President's Message

This is an exciting month for our Academy.

We announced 20 newly-elected Fellows earlier this week and welcome these distinguished scholars to the fellowship. This year’s cohort exemplifies the Academy’s mission to support and amplify the voices of researchers working on the most critical issues facing Australia and the world.

I look forward to their ‘new Fellows’ presentations—my favourite academic event of the year—on 19 November in Canberra. Following that we will recognise them at our annual dinner. The dinner will include an address by guest speaker the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP, Treasurer of Australia, and also remarks by Her Excellency the Hon Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia.

Also at our annual dinner we will recognise the accomplishments of our four Paul Bourke Award winners, and hear a synopsis of their research agenda from them directly. These exceptional early-career scholars span fields from anthropology to computational statistics, and public health to cross-cultural communication.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Keith Hancock Lecture at an event in Sydney hosted jointly by the Academy and CEDA—the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia. CEDA was founded by former Academy President Sir Douglas Copeland, and it is fitting that we have formally rekindled our association. Academy Fellow Professor Bob Breunig delivered an outstanding lecture on tax reform in Australia, and it was lovely that Emeritus Professor Keith Hancock AO could be there in person, along with another former Academy President Professor Sue Richardson AM. A lively and insightful panel discussion with Bob, Fellow Dr Ken Henry AC, Member for Wentworth Allegra Spender MP, and Angela Stevens from Think Forward rounded out a terrific event.

Finally, I’m very pleased to be attending our annual Shape the Nation event in Perth on 28 November featuring Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE. I hope to see many of you there.

Richard Holden

President

Announcing – Our 2024 Fellows!

Each year, the Academy honours individuals who have demonstrated excellence in social science research, innovative thinking and a commitment to advancing knowledge that shapes policy and societal wellbeing.

We are delighted to announced 20 new Fellows in 2024. This year’s scholars have made outstanding contributions across a diverse range of fields, including early childhood mental health, gender equity, Indigenous studies and economic policy.

Find the full list of 2024’s new Fellows here.

Attend our new Fellows presentations in Canberra on 19 November.

Paul Bourke Award winners announced

Rising social science stars were acknowledged last month, when the Academy recognised four of the nation’s most exceptional early-career researchers through the 2024 Paul Bourke Awards. 

Congratulations to Dr Claire Blewitt (Monash University), Dr Sophie Chao (The University of Sydney), Dr Michelle Liu (Monash University) and Dr Leah South (Queensland University of Technology). 

Learn more about the work of these four remarkable scholars, who are advancing knowledge in anthropology, computational statistics, public health and cross-cultural communication, via our website.

Seriously Social makes a splash at AGTA Awards

Our team took a turn at receiving awards, not just awarding them, when our Seriously Social geography education resource Water in the World won the Not-for-profit Generated Resource category at the 2024 Australian Geography Teachers Association (AGTA) Awards.

AGTA is respected as the peak body for geography education across Australia. This award is received with appreciation for the acknowledgment of the value of the Academy's Seriously Social school education program for classrooms nationwide.

You can share this award-winning resource as well as all of the Academy’s other fantastic education resources with teachers in your life via the Seriously Social platform.

First Nations language professionals collaborate

Eight First Nations language professionals from across Australia recently had a busy but satisfying week together at ANU, working on a book on their ground-breaking ARC research project describing First Nations language ecologies (how Traditional Languages, Englishes and Contact Languages are used to varying degrees in different locations).

The project is an excellent example of how policy can respond to the wealth of multilingualism in Australia’s First Nations peoples. During the week, the research team also presented the Academy's 2024 Paul Bourke Award public lecture, led by award winner Dr Denise Angelo (ANU), which was enthusiastically received.

Dr Denise Angelo, ANU

Academy's Keith Hancock Lecture and panel discussion on tax reform

Our recent Keith Hancock Lecture, held in partnership with CEDA, explored the future of Australia's tax system and the urgent need for fairness, resilience and simplicity.

Fellow Robert Breunig, made a bold call for action, highlighting the cracks in our current system and debunking myths around intergenerational equality, corporate tax and wealth.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our panel members Fellows Bob Breunig and Ken Henry, Allegra Spender MP and Angela Stevens (Think Forward) who contributed to the conversation on shaping a fairer tax landscape for all Australians.

Congratulations!

Another impressive month of achievements! Our congratulations to the following Fellows.

Michael Berk (Deakin University) last month became a recipient of the NHMRC’s 2024 Synergy Grants scheme. Michael will lead the Development of Innovative Clinical Treatments in Schizophrenia (SYNDICAT) project which aims to discover new treatments to reduce the individual, social and economic burden of schizophrenia. 

The Econometric Society has been electing Fellows for 90 years, and this year, Fellow Sascha O. Becker (University of Warwick and Monash University) was one of them. This international society for the advancement of economic theory in its relation to statistics and mathematics is highly prestigious, boasting 84 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics among its ranks.

