Of her many accolades and badges of honour, there is one achievement Christine Milne will never overlook. It’s an Arts degree with Honours in History from the University of Tasmania.
After graduating in 1975 she embarked on a career teaching History, English and Social Science at high schools in Burnie and Devonport.
“It was a natural choice, I moved into a career teaching what I had learned. But, and this is the wonderful thing about studying Arts, I took what I had learned from studying History, English, Political Science and Psychology, as well as a self- sustaining hunger for greater understanding and applied them to the challenges that life presented."
“My interests broadened and my surprising career ventured from teaching to environmental activism, and on to state and federal politics via a few days spent at her Majesty’s pleasure at Risdon prison for protesting. "
“I never imagined being the first woman to lead a Tasmanian political party ; I never dreamt of being appointed to the UN’s Environment Programme’s Global 500 Roll of Honour; I never anticipated being elected as the Global Vice-President of the IUCN ; I would have laughed at being nominated in the Bulletin’s Smart 100 list ; and never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate being a Senator for Tasmania, or successfully negotiating the carbon price legislation with the Prime Minister."
“I still enjoy the surprises life brings, and to a large extent I have my time at UTAS, where I honed my ability to think logically and to research thoroughly through my Arts degree, to thank for it.”