To stand by the women of the Orient : Australian women and China in the twentieth century

This paper will examine the history of Australian women living and working in China in the twentieth century. To do this I will compare the Australian experience with research on American, British and New Zealander women. The paper includes a study of two categories of Australian women in China: the expert observers, and the secular reformers. Using current theorising of post-colonialism, I will identify the specific contribution and dimensions of Australian women's experience in China.

Rogue men and predatory women : female fan's perception of Australian footballers' sexual conduct

The 2004 Australian Football League and National Rugby League seasons started amidst claims made by women about players behaving inappropriately towards them. A raft of allegations surfaced in the media, prompting nationwide debate on the issue of sportsmen and violence. While sport sociologists have made important inroads toward understanding sexual misconduct by male athletes, much of this research appears to focus on the socio-cultural factors informing the perpetrators' actions. This study takes a different approach, analysing the perspectives of female Australian rules football fans to consider gendered narratives of sexual misconduct. Our findings demonstrate that discourses of individualism, along with a mix of socio-cultural and biological arguments, are used by women to reconcile players' misconduct with continuing support of their sport.

Benchmarking the teaching of Australian Indigenous content in undergraduate psychology

This paper discusses a teaching and learning project on incorporating Australian Indigenous content into psychology undergraduate programs. After the impetus generated by the Head of Schools meeting in Perth in 1998 and the publication of the special issue of the Australian Psychologist on Psychology and Indigenous peoples in 2000, little progress seems to have been made. The paper discusses the process of developing curriculum guidelines for psychology academics wishing to include Indigenous content. These include the need to critically examine the assumptions and history of Western psychology in relation to Indigenous peoples, the inclusion of non-conventional teaching and learning methods, staff and institutional support, and appropriate staff development. While we have been encouraged by the growing support for this process, there are also significant obstacles, including rigidity of thinking about psychology programs and the attitude that it is all too hard. It is important to get this right, since the token inclusion of Indigenous material into otherwise mainstream Western psychology courses will be ineffective in bringing about the required understanding for psychology students wishing to work with Indigenous people in their professional careers and bring about social justice.

A tangled tale of two teal : population history of the grey Anas gracilis and chestnut teal A. castanea of Australia

Two Australian species of teal (Anseriformes: Anatidae: Anas), the grey teal Anas gracilis and the chestnut teal A. castanea, are remarkable for the zero or near-zero divergence recorded between them in earlier surveys of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity. We confirmed this result through wider geographical and population sampling as well as nucleotide sampling in the more rapidly evolving mtDNA control region. Any data set where two species share polymorphism as is the case here can be explained by a model of gene flow through hybridization on one hand or by incomplete lineage sorting on the other hand. Ideally, analysis of such shared polymorphism would simultaneously estimate the likelihood of both phenomena. To do this, we used the underlying principle of the IMa package to explore ramifications to understanding population histories of A. gracilis and A. castanea. We cannot reject that hybridization occurs between the two species but an equally or more plausible finding for their nearly zero divergence is incomplete sorting following very recent divergence between the two, probably in the mid-late Pleistocene. Our data add to studies that explore intermediate stages in the evolution of reciprocal monophyly and paraphyletic or polyphyletic relationships in mtDNA diversity among widespread Australian birds.

Where and when does a ring start and end? Testing the ring-species hypothesis in a species complex of Australian parrots

Speciation, despite ongoing gene flow can be studied directly in nature in ring species that comprise two reproductively isolated populations connected by a chain or ring of intergrading populations. We applied three tiers of spatio-temporal analysis (phylogeny/historical biogeography, phylogeography and landscape/population genetics) to the data from mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of eastern Australian parrots of the Crimson Rosella Platycercus elegans complex to understand the history and present genetic structure of the ring they have long been considered to form. A ring speciation hypothesis does not explain the patterns we have observed in our data (e.g. multiple genetic discontinuities, discordance in genotypic and phenotypic assignments where terminal differentiates meet). However, we cannot reject that a continuous circular distribution has been involved in the group's history or indeed that one was formed through secondary contact at the 'ring's' east and west; however, we reject a simple ring-species hypothesis as traditionally applied, with secondary contact only at its east. We discuss alternative models involving historical allopatry of populations. We suggest that population expansion shown by population genetics parameters in one of these isolates was accompanied by geographical range expansion, secondary contact and hybridization on the eastern and western sides of the ring. Pleistocene landscape and sea-level and habitat changes then established the birds' current distributions and range disjunctions. Populations now show idiosyncratic patterns of selection and drift. We suggest that selection and drift now drive evolution in different populations within what has been considered the ring.

