Rewarding experience for parliamentary interns
2 December 2025
As a group of final year university students graduated from the Victorian Parliamentary Internship Program, some described it as the highlight of their university degree.
University of Melbourne student Anastasia Scarpaci said the program was an experience like no other.
‘It pushes you outside of your comfort zones, challenges you...but it is also a program which allows you to grow,’ she said.
Ms Scarpaci was among more than 40 students who graduated from the highly competitive program in 2025.
Each year over 13 weeks students from six Victorian universities are paired with a Member of Parliament to research and write a report on an agreed topic. The participating universities are Melbourne, Monash, Australian Catholic, Deakin, La Trobe and Swinburne.
The papers often cover important policy issues and have in some instances guided public policy and resulted in legislative changes.
This year students covered topics that included housing and homelessness, energy, artificial intelligence, fisheries, education, youth political engagement and crime.
‘It is such an achievement to produce an independent piece of research that responds to a genuine policy problem,’ Ms Scarpaci said.
‘This program and our reports allow us to step beyond what we would normally learn in the classroom – providing us with an inside view of the policy process and evidence-based policy.’
Ms Scarpaci completed a report for Melina Bath, Member for Eastern Victoria titled, Biodiversity in the national parks estate: The effectiveness of current systems in protecting Victoria’s biodiversity.
She received a Presiding Officers’ Prize for her research, which found that urgent reform was required to protect Victoria’s biodiversity.
‘This internship taught me that we all have the capacity to make change,’ Ms Scarpaci said.
‘As I interviewed my research participants, it became apparent to me that this is not just a university-level class, but an opportunity to meaningfully contribute to policy.
‘This is important as we often underestimate our ability as university students to make the world a better place.’
In the program's 36-year history, more than 1400 university students have graduated, and more than 300 MPs have engaged a student intern.
Australian Catholic University student Flynn Healy said the program was a chance to research a real issue impacting the Victorian community.
‘Many of us had never really thought about our topics before or even heard about them, but after completing the report I know that everybody is very passionate about their issues,’ he said.
‘It was challenging for us to balance the report with our other classes, but I am so proud of everyone for getting through this tough but valuable experience.’