Resource Management and Geography - Theses
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ItemThe role of Export Processing Zones in East Asian development: South Korea, Taiwan, China and Thailand( 1992-07)Export Processing Zones (EPZs) are about thirty years old now (ILO and UNCTC. 1988). Their effects and influence on third world economic development and on international industrial restructuring have been criticised by different literatures. I wish to combine my practical experience of working in Shenzen Special Economic Zone for four years, with research to compare four EPZs’ development in four East Asian countries and area: Massan Zone in Korea, Kaohsiung Zone in Thailand, Shenzen Zone in China and Lat Krabang Zone in Thailand. This intended to explore the effect of EPZs on the economic development of those countries, and to provide a series of comparative data (especially on the zone of China about which there is little information).
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ItemDevelopment of a breeding program for drug detector dogs: based on studies of a breeding population of guide dogs( 1996-06)A joint research project was undertaken by the Australian Customs Service (Customs),Royal Guide Dogs Associations of Australia (RGDAA) and The University of Melbourne. The aims were to establish a breeding program for Drug Detector Dogs(Detector Dogs) and to further improve the RGDAA breeding program. Behavioural studies were conducted on the RGDAA breeding population of Labradors(Guide Dog population) and a ‘trial’ breeding population was established by Customs during the research (Detector Dog population). We defined traits important for success as a Detector Dog and designed an aptitude test (CRR test) to measure the traits. We found some sex differences for individual traits within the combined Guide Dog and Detector Dog populations. However, no sex difference was observed in terms of overall performance. Within the Detector Dog population, dogs selected to start a Detector Dog training course performed significantly better on the CRR test than dogs not selected to start a course. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemA study of the hydrochemistry of a limestone area: Buchan, East Gippsland( 1991)This thesis reports the results obtained, and conclusions made regarding research into the hydrochemistry of a small impounded karst area in southeastern Australia. Water samples were collected from a variety of sites over a period of approximately six years and include samples that are representative of baseflow (drought conditions) and flood (high flow conditions) the two extremes of the flow regime. Four distinct water types were found to be associated with the karst spring and cave water sites sampled. In terms of physical, chemical and computed parameter values these have been classed as TYPE 1 water (median parameter values similar to those noted for the surface stream sites sampled with catchments of non-carbonate material); TYPE 2 water (catchment predominantly of limestone); TYPE 3 water (catchment predominantly of dolomite); TYPE 4 water (high median chemical concentrations). Spatial variation within the study area is considerable and intrinsic factors such as catchment lithology, the residence time of recharge, aspect and vegetation cover are the major natural controls in determining physical and chemical characteristics.
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Item'Women in agriculture': A geography of Australian agricultural activism( 1996-01)This thesis argues that the multiple geographies of political practice are an important feature of activism. It investigates the women in agriculture movement, which is an informally connected web of groups and events working to increase the recognition and participation of women in Australian agriculture. By approaching agriculture as a political and social activity, as well as and economic one, the study demonstrates diverse relations to place, in the mobilisation of the women in agriculture movement. The thesis argues that the movement is challenging Australian agriculture through actions over a variety of sites, scales and spheres. The thesis sets out to explain the development and impact of women in agriculture activism. In doing so it studies both the contexts and effects of the movement. Multiple dimensions of the movement’s contexts are examined: agricultural, political, discursive and locational dimensions are shown to have shaped its development and character. These dimensions have then been challenged by the movement as it acts on its agenda of recognition and participation. Three case groups within the movement were investigated to demonstrate the personal, farm and public scales at which the activism of women in agriculture has had an impact. First, the individual and collective agency of participants, at a personal level, is noted as women negotiate diverse subject positions and experience the collective relational aspects of ‘movement politics’. Second, the impact of the movement is analysed at the level of the farm unit where it challenges many of the conventional arrangements operating within family farms. Third, the movement’s impact is described within a number of spheres of agricultural and community affairs. It is argued that the movement applied specific political strategies to farmer, industry, media and state spheres which resulted in the varying success of their goals for women’s increased recognition and participation in agriculture. Analysis of the multiple geographies of activism illustrated by the women in agriculture movement reveals the political and discursive processes that operate to construct family farming. Moreover, it demonstrates the impact of activism where a movement strategically operates in multiple places and spaces to effect the social change and desires.
