PHA (Vic & Tas) Statement Regarding Proposed Changes to Humanities

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PHA (VIC & TAS) STATEMENT REGARDING PROPOSED CHANGES TO HUMANITIES

The Professional Historians Association (Victoria & Tasmania) strongly condemns the proposal from the Minister for Education to drastically increase the cost of humanities courses at Australian universities.

The Minister says that these changes are to ensure the ‘job readiness’ of graduates. We argue that degrees in humanities equip students with the very skills needed for employability in these uncertain times. By undertaking humanities courses, students graduate with abilities in analytical thinking, innovation, complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication. These skills are highlighted on the government’s own website as those that will be in demand in the near future, as identified most frequently by Australian companies in a recent survey conducted by the World Economic Forum: https://australianjobs.employment.gov.au/jobs-future/skills-future

PHA (Vic & Tas) represents over 200 academically trained professionals who work across a range of sectors. Our members are employed in the public service, museums, universities, libraries, archives, as consultants and in heritage. In many cases, humanities graduates are also found in fields such as construction, technology and science, as their abilities provide an essential balance. Historians in particular are well-equipped to guide us as we grapple with the challenges of responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

PHA (Vic & Tas) is also deeply concerned for the financial impact this will have on students. Passing the majority of the cost of a university degree onto the individual student will mean that young people will have to make very difficult choices at a formative time of their lives. In fact, many of our current members would not have been able to study and then make their career in the field of history under this proposed system, as they simply could not have afforded it. We are profoundly troubled that this proposal will mean that humanities degrees (as well as law and commerce) will be accessible only to those who come from wealth and privilege.

Now more than ever, it is critical that we ensure our history is studied, taught, questioned and communicated by diverse voices and perspectives. These proposed revisions across higher education will limit access to further study and career opportunities, will impose a financial burden on young people, and will impact Australia’s standing internationally, as well as our standards here at home.

We call on our colleagues and our representatives in Canberra to band together to ensure this does not happen.

Alicia Cerreto

President, Professional Historians Association (Victoria and Tasmania)

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

We urge all PHA members, and our colleagues, to take action. Contacting the Senate crossbenchers in particular, the Senators in general, and your local MP is a concrete way to have your voice heard. Please use the statement above, or the form letters below, to let our elected representatives know just how important this matter is.

Senate Crossbenchers:

Senator Stirling Griff
Senator Rex Patrick 
Senator Jacqui Lambie 
Senator Pauline Hanson
Senator Malcolm Roberts 

Contact details for Senators and Federal members:

https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Guidelines_for_Contacting_Senators_and_Members/Address_labels_and_CSV_files

Form Letters:

Letter to Local MP

Letter to Senators

Bringing our community together

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Dear Members,

We know that everyone’s work will be affected by what is going on in the world, whether that’s at cultural institutions, at universities, when accessing archives, communicating with clients or when looking for a great place to work.
 
Amidst all of this, your committee has been working to explore how we can bring our community together to support each other. In light of having to postpone many of our events, we will be hosting regular online ‘drop in’ sessions via Zoom. Let’s get together to check in, share resources and say hi.
 
Dates are:
Tuesday 24 March, 11am
https://zoom.us/j/279730825
Thursday 2 April, 6pm
https://zoom.us/j/677435035
Tuesday 7 April, 11am
https://zoom.us/j/990096044
 
For those who haven’t yet used Zoom (a critical resource in these times!), just click on the link above and you will be taken through some prompts to install Zoom onto your computer.
 
Please be in touch if you would like to book a meeting through our Zoom videoconferencing facilities. Some of our Professional Reading Groups have already taken up this offer, and I’d like to encourage those of you in the middle of our Mentoring Program to do the same if you need to. Simply email mail@phavic.org.au with your date and time to book.
 
Reluctantly, we have had to postpone both our Podcasting Masterclass with 3CR (18 April and 2 May) and the Regional Forum in Beechworth (23 May) and have advised participants and speakers of this earlier in the week. We are exploring online options for some of our other events for this year. We are aware that this could affect our PD points program, so we are considering options for the 2019-2020 year as well as the 2020-2021 year. Stay tuned for more information as soon as we have it.
 
Our committee has also decided to postpone our AGM (originally planned for August). Doing this is within the rules of our organisation. We hope that this will help us maintain stability during these times and enable the new committee a fresh start once we are on a more even keel. We will make a decision on a new date later in the year and inform you closer to the time.
 
We are also aware of the financial impact the effects of COVID-19 will have for many of us, so we are also reviewing the timing of membership renewals and will update you on that after our next committee meeting in April. Please keep us in the loop with any changes that are happening for you, and we will advocate for you where we can.

Bear with us as we move to rapidly change our events, programs and consider the impacts COVID-19 has on our members’ work. We apologise for any errors we may make. I’m sure you understand that our volunteer committee members are doing their very best whilst also coping with significant changes in their workplaces and personal lives. 

Once again, information on COVID-19 can be found here if you need it:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019?fbclid=IwAR03Qc1IsPGz3TQ06jIUo8clev4uvoR9n4EfAkliYxsIJZm-h1FneIl_ACE

Yours in history,
 
Alicia Cerreto
President, PHA (Vic & Tas)

COVID-19 and PHA (Vic & Tas)

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Dear Members,
 
We certainly are living through some challenging times. I’m sure that for all of us COVID-19 is affecting the way we work, live and care for others.
 
