Alex Gallacher (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about a program at the Australian National University which offers students from Australia and indeed around the world an opportunity to come to Canberra and partake of an internship. Internships are available in the ACT Legislative Assembly, or a number of government or non-government organisations. One very popular option for students who are seeking to do an internship placement in Canberra is in this Parliament House. Members of parliament and senators are encouraged to take on interns, who are eager to learn and want to impress and work in a professional working environment.

I certainly found that to be the case with Marissa Dias, the intern who worked in my office earlier this year. Marissa is a student of political science at the Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts, and was interested in doing an internship that was relevant to her studies. She expressed to her university that she had an interest in doing an internship in an overseas government, and they gave her the choice of the governments of Australia, Ireland or England. Marissa was most interested in coming to Australia so her next step was to apply to the Australian National University's internship program, where she was able to say that her preference was to work for a senator or a member of parliament.

Once Marissa had been accepted into the Australian National Internship Program and began to work for me as an intern I was able to nominate a topic of my choice for her to research. Obviously, this topic became her research project. Her final grade for the internship will be determined after she is assessed for a research paper on the topic given to her, along with a complementary presentation and a follow-up reflective essay. The research project topic that was given to her was the Murray-Darling Basin. Specifically, she looked into water resource distribution amongst Murray-Darling Basin states based on their population and the governance of water in the Murray-Darling Basin.

In total Marisa worked for 11 weeks from the parliamentary office, beginning her project in late February and completing it at the end of May. Working out of the parliamentary office in Canberra meant that she was able to use the fantastic resources made available to her at Parliament House to assist her in finding the information that she needed. It is best to hear from Marisa in her own words how it felt to work out of Parliament House. She said of the experience: 'As the political base of Australia I have truly been in my element surrounded by others with my same interests. Working in Parliament House has also been an amazing opportunity. To have access to the people and resources that help to run this country has been truly amazing.'

We are currently awaiting word from Marisa regarding her final grade. The written report she was required to submit at the end of her internship is a major component of the assessment, weighing in at 80 per cent of her final grade. The research paper will be assessed by at least two academics. In some cases there is a need for a third assessor. The formal presentation component of her grade is worth the remaining 20 per cent. The spoken presentation was required to last up to 25 minutes, and in that time she had to summarise the key findings of her research report. The presentation is to complement the written research paper. At the conclusion of the formal presentation, there was a question and answer session in which the assessors asked questions relating to the report. She was marked not only for her presentation but also on how well she managed to answer the questions that she faced from the assessors. The third and final component of the internship program is a requirement for the student to produce a reflective essay at the completion of the internship. This compulsory essay is an essential yet non-marked component of the program.

From what I was able to witness of Marisa's internship it was clear to me that she was gaining invaluable experience working from an office in Parliament House. She was not the only one to gain from the experience of the internship. I was able to benefit from the information that she was producing from the research paper and I was also able to use that information to gain a better understanding of a topic that is very near and dear to any South Australian senator's heart. I believe that as senators and members of parliament we need to encourage young people to take an interest in politics. One way of doing that is certainly by continuing to support and encourage such programs as the Australian National Internships Program, which provide real life experiences to young people. Marisa's work ethic was impressive, and one of the things I found to be invaluable about the internship was that she came to the position with a fresh new perspective and was looking at the topic with a fresh set of ideas. Any program capable of producing that is worth taking on.

To be eligible, a student must be enrolled as a tertiary student in a university in Australia or overseas. Excellent written and spoken English skills are also a requirement for the applicants. Once accepted, students are then required to enrol into the ANU, where they remain enrolled for the duration of the internship. Internships are offered in semester 1 from late February to June and in semester 2 from July to October. Depending on individual circumstances and which level of study a student is currently at, students are eligible for either a part-time or a full-time placement. Students who land a part-time placement are also required to take a class at the ANU. Students are charged tuition fees. Overseas students need to discuss their fees with the relevant contacts at their universities, while Australian students pay HECS fees.

International students who secure an internship position through the ANU are able to take on paid employment during the period of their internship should they desire to do so. They can work up to 20 hours per week during school terms and have the option of increasing those hours to full time during any breaks from school. In Marisa's case she was fortunate enough to have the financial support of her parents during her internship and did not need to seek paid employment for that time. This enabled her to focus more on her internship research project and on the class she was taking at the ANU.

Marisa enjoyed her time in Canberra and she enjoyed learning about Australia's political system firsthand. She said that she was looking forward to applying her knowledge of the Australian political system to her study of the American political system when she returned home to the US. Overall, Marisa sees that internships like hers can be beneficial to both the student and the senator or MP who takes them on. She believes all senators and MPs should take an intern on at some point during the year. She said: 'It is a great opportunity both for the intern to learn about the real work that goes on in parliament, but also for the senators and MPs to receive the input of a fresh young mind at little to no cost. It is an excellent experience and a wonderful resume builder.' Marisa is eagerly anticipating the results of her internship and is hoping for a high distinction. I certainly found the whole internship process to be an interesting one in which I could see the benefits to all involved. I too, would encourage other senators and MPs to give the experience a go.