfare services interact with a regulatory system and whether their representative civil society organisations become regulatory actors. The research will use a case study approach to construct network/node models, comparing the impact of consumers on welfare regulation in Australia to other, more mature commodified care markets in Europe and the United Kingdom.
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.
The Rise in Household Saving and Its Implications for the Australian Economy; Freestone, Owen; Gaudry, Danial; Obeyesekere, Anthony; et al. Economic Round-up, 2011, Issue 2
Economic inequality over the life cycle in Australia; Freestone, Owen. 2020. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University.
SRW Scholarship
2020
Cathy
Fussell
Department of Health
Australian National University
PhD title: Saving lives with big data – methods for policy impact in health and social systems data analytics
Cathy joined the Australian Public Service in 2001. Since then, she has had a broad range of policy and program roles in the health portfolio in the areas of primary care, legislation, performance reporting, and data analytics. More recently, Cathy’s work has focused on big data strategy. She co-led the establishment of the Social Health and Welfare Analytic Unit, in partnership with colleagues from the Departments of Education and Social Services. She also led Health’s cross-portfolio engagement on big data analytics projects through the Data Integration Partnership for Australia. Prior to joining the public service, Cathy was a medical researcher at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.
Cathy’s research focuses on how to fast-track governments’ ability to translate big linked data into policy and social impact. She aims to uncover the critical conditions and elements of policy analytics and how these can be embedded within the data system and APS processes, roles and organisational structures.
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 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.
Her research topic examines the language of the Australian Public Service and how it expresses its expert policy advice. Balancing two of its key obligations— objectivity and responsiveness—the APS has produced policy advice that is too often rebuffed. Why is that? Two case studies from distinctly different policy areas across the last two decades are juxtaposed: advice about the 2016 state-wide blackout event in South Australia; and Australia’s 2003 intelligence assessments on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.
Primal future: science and regeneration in Gothic science fiction; Gerblinger, Christiane. 2000. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d611ae634747
James Whale's Frankensteins: re-animating the Great War; Gerblinger, Christiane. CineAction, 01/2011, Issue 82-83
'FIERY THE ANGELS FELL': AMERICA, REGENERATION, AND RIDLEY SCOTT'S "BLADE RUNNER”; CHRISTIANE GERBLINGER. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 07/2002, Volume 21, Issue 1
SRW Scholarship
Graduated
2019
Dr
Camille
Goodman
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
Camille’s PhD focused 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 doctoral research addresses 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.
Camille has worked at the Attorney-General’s Department since 2005. She has provided advice to government on a wide range of public international law issues, with a particular focus on maritime law and international fisheries law. She has been the Australian Government legal adviser at international meetings and negotiations, and managed litigation before international courts and tribunals. Since completing her PhD, Camille has worked in various roles at the Attorney-General’s Department, including leading the Department’s Incoming Government Brief Taskforce during the 2019 election period. She is currently the Director of the Cabinet, Legislation and Estimates Section in the Strategy and Governance Branch.
The nature and extent of coastal State jurisdiction over living resources in the exclusive economic zone; Goodman, Camille. 2019. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d5149ad89340
Law Beyond Boundaries: innovative mechanisms for the integrated management of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction; Goodman, Camille; Matley, Holly. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 01/2018, Volume 75, Issue 1
Striking the right balance? Applying the jurisprudence of international tribunals to coastal state innovations in international fisheries governance; Goodman, Camille. Marine Policy, 10/2017, Volume 84
Rights, Obligations, Prohibitions: A Practical Guide to Understanding Judicial Decisions on Coastal State Jurisdiction over Living Resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone; Goodman, Camille. The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law, 08/2018, Volume 33, Issue 3
SRW Scholarship
2020
Emma
Graham
Attorney-General’s Department
Australian National University
PhD title: Discriminatory job loss during pregnancy, parental leave and return to work: women’s experiences and options for reform.
Emma joined the Attorney-General’s Department in 2011 and has worked in a variety of legal policy roles across native title, constitutional law and human rights. In that time, Emma has provided advice to government on the implications of native title litigation, including a number of complex appellate matters. Emma prepared and was a member of the Australian delegation that appeared before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2017. She also prepared the delegation for its appearance before the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2019.
Emma’s research will explore women’s experiences of discriminatory job loss, including its contributing causes and the effectiveness of current prevention and redress schemes. The research will analyse mechanisms that hold potential for addressing discriminatory job loss, including measures implemented in comparable jurisdictions and any barriers or enablers to their effective implementation in the Australian context.
