Front cover of the Strategic Examination of Research & Development review report. Purple background with pink title text "Ambitious Australia". The graphics below the text are some curvy, bubble-like shapes with what seems to be a sunset viewed through some drops of liquid. That is, a distorted view of the horizon … a metaphor?

The Government released the final report of the Strategic Examination of R&D yesterday. It's called "Ambitious Australia"🙃

Haven't read much, yet, but it says we should fund the ARC more. Like every single previous review.

Can we got on with it & do that, now?

www.industry.gov.au/publications...

Humanity’s oldest known cave art has been discovered in Sulawesi People were creating cave art in Indonesia 67,800 years ago – before modern humans reached Australia.

Huge news for our understanding of Australian archaeology!

theconversation.com/humanitys-ol...

"... the people who made these hand stencils ... were very likely part of the population that would later cross the sea and become the ancestors of Indigenous Australians"

The ARC’s processes are back to being farcical, @jasonclaremp.bsky.social

You advocated for a streamlined, efficient, faster ARC, but all that progress has been undone.

How can they claim to fund “innovation” with more than a year between initial proposal & outcomes? It should be 6 months, not 16!

Discovery Projects are now a complete joke:

EoIs were due 12 Dec last year. Full apps are due 22 April this year. Results won't be out until next year: 15 Jan – 15 Apr 2027.

That’s up to 16 MONTHS!

ARC’s new schedule is at www.arc.gov.au/funding-rese...

It will now take A YEAR, or more, for researchers to know whether their grants are successful or not.

For example, early-career researchers are to submit DECRA proposals 11 March this year but they may not be announced 'til 9 March NEXT YEAR!

Black text on white background. Screenshot of ARC’s Network Message regarding delays to grant announcements because of new security arrangements.

⁉️The ARC has delayed outcomes of ALL grants 1–4 months & increased scheduled outcome windows from 2 weeks to 3 months!

This reverses 4 years of progress in providing greater certainty & ability to plan for researchers, their families & unis.

Their excuse? Security checks under new ARC legislation👇

More on ARC job cuts & restructure:

ARC’s spending $374k on consultants for organisational “review” & “planning & development”.

They’re also spending $765k on “risk management”.

That’s $1.1 million on consultants being spent over 1 year.

Un. Believable.

Slow clap, ARC.

CSIRO to cut up to 350 research jobs in major overhaul After 440 positions were slashed last year, the CSIRO has announced more staff cuts across the country in a bid to remain financially viable.

Where to start, with a statement like this?

"Tim Ayres said the cuts were aimed at refocusing … CSIRO towards research priorities, such as critical minerals, iron & steel production in Australia."

From some rando down the bus stop, one would brush it off.

But this is from our Science Minister 🤯

@austarchaeology.bsky.social @ciehf.bsky.social

‘Shell grit has a song’: Disconcerting stratigraphy on Yanyuwa Country Published in Australian Archaeology (Ahead of Print, 2025)

Delighted to take part in this @austarchj.bsky.social Forum inspired by Kellie Pollard (et al.) on archaeology for #Indigenous emancipation

In response, we share Yanyuwa perspectives on why even 'sterile' beach sands are cultural (‘Shell grit has a song’)

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Latest articles from Australian Archaeology Browse the latest articles and research from Australian Archaeology

New Forum in Australian Archaeology: “Voice: A Third Space in Archaeology to Advance Indigenous Emancipation,” with commentaries & authors’ response.
All articles FREE for 30 days 👉 www.tandfonline.com/action/showA...

How forensic analysis and traditional knowledge reveal the story of a unique boomerang Grip marks, blood and fire damage hint at the fascinating history of a non-returning boomerang.

Our new study of an Australian boomerang 🪃 is out! ‘How forensic analysis & traditional knowledge reveal the story of a unique boomerang’ in The Conversation: theconversation.com/how-forensic...

And our in-depth research article in ‘Australian Archaeology’: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🏺

👏 @austarchaeology.bsky.social @austarchj.bsky.social

How forensic analysis and traditional knowledge reveal the story of a unique boomerang Grip marks, blood and fire damage hint at the fascinating history of a non-returning boomerang.

Fascinating new research - using traditional knowledge, archaeology and collections to uncover new (old) Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung stories from this wangim (boomerang)!

What a great example of Indigenous-driven artefact research by @carolinedigs.bsky.social et al

theconversation.com/how-forensic...

Durham, early morning

Precious finger traces from First Nations ancestors revealed in a glittering mountain cave in Australia Thousands of years ago, adults and children left their marks on soft rock surfaces deep in this cave in GunaiKurnai Country.

Precious finger traces from First Nations ancestors revealed in a glittering mountain cave in Australia

theconversation.com/precious-fin...

Top Australian writers urge Albanese to abolish Job-Ready Graduates, calling their humanities degrees life changing Tim Winton, Helen Garner and Peter Garrett are just a few of the high-profile signatories to an open letter against Job-Ready Graduates – and for the humanities.

Australian writers urge Albanese to abolish Job-Ready Graduates

The critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative skills of Bachelor of Arts graduates are critical for navigating a future of challenges and careers that haven’t yet been imagined.

#RepealJRG

theconversation.com/top-australi...

Horrendous news about the unique anthropology magazine @sapiens.org and the study of the human past and present worldwide

Men traded wares – but women traded knowledge: what a new archaeological study tells us about PNG sea trade Archaeologists once assumed that men were responsible for seafaring trade in Papua New Guinea. New research shows how women played a fundamental role.

Men traded wares – but women traded knowledge: what a new archaeological study tells us about PNG sea trade #archaeology theconversation.com/men-traded-w... /em

Great to hear! 😀

Graph of R&D spending (% of GDP) versus Year, with coloured dots joined by lines showing different countries (shown in the key at the bottom of the graph) taken from Nathan Garland's article here: https://nathangarland.substack.com/p/productivity-reform-starts-with-public

Black text on white background. List of "concrete and tangible actions" for increasing productivity. Screenshot from Nathan Garland's article: https://nathangarland.substack.com/p/productivity-reform-starts-with-public

"Productivity reform starts with public science" by Nathan Garland @n8sci.bsky.social has some worthy suggestions for improving productivity.

In news we all know – but the Government seems to like ignoring – it'll help to fund more basic science research!

nathangarland.substack.com/p/productivi...

Thanks Fiona! Hope all's well

Men traded wares – but women traded knowledge: what a new archeological study tells us about PNG sea trade Archaeologists once assumed that men were responsible for seafaring trade in Papua New Guinea. New research shows how women played a fundamental role.

Delighted to share our #archaeology 🏺 research in @theconvo-bot.bsky.social

Men traded wares – but women traded knowledge: what a new archeological study tells us about PNG sea trade

theconversation.com/men-traded-w...

So many congratulations to my dear colleague @jojomcd.bsky.social and @ciehf.bsky.social Chief Investigator on receiving an ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship for her project Pilbara Dreaming: Rock Art, Water and Heritage Futures!

Thanks @cjfrieman.bsky.social !

Thanks Sean!

Beyond delighted to have received ARC Linkage funding to work with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and Museums Victoria to unlock new Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung stories through archaeology in artefact collections

Congratulations to the University of Sydney (Kakadu places of the recent past) and Monash University (Aboriginal artefact collections from southeast Australia) teams for their recent success in the ARC Linkage Projects funding #ozarch rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D... /em

#booksky #writingcommunity