Emma W
Home State
South Australia
Degree/University
The University of Adelaide; Bachelor of Science with Honours - (2005)
The Australian National University; Masters of Philosophy in Chemistry - (ongoing)
Background
My passion and interest in environmental issues developed during my childhood spent on our family farm on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. A desire to understand to how and why things work led me to study science at university. I enjoyed the depth of knowledge and ownership that scientific research provided and found myself completing Honours and Masters degrees in synthetic organic chemistry. After being tangled up in the detail of organic chemistry, I felt a change was needed; I wanted a job that would give me an opportunity to address pertinent real-life issues. The public service was the obvious candidate. I was extremely happy to win a graduate position in the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Since joining the Department I have been very impressed with the diverse array of opportunities available and the healthy and constructive working environment.
Placements
First Placement
Chemical Partnerships; Environment Protection Branch; Environment Quality Division
Chemical Partnerships was a fantastic place to start my year as Graduate in DEWHA. I worked as part of a small team, which meant I was exposed to many different activities and roles in the Section. Of particular interest was learning and experiencing the lengthy processes required for Australia to sign to an international treaty, and understanding implications of this domestically.
Second Placement
Environmental Water Delivery, Environmental Water Branch, Water Governance Division
Before I knew it, three months had passed and it was time to begin my second placement in the Environmental Water Deliver Section. The primary purpose of this section is to use water obtained from the Commonwealth's Water for the Future Program buy-back scheme for environmental purposes. While in EWD I was able to work on my own project, considering options for environmental watering in a catchment area in New South Wales and also contribute to day to day section tasks.
I thoroughly enjoyed this rotation, primarily due to the diverse and challenging nature of issues central to the section's work.
Third Placement
Strategic Approvals East, Strategic Approvals and Legislation Branch, Approvals and Wildlife Division
The main activity of Strategic Approvals East is to undertake strategic assessments which are like large (but more complicated) environmental assessments. Like the Environmental Water Branch, Strategic Approvals are also a relatively new and growing area of the Department. The most rewarding part of this rotation resulted from observing and participating in team discussions. To tease out solutions and the best way to manage the strategic assessment issues were often tackled as a group or with other areas of AWD. I was also lucky enough to be part of key negotiations with stakeholders. Watching these interactions nicely complemented the business communication training I had completed in the graduate program.
'the best thing about working for us ... is the environment'