Fellow Sharon Pickering has been named as a member of the inaugural Advisory Board of the ASEAN-Australia Centre, which replaces the Australia-ASEAN Council and will strengthen links and deepen Australia’s trade and investment links under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

Staying international, Academy Fellow Amanda Nettelbeck (University of Adelaide), has been appointed 2024-25 Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at the University of Tokyo. Amanda, a leading expert on Australian colonial history, aims to use the appointment to strengthen connections between Japanese and Australian scholars in history and the humanities.

Back at home, Academy President Richard Holden (UNSW), was recently appointed Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand's Chief Economist.  

Opportunities

Australia-France Grant Program

Bonjour! It’s that time again—applications are open for the Australia-France Grant Program, administered by the Academy.

The Social Science Collaborative Research Program (delivered in partnership with the Embassy of France in Australia) and the Pacific Social Sciences Academic Grants (supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-France Indo-Pacific Studies Program) are intended to foster and reinforce social science collaboration between Australia and France. 

Each opportunity provides up to $5000 in funding, and everything you need to know about the guidelines and application process is on our website.

Management scholarship for women in the higher education sector

If you know someone (or are someone!) who fits the criteria for this one – spread the word. Women & Leadership Australia has a range of partial scholarships available on courses for female leaders at all levels of their career. 

Events

Shape the Nation lecture: Dr Cathy Foley, Australia's Chief Scientist 

On 28 November in Western Australia, we’re proud to have Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE presenting this year’s Shape the Nation lecture.  Get all the details and register here.

Read, watch, listen and attend

Stay up to date with the latest reports, articles and events featuring Fellows and the social science community. 

Read

Plenty to fill up your bookshelf this month.

Fellow Carol Johnson has a new book: The Politics of Gender Equality: Australian Lessons in an Uncertain World. In this open access book, Carol provides the first in-depth study of the development of federal gender equality politics and policy in Australia from the 1970s to the present day.

From SARS to Zika, Ebola to COVID-19, Fellow Alan Petersen’s new book, Pandemic societies: A critical public health perspective sheds new light on how pandemics are socially produced and, in turn, shape societies.

Staying with pandemics, Fellow Peter Aggleton has co-authored a book exploring the relationship between COVID-19 and AIDS. Viral Times: Reflections on the COVID-19 and HIV Pandemics includes case studies from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, the UK, the USA and Vietnam.

Moving from health to hip pockets, Fellow Ross Garnaut’s new book–Let’s tax carbon: And other ideas for a better Australia–offers the argument that Australia could become a full-employment, renewable-energy superpower – and it begins with taxing carbon. (For those in Canberra, mark the evening of 14 November in your diary, when Ross chats with Fellow Barry Jones about the ideas in the book).

Not a book, but meaty reading nonetheless: the summary report from the recent two-day AUKUS Assumptions and Implications symposium is now available to download here.

Watch

The US election has had everyone focused on politics and international relations, but this short video in our series on the many disciplines of the social sciences reminds us that politics and international relations are part of our daily lives. Perfect for sharing.

Listen

If you need a break from thinking about very large nations, consider the weird and wonderful world of micronations instead, on this throwback to an episode from our Seriously Social podcast.

Attend

Academy’s annual dinner & New Fellows’ presentations

There’s still time to sign up for the Academy’s New Fellows' presentations on the afternoon of 19 November in Canberra. Don’t forget to register!

RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2024

In 2024, the greatest number ever will have voted in ‘democratic’ elections. Attitudes to democracy and political power have changed and the nature and structures of political communities are in flux. In person (by invitation) and live streamed, join the Threats to democracy forum on 14 November.

Tackle the academic balancing act

On 28 November, EMCRs from across the country will gather for an afternoon of expert-led discussion on the topic of academic workload and burnout, voted by SHAPE’s members as the most pressing issue for EMCRs in Australia today. The event is part of the SHAPE Futures EMCR Network’s annual convention. Some travel bursaries are available, but move quickly.

Australia's future directions

The 28th of November will be a busy day in WA—don’t forget Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley is presenting this year’s Shape the Nation lecture there that night. Get all the details here.

Vale

Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of Fellow Stuart Harris. Amongst his many professional achievements, Stuart was the first Secretary of the newly established Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Professor of International Relations at the Australian National University.

We were also saddened to hear the passing of Fellow Barry Fraser, who was one of the first professors of the Western Australian Institute of Technology (as Curtin University of Technology was formerly known). He will be remembered for his enthusiasm, generosity and pioneering research on classroom environments.

The Academy strives to keep you informed, including sharing sad news of Fellows’ passing. 

Notices are posted on social media and in our monthly newsletter, though delays may occur if we receive information after publication. Please help by sharing the Vale section with your networks where appropriate and notifying us of any Fellow’s passing. We appreciate your understanding.

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 and present.