Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"Muting" Neoliberalism? Class And Colonial Legacies In Australia, Chris Gibson

Chris Gibson

Australian governments of left and right persuasions have seemingly embraced elements of the neoliberal agenda, as in many other parts of the world; but exactly how deeply these have been enacted, and how transformative they have been, must be understood in relation to key colonial, geographical and cultural inheritances. These inheritances include the hegemony of central government stewardship of the economy (essential in a colonized, sparsely populated continent of almost unmanageable scale), a long tradition of social democratic regulation, and cultural expectations of socio-spatial equality. Neoliberal policy projects have been "muted" by on-going equality claims, and some progressive "wins" in …

Making Things In A High-Dollar Australia: The Case Of The Surfboard Industry, Andrew Warren, Chris Gibson

Chris Gibson

In August 2011 the announcement by Bluescope Steel of mass layoffs at its Port Kembla steelworks, in the Illawarra region, sparked renewed public debate and media commentary on the future of manufacturing in Australia. The debate has since spread to cars, aluminium smelting - even Mortein fly spray - and has quickly coalesced around the unprecedented high Australian dollar, its impacts on exports, and the prospects of the production of goods shifting overseas. As Australian mining magnates such as Clive Palmer, Gina Rinehart and Twiggy Forrest attempt to remould Australia around their 'quarry vision' (Pearse, 2009) of extractive minerals exports, …

Diversifying Ethnicity In Australia's Population And Environment Debates, Natascha Klocker, Lesley Head

Natascha Klocker

Population–environment debates in Australia are at an impasse. While the ability of this continent to sustain more migrants has attracted persistent scrutiny, nuanced explorations of diverse migrant cultures and their engagements with Australian landscapes have scarcely begun. Yet as we face the challenges of a climate changing world we would undoubtedly benefit from the most varied knowledges we can muster. This paper brings together three arenas of environmental debate circulating in Australia—the immigration/carrying capacity debate, comparisons between Indigenous and Anglo-European modes of environmental interaction, and research on household sustainability dilemmas—to demonstrate the exclusionary tendencies of each. We then attempt to …

C-Amp Dependent Protein Kinase A Inhibitory Activity Of Six Algal Extracts From South Eastern Australia And Their Fatty Acid Composition, Ana Zivanovic, Danielle Skropeta

Danielle Skropeta

c-AMP dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A, PKA) is an important enzyme involved in the regulation of an increasing number of physiological processes including immune function, cardiovascular disease, memory disorders and cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the PKA inhibitory activity of a range of algal extracts, along with their fatty acid composition. Six algal species were investigated including two Chlorophyta (Codium dimorphum and Ulva lactuca), two Phaeophyta (Phyllospora comosa and Sargassum sp.) and two Rhodophyta (Prionitis linearis and Corallina vancouveriensis), with the order of PKA inhibitory activity of their extracts identified as follows: brown seaweeds > red …

Bottles, Bores, And Boats: Agency Of Water Assemblages In Post/Colonial Inland Australia, Leah M. Gibbs

Leah Maree Gibbs

Australian water politics is marked by conceptual and bureaucratic separation of water as discrete matter. The source of this politics of separation is colonial relations with water and the Australian continent. Yet, analysis of the materiality of water illuminates the agency of water as part of an assemblage. This paper seeks to unsettle the treatment of water as separate, discrete matter. It asks how political responses to the public problem of water would change were we to take seriously the vitality of nonhuman bodies. In order to investigate this question, the paper presents an analysis of six objects from the …

Uptake Of Medicare Chronic Disease Items In Australia By General Practice Nurses And Aboriginal Health Workers, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Patricia M. Davidson, Nicola Brown

Elizabeth Jane Halcomb Professor

The Australian health care system is currently in a state of reform and there is increasing pressure to provide care in community settings. Rising costs, demands and population ageing underscore the importance of adopting models of health care delivery to address changing epidemiological patterns. Population ageing and the increase of chronic conditions challenge models based on acute care. Changes to the Medicare benefits schedule have facilitated the development of a range of expanded nursing services in the general practice setting. In particular, item number 10997 was introduced to reimburse practice nurses and Aboriginal health workers (AHWs) for providing monitoring and …

