Myth, moment and the challenge of identities: Stories from Australians of Indigenous and Chinese ancestry

There has been a long history of contact between Indigenous and Chinese people in north-eastern Australia. This is evidenced in contemporary communities by the significant presence of mixed-heritage individuals of Indigenous and Chinese ancestry. This paper employs the stories of 10 such individuals to examine their incorporation of 'otherculture' ancestries into identity constructs. In doing so, the paper sheds light on how identities are narrated at the intersection of 'myth' and 'moment', and how challenge evokes transformation and discontinuity. Three broad identity responses emerge from the data: affirmation of singular constructs; questioning and contemplation; and pluralist embracing of both cultures. Historical and contemporary discourses feature prominently, covertly and overtly restricting potential identifications. Mutuality and hegemonic rivalry are found to underpin the narration of relations between the two marginalised and racialised groups.

Issues in Australian Foreign Policy January to June 2001

The first half of 2001 saw traditional issues dominating the foreign policy agenda, with both Australia's relationship with the United States and the policy of Asian engagement still holding centre stage. But those old issues generated fresh anxieties. In the United States, the incoming Bush administration displayed a genuine radicalism in its approach to foreign policy, and that raised concerns in many Western capitals — including Canberra — about a new mood of unilateralism in Washington. At the same time, the emergence of the thesis that Australia was becoming a "branch office economy", where key decisions were taken in the capital markets of New York and London, made the government noticeably more cautious and selective in its endorsement of globalisation. Further, the issue of Asian engagement grew steadily more complex: Australian policy-makers searched unsuccessfully for a new focus for the policy of Asian engagement, as Japan's economy wallowed and Indonesia's democratic government tottered.

Volunteerism and government policy in infant welfare in Queensland, Australia, 1931-1961: Working round the ban

Whereas in other Australian states voluntary organizations set up and managed infant health clinics and state governments only later became involved, in order to resolve conflicts or raise standards, Queensland began with government control. From the start, these well-baby clinics were established and maintained by the state government, whose policy precluded any involvement by the voluntary sector in baby clinic management or other aspects of the work of the Maternal and Child Welfare section of the Department of Health and Home Affairs. One organization, the Mothercraft Association of Queensland, attempted to contribute to maternal-infant welfare in the years 1931-1961. This article will discuss how the association worked in a way that was complementary to the government's work, and non-confrontationist, to achieve some of its goals.

Development of educational policy and early intervention for learning difficulties in Australia: In the case of Queensland

This paper aims to describe the historical outline and current development of the educational policy for students with learning difficulties in Australia, focusing especially on the state of Queensland. In order to develop educational policy of learning difficulities at the state level, the concept of learning difficulities had been discussed until the middle of the 1970's. Receiving the submissions which argued strongly against a diagnostically-oriented definition of learning disabilities, the Select Comittee concluded that there was much conceptual confusion regarding the definition and cause of learining difficulties that might take many years to resolve. Despite that it was recongnised that action was needed to assist children by looking at their "total learning environmerit", and recommended the development of an educational policy for students with learning difficulties. During 1980's, support teachers for students with learning difficulties were employed in many schools. Scince the early 1980's support teachers have been making their efforts in regular classrooms rather than in the resource rooms. Their roles have been to help students with learning difficulties using effective and specific skills, and to consult with the regular classroom teacher in solving the problems related to learning difficulties in regular classes. Currently, the support system for students with learning difficulties has been employed to organize a more systematic and broader approach in Queensland based on the accountability of schools. In the context of enphasizing literacy and numeracy, a systematic whole school approach and particular programs, such as the Year 2 Diagnostic Net and Reading Recovery, have been introduced into the educational system for early identification and early intervention.