New AFPA staff

The AFPA would like to welcome two new Graduate Research Officers, Emma Ramsay and Amelia O’Rourke. Emma and Amelia will join the Legal and Industrial team, and their commencement will significantly increase the AFPA’s capacity for legal and industrial research.

AFPA Legal and Industrial Manager Giles Snedker said he was extremely pleased to have both new research officers onboard and that their skillsets would benefit the AFPA membership immeasurably.

“As well as assistance relating to specific member matters, the AFPA regularly makes submissions to the government about new and revised legislation affecting or involving (either directly or indirectly) AFP appointees and the wider community. These submissions, as well as other research-related tasks, will be that much stronger with two new dedicated researchers.”

AFPA Senior Industrial Officer Ashlea Cameron said that one of the core strengths of the AFPA has always been the provision of highly-specialised knowledge and advice.

“Members benefit from being advised by lawyers and industrial staff who understand the intricacies of the AFP, the Enterprise Agreement, and the Better Practice Guides. I’m excited about the ways in which we will underpin our work with critical research moving forward.”

More background on Amelia and Emma is provided below:

Amelia O’Rourke

Amelia is a Canberra local and attended the Australian National University. Amelia graduated at the end of 2022 with a degree in International Relations and Political Science.

“The opening at the AFPA really caught my attention. At uni, I learnt about the history of trade unionism in Australia and the important role unions played in advocating for better working conditions.

“Not only is this role relevant to my degree, but I see that the AFPA is campaigning for important issues such as the implementation of an anti-corruption commission, stronger firearm regulations, improved support for officers suffering from PTSD, and more funding to those that are at the forefront of keeping Australia free from crime.

Emma Ramsay

Emma hails from Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand, where she studied Politics and Philosophy before going on to complete a Master of Politics.

“Once I had finished studying, I went on to work in the public sector for a time before relocating to Canberra, where I am excited to now be part of a great team here at the AFPA.

“During the completion of my master’s degree, I had the opportunity to study the global history of unions and associations in considerable detail. My lecturer was also my dissertation supervisor. Through discussions I had with him outside of the lecture hall environment, in his role as my supervisor, I became increasingly interested in the work of unions.

“When I saw the advertisement for this position, I saw an opportunity to get real-world experience in an area of work I had connected with strongly while studying the theory.”

AFPA President Alex Caruana echoed the welcome to Amelia and Emma.