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, […]
Equal pay test case under the microscope

Equal pay test case under the microscope

By Iola Mathews OAM, author of Winning for Women: A Personal Story In June this year, an equal pay case for preschool teachers entered its final stages in the Fair Work Commission. A lot hangs on the outcome, given that only one equal pay case has been successful in Australia in the past 30 years, […]
An atomic historian’s visceral response to Hugh White

An atomic historian’s visceral response to Hugh White

I had a gut reaction to the news that Hugh White, Professor in Strategic Studies at the ANU, had published a book in which he suggests Australia must think about whether or not to develop its own nuclear weapons (Hugh White, How to Defend Australia). My very emotional response is no doubt a result of […]
Australia’s asylum seeker policy history: a story of blunders and shame

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 […]
A few historical reflections on the 2019 elections

A few historical reflections on the 2019 elections

By Dr Christopher Waters, Deakin University Since 1914 only one Labour government has won power in an election from Opposition promising a broad-ranging reform program: the Whitlam government in 1972. The Curtin government came to power in 1941 when the cross benches changed their votes in the very special circumstances of the war. Two other […]
Yes, progress has been made: two cheers for science

Yes, progress has been made: two cheers for science

Opinion – By Dr Richard Trembath Each piece, or part, of the whole of nature is always merely an approximation to the complete truth, or the complete truth so far as we know it . . .The principle of science, the definition, almost, is the following: The test of all knowledge is experiment.  Experiment is […]
Soil Salinity in Australia: A Slow Motion Crisis

Soil Salinity in Australia: A Slow Motion Crisis

By Andrea Gaynor and Keith Bradby Sweeping the salt under the carpet Dryland salinity in Western Australia’s agricultural areas is now estimated to directly affect up to        2 million hectares and cost over half a billion dollars a year in lost agricultural production. With few exceptions, the south-west’s rivers also suffer from […]
Commemorators-in-Chief: How Politicians Appropriated Anzac Commemoration

Commemorators-in-Chief: How Politicians Appropriated Anzac Commemoration

Last week the Commonwealth announced that it would be spending $498 million over nine years to redevelop the Australian War Memorial. The renovation will increase the exhibition space by more than 80 per cent and provide room for military hardware like Chinook helicopters and jet fighters from recent conflicts. Announcing the project, Prime Minister Scott […]
Homelessness, Policy and the Media: How a Long Lens Helps

Homelessness, Policy and the Media: How a Long Lens Helps

By Anne O’Brien* One of the most difficult tasks facing advocates and policy advisors in late industrial welfare states must surely be navigating the media – new as well as old. At worst the tabloids manufacture crises, fuel moral panic and demonise people in need while online platforms enable trolls to reinforce old prejudices. But […]
Heritage Diplomacy

Heritage Diplomacy

By Amy Clarke* Culture has played a prominent role in the realm of public diplomacy, to the extent that some argue it deserves to be recognised as a distinct form of diplomatic strategy. This debate is further complicated when we consider how heritage—in both tangible (e.g. artefacts, buildings, landscapes) and intangible (e.g. cultural traditions, cuisine, […]
‘How is this not murder?’ Infanticide and the Law in Australian History

‘How is this not murder?’ Infanticide and the Law in Australian History

By Caroline Ingram* Overview Until abortions and contraception became readily accessible to women, infanticide was a relatively common solution to the birth of unwanted illegitimate children.  The formulating of laws relating to infanticide began in 1624 in an attempt to counter the killing of illegitimate children by their mothers. Today infanticide, which carries a less […]
Looking Back, Looking Forward: The Importance of the History of the Left in the Present Day

Looking Back, Looking Forward: The Importance of the History of the Left in the Present Day

By Jon Piccini, Evan Smith and Matthew Worley* One of the outcomes of the populist shift to the right in many areas of the West has been a corresponding shift to the left. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, many traditional social democratic and labour parties have suffered from what has been described as ‘Pasokification’: […]