Honest History

Honest History promotes balanced consideration of Australian history by offering contesting, evidence-based interpretations to students, teachers, universities, journalists and the public. We challenge the misuse of history to serve political or other agendas.

From the Honest History vault: Humphrey McQueen and others on the Spanish flu pandemic 1918-19 that killed 13 000 Australians and 50 million world-wide (with 2020 updates)

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Recent highlights

John Myrtle reviews Mark Dapin’s Public Enemies: Russell “Mad Dog” Cox, Ray Denning and the Golden Age of Armed Robbery

Australian militarism has moved to front and centre: John Menadue, Bruce Haigh, Henry Reynolds and others; Noel Turnbull; Sue Wareham

Performing Anzac: David Stephens on Brendan Nelson and emotive commemoration

Margaret Pender reviews a memoir by the last Australian lighthouse keeper

David Stephens on how visitor figures to the Australian War Memorial are declining in real terms

A build for the times – or an extravagant folly?

Heritage Guardians: a campaign against the proposed $498m extensions to the Australian War Memorial

Heritage Guardians submission on Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation heritage aspects

Heritage Guardians submission to Public Works Committee inquiry

Eighty-two Australians sign collective submission to Public Works Committee inquiry

Total Australian spend on Anzac centenary is around $A600 million – or $1.1 billion if you include proposed War Memorial extensions

Arms and the War Memorial: let’s spend on health, not arms and submarines

Does defence spending lead to wars – and does it make any sense against pandemics?; Memorial gets donations from the big arms company players but it is only ‘small change’ to them; Michelle Fahy on how Australia flogs armaments to overseas bidders; Sue Wareham on prioritising health spending rather than arms spending; Stuart Rollo in Overland on how the military-industrial-commemorative complex is militarising Australia; Medical Association for Prevention of War resources

Looking back

Australia is more than Anzac – and always has been