Urgent histories and making decisions.

Urgent histories and making decisions.

This piece is part of the Urgent Histories forum which has been organised by the Australian Historical Association. David Lowe and James Walter have responded thoughtfully to the articles in this forum, which can be found in History Australia. Together, these essays make a powerful case for historians helping our publics think about temporal argument. […]
The Singapore Bureau: lessons from Asia’s first early warning system for epidemic diseases

The Singapore Bureau: lessons from Asia’s first early warning system for epidemic diseases

This piece, written by Dr Stefen Hell, was originally published on the New Mandala website and is republished with the permission of the author and New Mandala. International arrangements to collect and distribute information on epidemic diseases are crucial in times of pandemics, because pathogens ignore borders, political order and economic status. Today states have […]
What does the Pell verdict mean for child sexual abuse victims?

What does the Pell verdict mean for child sexual abuse victims?

What does the High Court’s unanimous verdict upholding George Pell’s appeal against his conviction mean for the complainant, who was found to be a credible witness? How well does the criminal justice system serve those who suffer sexual abuse as children, asks Matthew Ricketson?   There is a famous legal principle, usually attributed to eighteenth-century […]
Three Cheers for Hunter-Gatherers

Three Cheers for Hunter-Gatherers

In May 2019 an article in the Australian edition of the Guardian discussed the extraordinary public endorsement of Bruce Pascoe’s book, Dark Emu, which was originally published in March 2014.  After a slow start its reputation and sales grew.  By the time the Guardian included Dark Emu in its ‘series of literary highlights’, The Unmissables, […]
The Recovery: Technology and Society

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 […]
Reviewing skills and knowledge: will the digital age mean a break with the past?

Reviewing skills and knowledge: will the digital age mean a break with the past?

By Francesca Beddie Technological change is forever challenging traditional approaches to education and training. Nevertheless, my review of a collection of landmark reports on vocational education and training published since the 1960s and collated in the VOCED plus database shows that some of the solutions remain the same: give students a strong secondary education so […]
‘Crazy brave’: How a group of inexperienced idealists changed Victoria’s stagnant child welfare sector

‘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 […]
Soldier Recognition, Trauma, and the Australian War Memorial

Soldier Recognition, Trauma, and the Australian War Memorial

By Dr Mia Martin Hobbs The expansion of the Australian War Memorial comes at a public cost of half a billion dollars. Anzac Hall will be demolished and completely rebuilt to create space for displays of military hardware: a Bushmaster, light-armoured vehicles, and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The purpose of this expansion and hardware display, […]
What do Australians know about international education in Australia?

What do Australians know about international education in Australia?

By Anna Kent International students, and the international education sector are hitting the headlines on a regular basis at the moment. These stories are rarely positive – stories of students being accepted without sufficient English language skills, students as spies and more. There are more nuanced discussions on the role of international education in contemporary […]
‘Canvas Town’ – Managing Melbourne’s First Housing Crisis

‘Canvas Town’ – Managing Melbourne’s First Housing Crisis

By Alex Little and Benjamin Mountford Melbourne is no stranger to housing shortages. Although Melburnians sometimes pride themselves on inhabiting the ‘world’s most liveable city’, the ability of Melbourne’s residents to access quality, affordable housing continues to be at the forefront of public consciousness. Likewise, while the need for more public housing is well recognised, […]
The sulphurous intrigue of the past

The sulphurous intrigue of the past

This review first appeared in Inside Story on 12 July 2019. It is republished here with the approval of the author. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland By Patrick Radden Keefe | HarperCollins | $44.99 | 528 pages What happened when the genteel world of the university library met the grubby […]
Cotton Dreaming

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, […]