Sophie Mirabella goes back to uni to teach the art of politics
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Version 0 of 1. A former Liberal MP, Sophie Mirabella, is returning to her alma mater, Melbourne University, to help teach students the art of politics. Mirabella, a leading federal Coalition right-winger who was ousted from parliament at last year’s federal election, will join the university as a public policy fellow. Her role will involve contributing to “public debates of national importance and helping teach students”. She will deliver lectures and seminars on a part-time basis. Mirabella was politically active in her student days at Melbourne University, where she studied law and commerce. She was the president of the Melbourne University Liberal Club and vice-president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation. She went on to enter parliament, holding the seemingly safe seat of Indi, in rural Victoria, before losing to independent MP Cathy McGowan last year. Mirabella was a leading figure on the right of the Liberal party, with commentators attributing her loss to McGowan to a divisive public image. In a video interview, Mirabella said she was excited to join the university at a time when there is a “new government with a reform agenda”. “What I hope to be able to impart is some real-life experiences about politics to those students studying it, what really happens behind the scenes, how things work, how they don’t work,” she said. “There has been valid criticism in the past about universities not taking a spectrum of ideology or political opinion into account. If in some small way I can contribute to that spectrum, that’s a good thing.” Professor Adrian Little, head of the university’s school of social and political sciences, said securing Mirabella was a “real coup”. In December, Mirabella was appointed to the board of the Australian Submarine Corporation. |