SIR ROLAND WILSON 1904–1996
Sir Roland Wilson CBE, KBE was an economist, acclaimed academic and had a remarkable career as a public servant. Born in 1904, Roland Wilson was the first Rhodes Scholar from Tasmania. He completed two PhD’s, one at Oxford University and one at the University of Chicago.
After a short academic career, Wilson joined the public service in 1932 and was quickly appointed Commonwealth Statistician. He then served as founding Secretary of the Department of Labour and National Service where he coordinated Australia’s economic approach to WWII.
In 1951, he was appointed Secretary of Treasury – he remains Australia’s longest serving Treasury Secretary, with almost 16 years of service. He was remembered in this role as an intellectual force, giving expert advice that shaped economic policy.
After retiring from the public service, Wilson was Chairman on the boards of the Commonwealth Bank and Qantas Airways. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to public service, Wilson was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1941; a Knight Bachelor in 1955; and, a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) in 1965.
1Sir Roland Wilson Foundation 2020 Annual Report
Highlights................................................................................... 2
Who we are ............................................................................... 3
Message from the Chair...................................................... 4
Message from the Executive Director ................................... 5
Impact ...............................................................................6
Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner Scholarship ............................8
Scholars ......................................................................... 10
Board ....................................................................................... 19
Alumni Activities .............................................................. 20
Alumni ............................................................................ 22
Engagement and Events ................................................... 26
Commencement Dinner ............................................ 26
Wilson Dialogue ....................................................... 26
Scholar Symposium .................................................. 27
Secretaries Dinner .................................................... 27
CONTENTS
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HIGHLIGHTS
Scholars commence in 2021
Current scholars
Alumni
Australian Public Service agencies
Research schools
Scholars commence in 2021
Current scholars
Alumni
Australian Public Service agencies
Research schools
SIR ROLAND WILSON SCHOLARSHIP SIR ROLAND WILSON PAT TURNER SCHOLARSHIP
4
24
12
16
17
4
9
3
9
7
56 Scholarships awarded to date
Current as of 31 January 2021
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WHO WE ARE
The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation is a partnership between The Australian National University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Public Service.
Honouring the legacy of Sir Roland Wilson KBE CBE, we build research and leadership capability in the Australian Public Service (APS) and embed connections between policymaking and academia through postgraduate scholarships.
The Sir Roland Wilson scholarship is a 3–year full pay scholarship for PhD research at The Australian National University (ANU) for high performing EL1 and EL2 APS employees.
The Sir Roland Wilson Pat Turner Scholarship is a 1–3 year, full pay scholarship for any level of postgraduate study at ANU or Charles Darwin University (CDU) for APS 4 to SES Band 1 APS employees.
Our scholars are future leaders, building connections between academia and the APS, and driving evidence-based public policy.
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The Foundation held a professional development event for Pat Turner scholars in November 2020 as part of our commitment to developing Indigenous capability and leadership in the public service. At the event, jointly organised with CDU, we were honoured to welcome Pat Turner AM and the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt AM MP, as keynote speakers. Pat and Ken shared great wisdom with our scholars, speaking about the importance of Indigenous-led research for improving public policy outcomes. The Advisory Group for the Pat Turner Scholarship continues to drive the program’s development and provide recommendations to the Foundation and the Board to achieve the objectives of the program.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the leadership of our Sir Roland Wilson Chair of Economics, Professor Bruce Chapman AO, who stepped down from the Foundation Board in April 2020. Bruce made an enormous contribution to the Foundation and our scholars. I am pleased that Bruce has accepted a role as a patron of the Foundation and that we could recognise his service at our Secretaries Dinner.
As we look at the challenges facing the nation, I am confident that the Foundation is well positioned to help the APS build the capabilities it needs. I am thrilled to see the impact of our work continue to deepen and expand, and I look forward to the opportunity to build on our success in a very exciting year ahead.
2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, but through crisis there is opportunity. Realising the Foundation’s vision of equipping the public service with the best knowledge, expertise and skills to navigate challenges of national and global significance is more important than ever. I am extremely proud of our achievements and am exceptionally grateful for the continuing support of our partners - ANU, CDU and the APS.
This year the Foundation welcomed 12 new scholars, double the number of scholars in previous years. This brings our community to 48 scholars and alumni with another eight commencing in 2021. These 56 scholars and alumni represent 20 APS agencies, reflecting the Foundation’s broad reach across the public service. I look forward to welcoming scholars from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Office of National Intelligence for the first time in 2021.