Sharing Quality Resources For Teaching And Learning: A Peer Review Model For The Altc Exchange In Australia, Geraldine Lefoe, Robyn Philip, Meg O'Reilly, Dominique Parrish

Geraldine Lefoe

The ALTC Exchange (formerly the Carrick Exchange), is a national repository and networking service for Australian higher education. The Exchange was designed to provide access to a repository of shared learning and teaching resources, work spaces for team members engaged in collaborative projects, and communication and networking services. The Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) established the Exchange for those who teach, manage and lead learning and teaching in higher education. As part of the research conducted to inform the development of the Exchange, models for peer review of educational resources were evaluated. For this, a design based research approach …

Perceived Coping & Concern Predict Terrorism Preparedness In Australia, Garry Stevens, Kingsley Agho, Melanie Taylor, Alison L. Jones, Margo Barr, Beverley Raphael

Alison L Jones

Background In the aftermath of major terrorist incidents research shows population shifts towards protective behaviours, including specific preparedness and avoidance responses. Less is known about individual preparedness in populations with high assumed threat but limited direct exposure, such as Australia. In this study we aimed to determine whether individuals with high perceived coping and higher concern would show greater preparedness to respond to terrorism threats. Methods Adults in New South Wales (NSW) completed terrorism perception and response questions as part of computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI) in 2010 (N=2038). Responses were weighted against the NSW population. Multiple logistic regression analyses …

Newspaper Coverage Of Drug Policy: An Analysis Of Pre-Election Reporting Of The Greens' Drug Policy In Australia, Danika Hall, Sandra C. Jones, Fiona Cowlin

Sandra Jones

Introduction and Aims. With the headline 'Ecstasy Over The Counter' in a popular daily newspaper, the debate on drug policy officially entered the arena of the 2003 New South Wales (Australia) State Election. The debate resurfaced in the lead-up to the 2004 Australian Federal Election. This paper analyses the pre-election coverage of drug policy issues in four Australian newspapers. Design and Methods. Four high-circulation daily newspapers were monitored for a one-month period prior to both elections and analysed for their coverage of drug policy, particularly with respect to the policy of the Greens. Results. The newspapers took different perspectives on …

Amplified Voices, But They Are Speaking To The Wrong People. Why The Complaint System For Unacceptable Advertising In Australia Is Not Working, Katherine Eagleton, Sandra C. Jones

Sandra Jones

This exploratory study highlights the lack of public awareness of the role of the Advertising Standards Board (ASB) in the process of handling complaints about unacceptable advertising in Australia. Results show that only a small proportion of Australian adults know that the ASB are the appropriate complaints handling body. This lack of awareness is evident even among those who have made a complaint about advertising (generally to a less appropriate body). This highlights the need for an education campaign to inform the general public how to make a complaint about inappropriate advertising, and who to make a complaint to. Empowering …

Recent Sedimentation And Geomorphological Changes, Lake Illawarra, Nsw, Australia, Craig R. Sloss, Brian G. Jones, Colin V. Murray-Wallace, Bryan E. Chenhall

B. G. Jones

Assessing recent changes in landforms associated with Lake Illawarra was achieved by identifying changes in geomorphological features observed in early mapping of the region, aerial photographs and satellite imagery. Quantifying rates of sedimentation associated with prograding fluvial bay-head deltas and within the central basin of Lake Illawarra was established within the framework of amino acid racemisation, radiocarbon, and cesium 137 dating. Results indicate that sedimentation rates associated with fluvial bay-head deltas range from 31 mm/yr proximal to the delta front and fall to between 3 and 7 mm/yr in the pro-delta region. This is a significant increase in sedimentation rate …

Litho- And Chronostratigraphy Of Holocene Sedimentary Successions Preserved In Lake Illawarra, Nsw, Australia, Craig R. Sloss, Brian G. Jones, Colin V. Murray-Wallace

B. G. Jones

Using a Holocene barrier estuary, Lake Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia, as an example, a detailed litho- and chrono-stratigraphy of the Holocene estuarine deposits has been investigated. Forty kilometres of seismic surveys, 61 vibracores, supplemented by auger drill holes and trenches, and faunal analysis were used in this study. A detailed chronology of the infilling of the barrier estuary has been established using 121 aspartic acid derived ages and 14 radiocarbon ages. The results provide a detailed chronology for the deposition of marine transgressive deposits between ca. 8 and 5 ka years ago. Barrier growth, initiated with rising sea levels …

Strategies To Address Iodine Deficiency In Australia Require Ongoing Monitoring And Surveillance, Heather Yeatman, Karen E. Charlton

Karen E. Charlton

No abstract provided.

