Associate Professor Fiona McDermott: in appreciation

As Fiona steps down from the role of Editor, Australian Social Work, the Editorial Board wish to express our sincere appreciation for her significant work as journal Editor over the past four years. Fiona took on the role of Editor from Mark Hughes and following a brief period of transition, assumed the mantle of Editor. Fiona came to the role as a highly respected social work academic, authoring several books, numerous book chapters in edited collections, and with an extensive publication record in national and international refereed journals. Her areas of interest and expertise included social work theory development; social work research; mental health; health; and working with groups. As Editor, Fiona actively engaged with a wide range of innovative and ground-breaking areas of knowledge-building for the profession, which is evident when looking back over the articles published in issues from 2017 to the present. When Fiona took over as Editor, one of her first priorities was to build up the stock of publishable papers to meet the demands of publishing four, high-quality issues of Australian Social Work each year. Those familiar with having works published, will know only too well the long lead times that are necessary between the initial submission of a manuscript, peer review, revisions, and acceptance for publication. The metrics for Australian Social Work in these activities are commendable and have been achieved through the work of an editorial team that is collaborative, talented, highly experienced, and who have a good sense of publication “savvy”.

One of the outstanding hallmarks of Fiona’s tenure as Editor was guiding the Journal’s relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, researchers, and practitioners. As Fiona finishes her tenure it is fitting that the Journal has just published new guidelines for articles by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, developed and authored by Bennett (2022) in consultation with Aboriginal colleagues and communities, and supported by an Australian Association of Social Worker (AASW) funded research project that came about through Fiona’s efforts. Fiona has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and researchers and brought key stakeholders together, including the Editorial Board, the AASW, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics and researchers. The Journal now has an active group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisors and reviewers and a Special Issue is planned for 2023 that will be led by Special Issue Guest Editors in partnership with new Editor, Susan Gair.

During Fiona’s editorship the publishing contract between the AASW and Taylor & Francis publishers required renewal. Since negotiating the previous contract the publishing world has become more complex and associations such as the AASW have been faced with many new issues to consider, including the development of more formal processes for journal editors. These new processes and arrangements meant some significant changes for the Journal, and it is a testament to the professionalism, patience, and perseverance of Fiona that an exciting new era of journal production has been established. As Fiona hands over the reins to our new Editor, Susan Gair, we also welcome Josepha Smith to the role of Assistant Editor. As Fiona has mentioned in her final Editorial, these processes have been capably supported and guided by the retiring Publications Officer Liz Morrison and the ongoing, tireless work of the Associate Editors, David Hodgson, and Lynelle Watts.

On a personal note, I wish to thank Fiona for her collegiate support and friendship over the past four years, which has been invaluable to me in my role as Chair of the Editorial Board. It has been a journey in which we have navigated many challenges together. Bringing four issues of the journal together each year is a complicated and demanding undertaking requiring high levels of skill and expertise, sound judgement and decision-making, and an ability to manage a workload with fixed, non-negotiable deadlines.

On behalf of all the Editorial Board members we extend our appreciation to Fiona and look forward to her continuing association with the Journal in other capacities, including perhaps some future publications in her new areas of research and scholarship. We would like to extend a warm welcome to Susan Gair as the new Editor of Australian Social Work and look forward to developing the Journal further under her editorship, taking up new challenges, participating in stimulating scholarship, and producing quality publications for the profession.