An event at Parliament House on Friday 25 October celebrated a quarter of a century collaboration between South Australia’s three public universities and the SA Parliament, which provides students with exceptional real-world experiences in public policy development.
The South Australian Parliamentary Internship program hosted a total of 16 Flinders students this year, who were all invited to join the anniversary event.
Students are admitted to the program through a competitive process that includes the requirement of a high grade point average. At Flinders, the placements are offered to advanced undergraduate students and Honours students studying the Government topic. This year’s cohort included 13 undergraduates and three Honours students.
Students are assigned to the office of a Member of Parliament, from either the House of Assembly or the Legislative Council. Each student is tasked with producing a report that explores a policy issue nominated by their mentor MP, which is then lodged in the Parliamentary Library.
Professor Andrew Parkin from the College of Business, Government and Law is this year’s Flinders coordinator for the program, following in the footsteps of esteemed colleagues over the past 25 years.
“It is gratifying to watch the Flinders interns develop in confidence and professional proficiency over the course of the program,” Professor Parkin says.
“I was advised by my predecessors that the Parliamentary Internship can be a career-defining experience for students. I am sure that this will be the case for some of this year’s cohort.”
The 25th anniversary celebration was held in the House of Assembly chamber, Parliament House. It featured talks from the honourable Vincent Tarzia MP, Speaker of the House of Assembly, and all three University Vice-Chancellors.
Half of this semester’s interns presented their reports following the celebration, with the other half scheduled to present on 1 November 2019.