Emma Cross Email and Phone Number

As Policy Analyst, I provide high-level professional support to the Head of Government Affairs. I undertake research and produces high-quality policy briefs, translating original research into recommendations for Government audiences and combining this with commissioned material from experts. As an analyst, I am responsible for projects that are not only aligned with the Foundation’s current strategic priorities and Portfolio, but also identifying future opportunities to diversify funding, alongside the PRF Strategy team. In addition to this, I have grants management responsibilities which require collaborative ways of working across the Foundation.

In my role with the PRF, I provide professional support to the Head of Policy & Engagement by undertaking research, producing policy briefs and providing grants management. The Paul Ramsay Foundation seeks to identify and partner with individuals, communities and organisations working to create an Australia where people can overcome disadvantage and realise their potential. The late Paul Ramsay AO established the Foundation in 2006 and, after his death in 2014, left the majority of his estate to continue his philanthropy for generations to come.His commitment to social good has allowed the Paul Ramsay Foundation to support the for-purpose sector. To read more about the progress that the Foundation has made, head over to www.paulramsayfoundation.org.au

I recently completed a volunteer internship placement with the Global Greens, the global governing body for national Greens political parties and organisations. This placement requires me to conduct specialised academic and active research on India and its progress towards its goals outlined in the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. This brief will be used to inform and assist Global Greens delegates travelling to the COP climate change negotiations in Glasgow, scheduled to take place in late 2021.During my placement, I conducted interviews with global experts and stakeholders including, Elizabeth May (Canadian politician and ex-Green Party leader), Bodil Valero (Swedish politician and member of European Green Party), Ankit Bhardwaj and Ashwini Swain (members of the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi). Throughout the placement, I have gained specialist knowledge of renewable energy alternatives, including solar, wind, small hydro and bio-mass. I have conducted extensive research into the market structures that would support the widespread use of these technologies and combined this with a political and social analysis of Indian society under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

My first paper was a submission to the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’ assisted by Dr. Sam Shpall. The purpose of our submission was to report on the experience of LGBTQI+ Australians who inject. This group is at advanced risk of contracting Hepatitis C in addition to HIV/AIDs and I explored the ways in which the safe injecting equipment register could be expanded to curb this trend. In semester two of 2019, I researched NSW police practice towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, supervised by Dr. Carolyn Mackay and Dr Samuel Shpall. We sought to recommend meaningful yet realistic changes to police practice for Community Legal Centres NSW and Just Reinvest NSW. In semester one 2020, I responded to a brief from the Australian Council of Social Service to report on changing community attitudes towards poverty. With Professor Marc Stears as our supervisor, our team kept pace with the rapid generation of state and federal data as well as media coverage of the JobKeeper and JobSeeker support packages. The aim of this paper was to track the evolution of attitudes towards poverty in Australia and investigate the COVID-19 pandemic as a milestone in this evolution.In semester two 2020, I completed a literature review for the New South Wales Council of Social Service, highlighting strategies to address precarious employment in NSW and Australia. I summarised the various measurements of precarious employment and reviewed legal and legislative strategies to better protect the following groups of workers: casual, part-time and fixed-term contract workers, labour-for-hire and independent contractors, international students and migrant workers on bridging visas.

In 2019, I participated in two policy reform projects with the USYD Policy Lab; the first submission was to the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’ and the second, to Community Legal Centres NSW and Just Reinvest NSW on ‘Improving NSW police practice towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’. My experience working with academics, NGOs and state bodies during this programme afforded me valuable insight into the social justice sector.

I have evolving experience with directing book and store-related content on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I enjoy bringing my creative writing skills to this role and finding new ways to improve customer engagement. I am competent with programs such as Hoot-Suite, Canva and Adobe Illustrator and Indesign.