Australia

Artworld: Changing Gatekeepers?

by Ashley Holmes

Published in Working Papers in Art and Design, volume 5, University of Hertfordshire, 2009.

'Gatekeepers' perform critical institutional functions regarding the recognition, interpretation, preservation, and... more 'Gatekeepers' perform critical institutional functions regarding the recognition, interpretation, preservation, and the passing-on of knowledge and practices. Agenda-setting is the political manifestation. This paper begins with a rehearsal of the history of the concept of the artworld and traces recent political events in the Australian context that show the notion has contemporary relevance. The institutional theory of art is revisited and its compatibility with ontological theories of virtual relations that address ideology and the cultural formation of actuality is explored.

Could the artworker as researcher, in a role formalised through higher degree fine arts research programs, have the potential to subsume the traditionally separate roles of the artist practitioner, art critic and even curator within the institution of art? Can such researchers be said to be performing the function of translation, in a sense similar to that which arises from actor-network theory?

The interdisciplinary appropriation of theory between the creative industries and political economy is giving rise to a new breed of authority trained in cultural sociology and possessing the skill to shepherd opinion accounting for innovative value in the newly interpreted data about creative roles in marketplaces. It is argued that the result to date is a conflation of common understanding of the terms 'the arts', 'creativity' and 'innovation'.

The author identifies heterogeneous interpretive contexts vying within his own experimental new media art, teaching and research practice.

Happy Families or Strained Relations?: Trans-Tasman Responses to Terrorism

by Brigid Magner

Ecology and the art of the possible

by Marco Cuevas-Hewitt

Forthcoming. Due for publication in mid-2012. Draft available for viewing.

First paragraph: "Evocative images, wispy like memory, light up the walls of a sunless room in an old colonial... more First paragraph: "Evocative images, wispy like memory, light up the walls of a sunless room in an old colonial era mental asylum turned art gallery. In their glow, an odd array of objects: Time-worn furniture, an antique French stereoscope, a bouquet of native flowers, jars of assorted bush tucker. Binding them are the invisible threads of stories, gathered up and re-woven by artists Tessa Zettel and Karl Khoe of the Sydney-based collective, Makeshift, during their two sojourns in Esperance in the autumn and spring of 2011. The black and white projection at the focal point of the installation conveys an eighteenth century dining scene, seemingly plucked out of Europe and parachuted into the dry salt lake where it was filmed, save for the bloodroot, wattleseed, and other edible native plants comprising the spread. Adding to its curiousness is the artists’ unusual choice to film it as a tableau vivant or ‘living picture’. This now-quaint convention, once popular as a form of entertainment at the soirees of aristocratic elites, involves the presentation of a scene by a silent and motionless cast of characters as if imitating a painting or photograph. The effect achieved by Makeshift is a film reel resembling a slideshow of images from the colonial frontier, eerily still but for the tablecloth flapping in the breeze..."

Empanelling the squatters: Christian behaviour and politics in Furphy’s Such is Life.

by Susan Lever

Paper delivered at the 'In Search of Tom Collins' conference, Lake Mungo, April 2012

In Chapter IV of Such is Life, Tom Collins tells us that 'there is no typical squatter. Or, if you like, a... more
In Chapter IV of Such is Life, Tom Collins tells us that 'there is no typical squatter. Or, if you like, a thousand types.' (164) This paper examines the various squatters in Furphy's novel, his sympathy for some of them, and his inability to propose any successful alternatives for their dominance of the land. It argues that the subject matter of Such is Life—the ownership of property that should belong to all—is as political as any study of unionism might have been. The ‘absence of the shearers’ indicates Furphy’s identification of land monopoly as a more serious source of inequality than wage injustice.

Book review: La Réforme administrative en Nouvelle Zélande et en Australie dans les années 80s et 90s. Etat des lieux.

by Mahama Tawat

Cet article passe en revue la littérature sur les réformes administratives introduites en Nouvelle Zélande et en Australie à la fin des années 1980s. Malgré de nombreuses similitudes entre les deux pays, chacun adopta une stratégie différente. La Nouvelle Zélande, contrairement à l' Australie et plus que tout autre pays occidental, appliqua les Nouvelles Politiques Managériales (NPM). Cet article résume tous les livres qui ont été publiés sur le sujet à ce jour.
This article takes stock of the existing literature on the adoption and implementation of New Public Management (NPM) in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s and 1990s. Despite strong similarities between both countries, New Zealand unlike Australia and indeed any other Western country implemented NPM.

