Anne Kantor Fellows

Lilia Anderson | Lilia Anderson is an Anne Kantor Fellow working in the Australia Institute's economics program.

Lilia is a researcher, teacher, active trade unionist and a committed advocate for affordable housing, working conditions in higher education, and women’s equality.

Lilia has a Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Science, Honours in Political Philosophy and a Master of Philosophy from the University of Sydney.

Charlie Joyce | Charlie Joyce is an Anne Kantor Fellow in the Australia Institute’s Carmichael Centre in the Centre for Future Work.

His research experience and interests include Australian and international history, unionism, reformist political strategy, and populations.

Charlie has a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Politics and International Studies from the University of Melbourne. His honours research analysed contemporary Australian Indigenous and multicultural policy debates.

He has previously worked as a writer, editor, and student union organiser.

Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalist Fellows

Evie Simpson | Evie Simpson is an Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalist Fellow based at the Australia Institute Tasmania. She holds a Bachelor of Marine and Antarctic Science from the University of Tasmania. Her research experience includes environmental protection laws in Antarctica, offshore energy policy, and marine resource management. She is particularly interested in science-led environmental policy reform.

Anne Kantor Fellowship Alumni

Prachi Arya (2022) | Prachi Arya was an Anne Kantor Fellow who worked in the economics program.

During her time at the Australia Institute, Prachi analysed large datasets including tax data, the HILDA survey, Facebook advertising data, and the census. She authored a report studying paid political advertising during the election campaign in 2022 and a report looking at the distribution of Stage 3 income tax cuts by electorate.

Daniel Bleakley (2022) | Daniel Bleakley is a climate action and electric vehicle advocate and was an Anne Kantor Fellow under the Australia Institute's Climate & Energy Program.

Daniel is the creator and host of Coal Miners Driving Teslas, a popular YouTube series in which he takes politicians, celebrities and everyday Australians out for a spin in his Tesla Model 3 Performance, and encourages them to ‘just plant it’. The popular series has gained international media attention for its fun approach to engaging people on climate action and electric vehicles.

Liam Carter (2021) | Liam Carter was an inaugural Anne Kantor Fellow with The Australia Institute in 2021. Prior to joining The Australia Institute he worked as a parliamentary and policy advisor to various state and federal MPs, and worked in the NGO sector. He holds a Master of National Security Policy from the ANU.

During his time as an Anne Kantor Fellow, Liam worked on a range of reports covering the resources sector, economics, national security and technology. He gave expert evidence in front of a Senate inquiry, advised foreign government agencies, and was seconded to the office of a federal MP.

Mahendra Chitrarasu (2023) | Mahendra Chitrarasu was an Anne Kantor Fellow and worked in the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program.

During his time as a Fellow, Mahendra worked on integrity issues, including truth in political advertising reform and the Australia Institute's submission to the National Anti-Corruption Commission legislation inquiry.

Rachel Hay (2021) | Rachel Hay was one of the Australia Institute’s inaugural Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalist Fellows. Rachel worked with the Australia Institute Tasmania and the Tasmanian Independent Science Council.

During her time with the Australia Institute, Rachel authored two submissions on Tasmania’s anti-protest laws, and led a campaign that saw the penalties and scope of the laws reduced. She also wrote a report which suggested improvements for the Tasmanian Integrity Commission, triggering Parliament and media debate, and commitments from the Government for improvement. Rachel engaged with the Review of Tasmania’s Climate Change legislation and assisted independent Legislative Council MP Meg Webb in proposing amendments.

Kate McBride (2021) | Kate McBride is one of the Australia Institute’s inaugural Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalist Fellows and a fifth-generation grazier from Western NSW. Kate completed her fellowship part time over two years in the Institute’s South Australian office working in partnership with ConservationSA.

During the fellowship, Kate completed research on Murray-Darling and rural issues, worked in Parliament House, featured on the ABCs Q+A and helped coordinate an Australia Institute event ‘Putting EVs on the Fast Track’. Kate has continued on with the Australia Institute and is now working in the Canberra office.

Hannah Melville-Rea (2021) | Hannah Melville-Rea worked within the Australia Institute's Climate & Energy Program as an inaugural Anne Kantor Fellow.

She provided policy recommendations to Australia's climate resilience strategy, conducted quantitative analysis of federal grant spending, and translated gridded temperature projections into electorate-level briefs about extreme heat in Western Sydney. Hannah plans to enroll in a PhD program from September 2022.

Elizabeth Morison (2021) | Elizabeth Morison worked as a Nature Conservation Officer at partner organisation the Victorian National Parks Association during her time as an inaugural Anne Kantor Young Woman Environmentalist Fellow.

At the Victorian National Parks Association, Elizabeth coordinated the organisation’s campaign and communication work in the intersection between nature conservation and climate action. She also implemented an organisation-wide strategy to improve youth engagement in nature conservation advocacy. At the Australia Institute, Elizabeth wrote the environment chapter of the 2022 Budget Wrap, and co-authored a report exposing cronyism in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. She is now working as a Researcher in the Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability program. 

Sienna Parrott (2022) | Sienna Parrott was a 2022 Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalist Fellow.

During the fellowship, Sienna completed research on Australia’s bid to host a UN climate conference and coordinated briefings with members of the diplomatic corps and Federal Government on this research. Sienna led a research report on stealthing and organised a roundtable on stealthing, attended by Attorneys-General advisors and shadow Attorneys-General from every state and territory. Sienna’s research and advocacy on stealthing contributed to law reform in four states. Sienna is now working as an adviser for a Federal MP.

Anastasia Radievska (2021) | Anastasia Radievska was one of the Australia Institute’s inaugural Anne Kantor Fellows and worked for ACOSS during her Fellowship.

Anastasia holds an Honours degree in Sociology and Social Policy and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney. She previously worked in policy and advocacy work for a range of NGOs. 

Lily Raynes (2022) | Lily Raynes was an Anne Kantor Fellow based in the Australia Institute's Centre for Future Work. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor and has worked on reform to Australia’s labour law framework.

During her time as a Fellow, Lily authored or co-authored six different reports on a range of topics related to labour markets, industrial relations, and fairness in workplaces.

Lily is now working as an advisor for a Federal MP.

Clare Schuster (2021) | Clare Schuster was one of the Australia Institute’s inaugural Anne Kantor Fellows. During her time at the Institute, Clare conducted research on climate-related financial risks, political transparency and accountability and legal mechanisms to address climate change.

Clare is now a Law Graduate at Equity Generation Lawyers, a firm that specialises in climate litigation. Clare has degrees in Law and International Relations from La Trobe University.

Sumithri Venketasubramanian (2022) | Sumithri Venketasubramanian was an Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalist Fellow in the Climate & Energy program, with an interest in media and communications. She has a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the Australian National University. Her Honours research was a discourse analysis of Australian media coverage of the 2018-19 Menindee fish kills.

She has past NGO experience in feminist and environment/sustainability spaces in Australia and her home country of Singapore and produced and co-hosted the independent podcast The Grass Ceiling.

Whilst at the Australia Institute, she worked on reports on Greenwashing, the Emissions Reduction Fund and the annual Climate of the Nation report.

Rhiannon Verschuer (2021) | Rhiannon Verschuer worked within the Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program as an inaugural Anne Kantor Young Woman Environmentalist Fellow.

During her time at the Institute, she conducted analysis of Australia's contributions to international climate action, provided recommendations regarding Australia's decarbonisation policies and managed diplomatic outreach, including organising the inaugural Pacific Regional Climate Diplomacy Forum with the Prime Minister of Samoa. She is now working as a policy adviser for a Federal MP.