Patrick Cooney

Background

About Patrick Cooney

To all First Nations people thank you for your ancient custodianship of the world. Shoutout to my Māori whanau at Mt Maunganui with whom I share so many ancestors. I thank the Gunnaikurnai and Bunorong peoples with whom my ancestors shared 'the colonial encounter'. Since we arrived in Australia before federation we have admired your restraint and strength. I prepare each day for Makarrata with you, and know you do too. Our day will come. I also thank the Ngambri and Ngunnawal people, ancient custodians of the Canberra region, whose Country I live on in the now. I prepare each day for Makaratta with you too. If you are Australian non-Indigenous and haven't read the Uluru Statement from the Heart, read it. If you're not, or have, read it anyway. If you haven't read Reconciliation NSW's anti-racism toolkit, read that too. I work at The Australian National University in the ANU Digital Communications team. I'm also an activist for a new Australian Constitution, or what I call the Maximalist Republic. My greatest strength is editing and writing persuasive, creative, vernacular Australian English. Op Eds, editorials, explainers, policy briefs and speeches get the best out of me. I've helped countless national experts and policy advocates, a statutory authority of the Commonwealth, the national university, and Australian artists find their voice in our language. However, I handle diplomatic and technical writing too. I've written, edited and published form-letters, features, podcast scripts, email newsletters, analytics reports, social media posts, and media releases. At ANU, I use my editorial skill and digital literacy to help policymakers and the Australian public access the work of their national university. Even at home, I find myself unwinding by writing long, sentimental articles about Collingwood premierships, poems about Australian history and being Irish away from Ireland, rants about building the maximalist republic, and book-length discord messages about the art of fast bowling. If you're interested in chatting about what I do, or anything to do with national life, get in touch. If you can make it to Canberra, I can make it to you.