Author Clare Hallifax will discuss her brand-new young adult novel, A House Divided, a coming-of-age story delving into the events of the 1975 Dismissal, from the perspective of a Year 5 girl. Clare will share her insights from working in the media and researching the historic events of the novel. She will also discuss ways to explore mis/disinformation in the media, civics and critical thinking with your students.

The workshop will include discussion of key moments of social and political change in Australia during the 1970s, and include a facilitated, hands-on exploration of our 1975: Living in the Seventies exhibition. Brush up on your knowledge of people, events and movements that have shaped our nation. Learn strategies for using museum objects and online resources for exploring history and civics in your classroom.

Light refreshments will be provided during the workshop.

The content of this workshop supports the Australian Curriculum for Years 2-6 HASS, Years 7-10 Civics and Citizenship, and Year 10 History: Building Modern Australia.

Teachers wishing to claim 2 hours of TQI accredited Professional Learning will be required to complete a reflection task (supplied at the event).

About Clare Hallifax

Clare Hallifax has worked as a writer, editor and publisher for over thirty years. After completing a degree in journalism, she worked in the Canberra Parliamentary Press Gallery before further postgraduate studies in literature and art. Moving into book publishing, Clare specialised in books about politics, history and political history, before shifting to children’s publishing in 2010 where she was appointed publisher of the Omnibus imprint at Scholastic Australia, and later became the publisher at Walker Books. She has edited and published many award-winning titles, from picture books to young adult and historical fiction.

Clare is the author of Never Forget (2020), A House Divided (2025), and a contributing author in If It’s Not True, It Should Be: Writing Creative Non-Fiction for Children and Adults (Paul Ashton, ed) (2024). Additionally, Clare has moonlighted as a ghostwriter for various fiction and non-fiction titles for both children and adults.

She is now responsible for literary content acquisition at Audible Australia.

About 1975: Living in the Seventies

1975 marked the midpoint of a tumultuous decade. Now, 50 years on, our collections offer an opportunity to look back on what it was like to live in the seventies.

Learn more about the 1975: Living in the Seventies exhibition