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ItemLabour restructuring and the growth of casual employment in Australia, 1982-1996( 1998)This thesis examines the expansion of casual employment in Australia since the early 1980s. It investigates the important phenomenon of casualisation, ie the increase in the proportion of employees who are employed under a casual contract of employment. ABS data suggest that the proportion of employees who are casual employees (in their main job) rose sharply from 13.3 per cent in 1982 to 26.1 per cent in 1996. Casualisation is a central element of contemporary labour restructuring in Australia, with significant implications for the employees directly involved, other workers, employers, trade unions and policy-makers. In spite of its importance, it is, however, neglected in social science research. Casual employment is the main form of non-permanent waged work in Australia. It is an unusual phenomenon, without an easily recognisable counterpart in other advanced capitalist societies, where non-permanent waged work, ie 'temporary' employment, is more likely to take the form of fixed-term contracts. The thesis is both a theoretical and an empirical study. It appropriates and develops several theoretical concepts to use in the investigation of casualisation in Australia. In order to assist in delineating the main features of casual employment and casualisation, it develops and deploys a comparative perspective. After reviewing the extensive literature on temporary employment in other advanced capitalist societies, the thesis argues that casual employment, like temporary employment in many European countries, can be understood as situated within the gaps in the system of protective regulation, including a gap associated with special rules and special exemptions. It is the distinctive form of labour regulation in Australia that is largely responsible for the distinctive features of casual employment. The empirical component of the thesis describes and starts to explain the phenomenon of casualisation. It builds up a detailed descriptive profile of the expansion of casual employment, drawing primarily on aggregate ABS data. This starts with a description of the labour regulations that structure the casual employment contract. In addition, it includes description of the steady expansion of casual employment since the early 1980s, the (changing) distribution of casual employees in the employment structure, the characteristics of casual employees (according to age, sex and ethnicity), and the conditions of casual employment. The thesis also examines the causes of casualisation. It focuses on employer calculations and choices, and points to the way in which casual employment, where it is available to employers, can offer advantages in terms of cheaper labour costs, greater ease of dismissal, ability to match labour-time to fluctuations in workload, administrative convenience, and enhanced control. It suggests that the expansion of casual employment can be viewed as the product of a combination of factors, including shifts in the relative advantages of casual employment, in product market imperatives, in employer power, and in employer perceptions.
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ItemThe interaction between the environment land use and hydrology of the Bogong High Plains area from 1850 to 1985( 1990)The Bogong High Plains form part of the' Australian alpine area which contributes significantly to the water resources of south-eastern Australia. The dual factors of a high average annual runoff and low levels of variability by Australian standards point to the value of the area for water production and the need for optimum management criteria. However, the hydrological response of the streams draining the alpine area to changing environmental and land use factors has not been previously addressed. In this thesis the environmental and land use history of the Bogong High Plains Area has been documented. On the basis of historical reports and photographs, management decisions affecting the Alps, and ecological studies in the Area since the 1940s, trends in the environmental condition of the Bogong High Plains Area between 1850 and 1985 have been ascertained. The land use history of the Area has been documented, including: the Aboriginal visits to the area to exploit the Bogong moth; the use of the subalpine and alpine environments by graziers and their stock: the impact of gold milling activities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the frequency, cause and extent of fire in the region; the construction and management of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme; the operation of logging activities in the area; and the tourist use of the region for summer and winter recreation. An examination of the hydrological characteristics of the Bogong High Plains Area then followed. Twelve catchments were selected for analysis, ranging in size from 1.35 to 146 square kilometres, and in altitude from 634 to 1922 metres. Differences in the physical, geological, geomorphological and vegetation characteristics were related to the average annual water balances and hydrological variability. A review of the literature on the effects of fire, forestry, mining, tracks and roads, engineering works and grazing on runoff was made preparatory to an assessment of the effect of land use practices on the runoff characteristics of the twelve catchments. Standard hydrological techniques were used to assess the impact on streamflow of bushfire, insect attack, forestry operations, mining activity, road construction, construction works for the hydro scheme, and cattle grazing. Some of the results were unexpected. Although grazing was the land use of longest duration, the long-term trends in streamflow and inter-catchment comparisons based on differential grazing pressures only partially demonstrated grazing had a noticeable impact on runoff characteristics. The effect of fire, forestry, insect attack and mining activity also yielded indeterminate results. By contrast, the construction of roads and the development of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme resulted in statistically significant changes in streamflow characteristics, including runoff volumes, baseflow properties, and the magnitude of flood events. A model of the environmental history of the Bogong High Plains Area is proposed, incorporating trends in climate, fire frequency, vegetation cover, land use activity, and hydrological characteristics. From the model it is suggested that the occupation of the Bogong High Plains Area by Europeans since the 1850s has resulted in irreversible changes to the hydrological regime which predated the period of stream gauge operation and which could only be partially correlated with ecological trends. The model is used to ascertain the hydrological response of catchments to different combinations and intensities of grazing, fire and site disturbance, in association with present and alternative climatologically conditions.
