Dane Moores was one of 20 young Australians recognised for their talent and vision at a gala dinner in Melbourne for the 2013 Australian Leadership Awards.
Speakers at the event included the Prime Minister Julia Gillard who delivered her first speech on China following her visit to the country.
“I felt very thankful and honoured to be given the award,” Dane said.
“The highlight was meeting my fellow awardees and hearing about their work across the country.
“I think the greatest benefit of the award is developing contacts and friendships with like-minded young professionals from around Australia.”
The Awards recognise young leaders for their work across a spectrum of Australian life - economy, culture, environment or community - and for their demonstrated vision for Australia’s future.
They are organised by the ADC Forum, which brings together leaders from business, government, the public sector, academia and the broader community to improve understanding of key issues affecting Australia.
Dane who is originally from the Gold Coast, graduated with a Master of International Studies (Advanced) in 2011 and went on to work in the graduate program at the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
He now works as a policy officer on climate change adaptation policy in the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
“Put simply, I work on policies that help Australia be better prepared for the impacts of climate change,” he said.
“I really enjoy the subject matter and the variety of work involved.”
As part of Dane’s application for the Leadership Award he had to write a short statement on his vision on the theme of Australia in the Asian Century.
Dane chose to focus on Australia as a regional leader in combating climate change.
“I see it as the biggest challenge facing my generation,” he said.
Dr Melissa Curley from the School of Political Science and International Studies supervised
Dane’s thesis while he was at UQ and was a referee for the ALA application.
She said she had no reservations about recommending him and described Dane as a talented and mature young man.
“He is keen to commit himself to a career in international relations and/or international policy, it strikes me that he has a passion to contribute to the policy arena for Australia, and in particular debates about climate change and the environment,” Dr Curley said.
While at UQ Dane was named a 2011 Queensland Young Volunteer of the Year and a state finalist for the Pride of Australia Medal (young leader category).
He completed two internships with the United Nations during his Master of International Studies program, as well as volunteer work with UNICEF, Amnesty International Australia and Youth Without Borders.
More information: Gillian Ievers, Marketing and Communications. g.ievers@uq.edu.au
