ANIP celebrates its 30th anniversary

2023 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Australian National Internships Program (ANIP). Created through a partnership between the ANU and the Commonwealth Parliament, the founding ambition of ANIP was to bring students from around Australia and the world to experience the nation's leading policy-making institutions. This milestone was celebrated thanks to the support of the Presiding Officers of Parliament - President Sue Lines and Speaker Milton Dick MP, with an ANIP Showcase in the Great Hall at Parliament House on 25 October.

Across three decades over 2,700 students have undertaken ANIP internships with:

• 393 MPs and Senators in the Commonwealth Parliament,
• 46 Embassies,
• 97 Commonwealth & ACT Government Agencies,
• 31 Members of the ACT Legislative Assembly,
• 123 NGOs, Peak Body Organisations, Think Tanks & Research Centres.
   

The Showcase featured an exhibition of every ANIP internship project across sixteen different policy areas reflecting the diversity of student backgrounds, host profiles and research topics. The heavy lifting of putting together the Showcase was led by ANIP's director Associate Professor Laurence Brown and Shannon Kukolic, with significant contributions by Nicola Mathieu, Diana Martin Ruiz and Cecily Reid.

The success of the event was made possible by all participating ANIP's host, alumni, current students, and ANU staff who joined the Showcase or re-connected this year with the program via LinkedIn or email. It was inspiring to hear how ANIP has been part of such diverse professional journeys, and it was particularly rewarding to hear from many alumni who are now returning to the program as hosts and supervisors to pass on those opportunities to the next generation.

Event Overview

Mr Paul Girrawah House delivered the Welcome to Country for the ANIP Showcase. As a senior Ngambri-Ngunnawal custodian, Mr House played a key role in the opening of the 47th Parliament and he delivered a powerful vision of connecting cultures and peoples. Master of ceremonies for the Showcase was ANIP alum and CEO of the Sony Foundation, Ms Sophie Ryan. From cycling across the lake to begin her parliamentary internship to her subsequent career with the United Nations in major global conflict zones, Ms Ryan's account of her own ANIP journey was a highlight of the evening.

A recorded address by the Presiding Officers on the collaboration between Parliament and the university was followed by Senator Andrew McLachlan, Deputy President of the Senate, who emphasised the importance of mentorship in increasingly hybrid workplaces. Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt spoke on how the range of ANIP hosts and internship projects connect to the ANU mission to contribute to national policy-making and society. Professor Bronwyn Parry, the Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences, emphasised in her closing speech, ANIP's strong history of promoting equity and diversity in Australia’s institutions and the importance of extending those opportunities to new cohorts of students into the future.

Senator Andrew McLachlan, Deputy President of the Senate. Image credit: Irene Dowdy.

ANIP’s First State Premier

In September 2023, the Hon. Jacinta Allan MP was selected as the new Premier of Victoria. Premier Allan undertook an ANIP internship in the House of Representatives in 1995 as a student from La Trobe University, Bendigo. Four years later she became ANIP’s first parliamentarian when she was elected to the Victorian Parliament at the age of 26.

In her first speech as an MP in the Victorian Parliament, Premier Allan emphasized the importance of mentoring in opening pathways to politics for young women, which was also a research topic for one of our current students this semester.

Support ANIP’s Next Generation

ANIP Travel Grants enable students from across Australia to participate in the unique experiences provided by the Program. As a merit-based applied policy research project, ANIP has a strong history of promoting equity and diversity in Australia’s leading institutions, and the Travel Grants play a central role in increasing that accessibility.

Donations of any size are welcome. If you would like to support the ANIP Travel Grants, visit this link.

Article by: Laurence Brown, Nicola Mathieu and Diana Martin Ruiz