Leading America and Biden’s new/old foreign policy: The exclusive new democracy club, trade-bloc or alliance?

By Digby Wren Australia faces unprecedented regional trade and security challenges in the aftermath of the Trump presidency and a continuing pandemic calamity. The Morrison government has been in lockstep with the Trump administration’s ‘Strategic Adversary’ approach to China. How will President-elect Joe Biden’s approach differ from his predecessor’s and how can the Morrison government’s […]

The Recovery: Technology and Society

During the CV-19 pandemic, the use of Information Technology has enabled millions to work from home and gain some relief from social isolation while avoiding potential exposure to the virus. After the crisis has passed, however, Australian society will need to reflect carefully about its digital interactions and how best to balance them with wider […]

APH in NYC

Our director, Carolyn Holbrook, was invited to participate in an international panel about history and policy at the recent American Historical Association conference in New York, with Dane Kennedy from the National History Center and Charles Kraus from the Wilson Center in Washington DC and Andrew Blick from History and Policy in London. The panel […]

‘Crazy brave’: How a group of inexperienced idealists changed Victoria’s stagnant child welfare sector

By Dr Sharron Lane This article examines the work of several Superintendents who together had some success in changing Victoria’s stagnant child welfare system in the early 1960s. It features the work of Alfred Spencer Colliver and the Kildonan Children’s Home which he transformed in the space of just five years. More than just changing […]

The minimum wage a milestone in the history of human rights

by Professor Marilyn Lake Rarely does a day pass without newspaper reports of rampant economic exploitation and underpayment of workers by employers. Employment law principal at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Giri Sivaraman attributed the spike in wage theft to a number of factors including the decline in union power and membership, the difficulty of legal redress […]

Landmarks in the governance and policy frameworks of Australian VET

By Francesca Beddie In Landmarks in the governance and policy frameworks of Australian VET, Robin Ryan, retired adjunct academic, Flinders University, surveys a set of landmark policy documents on vocational education and training (VET). He charts the history of the systems of governance, institutional frameworks and processes of policy formulation. This exercise uncovers some recurring […]

Excellent types: New Zealanders at the Royal Military College – Duntroon prior to World War II

By Jordan Beavis Abstract In June 2019 thirteen international students graduated from the Royal Military College—Duntroon as a part of the Australian Army’s program of liaison and cooperation with Indo-Pacific military partners. Facilitating the military education of ‘foreign’ cadets at Duntroon has been an aspect of the institution’s existence since its creation in 1911, when […]

Cotton Dreaming

By Margaret Cook Why do we grow cotton in Australia? The country’s vast cotton holdings are the subject of public ire for their profligate water usage, embroiled in national arguments over the devastation of the Murray Darling Basin, water theft and public service/government corruption. But when cotton was first mooted as suitable for Australia’s climate, […]

Australia’s asylum seeker policy history: a story of blunders and shame

by Carolyn Holbrook, Deakin University Carolyn presented on this research at the History and the Hill Australian Policy History Conference, 12-14 June at Deakin University. This article was developed from a series of interviews with politicians, officials and other key players, including former Immigration minister Chris Evans and former Victorian premier Steve Bracks. Others preferred […]

Mothers explain how they navigated work and childcare, from the 1970s to today

We are republishing a piece written by Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy, from the University of Melbourne. Carla will be presenting a longer version of this piece at the History and the Hill Conference on Thursday 13 June. You can find out more information and register for the conference here. Australian government support for working mothers […]

APH Essays