GASt e.V. – Gesellschaft für Australienstudien
@gast-gafas.bsky.social
We are a politically independent, interdisciplinary organisation devoted to furthering research and scholarship concerned with Australia.
»The University of Melbourne advises with deep sadness of the passing of Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emma Johnston AO, due to complications associated with cancer.«
Notice of the passing of the University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emma Johnston AO
The University of Melbourne advises with deep sadness of the passing of Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emma Johnston AO, due to complications associated with cancer.
buff.ly
January 8, 2026 at 8:00 AM
»The University of Melbourne advises with deep sadness of the passing of Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emma Johnston AO, due to complications associated with cancer.«
Paul Turnbull's ›Looking Up, Looking Back on the Writing of North Queensland History at James Cook University‹ recalls the radical spirit of James Cook University’s history department in the 1970s, Zeitschrift für Australienstudien | Australian Studies Journal 44/2025
Australian Studies Journal 44/2025 – German Association for Australian Studies
German Association for Australian Studies
buff.ly
January 7, 2026 at 8:01 AM
Paul Turnbull's ›Looking Up, Looking Back on the Writing of North Queensland History at James Cook University‹ recalls the radical spirit of James Cook University’s history department in the 1970s, Zeitschrift für Australienstudien | Australian Studies Journal 44/2025
Call for Panels: 2026 AAS Conference ›Lines, Layers, Depth‹ | Mparntwe/Alice Springs, 10 – 12 June, 2026 #callforpanels #conference #australia
January 6, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Call for Panels: 2026 AAS Conference ›Lines, Layers, Depth‹ | Mparntwe/Alice Springs, 10 – 12 June, 2026 #callforpanels #conference #australia
»Humans first travelled to the ancient landmass that would become AUS & PNG about 60,000 yrs ago via two routes, a new genetic analysis suggests. The findings bring the date of when the First AUSns arrived in Sahul much closer to [...] about 65,000 yrs.«
DNA study provides 'almost perfect correlation' for first Australians' arrival
A new genetic study has found Indigenous Australians travelled via two distinct routes about 60,000 years ago to reach the ancient landmass that would become Australia.
buff.ly
January 2, 2026 at 8:00 AM
»Humans first travelled to the ancient landmass that would become AUS & PNG about 60,000 yrs ago via two routes, a new genetic analysis suggests. The findings bring the date of when the First AUSns arrived in Sahul much closer to [...] about 65,000 yrs.«
»An extremely rare find, and yet it is the second such site to be reported within less than a 10 km radius. [...] the tulas in each pair were produced during the same reduction event. Dating evidence suggests that the cache was buried within the last 200 yrs.« buff.ly/4IFa5kV
Archaeologists bring 170yo Aboriginal artefacts to surface in the outback
A stash of Aboriginal artefacts, dating back about 170 years, is unearthed from the red dirt of outback Queensland, bringing history to life for the local Pitta Pitta people.
buff.ly
December 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM
»An extremely rare find, and yet it is the second such site to be reported within less than a 10 km radius. [...] the tulas in each pair were produced during the same reduction event. Dating evidence suggests that the cache was buried within the last 200 yrs.« buff.ly/4IFa5kV
Season’s greetings and best wishes for the New Year!
December 24, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Season’s greetings and best wishes for the New Year!
»When Whitlam died in 2014, ordinary Australians eulogised the impact of his reforms on their lives, and his courage in pursuing them. Not only did his comprehensive policy agenda change the nation, but the urgency and passion he brought to politics inspired devotion.«
Extraordinary and occasionally inept: before The Dismissal, the Whitlam government changed Australia forever
With a bold reform agenda and occasional administrative chaos, Whitlam’s three-year government had, and continues to have, a profound effect on Australian life.
buff.ly
December 23, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»When Whitlam died in 2014, ordinary Australians eulogised the impact of his reforms on their lives, and his courage in pursuing them. Not only did his comprehensive policy agenda change the nation, but the urgency and passion he brought to politics inspired devotion.«
»We took the legislation enabling the merger of The Uni of Adelaide and Uni of South Australia – the Adelaide University Act (2023) – as our foundation and embraced the opportunity to energise our legacy institutions’ formative missions of excellence, equity and enterprise.«
When Adelaide University takes off in January, we’ll proudly walk away
A successful merger requires leaders to be mission-grounded and brave enough to move on, say David Lloyd and Peter Høj, in the final instalment of their series on the largest merger in Australian…
buff.ly
December 22, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»We took the legislation enabling the merger of The Uni of Adelaide and Uni of South Australia – the Adelaide University Act (2023) – as our foundation and embraced the opportunity to energise our legacy institutions’ formative missions of excellence, equity and enterprise.«
»›First Encounters: Artist Interventions with the VOC Shipwrecks‹ features works inspired by rare archives and objects from the Dutch East India Company or Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, dating back to the 17th century and giving voice to a complex colonial past.«
Rare archives and objects inspire WA Shipwrecks Museum exhibition
Artists have created original works to bring to life the history of the Dutch East India Company for an exhibition opening in Fremantle.
