Dear members,

As you will see in this newsletter, there is plenty of news to report as Federal and State Government restrictions on social gatherings and social distancing begin to lift. Our collecting institutions are now open for researchers (albeit under carefully monitored conditions) and libraries, museums and art galleries are now open to the public. While I am very grateful for staff at the SLSA and SRSA for digitising requested items during the lock down phase, there is nothing quite like going through original documents – to get that broader context, find records you didn’t know existed, and photograph relevant items on the spot. In short, it is great to be able to conduct archival research again!

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of joining guest presenter Keith Conlon and Michael Bollan of Wakefield Press to award the 2020 Wakefield Press South Australian History Essay Prize to Susan Arthure for her essay ‘Kapunda’s Irish Connections’. The judges were impressed with the high quality of this year’s submissions, but found Susan’s essay stood out as ‘an innovative example of multidisciplinary work, bringing together ‘archival’ history and practical archaeology’. Susan’s article was published by Wakefield Press last year in Irish South Australia: new histories and insights. The presentation was recorded and can be viewed through the our website (click on the ‘Whats on’ and then the ‘Wakefield Essay Prize’ tabs). Susan’s will be made available to our members through the website shortly.

On 19 June, Education Minister Dan Tehan announced a proposal to drastically increase the fees of History students and other students of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). According to this proposal, HASS students’ annual fee will increase from $6804 to $14,500 and the Commonwealth Government’s contribution will reduce from $6652 to $1100 per student place. In alignment with the History Councils of WA, NSW and Victoria, on behalf of the History Council of South Australia, I have emailed the Minister, the shadow Minister for Education and six cross-benchers. I urge all of our members to do the same, and to contact your local politicians. Please see the advocacy page on our website (go to ‘What’s on’, then ‘Advocacy) for further information on the proposal and details of suggested politicians to contact.

As pointed out in our media release, skills gained through studying HASS disciplines include critical and creative thinking, an ability to construct a logical and coherent argument, ethics, research skills and written and oral communication skills. As Australians grapple with climate change, the need to contextualise, understand and devise solutions for the uncertain future that confronts our own and successive generations is ever more apparent. And, as the Black Lives Matter movement has so poignantly shown, historical injustices continue to reverberate in the present; now is crucial time encourage, rather than discourage, the study of History. It seems to me that it is through understanding the past – with all its complexities and nuances – that genuine reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians’ will be enabled. On that note, I also urge concerned members to make a submission regarding the destruction of ancient Aboriginal heritage sites in the Pilbara region of WA by 31 July (for details see below).

Finally, advocacy against the premature introduction of the SA Government’s Planning and Development Code is ongoing – please read and support the work of Professor Warren Jones, Convenor of the Protect our Heritage Alliance (see below).

Best wishes,

Skye