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an image of Lyndon Ang
SRW Scholarship 2022

Lyndon Ang

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Australian National University

PhD title: Filling in the blanks: Methods to maximise the value of administrative and big data for producing statistics

Lyndon has nearly 20 years’ experience as an applied survey statistician at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and has an excellent sense of the needs and pressures facing a statistical organisation. In recent years, he has driven initiatives at the ABS to develop new methods for using administrative data to produce more efficient statistics.

The increasing availability of large datasets promises to provide significant benefits for policy and decision making, however large datasets can contain inherent flaws. Through his PhD research, Lyndon aims to improve the way we harness and use externally sourced datasets alongside sample surveys to produce statistics that provide reliable conclusions.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Robert Clark
  • Ralphs, M & Ang L 2009, ‘Optimised geographies for data reporting: Zone design tools for census output geographies’, Statistics New Zealand Working Paper No 09-01, Statistics New Zealand, Wellington.
  • Hendrickson, L, Taylor, D, Ang, L, Cao, K, Nguyen, T & Soriano, F 2021, ‘The impact of persistent innovation on Australian firm growth, Prometheus, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 241-258.
  • Tam, S-M, Kim, J K, Ang, L & Pham, H 2021, ‘Mining the New Oil for Official Statistics’, in C Hill, P Biemer, T Buskirk, L Japec, A Kirchner, S Kolenikov & L Lyberg (eds), Big Data Meets Survey Science: A Collection of Innovative Methods. John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, pp.339- 359.
  • Tam, S M, Trewin, A & Ang, L 2022, ‘Error analysis for hybrid estimates of proportion using big data’ Statistical Journal of the IAOS, Preprint, https://doi.org/10.3233/SJI-210924

Image of Mitchell Bird
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Mitchell Bird

Services Australia

The Australian National University

Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Mitchell is a proud Kamilaroi man, born in Tamworth NSW.

Mitchell commenced in the Australian Public Service in 2010, working for Services Australia (formerly Department of Human Services), and was part of the agency’s first intake of the Indigenous Apprenticeship Program. Mitchell’s apprenticeship was front-line service delivery, assisting Australians in accessing essential social welfare payments and services.

After four years, Mitchell relocated from his home community, Tweed Heads NSW, to Canberra to further pursue his public service career. Since moving to Canberra, Mitchell worked in a variety of roles such as: Team Leader of front-line service delivery staff, Assistant Director/Director, leading governance and coordination teams; Departmental Liaison Officer, a conduit between the Minister’s office and Services Australia; Executive Officer, supporting senior executive with strategic and operational matters; Ministerial Adviser, advising Ministers on various portfolio matters. In each role held, Mitchell has advocated for creating opportunities for Indigenous people.

Mitchell has a passion for leadership and commenced in the Pat Turner Scholarship Program in Semester 2 2023, studying a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, specialising in leadership.


Image of Crystal Bradley
SRW Scholarship

Crystal Bradley

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

The Australian National University

PhD title: Critical natural capital dependency in Australia and options for protection in law and policy

Crystal has worked in the APS since 2001 in the social services and environment portfolios. For over 15 years she has led various domestic and international environment policy programs such as chemical policy, biodiversity policy and natural capital accounting policy. In partnership with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Crystal recently led the development of Australia’s first national ocean ecosystem account and co-chaired the United Nations working group advancing global ocean accounting standards.

Crystal’s PhD research explores what is ‘critical natural capital’ in Australia’s environmental and socio-economic context, the way Australia’s essential economic products and services depend on nature, and options for protecting critical natural capital in law and policy. She is particularly interested in how critical natural capital dependency can be reflected in Australia’s system of national accounts. Crystal’s research aims to support governments to understand and address natural capital dependency risk.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Sarah Clement
  • Gacutan J, Pinarbasi K, Agbaglah M, Bradely C, Galparsora I, Murillas A, Adewinmi I, Praphotjanaporn T, Bordt M, Findlay K, Lantz C and Milligan B M (2022) ‘The emerging intersection between marine spatial planning and ocean accounting: A global review and case studies’. Marine Policy, 140, Article 105055.

Image of Kathryn Brett
SRW Scholarship

Kathryn Brett

Department of Defence

The Australian National University

PhD title: Repositioning flexible working: mutual goal attainment, strategic signalling, and career advancement

Kathryn is a business, governance, and research professional with over 20 years’ experience across the public and tertiary education sectors. She has implemented initiatives and led successful outcomes across diverse research, technology, strategic planning and policy, governance, and service delivery environments. Prior to commencing as a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar, she was the Director Governance within Headquarters Joint Operations Command.

Kathryn’s PhD research program examines the phenomenon of flexible work. Flexible working has burgeoned in recent decades and the COVID-19 pandemic catapulted its status to normative work method, at least temporarily if not permanently. As employers and employees navigate complex social expectations and environments, the mutual gains stemming from flexible work are increasingly valuable to the APS, individuals and businesses, and broader society. Kathryn’s research explores flexible working holistically to better understand how it is changing and how it affects workforce participation and career advancement.

Supervisor:
Professor Sarbari Bordia
  • Brett K, Jansen K and Bordia S. (2022) ‘From Control to Mutual Gains: A Systematic Review and Repositioning of Flexible Working’, Academy of Management Proceedings, 2022(1).

an image of Natalie Bryant
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship 2022

Natalie Bryant

Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority

Australian National University

PhD title: The curious case of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Authority: Investigating the absence of reforms to facilitate Indigenous self-determination in Australia’s hospital system

Natalie has held a variety of roles across the Commonwealth and NSW public service. She has a strong interest in health and leadership, and is passionate about the development and implementation of programs that provide the best outcomes for all people but particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

In 2009, the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission released a report including 123 recommendations across four themes. The recommendations included substantial reforms to the structure, governance, and funding of Australia's health care system. The government's response the following year supported or noted 122 of the 123 recommendations. One recommendation was rejected - the recommendation to establish a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Health Authority. This came within a year of Australia's endorsement of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a declaration which foregrounds the right of Indigenous peoples to self-determination.   

