ANZSOG, in partnership with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, is sponsoring two new Churchill Fellowships in 2019; one for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples, and one for Māori working in the Australia and New Zealand public services.
The Fellowships are part of ANZSOG’s work to build Indigenous leadership in public services and improve outcomes for Indigenous communities. This work includes the Reimagining Public Administration: First Peoples, governance and new paradigms at Melbourne’s Federation Square on 20-21 February 2019 – where the Fellowships will be formally announced.
Prestigious Churchill Fellowships are awarded to Australians and New Zealanders each year. Recipients travel overseas to meet and work with leaders of influence to gain and exchange knowledge and experience for the betterment of themselves, their industry and community.
These Fellowships will provide an invaluable opportunity for recipients to spend four-to-eight weeks overseas, to gain insights into the practices of their peers working in international jurisdictions, and contribute to Indigenous policy, governance and administrative thinking in Australia and New Zealand upon their return.
ANZSOG Dean and CEO Ken Smith said that sponsoring the Fellowships was part of ANZSOG’s mission to build Indigenous capacity in public services and improve outcomes for Indigenous communities.
“Better representation of Indigenous people at all levels of our public services is essential if we want to include Indigenous people in policy development and incorporate Indigenous knowledge and culture into the work of government,” Professor Smith said.
The ANZSOG Churchill Fellowships will be officially launched at ANZSOG’s upcoming conference, Reimagining Public Administration: First Peoples, governance and new paradigms at Melbourne’s Federation Square on 20-21 February 2019. Several Churchill Fellows will be available to speak to potential applicants.
“On returning from the Fellowship, the ANZSOG Churchill Fellows will be invited to share their findings in a variety of engagement opportunities. This may include presenting in an ANZSOG program, a forum, conference or contributing to the ANZSOG Wise Practice Case Library,” Professor Smith said.
Fellowship recipients will also have access to the Churchill Trust’s Learning Framework, which includes foundation skills training, ongoing support, mentoring, and financial assistance for disseminating findings when they return.
CEO of the Australian Churchill Trust Adam Davey said that the Fellowships reward people with passion, drive and determination.
“They enable recipients to create the project they wish to investigate and choose who they want to meet, to address what is important and urgent for their specific community. This often aligns with current or emerging issues of local, regional or national importance in Australia,” Mr Davey said.
The Australian Fellowship will be awarded to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person working in the Public Service, and on the basis that the research undertaken will contribute to improving outcomes for First Peoples of Australia and their communities, and ultimately to the wider Australian community.
Applications are now open and close on 30 April 2019. Applications can be made online at churchillfellowships.com.au. This website also contains details of the Trust’s information sessions being held across Australia in February and March.
ANZSOG will partner with the New Zealand Churchill Trust to offer a Churchill Fellowship for a Māori public servant to pursue public sector practices leading to positive outcomes for Maori communities in New Zealand. Applications open 1 May and close 31 July 2019.
For information on this opportunity please visit the New Zealand Winston Churchill Memorial Trust which is administered by the Department of Internal Affairs. Information about the Trust, including how to apply, is located on the communitymatters.govt.nz website.
Professor Smith said that ANZSOG was proud to partner with the Churchill Trust to provide this opportunity for two Indigenous public servants in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
“We want to play our part in building strong Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori leadership in the public sector,” Professor Smith said.