buff.ly
December 19, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»›First Encounters: Artist Interventions with the VOC Shipwrecks‹ features works inspired by rare archives and objects from the Dutch East India Company or Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, dating back to the 17th century and giving voice to a complex colonial past.«
»Both Rockhampton and Bowen have their origins painted in blood. Reynolds describes ›ruthlessly usurping‹ pastoralists expanding rapidly across Aboriginal hinterlands, seizing traditional territories for vast ›runs‹, each of them between 65 and 250 square km.«
Heat, terror and resistance: Henry Reynolds’ bold, new book takes a top-end view of Australian history
Australian history has often been written from a southern perspective. But a history of the tropical North sheds light on ‘truth telling’ and questions of race.
buff.ly
December 18, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»Both Rockhampton and Bowen have their origins painted in blood. Reynolds describes ›ruthlessly usurping‹ pastoralists expanding rapidly across Aboriginal hinterlands, seizing traditional territories for vast ›runs‹, each of them between 65 and 250 square km.«
Rebecca Fleming's ›Don’t Waste Time … Go North‹ »examines a selection of content from the Australian travel magazine ‘Holiday and Travel’ published between 1947 and 1951 with a focus on articles and advertising promoting North Queensland as a travel destination«, ZfA 44/2025
Australian Studies Journal 44/2025 – German Association for Australian Studies
German Association for Australian Studies
buff.ly
December 17, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Rebecca Fleming's ›Don’t Waste Time … Go North‹ »examines a selection of content from the Australian travel magazine ‘Holiday and Travel’ published between 1947 and 1951 with a focus on articles and advertising promoting North Queensland as a travel destination«, ZfA 44/2025
»Research published by The Australia Institute earlier this year showed there were now more than 4 million guns owned by civilians nationwide, 25 per cent higher than the number in the community in 1996.«
Bondi proof that Port Arthur guns laws failing, advocate says
Gun control advocates say the terrifying mass shooting in Bondi on Sunday shows Australia's firearms laws, reformed after the Port Arthur tragedy, have been weakened in the years since.
buff.ly
December 16, 2025 at 8:00 AM
»Research published by The Australia Institute earlier this year showed there were now more than 4 million guns owned by civilians nationwide, 25 per cent higher than the number in the community in 1996.«
»Shooting at world-famous beach in which 15 people, plus one alleged gunman, were killed reverberated around the world, with many headlines noting the actions of a hero bystander«
‘Horror and heroism at Bondi’: what the papers say about the Sydney terrorist attack
Shooting at world-famous beach in which 15 people, plus one alleged gunman, were killed reverberated around the world, with many headlines noting the actions of a hero bystander
buff.ly
December 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM
»Shooting at world-famous beach in which 15 people, plus one alleged gunman, were killed reverberated around the world, with many headlines noting the actions of a hero bystander«
CALL FOR REVIEWS | Martina Horáková: Pursuits of Settler Belonging in Australian Post-Millenial Memoirs | We are looking for reviewers for this and other books, get in touch via
Call for Reviews – German Association for Australian Studies
German Association for Australian Studies
buff.ly
December 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM
CALL FOR REVIEWS | Martina Horáková: Pursuits of Settler Belonging in Australian Post-Millenial Memoirs | We are looking for reviewers for this and other books, get in touch via
»But then came the community Facebook pages« t.co/6rbflUuW3S
Facebook community groups and maggot-infested rats: the inner workings of Australia’s climate misinformation war
Senate inquiry hears how ‘propagandised misinformation’ is drowning out legitimate concerns in Australia’s regions over renewable energy
www.theguardian.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»But then came the community Facebook pages« t.co/6rbflUuW3S
»In Australien trat am 10. Dezember 2025 das weltweit erste umfassende Verbot von Social Media für unter 16-Jährige in Kraft.«
Social-Media-Verbot in Australien tritt in Kraft: Jugendliche verlieren Accounts
Ab Mittwoch müssen TikTok, Instagram & Co. australische Nutzer unter 16 Jahren sperren. Die Plattformen setzen auf Gesichtserkennung – mit Problemen.
