Verity Archer

Dr. Verity Archer is a Lecturer in Social Welfare/Community and Human Services at Federation University's Institute of Education, Arts and Community. She has been working at Federation University since 2013, initially as a Lecturer in Sociology before transitioning to her current position in Social Work Community and Human Services. Her academic career includes previous positions as a Lecturer in Politics and Public Policy at Deakin University and as a Williamson Postdoctoral Fellow at Melbourne University's Australian Centre. Dr. Archer also brings valuable practical experience from her work as a Research Manager at The Brotherhood of St Laurence in the community sector.

• Doctor of Philosophy – Australian National University – 2006

Dr. Archer's research interests focus on the intersection of social welfare policy, class analysis, and labor history. Her work critically examines how political ideologies shape welfare discourse, particularly through her award-winning research on the history of the Australian 'dole bludger' concept. She applies social theory frameworks, particularly drawing from Pierre Bourdieu, Loic Wacquant, the Frankfurt School, and intersectional approaches, to analyze class relations and social movements. Her current research explores evidence-based academic workloads and the development of Enterprise Bargaining Agreement clauses that improve workplace conditions for women and minority groups.

Analysis of Dr. Archer's 15 most recent publications reveals a consistent focus on welfare policy discourse, class analysis, and the role of social enterprises in community development. Her work demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary approach that bridges sociology, political science, and public policy. A notable trend is her examination of how American political concepts were translated into Australian vernacular through media and parliamentary discourse, particularly regarding welfare policy. Her more recent work shows increasing attention to intersectionality, working-class experiences in academia, and the practical applications of social enterprise models for social inclusion.

• Eric Fry Labour History Prize (ECR) for the best article published in Labour History Journal
• Multiple awards for her work on the history of the Australian 'dole bludger'

Dr. Archer has supervised several doctoral students to completion, including Nick Butler (2018), Sarah McMaster (2019), and Heatheranne Bullen (2023), and currently supervises Justine Topham, Linda Morella, and Ophelia Rose Robbins. She serves in significant leadership roles within the National Tertiary Education Union as Vice President (academic) on the Fed Uni Branch and as Victorian academic representative on the NTEU Women's Action Committee. She is also part of the NTEU EBA negotiating team and the IEAC academic workloads committee, demonstrating her commitment to improving working conditions in academia.

Dr. Archer is actively involved with the Association for Working Class Academics as the Australian representative and contributes to scholarly discourse through editorial roles with the Journal of Australian Studies and the Journal of Class and Culture. Her work bridges academic research and practical community engagement through her focus on social enterprise and community development initiatives in Victoria, Australia.