Australia’s Epic Story

Australia’s Epic Story

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

Headquartered at the University of Wollongong (UOW) and led by Distinguished Professor Richard ‘Bert’ Roberts, the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) is an innovative, transdisciplinary research collaboration that will unlock the environmental and human history of Australia, Papua New Guinea and eastern Indonesia and help inform the management of Australia’s natural and cultural resources into the future.

CABAH will train future generations of world-class researchers to deal with emerging global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context, and our ground-breaking research discoveries will be taken into Australian school curricula and shared with the wider community through an exciting outreach program.

Our research, education and engagement programs are funded for seven years by a $33.75 million grant from the Australian Research Council, $1 million from the NSW Government, and $11 million from participating universities, museums and other organisations.

CABAH WILL:• Transform our understanding of Australia’s ancient Indigenous

heritage and environmental past

• Revolutionise the nation’s capabilities to investigate the processes that shaped this continent and the story of its people by creating a new and genuinely transdisciplinary research environment

• Help manage Australia’s present and future biodiversity and cultural heritage using this improved understanding

• Tackle the research and innovation challenges facing Australia by equipping the next generation of researchers with the range of skills needed to traverse the interface between science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and humanities, arts and social sciences (HASS) disciplines

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

Eight years ago, we commenced a journey to design a unique new research centre that would tell the epic story of Australia’s rich and distinctive natural and human history.

We now celebrate the realisation of this vision with the launch of CABAH, which will harness the talents and world-class facilities of an outstanding team of researchers and educators, spanning disciplines as diverse as archaeology, Indigenous studies, the natural sciences and more. CABAH will train a new generation of transdisciplinary researchers and revolutionise our knowledge of the events and processes that have shaped this continent – and the neighbouring regions to our north – over the last 130,000 years.

CABAH is built on an ethos of creating synergies among traditionally discrete disciplines and exploring the coexistence of Indigenous knowledge systems alongside contemporary science. Our findings will speak to the cultural heritage and deep-rooted attachment to country of Indigenous Australians, and the transformations in landscape, climate and biological diversity that have made Australia what it is today.

By combining an understanding of the processes responsible for these past events with cutting-edge modelling techniques, CABAH will help better manage and protect the nation’s natural and cultural resources into the future. We will showcase our heritage and environmental legacy on the world stage in partnership with Indigenous communities and our national and international collaborators, and by participating in major events – such as the World Science Festival – inspire curiosity among audiences of all ages.

Please join us in this extraordinary adventure to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the story of ancient and modern Australia and its Indigenous people and cultures – and, in the process, redefine our relationship to the continent we call home.

UOW Distinguished Professor Richard ‘Bert’ Roberts, ARC Laureate Fellow and CABAH Director

Australia’s Epic Story

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

CABAH has a team of 18 Chief Investigators, nine Partner Investigators and other Australian and international leaders in research, science communication, education and engagement. They are drawn from eight universities (UOW, James Cook University, University of New South Wales, the Australian National University, The University of Adelaide, Flinders University, Monash University, and the University of Tasmania) and a range of partner organisations in Australia and overseas (Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, France, Germany, Denmark, the UK and USA).

CABAH will link researchers from STEM disciplines – including Earth and climate sciences, ecology and genetics – with scholars from the HASS disciplines such as archaeology and Indigenous and museum studies.

Researchers will work across the research themes of Humans, Climate, Landscapes, Wildlife, and Time, with data synthesised into an overarching Models theme. CABAH’s Research Training and Ethics (RT&E) and Education and Engagement (E&E) programs span all themes. The E&E program will be delivered in partnership with the Australian, Queensland and South Australian Museums, the

State Library of NSW, influential international institutions, science education and communication specialists, and through contributions to major events such as the World Science Festival and National Science Week.

The programs specifically address the following key areas of endeavour:

• To equip a new generation of researchers with new skills that cross between STEM and HASS

• To raise the representation of Indigenous Australians and female researchers in mid-career and senior ranks

• To inspire future generations of young Australians to study and engage with STEM subjects

• To take our findings to the community and reach a global audience

• To ensure future policies are informed by the outcomes of CABAH’s research

CABAH will create a lasting impact that enriches and safeguards our national heritage, transforms research culture, connects with communities and shapes policy.

Australia’s Epic Story

Australia’s Epic Story

BRIDGING GAPS

To adapt successfully to future changes, we must dramatically improve our understanding of Australia’s past. We are creating a new, transdisciplinary research environment to train researchers to tackle future global challenges.

CABAH will collaborate with our partners to produce future generations of researchers skilled in cutting-edge and ethically-appropriate methods, tools and technologies. Focused on creating future leaders with academic excellence, professional skills, a transdisciplinary mindset and end-user outlook, CABAH will support more than 40 new positions and 50 research students.

Our Irinjili Research Training Program includes a variety of training schemes, such as extended researcher exchanges between participating institutions, and Indigenous Australian and gender-equity initiatives. The program is named after Mick McLean Irinjili, a widely respected Indigenous leader who worked extensively with linguists and anthropologists across South Australia to pass on traditional cultural knowledge for future generations.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Spanning general and Indigenous education, media and communication, and the museum and arts spheres, CABAH will bring the extraordinary environmental and human history of Australia to the public through its E&E program.

We have a range of initiatives for schools, museums, science festivals and digital media, which will engender young learners with a curiosity in science, help to address the decline in student participation in STEM disciplines, and engage with the wider community.

CABAH’s programs deliver on the National Innovation and Science Agenda, inspiring STEM literacy in the next generation of Australians, while the research outcomes also help inform national policies on biodiversity and heritage.

“We aim to inspire all Australians young and old, including in the regional communities where the research will be conducted, in the processes and excitement of discovery.” UOW Senior Professor Amanda Lawson CABAH Deputy Director

SAFEGUARDING OUR HERITAGE

The increasing threats to Australia’s cultural heritage, landscapes and biodiversity are matters of pressing national concern.

“With top scientists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working together, I feel we are poised to change the world’s narrative of Australia and its ancient heritage.” JCU Professor Martin Nakata Co-Chair CABAH Indigenous Advisory Committee

Research conducted by CABAH will shed new light on past patterns of environmental change and the processes responsible for them. Combining this new knowledge with predictive models will help improve future projections of relevance to the management and protection of Australia’s unique biodiversity.

CABAH’s research and outreach activities will also engage with Indigenous communities and the broader public, to deepen our understanding of the profound connection to country held by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, and to showcase Australia’s rich cultural heritage to the world.

Australia’s Epic Story

CABAH COLLABORATING PARTNERS

CONTACT

Julie Matarczyk

Chief Operating Officer

ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage

cabah-admin@uow.edu.au

+61 2 4221 4728

www.cabah.org

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