Semester 2 Policy Internship / Fellowship (Voluntary) - Remote / Hybrid

Want real experience in public policy? Join FORE Good’s Volunteer Policy Training Program and get your work published in our national Policy Library of One-Page briefs.

• Learn, write, and collaborate with a national cohort
• Contribute 1-4 days per week (between Tuesday-Friday) between 9-5 pm (Melb/Syd time)
• No policy experience needed
• Optional Fully Remote

This program can be completed either as a university internship/placement or through our fellowship pathway for people applying independently. See more below.

FORE Good is currently recruiting for the Sem 2 Program (12 weeks): 10th of August - 30th of October 2026

Two-stage recruitment process: initial expression of interest, then selected applicants will be invited to complete a formal application with a short written assessment.

Sem 1 Melbourne in-person onboarding afternoon

ABOUT OUR ORGANISATION

Policy shapes everything. Yet too often, expert-led and community-grounded ideas don’t reach decision-makers in the right format or at the right time - stalling progress.

FORE Good, a youth-led, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation, bridges this gap. Working with experts, we’re building Australia’s first Policy Library of One-Page Briefs - an online, centralised resource helping policymakers quickly find, evaluate, and act on evidence-based policy solutions.

Our youth-led model fuels the Library. Each semester, we train 80-100 participants (selected from hundreds of applicants) who join to help build the resource 1-4 days each week. In return, they get critical early career policy experience and an opportunity to publish on topics that are important to them.

In under 18 months, we’ve launched in Federal and Victorian parliaments, trained over 350 new policy professionals, and published briefs that have made it onto the floor of parliament - all to help make reform faster and fairer.

After all, we can’t act on solutions we don’t know exist.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Join FORE Good’s Volunteer Policy Training Program (remote or hybrid) - a hands-on training program that gives you practical experience in policy research, writing, and communication.

Volunteers learn to independently and collaboratively draft and refine one-page policy briefs to be published in Australia’s first online Policy Library of One-Page Briefs - a tool used by policymakers, staffers, and advocates to surface ready-to-implement solutions.

Each brief is a short, structured document that explains a policy problem, outlines a practical solution, and helps decision-makers quickly assess an idea. Find examples of published one-page briefs here.

Through structured training, mentoring, and daily team collaboration, you’ll learn how to:

• Translate complex issues into clear, impactful policy proposals
• Action policy ideas and navigate resources like the Federal Register of Legislation and state law frameworks.
• Utilise artificial intelligence (AI) and other tools in a policy context
• Navigate real-world engagement and meet with experts, stakeholders, and decision-makers

This is a hands-on, fast-paced program with a strong focus on feedback, iteration, and improvement. 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.

Curious about what it’s like to work with us? Check out our Culture Guide to see if our team values and environment feel like the right fit for you. See our Culture Guide here.

Learn about the history of the program here.

Learn more about how we onboard/recruit here.

Program structure

This is a primarily remote program, with volunteers joining from across Australia.

Before the program begins, volunteers take part in three training days designed to help everyone start with the same foundation. These sessions introduce FORE Good’s policy writing approach, team structures, workflows, and expectations, and give participants the chance to begin building confidence and connection before the semester officially begins.

Participants are placed into one of FORE Good’s policy teams: Justice & Human Rights; Health, Disability & Aged Care; Social Services & Communities and Climate, Energy & Environment. We take applicants’ topic interests and team preferences into account where possible, while balancing the needs of each team across the program. Volunteers are placed into one team for the full duration of the program, where they work closely with their peers and team leaders on briefs within that area.

Each team is supported by Team Leads and Policy Advisors, who help guide workflow, provide feedback, support learning, and keep the team moving throughout the semester.

Volunteers take part in team check-ins, collaborative drafting, feedback rounds, and independent research and writing across their chosen days.

CRITERIA

• Able to commit 1-4 full days per week, 9-5 pm Melbourne/Sydney time (Tuesday-Friday) for the full duration of the program

  • Half days ok, eg, 2 half days to equal 1 full day

• Available to attend our 3 training days before the program starts

• Open to feedback, peer learning, and working in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment

• Must be willing to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as part of policy writing.

• Must have access to reliable internet/wifi

• Must be confident writing in formal written English

• Must have access to a laptop or computer for remote work

• Must be over the age of 18. People of all ages (over 18) are encouraged to apply.