Poor Iodine Status And Knowledge Related To Iodine On The Eve Of Mandatory Iodine Fortification In Australia, Heather Yeatman, Karen E. Charlton, Fiona Houweling

Karen E. Charlton

Background: Mandatory fortification of bread with iodised salt is proposed to address the re-emergence of iodine deficiency in Australia and New Zealand. The impacts of fortification require baseline data of iodine status among vulnerable sectors of the population. Objective: To assess the iodine status of healthy women and to investigate consumer understanding and attitudes related to the proposed mandatory iodine fortification programme. Design: Cross-sectional sample of 78 non-pregnant women aged 20-55 y was conveniently sampled in Wollongong, NSW. A single 24-hr urine sample was collected for urinary iodine concentration (UIC). A selfadministered questionnaire assessed consumer understanding, perceptions and attitudes related …

Diversifying Ethnicity In Australia's Population And Environment Debates, Natascha Klocker, Lesley Head

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Population–environment debates in Australia are at an impasse. While the ability of this continent to sustain more migrants has attracted persistent scrutiny, nuanced explorations of diverse migrant cultures and their engagements with Australian landscapes have scarcely begun. Yet as we face the challenges of a climate changing world we would undoubtedly benefit from the most varied knowledges we can muster. This paper brings together three arenas of environmental debate circulating in Australia—the immigration/carrying capacity debate, comparisons between Indigenous and Anglo-European modes of environmental interaction, and research on household sustainability dilemmas—to demonstrate the exclusionary tendencies of each. We then attempt to …

Bottles, Bores, And Boats: Agency Of Water Assemblages In Post/Colonial Inland Australia, Leah Maree Gibbs

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Australian water politics is marked by conceptual and bureaucratic separation of water as discrete matter. The source of this politics of separation is colonial relations with water and the Australian continent. Yet, analysis of the materiality of water illuminates the agency of water as part of an assemblage. This paper seeks to unsettle the treatment of water as separate, discrete matter. It asks how political responses to the public problem of water would change were we to take seriously the vitality of nonhuman bodies. In order to investigate this question, the paper presents an analysis of six objects from the …

Socio Cultural Arena Of Alcoholism In Australia: What Do We Know?, Nagesh Brahmavar Pai

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

After caffeine, ethanol is probably the most commonly used recreational drug worldwide. However, there is significant variation in the consumption of alcohol between individuals. Alcohol is freely available throughout most of the world, although some communities prohibit its consumption on religious grounds. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) reported that in established market economies, 10.3% of the disease burden as quantified by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was attributable to alcohol in 2000. This is comparable to the disease burden caused by tobacco (11.7% of DALYs) but significantly more than that due to unprescribed drugs (2.3% of DALYs). However, these figures …

Addressing The Deficiencies In The Evidence-Base For Primary Practice In Regional Australia - Sentinel Practices Data Sourcing (Spds) Project: A Pilot Study, Abhijeet Ghosh, Karen E. Charlton, Lisa Girdo, Marijka J. Batterham, Keith Mcdonald

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background Chronic disease risk on a population level can be quantified through health surveys, either continuous or periodic. To date, information gathered from primary care interactions, using sentinel sites, has not been investigated as a potentially valuable surveillance system in Australia.

