Appendices

Appendix D: Australian Prime Ministers Centre research activities

Fellows
Fellow	Project outline
Dr Norman Abjorensen Researcher, Crawford School of Economics & Government, ANU	‘The Strange Political Death of Alfred Deakin’ Dr Abjorensen took a revisionist approach to Deakin which sought to explain the collapse of his social liberal constituency in the first decade of federation. The project was loosely based on George Dangerfield’s work The Strange Death of Liberal England and will result in the publication of a book in December 2010.
Dr Anna Cole Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Anthropology Department, University of London	‘Dancing with the Prime Minister’ Dr Cole researched John Gorton’s involvement in the first national Aboriginal debutante ball. Dr Cole explored the relationship between Gorton’s nationalism and the symbolic aspects of Indigenous cultural politics at the time. The outcome was a half-hour documentary film, co-supported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australian Film Commission, to be aired on ABC television in August 2010. The film will be available via the ABC’s website at www.abc.net.au/tv/messagestick/stories/ with additional content developed specifically for an Indigenous youth audience. Dr Cole will also prepare a refereed article.
Dr Jacqueline Dickenson Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne	‘Prime Ministers and Government Accountability’ Through this project, Dr Dickenson aimed to raise awareness of the achievements of former prime ministers Whitlam and Fraser in promoting government accountability. The study started with their support for the establishment of a Commonwealth Ombudsman in the late 1960s. The research formed the basis for a chapter in a forthcoming publication, as well as a newspaper article.
Dr Lindy Edwards Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, Political Science Program, Australian National University	‘The Ideologies of William Hughes, Alfred Deakin and George Reid’ Dr Edwards looked at the role of ideologies in shaping the policies commonly known as ‘the Australian Settlement’, with a particular focus on the worldviews of Deakin, Reid and Hughes. The research will be published as a section in a book on Australian ideological experiments, in the applicant’s fortnightly column in The Age newspaper and as a number of academic articles.
Dr John Hirst Emeritus Scholar, La Trobe University	‘Was Curtin the best Prime Minister?’ Dr Hirst undertook a reassessment of Curtin’s record as prime minister to determine whether he was, as he is often judged, the best prime minister. The project established criteria for success in the office and compared him to other claimants to the label. Research outcomes will be published in Looking for Australia: Historical Essays, in August 2010.
Dr Evan Smith Teaching Assistant, Department of History, Flinders University	‘The “Decade of Dissent” in Australian Parliamentary Discourses, 1975–2007’ Dr Smith examined how prime ministers and their respective governments in the period from 1975 to 2007 viewed the political and social upheaval of the late 1960s and early 1970s in Australia. He also analysed how the events of the ‘decade of dissent’ from 1965 to 1975 have affected federal government political decision making in the past 30 years. Dr Smith has submitted his paper to the 2010 Australian Political Studies Association conference.
Professor John Warhurst Adjunct Professor, School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, and School of Political and International Studies, Flinders University	‘The Faith of our Prime Ministers’ Professor Warhurst examined the place of religious belief in prime ministers’ public and political lives, including their public policies. He will present the findings of his research through a paper at the Melbourne College of Divinity Centenary Conference; the 2010 Australian Political Studies Association conference; and the St Thomas More’s Forum in November 2010.
Dr Auriol Weigold Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra	‘Menzies and Nehru: A long shadow’ Dr Weigold examined the reasons for the failure of Menzies and Nehru to form a constructive relationship during their shared years as prime ministers. The research also looked at Menzies’ failure to engage with India within the context of his concerns with Cold War alignments and regional alliances. Menzies’ relationship with Casey as his Minister for External Affairs, and as a supporter of Nehru and regional relationships, was also examined. Dr Weigold presented the findings of her research at an Indian Association for the Study of Australia conference in January 2010 and will give a paper focusing on different aspects of her research at an Asian Studies Association of Australia conference in July 2010. Dr Weigold also intends to publish her paper in a suitable journal.

Summer Scholars
Scholar	Research project
Miss Hannah Martin Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws, University of Sydney	‘Gough Whitlam and the Australian Constitution’ Miss Martin’s project traces the evolution and manifestation of former Prime Minister Whitlam’s views on Australian parliamentary democracy through the referendums for which he campaigned. She has prepared an academic paper for publication.
Miss Nicole Berry PhD candidate, University of Adelaide	‘Behind Policy Lines: The Development of Australia’s Restricted Immigration Policy, 1949–1972’ Miss Berry’s project studies the shift in Australia’s restricted immigration policy from 1949 to 1972 under successive Liberal governments, arguing that this shift contributed to the decline of the White Australia policy. This research will result in an academic paper for publication.
Councillor Charlotte Baines PhD candidate, Monash University	‘God under Rudd: An Examination of the Religion and State Relationship under the First Two Years of the Rudd Government’ Councillor Baines’ thesis examines the process of engagement between religious leaders and federal politicians under the first two years of the Rudd government. Her research into parliamentary speeches and committee reports complements interviews with Australia’s leading religious leaders and federal politicians. Councillor Baines has been asked to speak on her topic at two conferences in the United States in the second half of 2010.

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