The length of the working day and the challenges of work-life balance are pressing issues for many Australians, as well as lively matters of public controversy. While the winning of the eight-hour day is celebrated as a past industrial achievement, contemporary discussions of working hours often overlook its rich history. Tracing 150 years of campaigns…
Academic, author and activist Professor Marcia Langton AO FASSA FTSE has been awarded the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia’s Rechnitz Memorial Award – a new award created to recognise excellence in research leadership and advancement of knowledge of Indigenous society, culture and language A descendant of the Yiman and Bidjara nations, Marcia has…
This book, extensively revised and updated in its second edition, presents a comprehensive overview of housing policy in Australia over the last quarter century. At a time of widespread concern about declining housing system performance, it investigates the many dimensions of housing affordability and housing wealth inequality, together with government actions affecting these outcomes. The…
Conceived in 1950, the Colombo Plan for Co-operative Development in South and Southeast Asia was a unique experiment in foreign relations. Meeting annually across what we now know as the ‘Indo-Pacific’, talented administrators facilitated foreign aid provision, and promoted development fuelled state-making, internationalism and experimental regionalism across postwar Asia. David Lowe argues that this new…
In this issue congratulations abound for Fellows, both new and established, achieving wonderful things, read policy and international updates, find registration details for our AGM, and introducing the new magazine for Fellows, Socium.
Professor Emeritus David Horner AM FASSA is one of Australia’s greatest military historians and its fifth official historian of war and military operations. Few who undertake research in the field can do so without consulting his prodigious, authoritative and definitive publications. Serving for 25 years in the Australian Army before joining The Australian National University,…
My work is about futures and I’m researching how we will live in 2030 and 2050
30 Academy Fellows are among recipients of ARC Discovery Project funding, announced this week. The Fellows and their projects as follows. The Academy extends its warmest congratulations to these Fellows and to all other researchers awarded funding in this round.
Many social policy texts examine specific social policy debates at a point in time and offer mostly technical interpretations of why existing or amended policies and programs have worked or not worked. In contrast, this text presents a comprehensive historical and political analysis of four policy areas where reform was achieved after many years of…
The ASSA-CASS Joint Action Program awards grants to teams of social scientists from Australia and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). These grants are suited to early-career Australian researchers to collaborate with a researcher from CASS in areas of shared interest. The Academy would like to thank Fellows for their time and expertise in…
Academy President, Professor Kate Darian-Smith, said, ‘The appointment of all new Fellows to the Academy is a recognition of their remarkable contributions to the social sciences as researchers, policy leaders and public intellectuals. We are incredibly proud to welcome them to the Academy.’ ‘This year’s cohort exemplifies the Academy’s mission to support and amplify…
Professor Matthew HornseyAffiliation: The University of QueenslandDiscipline: PsychologyYear elected: 2018 What initially drew you to your field of study? Existential panic really. Since 2007, humans have emitted over a quarter of all the greenhouse gases ever emitted by our species, and last year global CO2 emissions hit a record high. In that context, overcoming polarisation, conspiracy…
Professor Erte Xiao Affiliation: Monash UniversityDiscipline: EconomicsYear elected: 2024 What initially drew you to your field of study? I’ve always been curious about how people make decisions—often in ways that differ from traditional economic predictions. Behavioural economics allows me to combine insights from psychology and economics to better understand human motivation and decision-making. It’s a field…
In this issue, keep up with upcoming announcements, preparations for Gala Dinner, and meet our Featured Fellow for October, Professor Matthew Hornsey.
As part of the Australian Government’s 2025 Strategic Examination of Research and Development, six issue papers were released and feedback requested about the impact of research, development and innovation (RD&I). The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia submitted a response to Paper 1: National coordination (National coordination for RD&I impact) on 25 September 2025.…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia has announced the winners of the 2025 Paul Bourke Awards, recognising four of the nation’s most exceptional early career researchers in the social sciences. Academy President Professor Kate Darian-Smith congratulated the awardees for their contributions across diverse disciplines and the role their work plays in advancing our…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Workshops Program grants. Over $70,000 has been allocated to eight teams of researchers to host multidisciplinary workshops to develop innovative approaches, foster network connections and tackle critical issues in national research and policy. The funded workshops will bring…
This is a reprint of the online article “Kirk’s death highlights the fragility of free speech everywhere” published in the Australian Financial Review, Saturday 20 September 2025 by The Hon Robert French AC. Robert French is Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and a former Chief Justice of Australia. He has…
A Social Sciences Week special eventTuesday 9 September Join us for an evening of compelling debate as six of Australia’s premier academics tackle the complex question of whether Australia’s history unites us. TEAM AFFIRMATIVE:⭐️ Georgina Downer GAICD, CEO of the Robert Menzies Institute,⭐️ Professor Jakelin Troy FASSA, Director, Indigenous Research at University of Sydney, and⭐️ Professor Frank Bongiorno…
Monday 8 September marks the official beginning of Social Sciences Week 2025, a nationwide celebration highlighting the vital role of the social sciences in understanding our world and shaping our future. Running from 8–14 September 2025, Social Sciences Week offers a packed program of public lectures, panel discussions, workshops, film screenings and webinars hosted by…
Isaiah Berlin is well known as a defender of liberal democracy in the Cold War. In this path-breaking study, George Crowder argues that Berlin’s ideas have application beyond their original context to the problems of our own time. Focusing on three central themes – liberty, identity, and value pluralism – Crowder presents a fresh interpretation…
Round 2 Extended Deadlines:Pacific Social Science Academic Grants until 30 April 2026Visiting Fellowships until 29 May 2026 The Academy is delighted to continue its international engagement through the Australia-France Indo-Pacific Studies Program (AFIPS Program). The 2024-2027 Australia–France Indo-Pacific Studies Program (AFIPS) is a flagship initiative delivered by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, with support from…
Four First Nations researchers have received grants from the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia with support from the Wilhelm, Martha, and Otto Rechnitz Memorial Fund. This year’s recipients are David Windsor, a Kaurareg descendant from Kirriri Island in Zendath Kes (Torres Strait Islands); Pekeri Ruska, a Goenpul woman from Terrangerri | Minjerribah |…
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is delighted to announce the Round 1 Visiting Fellowship recipients under the Australia-France Indo-Pacific Studies (AFIPS) Program. Funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and delivered from 2024–2027 by the Academy as part of the France–Australia Roadmap, this visiting fellowship component supports early-career social…