PROGRAM PATHWAYS

FORE Good’s Volunteer Policy Training Program can be undertaken through one of two pathways:

Fellowship Pathway

For participants undertaking the program independently, outside of a university placement arrangement. We are committed to ensuring this opportunity is accessible to people who are not currently enrolled in tertiary study.

University Internship Pathway

For participants completing the program as part of a university placement, internship subject, or other formal course requirement. The program is structured to meet educational placement requirements and forms a mandatory or assessable component of a formal course of study.

Across both pathways, participants take part in the same structured volunteer program, including training, mentoring, supervision, peer learning, and practical policy writing experience. Further, regardless of pathway, participants join the same teams, complete the same core training, and contribute to the same publishing process.

The program has a clear educational and professional development focus, rather than the performance of productive work. All participants are part of a structured learning environment centred on training, feedback, and skill development.

ABOUT YOU:

You’re curious, thoughtful, and motivated by impact. You might be studying, working, or pivoting into the policy space, but what matters most is your willingness to learn and contribute. You don’t need formal policy experience, just strong research and writing skills, a collaborative mindset, and a commitment to showing up. Applicants of all ages are encouraged to apply (above 18).

DAY IN THE LIFE EXAMPLE

You start your day at 9 am, coffee in hand, diving into research on a new policy idea you’re excited to explore. By 9:10 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 front lines 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, the brief you've been working on is polished and off to the copyeditors. At 4:45 pm, the team regroups to celebrate wins and wrap up the day. You finish up at 5 pm knowing you’ve helped move a real solution one step closer to Parliament.

Testimonies from our alumni

"FORE's Policy Program is one of the best - it is well structured - with the opportunity to work with some incredible expert stakeholders, network with like-minded peers, be challenged intellectually, and develop new skills in policy brief writing, public policy analysis, and policy communication." - Ella Kinninment, 25/26 Summer Cohort

"Participating in the FORE Policy Program has been a memorable, transformative, and impactful experience. I had the opportunity to work with an incredible team of people who were not only passionate about making policy solutions more accessible but also became incredibly supportive and wholesome friends. The Program also deepened my knowledge of how policymaking works in Australia" - Chamika Fonseka, 25/26 Summer Cohort

"Whilst completing my internship with FORE, I was also working for an NGO, and it was really rewarding to see how the skills I was learning translated across contexts. Becoming familiar with policy processes definitely helped my work and gave me greater insight into how working for an NGO fits into wider decision-making processes." - Patrick Livesey, 25/26 Summer Cohort

Before you apply

Before submitting your application, please take a moment to consider whether you can fully commit to the program. FORE Good runs on collaboration, reliability and shared momentum; every volunteer plays an important role in their team’s progress.

Because we aren’t able to onboard new volunteers mid-program, we ask that you apply only if you’re confident you can stay engaged and available for the full duration. 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!

Application period timeline

FORE Good is currently recruiting for the Sem 2 Program (12 weeks): 10th of August - 30th of October 2026

Our application process has two stages.

1. Step 1 is submitting your Expression of Interest. After this, applicants will be notified of their outcome, and those progressing to the next stage will receive their Round 2 instructions.

2. Step 2 involves completing and submitting the Round 2 task. Final outcomes will be sent to applicants before the program start date, along with onboarding details for the program.

• Expressions of interest close at 11:59pm AEST on the closing date
• Wednesday 24th June - Round 2 invitations and instructions sent
• Wednesday 8th July - Round 2 submissions due (2 weeks later)

Training Days (the 2 weekends before the start of the program)

Weekend 1:

• Saturday, 1st of August: full virtual training day

Weekend 2:

• Saturday, 8th of August: In-person Bonding Morning in select major cities. If you are not in one of these cities, you are not expected to attend.
• Sunday, 9th of August: Full virtual training day - Day Zero. What is Day Zero? Find out here.

Learn more about how we onboard/recruit here.

More resources to check if this is the right fit for you

1. Learn about the history of the program here.

2. Learn more about how we onboard/recruit here.

3. Our Instagram - @fore_good_

4. Our website - www.foregood.org.au

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your interest via the Google Form by clicking 'Apply Now'.

If you have any questions regarding your availability and whether you’ll be eligible for the program, feel free to email us at [email protected] using the subject line: Semester 2 Policy Internship / Fellowship (Voluntary) - Remote / Hybrid enquiry via EthicalJobs.