Fellows • 04 March 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Lyria Bennett Moses
I like to think about the ways in which law ought to respond to technological change.
Submissions • 28 February 2026
Submission: Productivity in Australia
Submission to the Select Committee on Productivity in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a submission to the Select Committee on Productivity in Australia’s Terms of Reference and Discussion Paper on Productivity in Australia. The Terms of Reference of this inquiry are broad and rightly reflect the complex and multifaceted nature…
Fellows • 25 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Tom Smith
Housing affordability…the effects of Global Climate Change…high national debt…We need to come up with solutions and a way forward in dealing with these challenges being faced by a generation of people for the first time.
Fellows • 23 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Catharine Coleborne
Libraries and archives, along with galleries and museums – and their role in the preservation of our national heritage -sit at the heart of a democratic society. They need to be celebrated, funded, and made accessible to all.
Fellows • 23 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Barbara Comber
I am interested in building inter-generational, international networks of scholars and front-line educators designing and enacting literacy curriculum for social and environmental justice. I desperately want good things – ethical practices – to go viral. That’s my current obsession.
Fellows • 23 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Michael Berk
I believe that convergence science approaches are necessary to solve the complex issues of the non-communicable and particularly mental health disorders… The social sciences are a keystone approach in this matrix.
Fellows • 23 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Neil Selwyn
Social scientists need to be loud and proud about their capacity to provide unique contextualised insights into the ways in which digital technology is reshaping everyday education.
Fellows • 23 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Frans Verstraten
Social scientists know how the brain works and understand the ins and outs of group dynamics. We should use that in a much broader context. Too often we preach to the converted.
Fellows’ Featured Books & Articles • 22 February 2026
The Shortest History of Innovation
In this dazzling, surprising and always entertaining book, bestselling author Andrew Leigh tells the story of innovation. Innovation shapes almost every corner of our lives, yet we rarely pause to notice it. Someone had to invent nails and wheelbarrows; alphabets and books; glass windows and windscreen wipers; tin cans and synthetic dyes. From tools and…
Fellows’ Featured Books & Articles • 22 February 2026
Mary Booth: The Woman who Shaped the Anzac Legend
The compelling story of a forgotten feminist and the nation she helped build Mary Booth was a woman of startling contradictions – one of Australia’s first female doctors, a pioneering feminist and nationalist, she was also a staunch political conservative and a devoted empire loyalist and nationalist. She championed infant welfare, war commemoration, environmental reform,…
Fellows • 16 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor Joshua Cinner
My work on increasing the sustainability and resilience of coral reef fisheries is motivated by a love of problem solving… the joy I get from bringing together different disciplines to look at a common issues, and the strong desire to leave the planet in a better state for my two boys.
Fellows • 16 February 2026
Featured Fellow: Professor David Bissell
I get so much pleasure from helping others…develop their thinking. At a time when it can feel that thinking is under threat…the art of building concepts is something that we should cherish and protect as social scientists.
Newsletters • 04 February 2026
February 2026 Academy Newsletter
In our first issue for 2026, congratulations to Fellows receiving Australian Day Honours, plus a wealth of opportunities for Fellows to become more involved with the Academy. View the February 2026 newsletter
Submissions • 01 February 2026
Pre-Budget Submission 2026-27
Pre-Budget Submission 2026-27 On 30 January 2026, the Academy made a submission to the 2026–27 Federal Budget. The submission made five recommendations to create opportunity and equity in education, strengthen the research ecosystem and address key challenges facing Australia. Click on ‘download’ to read the submission in full.
Media Releases • 24 January 2026
Academy Fellows recognised with Order of Australia Honours
Academy Fellows recognised with 2026 Order of Australia honours
Submissions • 19 January 2026
Submission: Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025
Submission to the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025 The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Education and Employment inquiry into the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Bill 2025. The Academy strongly supports the establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (the…
Fellows • 21 December 2025
Featured Fellow: Professor Lesley Head
I try to focus at the intersection between things that need doing and things that I’m good at; most of these are in the cultural dimensions of environmental issues, including climate change.
Fellows • 21 December 2025
Featured Fellow: Professor David Kalisch
My career has largely focussed on the use and production of quality information and insights, drawing upon the best available evidence.
Fellows • 21 December 2025
Featured Fellow: Emeritus Professor Boyd Hunter
I am passionate about exploring the role of Indigenous business in facilitating self-determination.
Fellows • 17 December 2025
Featured Fellow: Professor Rosemary Sheehan
Professor Rosemary Sheehan Affiliation: Monash UniversityDiscipline: Social workYear elected: 2021 What initially drew you to your field of study? My professional qualification is as a social worker, and I was influenced by growing up in Canberra at a time when there was considerable migration, especially men arriving after working on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric…
Submissions • 15 December 2025
Submission: National Skills Taxonomy Update: Building a System which Puts People and Skills First
Submission to the National Skills Taxonomy Update: Building a System which Puts People and Skills First The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a submission responding to the National Skills Taxonomy (NST) Update Discussion Paper: Building a system that puts skills and people first. The Discussion Paper adopts a skills-first approach and explores…
Fellows • 14 December 2025
Featured Fellow: Professor Martine Powell
My research focuses on how to obtain accurate and detailed information from people about events to assist decision-making.
Academy Statements • 14 December 2025
Statement to Fellows on the Bondi Beach attack
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia expresses its deepest condolences following the horrific terrorist attack on the Australian Jewish community attending the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach in Sydney. We mourn the lives lost and stand in solidarity with Fellows and all others who have been affected by this senseless…
Submissions • 14 December 2025
Submission: House Standing Committee on Education inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia
Submission to the House Standing Committee on Education inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia made a submission to the House Standing Committee on Education inquiry into Building Asia Capability in Australia. A strong and sustained Asia capability is fundamental to Australia’s national interests. It underpins social…