UWA Fogarty Scholars share a conversation with Celia Hammond MP

With the Federal Election looming and candidates eager to hear from constituents, the UWA Fogarty Scholars joined Celia Hammond, Member for the seat of Curtin and Liberal candidate for the upcoming federal election, for a conversation about education, leadership, politics, resilience and more. This event follows the successful conversation the Scholars had with Kate Chaney, independent candidate for the seat of Curtin.

Celia opened by explaining her upbringing, education and what led her to the world of politics. Celia studied law at the University of Western Australia (UWA), worked as a lawyer in private practice before moving into a career as a legal academic at UWA and the University of Notre Dame (UNDA). At UNDA she had various roles, including Legal Counsel, Deputy Vice Chancellor and in 2018, Celia was appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of Notre Dame, a position she held until moving into politics. Celia has been the Member for Curtin since 2019. 

Celia shared her areas of focus, talking about her Liberal beliefs and values, including:

• The rights and freedoms of all people
• Equality for all individuals
• A strong economy to provide the services we need
• Small government, lower taxes and deregulation.

The Scholars raised a wide range of topics, spanning climate change and the government’s commitment to Net Zero by 2050, how quickly we can reach Net Zero and how the country will do so, the technological advancements of the future and how they will impact the world, addressing the needs of the Curtin electorate whilst balancing the needs of the country, the government response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the development of resilience, how to combat imposter syndrome and whether or not individuals can have ‘everything’. 

Celia encouraged the Scholars to find their driving force and follow their passions. 

“Don’t be afraid to change paths or take a risk, the worst thing that will happen is that you will fall.” 

Celia Hammond MP

Many thanks to Celia for sharing this conversation with the group, and to the Scholars who joined us for the discussion. Communication is key to understanding and assists in all aspects of life. By assisting in the development of successful and respectful communication skills, we are encouraging our Scholars to take part in discussions that will change the future.