At the limits : postcolonial and hyperreal translations of Australian poetry

This dissertation employs the methodologies of postcolonial theory and hyperreal theory (following Baudrillard), in order to investigate articulations of identity, nation and representation in contemporary Australian poetry. Informed by a comparative analysis of contemporary Latin American poetry and cultural theory (in translation), as a means of re-examining the Australian context, this dissertation develops a new transnational model of Australian poetics. The central thesis of this dissertation is that contemporary Australian poetry engages with the postcolonial at its limits. That is, at those sites of postcoloniality that are already mapped by theory, but also at those that occur beyond postcolonial theory. The hyperreal is understood as one such limit, traceable within the poetry but silenced in conventional postcolonial theory. As another limit to the postcolonial, this dissertation reads Latin American poetry and theory, in whose texts postcolonial theory is actively resisted, but where postcolonial and hyperreal poetics nevertheless intersect. The original critical context constructed by this dissertation enables a new set of readings of Australian identity through its poetry. Within this new interpretative context, the readings of contemporary Australian poetry articulate a psycho-social postcoloniality; offer a template for future transactions between national poetry and global politics; and develop a model of the postcolonial hyperreal.

Ecology of epifaunal caridean shrimps in the Hopkins River estuary, and the role of estuaries in the life history of the atyid "Paratya Australiensis" Kemp, 1917 in south-eastern Australia

This study examined the factors affecting the distribution and abundance of epifaunal caridean shrimps in seagrass meadows of the Hopkins River estuary in south-western Victoria, Australia, and investigated the life history patterns of the freshwater Parana australiensis, found for the first time in estuaries. Adult and sub-adult shrimps were surveyed in seagrass meadows along the estuary over two years, and their planktonic larvae were surveyed in adjacent waters. Three species were collected. The marine Palaemon serenus occurred only near the mouth, summer to autumn, in high salinities. The marine/estuarine Macrobrachium intermedium occurred throughout the estuary. Adults were most abundant in late autumn, and least abundant in summer (unlike trends reported in marine meadows). Densities were higher and less variable in downstream meadows. P. australiensis occurred in the upper estuary all year, most abundantly in spring, due to migration from the river after peak discharge. Ovigerous females dominated, while males, showing less migration into the estuary, dominated above estuarine influence. Adults disappeared from the estuary in summer as salinity rose. Breeding period for P. australiensis was briefer in the estuary (September-December) than upstream (July-April). M. intermedium began breeding later in the upper estuary (November/December-March) than in the lower estuary (October-March), probably reflecting a physiological response to lower salinity, rather than an interaction with P. australiensis. No ovigerous P. serenus were found in the estuary. Larvae of P. australiensis and M intermedium occurred abundantly throughout the estuary, but P. serenus larvae did not. P. australiensis was an early coloniser to the plankton after peak discharge (November-December). Larvae concentrated in the deep saline layer at the head of the intruding salt wedge, thus probably maintaining longitudinal position. Diurnal vertical migrations were evident within the salt wedge, and in a deep pool above tidal influence. M. intermedium larvae occurred October-May in the lower estuary and November-April in the upper estuary, peaking in abundance one to two months after P. australiensis. They were associated with low surface flows and surface salinities greater than 10, over an anoxic deeper layer. All three species exhibited extended development of euryhaline larvae in the laboratory. Tolerances and optimal salinities of larvae of the three species reflected their distributions. M. intermedium was the most euryhaline species. P. australiensis larvae were tolerant of higher salinities than juveniles of adults: capable of developing in salinity of at least 15. Most P. australiensis juveniles recruited to the estuary November-December, after which numbers declined dramatically. After settlement, most recruits probably migrated upstream out of the estuary. Two cohorts of M. intermedium recruited to the estuary from larvae in summer (December and February), but some juveniles also migrated from adjacent coastal waters. Post-larval migration was at least as important a determinant of abundance as direct recruitment from estuarine, planktonic larvae in all three species. Distributions among seagrass meadows along the estuary were determined primarily by physico-chemical patterns driven by hydrological changes. Seasonal variations in salinity and temperature were strongly associated with seasonal variations in shrimp abundance. Salinity tolerances of adults of the three species reflected their distribution patterns. Biotic interactions were more important in determining distributions within meadows. P. australiensis, when abundant, were associated with seagrass biomass. M. intermedium were also, but when seagrass was sparsest and least extensive. The two species apparently partitioned the seagrass meadow according to depth in early summer. Laboratory experiments suggested P. australiensis was displaced from deeper water by M. intermedium. Preference for vegetative complexity and competition for position within meadows suggest the underlying importance of predation in regulating shrimp populations. A survey of south-eastern Australian estuaries found P. australiensis larvae abundant in all stable, open, well-developed, salt-wedge estuaries where adults were abundant. Adults were most abundant in low salinities among submerged leafy macrophytes. Reproductive traits of P. australiensis were compared in estuarine and fresh reaches of three rivers. Early in the breeding season, egg size was smaller, and (size-specific) egg number larger in estuaries than upstream. A trade-off between egg size and egg number resulted in no difference in total (size-specific) reproductive investment between locations. Reproductive investment tended to decrease at some locations over the breeding season, and this decrease was a result of decreased egg size in most cases. The decrease in reproductive investment probably reflected reduced food availability for the adult, while the reduced egg size was probably a response to improved conditions for larval development. In the Hopkins River, larger egg size at upstream sites was reflected in larger early stage larvae. Later stage larvae were larger in the estuary, suggesting more favourable conditions for larval development. Allozyme electrophoresis showed the P. australiensis populations in each of the three rivers to be distinct. Allozyme frequencies were not different within the Hopkins River, but upstream and estuarine locations in the Curdies and Gellibrand were different. Although some variation in reproductive traits within catchments may have been due to genotypic differences, trade-offs between egg size and number, and decreases in egg size over summer were probably due to plastic responses to environmental cues. It is proposed P. australiensis inhabits and reproduces in both estuarine and freshwater environments by plastic response to environmental conditions. Recruitment to estuaries is dependent on the presence of suitable adult, littoral habitat, and a stable salt wedge for larval retention. Estuaries are important recruitment sites for P. australiensis, potentially allowing an extra brood each year before riverine recruitment. Estuarine broods could constitute a large part of the total fecundity of P. australiensis females. Euryhaline larvae and estuarine recruitment of P. australiensis suggest marine transport of larvae between estuaries as a possible dispersal mechanism for Paratya species.

