Public Intimacy: A Biography of Anne Deveson

This project aims to investigate the life of Australian journalist Anne Deveson (1930 – 2016), utilizing a biographical approach based on historical research. It seeks to understand the ways that Deveson’s work, often drawing on her experiences, helped to change public attitudes towards issues then regarded as ‘private’, including child abuse and mental illness. Expected outcomes include the first biography of Deveson and new knowledge about the ways her advocacy changed public attitudes towards many social problems in late twentieth century Australia. The project will benefit the Australian community by providing an historical case study of the ways that public interest journalism can positively impact on public health and social cohesion.