The History Council of Western Australia:

• Provides a voice for History

Working in consultation with our members, the History Council provides a voice for history in Western Australia. It responds to history interests in the community, speaking and acting authoritatively on their behalf.

• Advocates History

The History Council takes a stand on relevant social, cultural and political issues and creates opportunities for discussion and debate. Some of these issues relate to history and heritage collections, the accessibility and preservation of archival material and other historical research issues, teaching of history at all levels of education, Indigenous people’s history, multicultural histories, and the importance of taking history and heritage into account in the development of government policy relating to the environment, urban and regional planning, business, tourism, the media and the arts.

• Encourages access to History

A broad range of groups within our society use history every day. The Council encourages the widest possible access to historical sources and discussion of historical questions and controversies.

• Promotes an ethical approach to the past

In promoting an ethical approach to the use of the past, the Council upholds high standards of historical research, interpretation and publication.

• Boards and Authorities

Historical understanding is essential for decision making at all levels of government and in the business community. The Council works to ensure the appointment of historians to government and other boards and committees.

• Submissions and Recommendations

The History Council speaks out on behalf of the broader history community. Working in consultation with its members, it makes submissions and recommendations to government agencies advocating the Council’s position on a variety of contentious issues.

• Consultation and Debate

Before making submissions and recommendations the History Council consults widely with relevant interest groups. It also promotes discussion and debate through its forums.

• Forums

The History Council promotes an active engagement with history by holding forums, which may take the form of a panel discussion, a conference or a lecture by an eminent historian. Papers from these forums are published on its website to ensure that historical issues are widely disseminated throughout the community.

• Representation on other bodies

The Council is represented on the Advisory Board of the Historical Encyclopedia of Western Australia at the University of Western Australia, the Historical Records Rescue Consortium, the Joint Copying Project (recently initiated by staff from Curtin University of Technology and Murdoch University), the National Archives of Australia (WA) Consultative Forum, and the Western Australian History Foundation Inc.