As the cohort grows, I am pleased to see more scholars and alumni promoting their ideas and research, building their networks and maintaining connections across academia and the public service. In 2020, five alumni continued their academic work as fellows at ANU, while working in the public service. The establishment of the Alumni Advisory Group and appointment of an alumni representative on the Board will further strengthen the use of evidence and research across the public service.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Dr Ken Henry AC
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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sally-Anne Henfry
It is hard to believe we are one year into our Strategic Plan (2020-2025) yet we have already achieved so much. This year has been immensely
challenging but also extremely rewarding. The Foundation and our scholars have shown enormous resilience in the face of crisis. I am proud of the Foundation team and our scholars who have adapted and overcome the barriers presented through lockdowns, and inability to travel and to connect in the usual ways.
Despite these challenges, the Foundation continues to make progress on our strategic objectives. This year the Foundation launched a new Knowledge Mobilisation and Communications Strategy to support work already underway to develop and embed activities that will strengthen the use of evidence and research across the public sector.
This includes stepping up our professional development and training for scholars. Over June and July, the Foundation hosted a series of virtual sessions in lieu of our face-to-face symposium. Topics ranged from leadership to big data and analytics in policymaking, with high level speakers from across the APS and academia. I am pleased to report exceptional engagement across the series.
In October, we were honoured to welcome the Hon. Kevin Rudd AC as our keynote speaker for the annual Wilson Dialogue. Mr Rudd spoke about the importance of action on climate change as a pathway to recovery from COVID-19.
Our recently established Alumni Advisory Group are already making great progress having developed a clear vision to build APS capability and leadership. It is wonderful to see more Foundation alumni undertaking fellowships and maintaining links with academia after they return to public service.
I would like to congratulate our 2020 Award winners: Cris Castro, Lisa Conway, Siddharth Shirodkar and Dr Nathan Deutscher. You join a prestigious group of Foundation prize winners for your contribution to academia and public policy.
As I reflect on the challenges of the past year, I am exceptionally grateful for the continuing support of our partners, our dedicated Board and Chair Dr Ken Henry AC, and the hard work of my team and our scholars and alumni.
As the Foundation matures, we are starting to realise our vision. With another successful year for our scholars and alumni, I am excited to see what else we can achieve over the coming years.
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Helen Benassi, 2017Sir Roland Wilson PhD scholar Department of Defence
Helen is a SRW scholar from the Department of Defence. Her PhD examines the stigma of and barriers to seeking mental health care in the Australian Defence Force and investigates the role of e-mental health solutions in treatment and management.
Throughout her scholarship, Helen has continued to work with her department and engaged in discussions with clinicians, veterans support groups, policy and health promotions officers. Helen’s research has formed a strong evidence base in the development of a mental health app at the Department of Defence, for which she has assisted with the content and design.
Having now returned to the department, Helen’s research has been applied to inform thinking around new research projects. Helen is currently working to develop a health research framework for the department using the learnings from her research.
IMPACT
Peter Bligh, 2020SRW Pat Turner Scholar, Australian Institute of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies
Peter (PJ) Bligh is the first scholar to graduate from the Pat Turner Scholarship program, having completed a Graduate Diploma of Economics from ANU this year.
PJ’s choice of study was a far cry from his previous studies in marine science, but he felt a qualification in economics would provide the specialist skills the APS will need in the future.
Prior to commencing his scholarship, PJ worked for the Department of Environment, where he advised on program design and management, strategic policy and regulatory administration. In his role, PJ embedded strategies to enhance outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
On completing his scholarship, PJ moved to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), where he continues to embed evidence and research in public policy as a Director in the Research and Education Group.
PJ is using his study to apply economics to the formulation and evaluation of policy, in particular to analyse and enhance understanding of the effect policies have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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Siddharth Shirodkar, 2018Sir Roland Wilson PhD scholar National Indigenous Australians Agency
Siddharth is a SRW scholar from the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA). His PhD investigates the barriers and pathways to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples starting businesses.
This year he published a journal article on results of the Implicit Associations Test, which showed 75% of Australian’s displayed implicit or unconscious bias against Indigenous Australians. Siddharth spoke about the findings on breakfast radio and television news. His study was published by media outlets in almost a dozen countries worldwide, including CNN, TIME Magazine, and Sydney Morning Herald, reaching an audience of around 12.8 million people.
The findings from Siddharth’s study have been used to create change in other sectors, including the legal profession. Siddharth hopes his PhD will encourage others to reflect on their own biases and the impact on their decision-making.
