Benjamin T. Jones

Dispossession: Would White Australia Just Get Over it? The message from the failed Voice referendum to First Nations was 'just get over it'. Would White Australia do the same?

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.

In Elections Matter, Richard Reid argues convincingly that 1969 was one of the most significant elections. If Gough got in 3 years earlier, it all would have looked very different.

publishing.monash.edu/product/elec...

I wonder how many fantastic scholarly books MUP knocked back to make room for this.

Uber driver picking me up from campus: so what do you study?

Me, choking back tears: thank you 🙏

Is real history possible in an era of fake news? What is post-truth history and why the age of AI makes historical literacy more urgent than ever.

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...

Home - Dr Mike Jones professional historian and archivist Connect with the past I am an accredited professional historian and archivist with eighteen years experience working on public history, archives, collections, and ...

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

Design the marking rubric so that they can be failed for other factors (be prescriptive about what sources must be used etc). Sadly AI use is more or less unprovable and the uni will back the student if they challenge.

The Australian War Memorial’s prize controversy betrays the institution’s purpose: to tell the messy truth about war Chris Masters’ book on Ben Roberts-Smith was chosen to win the Australian War Memorial’s Les Carlyon Prize for Military History. But the prize wasn’t awarded. Why?

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

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

No more involuntary redundancies at ANU as anonymous donation aids university Anonymous donation helps save much-loved institution.

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...

Book Launch of Playtime: A History of Australian Childhood by Emily Gallagher Book Launch of Playtime : A History of Australian Childhood by Emily Gallagher

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

The ANU was set up to be a ‘national asset’. Here are 3 ways it can return to its original mission After months of pressure, Australian National University vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell has resigned. This creates a unique opportunity for the federal government.

"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.

The Elusive Australian Republic: A Short History of the Debate For most of the 1990s a clear majority of Australians wanted to change the constitution to replace the British monarch with an Australian head of state. Despite this, the republic referendum of 199...

"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!

Julie Bishop accused of bullying by ANU staff member, senate inquiry hears Former member of the Australian National University council Liz Allen has used a Senate inquiry investigating university governance to allege Chancellor Julie Bishop harassed, bullied, and threatened ...

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

The disastrous dismantling of the humanities in Australia’s universities has begun A crisis is unfolding for the humanities and social sciences at universities across the country.

www.crikey.com.au/2025/07/31/a...

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/...

Young Australians have much higher student debt than generations before them, data shows The average Hecs/Help debt held by younger Australians increased by a third between 2009 and 2024

'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:

Tim Winton among 100 high-profile Australians calling for university fees that don’t ‘punish’ arts students Open letter urges Labor to reverse JRG scheme, introduced by Coalition in 2021, as cost of humanities degrees reaches more than $50,000

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."