From a Tasmanian sheep farm to Federal Parliament in Canberra – it’s not as far as you might think.
And certainly not for International Relations student Sarah Roberts, who recently experienced the hectic pace of a sitting week in the national capital.
Sarah completed a 10-week internship with Independent Member for Clark Andrew Wilkie that included a week shadowing the MP and his team in Canberra.
“One day I was flat out helping with lambing on the farm and the next thing I get a phone call asking if I'd like to do an internship with Andrew Wilkie's office,” she said.
That farm is at Colebrook in Tasmania’s south and it’s where Sarah grew up, developing her interests in animals, reading, gardening and learning new things – especially languages. She went to Campania District School, Ogilvie High School and Elizabeth College before beginning a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Chinese at the University.
As part of the internship, Sarah spent two days a week in Mr Wilkie’s Hobart office doing the real work of a political staffer – writing letters to ministers, helping with speeches and policy briefs, and attending meetings and press conferences.
In Canberra, she got to sit in the adviser’s box in the House of Representatives as Mr Wilkie introduced a private member’s bill on gambling in video games, attended question time and even went to a Christmas party for the parliament’s big new cross bench.
“Working in a supportive and fast-paced environment built my confidence in my own abilities and demonstrated the breadth of knowledge required to succeed outside of a university environment,” she said.
“This insight into the teams of people behind each politician was a really eye-opening experience for me.”
The experience was mutual, with Mr Wilkie impressed by Sarah’s aptitude for the role.
“Sarah fitted into the office brilliantly, bringing with her an eagerness to learn about what we do for the community,” he said.
“She was knowledgeable across a wide range of issues and adapted well to the fast pace of Parliament."
Sarah will head into her Honours year in 2023, focusing on how major powers like the US and China engage with the United Nations’ Responsibility to Protect doctrine on issues such as war crimes.
She may also have an unexpected career path to look forward to.
“I had never considered working as a politician's staffer to be a career path for me, and now I see that that is definitely something I could do,” she says.
“Learning how to apply the knowledge and critical thinking skills I have learnt throughout my degree showed me how these can be translated into a range of different situations.
“This internship has definitely served to expand my ideas of where my degree can take me, and I love that I now have more of an idea of what I can do with my Bachelor of Arts.”
If a career in Federal Parliament sounds like your thing, explore our courses in Politics and International Relations.