Reciprocity as deliberative capacity: Lessons from a citizens deliberation on carbon pricing mechanisms in Australia

by Alex Lo

Lo, A.Y., Alexander K.S., Proctor, W., Ryan, A. (2012). Environment and Planning C: Government & Policy. [Accepted for publication May 2012].

Australia has seen a deep division in opinion in search of a carbon pricing mechanism. While concepts of carbon... more Australia has seen a deep division in opinion in search of a carbon pricing mechanism. While concepts of carbon taxation and emission trading have comparable public support, climate scepticism is influencing the debates in political and public spheres in downplaying the need for carbon pricing. Public deliberation forum is a possible engagement option to address the conflict inherent in climate policy preferences. This research explores the way that a deliberative forum promoted effective communication between participants through which conflict between policy preferences became more tractable. The forum involved 24 Australians. While it did not eliminate disagreement in preferences in the choice of carbon pricing mechanisms, participants reached consensus on fundamental principles such as the need for trusted sources of information, trusted governance procedures and accountability by appropriate institutions. Shared political expectations encouraged dialogue and cooperation in discussions by enhancing reciprocal understanding. Two sceptical participants who originally had strong disagreements with the rest of the group found common ground. Public deliberative forums that are conducive to reciprocal communication are able to provide a mechanism for joint problem-solving processes that are less adversarial and more responsive to the variety of people’s preferences.

In Furphy's Footsteps

by Susan Lever

Feature article in Canberra Times, Panorama section, April 21, 2012

Account of trip in search of the places in Joseph Furphy's novel, Such is Life. Account of trip in search of the places in Joseph Furphy's novel, Such is Life.

Environmental education in Australia| Macquarie University ResearchOnline

by Daniella Tilbury

Planning for Success: Factors Influencing Change in Teacher Education.

by Daniella Tilbury

Education about and for sustainability in Australian Business Schools

by Daniella Tilbury

Aridity in the monsoon zone as indicated by desert dune formation in the Gregory Lakes basin, northwestern Australia

by Kathryn Fitzsimmons

Fitzsimmons, K.E., Miller, G.H., Spooner, N.A., Magee, J.W. (2012, in press) Aridity in the monsoon zone as indicated by desert dune formation in the Gregory Lakes basin, northwestern Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences.

Desert dunes within the monsoon-fed Gregory Lakes basin form valuable archives for Quaternary paleoenvironments, in a... more Desert dunes within the monsoon-fed Gregory Lakes basin form valuable archives for Quaternary paleoenvironments, in a region where such records are scarce. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronologies from two dunes identify the timing of aeolian processes, interpreted as a complex response to aridification and increased sediment availability during lake transgressions and associated fluvial activity. The earliest aeolian deposition in our record occurred ca 91.5 ka, which postdates the last “mega-lake” phase but predates a smaller lake transgression during early MIS 3. Sand plain accretion took place around ca 47 ka during contemporaneous periodic high lake levels. This was followed by intermittent linear dune building, between ca 35 and 11.5 ka, which most likely took place during an interval of relative aridity. Close spacing of mid-Holocene ages within one dune indicates rapid sediment accumulation in a single arid event ca 5 ka. At no time in the last 50 ka have lake levels reached those of the last "mega-lake” phase prior to ca 91.5 ka, suggesting a substantially weakened present-day monsoon.

Ward et al (2002) Colony structure and nest characteristics of European wasps Vespula Germanica (F) (Hymenoptera Vespidae) in Victoria Australia

by Anthony Daglio

Stakeholder Participation in Management of Invasive Vertebrates

by Adriana Ford-Thompson

Published in Conservation Biology 2012, 26(2):345-356
Co-authored with Carolyn Snell, Glen Saunders and Piran C.L. White

Stakeholders are increasingly involved in species conservation. We sought to understand what features of a... more Stakeholders are increasingly involved in species conservation. We sought to understand what features of a participatory conservation program are associated with its ecological and social outcomes. We conducted a case study of the management of invasive vertebrates in Australia. Invasive vertebrates are a substantial threat to Australia's native species, and stakeholder participation in their management is often necessary for their control. First, we identified potential influences on the ecological and social outcomes of species conservation programs from the literature. We used this information to devise an interview questionnaire, which we administered to managers of 34 participatory invasive-vertebrate programs. Effects of invasive species were related to program initiator (agency or citizen), reasons for use of a participatory approach, and stakeholder composition. Program initiator was also related to the participation methods used, level of governance (i.e., governed by an agency or citizens), changes in stakeholder interactions, and changes in abundance of invasive species. Ecological and social outcomes were related to changes in abundance of invasive species and stakeholder satisfaction. We identified relations between changes in the number of participants, stakeholder satisfaction, and occurrence of conflict. Potential ways to achieve ecological and social goals include provision of governmental support (e.g., funding) to stakeholders and minimization of gaps in representation of stakeholder groups or individuals to, for example, increase conflict mitigation. Our findings provide guidance for increasing the probability of achieving ecological and social objectives in management of invasive vertebrates and may be applicable to other participatory conservation programs.

