Sara
Home State
New South Wales
University
Macquarie University
London School of Journalism
University of New South Wales
Qualifications
Master of International Relations with Master of International Environmental Law
Diploma in Freelance and Feature Writing Journalism
Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) and Japanese
Background
As a child I lived in Malaysia, rural NSW and Sydney, and traveled extensively. This stimulated a life-long interest in all things international, resulting in my early studies in history, literature, communications and Japanese. A family-fueled addiction to travel saw me skip in and out of university to experience a working holiday during the Winter Olympics spent in the ski resorts of Nagano, Japan, followed by a year travelling and working in Europe. As soon as I finished my undergraduate studies, I spent three years teaching English in rural Japan and improving my Japanese, while studying journalism, learning traditional art forms like calligraphy and tai chi, and indulging my passion for travel, cooking, photography, art and design. My interest in the environment comes from regular bushwalking, camping and skiing trips, as well as traveling widely overseas and volunteering in Nepal. On my return to Sydney, the combination of the above experiences lead me to the International Relations and International Environmental Law Masters, but a chance to use my Japanese working in Sydney for a Japanese managed company making TV commercials for Japan, meant this was undertaken externally. Several interesting commercials and lots of random general knowledge later, I completed the Masters and worked for the Humane Society International running their Wildlife Land Trust program. However, I wanted to work developing and implementing international environment policy. The Department encompassed everything I had ever studied and the Graduate program gave me an opportunity to experience several areas of its work.
Placements
First Placement
Policy Co-ordination Division, Strategic Advice Branch, International Section
The International Section has a coordination role within the Department, ensuring Departmental, and whole of government policy is integrated into Australia's bilateral and multilateral engagement. The 17th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development held in New York in May was the main focus of my rotation. I assisted in preparations for the meeting by organising the logistical briefing, compiling and analysing relevant primary sources, drafting minutes and briefings, as well as other related tasks. I was also involved in organising the Minister's travel and compiling a briefing pack for his attendance at a meeting in Washington DC. Regular section work included coordinating Departmental input and attending meetings on a range of issues for Australia's bilateral and multilateral relationships, cable writing and distribution, as well as writing ministerial briefs and other correspondence.
Second Placement
Heritage Division, International Heritage and Policy Branch, International Projects Section
The International Projects Section works with countries in the region to protect and promote their cultural and natural heritage through sharing Australian knowledge and skills. They primarily work on assisting Papua New Guinea (PNG) to maintain the heritage values of the Kokoda Track through capacity building programs for communities along the track. The main focus of my rotation was running the procurement process to find a contractor to undertake a wartime condition study of the Kokoda Track and managing the contractor's work on behalf of PNG's Kokoda Track Authority. I also organised the August Kokoda Inter Departmental Committee Meeting and assisted in the preparation of several briefings for both the Minister and other high level DEWHA staff attending Ministerial and stakeholder level meetings related to PNG. Regular tasks of the section involved responding to Ministerials and researching a variety of issues related to the Section's work on the Track.
Third Placement
Environment Quality Division, Environment Protection Branch, Chemical Partnerships Section
The Chemical Partnerships Section was created to support issues relating to chemicals, both domestically and internationally, which may specifically affect industry stakeholders. Planning, researching and writing a Regulation Impact Statement for the Negotiation of a Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury was my main responsibility during this rotation. I was also involved in organising a briefing pack for one of the international meetings on mercury, researching various issues related to mercury and Australia's treaty making process, and attended a number of industry stakeholder meetings on the proposed Legally Binding Instrument on Mercury. Other section duties involved working with the Department's Legal Section on a funding variation and responding to Ministerials.
Permanent Placement
Policy Co-ordination Division, Strategic Advice Branch, International Section
I enjoyed my first placement immensely and was lucky enough to be able to return to the Section. While I am still involved in many of the general section tasks that I undertook during my first rotation, my permanent placement is in a different team, which is focused on engagement with the Pacific. Initially this will involve organising bilateral meetings with New Zealand and developing a proposal for capacity building in the Pacific. I will also be developing tools to inform and engage the wider Departmental staff in DEWHA's international work.
'the best thing about working for us ... is the environment'