The decision to reject the establishment of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Authority appears to be in contradiction to other decisions made in the relation to Indigenous affairs at the time. This research seeks to understand why this reform to facilitate Indigenous self-determination within the Australian hospital system failed to be implemented. It investigates potential structures that might facilitate Indigenous self-determination in the hospital system in Australia, and the reform processes that might be needed to realise them.

Supervisor:
Dr Francis Markham

Bryant N (2024) 'Introducing Indigenist Critical Policy Analysis: A rights-based approach to analysing public policies and processes', Australian Journal of Social Issues, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.350


Conrad Buffier
SRW Scholarship

Conrad Buffier

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

The Australian National University

PhD title: Climate change policy upscaling

Conrad is a Director in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Over his 15 year career in the Australian Public Service, Conrad has contributed to the development of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, the Carbon Pricing Mechanism, the Emissions Reduction Fund, the National Energy Guarantee, the Safeguard Mechanism, and transport emissions policy. Conrad also worked on the 2008 and 2011 Garnaut Climate Change Reviews.

Through his PhD research at the ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy, Conrad will examine factors that support upscaling the stringency of countries’ climate change mitigation policy instruments.

Supervisor:
Professor Llewelyn Hughes

Lynette Caruso
SRW Scholarship

Lynette Caruso

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

The Australian National University

PhD title: Future of work: a strategic framework for hybrid work arrangements

Lynette has worked in the public service for over 30 years in in a range of areas including population health, sport, mental health, disability, aged care, agriculture, family and advocacy services; in both program and policy roles. Lynette has worked overseas, in regional areas and was outposted to state government where she was responsible for fostering closer ties between the Commonwealth and the state. Prior to commencing the scholarship she was overseeing hospital programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Lynette’s research will examine the positive and negative impacts of hybrid work on workers and managers and what they need to ensure these arrangements foster wellbeing, knowledge sharing, team cohesion and productivity. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of these types of arrangements will help to set best practice public policy for Australian workplaces.

Lynette has previously completed tertiary studies in social work, legal studies, sociology and public health.

Supervisor:
Professor Lyndall Strazdins

Martine Cosgrove
SRW Scholarship 2014

Martine Cosgrove

Department of Defence

Australian National University

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.

 

Supervisor:
Professor Peter Butterworth

Anthony Cowley
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship 2019

Anthony Cowley

Department of Social Services

Charles Darwin University

PhD title: Beyond consultation: co-design as a process for redefining success for Indigenous communities

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.

Supervisor:
Professor Ruth Wallace

Lee-Anne Daffy
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship 2020

Lee-Anne Daffy

Services Australia

Charles Darwin University

Research title: Hearing the whispers of many: truth telling journeys of Aboriginal Australian women employed by the Australian Public Service through entry level programs

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.

Supervisor:
Professor Ruth Wallace

Daffy L (2011) Hearing the Journeys: The Factors that Impact Female Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Victoria [Master Thesis], RMIT University, Melbourne.

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.

News and stories related to Lee-Anne Daffy


an image of Nikolai Drahos
SRW Scholarship 2022

Nikolai Drahos

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Australian National University

PhD title: Governing gas in a world transitioning to net zero

Nikolai has been in the Australian Public Service since 2012, where he has led specialist research and analysis at the Climate Change Authority and the Office of the Chief Economist within the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

Nikolai’s research examines a key climate policy challenge – reducing methane emissions from energy and agriculture – and how support for important climate policy reforms can build across industry, finance and civil society.

Supervisor:
Dr Christian Downie
  • Ledesma, D & Drahos, N 2018, ‘Prices and crisis: LNG and Australia’s East Coast gas market’, Energy Insight, Vol. 30, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Oxford.
  • Drahos, N 2019, ‘LNG spot price forecasting and the futures curve’, NG147, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Oxford.
  • Drahos, N 2021, 'Australia’s gas trilemma: prices, exports and emissions', Energy Insight, Vol. 100, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Oxford.

Fiona Dunne
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.

Supervisor:
Professor Katherine Reynolds

Picture of Anna Fieldhouse
SRW Scholarship 2020

Anna Fieldhouse

Department of Social Services

Australian National University

PhD title: Welfare service consumers as regulators: Case studies of welfare service regulation and consumer influence in commodified welfare markets.

Through her research, Anna Fieldhouse considers the regulatory governance of welfare services and the role of civil society as intermediaries representing marginalised welfare service users. Her PhD thesis looks at regulatory governance eco-systems as a way of understanding how actors come together to drive or impede reform, how discourses move across governance spaces. Her thesis raises normative questions about whether the democratic ideals of representation and participation embedded governance sites are realised in the regulatory welfare state.

Anna's research focuses on two regulatory communities – disability and aged care in Australia. It draws evidence from civil society submissions to recent Australian Royal Commissions into the abuse and neglect to identify governance narratives and networks. Interviews with civil society leaders adds to the empirical study examining the mechanisms and processes of representation used to bring the voice of marginalised welfare service users into the regulation of critical social services. Her research takes a normative case study approach to shed light on the democratic ideals that are little challenged in non-majoritarian governance environments.

Anna has extensive experience in social policy design, including in the development of responsive regulatory systems. She holds a position as Policy Director in the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS). Her career has included policy and operational leadership roles in government and non-government organisations in the homelessness, domestic violence, mental health and disability sectors. Anna’s more recent focus has been on designing regulatory systems for welfare services, including developing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission, established in 2018.

Supervisor:
Dr Ashley Schram

Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar Troy Fletcher
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Troy Fletcher

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Australian National University

Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Troy is a proud Wonnarua man from the Hunter Valley region in NSW. He joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as a Corporate Graduate in 2011. He has held various corporate enabling roles in DFAT including in finance and human resources, as well as consular and passports service delivery. Troy has also been posted overseas to Bangkok and Kabul. Most recently, he was Assistant Director, Financial Policy in Finance Division. He is an Associate Member of CPA Australia, aiming to attain full membership status by the end of 2024.