Methods A pilot study was conducted in a single General Practice in a regional area of New South Wales, Australia to assess the feasibility of accessing data obtained through a computerised chronic disease management program that has been designed for desktop application (Pen Computer Systems (PCS) Clinical Audit Tool: ™ PCS CAT). Collated patient data included information on chronic …

Patients Communicating With Their Primary Care Physician About Chronic Disease Treatment In Regional Australia: Is Health Literacy Important?, J Mullan, K Weston, A Bonney, C Magee, G Albert, B Gerges, Soheir Abadier, T Smith, V Bonney, B Dijkmans-Hadley, C Kielly-Carroll

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

No abstract provided.

'Redneck, Barbaric, Cashed Up Bogan? I Don't Think So': Hunting And Nature In Australia, Michael Adams

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Hunting is a controversial activity in Australia, and much debated in international research. Positions range from 'the first hunters were the first humans' to the 'meat is murder' argument. There is, however, very little research on non-Indigenous hunting in Australia, particularly on the social aspects, but also on biological and ecological issues. In contrast to a general lack of research on non-Indigenous hunting, there is extensive literature on Indigenous hunting. This paper reviews initial research exploring hunting participation and motivation in Australia, as a window into further understanding connections between humans, non-humans and place. My focus is on an analysis …

Internet-Based Photoaging Within Australian Pharmacies To Promote Smoking Cessation: Randomized Controlled Trial, Oksana Burford, Moyez Jiwa, Owen B. Carter, Richard Parsons, Delia Hendrie

Research outputs 2013

Background: Tobacco smoking leads to death or disability and a drain on national resources. The literature suggests that cigarette smoking continues to be a major modifiable risk factor for a variety of diseases and that smokers aged 18-30 years are relatively resistant to antismoking messages due to their widely held belief that they will not be lifelong smokers. Objective: To conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a computer-generated photoaging intervention to promote smoking cessation among young adult smokers within a community pharmacy setting. Methods: A trial was designed with 80% power based on the effect size observed in a …

What Is Different In Psychiatric Practice In Developing And Developed World? An Experiential Account From Australia And India, Nagesh Pai, Naveen Chandra

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Abstract of a paper presented at the 65th Annual National Conference of Indian Psychiatric Society, Bangalor, 10-13 Jan, 2013. This is a narrative account of two psychiatrists (from Wollongong, NSW and Mangalore, India) who swapped their location or practice and reviewed their experiences.

Considerations For U-Series Dating Of Sediments: Insights From The Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Heather K. Handley, Simon P. Turner, Anthony Dosseto, David Haberlah, Juan C. Afonso

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Uranium isotope ratios have been determined for the fine-grained detrital fraction of Pleistocene Wilkawillina valley-fill sediments, four local Proterozoic bedrock samples and fine-grained aeolian material from a sand dune deposit of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. The aim was to quantify the comminution age, i.e. the time elapsed since physical weathering of the bedrock, and residence time of the valley-fill sediments and to place tighter constraints on input parameters for the comminution age calculation. Despite using two independent approaches for determination of the recoil lost fraction of 234U from the sediment (weighted geometric and surface area estimates), samples fail to …

Making Things In A High-Dollar Australia: The Case Of The Surfboard Industry, Andrew Warren, Chris Gibson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

In August 2011 the announcement by Bluescope Steel of mass layoffs at its Port Kembla steelworks, in the Illawarra region, sparked renewed public debate and media commentary on the future of manufacturing in Australia. The debate has since spread to cars, aluminium smelting - even Mortein fly spray - and has quickly coalesced around the unprecedented high Australian dollar, its impacts on exports, and the prospects of the production of goods shifting overseas. As Australian mining magnates such as Clive Palmer, Gina Rinehart and Twiggy Forrest attempt to remould Australia around their 'quarry vision' (Pearse, 2009) of extractive minerals exports, …

Climatic Records Over The Past 30 Ka From Temperate Australia - A Synthesis From The Oz-Intimate Workgroup, L Petherick, H Bostock, T J. Cohen, K Fitzsimmons, J Tibby, M -S Fletcher, P Moss, J Reeves, S Mooney, T Barrows, J Kemp, J Jansen, G Nanson, A Dosseto

