How can ancient Greece and Rome inform public policy today?

Date
18 November 2026
Time
6.00 – 8.00pm
Location
Australian China in the World Lecture Theatre Acton ACT, Australia


Join the Australian Academy of the Humanities, The Australia and New Zealand School of Government & ANU Centre for Classical Studies for How can ancient Greece and Rome inform public policy today? delivered by Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson MBE.

In this talk, Professor Holmes-Henderson will connect evidence from the ancient world with contemporary public policymaking. Based on her recent (open access) book Classics and Public Policy: perspectives from the UK (Routledge, 2026), Arlene will shine a light on how lessons from the past can inform future decision-making by policy professionals. From migration to cybersecurity, from climate change to education, Arlene uncovers a new vocabulary with which Arts and Humanities researchers can describe the value of their evidence. Moving beyond 'impact' and 'knowledge exchange' as supplementary activities, Arlene advocates for policy engagement training as an integral component of postgraduate education and she showcases an award-winning new Masters module at Durham University which does exactly this.

Professor Holmes-Henderson will join Rowan Fox (Deputy Commissioner for Small Business, ATO) and Chris Hewett (General Manager of Heavy Industry and Local Manufacturing, DISR) for a discussion panel following the lecture, moderated by Professor Caillan Davenport FAHA.

Booking details here