President's Message

This is my final newsletter as President, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Board members, the dedicated staff in the national office, and Fellows of the Academy for their support over the last three years. I owe special and particular thanks to my predecessor Jane Hall for being a wonderful role model and support, and to my successor Kate Darian-Smith who has been a very valuable colleague and will be a superb president.

November was full of exciting Academy activities. The AGM and Panel Meetings were an opportunity for fellows to discuss important issues facing the sector; an issue to which I'll return. The New Fellows' induction in Canberra was a characteristically enjoyable event where we got to hear our new colleagues summarise their life’s work in three minutes! I’m always impressed by the amazing scholarship, and this year was no exception.

That was followed by our Annual Dinner where we were joined by, and heard from, the Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC and the Australian Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers. We also acknowledged our new Fellows, our outstanding Paul Bourke awardees, and heard from two of the three Jubilee Fellows Murray Wells and Barry McGaw.

I had the pleasure of joining Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley for our annual Shape the Nation address, entitled “The Secret Sauce for Australia” as part of the CHASS Congress in Perth.

Finally, I know many fellows are rightly concerned about funding issues and job cuts facing the Australian university sector. Our Academy, along with the four other Learned Academies and ACOLA are doing considerable work behind the scenes with government to find a more sustainable model of university funding. I hope and believe this will make a concrete difference to the challenges we face.

Thank you again for your support of our Academy. It has been a great honour to serve as President and I will always be grateful for the opportunity you gave me to do so.

Richard Holden

President

Above: Academy President Professor Richard Holden with newly elected Academy Fellows for 2024.

Photos by Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General and Aris Pixels.

Congratulations

Recipients of the Academy’s Workshops Program Grants 
Drumroll please…New collaborations are on the horizon with the announcement of the Academy’s 2025 Workshops Program Grants. Congratulations to all successful research teams. Dive into the details here.

Fellows elected to other academies
We are delighted to share that several of our Fellows have joined the ranks of other esteemed Academies:

• Australian Academy of the Humanities: Professors Rachel Ankeny FAHA FASSA and Yin Paradies FAHA FASSA
• Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences: Professor Deborah Lupton FASSA FAHMS
• Australian Academy of Science: Professor Louisa Degenhardt AO FAA FASSA FAHMS

ARC Linkage Project success
From big questions to big answers: Congratulations to Fellows Heather Douglas, Marilyn Fleer, Michele Ford, Herb Marsh, and John Taylor for receiving funding through the ARC Linkage Scheme. Their work promises to create partnerships that make a difference. Learn more about it here.

More ARC successes…Spot the Academy Fellow!

Wow. The list of Fellows awarded ARC Discovery Project 2025 funding is so long that if we listed everyone you’d still be reading in January! A huge congratulations to the thirty-three Fellows who were successful in this round!

National Library of Australia Fellowship
Fellow Catharine Coleborne’s project, My Mother’s Polio, examines the illness experiences of regional Australians in the 20th century, earning her a National Library of Australia Fellowship for 2025.

Cultural Identity publication

Congratulations to Dr Jacob Prehn, whose research (funded by the Academy’s 2023 Rechnitz Fund Grant Program) has been published in the Australian Educational Researcher. His article examines whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth feel supported in their cultural identity at school, offering insights to enhance educational support.

The Academy is proud to manage the Rechnitz Fund Grant Program, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers in advancing their careers across the social sciences. Learn more about the Rechnitz Fund here.

Decolonisation Workshop

Congratulations to Fellows Professors Angela Woollacott, Heather Goodall, and David Lowe, along with Dr Jon Piccini, for hosting the Academy-sponsored workshop Decolonisation in Australia and our region in the 20th century and today. This event explored themes of decolonisation and its impact on Australia and the region.

Learn more about our Workshops Program grants here.

Above: Participants of the Decolonisation in Australia and our region in the 20th century and today workshop.

