Martin Dallen

Martin joined the department as an Indigenous Cadet in March 2007. In 2010 Martin successfully completed his undergraduate studies and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) and Bachelor of Science (Forest Science) at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.

I moved to Canberra in January 2006 to commence at the ANU studying sociology and forestry in a double degree program. I applied for the National Indigenous Cadetship Program later that year and had my interview late in 2006. DAFF was my first preference as the department related with my forestry studies. I was lucky enough to be successful and my commencement at DAFF in the Forestry Branch coincided with the beginning of my 2nd year at uni.

All throughout 2007 I was supported by DAFF in my studies by receiving a fortnightly wage and a study allowance paid each semester that covers some of the costs of studying, such as textbooks, fieldtrips and stationery. I started my first work placement in the November of 2007 which coincided with the Department moving into the new civic offices and also the 2007 federal election and the resultant change of government.

After being welcomed into the Forestry Branch, I began working on several projects. Since my commencement I have been heavily involved in the National Indigenous Forestry Strategy (NIFS) and I have worked on the impact of climate change on the forest sector. With the NIFS I have been involved in steering committee meetings, researching opportunities for interaction between Indigenous communities and the forest industry. I was also involved in the tender process for the NIFS communication package and the subsequent development of that package.

On the climate change front I have attended seminars on carbon life cycle analysis, which looks to add up the carbon cost of everything we use from simple items like a drinking glass to complex things like a plasma TV. I have also attended meetings between DAFF, the forest industry and the Department of Climate Change during the consultation period during the development of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which so far has resulted in the release of the Green Paper and White Paper policy documents.

Overall, I have had very positive experiences with the department. I have been warmly welcomed into the department and have been assigned interesting work. I thoroughly encourage any prospective cadet to consider DAFF - for me it has truly been a rewarding and fulfilling experience.