Indigenous and modern biomaterials derived from Triodia (spinifex) grasslands in Australia.

by Lynley Wallis

Co-published with Gamage, H., S. Mondal, L.A. Wallis, P. Memmott, D. Martin, B. Wright and S Schmidt in the 'Australian Journal of Botany' (accepted for publication 14 December 2011).

Plant-derived fibres and resins can provide biomaterials with environmental, health and financial benefits. Australian... more Plant-derived fibres and resins can provide biomaterials with environmental, health and financial benefits. Australian arid zone grasses have not been explored as sources of modern biomaterials including building materials. Triodia grasslands are a dominant vegetation type in the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia covering a third of the continent. Of the 69 identified Triodia species, 26 produce resin from specialised cells in the outer leaf epidermis. In Aboriginal culture, Triodia biomass and resin were valued for their usefulness in cladding shelters and as a hafting agent. Since European settlement, Triodia grasslands have been used for cattle grazing and burning is a common occurrence to improve pasture value and prevent large scale fires. Although Triodia grasslands are relatively stable to fires, more frequent and large scale fires impact on other fire sensitive woody and herbaceous species associated with Triodia and invasion of exotic weeds resulting in localised changes in vegetation structure and composition. The extent and change occurring in Triodia grasslands as a result of altered land use practices, fire regimes and changing climate warrant careful consideration of their future. The extent and change occurring in Triodia grasslands as a result of altered land use practices, fire regimes, and changing climate warrant careful consideration of their future management. Localised harvesting of Triodia grasslands could have environmental benefits and provide much needed biomaterials for desert living. Research is underway to evaluate the material properties of Triodia biomass and resin in the context of Indigenous and western scientific knowledge. Here, we review uses of Triodia and highlight research needs if sustainable harvesting is to be considered.

A comparison of estimates of relative abundance from a weakly structured mass-participation bird atlas survey and a robustly designed monitoring scheme

by Judit Szabo

Ibis in press

Estimates of population size are frequently used in conservation. Volunteer-conducted surveys are often the only... more Estimates of population size are frequently used in conservation. Volunteer-conducted surveys are often the only source of information available, but their reliability is unclear.
We compare data from a weakly structured national bird atlas collected by volunteer surveyors free to choose where and when to visit with data from an independent suite of monitoring surveys that used a stratified sampling design. We focus on the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, a region that has lost most of its native vegetation. Both datasets comprise several thousand 20-min 2-ha searches carried out between 1999 and 2007.
The atlas dataset reported more species, and covered habitats more comprehensively, but showed greater variability in the temporal and spatial distribution of survey effort. However,
after we restricted the atlas dataset to native eucalypt woodlands, reporting rates from the two schemes were very strongly correlated. The structured surveys tended to
record more species that are normally detected by call and the unstructured surveys recorded more species using edges and open habitats. Minimum population estimates from the two datasets agreed very well. The strength of concordance depended on whether overflying birds were included, highlighting the importance of distinguishing such records in future surveys. We conclude that appropriate calibration using selected
regional surveys, including surveys to estimate absolute densities, can enable volunteercollected and weakly structured atlas data to be used to generate robust occupancy and
minimum population estimates for many species at a regional scale.

Supporting rural/remote primary health care placement experiences increases undergraduate nurse confidence.

by Paul Bennett

Co-authored with Jones, D., Brown, J. and Barlow, V.
On-line (24 March 2012), published in Nurse Education Today.

Abstract: This paper reports on the analysis of data fromundergraduate nursing studentswho participated in the Primary... more Abstract: This paper reports on the analysis of data fromundergraduate nursing studentswho participated in the Primary
Health Care Intensive Programme (PHCIP) in far west New South Wales between 2006 and 2008. This analysis
looks specifically at pre/post confidence levels of participants in relation to their grasp of underlying principles
associated with primary health care practice and Indigenous health care delivery. Bachelor of nursing curricula
remains heavily weighted towards acute care in large metropolitan facilities however; universities actively
seek clinical fieldwork experiences in rural/remote and Indigenous communities for their students. The PHCIP
was developed and delivered through the Broken Hill University Department of Rural Health, University of
Sydney, and sought to address the disparity in student preparedness for practice in these settings through
the provision of a structured and educational rural and remote clinical placement experience. Pre/post
questionnaires, focus groups and three month post-placement phone interviews provided data on levels
of participant confidence in the areas of primary health care delivery and culturally knowledgeable practice.
This study indicates that structured preparation for practice, underpinned by authentic learning experiences
and aligned with comprehensive education programmes can have a positive impact in the areas of
skills, knowledge and attitudes and enhance the confidence of undergraduate nurses undertaking clinical
placements in these settings. These findings are relevant to contemporary nursing education and evolving
models of health care delivery for rural and remote communities.