Troy is completing a Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at ANU. His interest in this space was reignited through his CPA study and while working to support Indigenous business engagement with DFAT.


Ronald Fujii
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Ronald Fujii

Torres Strait Regional Authority

Charles Darwin University

Master of Public Policy

Ronald has worked in the public service for the past 20 years, for agencies in Canberra and at the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) managing programs that deliver natural resource management across the Torres Strait Region. His most recent role at the TSRA involved working in the Governance and Leadership program managing legislative processes and policies, supporting effective regional communication, and coordinating the integration of the delivery of government services to the region.

Through the Pat Turner scholarship and Master of Public Policy program at CDU, Ronald will look for opportunities and pathways to help him gain a deeper understanding of complex policy, especially arrangements and implementation in the Northern Australian context. In addition, he will explore how policy arrangements can improve essential and critical service delivery in the Torres Strait, improving the lives of Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people in the region.


an image of James Gaetani
SRW Scholarship 2022

James Gaetani

National Indigenous Australians Agency

Australian National University

PhD title: Accommodating traditional decision-making: An approach to legal plurality in Australia

James is a Special Counsel at the National Indigenous Australians Agency and has worked in the Indigenous Affairs portfolio for over six years, primarily practicing in public law. During this time, he has led teams of lawyers to advise on major legislative reforms (including to native title, land rights and higher education) and the design and establishment of new statutory bodies and reparatory schemes. He has also managed significant litigation on behalf of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Australian public law requires some Indigenous entities to make decisions in accordance with traditional processes. James’ research will critically map and evaluate how Australia’s public law and institutional framework accommodates traditional decision-making in Indigenous entities and recommend where this can be improved.

Supervisor:
Professor Anthony Connolly

Emma Graham
SRW Scholarship 2020

Emma Graham

Attorney-General’s Department

Australian National University

PhD title: Maternity discrimination resulting in job loss: examining the role of labour laws

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.

Supervisor:
Emerita Professor Margaret Thornton FASSA, FAAL

Image of Polly Hannaford
SRW Scholarship

Polly Hannaford

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

The Australian National University

PhD title: Reducing disease risk in aquaculture

Prior to commencing her PhD, Polly was an Assistant Director at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Throughout her career in the Australian Public Service (APS), Polly has used her science background to contribute to a range of biosecurity import policies and negotiations with trading partners to ensure the safe trade of commercially important aquatic animal goods. She has also been involved in strategic planning for the use science in the management of Australian marine parks and remained a keen promoter of APS women in science, having held the position of Chair of DAFF’s Gender Equity Network in 2023.

Polly completed her honours in aquatic animal physiology in 2018 at The University of Sydney. Her PhD research at the ANU Research School of Biology is focused on reducing exotic disease risk in aquaculture through the delivery of scientific information and tools to inform biosecurity policy.

Supervisor:
Dr Nicholas Moody (CSIRO), Professor Robert Lanfear (ANU)
  • Dudley J S, Hannaford P, Dowland S N, Lindsay L A, Thompson M B, Murphy C R, Van Dyke J C and Whittington C M (2021) ‘Structural changes to the brood pouch of male pregnant seahorses (Hippocampus abdominalis) facilitate exchange between father and embryos’ Placenta 114: 115-123.

Emily Hitchman
SRW Scholarship

Emily Hitchman

Department of Home Affairs

The Australian National University

PhD title: Credible secrecy: 'neither confirm nor deny', national security and Australia's liberal democracy

Emily is a Director in the Department of Home Affairs and has worked across multiple portfolios in the criminal justice and national security policy spaces. In these roles, Emily has advised government on cross-cutting issues such as criminal intelligence, domestic violence, aviation and maritime security, and press freedom. She has also represented Australian cyber policy internationally as part of the delegation negotiating an additional protocol to the Budapest Convention on cybercrime.

Emily’s research examines the strategic function of the Neither Confirm Nor Deny principle, and how its use in the security and intelligence context has evolved in Australia. In so doing, Emily’s research will develop a conceptual understanding of the Neither Confirm Nor Deny principle to support an analysis of how official secrecy can be navigated in the contemporary security context.

Emily holds a Bachelor of Philosophy from the ANU, and was awarded First Class Honours for her research re-examining the cultural inheritance of contemporary metaphysical discourse.

Supervisor:
Professor John Blaxland

Image of Kristian Hollins
SRW Scholarship

Kristian Hollins

Department of Home Affairs

The Australian National University

PhD title: Possible, probable, plausible: determining credibility in protection visa decision-making

Dual-trained in journalism and law, Kristian has held a range of roles in the Department of Home Affairs since 2015, with a particular focus on protection assessment and administrative law. Kristian was previously a Department of Immigration and Border Protection Research Fellow in the Migration and Border Policy Project at the Lowy Institute, undertaking research on comparative approaches to establishing identity in undocumented asylum seekers. Kristian currently works in Refugee, Humanitarian and Settlement Division, advising on lawful decision-making, litigation outcomes, and protection assessment reform.

Kristian’s research at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) will consider how administrative decision-makers make findings of fact in the absence of verifiable evidence. Through the lens of protection obligations assessment, Kristian’s research examines how decision-makers exercise their discretionary powers in probing, weighing, and constructing their assessment. This research will contribute to building and maintaining the trust of the Australian public and government in their institutions by improving the consistency and fairness of visa decision-making.

Supervisor:
Professor Alan Gamlen

an image of Timothy Holt
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship 2022

Timothy Holt

Department of Finance

Australian National University

PhD title: Nga’ira gi’yam; niyila: An Indigenous Data Governance Model for the APS

Timothy joined the Australian Public Service in 2009 and has seen first-hand the importance of good policy and how it impacts the lives of Australians. He has a vested interest in discussions on social and Indigenous policy. Timothy brings to the table a unique perspective in relation to public policy that will have an impact on the people closest to him.