buff.ly
December 11, 2025 at 8:00 AM
»In Australien trat am 10. Dezember 2025 das weltweit erste umfassende Verbot von Social Media für unter 16-Jährige in Kraft.«
Margret Strelow's ›The Origins of the Queenslander House‹ »challenges what we thought we knew about outside studding in Queensland and recognises the previously unexplored role of German architects in shaping the quintessential Queensland house«, ZfA 44/2025 buff.ly/belDB5k
Australian Studies Journal 44/2025 – German Association for Australian Studies
German Association for Australian Studies
buff.ly
December 10, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Margret Strelow's ›The Origins of the Queenslander House‹ »challenges what we thought we knew about outside studding in Queensland and recognises the previously unexplored role of German architects in shaping the quintessential Queensland house«, ZfA 44/2025 buff.ly/belDB5k
»Federation University in Ballarat has dropped its 155-year-old geoscience and geology studies. Specialised courses have been in decline across Australian universities, as student demand falls despite an industry shortage.«
Federation University scraps one of Australia's oldest geology courses
Geoscience students are left feeling "in the dark" and "ripped off" as Federation University becomes the latest university to ditch its geology specialisation.
buff.ly
December 9, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»Federation University in Ballarat has dropped its 155-year-old geoscience and geology studies. Specialised courses have been in decline across Australian universities, as student demand falls despite an industry shortage.«
»Observing characters often lacked prosocial behaviours (e.g., helping, providing comfort) and gendered stereotypes were common«
Representation of Pain and Injury in Children's Picture Books—A Content Analysis
Pain and injury experiences are common throughout childhood (e.g., minor injuries, vaccine injections) and provide important and frequent opportunities for children to learn about pain. Sociocultural…
buff.ly
December 8, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»Observing characters often lacked prosocial behaviours (e.g., helping, providing comfort) and gendered stereotypes were common«
»The rising threat of right-wing extremism has meant both the government and the opposition have doubled down on their support for core national values of tolerance and respect.«
Sussan Ley talks about ‘Australian values’ in assessing migrants. What exactly does that mean?
The opposition leader is the latest in a long line of politicians who speak of ‘Australian values’. But it has long been a problematic idea.
buff.ly
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
»The rising threat of right-wing extremism has meant both the government and the opposition have doubled down on their support for core national values of tolerance and respect.«
»Widely circulated claims of out-of-control mass immigration in Australia are false and misleading and stem from the incorrect reporting of tourism and travel data that has nothing to do with migration, according to a major new report from ANU.«
Incorrect reporting of ABS data fuelling false claims Australia has a mass migration problem
ANU is a world-leading university in Australia’s capital. Excellence is embedded in our approach to research and education.
buff.ly
December 4, 2025 at 8:01 AM
»Widely circulated claims of out-of-control mass immigration in Australia are false and misleading and stem from the incorrect reporting of tourism and travel data that has nothing to do with migration, according to a major new report from ANU.«
Joe Collin's ›The Paradox of Plenty‹ charts the history and impact of mining capital in northern Australia in the six decades after the conclusion of World War II. | ZfA 44/2025
Australian Studies Journal 44/2025 – German Association for Australian Studies
German Association for Australian Studies
buff.ly
December 3, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Joe Collin's ›The Paradox of Plenty‹ charts the history and impact of mining capital in northern Australia in the six decades after the conclusion of World War II. | ZfA 44/2025
»ACU registered nearly 6,000 cases of alleged academic misconduct across its nine campuses in 2024 [...]. About 90 per cent of those referrals related to AI use.«
University caught out using AI to wrongly accuse students of cheating with AI
An Australian university has accused thousands of its students of cheating with artificial intelligence. The problem? Many have done nothing wrong.
buff.ly
December 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
»ACU registered nearly 6,000 cases of alleged academic misconduct across its nine campuses in 2024 [...]. About 90 per cent of those referrals related to AI use.«
CFP: ›Entangled Perspectives: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Australian
Studies‹ at the Centre for Australian, Aotearoa and Pacific Studies (CAAPSt,
University of Cologne) – online 13 March 2026 | Submission Deadline: 8 December
2025 buff.ly/vCUkxiC
Studies‹ at the Centre for Australian, Aotearoa and Pacific Studies (CAAPSt,
University of Cologne) – online 13 March 2026 | Submission Deadline: 8 December
2025 buff.ly/vCUkxiC
December 1, 2025 at 8:01 AM
CFP: ›Entangled Perspectives: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Australian
Studies‹ at the Centre for Australian, Aotearoa and Pacific Studies (CAAPSt,
University of Cologne) – online 13 March 2026 | Submission Deadline: 8 December
2025 buff.ly/vCUkxiC
Studies‹ at the Centre for Australian, Aotearoa and Pacific Studies (CAAPSt,
University of Cologne) – online 13 March 2026 | Submission Deadline: 8 December
2025 buff.ly/vCUkxiC
»Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have analysed signals generated by the vibrations of traffic along the Federal Highway to learn more about the seismic nature of Lake George, situated north-east of Canberra.«
Traffic vibrations help scientists dig deep into Lake George’s seismic past
ANU is a world-leading university in Australia’s capital. Excellence is embedded in our approach to research and education.
buff.ly
November 28, 2025 at 8:02 AM
»Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have analysed signals generated by the vibrations of traffic along the Federal Highway to learn more about the seismic nature of Lake George, situated north-east of Canberra.«