Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this article contains the name of a person who is deceased. Human rights activist Professor Megan Davis, Archibald-winning artist Ben Quilty, Chancellor Tom Calma AO, author and film-maker Larissa Behrendt AO, and space archaeologist Alice Gorman are among 40 new Fellows elected to the Australian Academy …
“It is an immense privilege to serve as the Academy’s 20th President. The world is experiencing rapid and far-reaching social and technological change, and the humanities empower us to think and act creatively, and in managing and adapting to change, we think critically about ways to ensure that innovation can be shaped to improve the …
Professor Stephen Garton elected as Australian Academy of the Humanities President Read More »
The stories we consume in our everyday news provide important clues about our society’s values, priorities, and principles. How often are stories about older people included in Australian news? When journalists report on natural disasters, such as our 2020 “black summer” bushfires, do they focus on the impacts on humans or on flora and fauna? …
Translation helps us to see things from different angles. As individuals and as nations, we plainly have a critical need for that kind of insight. Milan Kundera, in his personal essay on the novel, The Curtain, first published in French in 2007, argues that works of art can be understood in two fundamental contexts: the …
Join us in Canberra or online for insights on the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) premier Centres of Excellence program. There are major opportunities for aspiring researchers in the humanities, arts and social sciences to design transformational research programs and strategic partnerships with enduring impact in the leadup to the 2026 CoE round and beyond. This …
Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Centres of Excellence Workshop Read More »
Fifty years ago President Ferdinand Marcos signed the labour code that sent Filipino workers all over the world as domestics workers, seafarers, construction workers, nurses (both male and female), caregivers, professionals in the IT and hospitality industries, to name a few. Today, 10 million or ten percent of the Philippine’s population are migrants. Both popular …
It all feels so inevitable now, but as many have noted, that wasn’t always the case. When I was doing the final edits on the manuscript on what became The Shrinking Nation earlier this year, there was still the possibility of a bipartisan position on the Voice. There had been broad agreement on Indigenous recognition, …
As Australia’s Academy of the Humanities, we are intent on listening to and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In our brief fifty-year history, we have not always got it right. In the wake of the Referendum result, we reaffirm our commitment to walk together for a better future. Aboriginal and Torres Strait …
Melbourne’s new Now or Never festival—a replacement for the city’s previous Music Week and Knowledge Week—recently saw the Royal Exhibition Building filled with a number of large-scale musical events, with many focusing on the intersection between music and science. But this is not the first time the Exhibition Building has played host to a major …
Musical technology & Melbourne’s International Exhibitions Read More »
In May, I began an experiment. For the past three months, I have been trying to teach the AI application ChatGPT some basic facts about Australian media history. Unfortunately, it has proven to be a very poor student. My experiment confirmed a widely reported problem – ChatGPT ‘hallucinates’ wrong answers but expresses them with such …
How do we make AI more human – and get it to tell the truth? Read More »
Elizabeth Anne Webby (née Loder, 9 February 1942-6 August 2023) was born in Sydney to Betty [née Ellis) and George Loder. Her father enlisted in the RAAF in 1941, trained as a navigator, and was posted to 156 Pathfinder Squadron RAF based in Cambridgeshire. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in November 1943. The …
The Australian Academy of the Humanities recognises Australia’s First Nations Peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of this land, and their continuous connection to country, community and culture.