Friday, 28 August 2026

 Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:53): I am pleased to congratulate Joseph Monitto, who recently completed the Victorian parliamentary internship program. This highly competitive program is coordinated by the Victorian Parliament’s Department of Parliamentary Services together with Monash University and Melbourne University and is offered to a select number of students each year.

During his internship I had the pleasure of working with Joseph as I commissioned him to produce a report examining the extent to which language barriers are limiting access to Victorian government services for non-English-speaking culturally and linguistically diverse communities and analyse the consequences of these barriers. Joseph approached this complex and multifaceted policy issue with maturity and intellectual curiosity, which has resulted in a report of genuine value. It demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of public policy development, a clear analytical framework and an ability to consolidate diverse sources into a coherent and persuasive piece of research. The quality of his analysis and the clarity of his recommendations reflect a level of insight with genuine potential to inform real policy discussions. Under the guidance of his academic supervisor and me, Joseph designed and carried out a series of semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders across the multicultural sector. Joseph successfully created an environment in which interviewees felt comfortable sharing their professional insights and personal lived experiences, enriching the depth and credibility of his findings.

Throughout the internship Joseph demonstrated excellent time management, organisational and independent research capability, particularly while balancing other demanding academic and personal commitments. Joseph proved himself to be a capable, highly motivated and conscientious intern and would be an asset to any organisation seeking a diligent, thoughtful and analytically strong contributor. I commend this report to members to read and wish Joseph all the best with future endeavours.