Hasyyati Yusrina has always been passionate about public policy, having recognised many issues in her Indonesian hometown. Determined to make a difference, she was awarded one of the Chancellor’s International Scholarships for Indonesian students– letting her embark on a life-changing journey to Australia.
Overview
- Hasyyati grew up in Indonesia and completed her Bachelor of Accounting there.
- After getting a job in the Indonesian public service, she came to ANU to deepen her knowledge.
- She’s loved learning from Crawford School of Public Policy experts and, when she graduates, will return to Indonesia and her role as a policy analyst in the Ministry of Public Administration and Bureaucratic Reform – hopefully with a pay rise!
Hasyyati’s passion for her career has definitely taken her places – most recently across the Indian Ocean from Sumatra to Australia. She has made new friends, taken up new hobbies and extended her career path in ways she never imagined.
“I grew up in Palembang in south Sumatra. Our city is on the Musi River and our house is near the famous Ampera Bridge. One of my favourite memories is swimming in the river at the back of my house. But I’ve always heard stories from my parents about how the river used to be very clean and full of fish and shrimp. It is badly polluted now and I wish the local government would do more to save it.”
Hasyyati’s parents are fortunate to have steady jobs but have limited financial means. Her mum works in an elementary school and teaches Islamic Studies. Dad is a public servant in the government; his role involves promoting tourism in the Palembang region. Her two sisters are both at university. Even though it has been financially challenging, her parents have always encouraged their daughters to pursue their education.
"I chose ANU because of its international ranking and because it is at the centre of the government in Australia."
“My parents were always supportive of our education. I remember choosing a high school with mandatory boarding for first-year students. The school was expensive and I know my parents struggled to afford it. But they never said no – they told me to go. That school was the turning point of my life, where I got a lot of chances to explore myself. It was the foundation that took me to where I am right now.
“I enjoyed maths at school but had no idea what I wanted to do when I left. I did a Bachelor of Accounting at Sriwijaya University in Palembang to see if I’d like it. Luckily I did! And it gave me many ideas for what I wanted to do in my career. Government policy has also always interested me; I remember talking with my dad about the jobs I could apply for while watching TV. When he mentioned a job in the government, I thought, why not?”
Hasyyati finished her undergraduate degree in 2016 and then worked various jobs in Palembang. In 2019, she was offered a job as a policy analyst in the Ministry of Public Administration and Bureaucratic Reform in Jakarta. The job took her from her comfortable hometown to metropolitan Jakarta.
“The focus of my job is to encourage democratic reform in government and to understand its perspectives and challenges. It can be complicated because of many problems and issues, so it’s not straightforward."
Lots of government organisations have many public workers and are not using budgets effectively, Hasyyati says.
"Our focus is to ensure each government has clear goals and priorities and understands how to manage them. This often involves unclear objectives and complicated policy issues, which made me want to improve my knowledge. If I can understand the complexity of these problems, then I can understand how to change people's lives.”
Hasyyati stands, facing the camera and smiling, at the top of a mountain with Canberra below.
In 2021, Hasyyati applied to study at ANU, her preferred choice of university for a number of reasons.
“I was so grateful for the opportunity and excited!" she says
"I chose ANU because of its international ranking and because it is at the centre of the government in Australia. I heard about the Crawford School of Public Policy and knew it had close ties to several senior experts advising the Australian Government."
Knowing she would get a theoretical knowledge of public policy and learn how to apply it in practical settings, Hasyyati moved to Canberra last year to study a Master of Public Policy at ANU. Her degree takes two years; she is now in her third semester out of four. So, not long to go!
The Chancellor’s International Scholarship for Indonesian students grants her a 50 per cent discount on her tuition fees.
"This scholarship has allowed me to take on a leadership role as President of the Indonesian Student Organisation, learn and connect with experts in Australian public policy and broaden my network with other international students."
"My friends and I think Canberra is kind of like a utopian city compared to Jakarta. It has lots of fresh air and so many open spaces."
Having had so many questions about public policy in Indonesia, and an accounting degree that raised more, Hasyyati is working on a paper about how social policy in Indonesia is adjusting to climate change.
"Social policy around climate change is a big issue for Indonesia and for the entire planet, so studying this is very important to me,” she says
In terms of life outside of study, Hasyyati lives off-campus in a house in the Canberra suburb of Cook with friends, just 10 minutes from ANU. The connections with her housemates were built back in Jakarta through work and the group became close when they found out they would all be studying in Canberra together.
And what do Hasyyati and her friends like most about Canberra?
She laughs. “My friends and I think Canberra is kind of like a utopian city compared to Jakarta. It has lots of fresh air and so many open spaces. Jakarta is really crowded and there’s so much going on all the time. Canberra is a bit slower, which I like. I’ve even taken up running – something I could never have imagined doing back home!”
In terms of the future, Hasyyati will return to Jakarta and her role in the ministry after her studies. We cheekily suggest she should ask for a pay rise as she has so much more cultural and career experience. Her response is full of quiet confidence and coupled with a smile.
“Yes, I’m onto it.”
Hasyyati smiling with her arms crossed on the ANU campus.
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