Just how educated are our federal politicians? The Greens, for example, have the highest proportion of PhDs among those who represent us at Parliament House.
“I suspect it’s the other way around; that people who are interested in political ideas and policy are more likely to want to go to university,” Hawkins says. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is one such example. He was prominent in campus politics during his time at the University of Sydney, which culminated in his presidency of NSW Young Labor and later as a rising political staffer.
But he adds they are also the institutions most likely to offer degrees in law, economics, history and philosophy, and also the most likely to offer double-degrees, which are a popular choice among the political classes. Clare O’Neil, Brendan O’Connor. Bill Shorten, Michelle Rowland, Julian Leeser, Anika Wells, Zoe McKenzie, Angus Taylor, Adam Bandt and Andrew Gee are just a few of the current crop of politicians with double degrees.Senator Katy Gallagher studied in political science and sociology. Labor frontbencher Anne Aly majored in English literature, with a minor in acting. Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather and transport minister Catherine King studied history and social work respectively.
Gavin Moodie, adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, says public policy would be better served if it was “more informed by technology, science and engineering, because our current and future challenges will be scientific and technological: climate change, health, and technological change.”
It turns out that higher education is not the only way to become a politician, with a sizeable chunk of politicians choosing an alternate pathway to Parliament House.