A ‘fruitful period of opposition’: Whitlam and telecommunications reform

By John Doyle Historian Frank Bongiorno recently suggested that Gough Whitlam’s achievements as opposition leader in the lead-up to Labor’s election victory in 1972 ‘should grab our attention’ because he succeeded ‘both in keeping governments accountable and in preparing for office’. The origins of his government’s positive legacy, says Bongiorno, lay in ‘a fruitful […]

Pandemics remind us that Australia is a Federation, but we are quick to forget

By Dr Carolyn Holbrook As we well remember, COVID incited a high degree of tension between the Commonwealth and the states. The former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce probably put it best when he said: For a while there we went from a federation back to little colonies again. I was waiting for Queensland […]

Knowing What to Do: Mental Health Literacy in Australia

By Richard Trembath ‘What sort of people live about here?’ ‘In that direction’, the Cat said, waving its right paw round, ‘lives a Hatter: and in that direction’, waving the other paw, ‘lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.’ ‘But I don’t want to go among mad people’, Alice remarked. ‘Oh, […]

Who is going to write the urgent histories of tomorrow?

By Lyndon Megarrity In the midst of commemorating 90 years of broadcasting this year, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation announced that it was abolishing 58 specialist librarian and archivist roles, with journalists expected to play an increasing role in sourcing, collecting and cataloguing material.[1] It’s just the latest example of myopic managerialism that has become […]

The Ongoing Crisis in Sri Lanka

By Dr Niro Kandasamy Sri Lankans have taken to the streets to protest the Rajapaksa government. As food supplies dwindle and tensions increase, the president refuses to step down. Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence. The country’s population of 22 million have endured months of severe shortages in food, fuel, […]

The Sri Lankan state is using violence to unleash fury on its citizens, as its political and economic crisis deepens

Niro Kandasamy, University of Sydney The Sri Lankan state is descending into a full blown political and economic crisis, as more people contend with starvation, death and severe disruptions. Now they are also facing the brutal violence of the state. The BBC reports at least nine people died and more than 200 were injured as […]

Sri Lanka scrambles for aid – but Australia still seems preoccupied by boats

Niro Kandasamy, University of Sydney When Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe conceded ten days ago that the Sri Lankan economy has “completely collapsed”, his words would have come as no surprise to the island’s 22 million people. With the country enduring its worst economic crisis since independence, authorities continue to scramble for aid from […]

Are we learning the wrong lessons from history?

Cover Image: ‘Peace for our time’: British prime minister Neville Chamberlain displaying the Anglo-German declaration, known as the Munich Agreement, in September 1938. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA Frank Bongiorno, Australian National University Can historians influence government policy? Should they? And, if so, what kinds of historical knowledge should they produce? I suspect policy-makers only rarely think […]

Friday essay: why soldiers commit war crimes – and what we can do about it

Mia Martin Hobbs, Deakin University The following essay contains disturbing images and language. In 2020, the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force released the Afghanistan Inquiry into Australian Defence Force Special Forces atrocities in Afghanistan. The report – commonly known as the Brereton Report – resulted in a flurry of analysis debating how and why […]

Recording – History and Policy Webinar with Better Governance and Policy

How can lessons from the past effectively inform policy design? Featuring Director of Better Governance and Policy, Professor Michael Mintrom, in conversation with historians, Associate Professor Paula Michaels, Associate Professor Michael Hau, and Dr Carolyn Holbrook. Watch the recording here.

APH Essays