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ItemLong-term landscape evolution: a case study from the lower Snowy River, Australia( 1994)The Snowy River which drains the south-eastern flank of the South-eastern Highlands of Australia, has frequently been taken as an example for various models of landscape evolution of the Highlands despite a paucity of primary field data on which to base an adequate description of the river's behaviour. In this study the lower part of the Snowy catchment has been investigated and, based on detailed fieldwork, a reconstruction of its morphological history since the late Eocene has been carried out. In so doing, it is demonstrated that detailed fieldwork provides the key to better the understanding of the Highlands' history. The Snowy River has experienced two phases of rapid incision since the late Eocene. Evidence of the first rapid incision is provided by karst caves formed in the phreatic condition which have not been modified by vadose waters, indicating rapid draining. In addition, fluvial sediments preserved as ridge-cappings indicate the Eocene course of the lower Snowy, as judged by their position relative to basalt of Eocene age. Further, below the Eocene river level there is another consistent level of gravel deposits. These former river levels suggest two stillstands of the Snowy River during its evolution since the Eocene. The modern fluvial system in the vertical plane, which is often overlooked in the literature, shows that many tributaries join the Snowy in the form of high waterfalls. Large knickpoints are features of the long profiles of both the tributaries and the master channel of the Snowy River, and provide further evidence showing the two phases of rapid incision of the Snowy River. The many lines of field evidence from this study show that i) the total incision of the lower Snowy over the last 40Ma is only two hundred meters, half the rate of downcutting previously inferred in the literature; ii) river incision proceeds in bedrock channels by knickpoint migration and the manner of this is different to that in alluvial channels; iii) two major knickpoints, each 100m high, have migrated headwards through the lower Snowy River, the first one resulted from a river course change soon after the late Eocene basalt flow while the second one can be attributed to sea level lowering in the Miocene; and hence iv) it is not necessary to propose tectonic uplift as an explanation of the landscape evolution of this area since the mid-Tertiary. Detailed field examination of this part of the South-eastern Highlands also shows that some of the assumptions underlying existing models for landscape evolution of the Highlands are not valid, such as tectonic uplift by Wellman (1979a & b; 1987), isostatic rebound by Stephenson and Lamberk (1985), and palaeoplain downwarping and scarp retreat by Ollier and Pain (1994). They have all based their models on over or up to 1000m of assumed post-Eocene (or even Miocene) uplift. In this study, it is demonstrated that the size, the diversity and the antiquity of the Eastern Highlands of Australia dictate that initial research into landscape evolution must concentrate first on collecting primary data from individual areas before a general model or models can be proposed.
