The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is an autonomous, non-governmental organisation, devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It was established in 1971. Before this date, Academy functions were fulfilled through the Social Science Research Council of Australia, founded in 1942.
There are over 350 Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, denoted FASSA.
There are three other learned Academies in Australia, those of Humanities (Australian Academy of the Humanities), Science (Australian Academy of Science) and Technological Sciences and Engineering (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering). The four Academies cooperate through the National Academies Forum, formed in 1995.