Through his PhD research, Timothy will examine Australian Public Service data governance frameworks and practices. With this knowledge, he will explore how the Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles can be applied to an Indigenous Data Governance model for the Australian Public Service. The research will contribute to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's socioeconomic outcomes by moving towards economic empowerment and forming a pathway to self-determination. 

Supervisor:
Professor Ray Lovett

Katrina Howe
SRW Scholarship 2020

Katrina Howe

Department of Health and Aged Care

Australian National University

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.

Supervisor:
Professor Emily Banks

Picture of Jennifer Jackett
SRW Scholarship 2021

Jennifer Jackett

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Australian National University

PhD title: The role of United States’ allies in US-China technology competition

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.

Supervisor:
Dr Michael Cohen

News and stories related to Jennifer Jackett


Katy Jones
SRW Scholarship 2015

Katy Jones

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 

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:
Associate Professor Nicholas Biddle

an image of Cecilia Karmel
SRW Scholarship 2022

Cecilia Karmel

The Treasury

Australian National University

PhD title: Migration, skills shortages and COVID-19

Cecilia joined the public service in 2011 and is a Director at the Treasury. She has worked across a range of areas, including economic forecasting, health and disability policy, and tax and transfer microsimulation modelling. Most recently, she led the team developing Treasury’s macroeconometric model of the Australian economy and the National Economy and Forecasting Unit. She assesses and advises on the economic challenges facing the Australian Government, including the economic impact of COVID-19 and its implications for the Australian economy.

Through her PhD research, Cecilia will examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigration flows and what this means for emerging skills shortages in Australia. Cecilia aims to characterise the likely skill shortages in sectors heavily reliant on migrant labour. This will inform policy by assessing the extent to which labour markets will adjust themselves or whether government intervention may be necessary.

Cecilia holds a Master’s Degree in Economics of Public Policy from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, and a First Class Honours degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from The University of Adelaide.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig
  • Bullen, J, Conigrave, B, Elderfield, A, Karmel, C, Lucas, L, Ruberl, H, Stoney, N & Yao A 2021, ‘The Treasury Macroeconometric Model of Australia: Modelling Approach‘, Treasury Paper 2021-09, The Treasury, Canberra

Dr Therese Keane
SRW Scholarship 2019

Dr

Therese Keane

Department of Defence

Australian National University

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.

Supervisor:
Professor David Tscharke

an image of Genna Lehman
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship 2022

Genna Lehman

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade                                                                                           

Australian National University

PhD title: Japan’s economic security strategies: lessons for Australia

Genna’s policy experience has focused on geostrategic issues in our region, including advising on Australia’s relationship with ASEAN and the Quad, and a posting to Bangkok. She also has trade policy experience, including in the Office of the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Her combination of expertise sparked her interest in the increasing intersection between trade, foreign and security policy. She speaks Thai and Japanese.

Genna’s PhD thesis aims to draw lessons for Australia on ways our close partner, Japan, is managing geoeconomic dynamics. Her thesis will examine how Japanese industry has responded to geopolitical risks and the Japanese Government’s economic security policies. She plans to evaluate policy options for Australia to manage geoeconomic risks and will identify opportunities for Australia and Japan to enhance cooperation on geoeconomic issues.

Supervisor:
Dr Darren Lim

an image of Hannah Lord
SRW Scholarship 2021

Hannah Lord

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Australian National University

PhD title: Governing energy transitions in Southeast Asia: the role of regional power trading

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.  During a posting to Laos from 2014-18, Hannah managed political and economic bilateral relations and development projects.  From 2018 to 2021, Hannah was part of Australia’s delegation to UN climate change negotiations and worked to integrate climate change across the Australian aid program.

Hannah’s research aims to improve understanding of the governance of the energy transition in Southeast Asia. Specifically, she is taking a case study approach to examining the growing trade in electricity in Southeast Asia. While regional electricity trade can support uptake of renewables, progress towards an ASEAN Power Grid has been incremental and its future development faces a complex set of political and economic barriers. Through her research, Hannah hopes to develop a better understanding of the factors supporting successful trading relationships, so as to inform regional diplomacy and technical assistance programs.

Supervisor:
Dr Christian Downie

Michelle Lyons
SRW Scholarship 2020

Michelle Lyons

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Australian National University

PhD title: Banking on Paris: Public investment governance and evaluation in the transition to net zero emissions

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.

Meeting the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement requires massive public and private investments to facilitate rapid decarbonisation, accelerate electrification, and develop negative emissions technologies in hard-to-decarbonise sectors. New kinds of investment governance are required to facilitate this transition. Through her PhD research, Michelle will explore different dimensions of this governance, including the development of an international benchmarking framework for Green Banks, models for green investment governance in the Asia-Pacific, and the roles of Public Banks in the transition to net zero emissions.

Supervisor:
Professor Frank Jotzo

Image of Sir Roland Wilson scholar Stuart Manoj-Margison
SRW Scholarship

Stuart Manoj-Margison

Department of Health and Aged Care

The Australian National University

PhD title: What does Australia need to do to eliminate Congenital Syphilis and how should it be done?

Stuart joined the Department of Health and Aged Care as a Director in 2018, bringing with him 20 years' experience across the spectrum of health provision both in Australia and overseas. Most recently, His work has focused on blood borne viruses, sexually transmissible infections and Torres Strait health policy. Stuart holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy, a Master of Health Services Management and is a Fellow with the Australasian College of Health Services Management. He is a reservist officer in the Australian Army.

Stuart's research will examine the models of care across Australia for testing, treatment and prevention of sexually transmissible infections with a particular focus on congenital syphilis. Stuart hopes to use this research to then implement new policy and fulfil the government's aim to eliminate congenital syphilis and eliminate sexually transmissible infections as a public health threat.

