President's Message

At this exciting and hectic time of the year I’d like to draw your attention to a number of recent and upcoming Academy initiatives.

The consultation phase for the Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure 2023-32 is open. I encourage you to be a part of this collective endeavour to support impactful and innovative social science research in the coming decade. The discussion paper is available here with feedback and suggestions on key issues and priorities welcomed by Friday 18 August.

Over the last month we’ve also seen the Australian Government make progress in a number of policy areas on which the Academy has drawn on its Fellows to provide substantial input and advice. These include the interim report on the Universities Accord and release of the Measuring what matters statement. Thanks to the many Fellows and Committee members who participated. You can find details and links in this newsletter.

Social Sciences Week (SSW) runs from 4 to 10  September this year. Now in its sixth year, SSW is a fantastic showcase of the social sciences. I encourage you to put those dates in your calendar and get involved. You can find a list of events at www.socialsciencesweek.org.au, and that list is constantly growing.

There’s still time to register your own event, or you can co-badge an existing activity to be part of the SSW2023 program.

It is wonderful to have RMIT University on board as Principal Sponsor of Social Sciences Week 2023. They have their own exciting schedule of events and their support allows us to amplify and enhance the reach of the week.

Richard Holden

President

SSW2023 highlights: spread the word

Social justice in photos

Know a social sciences teacher, student or school passionate about social justice? Monash University wants to spread the word about their SSW2023 Photo Essay competition. Entries close on 16 August and the competition is open to all Australian high school students. Find out more here.

Fellows go head to head on sport

Do you love an intellectual stoush on a controversial topic? Then you won’t want to miss the inaugural Social Sciences Week Great Debate! We are bringing two passionate experts together to duke it out over a quintessentially Australian question: Does sport unite us or divide us?

This public event will feature a lively debate between Fellows Andrew Leigh and David Rowe. After the debate, take part in the interactive Q&A session. Your ticket will also include a welcome drink, canapés and entry into the National Library’s exhibition Grit & Gold: Tales from a Sporting Nation.

To find out more and book your ticket, register here.

Get involved

It's not too late to register your own Social Sciences Week event! Check out our how-to guide on running an event here for more information about the process.

Or, are you already hosting or participating in an event which falls within the week (4-10 September)? You can register the event on our website to be part of the official line up and get on the SSW2023 radar.

Upcoming events

2023 Fay Gale Lecture

When it comes to the question of why there are gender differences in behaviour—where to begin? According to Social Role Theory, the most basic cause is social structure. But for Evolutionary Psychologists, the causal arrow starts instead with sex-specific evolved psychological mechanisms.

Academy Fellow Cordelia Fine will explores this robust debate in her upcoming 2023 Fay Gale Lecture: Battle of the sex differences: where to begin? The lecture, cohosted by the Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender, will be delivered in Adelaide and online on Friday 25 August at 5.30pm. Find more information and register to attend either in-person or online here.

Social science on mixed feelings

Get into the mood for Social Sciences Week with Unravelling the Thrills and Trials of Mixed Feelings in Consumer Behaviour.

Felix Septianto’s Paul Bourke award lecture on 30August 2023 explores how to embrace mixed feelings and their psychological benefits. Find details here. And for more fabulous Paul Bourke lectures in 2023  featuring emerging researchers on a rich variety of topics and research interests, click here.

Program at a glance

Your first look at the 2023 Annual Events program is now available! Registrations will open soon so mark the details of our upcoming annual events in your calendars and start making plans. Read more about this year's Symposium here.

Policy updates

The future of social science research—have your say 

Do the social sciences have the right infrastructures to drive ground-breaking research? What shared research capabilities could transform our disciplines? There are only a few weeks left to be part of a transformative initiative to foster sector-wide consensus on the research capabilities social science disciplines need to thrive in rapidly evolving digital environments. Download our Discussion Paper on the Decadal Plan for Social Science Research Infrastructure 2023-32 here and share your insights with us at submissions@socialsciences.org.au. Deadline for comments is 18 August.

Government responds on universities and measuring what matters

Two policy responses attracting attention last month are the interim report on the Universities Accord, launched at the National Press Club by Education Minister Jason Clare. Find the report here and watch the Minister’s speech and Q&A here. You can also find the Measuring What Matters Statement which marks the first iteration of Australia’s national wellbeing framework. Find the Academy’s contributions to this process here and read Fellow Michelle Grattan’s analysis here.

Academy connects with Government via roundtable 

Earlier this year, the Academy convened a high-level roundtable in Canberra with Fellows, Australian Government and other experts gathering to discuss the intersections of work and wellbeing including wellbeing frameworks, the care and support economy and the non-financial benefits of work. A summary of the discussions and the key issues raised is available here.

Congratulations

Fellow Stephen Taylor was inducted into the Australian Accounting Hall of Fame earlier this year in recognition of his ‘exceptional contribution to the field of Accounting’. Steve also received the ‘Contribution to Practice’ award from the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ) in July.

Congratulations also to Fellow Henry Brodaty who with a team of researchers, multicultural community organisations and public health campaigners won $1.5m funding from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for a project to decrease stigma and increase help-seeking for dementia diagnosis, particularly among Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and Arabic communities in South-Western Sydney. Read more here.

We love to celebrate the work and achievements of our Fellows. Please let us know if you or another Fellow has achieved major milestones or honours so that we can feature them here.

New policy intern

Grants, awards and opportunities

Closing soon: Academy workshops program

There are still three weeks to apply for an Academy-funded workshop through our long-standing Workshops Program. This program provides a unique opportunity for Australian social scientists to bring together multidisciplinary groups to discuss nationally important policy and/or research issues. Build networks and develop innovative approaches by bringing together practitioners, leading thinkers, private, community and government sectors. The Academy supports up to eight workshops a year with funding up to $9,000 (excl GST). Learn more about our Workshops Program at this link. Closing Friday 25 August so click application guidelines and application form to apply now!

Take a chair: Harvard opportunity

Harvard University seeks a distinguished scholar for the Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair in Australian Studies in 2025-2026. Established by the Australian Government to increase United States understanding of Australia, the Chair has been held by leading Australian intellectuals including many Academy Fellows. Under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. Click here to apply by 30 September 2023.

Haven’t published for aeons?

Exciting opportunities for academics at all career stages are available with Aeon Media Group. Pitch to Aeon—a digital magazine covering the ‘world of ideas’—for the chance to work with expert editors and publish a long-form essay on your research. Or pitch here to sister publication—Psyche—for all things philosophy and psychology.

Ethical human research survey

The NHMRC wants feedback on a revised version of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. The consultation covers Section 4 guidance on ethical considerations relating to research participants and whether the revisions fit the target audience of researchers and Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs). Find more information here. Consultation closes Friday 15 September 2023.

Read, Watch, Listen, Attend

Read

Everything you need to know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart by Fellows Megan Davis and George Williams gives essential context to today’s debates exploring the development of Australia’s Constitution, the 1967 Referendum, the lead-up and response to the Uluru Statement from the heart.

Fellow Felicity Meakins introduces younger social scientists to culture, science and the life of termites through Gurindji storytelling as co-author of Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country, a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors, written in traditional language Gurindji, Gurindji Kriol and English (with a QR code to an audio version spoken in language).

The online Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of NSW reports on the 2022 Royal Society of New South Wales and Learned Academies Forum, Reshaping Australia—Communities in Action.  

Watch

Catch-up as Minister for Education Jason Clare presents the government’s interim report on the Universities Accord and responds to a vigorous Q&A at the National Press Club in July.

Listen

Would you take advice from a robot? In the latest episode of Seriously Social—Chatbots and body image: How AI is changing the treatment of eating disorders—Paul Bourke Award winner Gemma Sharp explains how chatbots can bridge the gap between experiencing an eating disorder and finding treatment. Podcast guest and journalist Sam Ikin adds a raw personal note. From another perspective, Fellow Anthony Elliot on ABC RN Future Tense warns that AI may be redefining what we mean by love, sexuality and intimacy. Find it here. And listen to Fellow Larissa Behrendt Speaking Out with guests providing Indigenous perspectives on all things culture, politics and arts on ABC radio.  

Attend

Last days: ‘More than human’! 
Hurry to catch Fellow Deborah Lupton’s wonderfully curated research translation and engagement initiative the ‘More than Human Wellbeing’ exhibition. Closes 18 August 2023 in the University of NSW Library’s Level 5 exhibition space.  See more here.

Save the date 
The Royal Society of NSW and Learned Academies Forum 2023—‘Our 21st Century Brain’—on Thursday 2 November 2023 at Government House Sydney will feature Academy Fellows Sharynne McLeod and Anne Castles. Find details at: https://royalsoc.org.au.

Be part of a social networking evening to foster authentic dialogue between anthropologists and the public, featuring keynote speeches and an engaging Q&A panel around the theme of ‘Ethics, Advocacy and Expertise; Anthropology in Australia’. Find further information and book your tickets here. 

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia.

We acknowledge and pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which our national office is located, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, and

to their elders past, present and future.