Tristian Delroy

7.00 AM

Wake up and go for a jog through the park near Lake Burley Griffin.

7.45 AM

Eat breakfast and do some reading (I’m currently reading Bury the Chains, by Adam Hochschild, a history of the anti-slavery movement). Get ready for the day.

8.45 AM

Walk to the PM&C office.

9.00 AM

Meet with my supervisor to discuss priorities for the week and get advice on how to approach some of these tasks. There is a diverse range of work, as our branch advises and supports the Prime Minister across all areas of health policy. 

9.30 AM

Meet with all of the Social Policy Division to share updates on key issues in each portfolio, including education, aged care and social services.

9.45 AM

Finish an event brief for the Prime Minister, prepared in collaboration with teams across PM&C and the Department of Health and send the draft brief to my supervisor. 

10.45 AM

Get a soy flat white at the cafe with another graduate, working in in the Office for Women. It’s always interesting catching up with other graduates and hearing about what projects they’re working on.

11.00 AM

Meet with the Department of Finance and Treasury to discuss policy proposals in the Budget.

12.00 PM

Get a sandwich from the Barton shops and eat lunch with some other graduates working in different teams around the Department.

1.00 PM

Meet with my team and our Assistant Secretary to discuss a policy deep-dive project, sharing the research and case studies we have prepared.

2.00 PM

Assist a colleague with urgent updates to a brief for the Prime Minister to incorporate statistics which have just been released.

3.00 PM

Meet with the branch to discuss how we can improve diversity and inclusion.

3.30 PM

Make some green tea in the kitchen.

3.45 PM

Meet with my supervisor to get feedback on how the event brief can be improved. Make these changes and submit the brief for clearance.

5.36 PM

Walk home. Canberra is a beautiful place to walk, especially in autumn and spring.

6.00 PM

Make dinner (ramen with tofu) and watch a film recommended by a colleague (Caramel, directed by Nadine Labaki).

9.00 PM

Do some reading (The Overstory, by Richard Powers), mediate and get to sleep.