Later this year Australians will vote in a historic referendum on whether we should entrench an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in our Constitution.

This is one of the most important votes in our nation’s recent history.

As part of its distinct national mission and remit, ANU is committed to helping all Australians understand and engage with the complex issues shaping our nation today. ANU is also dedicated to promoting debate and discussions around a reconciled, just, equitable and respectful Australia. This includes a proposed Voice to Parliament.

Read the Vice-Chancellor's article on the Voice to Parliament

Watch last week’s ANU Dialogue on the Voice

Read Responding to Common Concerns about an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

From unpacking the misinformation around the Voice referendum to exploring the genius marketing for the new Barbie movie, the ANU Reporter website showcases the best insights and stories from our amazing community.

The new site, which launched late last year, recently picked up GOLD at the 2023 Melbourne Design Awards. It was also shortlisted for an International Design Award and received an Honourable Mention in its category.

Got some free time? 

Check out our latest Reporter stories:

Why we’re living in a Barbie world

Admit it! You’ve caught Barbie fever. How could you not?   

Since launching in 1959, Mattel’s iconic doll has become less of a toy and more of a pop culture icon. The new movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, is another milestone in Barbie’s rich history and has been positioned as the must-see film of the year.  

The hype surrounding the movie has indeed led to a collective case of mass Barbie-mania. 

The Voice is surrounded in misinformation. Here’s what you need to know.

There has been a checkered history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ attempts to establish a national Voice and have meaningful engagement with governments and bureaucrats on matters that affect us.

We are now on the cusp of substantial and substantive change, in a political and community environment that is conducive to consider and support such change.

"Informed allies will play a crucial role in dispelling disinformation about the Voice and supporting this change for a better future", says Professor Tom Calma AO (pictured).

ANU Thrive is thrilled to share that the Kitchen Garden Program has been announced as a finalist of the 2023 Green Gown Awards Australasia, under the Student Engagement category!

The Kitchen Garden program aims to bring the community together to share and connect with nature, each other and to enjoy growing and eating fresh, healthy food. There are two gardens on campus, each one has regular gardening sessions including an element of growing food, food preparation, skill sharing followed by a communal lunch.

The Kitchen Garden Program offers ANU students the opportunity to:

- Work creatively and cooperatively, share skills, knowledge and learn together;

- Build confidence and capability to nurture and grow food and to prepare fresh, healthy, budget friendly and seasonal meals;

- Create personal connections and networks through a Kitchen Garden community, a safe, respectful, and inclusive space;

- Develop and build on life skills and capabilities beyond the classroom; and

- Engage in volunteer work and contribute to the local community as an active citizen and share a sense of purpose with others.

The Kitchen Garden team proudly collaborates with ANU Below Zero, Landscape and Conservation, and the Facilities and Services team leading the Environmental Management Plan.

The Kitchen Garden program is funded by the ACT Health Promotion Grants Program.

Events & activities

9 - 16 August

Celebrate Latin American culture at its finest as the Latin American Film Festival returns to the ANU Film Group with 15 films screening over two uninterrupted weeks in August and September.

All screenings are FREE to attend and open to the public – no membership or registration is required. Sessions will commence at 7.30 pm, with the exception of Sunday screenings which start at 6pm. All films will be screened in their original language with English subtitles.

Proudly presented by the Latin American Embassies in Australia with the support of the ANU Latin American Students' Association.

Find out more

Thursday 10 August, 5-6pm

In this session, we’ll introduce you to the best tips and tricks for successful research. Finding good quality information to support your arguments is the best way to write great assignments and get amazing marks. Come along and learn the skills you need to find top quality information and make sure you’re not wasting time on poorly constructed searches.

Register now

Tuesday 15 August, 1-2pm

Join us for a talk by Dr Elly Kent and Dr Caroline Turner about their new book, Living Art: Indonesian Artists Engage Politics, Society and History. The launch will be chaired by Assoc. Prof. Chaitanya Sambrani.

Living Art: Indonesian Artists Engage Politics, Society and History is inspired by the conviction of so many of Indonesia’s Independence-era artists that there is continuing interaction between art and everyday life. 

Register now

16 - 20 August

The Canberra Writers Festival is back for another year from Wednesday 16 August through to Sunday 20 August, with Artistic Director, Beejay Silcox at the helm.

As is the Canberra Writers Festival tradition, the driving theme is ‘Power Politics Passion’. It is a theme that begs big questions: What do we value? Whose stories are heard? How do we reckon with the past and imagine the future? It is our hope that CWF will provide a space to explore these questions, and to celebrate the heft and craft of Australian storytellers — a joyful collision of art-makers, big thinkers, big dreamers and readers.

Check out the 2023 Program

Keep scrolling for your chance to win tickets.

Thursday 17 August, 5-6pm

The 2023 Defence Strategic Review placed deterrence and the ability to deploy Australian military forces forward of the continent as key elements of Australia’s defence strategy. In their report published by the Army Research Centre, Dr Andrew Carr and Prof Stephan Frühling examine the role of land forces for signalling deterrence commitments, and draw lessons from historical experience for Australia and the Australian Army.

Join us for the launch remarks by the Chief of Army, Lt Gen Simon Stuart, followed by Q&A with the authors.

Register now

Thursday 17 August, 5-7pm

Join Alexander Rosenberg for a fascinating lecture and demonstration of his interdisciplinary practice in glass.

Register now

Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for one ANU Student to be nominated for appointment to the Student Safety and Wellbeing Committee of Council

The Student Safety and Wellbeing Committee monitors and advises Council on the University's management of matters concerning the safety and wellbeing of students enrolled at the University, consistent with the University's pursuit of excellence in all aspects of its work as outlined in the Strategic Plan (ANU 2025), including in addressing sexual assault and sexual harassment at the ANU.