Supervisor:
Professor Cam Donaldson

an image of Helen Mitchell
SRW Scholarship 2021

Helen Mitchell

Australian National University

PhD title: A modern economic statecraft framework

Helen is an economist and former diplomat, currently one of a cadre of senior experts providing strategic advice to the Prime Minister and rest of government. She is also the inaugural Non-Resident Fellow for Economic Security at the United States Studies Centre. Helen previously 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. Today, economic security issues involve supply chains, growth and innovation as much as deterrence, commitment and pressure. This leads to tensions between the aims of economic security and statecraft policies. Helen has developed a rigorous framework to guide policymakers through these issues to find policies that can drive prosperity and add to regional deterrence and influence that will help Australia manage threats and develop new energy and technology systems. Helen's framework helps policymakers to identify and calibrate policies that move Australia towards desired economic security outcomes and find off-ramps away from unintended consequences or dangerous outcomes. 

Mitchell, H (2023) 'A Modern Economic Statecraft Framework', SSRN, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4548008.

Nikiforakis N, Mitchell H (2014) 'Mixing the carrots with the sticks: third party punishment and reward'. Experimental Economics, 17:1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-013-9354-z

McDonald I, Mitchell, H (2010) 'Equality, well-being and the work of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission'. Insights: Melbourne Business and Economics, 8. https://issuu.com/business-economics/docs/insights_volume_8_november_2010


Andrew Morgan
SRW Scholarship 2020

Andrew Morgan

Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts

Australian National University

PhD title: Developing Australian policy stewardship: delivering policy in thin markets

Andrew is 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.

Andrew’s thesis seeks to describe the role of the public service in stewarding policy outcomes. His research examines the tension between linear accountability and multi-dimensional accounts of policy that engage with uncertainty and contradictory evidence in thinning markets. This is the location of ‘policy crafting’, which was heightened during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew is examining the problem across regional thin market challenges to understand how policy analysis supports delivery of outcomes through uncertainty.  

Supervisor:
Professor Ariadne Vromen, Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration, Deputy Dean (Research), ANZSOG, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU. Professor John Wanna. Dr Michael Di Francesco.

Eliza Murray
SRW Scholarship 2013

Eliza Murray

Climate Change Authority

Australian National University

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.

Supervisor:
Professor Frank Jotzo

Agnieszka Nelson
SRW Scholarship 2013

Agnieszka Nelson

Department of Social Services

Australian National University

PhD title: Income support dynamics among vulnerable Australian youth in the wake of economic downturn and policy change - a quantitative enquiry using administrative data

Agnieszka 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).

Supervisor:
Professor Matthew Gray

Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar Heidi Noon
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Heidi Noon

National Indigenous Australians Agency

The Australian National University

Master of Public Policy

Heidi is a proud Wakka Wakka and Gubbi Gubbi woman born in Brisbane, Queensland.

After leaving school at 13, she returned to education, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in the allied health field. In 2015, she entered the Australian Public Service as an APS2 via the Indigenous Apprenticeships Program, going on to complete the National Graduate Program. She is an Assistant Director in the National Indigenous Australians Agency with years of experience in the HR space in inclusion and diversity, entry level programs, and First Nations employment.

Both of Heidi’s grandmothers are survivors of the Stolen Generations, and it is their story of resilience after losing connection to family, identity, land, language, and culture that ignites her passion for inclusive policy. As a Pat Turner scholar studying a Master of Public Policy, she intends to give back to the APS, working to create and implement policy built on inclusiveness, empowerment, and shaped by the voices of those it affects.


Image of Ben O'Sullivan
SRW Scholarship

Ben O'Sullivan

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Australian National University

PhD title: Economic drivers of countries’ approaches to economic security

Ben is an experienced economist and international lawyer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), with specialist expertise in geoeconomics and economic security. Ben has represented the Australian Government overseas in Mexico City, The Hague and Beijing, and served as legal advisor for Australia in two major international disputes. He holds an MSc Economics from the London School of Economics and joins ANU from DFAT's Geoeconomics Unit, where he played a leading role in building government policy on economic security and shaping Australian strategy at the intersection of economics and strategic competition. Ben's PhD research uses economic methodologies to define economic security risks and explain variation in countries' policy preferences.

Supervisor:
Professor Shiro Armstrong

Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar Aiden Pearson
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Aiden Pearson

Department of Finance

The Australian National University

Master of Project Management

Aiden is a proud Murawari man, who was raised on Wiradjuri country in Dubbo NSW. Aiden commenced his public service career in 2019 at the Department of Agriculture after completing a dual Bachelor of Agribusiness and Applied Science majoring in equine management. He joined the Department of Finance in 2020 in the budget group and has worked across infrastructure, emergency management and home affairs portfolio's where he supported key government responses during COVID-19, the 2022 flood season and more recently on immigration and visa policies.

Aiden aims to use the Master of Project Management from The Australian National University to acquire specialised knowledge and skills in the area of project management to support the implementation of APS-wide project governance, and portfolio management and major projects delivery. Aiden also aspires to support the creation of a dedicated project management stream within the APS to ensure leading edge thinking on management practice, policy design, implementing and evaluating policies is readily available in-house.


Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar Thaarramali Pearson
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Thaarramali Pearson

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

The Australian National University

Master of Public Administration

Thaarramali Pearson is a Bama Bagarrmuguwarra from the Kalpowar, Jeannie River and Starke region of Cape York.

Thaarramali commenced his public sector career in the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in early 2016. Since 2018, Thaarramali has been actively involved in shaping significant Commonwealth policies, supporting reforms in apprenticeships from both the central agency and line agency perspectives. Thaarramali’s substantive role is as a Director in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, where he develops complex financial and behavioural modelling to inform Australian apprenticeship policy development. Since 2022, Thaarramali has been working remotely from Cape York.

Thaarramali is undertaking a Master of Public Administration (MPA) at the Australian National University. Through the MPA, he intends to broaden his public administration capability and explore potential future research topics relating to Commonwealth budget process and policy development.


an image of Kate Pennington
SRW Scholarship 2022

Kate Pennington

Department of Health and Aged Care

Australian National University

PhD title: Planning for an influenza pandemic and responding to a COVID-19 pandemic

Kate is an epidemiologist and has been working at the Department of Health and Aged Care since 2008. Between 2020 and 2021, she worked in the National Incident Centre leading a team of epidemiologists and data analysts to provide evidence-based advice and to support public health response policies to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this, she worked on several other communicable diseases, including influenza, to support the formulation of responsive and effective public health policies and programs across government.

Through her PhD research Kate will examine the applicability of previous pandemic planning assumptions to the epidemiology and public health response for COVID-19. She will also evaluate the role of surveillance and modelling during the COVID-19 response, particularly in Australia, and identify key evidence requirements to enhance public health decision making during future pandemics.

Supervisor:
Professor Kathryn Glass
  • Pennington, K, Bareja, C, Sullivan, S G, Franklin, L J and Raupach J 2016, ‘Editorial – Influenza surveillance in Australia’, Communicable Diseases Intelligence, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 315-316.
  • Sullivan, S G, Franklin, L J, Raupach, J, Pennington, K, Bareja, C, de Kluyver, R & National Influenza Surveillance Committee 2016, ‘A brief overview of influenza surveillance systems in Australia, 2015’, Communicable Diseases Intelligence, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 347-351.
  • Pennington K, Owen R and Mun J 2017, ‘Annual Report of the National Influenza Surveillance Scheme, 2009’, Communicable Diseases Intelligence, Vol. 41, No, 4, pp. 383-454

Andrew Perusco
SRW Scholarship

Andrew Perusco

Department of Health and Aged Care

The Australian National University

PhD title: Why has Australia failed to implement tobacco endgame policies and what might precipitate policy adoption? Applied policy process research on tobacco endgame policies for Australia

Andrew Perusco is a tobacco control policy and program specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the Commonwealth and NSW public services. Andrew has made significant contributions to tobacco control policy and program implementation, including leading: policy development and program implementation for the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program from 2016 to 2020; development of the National Tobacco Strategy 2012-2018; national policy approaches for electronic cigarettes; and planning, implementation and evaluation of the seminal Arabic-speakers tobacco control project in southwest Sydney.

Andrew is placed at the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University and his research is affiliated with the National Health and Medical Research Council, Centre for Research Excellence in Achieving the Tobacco Endgame. Andrew’s research explores why tobacco endgame measures have not been incorporated into Australia’s tobacco control policies, and what might precipitate adoption.

Supervisor:
Dr Raglan Maddox

Eccles, J, Knowlden, S, Rich, D, Perusco, A, Matthews, D, Grootemaat, P & Williams, M 2006, ‘The Clean Air for All Project: Managing nicotine dependence in two mental health units in Sydney South West’. NSW Department of Health, Sydney.

Perusco, A, Poder, N, Millen, E, Hawkshaw,,B, Hua, M 2006, ‘Developing a social marketing campaign on tobacco use for Arabic-speakers in southwest Sydney’. Research and Ethics Conference. Sydney: Liverpool Hospital.

Perusco, A, Rikard-Bell, G, Mohsin, M, Millen, E, Sabry, M, Poder, N, Williams, M, Farag, L, Hua, M, & Guirguis, S 2007, ‘Priorities for tobacco control for Arabic-speakers: key findings from a baseline telephone survey of Arabic-speakers residing in southwest Sydney’. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. Vol. 18 No. 2 pp. 121-126.

Carroll, T, Poder, N & Perusco, A 2008, ‘Is concern about waterpipe tobacco warranted?’ Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 181-182.

Perusco, A, Mohsin, M, Poder,,N, Hua, M, Millen, E, Sabry, M, Williams, M & Guirguis, S 2008, ‘Evaluation of the Arabic tobacco control project Ma’feesh cigara men gheir khosara’. Health Promotion Symposium November 3-4, Sydney: Australian Health Promotion Association.

Ahasan, N, Dunkerley, N, O’Brien, J & Perusco, A 2008, ‘Wesley Mission Sadleir pilot tobacco project: revolutionising smoking norms within a residential drug rehabilitation setting’. Health Promotion Symposium, November 3-4, Sydney: Australian Health Promotion Association.

Poder, N, Perusco, A, Carroll, T, Birkett, J & Kiss, A 2008, ‘Waterpipe smoking in an Arabic-speaking population in Sydney’. Diversity in Health Conference, March 10-12, Sydney.

Perusco, A, Mohsin, M, Poder, N, Hua, M, Millen, E, Sabry, M, Williams, M & Guirguis S 2008, ‘Evaluation of the Arabic tobacco control project Ma’feesh cigara men gheir khosara’. Population Health Congress, July 6-9, Brisbane: Public Health Association Australia.

Perusco, A, Poder, N, Mohsin, M, Rikard-Bell, G, Rissel, C, Williams, M, Hua, M, Millen, E, Sabry, M & Guirguis, S 2010, ‘Evaluation of a comprehensive tobacco control project targeting Arabic-speakers residing in south west Sydney, Australia’. Health Promotion International. Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 153-165.

Gartner, CE, Wright, A, Hefler, M, Perusco, A & Hoek, J 2021, ‘It is time for governments to support retailers in the transition to a smoke-free society’. Med J Aust. Vol. 215, No. 10, pp. 446-448.

Puljević, C, Morphett, K, Hefler, M, Edwards, R et al. 2022, ‘Closing the gaps in tobacco endgame evidence: a scoping review’. Tobacco Control, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 365-375.

Perusco, A Holland, A, Maddox, M, Morphett, K, Heris, C & Gartner, C 2022, ‘Justice in Australian tobacco control?’ Population Health Congress, September 21-23, Adelaide: Public Health Association Australia.

Gartner, C, Perusco, A, Heflter, M, Rooney, T-J & Morphett, K 2022, ‘With a new National Tobacco Strategy under development, let’s block Big Tobacco interference’. Croakey Health Media [Blog], Available at: www.croakey.org/with-a-new-national-tobacco-strategy-under-development-lets-block-big-tobacco-interference/


Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar Tracey Porter
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Tracey Porter

Department of Industry, Science and Resources

The Australian National University

Master of Public Policy

Tracey is a proud Gomeroi yinnar hailing from the North West region of New South Wales.

Tracey started within the Australian Public Service in 2019, where she found her niche at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. In her role within the Research and Development Tax Incentive Division, she provides expert assessment to support company innovation and progress. With a keen eye for detail and a steadfast commitment to excellence, she ensures that cutting-edge ideas are not only nurtured but also strategically harnessed to drive economic growth.

Fuelling her endeavours is an unwavering commitment to positive transformation. Tracey has embarked on a quest for knowledge, pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Australian National University. Tracey is on a mission to interlace First Nations perspectives into the fabric of both domestic and international policy development. With unwavering determination and a profound understanding of cultural nuances, she aspires to forge a more inclusive and equitable future.


Monty Pounder
SRW Scholarship

Monty Pounder

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The Australian National University

PhD title: Indonesian defence policy in an era of strategic competition

Monty is a Director at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and joined the Australian Public Service in 2011. He has served with DFAT in Jakarta, Baghdad and New York. In Canberra he has worked on international issues in a range of policy and analytical roles, including most recently on initiatives to advance economic ties with India.

Monty’s PhD research examines Indonesia’s approach to defence policy in an era of increased strategic competition.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Marcus Mietzner

Maathu Ranjan
SRW Scholarship

Maathu Ranjan

National Disability Insurance Agency

The Australian National University

PhD title: The impact of government support schemes on prevalence of disability in Australia

Maathu is a Senior Actuary at the National Disability Insurance Agency, with experience in the disability, health and general insurance sectors. She led the Actuarial Strategic Initiatives team evaluating key scheme initiatives and priorities. Her work ranged over various strategic policy and service delivery areas including the early childhood strategy, framework for consistent decision making, review of pricing arrangements, intergovernmental agreements and workforce modelling.

Through her PhD research, Maathu will investigate the drivers of increasing prevalence of Autism, focusing on the impact of government support schemes. Her research will also investigate the types of supports that are effective in achieving outcomes using a novel data driven approach. This research will inform policy by assessing the effectiveness of scheme design and service delivery of disability supports.

Maathu is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute, Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary and Board member of the Actuaries Institute Australia. She won the Actuaries Institute’s Melville Prize and the International Actuarial Association’s Bob Alting von Geusau Prize for research conducted in her Honours degree in Actuarial Studies from the University of New South Wales.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig

Nirmalendran, M, Sherris, M, & Hanewald, K. 2014, ‘Pricing and solvency of value-maximizing life annuity providers’. Astin Bulletin: The Journal of the IAA, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 39-61.


Claire Sainsbury
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship 2020

Claire Sainsbury

Department of Education

The Australian National University

PhD title: The mismatch between rhetoric and action - A study into the Commonwealth's role in redressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational inequity

Claire is a Torres Strait Islander (Maluilgal from the western islands) who grew up on Badu Island. She has a Bachelor of Education from James Cook University and started her career as a primary school teacher. Motivated by the drive to improve the educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on a large scale, she took up the opportunity to move to Canberra to work in the Australian Public Service (APS). Throughout her APS career, Claire has undertaken various leadership, policy, coordination and program management roles, across a range of agencies, including the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Australian Public Service Commission, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the National Indigenous Australians Agency.

Education has been an area of significant focus throughout Claire’s career. She has worked predominantly on national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education policy and managed a range of flagship government initiatives and programs aimed at improving education outcomes. She has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Canberra and recently completed her PhD at the Australian National University, under a Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholarship. Claire’s thesis (currently under examination) focused on the Commonwealth’s role in redressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational inequity.

Claire is a senior executive at the Commonwealth Department of Education and leads the Research Policy and Programs branch. Her branch aims to ensure that Australian researchers have access to cutting edge national research infrastructure and that the research system is meeting the current and future needs of research students and the research sector.

Supervisor:
Professor Nicholas Biddle

Picture of Bec Salcole
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Bec Salcole

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Charles Darwin University

Master of Arts

Bec is a proud Wiradjuri woman born and raised In Wagga Wagga NSW. Bec commenced her public service career in 2014, in service delivery at Services Australia. She joined the Department of Environment and Energy as a graduate in 2017 after completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science. She has also worked for the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, with a focus on improving Indigenous Engagement and Partnerships in the Murray-Darling Basin. 

Bec aims to use the Master of Arts to gain a better understanding of Indigenous Engagement and Policy development in different contexts across Australia, and use these learnings to support the Australian Public Service to enhance Indigenous engagement practices.


Image of Sir Roland Wilson scholar Carrie Samuels
SRW Scholarship

Carrie Samuels

Australian Bureau of Statistics

The Australian National University

PhD title: Maximising the value of linked data for population health research and policy formulation in Australia

Carrie has worked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) since 2010. Most recently, she was a Director in the Data Integration Services Branch, leading a team of data engineers to build, maintain and enhance the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA, formerly known as MADIP). In this role, Carrie oversaw significant expansion and enhancement of PLIDA to increase the frequency and timeliness of data updates and improve the usability of the data for researchers.

Through her work at the ABS, Carrie developed an appreciation of some common challenges experienced by government and academic researchers working with data from PLIDA. This inspired the topic of Carrie’s PhD research in the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at ANU, which aims to develop methods to identify cohorts of interest in integrated data assets such as PLIDA. Carrie hopes this work will assist government researchers to make better use of PLIDA for policy formulation and evaluation.

