How can ancient Greece and Rome inform public policy today?
Lecture Details
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.
Event Details
Australian China in the World Lecture Theatre
Building 188
Fellows Lane ACTON 2601
Weds 18 November 2026
6.00 - 8.00pm
Guests are invited to light refreshments following the lecture.
If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation plan, please contact the event organiser.
About Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson MBE
Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson MBE
Arlene Holmes-Henderson MBE is Professor of Classics Education and Public Policy at Durham University, UK. She holds degrees from Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge and, prior to being an academic, she taught Classics in high schools for more than a decade. In 2025-2026 Arlene was the first Humanities scholar to be seconded in the UK Government Office for Science as an Expert Fellow where she worked as a civil servant on the cross-government Future of Childhood and Adolescence project. She acts as a national champion for policy engagement with Arts and Humanities research. In 2026-2027, she is a Visiting Fellow at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government.
Discussion Panel
Professor Caillan Davenport FAHA | Moderator
Caillan Davenport FAHA is Professor of Classics and Head of the Centre for Classical Studies at the Australian National University. He is the author of A History of the Roman Equestrian Order (Cambridge, 2019), which won the Royal Historical Society’s Gladstone Prize, and Behind Caesar’s Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors (Yale, 2026). He is currently leading the project ‘Why Monarchy Endures: Answers from the Ancient Mediterranean World’ as an Australian Research Council Future Fellow.
Rowan Fox
Rowan Fox has more than 10 years' experience as a senior executive in a variety of roles in the ATO and is currently the Deputy Commissioner for Small Business. Rowan holds a PhD in ancient Greek drama from the University of Exeter and has worked across the public service in the UK and Australia in areas including GST, service delivery and policy and law design.
Chris Hewett
The Heavy Industry and Manufacturing branch provides policy advice and analysis on Australia’s manufacturing capabilities. The branch works across government to facilitate decision making and outcomes in the national interest. Chris previously held Senior Executive Service roles at the Australian Space Agency, the Department of Defence and the Department of Finance. Chris’ career in government began in national security, where he built and lead teams that designed, delivered and used space technologies for 15 years.
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