Global Access Partners

03/06/2026

On 1 June, Global Access Partners’ research team released a new monograph on decision sovereignty, arguing that the key constraint in modern economies is no longer access to information, but the ability to execute decisions in increasingly complex environments.

Monograph:https://globalaccesspartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DecisionSovereignty_monograph2026.pdf
Read more: https://www.openforum.com.au/decision-sovereignty-why-good-decisions-fail-to-execute/

28/05/2026

There is only one week left to register for the upcoming STANSW Conference on 12-13 June.

Dr Ben Koo from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science will be delivering a virtual presentation on the Scientific Thinking for All: A Toolkit – a high-school curriculum designed to teach critical thinking and cognitive strategies for real-world issues.

This curriculum forms the basis of the Scientific Critical Thinking teacher training programme currently being rolled out in New South Wales by STANSW and UC Berkeley in collaboration with Global Access Partners.

More information:
STANSW Conference - https://stansw.asn.au/event/stansw-2026-conference-future-of-science-education/
GAP Critical Thinking Education Initiative - https://globalaccesspartners.org/teacher-training-in-scientific-critical-thinking/

19/05/2026

GAP’s Project Manager, Alison Sheehy, visited the Southern Highlands last week to see the Mittagong Community Playgroup in action.

It was wonderful to speak with parents about their experience attending the Playgroup’s sessions, which has become a place of connection for many families in the region. A special shout-out goes to the staff at Mittagong Preschool who develop a highly engaging and educational program of activities for the children each week.

The Playgroup is funded by the Fritz Family Foundation ( ) – a future-focused foundation established in 2019 following GAP’s years of research into integrated models of early childhood education. You can read more about GAP’s work in ECEC here: https://globalaccesspartners.org/education/

The Playgroup will be celebrating its 400th session in June.

Mittagong Community Playgroup

15/05/2026

We are delighted to announce that manuscript submissions to 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 (𝘎𝘊𝘙𝘚) are now open via Emerald’s overhauled ScholarOne Gateway platform.

As the successor to the 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 (𝘉𝘌𝘚𝘚), will continue to advance the agenda of global problem solving through the lens of behavioural economics and social systems thinking, under the leadership of a new editorial team.

Authors can follow our step-by-step guide to navigate the submission process.

Read more about 𝘎𝘊𝘙𝘚: https://www.emerald.com/gcrs/pages/about
𝘎𝘊𝘙𝘚 flyer -https://globalaccesspartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GCRS_flyer.pdf
𝘎𝘊𝘙𝘚 author guidelines -https://globalaccesspartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GCRS_Author_Guidelines.pdf

A new chapter begins following six successful years. GAP’s flagship journal transitions to Emerald Publishing as 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 (𝑮𝑪𝑹𝑺). To advance bold, evidence-based ideas for solving complex global challenges, manuscript submissions are now open via an overhauled ScholarOne Gateway platform. Authors can follow our step-by-step guide to navigate the submission process.

Read more about GCRS: https://www.emerald.com/gcrs/pages/about
GCRS Author Guidelines: https://tinyurl.com/yvfa55xs


BESS

07/05/2026

GAP was delighted to see such strong engagement in the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships - ICDP Financial Literacy Dialogue today, featuring guest speaker Shani Jayamanne and co-facilitators Torika Kalman and Catherine Fritz-Kalish AM. The discussion sparked thoughtful and highly interactive conversations around financial confidence, security and making informed financial decisions in everyday life. It was encouraging to see participants from across the Pacific come together to share experiences, ask important questions and explore practical strategies for reducing financial stress and building resilience.

07/05/2026

Global Access Partners welcomes this year’s Privacy Awareness Week theme: "Smart Tech, Smarter Choices – Protecting Yourself in the Age of AI". As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, understanding how personal data is collected and used in AI systems is essential to safeguarding your privacy.

We are pleased to share two new resources from the NSW Privacy Commissioner to help navigate these risks:
• Engaging with AI – A practical fact sheet for the public, explaining how AI intersects with privacy and what it means for the security of your personal information - https://www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/resources/fact-sheet-engaging-ai
• Privacy risks associated with generative AI – A guide for agencies to better understand and meet privacy obligations when adopting generative AI - https://www.ipc.nsw.gov.au/resources/guide-privacy-risks-associated-use-generative-ai-tools

30/04/2026

28/04/2026

Just one week to go until the next Scientific Critical Thinking teacher training session on 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, delivered by Science Teachers Association of New South Wales in partnership with UC Berkeley and Global Access Partners. Discover practical tools to help students transcend surface-level understanding and tackle real-world problems using evidence-based reasoning.

STANSW members - join us for another session on how to develop critical thinking in students.🔬

Our term 2 Critical Thinking Network Meeting will be run online by the team at UC Berkeley, Nobel Prize Outreach, and Global Access Partners, who will cover Investigating Evidence for Causation.

In this practical session, you’ll explore how to teach students to:
✔️Distinguish correlation from causation
✔️ Evaluate evidence using real-world well-being research
✔️ Identify alternative explanations like hidden variables and chance
✔️ Understand key indicators of causation, including association, mechanisms, and timing
✔️ Apply scientific methods such as randomised controlled trials

Students will gain essential skills to critically assess everyday claims and scientific data, helping them to make informed decisions for themselves and their communities.

Register for the 5 May Network Meeting on our website: https://stansw.asn.au/event/scientific-critical-thinking-network-investigating-evidence-for-causation/

Free for STANSW members.

23/04/2026

This Anzac Day, we acknowledge the sacrifice of those who have served and continue to serve our country. Lest We Forget.

21/04/2026

Congratulations to the team of Spiral Blue led by Taofiq Huq (a long-term member of GAP’s Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Agriculture) on securing their first UK defence export: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7450332140065521664/.

A major milestone for the spacetech company and a strong step in showcasing Australian space capability on the global stage!