Supervisor:
Professor Rosemary Korda

Matthew Smith
SRW Scholarship

Matthew Smith

The Treasury

The Australian National University

PhD title: Distributional impacts of Australia's tax and transfer system over the lifetime: a more detailed approach drawing on richer administrative data

Matt is a Director at the Treasury and has been a member of the public service since 2009. His work has primarily focused on policy analysis on Australia’s tax and transfer system including revenue forecasting and costing and distributional analysis of tax and transfer policies using microsimulation modelling. Matt’s analysis has contributed to Budget updates and the 2021 Intergenerational Report. He has also been involved in major model development work on Treasury’s CAPITA and MARIA microsimulation models.

Matt’s research aims to use administrative data to build a dynamic microsimulation model of Australia’s tax and transfer system. This would deliver a durable tool for policy analysis that provides important insights on the sustainability and equity, both within and between generations, of personal tax and transfer policy settings. In doing so, it would build on the existing Australian toolkit of representative agent and cohort analysis to allow for the kinds of more granular and detailed distributional analysis to improve the debate around, and implementation of, public policy.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig

Bastian, B, Smith, M, Cheong, B, Pineda, V, Stevenson, M, Hutchison, O, & Kluth, S 2017, ‘Development of Treasury's new model of Australian retirement incomes and assets: MARIA (No. 2017-02)’. Treasury Working Paper, The Treasury, Canberra.

Stevenson, M, Ledda, D, Pineda, V, Smith, M, & Kluth, S 2017, ‘CAPITA - Treasury's microsimulation model of personal income tax and transfers (No. 2017-05)’. Treasury Working Paper, The Treasury, Canberra.


Dana Volker
SRW Scholarship

Dana Volker

Attorney-General’s Department

The Australian National University

PhD title: Fathers' roles in the gender divide in paid work and care: addressing discrimination and stigma against men with caring responsibilities. An untapped lever to advance gender equality

Dana joined the Australian Public Service in 2014, bringing with her over ten years’ experience in social policy and gender equality both domestically and abroad. Dana has worked internationally in the UK, US, Asia and the Pacific for government, non-government organisations, and social enterprise. Outside of her work, Dana has sat on several Boards whose mission is to eradicate gender based violence and to promote gender equality.

Dana’s research will examine Australian fathers' roles in the gender divide in paid work and care. By identifying the prevalence and nature of discrimination and stigma against men with caring responsibilities, Dana hopes to use this as an untapped lever to advance gender equality. Research on the ‘fatherhood penalty’ will significantly help to improve outcomes for working dads, reduce parental work-life conflict, help organisations to manage the future of work, assist Australia to prepare for the increased caring required as a result of our ageing population, address the gender pay gap, and ultimately improve family life for parents and children.

Dana holds a Master of Politics and Public Policy from Macquarie University, a Master of Human Rights from the University of Sydney, a qualifying Masters of Social Work from James Cook University, and a Bachelor of Social Science from Sunshine Coast University. She has been awarded numerous academic medals, a Vice Chancellor's Commendation, and a High Distinction for her Master's thesis on women and gender equality.

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Liana Leach

Timothy Watson
SRW Scholarship 2019

Timothy Watson

Department of Social Services

Australian National University

PhD title: Hysteresis and fiscal policy in Australia

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.

Supervisor:
Professor Renee Fry-McKibbin

Watson T (2024) Hysteresis and Fiscal Policy in Australia [PhD Thesis], The Australian National University, Canberra.


Jennifer Wheeler
SRW Scholarship

Jennifer Wheeler

Department of Defence

The Australian National University

PhD title: Growing beyond trauma. Promoting post traumatic growth and wellbeing outcomes in individuals exposed to traumatic events

Jennifer is a registered psychologist who commenced work with the Department of Defence in 2001. Between 2001 and 2010 Jennifer undertook the roles of Research Psychologist and Senior Research Psychologist within the Psychology Research and Technology Group, with responsibility for Personnel Selection Research. She was an Australian representative on The Technical Cooperation Program (a collaborative five-nation forum) between 2004 and 2010.  In 2010, Ms Wheeler commenced in the role of Director Navy Psychology, within Navy Health Services. In this role, Jennifer managed and oversaw the delivery of psychology services in Navy, in addition to the development of psychology policy and programs.

Jennifer’s PhD research program examines Post Traumatic Growth (PTG), following exposure to a traumatic event. This research program will measure the level of PTG literacy in an Australian population, in addition to identifying key predictive factors of growth following exposure to trauma. This knowledge will inform the development and subsequent trial of a preventative PTG psychoeducational program to promote growth and wellbeing, in the aftermath of a future traumatic event.

Supervisor:
Dr Lou Farrer

Image of Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner scholar Jackson Whiting
SRW Pat Turner Scholarship

Jackson Whiting

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

The Australian National University

Master of Public Administration

Jackson is a proud Wiradjuri man, born in Blacktown NSW.

Jackson joined the Australian Public Service (APS) in the Department of the Treasury as a graduate in 2019 after completing a Bachelor of Arts with a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie University.

During his time in the APS, Jackson has worked in various policy roles which includes the topics of competition, energy, corporate and international tax as well as commonwealth-state relations. In September 2022, Jackson joined the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in the First Nations Policy Branch, working on Closing the Gap.

Jackson is undertaking a Master of Public Administration at ANU and is interested in exploring procedural policy more broadly to understand if there are more effective methods the APS can use to develop policy, especially for disadvantaged communities. While undertaking this study, Jackson hopes to develop the leadership and communication skills to be the effective advocate for systemic change that he strives to be.


Image of Nu Nu Win
SRW Scholarship 2021

Nu Nu Win

The Treasury

Australian National University

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 leverage administrative datasets to look at business investment and the labour market in Australia. First, the research will examine the effectiveness of business tax policies in achieving macroeconomic stabilisation objectives and increasing business investment, taking explicit account of firm heterogeneity. Second, the research will look at intersectionality in the Australian labour market, including analysing the impact of diversity on promotion and wage outcomes.

Supervisor:
Professor Robert Breunig
 
The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.