Academy of Social Sciences in Australia
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President's Report
Professor Sue Richardson
In recent months the energies of the Academy have been spread in a number of directions. These have included representation of the interests of the social sciences in policy forums, furthering our international connections, supporting our regular workshop, policy and research programs, and preparing for the quinquennial review of the performance of the Academy by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), which provides our principal source of funding. In addition, the important and demanding process of electing new Fellows comes to a peak in these months, at least for the Secretariat.
Representation
As I recounted in my last report, the Academy made an extensive submission to the NHMRC/AVCC review of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans. It was one of about 160 submissions, which are currently being digested prior to a revised second draft being released. I am reliably informed that the Academy submission was considered to be outstanding, and made a most valuable contribution. This was very pleasing to hear, and I would like again to thank the authors of our submission - Nic Peterson, Robert Cribb, Don Byrne, Robert Gregson, Conal Condren and Duncan Ironmonger. You can read this excellent submission on the Academy website.
The Academy accepted an invitation from DEST to continue its participation in the development of a revised framework for the evaluation of research contributions, by universities and other publicly-funded research institutions. At the final consultation phase, attended by all the members of the review committee, the Academy was represented by me and our 2004 Early Career Scholar, Alex Bellamy. Alex was able to bring a fresh perspective that drew very much on the experience of a young and highly productive scholar, in contrast with many of the others present, who are now in senior university leadership roles.
The Academy also drew outside its Fellowship to provide a powerful voice to represent the social sciences in consultations on the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. The social sciences are usually left out of the loop when large scale, shared research infrastructure is being considered. But we decided to make a case for serious funding of shared data archives as an important resource that is unlikely to be financed in any other way. We were most ably represented by Dr Deborah Cobb Clark (Australian National University) and Dr Mark Western, (University of Queensland). Despite their strong representation, we did not make a great deal of headway. But it was an important first step into a domain that until now has not considered the social sciences as having large research infrastructure needs. We were lucky to have two such experts arguing our case.
International connections
In June we signed an agreement with the Vietnamese Academy of the Social Sciences. This was the culmination of discussions that have been ongoing since 2003. In that year, a delegation led by Leon Mann and comprising me, Peter Saunders and Marcia Neave, visited Hanoi. We had formal discussions about the nature of an exchange relation and gave a series of lectures to cognate areas of VASS. Draft versions of an agreement were then exchanged and it is very satisfying to be able to report that this process has now culminated in a new formal exchange agreement. The agreement emphasises the intent of supporting active research collaboration and assisting the development of more junior scholars. The signed agreement was personally delivered to VASS by Margot Prior, who has close and continuing contact with the psychologists there. The first exchange under this agreement will comprise a visit by two scholars from VASS in August, to learn more about experimental psychology. They will be assisted in their itinerary and visits by Leon Mann and Margot Prior and join the Academy Executive for dinner.
We are also hoping to call for applications very soon, under the newly signed exchange with our counterpart in India, the Indian Council of Social Science Research. India is to host the annual meeting of the Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils (AASSREC), of which we are a member, in November 2005. At this meeting, we will assume responsibility for the AASSREC secretariat. In establishing and maintaining these exchange relationships, the Academy looks to make connections that go beyond those that naturally flow from individual scholarly networks. We are also keen that these relationships go beyond formal visits by officers of the Academies, to stimulate and support new scholarly collaborations among Fellows and their counterparts. We have made a deliberate decision to improve our connections with Asian neighbours. It has been possible to provide some modest financial support to these new agreements, because of our enhanced funding from DEST under the HEIP grant.
Leon Mann has led these initiatives, as Chair of our International Committee, with excellent assistance from other people on that committee, and from the Secretariat.
Publications
At the Australian Social Policy Research Conference in July, I had the pleasure of launching Rethinking Wellbeing, edited by Lenore Manderson. The book is the outcome of an ARC Learned Academies grant, which brought together authors who are key practitioners and theorists from a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, demography, sociology, economics, and psychology. It questions conventional ways of thinking about wellbeing, exploring current international discourse related to defining, structuring and contextualising wellbeing, and reflects on notions of social connectedness, social wellbeing, social and cultural capital, positive health, capability and resilience.
The Academy is proud to have published Donald Thomson: the man and scholar. The book was launched at Museum Victoria, where the Academy was represented by Leon Mann. It is a beautiful publication, edited by Bruce Rigsby and Nicolas Peterson. It celebrates the work of a remarkable anthropologist, naturalist, journalist and 'photographer of brilliance', who died in 1970. It reproduces rare and exceptional photographs of Aboriginal people going about their daily lives in traditional communities, mainly in Cape York, Arnhem Land and the Central Desert. Thompson took over 10,000 photographs and gems from his collection make this a stunning and inspiring book. To quote Lindy Allen, one of the contributors, 'The collection is undoubtedly the most extensive visual record of Australian Aboriginal people's lives taken by any one person.' The high quality of the publication is a credit to our Secretariat, in particular Mark Pinoli who was responsible for layout and design.
Review
All of the four Learned Academies and their coordinating group, the National Academies Forum, receive an annual grant-in-aid from the Commonwealth Government. This is subject to review each five years and such a review is to be conducted in 2005. Minister Nelson has appointed a Review team comprising Professor Bruce Alberts (outgoing President of the US National Academy of Sciences); Mr John Ralph AC (Deputy Chair of Telstra Corporation) and Professor John Hay AC (Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland). The US National Academy of Sciences covers all the main intellectual disciplines, including behavioural and social sciences. Professor Hay has a Humanities background, in particular English Literature. We are pleased that this is a well-balanced and high quality review panel.
The Terms of Reference for the review are as follows:
The Review of the four Learned Academies, and of their joint consultation and coordination mechanism, the National Academies Forum (NAF), will assess the performance of the Academies in promoting and advancing their respective fields of endeavour, supporting their international affiliations and providing independent expert advice to government, and consider how they can most effectively discharge these roles in the future.
In particular, the Review will:
- Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the Academies in carrying out their distinctive mandates in the natural and social sciences, the humanities, and the technological sciences and engineering;
- Examine the value and performance of the Academies, and of the National Academies Forum, as sources of independent expert advice to Government on matters related to their respective fields of expertise;
- Consider and advise on the scope for new or expanded roles for the individual Academies, and for the National Academies Forum, in meeting the needs of Government in line with the objectives of the Learned Academies Grant Program; and
- dAssess and recommend on the level of funds needed to meet Government and community expectations of the Academies under the Learned Academies Grant Program.
The Academy will prepare a written submission, based around the terms of reference, by 24 August. I, together with our Executive Director and one or two other Fellows of the Academy, will then meet with the Review Committee on the weekend of 17-18 September, to discuss our submission. The Committee has until the end of October to present its report.
It hardly needs to be said that this is a very important review for the Academy. All Fellows are warmly invited to make any suggestions that they think will be helpful in the preparation of our submission.
Sue Richardson
2005
Last modified: 2 November 2009.