PhD title: Three essays on the US business cycle, expectations formation and model comparison
Angelia’s PhD 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. Her 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 while continuing her work as an academic. She has held positions as the Principal Adviser (Forecasting) in the Macroeconomic Conditions Division, as the Head of the Macroeconomic Conditions Division and as Principal Adviser to the Treasurer. Recently, she has taken up the position as Alternate Executive Director, Asia and the Pacific Constituency at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.
Three essays on the US business cycle, expectations formation and model comparison; Grant, Angelia Lee. 2015. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d51464b32db1
The Early Millennium Slowdown: Replicating the Peersman (2005) Results; Grant, Angelia L. Journal of Applied Econometrics, 01/2017, Volume 32, Issue 1
The Great Recession and Okun's Law. Grant, Angelia L. Economic Modelling, 01/2018, Volume 69
Modeling energy price dynamics: GARCH versus stochastic volatility; Chan, Joshua Cc; Grant, Angelia L. Energy economics, 02/2016, Volume 54
A Bayesian Model Comparison for Trend-Cycle Decompositions of Output: MONEY, CREDIT AND BANKING; GRANT, ANGELIA L; CHAN, JOSHUA C.C. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 03/2017, Volume 49, Issue 2-3
On the Observed-Data Deviance Information Criterion for Volatility Modeling; Chan, Joshua C C; Grant, Angelia L. Journal of Financial Econometrics, 10/2016, Volume 14, Issue 4.
Fast computation of the deviance information criterion for latent variable models; Chan, Joshua C.C; Grant, Angelia L. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 08/2016, Volume 100
Reconciling output gaps: Unobserved components model and Hodrick–Prescott filter; Grant, Angelia L; Chan, Joshua C.C.Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 02/2017, Volume 75
SRW Scholarship
2016
Szabina
Horvath
Department of Defence
Australian National University
PhD title: Satisfying Australia’s applicable human rights obligations during extra-territorial armed conflict.
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’s research will examine Australia’s extraterritorial human rights obligations. Specifically, the research will consider 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. The research will postulate on the means and mechanisms that could reasonably satisfy Australia’s human rights obligations extraterritorially.
PhD title: Understanding the challenges associated with ‘off-label’ prescribing and repurposing of older medicines currently on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods to inform future policy development.
Prior to joining the Department of Health in 2010, Katrina worked on clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies both nationally and internationally. Whilst working for government, she has helped patients with rare, life-threatening conditions to access effective treatments; improve the sustainability of future PBS drug supply via pricing reviews; increase patient access to new and expanded pharmacy programs and protect public health through the scheduling of medicines and poisons.
Katrina’s research aims to evaluate the impacts of current medicines policy, regulatory processes, prescriber behaviour and clinical guideline content on ‘off-label’ prescribing and the potential repurposing of medicines. Australian and international policy perspectives will be studied. Katrina will use a mixed-methods approach to investigate factors that influence decision making in order to inform future policy development.
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.
Managing Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment; Hubbard, Paul. The China Quarterly, 12/2016, Volume 228
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Multilateralism on the Silk Road; Callaghan, Mike; Hubbard, Paul.China Economic Journal, 05/2016, Volume 9, Issue 2
Where have China’s state monopolies gone?; Hubbard, Paul. China Economic Journal, 01/2016, Volume 9, Issue 1
Open government information in Chinese state-owned enterprises; Hubbard, Paul; Xiao, Weibing. Information Polity, 05/2017, Volume 22, Issue 1
A flying goose chase: China’s overseas direct investment in manufacturing (2011–2013); Xu, Jiajun; Hubbard, Paul. China Economic Journal, 05/2018, Volume 11, Issue 2
Chinese state owned enterprises: An observer's guide; Hubbard, Paul; Williams, Patrick. International Journal of Public Policy, 2017, Volume 13, Issue 3-5
SRW 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 PhD thesis focused on the design of water property rights in rivers with large reservoirs. Neal’s research involves the development of computational models of regulated river systems with large numbers of `artificially intelligent’ agents. You can read his thesis at nealhughes.net.
Since joining the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences in 2006, Neal has completed extensive research on a range of water and agricultural productivity issues. Neal is now the Director, Water and Climate at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences. He is also a Visiting Fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy.
