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Frank Bongiorno

Professor of History, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University

Frank Bongiorno (born Nhill, Victoria, 1969) is an Australian labour, political and cultural historian. Prior to joining the Australian National University, he held lecturing positions at King’s College London (2007-11), the University of New England (2000-07) and Griffith University (1996), and also taught previously at the ANU (1994). He has been an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the ANU (1997 and 1998-2000), and in 1997-8 was Smuts Visiting Fellow in Commonwealth Studies at the University of Cambridge and Mellon Visiting Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Frank is the author or co-author of four books and many articles and book chapters on Australian history. The Sex Lives of Australians: A History (Black Inc., 2012), won the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Book of the Year and was shortlisted in the Australian History category of the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Award and the New South Wales Premier’s History Award. His most recent book, The Eighties: The Decade That Transformed Australia (Black Inc., 2015), was shortlisted for the Ernest Scott Prize, the New South Wales Premier’s History Award and the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) Book Award, and won ACT Book of the Year.

He has served on the New South Wales Arts Advisory Council and as a member of the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts Literature and History Committee, including as its chair for three years. He is an Editorial Board member of Labour History, Journal of Australian Studies, the Australian Journal of Politics and History, and History Australia, and was co-editor of History Australia from 2013 until 2015. Frank is also a member of the National Archives of Australia’s Canberra Consultative Forum.

Frank is President of the Canberra and Region Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History (ASSLH) and a member of the National Executive of the ASSLH.

Are we learning the wrong lessons from history?

Jul 04, 2022 16:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Can historians influence government policy? Should they? And, if so, what kinds of historical knowledge should they produce? I suspect policy-makers only rarely think of historians as a first port of call when seeking...

How the pandemic has brought out the worst — and the best — in Australians and their governments

Jun 07, 2021 09:30 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

For many years, surveys indicated declining Australian trust in government. Not anymore. On the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures average trust in NGOs, business, government and the media, trust in Australia...

A Shorten government could shift the country on important issues and show a little spunk

Feb 26, 2019 14:55 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

This is part of a major series called Advancing Australia, in which leading academics examine the key issues facing Australia in the lead-up to the 2019 federal election and beyond. Read the other pieces in the series...

Your time starts now: how leadership instability and revenge became woven into our political fabric

Aug 21, 2018 16:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Back in 2012, a major study on the selection and removal of party leaders in Anglo parliamentary democracies was published. The book contained a section with the inviting title of Machiavellian tactics. Most of the authors...

Economy

AI Chip Stocks Face Valuation Pressure as Investors Shift Toward Big Tech and Software

The explosive rally in AI semiconductor stocks is showing signs of cooling as investors question lofty valuations and whether the massive spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure can continue at its current pace....

Malaysia Q2 Economy Grows 5.8%, Beating Forecasts on Strong Tech Exports and Domestic Demand

Malaysias economy expanded by 5.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, outperforming market expectations and highlighting the countrys resilience despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainties. According to advance...

Japan Core Inflation Seen Rising in June, Strengthening BOJ Rate Hike Outlook

Japans core consumer inflation likely accelerated in June as higher energy prices and revised medical service fees offset easing food inflation, reinforcing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could continue raising...

Nikkei Plunges 5% as AI Stock Selloff Spreads Across Asia

Japans Nikkei 225 tumbled more than 5% on Friday, falling to its lowest level since June 11 as a global selloff in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor stocks intensified. The decline mirrored heavy overnight...

Asian Stocks Slide as Nikkei Leads Losses on Tech Selloff and Rising U.S.-Iran Tensions

Asian stock markets ended mostly lower on Friday, led by a sharp decline in Japans Nikkei 225 as technology and semiconductor stocks extended a global selloff. Investor sentiment also remained under pressure amid...

Politics

Trump Criticizes ABC, NBC and CNN for Limiting Coverage of Election Speech

President Donald Trump criticized ABC, NBC and CNN after the three major U.S. news organizations declined to air his prime-time address on their main television platforms, intensifying his long-running dispute with the...

Iran Launches Fresh Attacks on U.S. Bases as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Escalate

Iran launched new attacks on U.S. military facilities in the Gulf on Friday after the United States carried out a sixth straight night of strikes on Iranian military targets, deepening a conflict that has unraveled last...

US Military Completes Sixth Night of Iran Strikes as Conflict Escalates

The U.S. military said it completed a new wave of strikes on Iran late Thursday, marking the sixth consecutive night of operations ordered by President Donald Trump as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to...

Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Extradition Dispute

Nicaragua has officially severed diplomatic relations with Italy after a renewed dispute over the extradition of former Red Brigades militant Alessio Casimirri, intensifying a decades-long conflict tied to one of Italys...

North Korea Calls South Korea ‘Puppet’ After U.S.-Led RIMPAC Naval Exercise

North Korea sharply criticized South Korea on Friday, labeling Seoul a puppet after its participation in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), warning that Washington and Seoul would be responsible for any...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Mikron H1 2026 Sales Fall 5.9% as Automation Weakness Weighs on Profit

Swiss automation and machining systems manufacturer Mikron Group AG reported lower first-half 2026 results as weaker demand in its Automation and Machining businesses offset strong growth in its Tool division. Despite the...

KAIST, Stanford Develop Self-Dressing Robot for Cleanrooms and Emergency Gear

Researchers from South Koreas Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Stanford University have developed an innovative self-dressing robotic technology that allows people to put on clothing without...

SpaceX Aborts Starship Test Flight as Engine Issue Delays Launch

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) called off the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket just minutes before its scheduled liftoff from its Texas launch site on Thursday after an engine-related issue triggered an automatic abort. CEO...

Sam Altman Admits OpenAI Missteps, Promises Major AI Comeback Focused on User Freedom

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly acknowledged that the company fell short of expectations over the past year, taking personal responsibility for its performance while outlining an ambitious vision for the future. In a...

Moonshot Launches Kimi K3, China's Largest Open-Source AI Model

Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot has introduced Kimi K3, a new open-source AI model the company describes as the worlds largest of its kind, highlighting Chinas accelerating competition with leading U.S. AI...