Lisa Conway, 2020SRW Pat Turner Scholar Services Australia
Lisa Conway is a 2020 Pat Turner scholar and winner of the 2020 Pat Turner Research Prize. Lisa initially commenced a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) by research but has now transferred into a PhD program. Her research investigates cultural responsiveness in the APS.
In the first year of her program, Lisa also tutored courses, where she connected with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and developed mentoring relationships to help them identify the strengths they bring to the University, from their lived experience and knowledge.
At her home agency, Services Australia, Lisa developed an Indigenous Cultural Responsiveness program for social workers. She was recognised by the department for this work and for what she achieves day-to-day in helping the department better communicate with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers.
Through her research, Lisa hopes to bring a stronger Indigenous lens to policy research, and provide a pathway for the APS to design and implement policy that represents the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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In the second year of the Pat Turner scholarship program there was much to celebrate.
In July, we were extremely proud when Peter ‘PJ’ Bligh became the program’s first alum by completing a Graduate Diploma in Economics at ANU. PJ returned to the APS in a new role as Director, Indigenous Country and Governance at the AIATSIS. PJ hopes to build a greater connection between academia and his work to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Deborah Katona was the first Pat Turner scholar to complete a scholarship at CDU, undertaking a Master of Public Policy. Deborah is now working with the NIAA in Darwin.
Martin Dallen completed a Master of Forestry at ANU and has returned to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Martin is now working in the natural heritage area looking after three World Heritage sites, as well as leading the National Heritage Assessments, and working with Traditional Owners on the renaming of Fraser Island to K’gari (pronounced “gurri”).
The Foundation welcomed another six Pat Turner scholars in 2020, including Lisa Conway, who despite the prolonged Victorian lockdown, transitioned from an MPhil to a PhD program, and was awarded the 2020 Pat Turner Scholarship Prize for Research. This is not only a reflection of Lisa’s academic work, but also her contribution to the Foundation and the broader goal of promoting research-informed public policy.
Lisa Conway
PAT TURNER SCHOLARSHIP
Despite the challenges presented by COVID, all Pat Turner scholars continue to excel in their studies. Cris Castro (Master of Leadership, ANU) won the Pat Turner coursework prize for achieving the highest weighted average mark in semester one 2020. Cris was also awarded an academic prize from the ANU College of Business and Economics.
Cris Castro
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All Pat Turner scholars participated virtually in the inaugural Pat Turner Scholar Professional Development event. The Foundation was delighted to welcome Patron Pat Turner AM, who delivered a keynote on the creation of the new ‘Closing the Gap Agreement’ and the ways in which the Coalition of Peaks are working together to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Hon. Ken Wyatt MP also spoke at the event about navigating challenges to lead and implement meaningful and lasting policy change. Scholars participated in workshops with guests including former Secretary Renee Leon PSM, Robert Willmett (Group Manager, NIAA), Peter Yu (ANU Vice-President, First Nations), Dr Ken Henry AC and Professor Ruth Wallace (CDU). Scholars commented on inspiring conversations, and content that was directly relevant to their study and work.
Scholars are forming strong networks with each other and throughout academia and the public service. PhD scholar Steve Munns facilitated a session at the ANU Future Shapers forum, which focused on learning from strength-based approaches in Indigenous leadership. Other scholars were invited to submit papers for industry journals and participate in conferences.
It is wonderful to see the cohort of Pat Turner scholars develop their skills, knowledge and expertise as future public service leaders. It is essential that we have more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public servants taking on senior leadership roles and driving the change we need for our people and communities.
I would like to acknowledge the Pat Turner Scholarship Advisory Group, and thank them for their ongoing commitment and support as we continue to strengthen the program.
I look forward to welcoming another four Pat Turner scholars in 2021 and working with our partners to continue to provide all scholars with the best opportunities possible as we strive to build research-informed public policy capability and leadership.
Anne Martin Chair, Pat Turner Scholarship Advisory Group
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SCHOLARS
Patricia Akee (2020)
Department of Health
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Master of Culture, Health and Medicine
Helen Benassi (2017)
Department of Defence
ANU Research School of Social Sciences
Research title: E-health solutions to support early identification and self-management of mental health in the Australian Defence Force.
Melanie Broder (2018)
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
ANU National Security College
Research title: Rethinking deterrence approaches: three case studies in cyber security.
Cris Castro (2020)
Department of Education, Skills & Employment
ANU College of Business and Economics
Master of Leadership
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Joseph Chien (2016)
Australian Bureau of Statistics
ANU Mathematical Science Institute
Research title: Using semantic technology to better capture labour market network dynamics for productivity analysis.
Jennifer Chang (2012)
Department of the Treasury
ANU China in the World
Research title: Labour Supply in China.
Lisa Conway (2020)
Services Australia
ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
Research title: Is the Australian Public Service culturally responsive?
Martine Cosgrove (2014)
Department of Defence
ANU Research School of Population Health
Research title: Ecological Perspectives on strategic military mental health policy.
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Lee-Anne Daffy (2020)
Services Australia
College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, 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.
Anthony Cowley (2019)
Department of Social Services
College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, Charles Darwin University
Research title: How do the drivers of design and co-design for mainstream Federal Government grants affect the welfare of Indigenous Australians?
Martin Dallen (2019)
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society
Master of Forestry
Fiona Dunne (2019)
Attorney-General’s Department
ANU Research School of Psychology
Research title: The Walker Talker Project: can a structured professional judgement tool help predict those at risk of violent extremism?
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Anna Fieldhouse (2020)
Department of Social Service
ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance
Research title: Welfare service consumers as regulators: case studies of welfare service regulation and consumer influence in commodified welfare markets.
Dr Christiane Gerblinger (2017)
Department of the Treasury
Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science
Research title: The language of the rebuffed: a critical appraisal of how policy advisers communicate.
Cathy Fussell (2020)
Department of Health
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Saving lives with big data–methods for policy impact in health and social systems data analytics.
Emma Graham (2020)
Attorney-General’s Department
ANU Centre for International and Public Law
Research title: Discriminatory job loss during pregnancy, parental leave and return to work: women’s experiences and options for reform.
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Szabina Horvath (2016)
Department of Defence
ANU Centre for Military and Security Law
Research title: Satisfying Australia’s applicable human rights obligations during extra-territorial armed conflict.
Katrina Howe (2020)
Department of Health
ANU Research School of Population Health
Research title: Understanding the challenges associated with ‘off-label’ prescribing and repurposing of older medicines currently on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) to inform future policy
Katy Jones (2015)
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
Research title: School attendance and primary school-aged Indigenous children.
Shane Johnson (2013)
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: An analytical history of government debt financing and management.
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Adina Jordan (2020)
Department of Social Services
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Master of Public Policy
Deborah Katona (2019)
National Indigenous Australians Agency
College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society, Charles Darwin University
Master of Public Policy
Dr Therese Keane (2019)
Department of Defence
ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research
Research 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.
Craig Leon (2019)
Services Australia
ANU Research Social of Social Sciences
Research title: Unconscious bias in the Australian Public Service: Implications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment.
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Michelle Lyons (2020)
Department of Industry, Science, Energy & Resources
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Opportunities and risks for Australian energy exports under the Paris Agreement.
Andrew Morgan (2020)
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Communications
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Public investment coherence: what conditions support effective decisions to maintain long-term impact?
Tess McGirr (2017)
Department of Social Services
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Family services and the employability of mothers in Australia’s social security system.
“The work of the Foundation is accurately shaping my research and networks in ways that will be of great value.”Andrew Morgan 2020 SRW PhD scholar
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Steve Munns (2019)
Services Australia
ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance
Research title: Violence at work: reducing assault and abuse directed at frontline staff in public service roles.
Eliza Murray (2013)
Climate Change Authority
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: The international political economy of carbon trading.
Agnieszka Nelson (2013)
Department of Social Services
ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
Research title: Income support dynamics among Australian youth disengaged from education, training and the labour market— a quantitative enquiry using administrative data.
Claire Sainsbury (2020)
National Indigenous Australians Agency
ANU Research School of Social Sciences
Research title: Factors affecting Indigenous students’ participation and achievement in education.
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Tristram Sainsbury (2020)
Department of the Treasury
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Federal structures on the Australian welfare state.
Timothy Watson (2019)
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Hysteresis and the Australian economy.
Siddharth Shirodkar (2018)
National Indigenous Australians Agency
ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
Research title: Where are all the Indigenous entrepreneurs? A study of the pathways and barriers to entrepreneurship.
Penelope Sullivan (2018)
Murray-Darling Basin Authority
ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: The techniques and strategies governments use to influence one another in federal water management: Lessons for Australia from the US and Europe.
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Dr Ken Henry AC Sir Roland Wilson Foundation Chair
Steve Sedgwick AO Sir Roland Wilson Foundation Deputy Chair
Peter Woolcott AO Australian Public Service Commissioner APS Representative
Dr Steven Kennedy PSM Secretary, Department of the Treasury APS Representative
Professor Bruce Chapman AO Sir Roland Wilson Foundation Chair of Economics ANU College of Business and Economics ANU Representative
Ted Crook Sir Roland Wilson Foundation External Representative
Professor Ann Evans Dean, Higher Degree Research ANU Representative
Dr Angelia Grant Department of the Treasury Alumni Advisory Group Representative
Professor John Hewson AM Chair of Tax and Transfer Policy Institute Crawford School of Public Policy External Representative
Cath Ingram ACT Chair and Lead Partner, Federal Government, KPMG Australia External Representative
Chris Moraitis PSM Secretary, Attorney-General’s Department APS Representative
Professor Helen Sullivan Director, Crawford School of Public Policy ANU Representative
Professor Ruth Wallace Dean, Indigenous Futures, Arts & Society Charles Darwin University CDU Representative
Professor Asmi Wood Sub-Dean (Indigenous) ANU College of Law ANU Representative
BOARD
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Advisory Group
With our growing cohort of alumni, this year the Foundation established the Alumni Advisory Group.
The group maintains connections with alumni and represent their interests and views to the Foundation and its partners.
Elected to represent Foundation alumni as part of the inaugural group are Dr Angelia Grant ’15 (Chair), Dr Camille Goodman ’19 (Deputy Chair), Dr Michael McKenzie ’16, and Dr Neal Hughes ’15. Dr Angelia Grant also represents the group on the Board.
The group have made strides to support a strong, cohesive alumni community and establish influential alumni networks. They are committed to delivering alumni programs, events and services, beginning with a ”Where are they now?” event earlier this year.
Ian Castles Alumni Prize
In recognition of the ongoing contribution alumni make to academia and evidence-based policy in the APS, the Foundation established the Ian Castles Alumni Prize.
The Prize recognises an alum from either scholarship program who has achieved extraordinary success in their field or made outstanding contributions to public policy in Australia or internationally. The Prize is named after Ian Castles AO OBE who was a member of the Foundation Board from 1999 - 2009.
The 2020 Ian Castles Alumni Prize was awarded to 2019 alumni, Dr Nathan Deutscher. Nathan’s PhD, ‘Empirical essays in intergenerational mobility and early childhood human capital formation’ explores the extent to which economic outcomes are passed down from parents to children. His thesis won Best Paper at the 31st (Australia) PhD Conference in Economics and Business.
ALUMNI ACTIVITIES
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Nathan has published his research in numerous peer reviewed journals, including Applied Economics, the Economic Record, and the Journal of Economic Literature. Nathan’s contribution to research was recognised this year with one of his PhD papers winning the Life Course Centre Working Paper Series Award.
Since finishing his scholarship, Nathan has returned to the Treasury, where he has worked since 2008. Nathan continues to sustain connections with academia in his role, leading and conducting research using new and emerging administrative data.
“Nathan’s research on intergenerational income mobility has had a large policy impact and has increased our knowledge of the Australian economy.”Professor Brian P Schmidt AC FRS FAA Vice-Chancellor, ANU
“The data set is a contribution to the ‘public good’, supported by this scholarship.”Dr Nathan Deutscher 2015 SRW PhD Scholar
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ALUMNI
Dr Suzanne Akila
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Graduated 2016 ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
Research title: Participation and the protection of citizens abroad in international law.
Dr Nathan Deutscher
Department of the Treasury
Graduated 2019 ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Empirical essays in intergenerational mobility and early childhood human capital formation.
Dr Talia Avrahamzon
Department of Social Services
Graduated 2019 ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
Research title: Everyday reconciliation at school: new celebrations and ongoing silences.
Peter J Bligh
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Graduated 2020 ANU College of Business and Economics
Graduate Diploma of Economics
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Dr Owen Freestone
Department of the Treasury
Graduated 2020 ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: The role that Australia’s income support system plays in people’s lives, especially its impact on labour market participation, savings behviour, economic welfare and inequality.
Dr Angelia Grant
Department of the Treasury
Graduated 2015 ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Three essays on the US business cycle, expectations formation and model comparison.
Dr Paul Hubbard
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Graduated 2019 ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: The nature and performance of China’s state owned enterprises.
Dr Camille Goodman
Attorney-General’s Department
Graduated 2019 ANU Centre for International and Public Law
Research title: The nature and extent of coastal State jurisdiction over living resources in the exclusive economic zone.