Water property rights in rivers with large dams; Hughes, Neal. 2015. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d612083a110d
The impact of water ownership and water market trade strategy on Australian irrigators’ farm viability; Wheeler, Sarah Ann; Zuo, Alec; Hughes, Neal. Agricultural Systems, 07/2014, Volume 129
Urban Water Management: Optimal Price and Investment Policy under Climate Variability; Hughes, Neal; Hafi, Ahmed; Goesch, Tim. Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 04/2009, Volume 53, Issue 2
Trends in horticulture activity in the Victorian Murray region; Gupta, Mihir; Hughes, Neal. Agricultural Commodities, 03/2018, Volume 8, Issue 1
Shift from rice to cotton production in NSW Murrumbidgee region; Gupta, Mihir; Hughes, Neal. Agricultural Commodities, 03/2018, Volume 8, Issue 1
Drought and climate change are driving high water prices in the Murray-Darling Basin; Neal Hughes. The Conversation, July 18, 2019.
Better data would help crack the drought insurance problem; Neal Hughes. The Conversation, November 5, 2018.
Helping farmers in distress doesn’t help them be the best: the drought relief dilemma; Neal Hughes. The Conversation, October 23, 2018.
Australian farmers are adapting to climate change; Neal Hughes. The Conversation, May 23, 2017.
SRW Scholarship
Graduated
2017
Dr
Nerida
Hunter
Department of Social Services
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. She was the Departmental Liaison Officer in the Office of the Cabinet Secretary in 2008 and 2009 and also headed the International and Trade Analysis Unit for the Department of the Treasury during 2015 and 2016.
Geodemographic and life course perspectives of population ageing in Australia: informing the policy response to population ageing; Hunter, Nerida. 2016. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d6e4ca407e6c
SRW Scholarship
2021
Jennifer
Jackett
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Australian National University
The geopolitics of United States-China technological competition in the 21st century: a growing divergence in US allies’ hedging strategies?
Jennifer is a Senior Adviser in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s National Security and International Policy Group. Jennifer has experience advising government on a range of cross-cutting policy issues, including foreign interference, critical infrastructure, international defence engagement, and counter-terrorism.
Jennifer’s research will examine US-China competition for leadership over advanced and emerging technologies, and the implications for US allies including Australia. The findings of Jennifer’s research will inform the development of a policy framework which integrates security, economic and social considerations, and supports government decision-making in the long-term national interest.
Jennifer holds a Master of National Security Policy from the ANU’s National Security College. She was awarded First Class Honours and the University Medal for her research on urbanisation in India, as part of her Bachelor of Liberal Studies at Sydney University.
PhD title: An analytical history of government debt financing and management.
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.
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.
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 will undertake a masters by coursework with a focus on public policy. In her study, Adina will consider the influence public policy has on complex policy systems, the trends shaping leaders and levers for guiding decision making and leadership. This study will enhance Adina’s previous study and broad work experience.
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 will complete 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.
PhD title: Development of new detection methods for novel viruses, serotyping for pathogens of concern, using third generation sequencing techniques and the development of bespoke bioinformatic tools.
Therese joined the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (now Group) in 1999. She has helped design, develop and deliver science and technology outcomes to the Austalian Defence Force, which are critical for ensuring capability relevance is maintained in an increasingly complex, ambiguous environment. During that time, she expanded her professional skills by undertaking further biotechnology study, combining a personal passion with improving her ability to contribute to ADF and whole of government options in this rapidly evolving field.
Therese’s doctoral research will investigate new genetic sequencing technologies and complimentary development of bioinformatic tools to improve discovery and monitoring of pathogenic, emerging and engineered viruses of national security concern. These improved capabilities will be critical in informing policy and response development for known and emerging pathogens, contributing to the whole-of-government ability to avert catastrophic bioterrorism events or minimise their impact.
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’s most recent role in Indigenous Employment Strategies has focused on positioning Services Australia as an employer of choice for Indigenous employees. Craig’s has combined his professional experience, qualifications in strategic HR, and interest in cultural proficiency in his research. Craig’s research will use 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’s wants to turn the organisational focus inward by investigating how Australian Government bureaucracy functions from a culturally proficient perspective.
PhD title: Energy Diplomacy in Southeast Asia: Power Politics for a Post-Carbon World?
Since joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2012, Hannah has worked in a variety of foreign policy and international development roles focusing on Southeast Asia and climate change. A three-year posting to Laos sparked Hannah’s interest in energy policy in Asia, where she was responsible for political and economic reporting and managed several Australian aid programs. Since 2018, Hannah has been part of Australia’s delegation to UN climate change negotiations, leading on gender and climate finance reporting issues.
