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Sem 1 applications open NOW
EOIs close Sunday 4th of January.
FORE Australia runs remote/hybrid internships - available for the semester, summer and winter sessions on an ongoing basis
Team at Australian Parliament House as part of FORE Australia's Parliamentary Launch
The team and leaders at one of our daily check-in meetings
Summer 25/26 team at as part of the in-person bonding afternoon in Narrm/Melbourne
About FORE Australia’s Internship and Volunteer Programs
FORE Australia is a youth-led social enterprise building new pathways into public policy for people who are often excluded from it. Until late 2025, our work was entirely volunteer-run, including by our founder and leadership team. We received our first major philanthropic support from the Snow Foundation in late 2025, which is now allowing us to begin transitioning parts of our work toward paid roles over time.
Our internship, volunteer and training programs are designed as a structured learning and training experience, not a substitute for paid employment. It exists because practical policy skills — such as policy writing, legislative analysis, stakeholder engagement and understanding government processes — are rarely accessible outside universities, political offices, or informal networks.
All volunteers receive extensive training, mentorship and published work they can cite, and are never required to perform work in place of paid staff. We are committed to transparency, accessibility, and continually improving the program as our organisation grows.
Program Details
What's Involved?
TLDR:
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Research, write and review policy briefs
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Work in a large, motivated cohort
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Meet with experts (academics, NGOs, decision makers, etc.)
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Engage with guest speakers
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Explore your interests with autonomy
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Remote/Hybrid program (with optional city networking catch-ups)
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Assigned a mentor + 3 training days
FORE Australia’s Policy Program is a hands-on, remote/hybrid training program that gives you practical experience to learn policy research, writing, and communication.
Volunteers learn to independently and collaboratively draft and refine one-page policy briefs for Australia’s first online resource of One-Page briefs - a tool used by policymakers, staffers, and advocates to surface ready-to-implement solutions.
Through structured training, mentoring, and daily team collaboration, you’ll learn how to:
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Translate complex issues into clear, impactful policy proposals
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Action policy ideas and navigate resources like the Federal Register of Legislation and state law frameworks.
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Utilise artificial intelligence (AI) and other tools in a policy context
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Navigate real-world engagement with experts, stakeholders, and decision-makers
You’ll be part of a motivated, cross-disciplinary cohort, building your skills and network through peer learning, all while contributing to work that directly reaches decision-makers.
If you’re passionate about making a difference through policy, this is your chance to kickstart your policy career.
Ideal Candidate
Successful applicants will be selected based on:
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Your motivation and application responses: We’ll assess your written responses to understand why this program matters to you and what you hope to gain.
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Your commitment: We prioritise people who can attend all training and onboarding sessions and commit at least 1 full day pw.
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Your availability: We aim to build a team with strong weekday coverage across Tuesday–Saturday.
You’re passionate about creating real change and eager to contribute to meaningful policy work. Curious and self-motivated, you thrive when given autonomy to explore your interests while delivering impactful results. You’re excited by the opportunity to collaborate with peers and engage with partners and decision-makers.
Whether you’re a student, a recent graduate, looking for a career change, or just someone looking to gain experience in policy, this program could be for you! What we value most are passion, drive, persistence, collaboration, strong research and writing skills, and a knack for problem-solving, which is an absolute bonus!
If you’re ready to be part of a mission-driven organisation, translating your passion into real-world solutions, we’d love to have you on board!
A Day in the Life as a Policy Intern at FORE Australia
You start your day at 9 am, coffee in hand, diving into research on a new policy idea you’re excited to explore. By 10 am, you're in the team check-in, swapping updates, sharing what you're working on, and getting inspired by the range of ideas coming to life. At noon, you're in a fast-paced peer feedback session, sharpening your thinking and strengthening your brief. After lunch, you meet with a partner working on the frontlines of the issue, adding lived experience and expert insight to your draft. Around 2 pm, you hit a snag, but a quick call with the team gets you unstuck and back into the flow. The rest of the afternoon flies by as you draft, refine, respond to feedback, and support your peers with theirs. By 4 pm, your brief is polished and off to the copyeditors. At 4:30 pm, the team regroups to celebrate wins and wrap up the day. You clock off at 5 pm knowing you’ve helped move a real solution one step closer to real-world uptake.
Availability Criteria
FORE Australia runs remote/hybrid internship and training programs.
Interns are empowered to have full control over which days of the week they would like to work. To ensure a rewarding and manageable experience, we ask for:
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A commitment of 1+ full days (9-5 AEST/AEDT pw) (excluding public holidays) between Tuesday and Saturday. 2+ days recommended.
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Must be available to attend our 3 training days before the begginning of the program
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Open to feedback, peer learning, and working in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment
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Must be willing to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for policy writing
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Must have access to reliable internet/wifi
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Must have access to a laptop or computer for remote work
If you have any questions regarding your availability and whether you’ll be eligible for the program, feel free to email info@foreaustralia.com.
Before You Apply
Before submitting your application, please take a moment to consider whether you can fully commit to the program for the full duration. FORE Australia runs on collaboration, reliability and shared momentum; every intern plays an important role in their team’s progress.
Because we aren’t able to onboard new interns mid-program, we ask that you apply only if you’re confident you can stay engaged and available for the full duration. This is a selective program with limited places, and your participation means a spot has been offered to you instead of another applicant. We simply ask that you honour that opportunity by showing up, contributing to your team, and helping to make the experience as meaningful for others as it will be for you.
If that sounds like you, amazing! We’d love to have you apply!
Testimonies
"This program offered practical, hands-on policy experience that went beyond anything I’d encountered in my studies. It bridged the gap between learning about policy and actually creating it." - Emily McDonald, 2025
"Meeting partners and guest speakers gave me insights I couldn’t get anywhere else. Representing FORE Australia in these spaces was both inspiring and empowering." - Manika Gupta, 2025
“The autonomy I had during the program was incredible. I was able to dive into policy areas I was passionate about and develop briefs that really aligned with my interests. It made the work so much more meaningful." - Chris Noonan, 2025
Sem 1 Program
Criteria
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Minimum commitment: 1 full day/week (9am–5pm AEST/AEDT) between Tuesday and Saturday
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Must be available to attend our 3 training days before the begginning of the program
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Sat 14th, Sat 21st and Sun 22nd of February.
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Open to feedback, peer learning, and working in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment
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Must be willing to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Must have access to reliable internet/wifi and access to a laptop or computer for remote work
Documents to Review
Key Dates
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Program runs: 24 Feb to 30 May 2026
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3 training days
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Sat 14 Feb
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Sat 21
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Sun 22 Feb
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Application period timeline:
Our application process has two stages. Step 1 is submitting your Expression of Interest, which closes on Sunday 4 January. After this, applicants will be notified of their outcome, and those progressing to the next stage will receive their Round 2 instructions on Monday 5 January. Step 2 involves completing and submitting the Round 2 task, with two weeks to work on it before it closes on Thursday 15 January. Final offers will be sent to successful applicants on Saturday 31 January, along with onboarding details for the program.
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Sunday 11 January - Expressions of Interest close
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Monday 5 January - Round 2 invitations and instructions start to be sent
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Thursday 15 January - Round 2 submissions due
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Saturday 31 January - Final offers released
