Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · 1d

Australian academic colleagues will want to fill this out: "The Australian University Census on Staff Wellbeing: An investigation of psychosocial safety climate in Australia's universities" doit.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Online Survey Software | Qualtrics Survey Solutions

Qualtrics sophisticated online survey software solutions make creating online surveys easy. Learn more about Research Suite and get a free account today.

doit.az1.qualtrics.com

2 1

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 6d

New Australia Institute analysis shows the ANU had a $90 million profit in 2024 and INCREASED the value of its net assets...

All while the ANU was claiming a budget crisis to justify staff cuts!

@richarddenniss.bsky.social #auspol

2 56 130

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Australian Society of Authors @asauthors.bsky.social · 6d

The settlement website in the Bartz v Anthropic class action is now live and can be found here: www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com. It includes comprehensive information about the case and settlement, including a searchable tool to see if your books are included in the settlement and a claim form.

ANT Homepage | ANT

www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

1 3 3

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Prof Brendan Crabb AC @brendancrabb.bsky.social · 7d

And an excellent accompanying commentary.

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

2 19 31

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Australian Society of Authors @asauthors.bsky.social · 7d

A formidable coalition of Australian creators and book industry organisations attended a Senate Inquiry hearing yesterday to strongly oppose the Productivity Commission’s proposal for a text and data mining exception for AI training.

Read more: www.asauthors.org.au/news/its-not...

‘It’s not copy-charity. It’s copyright’: Authors oppose copyright exception for AI training at Senate Inquiry - Australian Society of Authors

Creators and book industry organisations attended a Senate Inquiry hearing to oppose the proposal for a copyright exception for AI training.

www.asauthors.org.au

1 4 5

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Kevin Driscoll 📳੯‧̀͡⬮ @kdriscoll.aoir.social.ap.brid.gy · 12d

🏆 The #sigcis2025 awards are up!! 🏆

📖 Computer History Museum Prize ➡️ @apdamegriff
*The Two Revolutions: A History of the Transgender Internet*
https://nyupress.org/9781479818310/the-two-revolutions/

📄 The Mahoney Prize ➡️ @theodorajewell
“Settler Computing: Water Algorithms and the Equitable […]

Original post on aoir.social

aoir.social

1 2 3

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · 12d

The eSafety Commissioner has done something right. It’s heartening to see such a hefty fine handed down for image-based abuse.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Man fined $350k in Federal Court for creating deepfake porn

A man who made deep fake pornographic images of prominent Australian women and posted them to a website has been fined $343,500 by the Federal Court — the first case of its kind in the country.

www.abc.net.au

1

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Rachel Hall-Clifford, PhD, MPH, MSc @rahallclifford.bsky.social · 15d

I stan Violet!

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 15d

“We are told by leaders that we are the future. But when it comes to the ongoing pandemic, our present is being stolen right in front of our eyes.”

Incredible speech by Violet Affleck who warned about the ongoing dangers of COVID & Long Covid, & advocated for masks and clean air at the UN today!

6 32

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · 15d

Excited to see this post about preserving #gamehistory and use of the EU’s Out of Commerce works.

Allan Christophersen @duffadash.bsky.social · Aug 14

Does anyone know someone who are involved with Norwegian game preservation or video game history? #GLAM #DigiPres

1 3

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Aug 15

John Passfield, #homebrew #gamehistory legend!

There’s heaps more on his early work in my Homebrew book, and at playitagainproject.com

1 1

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Aug 15

The Copyright Agency @copyright.com.au too. They are holding a webinar next week for members.

Honestly, I can think of so many more important and urgent changes that need to be made to the Copyright Act...

www.copyright.com.au/2025/08/copy...

Copyright Agency welcomes Government’s continued support for Australia’s copyright system in the age of AI - Copyright Agency

Copyright Agency welcomes the Government’s continued support for Australia’s world-leading copyright system. In an interview on ABC today Industry Minister Tim Ayres said that the Government had no pl...

www.copyright.com.au

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Aug 15

Heartened to see that the Australian Society of Authors are pushing back against a proposed text and data mining exception to the Copyright Act to allow the training of AI.

Did you see this @manjusrii.bsky.social ?

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

1 3 11

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Aug 6

I'm looking forward to presenting a keynote on my homebrew game history research at the Replaying Japan conference at RMIT, September 1-3. sites.google.com/view/replayi...

Replaying Japan 2025

Replaying Japan 2025 The 13th International Japan Game Studies Conference 1-3 September 2025 Melbourne City Campus, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

sites.google.com

3 9

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Crikey @crikey.com.au · Jul 31

Opinion | "Humanities and social sciences academics are signing petitions, writing open letters and organising actions in response to these threats to their jobs. They are anxious and angry."

