Xavier Herbert

As a biographical documentary concept develops, its intention and its form are impacted and may be transformed by market demands. The documentary idea about the life of Xavier Herbert has been in development through a number of iterations within the shifting landscape of the Australian documentary industry from the mid- 1990s to 2009. This study is, on the one hand, an endeavour to find a workable way to express and practise the multi-layered complexity of creative work, a long-form documentary script on Herbert, an Australian literary icon. On the other hand, this thesis represents a cumulative research exercise, whereby my own experiences in the documentary industry in Queensland, Australia and overseas are analysed in an effort to enlighten the broader documentary community about such a complex, even labyrinthine, process.

Safety culture research, lead indicators, and the development of safety effectiveness indicators in the construction sector

Construction sector application of Lead Indicators generally and Positive Performance Indicators (PPIs) particularly, are largely seen by the sector as not providing generalizable indicators of safety effectiveness. Similarly, safety culture is often cited as an essential factor in improving safety performance, yet there is no known reliable way of measuring safety culture. This paper proposes that the accurate measurement of safety effectiveness and safety culture is a requirement for assessing safe behaviours, safety knowledge, effective communication and safety performance. Currently there are no standard national or international safety effectiveness indicators (SEIs) that are accepted by the construction industry. The challenge is that quantitative survey instruments developed for measuring safety culture and/ or safety climate are inherently flawed methodologically and do not produce reliable and representative data concerning attitudes to safety. Measures that combine quantitative and qualitative components are needed to provide a clear utility for safety effectiveness indicators.