Welcome to Perform Reform
This site was set up in the hopes of making politics information more enjoyable, accessible and essentially easier to understand without being forced to listen to some boring old white man who is obsessed with Machiavelli and Marx and won't let go of his own outdated perceptions and theories. ​
I created this site after many years of recognising the information and educational gaps that keep people back from engaging in the socio-political realm. I am always learning myself so feel free to contact if you have any feedback, further comments or your own resources for a certain topic. This site will cover contemporary issues and news as well as explaining historical issues, political definitions, systems and terms whilst also adding my own (informed) two cents in. I hope to help create more discussions amongst people. In an ideal world we would all be active citizens in our societies helping create more representative democracy.
Political Participation in Australia
47
47 Percent of Australians did not discuss politics or political news with anyone. *
*Evans, M., Stoker, G., & Nasir, J. (2013). How Do Australians Imagine Their Democracy?
10
By Year 10, Australian school students don’t possess the fundamentals deemed necessary to become active, informed citizens. *
* National Assessment Program Civics & Citizenship Years 6 & 10 Report 2013
51%
of Australians surveyed couldn’t name a political achievement or a politician who had a positive impact in 2020*
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* IPSOS 2020 study
3%
Only three per cent of Australians believed ‘making an impact’ is the most important quality in a political leader*
* IPSOS 2020 study
15
15% of Australians surveyed by the Guardian expressed zero interest in politics. *
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* The Guardian Australia 2019
38%
Only 38% of Year 10 students were deemed proficient in their civic knowledge and rights. *
* National Assessment Program Civics and Citizenship National Report 2019
Meet The Creator
My name is Rhiannon Halling (She/Her)
I am a passionate and loud political activist. I have always wanted to help others and as I got older I became increasingly interested in politics and law. I then realised I can combine this and voila I became a self-acclaimed activist. I myself am a part of the disabled and LGBTQIA+ communities, a victim-survivor of gender based violence and I use my own lived in experiences to help shape my work, study and activism . I also recognise that I come from a place of privilege and can use my own privilege to help highlight issues and explain. I love amplifying other voices and adding to the conversation where it is my place to do so. I hope to help people understand just how much we are affected by politics and help make it engaging, accessible and enjoyable in any way I can.
I have a Bachelor Of Arts from The University Of Wollongong. I graduated in 2021, just weeks after hip surgery, with a Double Major in Politics and International Relations, with my minor being Indigenous Studies which was my favourite part of the degree. I am a current online student with The Queensland University of Technology studying a Post-Graduation certificate in Public Policy and Governance. I am a proud Young Activist with Plan International Australia for their 2023 Youth Activist Series (YAS). I am also a proud Council Member for the YWCA Young Women's Advisory Council. I am a passionate volunteer and in my spare time I enjoy reading (lots of feminist literacy) , going to gigs and hyper fixating on subjects i am interested in or just random topics influenced a lot by my tiktok algorithm the last few years. The Riot Grrrl movement plays a huge role within my feminism, identity and music taste as well as the Queer community and scene. I love maximalism, lots of colours and my dog Otto. Thanks for tagging along on this project of mine!
Director of Media & Design
My name is Sarah Hamilton (She/They)
I've always been passionate about social justice and feminism - even when I had no idea what these were. Since I first asked why the boys were picked to carry the heavy things from the classroom instead of the girls, I have always wanted to find a fair and just outcome for all. This desire to help others has shaped my ambition to be in a position where I could help disadvantaged communities. I am queer, gender-diverse, disabled and a survivor of gender-based violence, which is why inclusive and accessible social resources are so important to me. I aim to provide space for intersectionality in all aspects of my activism, and Perform Reform is just the next step in providing accessible and engaging political content.
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In the last year of my politics and economics degree, I felt lost and unsure of my future. Something was missing and I had no idea what I wanted to do, except help and advocate for others. I started to engage in political media, taking on the roles of Director of Media at UOW's diplomacy and foreign affairs society (WUDFA) and Social Media Officer at UOW's student safety advocacy society (SSAS). This allowed me to gain a strong passion for media communication, and within two months, I signed my first media and marketing contract. I am now studying a Master of Strategic Communications Management at Monash, and hold four advocacy media jobs - one for gender-based violence, one for public media broadcasting, one for young people in government and now Perform Reform.
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I have a range of keen interests (and hyper-fixations), including Greek mythology, music, travelling and bingeing as many television shows as I can in my free time.
