South Australian Internship and Parliamentary Internship Program

Participating organisations | Admission | Further information

The South Australian Internship Program is offered by the Politics Discipline in the School of History and Politics of the University of Adelaide. This Program offers placement in either the State Parliament of South Australia or with one of a range of public sector agencies. It was established to allow students to gain first hand experience of the workings of diverse public sector organisations and to appreciate the daily activities of those who work within them.

The Internship Program aims to

• provide students with community resources and connections not normally available to them
• enhance understanding of public-policy making process through this exposure
• produce a report of findings of use and value to the organisation and for which students gain academic credit
• provide students with valuable experience, under supervision, in the production of long research reports

Participating organisations

• State Parliament of South Australia
• State and local government bodies
• Broadcasting organisations
• Environmental agencies
• Aboriginal services
• Women's services
• Legal services
• Non-government peak lobby organisations
• Political parties
• Environmentally sustainable urban development
• Youth/generation politics
• Australian cultural history
• Voluntary euthanasia
• Family court costs and legal aid
• Rehabilitation in correctional services
• Policy of firearms legislation
• An Australian Republic and state power
• Sexual assault laws and case counselling confidentiality
• Forecast of trade demand for selected South Australian commodities
• Relevance of the United Nations in internal disputes
• Declining public perceptions of public schooling
• Monitoring of recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody

The Internship Program has been designed with two clear goals in mind. The first of these is to allow students to work within an organisation active in the public sector. In the process it is expected that the students will acquire a sense of the general responsibilities confronted by this organisation. Further, while completing the research, students will gain access to some of the resources and connections not usually available to them. By the end of the Program, students should be able to leave with an enhanced understanding of the public policy processes and a detailed knowledge of the issues behind the chosen research topic. The second goal is that students will produce work that is of use to the organisation, and in the process of the research and the drafting of the final report, students will make a valuable contribution to the organisation as well as to the broader process of policy-making.

For the whole of their period as interns, students remain attached to the University of Adelaide. This means that all administrative matters and questions relating to their enrolment and status should be directed to the University.

Admission to the program

• selection to the program is competitive and admission to the Program cannot be guaranteed
• the final selection of students is by quota , based on academic merit
• students wanting a place must enrol by 30 April (though students applying after 30 April may be accepted, depending on their desired placement and the level of demand)
• all enrolled students will by informed whether they have been accepted into the Program by May
• all students offered a place will be asked for their placement and research preferences and will be advised of their placement before the start of Semester 2

The Program begins with an orientation session. At this meeting we will discuss the process of arranging a meeting with their nominated organisation / supervisor and how to begin the process of preliminary planning of the research project. Once the exact terms of the research project have been agreed an ‘agreement' defining the task, outlining the methodology, and detailing the level of support available will be signed by the supervisor, the student and the academic coordinator. All students are expected to participate in a series of seminars during the semester.

Assessment is based upon the written research report and on a short reflective essay based on internship experiences.

At the end of the academic semester, all students will attend an ‘Internship Conference' at which they will present a summary of their findings. One week later, all students will submit bound copies of their research project. One copy will go to the academic coordinator, and the other to the host organisation one copy of reports completed for Members of the State Parliament will be lodged in the Parliamentary Library).

A final mark (determined by the University) will be based on all the written work.

Further information

Responsibility for the academic coordination of the Internships, for the negotiation of placements and the day to day running of the Internship Scheme rests with the Academic coordinator, and all enquiries specifically about the Scheme should be directed to:

Dr Clement Macintyre
School of History & Politics
University of Adelaide
South Australia 5005
Telephone +61-8-8303 5601
Facsimile +61-8-8303 3443
Email: clement.macintyre@adelaide.edu.au