Keywords:
Indigenous health, Curricula, Confidence, Student nurse, Rural/remote, Undergraduate, Primary Health Care, Clinical placement experience

Diprotodontid footprints from the Pliocene of Central Australia

by Aaron Camens

The first Pliocene marsupial fossil trackways from Australia are described. The trackways, attributed to Euowenia... more The first Pliocene marsupial fossil trackways from Australia are described. The trackways, attributed to Euowenia grata (De Vis) (Diprotodontoidea, Marsupialia), occur in the middle Pliocene Tirari Formation, Warburton River, northern South Australia. The trackways were formed as the animals made their way across a soft claypan. Pad impressions, subsequently infilled by a gypsum-cemented clay, indicate how weight was distributed within the pes.

Palaeobiology of Euowenia grata (Marsupialia: Diprotodontinae) and its Presence in Northern South Australia

by Aaron Camens

Recovery of a specimen of Euowenia grata (De Vis, 1887) from mid Pliocene sediments of the Tirari Formation on the... more Recovery of a specimen of Euowenia grata (De Vis, 1887) from mid Pliocene sediments of the Tirari Formation on the bank of the Warburton River in the Lake Eyre Basin provides the first recorded account of this species in South Australia. The specimen comprises a partial skull including left and right premaxillae, maxillae, and left zygomatic arch, along with an almost complete upper dentition (missing the left I2). An articulated hind leg and pes found downstream at the same stratigraphic level, as well as both fore- and hind-feet of a single individual, are also referred to E. grata and represent the first postcranial material assigned to the species. A reconstruction of the pes indicates that much more of the body weight was borne by the tarsus in this species than in plesiomorphic diprotodontids, such as Nimbadon Hand et al., 1993, or Ngapakaldia Stirton, 1967, although E. grata does not exhibit the more extreme enlargement of the tarsus seen in graviportal Pleistocene diprotodontids. E. grata is found here also to be the only known Australian marsupial, extant or extinct, to exhibit fusion of all three cuneiform bones in the tarsus. We suggest that the diprotodontine hind limb and pes had evolved graviportal adaptations in the Pliocene as well as in the Pleistocene members. We also suggest that E. grata may have been able to rear up against trees while browsing.

Man and megafauna in Tasmania: closing the gap

by Aaron Camens

Recent discussion on the late Pleistocene extinction of the Australian megafauna has revolved around more Recent discussion on the late Pleistocene extinction of the Australian megafauna has revolved around
interpretation of several key fossil sites in Tasmania. It has been suggested that humans did not arrive in
Tasmania until after the megafauna became extinct, or did not hunt now extinct megafauna, and
therefore that humans cannot be implicated in the extinctions. Radiocarbon results from these sites
indicate that the youngest extinct megafauna are close to charcoal ages from the oldest archaeological
deposits, although difficulties have arisen in establishing chronologies because most relevant sites have
ages near the limit for radiocarbon analysis.
We report a series of new radiocarbon ages, d13C, d15N and C:N ratios on collagen and dentine fractions
from skeletal remains in the Mount Cripps karst area and the Mowbray Swamp, both in northwestern
Tasmania, and discuss the reliability of ages from these and other sites.We also report the discovery of an
articulated Simosthenurus occidentalis skeleton at Mt Cripps, that represents only the second directlydated
extinct megafaunal taxon with a reliable age <50 ka cal BP from Tasmania.
Our results suggest that C:N ratios measured on collagen or dentine are not an infallible guide to
radiocarbon age reliability. We confirm previous reports of a temporal overlap between the megafaunal
and archaeological records in Tasmania, but the presence of archaeological evidence and megafauna with
the same age at the same site has not yet been demonstrated. At least two megafaunal taxadthe nowextinct
Protemnodon anak and a giant Pleistocene form of the extant Macropus giganteusdwere still
present in Tasmania after 43 ka, when human crossing of the Bassian landbridge from mainland Australia
first became sustainable.

Australian Peace Psychology: From Theory to Practice

by Siew Fang Law