By Kema Rajandran
From a graduate preschool teacher to media and communications, there is no doubt that
Christina Rose has travelled an incredibly diverse path to get to her current position as Assistant Director Office of Transport and Security, within the Department of Infrastructure and Transport.
After the ACT Government closed 27 schools in the early ‘90s, Christina completed post-graduate studies in media and communications. This led her to work within the Australian Public Service where she managed a number of graduate and senior executive development programs and initiatives.
From there, she moved into a policy and program management role with the National Office of Local Government and her curiosity stirred while wearing a hard-hat working on the Sydney Airport Noise Amelioration Program and putting in the foundations for the Adelaide Program.
“I was part of the team which in December 2009, delivered the Aviation White Paper which was [the]Government’s first consolidated forward-looking policy statement and I have been associated with aviation security matters within the department for some years now,” she says.
To complement her new career path, Christina commenced graduate studies in terrorism, safety and security this year and is currently the lead policy officer charged with designing the delivery and implementation of the Australian Government’s new training regime for passenger screeners at Australian airports.
“This initiative was borne out of the December 2009 Aviation White Paper and harnesses mechanisms within the whole-of-government Vocational Education and Training system, ensuring the critical element of ‘national consistency’ in training outcomes is achieved.”
While some may give credit to a standout colleague they’ve met along their career path, Christina observed many colleagues she admired and tried in some small way to emulate their behaviours in the workplace and is now utilising those skills as a mentor to others.
“I am a mentor as part of the iLead Talent Exchange initiative. This initiative has proved a true gift in that I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with a young, female security officer working at the Sydney Opera House, along with some of her peers and also a number of inspirational leaders across the security sector.”
Christina’s path, however, isn’t just a reflection of those she has emulated. Many years of hard work, commitment and dedication to each assignment has led her to some ground-breaking projects.
“The week of September 11 2001, was also the week Ansett collapsed here in Australia. I was immediately drafted onto a four-person War Risk Indemnity Taskforce charged with working out how we, in concert with the rest of the world, would make sure aircrafts would remain flying and the industry solvent.
“The Australian Government indemnified the industry to the tune of many billions of dollars and our taskforce was disbanded when we achieved this outcome; this took seven months.” Read More
