Me on Hansonism and post truth politics. theconversation.com/fact-checkin...

Maccas executive to FIFA: "we'd like to pay for blanket advertising as usual, I only wish there was a way to literally pause the matches to buy more ad space." FIFA: "I don't know about you but suddenly I have a perishing thirst, perhaps a drinks break?"

New article day! With all the focus on One Nation, there has been scant scholarly interest in Katter's Australian Party. While often seen as Bob's one man show, the article highlights the different power-seeking strategies inside Katter's Australian Party. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

What a spectacle. It's hard not to make the comparison to Idiocracy. Perhaps the presidential demolition derby is next.

It's tax time. I just donated to the Australian Historical Association to fund scholarships, prizes, and other opportunities for emerging historians. It's a tough environment for students and early career researchers. Please support the next generation of historians if you can. theaha.org.au/donate/

We live in a world where people play REM's The One I Love at weddings, even though the *second* line of the song is literally "This one goes out to the one I left behind".

In minor pedantry news, I've noticed the mainstream media including ABC keep referring to Labor's "94 seat majority". There are 150 House of Rep seats so 76 seats is a 1 seat majority. Labor have 94 seats overall so an 18 seat majority.

ACADEMIA: Your job will only involve between 12 and 15 contact hours on campus per week. Summers "off," too! ME: Great! ACADEMIA: All we ask in return is a lifelong uncertainty about how hard you should be working the rest of the time. ME: ...

If I were an action hero, this is what I’d say to the bad guy before the kill shot.

"It used to be said that facts speak for themselves. This is, of course, untrue. The facts, speak only when the historian calls on them: it is he who decides to which facts to give the door, and in what order or context." E.H. Carr I think about this statement *ALL THE TIME*

One of my academic microaggressions is that I will always cite the city, not the suburb, a book is published in. Thank you for your attention.

Ever wanted an easy way to save newspaper articles in Trove as high-resolution images? I've created a userscript that makes it easy to download cropped and masked articles, as well as full page images. https://github.com/wragge/trove-newspaper-images-userscript

I love graduations, and it was a particular honour to be mace bearer at the recent @CQU one in Townsville where over 150 students crossed the stage including two PhDs. Congratulations to our wonderful graduates 🎓 🎊🥳

The Liberals cannot be both a serious alternative government and populist headline-grabbers. They cannot compete with Labor on serious policy issues and be absorbed with culture wars. aristotlesaustralia.substack.com/p/sa-electio...

Bill Leak in the Oz in 1999. Seems fitting for the new book from @amyremeikis.bsky.social

New advance access book review published by @jich.bsky.social @drbenjaminjones.bsky.social reviews Henry Reynolds' "Looking from the North: Australian History from the Top Down" @newsouthpublishing.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

It was great to chat with Chris Spyrou on The Briefing podcast about Australia Day and what patriotism really means. I always appreciate longer discussions especially on topics that so often get reduced to meaningless soundbites. Chat starts at 12:12. play.listnr.com/podcast/the-...

If anyone here has ever used my research (book, chapters, articles) in their teaching could you send me the details of where and how so I can document 'research impact' better for my institution. Could be on neoliberalism, unions, heat and climate change, anything. Many thanks!

Some thoughts from me on fascism and Australian history. Including multiple perspectives in the national story is not woke, it is what democracy looks like. aristotlesaustralia.substack.com/p/fascism-an...

I don't follow Elon on X but on the odd occasion I still log in, I always see the latest thing he has posted. To be honest, I find it sad as much as anything.

What happens to Indigenous history in a post truth world? open.substack.com/pub/aristotl...

This was a pleasure to edit. The papers come from the wonderful histories of northern and regional Australia stream at the AHA conference this year. Thanks to all the talented contributors.

Uber driver picking me up from campus: so what do you study? Me, choking back tears: thank you 🙏

It was a pleasure to deliver the keynote for the Australian Independent Schools History Symposium. My talk was titled, is real history possible in an era of fake news. You can read it here. aristotlesaustralia.substack.com/p/is-real-hi...