The disastrous dismantling of the humanities in Australia’s universities has begun

www.crikey.com.au

3 23 31

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Jul 31

Thank you @austhistassoc.bsky.social for addressing the abomination that is Job-Ready Graduates and petitioning the Albo Labor Government to repeal it #auspol. We need more grads and esp. lawyers from Indigenous and other minority backgrounds, not fewer!

Kate Fullagar @kfullagar.bsky.social · Jul 31

Very cool. Though much of this research undertaken by @austhistassoc.bsky.social Help take action by addressing our petition: :) www.openpetition.org/au/petition/...

Repeal Job-Ready Graduates Policy Now: Restoring Equity in Higher Education - Online petition

We sign this petition in solidarity with those who signed the Open Letter to the Prime Minister on 28 July 2025 (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/28/open-letter-to-australian-govern...

www.openpetition.org

2 4

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Coro Valley Kate @corovalleykate.bsky.social · Jul 31

Speaking of petitions . . bsky.app/profile/coro...

Coro Valley Kate @corovalleykate.bsky.social · Jul 29

Hi friends, please sign this petition to save Sociology and Politics (and half the Ancient History staff!) at Macquarie University.
www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/sa...

SAVE SOCIOLOGY AT MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY

We urge Macquarie University management to reverse this decision and preserve the vital disciplines of Sociology and Politics. Sociology has a key place in the social sciences as the broadest and mos...

www.megaphone.org.au

1 1

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Jul 31

Signed and shared. Macquarie Sociology Hons graduate here.

1

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Seb Chan @sebchan.bsky.social · Jul 31

Super proud of the whole @acmimuseum.bsky.social team with Game Worlds now on full sale -> au.variety.com/2025/digital... … time to start planning your trip, customise your character, fill your inventory. Open Sept 18

ACMI Unveils Full Lineup for 'Game Worlds' Exhibition

ACMI has unveiled the full lineup for 'Game Worlds', its major upcoming exhibition dedicated to the art and impact of video games.

au.variety.com

5 10

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Axel Bruns @snurb.info · Jul 28

Hey @albomp.bsky.social, after more than three years in office, how is it that you still haven’t abolished this terrible, economically counterproductive, blatant culture war policy ?

theconversation.com/...

Top Australian writers urge Albanese to abolish Job-Ready Graduates, calling their humanities degrees life changing

Tim Winton, Helen Garner and Peter Garrett are just a few of the high-profile signatories to an open letter against Job-Ready Graduates – and for the humanities.

theconversation.com

1 11 27

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · Jul 28

Open letter against the adoption of the Australian Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism’s Plan: Academics against racism overland.org.au/2025/07/open...

Open letter against the adoption of the Australian Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism's Plan - Overland literary journal

We, the undersigned university researchers, educators, students and professional staff, call on the Australian Government to reject the unprecedented attack on academic freedom and the autonomy of uni...

overland.org.au

6 150 330

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Jul 28

seeing you in sequins, in the pool!

1

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Jason Scott @textfiles.com · Jul 18

10 years later and change, and the Oregon Trail emulation at the Internet Archive is closing in on 14 million plays.

archive.org/details/msdo...

Oregon Trail, The : MECC : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

The Oregon Trail is a series of strategy computer games. The first game was originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971...

archive.org

3 15 76

Reposted by Melanie Swalwell

Colette Perold @cperold.bsky.social · Jul 10

SIGCIS 2025 deadline extended to Monday! Theme is POWER with keynote Lily Geismer. Going to be an epic year. Submit! And feel free to ask me any questions about it!

💾 SIGCIS Conference @sigcisconf.bsky.social · Jul 10

Deadline EXTENDED to Mon, 7/14! SIGCIS 2025: Power Surge with keynote speaker Lily Geismer. Find more details and full CFP here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

SIGCIS 2025 CFP: Power Surge

The Special Interest Group for Computing, Information, and Society (SIGCIS) welcomes submissions to their 16th Annual Conference SIGCIS 2025: power surge ⚡🔌🔋💥 September 25-27 2025 | Online via Zoom K...

docs.google.com

2

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Jun 25

The Centre for Transformative Media Technologies is hosting a talk by Stelarc on 23 July, to be held in person and on zoom. Details and registration: transformativemedia.swinburne.edu.au/event/stelar...

Stelarc – AUGMENTED, EXTRUDED AND AMPLIFIED BODIES: ALIVENESS, IDENTITY AND AGENCY – CTMT – The Centre for Transformative Media

Free entry but bookings required through Humanitix

transformativemedia.swinburne.edu.au

1 2

Melanie Swalwell @melswal.bsky.social · Jun 10

Hallelujah!

2