Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to continue the story of 19-year-old Naomi Cockerill, a successful work experience story in my electorate office, that I started in my member’s statement this morning. Naomi goes on to say:

Keeping up to date on all issues is imperative to being a successful journalist. For the first time in a long time, I have been regularly reading as many newspapers as I can and watching the news. Doing this has made me realise how much I didn’t know about a lot of current issues, such as the increasing interest rates and current water shortage. My teachers have told me the importance of keeping up to date but it wasn’t until I have been put in the situation where it is a must that I have realised just how important it is. In the future I will most definitely be keeping up to date with current events.

The main qualities that you need to possess to be a successful journalist or to work in a politician’s office are persistence, excellent listening skills and patience. Folding pamphlets has helped me improve my previously non existent patience. Attending meetings, speaking to various politicians, journalists and citizens has helped improve my listening skills.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Joanna’s office and have had a lot of experiences I otherwise would not have had. I thank Joanna and her staff for welcoming me into their office and for teaching me so much. I hope someday to be able to work in a politician’s office and this experience has only confirmed this.

Last week I had another work experience student, Elizabeth Heppenstall, who is 15 years old. She writes:

... I am at the end of Year Ten—about to start my HSC course at Nowra Anglican College. It is compulsory for every Year Ten student at my school to do one week of work experience—it’s something you know you’ll be doing ever since you start Year Seven, but something most people don’t think about organising until three-four weeks before that (often-dreaded) week of work experience.

I have not changed any of her words whatsoever. She goes on to say:

Personally, the idea of work has always made me a bit apprehensive. Although I’m fairly intelligent and confident, school has always been a bit of a security blanket for me. It’s a place where I knew where I stood, knew the rules and the routines.

There’s one other thing you should know about me- I’m veryindecisive. I have no idea what I want to do when I leave school, and possible career options range from being a chef, to a lawyer, to a politician. So, not only is what I’m going to study at university a bit unclear, but in the nearer future, the choice of what to do for work experience was rather baffling.

In the end, it all became rather clear what I wanted to do for work experience. What made it clear? I was in Australian History at school, and we were discussing Gough Whitlam and his multiculturalism policy. My teacher asked my opinion of the policy, and I gave it. But I digressed—just a tiny bit. Somehow I had managed to be talking about mandatory detention for refugees and asylum seekers. And he cut me off saying, “Elizabeth, that’s not something I asked to hear your opinion on.” And me, being decidedly blunt, replied with, “You can’t ask us to have and express opinions on one thing, but not another.” And he frowned at me and said “You’re quite opinionated, aren’t you Elizabeth?” Then it clicked. The perfect place for me to do work experience, was at Joanna Gash’s office. This was so I could see what politicians and their staff had to do, and, possibly, begin to look at it more seriously as a future career.

So when I stepped through the automatic door that still had the “Push” sign on it, on Monday the 20th of November, my placement had been organised, and I was delving into the unknown.

Now being on work experience, I expected to be doing filing and taking the mail to the post office. Oh, and getting coffee. And I did all that. However, I also counted stationary, addressed, stamped and/or stuffed somewhere in the vicinity of 1000 envelopes, folded little smiley face cards for primary school children who were to visit parliament house, tallied feedback and designed a couple of award templates. Not the most exciting of things to do for a week, but it was work experience after all.

Here I am, in the last hour of work experience week writing a speech about my time at work experience- and hoping to never see another blank, empty envelope as long as I live. But I will leave here, with a completely different view of what it’s like to work in a politician’s office. It’s always busy—good luck getting time to think. Everyone has something to do, but they always made sure I knew what I was doing, and I thank everyone in the office for that. Joanna Gash herself has so much to do—her schedule for the next month is jam packed. Sorry, but I don’t envy her.

I’ve also seen that I don’t think I will ever be a politician—I’ll leave that to someone with better time management and organisational skills than I. But I will always remember this week. I’ve met so many different kinds of people, encountered problems and learned that coffee is a fairly vital substance in this busy office. I leave here the Year Ten student who has probably been the most effected by this one week of work experience.

Finally, I would like to thank Joanna Gash, Julia, Shawn, Sam and Wal for allowing me this opportunity and showing me what working here involved. It was very much appreciated.

I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of our young people who come to our office to do work experience. We have an average of about six or seven a year, and it is a great experience not only for them but also for me and the staff. We certainly learn about what young people want to do in their life, and I think Elizabeth has now decided what she wants to do with her life—and it is certainly not becoming a politician!