Hannah’s research aims to improve understanding of energy policy and governance in East Asia, in the context of the transition to a net zero emissions energy system to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. This will help Australian diplomats and policy-makers, as well as Australian business looking to invest in low-emissions export industries, to respond to the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly evolving regional energy sector.
Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Australian National University
PhD title: Opportunities and risks for Australian energy exports under the Paris Agreement.
Michelle has spent the past decade working on climate change policy for the Australian Government. She most recently worked in the International Climate Change Branch of the Department of the Environment and Energy, where she led the global analytics function and supported Australia’s involvement in the G20 Climate and Sustainability Working Group. She was an emerging leader at the 2017 EU-Australia Leadership Forum and an inaugural recipient of the 2019 JWLand research fellowship for the ANU Grand Challenge Zero Carbon Energy in the Asia-Pacific. Her research will focus on the opportunities and risks for Australia’s energy exporting regions under the Paris Agreement.
Marie’s PhD research examined the migration patterns, processes and factors involved in irregular maritime migration to Australia of Afghan Hazaras and Sri Lankan Tamils between 2008 and 2013. Her research focused on the conceptualisation of international migration, and irregular maritime migration specifically.
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 programme as well as a research/analytical function on irregular migration.
Self-agency and asylum; McAuliffe, Marie. 2017. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d149b842f660
Protection Elsewhere, Resilience Here: Introduction to the Special Issue on Statelessness, Irregularity, and Protection in Southeast Asia; McAuliffe, Marie. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 07/2017, Volume 15, Issue 3
Migration moderate, 'Master Weaver' and inspirational team leader: reflecting on the lasting legacy of Graeme Hugo in three spheres of migration policy; McAuliffe, Marie. Australian Geographer, 10/2016, Volume 47, Issue 4
SRW Scholarship
2017
Tess
McGirr
Department of Social Services
Australian National University
PhD title: Family services and the employability of mothers in Australia's 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.
PhD title: Rethinking International Cooperation: Crime, Policy and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations
Michael’s research examines the conditions that promote criminal justice cooperation between Australia and Indonesia. He published a book based on the research, Common Enemies: Crime, Policy, and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations, with Oxford University Press in 2018.
Prior to commencing his PhD, Michael worked at the Attorney-General’s Department on legal capacity building in South-East Asia. His work focused on assisting countries in the region to strengthen their terrorism and transnational crime laws. After his research, Michael served as Counsellor (Legal) at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta (2016-2019). He currently serves as Minister-Counsellor (Legal) at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby. Michael is also a visitor at RegNet.
Rethinking International Cooperation: Crime, Policy and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations; McKenzie, Michael John. 2016. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d51467274772
Common Enemies: Crime, Policy, and Politics in Australia-Indonesia Relations; McKenzie, Michael. 2018.
Securitising transnational crime: the political drivers of police cooperation between Australia and Indonesia; McKenzie, Michael. Policing and Society, 03/2019, Volume 29, Issue 3
Market makers' optimal price-setting policy for exchange-traded certificates; Baller, Stefanie; Entrop, Oliver; McKenzie, Michael; et al. Journal of banking and finance, 10/2016, Volume 71
SRW Scholarship
2021
Helen
Mitchell
Australian National University
PhD title: Australian strategy for a new geo-economic global order
Helen began her public service career in 2011. An economist and former diplomat, she is currently one of a cadre of experts providing strategic advice to the Prime Minister and rest of government. Helen has also worked at Treasury and served Australia in New York, South Africa and Mexico with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She is trained in analytical tradecraft and speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese.
Helen’s research draws on her expertise fusing economics, geopolitics and security for government. She will explore geo-economic strategies to respond to a new global order – one in which Australia faces sharper trade-offs between sovereignty, security and economic prosperity. Helen will collaborate with international institutions and governments to develop her model and test strategies.
Mixing the carrots with the sticks: third party punishment and reward; Nikiforakis, Nikos; Mitchell, Helen. Experimental Economics 17, 1–23 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-013-9354-z
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications
Australian National University
PhD title: Public investment coherence: what conditions support effective decisions to maintain long-term impact?
Andrew comes from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. He is a 2015 Churchill Fellow and has worked in safety, health and environmental policy development, governance, planning and evaluation. Through this experience Andrew has developed a passion for understanding how to prioritise policy investment and conditions that sustain long term benefits to builds public trust in policy making.
Andrew’s PhD seeks to establish how government reforms in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore influence and inform policy investment and decisions in different contexts over time. Through comparative analysis this project will build a model for a systematic understanding of policy investment and benefits that provides a whole-of-government lens to policy prioritisation and evaluation.
