ˈæftɚ ɡˈoʊldən skwˈɛɹ sˈɛkəndɚɹi kˈɑːlɪdʒ, ʃiː ɐtˈɛndᵻd mˈɑːnæʃ jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ænd ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv mˈɛlbɚn ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z wˌɛɹ ʃiː kəmplˈiːɾᵻd ɐ bˈætʃəlɚɹ ʌv ˈɑːɹts ˈɑːnɚz dᵻɡɹˈiː, mˈeɪdʒɚɹɪŋ ɪn ɪndoʊnˈiːʒən ænd ɪtˈæliən, ænd ɐ dɪplˈoʊmə ʌv ˌɛdʒuːkˈeɪʃən.
After Golden Square Secondary College, she attended Monash University and the University of Melbourne in the 1980s where she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree, majoring in Indonesian and Italian, and a Diploma of Education.