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Temperate Australia sits between the heat engine of the tropics and the cold Southern Ocean, encompassing a range of rainfall regimes and falling under the influence of different climatic drivers. Despite this heterogeneity, broad-scale trends in climatic and environmental change are evident over the past 30 ka. During the early glacial period (∼30–22 ka) and the Last Glacial Maximum (∼22–18 ka), climate was relatively cool across the entire temperate zone and there was an expansion of grasslands and increased fluvial activity in regionally important Murray–Darling Basin. The temperate region at this time appears to be dominated by expanded sea ice …

Humans, Megafauna And Environmental Change In Tropical Australia, Michael I. Bird, Lindsay B. Hutley, Michael J. Lawes, Jon Lloyd, Jon G. Luly, Peter V. Ridd, Richard G. Roberts, Sean Ulm, Christoper M. Wurster

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Debate concerning the environmental impact of human arrival in Australia has continued for more than a century. Here we review the evidence for human impact and the mechanisms by which humans may have affected the environment of tropical Australia. We limit our review to tropical Australia because, over three decades ago, it was proposed that the imposition of an anthropogenic fire regime upon human occupation of the Australian continent may have resulted in profound changes in regional vegetation and climate across this region. We conclude that ecological processes and vegetation-fire-climate-human feedbacks do exist that could have driven a significant shift …

Heavy Metal Pollution Negatively Correlates With Anuran Species Richness And Distribution In South-Eastern Australia, Kristina L.G Ficken, Phillip G. Byrne

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Heavy metal pollution has likely played an important role in global biodiversity decline, but there remains a paucity of information concerning the effects of metals on amphibian diversity. This study assessed anuran species richness and distribution in relation to sediment metal content and water chemistry in wetlands located along the Merri Creek corridor in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Anurans were present in 60% (21/35) of study sites, with a total of six species detected: the eastern common froglet (Crinia signifera), the eastern sign-bearing froglet (Crinia parinsignifera), the southern brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii), the growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis), the eastern …

Demographic Patterns Of A Widespread Long-Lived Tree Are Associated With Rainfall And Disturbances Along Rainfall Gradients In Se Australia, Janet S. Cohn, Ian D. Lunt, Ross A. Bradstock, Quan Hua, Simon Mcdonald

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Predicting species distributions with changing climate has often relied on climatic variables, but increasingly there is recognition that disturbance regimes should also be included in distribution models. We examined how changes in rainfall and disturbances along climatic gradients determined demographic patterns in a widespread and long-lived tree species, Callitris glaucophylla in SE Australia. We examined recruitment since 1950 in relation to annual (200-600 mm) and seasonal (summer, uniform, winter) rainfall gradients, edaphic factors (topography), and disturbance regimes (vertebrate grazing [tenure and species], fire). A switch from recruitment success to failure occurred at 405 mm mean annual rainfall, coincident with a …

Evolution Of A Cambrian Active Continental Margin: The Delamerian-Lachlan Connection In Southeastern Australia From A Zircon Perspective, C L. Fergusson, A P. Nutman, T Kamiichi, H Hidaka

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The Early Palaeozoic Ross–Delamerian orogenic belt is considered to have formed as an active margin facing the palaeo-Pacific Ocean with some island arc collisions, as in Tasmania (Australia) and Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica), followed by terminal deformation and cessation of active convergence. On the Cambrian eastern margin of Australia adjacent to the Delamerian Fold Belt, island arc and backarc basin crust was formed and is now preserved in the Lachlan Fold Belt and is consistent with a spatial link between the Delamerian and Lachlan orogens. The Delamerian–Lachlan connection is tested with new zircon data. Metamorphic zircons from a basic eclogite …

"Muting" Neoliberalism? Class And Colonial Legacies In Australia, Chris Gibson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Australian governments of left and right persuasions have seemingly embraced elements of the neoliberal agenda, as in many other parts of the world; but exactly how deeply these have been enacted, and how transformative they have been, must be understood in relation to key colonial, geographical and cultural inheritances. These inheritances include the hegemony of central government stewardship of the economy (essential in a colonized, sparsely populated continent of almost unmanageable scale), a long tradition of social democratic regulation, and cultural expectations of socio-spatial equality. Neoliberal policy projects have been "muted" by on-going equality claims, and some progressive "wins" in …