There's a black boy dead and a migloo holding a gun : death, Aboriginality and history in Australian adolescent literature

This essay is concerned with the extent to which the attitudes and ideologies of colonial discourse continue to influence contemporary signifying practices in Australian adolescent historical fiction. Under scrutiny are three novels which take issue with the violent aspects of colonisation when so many members of the Indigenous population either died or were forcibly displaced: Melissa Lucashenko’s Killing Darcy, Gary Crew’s No Such Country and Mark Svendsen’s Poison Under Their Lips. Although these texts share a desire to interrogate monolithic versions of Australia’s history, it is argued that such motivations offer no guarantee that the implied audience is positioned to come to an understanding of perspectives belonging to ex-centric Others.

Eleven seasons : a creative writing journey through modern Australian football

This thesis offers a novel, 'Eleven seasons', that traces the physical and emotional journey of a young male footballer through the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. It also offers a comparative review of creative writing about Australian football, and a critical analysis of the book's creative gestation from idea to completed text.

Diabetes risk reduction behaviours of rural postpartum women with a recent history of gestational diabetes

Introduction: For most women, gestational diabetes is temporary; however, an episode of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) confers an approximately seven-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objective: To examine readiness to adopt diabetes risk reduction behaviours and the prevalence of these behaviours among rural women with GDM during their last pregnancy.
Methods: The study design was a self-administered mailed questionnaire seeking information about demographics, stage of change, physical activity level and dietary fat intake. Setting: Regional outpatient context. Participants: Women with a single episode of GDM between 1 July 2001 and 31 December 2005 (n = 210). Main outcome measures: Stage of change for physical activity, weight loss and reducing dietary fat behaviour; meeting activity targets, body mass index (BMI) and dietary fat score.
Results: Eighty-four women returned completed questionnaires (40% response rate). Of the 77 women eligible (mean age 35 ± 3.8 years), 58% met recommended activity targets. Sixty-three percent of women were overweight or obese: mean BMI 29.6 kg/m2 (± 7.30). Women reported a high level of preparedness to engage in physical activity, weight loss and reduction of fat intake. Thirty-nine percent of women had not had any postpartum follow-up glucose screening. Women who remembered receiving diabetes prevention information were significantly more likely to meet physical activity targets (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Readiness to engage in behaviour change was high among this group of rural women for all three diabetes risk reduction behaviours measured. However, despite a high proportion of women meeting activity targets and reducing fat intake, the majority of women remained overweight or obese. Postpartum follow-up glucose testing needs to be improved and the impact of diabetes prevention information provided during pregnancy warrants further study.

Analysis of Australian politicians speeches

While competing interpretations of Australian history occasionally attract controversy, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis, over time, of the significance of histories and history making for Australian politicians. In taking the longer view of Australian political speech and thought since the Federation, this data will provide a stronger foundation for both political engagement with historical themes and public appreciation of the continuing role of history in contemporary policy debates. The data comprises comprehensive qualitative analysis, using key search terms and themes, over time, of speeches of Australian politicians. Sources used include Hansard, other occasional speeches in public records, political party records, and Australian Parliamentary Library resources.