Condition Critical: The RGSSA’s Role in Australian Geography's Revival.

Iain will discuss why the public, professional geographers, and their professional associations should engage with voluntary, community-based, learned societies such as RGSSA for mutual benefit and the discipline of geography's sustainability.

Despite geography's key relevance amid environmental crises, socio-spatial inequalities, and geopolitical turmoil, the discipline faces decline in Australia, confronting reduced public appreciation and educational challenges. Voluntary, community-based, learned societies (VCBLS), like the RGSSA, offer to counteract this by promoting geography's value, advocating for reform, fostering research, and engaging the public. These societies are vital to revitalising Australian geography, benefiting wider communities. This paper urges the public, professional geographers, and their professional associations to engage with VCBLS such as RGSSA for mutual benefit and the discipline's sustainability.

Iain Hay is inaugural Director of the RGSSA. He is also Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Geography at Flinders University and Chair of the Academy of Science’s National Committee for Geographical Sciences. His former roles include as President of the Institute of Australian Geographers (IAG) and First Vice President of the International Geographical Union (IGU). Professor Hay has been widely recognised for contributions to geography, history, professional service, and higher education. He has received the Prime Minister’s Award for Australian University Teacher of the Year; was the first person outside North America to be admitted as a Fellow of the American Association of Geographers; and is recipient of the IAG Australia-International Medal. In 2024 he accepted one of the most esteemed awards in global Geography, the IGU’s Laureat d’Honneur.