We here at PHA (Vic & Tas) are adding our voice to the chorus by postponing our next event: the Members’ Meet and Greet (March 26). All members who booked for this have already received an email to this effect and will receive a full refund. We are exploring ways to run this event online using Zoom, which we already use for our committee meetings and will be for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned for more information about online events!
 
As the situation is changing so rapidly, if further events must be postponed we will let you know as soon as we can. At the moment we are saying ‘wait and see’ for our Podcasting Masterclass with 3CR (18 April and 2 May) and the Regional Forum in Beechworth (23 May). I am in touch with our Queensland colleagues who are organising the PHA National Conference (28-19 August) and will support them when they come to a decision about whether it will go ahead and in what format.
 
That said, you will still hear from us via Pharos, our EPD notices and social media. Now more than ever is a great time to connect with us in that way. We will of course keep processing membership applications and the rest of our behind the scenes tasks.
 
We would like to offer you use of our Zoom videoconferencing facilities for meet ups such as our Professional Reading Groups. This enables you to have an extended meeting from the comfort of your own home. Simply email mail@phavic.org.au with your date and time to book.
 
If you are looking for online resources to help you work, we can help. If you are transitioning to teaching online, member Jo Clyne has started the hashtag on Twitter: #teachinghistoryfromhome with lots of good tips. For historical context to our current reality, member Mary Sheehan reflects on the 1919 Spanish Flu in light of coronavirus http://livinghistories.net.au/2020/03/12/were-these-the-good-old-days/. If you like to listen to podcasts, check out the great recommendations in our summer series on our Facebook page. You can also access our own podcasts from past events on the members section of our website.
 
If you need it, information on COVID-19 can be found here:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019?fbclid=IwAR03Qc1IsPGz3TQ06jIUo8clev4uvoR9n4EfAkliYxsIJZm-h1FneIl_ACE
 
My final message to you all is to wish you the best of health and to take care of yourselves as we face uncertainty as we carry out our ordinary lives. Please be in touch if we can support your work.
 
Yours in history
 
Alicia Cerreto
President, PHA (Vic & Tas)

Invitation to sign Open Letter from Australian Historians

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Dear members

The recent and ongoing catastrophic and tragic bushfires have affected us all. As you may have seen, many hundreds of historians have signed this Open Letter which, in light of Australia’s history, highlights the exceptional nature of the predicament currently facing the nation. Our national body President has signed on behalf of the organisation.

If you wish to have your name added as an individual, please do so via this form. Please also pass on this link to all Australian historians who you believe would be supportive of the sentiments expressed in this Open Letter.

Alicia Cerreto

President, PHA (Vic & Tas)

PROV Reading Room Changes

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PHA (Vic & Tas) Committee of Management has contacted Public Records Office Victoria, regarding the planned change to the delivery of records in the North Melbourne Reading Room. Please see the PHA (Vic & Tas) letter and the response we received from PROV.

PHA (Vic & Tas) letter to PROV

Response received from PROV

For further information about the PROV reading room changes, please click here.

ORAL HISTORY VICTORIA INNOVATION AWARDS 2016

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The Oral History Victoria Community Innovation Awards are open to all community-based oral history practitioners, including freelance workers and professional historians, and members of voluntary organisations and public institutions (excluding educational institutions).

Oral historians based in Victoria are encouraged to apply for one of two annual awards judged by Oral History Victoria (OHV).

To be eligible projects must have been active (in creation and / or production) in 2015 and / or 2016. Applicants must be based in Victoria, though the project may involve oral history work interstate or overseas. Applicants need not be members of OHV, though they will be added to the OHV mail list and encouraged to join. Members of the OHV committee may not apply.

Each award winner will receive a prize of $250, and all shortlisted projects will be posted on the OHV website. The judging panel may award joint prizes and/or Commendations for Excellence to outstanding runners-up. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to make a short presentation about their project at the OHV annual general meeting on Thursday 27 October.

For guidelines and details on how to apply, visit the OHV website. 

Closing date for applications: 1 September 2016.

Update: Heritage Act Review

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Public consultation on the Heritage Act was undertaken between June and August 2015, with submissions invited in response to a published discussion paper. To see PHA (Vic)'s submission, click here.

Heritage Victoria received over 130 submissions and online survey responses. Where agreed to by the author, submissions have been published at: http://www.dtpli.vic.gov.au/heritage/about-heritage-in-victoria/heritage-act-review-2015. 

In addition, a Summary Report provides an overview of the submissions received. 

All submissions received are now being carefully considered to guide the future direction of the Heritage Act. Heritage Victoria will provide updates on its website as further information becomes available.

Heritage Act Review 2015

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The Heritage Act 1995, ­ administered by Heritage Victoria in the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, is Victoria's principle legislation for the identification and management of non-Indigenous heritage places and objects of State significance, historical archaeological sites and maritime heritage. 

With 2015 marking the 20th year of the Heritage Act's operation, it is timely to review and modernise its scope. Information on the review can be found here, including a Discussion Paper which identifies a range of areas to strengthen the operation of the Act.

In consultation with its members, PHA (Vic) has made a submission commenting on the proposed amendments to the Heritage Act 1995. Click below to read it.

PHA (Vic) comments on the Heritage Act Review 2015