Crawford School of Public Policy

And the winner is…

Growing up in Newbridge, a small country village in New South Wales, Matthew Smith never expected to be standing on stage holding the Peter Andren Ethics Prize - especially considering the hometown connection.

Both Matthew and independent member of the Australian House of Representatives, Peter Andren were from the same electorate of Calare.

“As someone that I looked up to in many ways it gave me great pride to win the prize awarded in his honour,” said Matthew.

“I remember watching Peter Andren every night on television when he was a news reader, well before his political career and being from his electorate I was fortunate to meet him on a few different occasions.”

Growing up, Peter inspired Matthew in many ways.

“He was always someone that I held in great esteem - especially for his ability to connect with the common man in the street, but also because of his focus on upholding the highest of ethical standards and behaviour when serving as an MP,” he said.

Matthew is currently completing a Masters of Public Policy at Crawford School and was jointly awarded the prize for achieving the highest marks in the course, Ethics and Public Policy.

The award recipients shared the cash prize of AUD$1500.

He decided to study a Masters of Public Policy at Crawford because it was a degree that he could use in his career.

“The mixture of both theory and consideration of real world issues is a real strength of Crawford School, and something you don’t just get in other Masters courses,” he said.

“I’ve found Crawford to be a fantastic, friendly place to learn, given the great mixture of people from all over the world, as well as the wonderful esteemed academics that teach here.”

Arriving in Canberra in 2006 to complete his undergraduate studies at ANU, and set to complete his Crawford studies soon, Matthew has his eyes set on the world.

“I’d like to utilise the skills I’ve developed at Crawford to work overseas in the future. this will allow me to continue to see the world, but also be able to give something back.”

Matthew’s experiences at Crawford have equipped him to tackle real world problems and make a real difference and he is determined to do just that.

Discover how you can advance your career with a postgraduate qualification from Crawford School at ANU Open Day on 29 August.