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Economic Rationalism and University Course Pricing 1989-2020

The Morrison government recently announced plans to overhaul the pricing structure for university courses (Duffy 2020). The government’s proposal can be understood as operating at four levels: first, the ideological level where abstraction hides the personal significance and social impact of the proposed changes; secondly, the level of the political-economic theory that provides the basis […]

Becoming John Curtin and James Scullin: A Q&A with the author, Liam Byrne.

Becoming John Curtin and James Scullin is available through Melbourne University Publishing. Your new book chronicles and analyses the early political development of two important figures in the twentieth century Australian Labor Party (ALP). Why did you decide upon a joint biography of Curtin and Scullin’s formative years? Curtin and Scullin are both well-known as […]

Why is the Confederate flag so offensive?

Clare Corbould, Deakin University Most Australians — aside from a few groups dedicated to reenacting American Civil War battles and history buffs including Bob Carr and Kim Beazley — were not familiar until recently with the charged history of the flag of the Confederate States of America. Now the flag is in the Australian news […]

What Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods gets wrong about veterans returning to Vietnam

Netflix Mia Martin Hobbs, University of Melbourne Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, out now on Netflix, tells the story of five Black US veterans who return to Vietnam to hunt for gold and recover the remains of their lost squad leader. Beginning with the reunion of five old “Bloods”, and peppered with flashbacks to […]

Vaccine, Cure and Trust: COVID-19 and Those People in White Coats

‘Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ The White Queen in Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (1871). I write as confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus in Victoria have risen sharply, dashing the hopes of the more optimistic that the epidemic had peaked in Australia. […]

When black lives really did not matter

Edward Colston had some estimable virtues, as his philanthropic gifts to making Bristol a better town suggests. But those virtues were based on a vice we no longer find bearable. He got his money from participating in the slave trade. It is right that his statue has been torn down. The commentary about him, however, […]

Contemporary Histories Research Group Award in History and Policy Announcement

APH and the Contemporary Histories Research Group are excited to announce the recipients of the inaugural Contemporary Histories Research Group Award in History and Policy. This award provides $10,000 each to two early career researchers to undertake research in an area of history that relates to a significant issue of contemporary Australian public policy. Congratulations […]

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, […]

Contemporary Histories Research Group Award in History and Policy

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS FOR THIS AWARD HAVE NOW CLOSED This award provides $10,000 each to two early career researchers*° to undertake research in an area of history that relates to a significant issue of contemporary Australian public policy. Recipients will receive: $10,000 to fund archival research and other expenses, paid in instalments** Mentoring by […]

Dealing the deck: tips for better Powerpoint presentations

By Shivani Thiyagarajah Eleanor Williams, from the Department of Health and Human Services, delivered APH’s first group workshop at Deakin Downton. Addressing the uses (and abuses) of PowerPoint, the workshop focused on how design can be utilised for maximum impact, particularly towards policy-makers. The Opening: The workshop opened with a discussion on how and why […]

History and the Hill 2019 | Conference Summary

History and the Hill 2019 was a fascinating, enlightening and important gathering of policy makers (past and present), policy shapers, academics, students and journalists, held at Deakin Downtown (and University of Melbourne) from 12 – 14 June 2019. The event kicked off with a the Australian Policy History Public Lecture, delivered by Prof. Graeme Davison, […]

History and the Hill Conference 2019

Second Annual ‘History and the Hill’ Conference 12-14 June 2019 Deakin University, Melbourne How can historical research inform public policy debates? How can historians ensure their expertise is heard by politicians and policy makers? Speakers include Katharine Murphy (political editor, Guardian Australia), Misha Ketchell (editor, The Conversation) James Button, Dr Peter Shergold AC, Terry Moran […]