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As always seems to be the case, 2023 has flown by and the holiday season is fast approaching. That also means that our annual symposium is coming up soon. Digital society: Social science perspectives for a better future is going to be a terrific event, running from 9am to 4pm on 24 November at the National Library of Australia. The day before, 23 November, we have my favourite academic event of the year with the New Fellows Presentations at 2pm at the Hyatt Hotel Canberra, followed at 4:30pm by Fellow Susan Danby delivering the Cunningham Lecture.
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to register soon. Tickets are selling fast and there are limited spots left for the Annual Dinner at The Marion on 23 November.
I would also like to remind Fellows of the Academy's Annual General Meeting which will be held online at 1:30pm (AEDT) on 15 November. Please register here.
A final reminder is that 2024 Fellowship nominations close at the end of this month. You can find details at this link.
The Voice Referendum took place last month and of course many Fellows were closely involved in the process and campaign. The Academy’s statement on the outcome can be found here.
Lastly, I had the privilege of delivering an address to the National Press Club on 18 October—Is Australia’s Economic Exceptionalism Over? You can find a transcript of my remarks here. And in the unlikely event that you would like to watch the address and questions, you can do so here.
Richard Holden
President
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Program now available: Digital Society Symposium
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Academy’s 2023 Paul Bourke Awards announced
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Four of Australia’s most outstanding early career social science researchers have been named recipients of the 2023 Paul Bourke Awards for Early Career Research, presented by the Academy. Congratulations to Drs Denise Angelo, Arjuna Dibley, Lise Lafferty and Ruben Loaiza-Maya.
The award recognises their work in fields ranging from local language ecologies among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, innovative approaches to climate change law and energy policy, a world-leading approach to managing Hepatitis C in prisons and new econometric models with wide and practical applications. Find more on the Award recipients here.
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Have your say on digital research infrastructure
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The Department of Education is coordinating the development of a Strategy for Australia’s National Digital Research Infrastructure (NDRI), stemming from Recommendation 7 of the 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap. The Draft NDRI Strategy is open now for public consultation until 10am on 20 November 2023.
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Fellows honoured and appointed
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Congratulations to the many Fellows who have received awards and recognition recently, among them Fellow Ben Saul on appointment as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism. Congratulations also to Fellow Sharyn Roach Anleu on two prestigious internationals awards: the 2023 Law and Society Association International Prize in recognition of a scholarly
body of work significantly advancing knowledge in the field of law and society and the 2023 Podgórecki Prizefor distinguished and outstanding lifetime achievements awarded in Sweden, September 2023.
Last month Fellows Pal Ahluwalia and Kathryn Robinson were appointed to the Advisory Board for the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific, Fellow Sarah Wilson was appointed co-CEO of a new initiative, the Collaborative Centre for Mental Health Leaders and we were thrilled to see that Academy Fellow and Senior Australian of the Year, Tom Calma, was singled out for a chat with US President Joe Biden at the welcome ceremony for
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Washington.
‘Be prepared to be unpopular’ Fellow Kevin Wheldall said on receipt of the 2023 Eminent Researcher Award of the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties regarding his 50-year career researching reading skills. Find an extract of his speech at the awards here.
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Discover who’s in: ARC grants
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Academy Fellows and social science themes were well-represented among the more than
$220 million in Discovery Project grants announced by the Australian Research Council (ARC) on 30 October. You can find a full list of all 2024 round 1 grants here and a summary of projects featuring the contribution of Academy Fellows here. Congratulations all.
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How to build a successful Centre of Excellence in the
humanities, arts and social sciences
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The Academy is proud to be partnering with the Australian Academy of Humanities, the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Science and Humanities (DASSH) and the ARC to present this one-day workshop for prospective applicants on what makes a successful Centre of Excellence application. Panel sessions with ARC executives and current and former Centre Directors will cover effective industry partnerships, Indigenous-centred approaches to research at scale, and a range of other topics. The workshop is free and will be held in Canberra on Tuesday 5 December (online viewing will also be available). Learn more and book here.
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Publishing offer: Economics theses
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A special issue of Australian Economic Papers will feature a selection of
top-quality Economics Honours thesis summaries from Australian universities as part of a partnership with the Reserve Bank of Australia. Find details here.
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First Nations research ethics
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The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) provides leadership on ethics and protocols for research related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and collections. The AIATSIS Code of Ethics is a vital resource for researchers on how research with and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can ensure meaningful engagement and reciprocity between the researcher and the individuals and/or communities involved in the research. Find the AIATSIS Code here.
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International
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Over 60 scholars from across the Pacific met in Samoa in October to establish a
Pacific Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
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Momentum for Pacific Academy
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An ambitious plan to co-design and establish a Pacific Academy of Sciences and Humanities was endorsed by more than 60 scholars from across the Pacific at a meeting in Samoa in October. Academy Fellow Pal Ahluwalia addressed the meeting organised by the International Science Council (ISC), outlining the challenges facing researchers in Pacific Island nations. In an historic day, participants agreed to set up an Establishment Committee to design an Academy that represents Pacific scholars and their knowledge. Find a summary from the ISC here.
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ISC Global Knowledge Dialogue for Asia and the Pacific
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The Academy’s Director of Fellowship, International and Awards, Michelle Bruce, joined 150 participants from 31 countries for the ISC’s Global Knowledge Dialogue for Asia and the Pacific in Kuala Lumpur on 6 October. Participants engaged with topics such as mission science for sustainability, interdisciplinary health and living within planetary boundaries, addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals through science advice and diplomacy, AI, and a breakout session on how to raise the voice of science in the region and advance science as a global public good.
The dialogue ended on a high note, with the announcement of the newly established Advisory Council for the Regional Focal Point for Asia and the
Pacific including Academy nominated Fellows Pal Ahluwalia and Kathryn Robinson. The Advisory Council will focus on turning the ideas from the gathering into actions in the coming years. Find more on the council, its work and members here.
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Experts needed: negotiating on plastics
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The ISC is calling for nominations of experts to negotiate an international legally binding instrument on plastics pollution. Nominate yourself or another expert by 16 November 2023. Learn more here.
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Read, Watch, Listen, Attend
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Read
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The fifth edition of Fellow Lisa Given’s Looking for Information:
Examining Research on How People Engage with Information brings a refreshed look at information seeking practices and contemporary concepts in information studies and a new streamlined, six-chapter structure. ICYMI the Academy’s workshop-turned-book—Watershed: The 2022 Australian Federal election—was officially launched last month with an entertaining
address from Fellow Frank Bongiorno. Catch up on the event here.
You can catch up on highlights and achievements from a busy year of outreach and achievement with the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia’s Annual Report 2022-23.
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Watch
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In 2021, the Academy was chosen to participate in the exclusive Unlocking Science series produced by the International Science
Council and BBC StoryWorks. Since voted ‘Best Video Series’ at the prestigious 2023 Digital Communications Awards (DCA), the Academy’s multimedia contribution—‘Giving new life to old languages in Australia’ with Fellow Felicity Meakins—along with the whole series can be found here.
The NLA in 2023 and beyond is a free online update designed for researchers with information on maximising support, a refreshed NLA catalogue and digitised content, Indigenous Intellectual and Cultural Property Protocol plus how to skirt ongoing NLA building works. Find the webinar here.
And if you are interested in research, libraries and social justice in a climate-changed future, the Australian Library and Information Association offers the Greening Libraries Conference online on
22 November 2023.
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Listen
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Keep an ear out among the race calls and interest rate news on Melbourne Cup Day for The Great Debate: Does sport unite or divide us? First heard live in Social Sciences Week 2023, ABC RN’s Big Ideas will broadcast the Great Debate, featuring Fellows David Rowe and Andrew Leigh, at 8pm on Tuesday 7 November.
Catch up with the latest and penultimate episode of Seriously Social podcast out now. The missing middle: Getting density right features Academy Fellow Bill Randolph (UNSW City Futures Research Centre), urban planning Associate Professor Dorina Pojani and architect Lisa Garner.
Together they challenge our ideas about what is possible to house everyone while keeping cities liveable. Listen here.
Keep listening for the November episode of Seriously Social podcast. It’s our final and it promises to be a fabulous finish to the six series of Seriously Social—the podcast that helps you explore the world through the insights of Academy Fellows and leading social scientists.
All Seriously Social episodes remain available online here.
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Attend
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Sign up for the Australian Historical Association’s inaugural Public Fund lecture 2023—History as inspiration—delivered by Richard Glover, 6pm (AEDT) 28 November, University of Sydney. Book here.
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Vale
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We were saddened to learn of the passing of Fellows Ron Taft, Max Corden and Norman Feather in the last month.
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Ron Taft
At 103 years Ron Taft, who died on 21 October 2023, was the Academy’s oldest living Fellow, a founding member and beloved mentor to many. Professor of Social Psychology
at Monash University’s Faculty of Education, his special field was the adjustment and adaptation of immigrant children and adults. A tribute video recorded in 2020 to mark his 100th birthday is available here.
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Max Corden
Academy Fellow Max Corden died on 21 October 2023. He was an economist known for his work on trade protection, macroeconomics and Australian economic policy. He also
published a memoir recording his flight from Nazi Germany as a child through to his years at Oxford and with the International Monetary Fund.
Read his reflections on his time in the Academy here.
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The Academy extends condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of these Fellows.
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Podcasts
Listen to the latest Seriously Social episodes.
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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.
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