Notable Alumni Interview - Dimity Hawkins

Interview questions by Kevin Tuyau (chapter Vice President). Responses by Dimity Hawkins.

As part of the “Where are they now” initiative, the Swinburne chapter has been getting in touch with notable Golden Key alumni to discuss their success and provide inspiration for other members.

Last month we were privileged to interview Dimity Hawkins. Her organisation ICAN was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. She is also an active member of the Swinburne University community.

What did you study at Swinburne and why did you choose those degrees?

I completed my undergraduate degree in Politics and Public Policy in 2013, did my Honours in 2015, before starting my PhD with Swinburne in the History stream in late 2016.

I initially came to Swinburne to study media and communications but quickly changed to a degree in politics and public policy. As a mature age student, I had perhaps first come to academia for pragmatic reasons – to get a degree that I had delayed committing to in favour of years of work and activism. I quickly discovered that the Politics and (and now also History) program at Swinburne offered subjects across such a remarkable scope of topics that I was interested in, so I was hooked. I found that academia solidified much of the knowledge I had gained in work, and it helped to build my skills in writing and research.

Congratulations on your recent Nobel Peace Prize win. Please tell us more about your organisation ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) and what motivated you to get involved.

ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.”

I was a founding member of ICAN after years of nuclear free and social justice activism. ICAN was initiated here in Australia through the established networks of medical, environmental and peace groups.

Our goal was to build a broad campaign coalition of diverse partner organisations around the world with a clear and compelling goal: to advocate and bring about a comprehensive, binding treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons and provide for their elimination. That goal was reached in 2017 with the successful negotiation of the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the United Nations.

From the start, ICAN adopted a collaborative model based on similar campaigns that have worked to ban other weapons of mass destruction (chemical and biological weapons for example, as well as land mines and cluster munitions). ICAN worked on the assumption that a game-changing breakthrough – in terms of international law – needed to come from the countries without the weapons. While governments without nuclear weapons cannot eliminate them, they can bring democracy to disarmament, assert the needs of global humanity by prohibiting them, and change the political dynamic in a fundamental way. Now, with the help of people around the world pressing their governments into action, ICAN will work with governments to sign, ratify, and implement the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Ultimately, our campaign goal remains the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. 

In the beginning, the goals of ICAN could have been considered sky-high and a mammoth task to achieve. How did you keep the momentum going and coordinate so many activities and people?

Some people think the goals of ICAN are sky-high – some even say unreachable – but to those of us who founded the campaign and the thousands who have joined it around the world, the elimination of nuclear weapons is essential. It therefore carries its own urgent momentum.

For generations people have worked to end the threat of nuclear weapons. And we have deliberately developed a campaign that has worked to build on the back of those movements, to share the understandings of the humanitarian and environmental impacts of nuclear weapons, to highlight the stories of survival of those impacted by nuclear weapons. But we have also seen newer generations engaging strongly with their own perspectives and energy.

For many young people involved, most having grown up after the Cold War, they are only now discovering that the problem of nuclear weapons still remains a daily threat. Of course, all organisational activity like this brings exhaustion, but the momentum is perpetuated by the good will of people challenging the on-going threat of nuclear war. 

Golden Key has the three pillars of “Academics” (continuously learning), “Leadership” (life skills and teamwork) and “Service” (volunteering in the community). What advice do you have for students looking to achieve these pillars?

Each of these pillars create a strong basis for a balanced life – particularly if they can be combined with a passion to drive positive change in your lifetime. If you are lucky enough to be in a position to build your skills and work towards your higher education goals through your university career, remember to pass that luck on by sharing what you can through leadership and service. Challenge nihilistic cynicism: get involved, stay curious, and act when you can.

What are you currently doing and what are your plans for the future?

I am currently working to complete my PhD with Swinburne, a project that looks at nuclear testing in the Pacific region, with a particular emphasis on the role of Fiji. The thesis examines the Fijian government and civil society responses to nuclear testing in the Pacific between 1966-1975. Beyond my PhD, I plan to continue the work towards a world free of nuclear weapons, through education and advocacy.

Any final words of advice for our Golden Key members and other Swinburne students?

My advice to my fellow Golden Key members and Swinburne students is to believe that your life and what you do with it truly matters. People can make real change in the world when they work towards their goals. Be curious, think big, act in collaboration and concert with others, and always be open to new ways of looking at things. Equally, do not be afraid to learn from history and to walk in the footsteps of past achievements – finding new breakthroughs in academia or activism often relies on not trying to reinvent the wheel, but to find new ways to use it.

Even if it seems impractical or intractable to others, if your work and passions are driven by a genuine desire to see positive change in the world, whether by fulfilling a personal goal such as completing a degree or by contributing to a change in international law, you can make a difference.

Where are they now?

The Where Are They Now? initiative is to celebrate Golden Key's 25 years in the Asia-Pacific. We are looking for interesting or influential Golden Key members. We would like to share stories of members success to be included in the 25th anniversary celebrations early next year. If you or anyone you know are interested in featuring please contact secretary@swinburne.goldenkey.org.au