Kiama Councillor, Stuart Larkins, recently completed a Master of Public Policy post-graduate degree with the University of Canberra after receiving the Councillor Pat Dixon Memorial Scholarship from Local Government NSW in 2024.
Councillor Larkins says he had the value of education instilled in him at an early age by his grandmother, Patricia Bloxsome, a Wodi Wodi woman who grew up on an Aboriginal Reserve on the NSW South Coast and only completed education to a grade three level.
“My nan instilled values for my mother and my sister and I for making the most of education and doing what we can, and accessing the opportunities that we could,” he said.
“That generational change and instilling those values is something that I’ve really taken seriously when it comes to education and learning.”
As part of his Master of Public Policy degree, Cr Larkins examined “issues and topics of importance to me” and focused on intergovernmental issues between local, state and federal governments.
His research topics included:
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody.
– Biosecurity and quarantine risks to Australia, including the roles of local government.
– Early childhood education and learning.
– Anti-discrimination laws.
– Agricultural programs and policies.
– Companion animal laws and regulations.
Cr Larkin says it wasn’t easy to juggle online study while also working full-time and fulfilling his duties as a Councillor.
“I really had a degree of flexibility about what I could look into with the subjects, because there was a lot of skill development and a lot of policy considerations for that,” he said.
“I work full-time and I’m also a councillor who is pretty active in the local community, and for the last two years I’ve also been studying. A lot of people have been quite surprised by that.
“Basically after a council meeting or after a community meeting, I’d go home and work on assignments. So a lot of time management and organisation was going on for the last two years.”
Cr Larkins said he was particularly proud of a high distinction he received for a research report into the rights of children and young people in Australia.
“This project examined the need for establishing a Children’s Rights Act or a new piece of legislation, that incorporates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child into Australian domestic law, as well as the findings from existing reports, such as the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report, ‘Help way earlier!’ which examines the rights of young people and the juvenile justice system,” he said.
“Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, but we haven’t incorporated that into our domestic law.”
He said one of the important lessons from his degree was the importance of community engagement in decision making at all levels of government.
“I always knew about the importance of engaging with the community, but one of the things, particularly through this course, was the importance of co-design or that as a principle for policy development,” Cr Larkins added. “That was really something that I took away from doing this course.
“For some of the Closing the Gap initiatives or things that specifically impact Aboriginal people, it makes sense to consult directly with Aboriginal people and co-design policy but even more broadly, it doesn’t matter what sort of issue it is or project or policy, it’s important to co-design things with input from the community.
“It’s probably instilled greater confidence in me for strategic decision-making. I’ve been on Council for four and a half years now. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your first term on Council or if you’ve been around for 20 or 30 years, I think doing ongoing professional development and learning is something really important to do so I’d encourage anyone to do it.”
The Councillor Pat Dixon Memorial Scholarship was established in recognition of the service of Cr Dixon, who became the first Aboriginal person elected to local government in the state when she was elected to Armidale City Council in 1983.
LGNSW provides the scholarship to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander councillors and council staff in NSW to undertake further study, professional development or research.