Supervisor:
Professor John Wanna, School of Politics and International Relations and ANZSOG
PhD title: Violence at work: reducing assault and abuse directed at frontline staff in public service roles.
Steve has worked at the Department of Human Services since 2004. He most recently worked in the Assessment Services Branch, with responsibility for health & allied health professionals who undertook job capacity and employment service assessments, as well as specialist professional assessments in Northern Australia, North, Central and South East QLD. Steve’s background is in forensic psychology, having worked and studied in various forensic environments both in Australia and the United Kingdom. Steve’s previous postgraduate studies have been in the areas of Cognitive Neuroscience, Forensic Psychology and Public Administration. Steve is a proud Bundjalung man with his mob being from Grafton in the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
Steve’s research aims to understand the nature, prevalence and severity of customer violence and aggression perpetrated against frontline APS staff. He’s exploring the factors associated with the risk of violence and aggression through an understanding pre-incident factors, including staff and customer behaviour, as well as operational and physical environments. His research uses a multi-phased, mixed methods approach. He hopes the outcome of this research will determine what factors or responses are most promising in preventing aggression and deliver an evidence based to develop proactive risk mitigation polices that could reduce the number of physical and psychological injuries incurred by public servants.
PhD title: The international political economy of carbon trading.
Since joining the Department of the Environment in 2007, Eliza has contributed to a wide range of biodiversity and climate change policies, from national parks and forests to light bulbs and landfills. In this, Eliza played an instrumental role in the design of Australia’s Carbon Farming Initiative. Eliza has also worked as the director of International Climate Change Negotiations at the Department of the Environment and Energy. She is currently the acting General Manager at the Climate Change Authority.
Her research investigates inter-governmental cooperation on carbon markets and whether emissions trading could contribute to a more coordinated and effective global response to the threat of climate change.
PhD title: Income support dynamics among Australian youth disengaged from education, training and the labour market— a quantitative enquiry using administrative data.
Agnieszka’s has worked for various agencies in the Australian Public Service and in the UK Department for Work and Pensions. Her experience is in the area of social policy development, research and evaluation. In the UK, she lead a team of economists, social researchers and statisticians to deliver groundbreaking research to support policy development. At the Department of Social Services, Agnieszka works on strengthening the Department’s research and evaluation capability and culture. To do this, she developed and Evidence Strategy and established an International What Works in Social Policy Working Group between DSS and the Department for Work and Pensions in the UK.
Agnieszka’s research includes an examination of income support dynamics among vulnerable Australian youth, with a focus on changing economic conditions and welfare to work reforms. She is also a Fellow at the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Crawford School of Public Policy and a Board Member of the Foundation for International Studies on Social Security (FISS).
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. Emily is currently posted as a diplomat to Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, where she has a range of multilateral and bilateral responsibilities to advance Australia’s interests. Emily leads Australia’s engagement at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime where she negotiates international drugs policy and represents Australia at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which covers a range of global security issues. Emily also manages Australia’s bilateral relationships with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Slovakia. Emily will commence a Master of Public Policy at ANU’s Crawford School in 2021 and will return to DFAT upon completion to further her contribution to the development and implementation of Australia’s foreign policy.
Research title: Factors affecting Indigenous students' participation and achievement in education
Claire is a proud Torres Strait woman who grew up on Badu Island. In 2007, Claire moved to Canberra to work at the Department of Education, Science and Training. She has worked in Indigenous affairs for the last 12 years.
Claire currently works at the National Indigenous Australians Agency and leads the Teaching and Learning Policy Team. She is responsible for the development of policy and strategies to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students through national leadership and management of a number of flagship government initiatives.
PhD title: Federal structures on the Australian welfare state
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.
Do we need more economics in Australian economic diplomacy?; Sainsbury, Tristram. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 11/2016, Volume 70, Issue 6
US Global Economic Leadership: Responding to a Rising China; Sainsbury, Tristram. Policy File, 08/2015
Making the Most of the G20; Wurf, Hannah; Sainsbury, Tristram. Policy File, 07/2016
SRW Scholarship
2018
Siddharth
Shirodkar
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Australian National University
PhD title: Where are all the Indigenous entrepreneurs? A study of the pathways and barriers to entrepreneurship
Siddharth joined the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2015 to work on Indigenous economic development, particularly centred around Indigenous entrepreneurship. He has worked as an economist in the Australian Government for over a decade including at the Treasury, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and with the former Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Siddharth’s research is on the pathways and barriers to Indigenous Australians starting a business. He will take 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 groundbreaking qualitative techniques to identify Australia’s hidden entrepreneurial potential.
