Election Position Statement 2022: Towards a cultural, creative and ethical future for Australia

Skilling the workforce

The most sustainable jobs of the future will require skills acquired through the humanities

• • Australia’s future workforce requires knowledge of our global context, linguistic diversity, critical understanding and analytical skills

• • •  invest in area studies, languages and other humanities disciplines

• • Since 1990, jobs for creative skills in Australia have grown at twice the rate of jobs for mining and manufacturing skills

• • • back creative industries and creatives in industry to boost further jobs growth

• • Humanities research and skills make innovation and technology human-centred and sustainable

• • • ensure all ARC funding programs support a diverse range of disciplines and approaches
      

Research for Australia’s future well-being

Humanities research is a vital part of Australia’s research and development system

• • We need expertise that will strengthen democratic institutions, address pressing social issues including climate change, and support a broad range of future industries

• • •  advance research across all sovereign capabilities, not only manufacturing
      

• • We need to understand how people use new knowledge, adopt innovations and respond to societal and environmental change.

• • • include representatives of the humanities in decisions on research and innovation, and pressing social policy matters
      

Recognising First Nations Peoples

Advancing reconciliation with First Nations Peoples remains an urgent priority for Australia

• • Action the instruments that First Nations People tell us will help catalyse reconciliation.

• • • progress Uluru Statement principles of constitutional recognition, treaties, and truth-telling
      

• • Indigenous knowledges must first and foremost serve Indigenous interests

• • • partner with Indigenous and other scholars in teaching, research and wider economic and social engagement

• • Indigenous languages are a fundamental part of Australia’s social fabric and heritage

• • • support Indigenous languages as part of a renewed national languages policy for social cohesion, economic inclusion and international engagement
      

Strengthening Australia’s international engagement

Humanities skills and knowledge underpin Australia’s global standing and are central to diplomacy

• • Effective relations with China will require deep knowledge and expertise

• • • commit to China studies and research as a sovereign capability

• • Australia has led the world in area studies in our region

• • • redress Australia’s failure to sustain national-scale investment in areas as fundamental as Indonesian and Pacific studies to strengthen regional understanding
      

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Director of Communications and Engagement
Carli Ratcliff
carli.ratcliff@humanities.org.au / 0407 438 002