What is stopping education as statecraft?

In the past few weeks a new report was released by the Asia-Pacific Development Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D) – Education as a Tool of Statecraft. I read the report as I transited in Brisbane on my way home from some work in Papua New Guinea, right in the education as statecraft wheelhouse. I have […]

Why Australia’s War Memory Sounds Different in Asia

Why Australia’s War Memory Sounds Different in Asia “Within an hour or so the island was bombed. My dad counted the planes and yet went to work. Our life long tragedy began. It was soon evident that the population was not prepared for the onslaught, the carnage and the destruction imposed by war.” (Memoir […]

Taming the Tiger: Benzodiazepine Dependency. It’s Still With Us

Taming the Tiger: Benzodiazepine Dependency. It’s Still With Us. Jackie is just speeding away Thought she was James Dean for a day Then I guess she had to crash Valium would’ve helped that bash. Lou Reed, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ from Transformer, 1972. In October 1993, Australian feminist and social activist, Beatrice […]

Beyond Bonegilla: A Call to Remember Australia’s Former Migrant Camps

Australia is well practiced in commemorating military history. Anzac Day and Remembrance Day both act as rituals of national memorialisation for the many Australians who have served in wars and peacekeeping missions, and the Australian War Memorial’s “places of pride” online national register provides a map of all the war memorials across Australia. Thousands of […]

The Australian War Memorial’s prize controversy betrays the institution’s purpose: to tell the messy truth about war

Carolyn Holbrook, Deakin University The Australian War Memorial is in the news for reportedly retrospectively changing the rules of its Les Carlyon prize for military history. This resulted in it not being awarded to Walkley award-winning journalist Chris Masters’ book about disgraced special forces soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. Flawed Hero: Truth, Lies and War Crimes details […]

50 years without coups or dictators: how PNG built a durable democracy based on dignity and fairness

Brad Underhill, Deakin University and Helen Gardner, Deakin University On April 20 1972, 100 newly elected parliamentarians gathered in Port Moresby for the opening of the Third House of Assembly, Papua New Guinea’s legislative body. Many of these members were young and some were new to politics: Chief Minister (later Grand Chief) Michael Somare was […]

‘They’re Always Complaining About Something.’: Endometriosis, Gender and Illness

Richard Trembath on the historical antecedents of dismissing endometriosis Sir, – For man the physiological psychology of woman is full of difficulties. He is not a little mystified when he encounters in her periodically recurring phases of hypersensitiveness, unreasonableness, and loss of the sense of proportion. He is frankly perplexed when confronted with a complete […]

Ghosts in the Archives: Australian institutions still hesitate to tell the story of the atomic veteran

Max Billington on the anniversary of the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia and what is still hidden from historians, veterans, and their families. This week marks 41 years since the Royal Commission into British Nuclear Tests in Australia began. Between 1952 and 1963, over 8,000 Australian defence personnel took part in British […]

Carolyn Holbrook’s Address at the Ballarat Reform League Charter’s 170th Anniversary

This is an edited version of a speech given by Associate Professor Carolyn Holbrook to the Ballarat Reform League Charter 170th Anniversary St Paul’s Church Ballarat, Monday 11 November 2024 Thank you very much for this invitation to address you on this important occasion of the 170th anniversary of the declaration of the Ballarat […]

The end of P&O cruises leaves a vacuum of soft diplomacy and cultural exchange between Australia and Papua New Guinea

Dr Deborah Lee-Talbot P&O Cruises, one of Australia’s most well-known travel companies, will cease trading in March 2025. Folding into its parent company, Carnival Australia – itself a subsidiary of the American company Carnival Corporation – the end of P&O cruises leaves behind decades of soft diplomacy and cultural exchange between Australia and Papua […]

APH Essays