What's on
Creating Impact series
Read about research that makes a difference
Advancing national security through the green energy transition
The transition to green energy presents a significant opportunity for Australia to strengthen not just its environmental outcomes, but its broader national security. Research led by Professor Elizabeth Thurbon, an expert in international political economy from ADA's School of Social Sciences, highlights how a more coordinated approach, termed Green Energy Statecraft could simultaneously enhance economic resilience, energy independence, and geopolitical positioning.
As global demand for fossil fuels declines, Australia faces growing risk due to its reliance on traditional exports. However, emerging industries such as green iron offer a high-value pathway forward, with the potential to create skilled jobs and boost export revenue. The research underscores the need for an integrated, strategic framework to ensure Australia can fully capitalise on the energy transition and position itself as a leading green energy nation.
Measuring multi-dimensional wellbeing in poverty helps inform more effective policy
A new framework from the ACOSS/UNSW Poverty and Inequality Partnership highlights the need to measure poverty beyond income alone, incorporating real-life indicators such as housing security, health, and access to basic needs.
Research co-led by Dr Yuvisthi Naidoo from the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre shows that income-based measures identify who is at risk of poverty, while direct measures capture the lived experience and together provide a more accurate picture.
By adopting a multi-dimensional approach, policymakers can better understand the depth and persistence of poverty and design more effective responses across housing, health, and education. The framework calls for closer consultation with affected communities and experts to shape policies that address both the causes and consequences of poverty.
Transformational national strategy needed to address multifaceted housing crisis
Australia’s housing crisis demands a coordinated national strategy to tackle affordability, supply, and inequality. Emeritus Professor Hal Pawson and co-author Honorary Professor Vivienne Milligan's research from the UNSW City Futures Research Centre highlights that recent federal initiatives, including Help to Buy, Build to Rent, and the Housing Australia Future Fund are positive steps, but remain limited in scale.
The work identifies decades of policy inaction and rising property investment as key drivers of declining home ownership and increasing rental stress. It calls for a transformational, evidence-based approach that treats housing as a human right and addresses both supply and quality to create a fairer system.
Discover
Explore the Persian Film Festival Australia
The Persian Film Festival Australia and UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture have established a three-year partnership, with ADA supporting the festival as a key cultural sponsor. The collaboration aligns with ADA’s commitment to creativity, global perspectives and socially engaged storytelling, while strengthening connections between the university and the wider arts community. Through this partnership, ADA will support the festival’s platform for bold, independent Iranian and Persian-language cinema, amplifying diverse voices and fostering dialogue around culture, resilience and inclusion.
In-/Visible Spectrums: Contemporary Video Art
Experience In-/Visible Spectrums: Contemporary Video Art from the Sinosphere, a landmark exhibition bringing together works by eleven artists across mainland China, Hong Kong and the global diaspora. Showcasing video art created between 2015 and 2025, the exhibition explores everyday life, identity and embodied experience through poetic and conceptually rich works. Drawing on both contemporary international practices and classical Chinese aesthetics, it offers a compelling perspective on the evolving cultural landscapes of the Sinosphere.
Presented at SOAS Gallery, University of London, from 16 April to 20 June 2026.
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Alum spotlight: Del Kathryn Barton
Del Kathryn Barton
Artist, Director
Del is a celebrated Australian visual artist. She is a two-time Archibald Prize Winner, and is also the writer-director of the feature film Blaze.
Find out about Del’s journey to becoming a visual artist and director.
Christy Newman on pride under pressure
As anti-diversity rhetoric gains traction globally, its echoes in Australia pose a growing threat to LGBTQIA+ communities. But history reminds us: collective strength can’t be silenced.
Listen Professor Christy Newman discuss why solidarity, allyship and speaking out are more crucial than ever.
UNSOMNIA talk: The hidden power of friendship
Despite the rush of technological breakthroughs, we find ourselves drifting into a crisis of connection, profound loneliness and division. Nevena Krups takes us on a heartfelt journey, revealing how the ancient and seemingly simple art of friendship can serve as a powerful source to bridge divides and heal a fragmented society. Drawing from her poignant experiences in former Yugoslavia, Krups illuminates how true friendship, with its embrace of differences and commitment to understanding, can transform political landscapes and infuse our world with essential humanness.
Discover the National Indian Film Festival of Australia
In 2026, ADA are delighted to partner with the National Indian Film Festival of Australia. The Festival returns this year on an unprecedented scale, spanning more than 13 cities and presenting 32 films across 18 Indian languages. Every title in the official selection will screen as an Australian, international or world premiere, reflecting the festival’s growing global significance.