Policy updates

APS Integrity Submission
Last month the Academy submitted recommendations to the public consultation on APS Reform Stage 2 Integrity Initiatives. The proposals aim to support the design of strategies which embed integrity at the core of public service culture. Read more here.

Opportunities

Australia-France Grant Program

You have until just 20 December to apply for the Australia-France Grant Program. Part of 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), these grants offer up to $5,000 AUD for projects that foster collaboration between Australian and French researchers. Learn more here.

ARC Advisory Committee seeking members
The ARC is seeking applications from individuals interested in joining its new Advisory Committee. The committee will advise the ARC Board on a range of issues, and the chair and members will be remunerated for their time. More information here, with applications closing 31 January 2025.

Call for Papers: SIOE 2025 Annual Conference
The Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics’ 2025 Conference will be held in Sydney at UNSW (August 24-26 – save the date!). Submissions for papers are now open. Get cracking – the deadline is 15 January. Details here.

Shape the Nation Lecture

What a privilege to host Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM FAA FTSE delivering the Academy's annual Shape the Nation lecture at The University of Western Australia on 28 November. Her final public lecture as Chief Scientist was ‘The secret sauce for a better Australia.’

Dr Foley spoke about the remarkable achievements of science and research over the past decades - medicines and medical devices, WiFi, clean energy technologies - and the cutting-edge science that stands to enhance and transform existing systems and structures and benefit all of humanity over the coming years.

She also spoke about the enormous challenges we're facing - climate change, cybercrime, and mis- and dis-information among others - and the truly multidisciplinary and multi-sector efforts that will be required to address these.

It was particularly gratifying to hear Dr Foley reflect on the evolution of her understanding of the role of social sciences and the humanities: from the 'Science Plus' required for scientific and technological discoveries to create social and economic value, to the 'Secret Sauce' (or possibly the 11 herbs and spices) that needs to be integrated from the outset, not just brought in at the final stages.

Our thanks to Dr Foley and her team, to Professor Amanda Davies, head of the UWA School of Social Sciences, and to the Council of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences for organising a terrific CHASS2024 Congress. Thanks also to Business Events Perth for supporting the program.

Dr Chris Hatherly

CEO, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia

Shape the Nation Lecture, The Secret Sauce for a Better Australia (L to R): Academy President Richard Holden, CHASS President and Academy Fellow Professor Frank Bongiorno, Dr Cathy Foley AO, Australia's Chief Scientist, head of UWA School of Social Sciences Amanda Davies, Academy CEO Dr Chris Hatherly.

Read, watch, listen and attend

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

Read

Given the recent policy and legislative moves on the issue of under 16s and social media, have a read of the Academy’s Debate Kit for teachers to use in class. Part of our expanding education resources for schools, it’s an excellent tool to share with any teachers in your network. 

If you prefer to do some listening on the topic, revisit the 2024 Social Sciences Week Great Debate on ABC Big Ideas, exploring whether social media unites or divides us. Listen here.

Watch

With the NSW Treasury recognising its bicentenary this year, why not take a step back in time with Fellow Professor Frank Bongiorno as he revisits the Lang Plan and its role in navigating the Great Depression. Watch it here (7 mins).

Listen

Tax and the future

Tune in to the Keith Hancock Lecture and Panel for a compelling discussion on shaping Australia’s tax future. Catch the audio here.

Attend

Webinar: Coordinated Access for Data, Researchers, and Environments (CADRE)
(Thursday 12 December, online). Learn how CADRE is transforming sensitive data management in social sciences. Register here.

HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons Summer School
Head to Brisbane in February to explore cutting-edge digital tools and Indigenous data governance techniques. The summer school is free to attend, and travel bursaries are available. There’s also a separate Masterclass worth looking into. More info on both opportunities here.

Holiday break notice

The Academy will close from 20 December 2024 and reopen on 2 January 2025.

Our social media accounts will be unmonitored from 16 December 2024 to 13 January 2025.

See you in 2025!

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.