Australia's Current Account Deficit in a Global Imbalances Context; Garton, Phil; Sedgwick, Matt; Shirodkar, Siddharth. Economic Round-up, 2010, Issue 1
Harnessing the Demand Side: Australian Consumer Policy; Hally-Burton, Stephen; Shirodkar, Siddharth; Winckler, Simon; et al.Economic Round-up, 2008, Issue 4
SRW Scholarship
2018
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 joined the Australian Public Service in 2010 to work at the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) Authority on the MDB Plan, one of the most significant Australian Government interventions in water policy since Federation. The experience gave her a passion for solving national scale natural resource management problems, combined with an understanding of the challenges of ensuring appropriate regional and state participation in policy solutions.
Penny’s research examines the techniques and strategies governments in federations use to influence each other to adopt and implement water resource management policies. She is taking a particular focus on cases where exploiting fiscal gaps alone has not been sufficient to secure lasting agreement. Penny will use her experience working on the MDB Plan as an initial example comparing it to experiences in the Colorado River Basin in the United States, and the Jucar River Basin in Spain.
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Australian National University
Carlyn has over 25 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 oversees Parks Australia’s enabling services including visitor experiences, legal advice, human resources, learning and development, media and marketing, finance and asset management, and security and property services, whilst managing Booderee National Park, a park jointly managed by the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council and the Director of National Parks.
Carlyn will use her postgraduate study to further identify and explore opportunities for economic growth within Indigenous communities, Australia’s business sectors and government partnerships. Her plan is to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities develop and grow their business acumen.
Timothy joined the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in 2015. Between 2015 and 2019, Timothy supported the Prime Minister’s engagement in the G20; was the Australian Government’s lead representative on the G20 Digital Economy Taskforce; and undertook secondments to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, the Policy Evaluation Branch in the Indigenous Affairs Group, and the Office for Women. He has published original economic research with colleagues in peer reviewed journals and conference volumes, and presented at numerous conferences. Prior to joining PM&C, Timothy spent almost a decade providing advice on multinational taxation, economic and financial policy in the Commonwealth Treasury, the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance, and in the private sector.
Timothy’s research will investigate output and unemployment fiscal multipliers in Australia, and how these vary based on capacity utilisation and the stance of fiscal policy. It will also explore cross-country evidence concerning how multipliers differ based on these factors, with reference to differences in exchange rate regimes, economic openness, government debt, and monetary policy settings.
PhD title: Business tax policy and the macro-economy
Nu Nu joined the Department of Treasury in 2005 and has a broad range of experience across tax policy and legislation as well as macroeconomic policy, modelling and forecasting. She has also worked in the Department in Industry’s business tax incentives area and at the ANU Crawford School as a research fellow. Nu Nu led the BHP’s macroeconomic team in Singapore to develop a new forecasting system to underpin commodity price forecasts, and worked in the World Bank’s macroeconomic modelling team in Washington DC.
Nu Nu’s research will examine the effectiveness of business tax policies in achieving macroeconomic stabilisation objectives, taking explicit account of firm heterogeneity. The trade-off with longer-run objectives of economic efficiency and growth will also be explored. Empirical analysis including dynamic panel and regression discontinuity methods will be undertaken using firm-level datasets. These empirical insights will feed into the development of a general equilibrium model of the Australian economy that can be used for tax policy analysis.
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
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.
Bombing for Biodiversity: Integrating the Military Training and Environmental Values of Military Training Areas; Zentelis, Rick Aleksander. 2017. Dissertation/Thesis, The Australian National University. 10.25911/5d6cf9df1db2e
Conservation: Manage military land for the environment; Zentelis, Rick; Lindenmayer, David. Nature, 12/2014, Volume 516, Issue 7530
Principles for integrated environmental management of military training areas; Rick Zentelis; David Lindenmayer; J Dale Roberts; et al. Land Use Policy, 04/2017, Volume 63
Bombing for Biodiversity—Enhancing Conservation Values of Military Training Areas: Bombing for biodiversity; Zentelis, Rick; Lindenmayer, David. Conservation Letters, 07/2015, Volume 8, Issue 4
Towards integrated management of Australia’s ecologically significant military training areas; Zentelis, Rick; Lindenmayer, David; Roberts, J Dale; et al. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 04/2018, Volume 25, Issue 2
The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.