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Dr Marie McAuliffe
International Organization for Migration, Geneva
Graduated 2017 ANU Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute
Research title: Self-agency and asylum.
Dr Nerida Hunter
Department of Social Services
Graduated 2017 ANU Australian Demographics and Social Research Institute
Research title: Geodemographic and life course perspectives of population ageing in Australia: informing the policy response to population ageing.
Dr Neal Hughes
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences
Graduated 2015 ANU Crawford School of Public Policy
Research title: Water property rights in rivers with large dams.
Dr Michael McKenzie
Attorney-General’s Department
Graduated 2016 ANU Regulatory Institutions Network
Research title: Rethinking international cooperation: crime, policy and politics in Australia-Indonesia relations.
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Dr Rick Zentelis
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Graduated 2017 ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society
Research title: Bombing for Biodiversity: integrating the military training and environmental values of military training areas.
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Commencement Dinner
In February we held the inaugural Commencement Dinner which celebrated our largest cohort to date. At the dinner, the Foundation welcomed the 2020 Sir Roland Wilson and Pat Turner scholars.
The dinner was held at aMBUSH Gallery, and was hosted by Dr Ken Henry AC who spoke about the opportunity new scholars have to drive best practice policy in the APS. Jane O’Dwyer, ANU Vice-President Engagement and Global Relations, also addressed commencing scholars, reflecting on the broader contribution the Foundation and scholars have made to ANU.
2020 cohort members at the Commencement Dinner. Top row L to R: Cris Castro, Anna Fieldhouse, Emma Graham, Patricia Akee, Andrew Morgan.
Bottom row L to R: Claire Sainsbury, Cathy Fussell, Lee-Anne Daffy, Adina Jordan, Lisa Conway (Absent: Katrina Howe, Tristram Sainsbury)
Wilson Dialogue
We hosted former Prime Minister, the Hon. Kevin Rudd AC, academic and best-selling author, Professor Bruce Pascoe, and CEO of ClimateWorks Australia, Anna Skarbek, for the 2020 virtual Wilson Dialogue. Mr Rudd delivered a keynote address on the topic of addressing climate change beyond COVID-19.
Mr Rudd’s keynote was followed by a panel discussion on the opportunities for business investment in renewables and a call to embrace Indigenous land practices as pathways to address climate change.
ENGAGEMENT AND EVENTS
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2020 cohort members at the Commencement Dinner. Top row L to R: Cris Castro, Anna Fieldhouse, Emma Graham, Patricia Akee, Andrew Morgan.
Bottom row L to R: Claire Sainsbury, Cathy Fussell, Lee-Anne Daffy, Adina Jordan, Lisa Conway (Absent: Katrina Howe, Tristram Sainsbury)
Scholar SymposiumOur annual scholar symposium is an opportunity for scholars and alumni to connect, extend their networks, and develop their professional and academic capabilities.
While COVID-19 prevented the symposium taking place on campus, the Foundation instead delivered a four-part virtual series on leadership, public policy and technical expertise and potential in the APS.
The Foundation welcomed a range of guests from ANU, the APS and overseas for valuable discussions with our scholars on diverse topics ranging from action on climate change to use of big data to inform public policy.
Secretaries Dinner
We hosted our annual Secretaries Dinner at the National Museum of Australia in November 2020.
Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Frances Adamson, delivered a keynote address about the transformative power of education, on both an individual level, and society-wide.
At the dinner, the Foundation recognised Pat Turner prize winners: Cris Castro and Lisa Conway; Joan Uhr prize winner Siddharth Shirodkar; and Ian Castles Alumni prize winner Dr Nathan Deutscher.
L to R: Prize winners Dr Nathan Deutscher, Siddharth Shirodkar and
Cris Castro at the 2020 Secretaries Dinner. (Absent: LIsa Conway).
“The Foundation continues to expand its contribution to building a world class APS, and as we look at the challenges facing the nation, I am confident the Foundation is well positioned to help the APS tackle these challenges.”Dr Ken Henry AC Chair, Sir Roland Wilson Foundation
“You are each building impactful links between academic research and public policy development to address the nation’s greatest challenges.”Professor Brian P Schmidt AC FRS FAA Vice-Chancellor, ANU
CONTACT US
The Sir Roland Wilson FoundationOld Canberra House, Lennox Crossing
The Australian National University
Acton ACT 2601
02 6125 2220
srwfoundation.anu.edu.au