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The Parliamentary Internship Program

The Parliamentary Internship Program is in its sixth year as a joint Flinders - Adelaide - USA topic. It offers (usually) 36 students (usually 12 from each university) an opportunity to become an Intern, working in the South Australian Parliament for one semester.

The Program opens with three weeks of formal teaching focusing on parliament - institutions, structures, processes, principles and practices. During this period, the arrangements are finalised for the research program which is the focus of the remainder of the semester.

Students work with a Parliamentary Supervisor, usually a Member of Parliament, on the basis of a mutually agreed interest in a policy issue. The formal task is research for a Research Report of 6 000 words on the issue. The topics, over the life of the Program have encompassed a wide range - fisheries, health, mental health, domestic violence, unemployment, globalisation, reform of Parliament, the status of men, rural media, wine industry, energy, economic development, local government, prostitution law, and many others - and the research has encompassed areas across the State.

As well as the formal research project, Interns have a unique opportunity to be involved in the life of Parliament and in the life of Members. Through the Parliamentary Supervisor, the Interns experience the totality of the role of a Member - in the Parliament, in the electorate and in the party. This experience provides an opportunity to assess whether a career in politics - in a range of areas - is attractive. Many past students have made career decisions on the basis of their Internship experience.

The formal project of a Research Report is the formal assessment for the Topic. The Reports become part of the public record, and are part of the collection of the Parliamentary Library, after the assessment procedure. The Members of Parliament are also able to use the Reports in their professional activities.

Overall, the Internship offers a breadth of contact for the Interns in the "real" political community. It provides an opportunity for a substantive research project, as well as an opportunity to contact various elements of politics, and assess whether there is a career. Further, the Internship provides an opportunity for a broader understanding of the various components of politics - government, parliament and public service - and a working relationship with the public through people and groups related to the research focus.

To date, the only complaint from Interns in the end-of semester assessment of the program has been that the time went too quickly, and that the opportunities offered by the Program were so broad and valuable that it was a pity that they could only be touched on. The Internship Program has proved to be a popular and fulfilling Topic for all involved.

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