The Charter of the Committee provides for:

- Up to three ANU students (diverse in representation; and not members of Council). at least one of whom must be a resident in ANU student accommodation at the time of appointment.

- Appointments being made for 'up to three years'.

To facilitate the appointment, the University is pleased to call on behalf of the Council for EOls from ANU students who wish to be considered for appointment to the Committee.

What is the role of a member of this Committee of Council?

Members, bound by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013, represent the interests of the University, first and foremost, in order to assist Council to make decisions about student safety and wellbeing as part of its responsibility to govern the ANU.

Specific Roles and Responsibilities of the Committee are listed in Section 5 of the Charter.

Eligibility & Process

The opportunity to join the Committee as a member is open for any currently enrolled ANU student.

Students who wish to nominate are invited to address their EOI to the Chancellor of

the ANU by email to director.governance@anu.edu.au. The email should include:

A Curriculum Vitae (no more than two pages); and 

A (maximum) one page pitch presenting your suitability for the role.

Applications will be open from Tuesday 8 August 2023 and close at COB on Tuesday 22 August 2023.

For further information, please refer to the Charter or contact the Director, Corporate Governance and Risk at director.governance@anu.edu.au.

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Decommissioning of CloudStor Service

AARNet has recently announced that it will no longer support its CloudStor service, which will be decommissioned on 15 December 2023. ITS has been working with AARNET to devise an approach to ensure staff can migrate their data off Cloudstor.

While AARNET will be shutting down the service come 15 December 2023, it is our intention to transition the University’s Cloudstor environment to a read only state from 28 August 2023. This will mean from that date, ANU users will not be able to upload new content to the platform for consumption by other parties.

If you have a collection or data set in Cloudstor we encourage you to take the time to move your data as a matter of urgency. You can learn about tools and approaches to do this by visiting our site:

Read more about the decommissioning of CloudStor Service

Student Giveaway   

Meet the Author – Yea Lpi

We have a special giveaway for the Meet the Author event with Lea Ypi on Monday 14 August. Lea will be in conversation with the Allan Behm on her award-winning book Free: Coming of Age at the End of History, exploring the meaning of freedom - personal, collective, political - from an extraordinary new voice.

You can win a copy of her new book and be one of the first in line to have it signed at the event.    

Two copies of Lea’s book are up for grabs for ANU students (any program level) to win. Follow the instructions in the entry form to go into the draw and you could be one of the lucky winners!    

Competition closes at noon AEDT on Friday 11 August. Terms and conditions apply. 

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Participants wanted: Predictors of safe driving in older adults

Scientists at ANU are conducting research examining the cognitive processes associated with safe driving in older adults, and you are invited to participate.

Participation involves completing computer-based visual and cognitive tasks for about two hours (including rest breaks).

The research will take place in the Psychology Building (Building #39).

As a token of appreciation for their time, participants will be provided with $30.

In order to participate you need to:

• Be 60 years of age or older

• Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision (glasses OK)

• Be free from any medical condition affecting your cognition

• Currently hold a valid driver's license and be actively driving

To organise a time, please email PhD candidate David Denniston or phone on 0448 908 533.

The ethical aspects of this research have been approved by the ANU Human Research ethics Committee (protocol number: 2022/714)

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EOI: Winter Institute - 'The Universal in Crisis'

The ANU Australian Studies Institute is calling for expressions of interest from ANU PhD candidates and ANU early career researchers for the 2023 Winter Institute: 'The Universal in Crisis', held at The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany.

The Winter Institute is an annual collaboration between ANU, New York University, the University of Tokyo and the University of Bonn. The Institute involves a 3-day seminar program on an interdisciplinary theme. The program involves keynote lectures, faculty papers and graduate student presentations including facilitate cross-disciplinary questioning. The Institute also includes social and networking events for delegates.

Application Deadline: Midnight (AEST) Sunday 20 August.

Find out more

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Book Giveaway - Shakespeare’s First Folio: from London to Australia, and many points in between

Saturday 12 August, 4-5pm

Join the ANU Centre for Early Modern Studies, in partnership with the National Library of Australia, for a special lecture from Professor Emma Smith, the world's leading Shakespeare scholar from the University of Oxford. In this illustrated talk, Professor Smith delves into the significance of Shakespeare's First Folio, exploring its creation through the collaboration between theatre and print worlds, and its impact on readers, collectors, and actors over the last 400 years, including its influence in Australia since 1885.

We have a special book giveaway for this lecture, you can win a copy of Emma's book, Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers, and have it signed at the event.

Two copies of Emma’s book are up for grabs for On Campus readers. Follow the instructions in the entry form to go into the draw and you could be one of the lucky winners!

Competition closes at noon AEDT on Thursday 10 August. Terms and conditions apply.

Register for the event

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Ticket Giveaway - Canberra Writers Festival – Body Politics Panel 

Saturday 19 August, 2.30-3.30pm

Fearless writers Eloise Grills and Kris Kneen delve into the cultural significance of the fat body, celebrating beautifully unruly narratives that challenge conventions. This event promises a captivating dialogue on body positivity and identity. Don't miss out on this thought-provoking session moderated by acclaimed writer and tsunami scientist, Kaya Wilson.

Six tickets are up for grabs for ANU students. Follow the instructions in the entry form to go into the draw and you could be one of the lucky winners! 

Competition closes at noon AEDT on Thursday 10 August. Terms and conditions apply.  

Register for the event

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice: A Dialogue

Wednesday 2 August

Hosted by ANU at Llewellyn Hall, this special livestreamed event connected students and the general public from across Australia for an in-depth dialogue, covering diverse perspectives regarding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum.