Macquarie University

09/30/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/30/2025 20:17

Macquarie University historian wins Prime Minister’s Literary Award

Dr Geraldine Fela, a historian from Macquarie University's Faculty of Arts, has won a prestigious Prime Minister's Literary Award for her book 'Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia's AIDS crisis'.

The award, presented this week at a national ceremony held at the National Library of Australia in Canberra, recognises outstanding literary achievement and contribution to Australian history.

Dr Fela's book was chosen from a highly competitive shortlist in the Australian history category for its originality, depth of research and powerful storytelling.

She says the award is a powerful acknowledgment of the communities and stories at the heart of her research.

"Nurses, gay and straight, were at the frontline of HIV and AIDS care. They were caregivers and political agents who shaped Australia's response to the virus," says Dr Fela.

"I am so pleased that their contribution, and that of the unions that represented them, has been acknowledged with this award."

Dr Geraldine Fela, pictured right, has earned national recognition for her book 'Critical Care: Nurses on the frontline of Australia's AIDS crisis'.

Critical Care documents the pivotal, yet often overlooked, role of nurses during Australia's HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on interviews with more than 30 nurses and people living with HIV, the book highlights the activism, advocacy and care work that nurses and their unions undertook amid widespread stigma and political inaction.

Professor Chris Dixon, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, said: "We are immensely proud of Dr Fela's achievement in receiving the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Australian History.

"This prestigious recognition reflects the depth and significance of Dr Fela's research and the vital contribution it makes to our understanding of a pivotal period in Australia's history."

Earlier this year, Critical Care was highly commended in both the 2025 Ernest Scott Prize and the 2024 Oral History Australia Book Award. Dr Fela was named a finalist in the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in August.

Administered by Creative Australia, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards are among the country's highest literary honours.

Read about Dr Fela's process and experience writing this award-winning book here.

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Macquarie University published this content on September 30, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 01, 2025 at 02:17 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]