Publication day! New issue of the Australian Studies Journal is open access. It was a pleasure to guest edit this special issue on histories of northern Australia. The articles come from papers presented at the 2025 AHA co-hosted by CQUniversity and JCU. australienstudien.org/australian-s...

My new website is live! It's a work in progress, with lots I still want to do, but after many years my last site became completely non-functional so this is the first step: mikejonesonline.com #archives #history #historian #consultant #GLAM #academia #website

Hear! Hear! Dr Holbrook 👏 theconversation.com/the-australi...

Wonderful outcome but this national treasure never should have been under threat.

a huge day for the ANU and the @nteuact.bsky.social campaign to stop forced redundancies in the college of arts and social sciences and the college of science and medicine. This is genuinely an incredible result! share.google/ORnkjimiuQiK...

In Canberra next week? Come along and celebrate the launch of Playtime 🧸 Delighted to have Play School actress & singer Justine Clarke launch the book! 🗓️ 22 September, 6pm 📍 ANU Harry Hartog

MUP claims that it is closing Meanjin on "purely financial grounds", yet it also asserts "the journal is not for sale"? They would rather it end and receive $0 than let somebody acquire it for $$? Truly, one of the most shameful episodes in Australia's cultural life is unfolding

"If the ANU is not committed to research that tells the Australian story then well may we ask, what is the point of a national university?" theconversation.com/the-anu-was-...

I wrote for Crikey about the decision to shut Meanjin down - and to sever a connection to a hopeful progressive vision of Australian culture

I don't fall into the extreme camps that see generative AI as either the end of the humanities or its saviour. That said, I would never use AI in any of my writing and would request my name be taken off any joint paper that uses it. Imperfect, and frequently with typos, my voice is my own.

"Despite my role in authoring a hybrid model, I am increasingly convinced that a direct-election model has the best chance of passing the high bar of a referendum." A mea culpa of sorts from me and a concise history of the Republic debate in Australia. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

ANU School of History invites applications for a PhD scholarship to research the Communist Party of Australia, 1970-91. The project continues the work of the late Prof Stuart Macintyre and is valued at AU$100,000 over a four year period. programsandcourses.anu.edu.au/program/9520... #phavictas

Chancel Culture, David Pope

Help us reach our target of 5000 signatures - please sign and share!

A shoutout to all the academics who are also working 9 to 9, 24/7 👩‍💻

Labor's bill to cut HECS debts by 20%, which passed this morning, leaves unchanged the structural inequalities built into tertiary education through Job-Ready Graduates. Sign our petition calling for the repeal of this destructive and unfair policy here: www.openpetition.org/au/petition/...

'The independent member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, will this week table an amendment to the student debt bill to reverse the JRG package and change the timing of Hecs/Help indexation until after prepayments are made.' #highered #auspol #academicsky

And it’s not just writers: comedians, business leaders, academics, musicians and chefs have signed our letter:

More than 100 high-profile and distinguished Australians -and BA graduates- have signed the @austhistassoc.bsky.social open letter calling for the repeal of Job-Ready Graduates: a policy that punishes humanities students with life-changing debts: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Worried about AI imitating people's voices? They had similar concerns in 1893: "When the Phonograph comes into general use in his country, a new law will be wanted ... There are some excellent mimics, who might do great mischief by imitating one's voice in the Phonograph."

The problem is ANU leadership applied these strategies like they’re running BHP, not a university.

I’ve learned there are basically only three ultimate truths of university faculty life: 1. No, you did not miss anything important at that meeting 2. You will be told that your successes somehow, paradoxically, complicate your tenure case 3. If you do not take up space, space will be taken from you

"Professor Parry has defended the Change Proposals by stating that the ADB could easily have been cut altogether. She appears to regard the ADB as an academic unit within the gift of the dean rather than as a collaborative national institution" inside.org.au/the-jewel-in...