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ItemToo many men: the problem of bachelorhood in a contemporary Macedonian village( 1999)Between 1996 and 1997 I conducted 16 months of fieldwork in the village of Capari (tsa-pah-ri), in the Republic of Macedonia. Although the general aim of my research was to explore the dynamics of a contemporary village society, it soon became apparent that the overwhelming concern of the Capari people, as indeed of many village populations of Macedonia, was the large number of unmarried men who were past the expected age of marriage. The importance attached by Macedonians to marriage is manifold. Perhaps most importantly, it defines “adulthood”, and for men in particular it is the process by which they fully assume their place within their household. The emphasis is exclusively on men to bring brides home and to produce heirs to perpetuate their “kukja” (house) and “familija” (family), both of which are fundamentally agnatic groupings. Men who have remained unmarried are therefore in an awkward situation, and their relations with other household members, as well as with the village community as a whole, are stressful. Marriage trends indicate that men marry at a later age today. Nonetheless, a large number of men have excessively prolonged their bachelorhood. Because this phenomenon is “new” families, the community, and the individuals themselves have few guidelines about how to respond. This thesis seeks to explore their responses.
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Item'It's in your hands': an assessment of the Australian Landcare movement( 1995)Australia's 'Landcare' program is a community-based, participatory program, established by Government, to tackle the problem of land degradation. It has been hailed by some, as the most imaginative sustainable development policy anywhere in the world. There have been many studies which have sought to measure the success of Landcare, using quantitative indicators such as the number of Landcare groups. This thesis seeks to devise alternative ways for Landcare to be assessed and thought about. It focuses upon the practice of Landcare in one particular region of Victoria: a practice which is formed out of the complex interaction of state policy, community aspirations and capabilities and the broader political and economic context. At a theoretical level, this thesis is informed by several areas of the academic literature. In particular, the role of the state apparatus in environmental management, the environment and political economy, and theories of ideology. These theoretical arguments are elaborated in several ways: through a detailed review of the emergence of Landcare as policy, both in Victoria and at a Federal level; through consideration of the complex bureaucratic arrangements which have grown around Landcare; and through a case study. The case study draws upon the experience of Landcare by farmers on the Dundas Tablelands in Victoria's Western District. Through participant observation and in-depth interviewing across seven Landcare groups, some insight is offered into the practice of Landcare in a local setting, for example: the ways in which government rhetoric about Landcare is enacted at the local level; the way in which the Landcare bureaucracy works with, or against, the program; and the way in which funding arrangements contribute to Landcare's effect on-the-ground. The case study draws upon the experience of Landcare by farmers on the Dundas Tablelands in Victoria's Western District. Through participant observation and in-depth interviewing across seven Landcare groups, some insight is offered into the practice of Landcare in a local setting, for example: the ways in which government rhetoric about Landcare is enacted at the local level; the way in which the Landcare bureaucracy works with, or against, the program; and the way in which funding arrangements contribute to Landcare's effect on-the-ground. It is argued that without an improved understanding of its limitations, the Landcare program is unlikely to succeed in the long-term. In the meantime, there are indications that calls for the expansion of Landcare may be to the detriment of the program’s original objective, which was to ensure more sustainable use of agricultural land in Australia. Renewed consideration is urged, of the ways in which Landcare's 'success' is measured.
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ItemRiver channel changes in Gippsland, Victoria( 1990)Channel changes during the period of European settlement on three streams in Gippsland, Victoria, the Thomson and Avon Rivers and Freestone Creek, were investigated on the basis of information contained in historical documentary sources including early maps and aerial photographs and the files and records of a number of Victorian government departments. Changes in channel position, planform characteristics, cross section, long profile and channel behaviour were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively, revealing that river metamorphosis had occurred on parts of all three streams in the study area at different times during the period of European settlement. River metamorphosis in all cases involved changes in both channel morphology and channel behaviour; and on the Thomson River and Freestone Creek coincided with channel avulsion. A causal link between changes in the channel/floodplain relationship resulting from incision and river metamorphosis was identified. Incision associated with river metamorphosis was the result of both intrinsic geomorphological factors and human interference, the relative importance of which varied between streams. Changes in catchment-generated discharge regimes and sediment loads of sufficient magnitude to have caused river metamorphosis are considered unlikely except at the downstream end of the Avon River. Channel changes took place here in response to an increase in sediment load resulting from upstream channel changes and occurred in the absence of any major change in the channel/floodplain relationship. Since the explanation of the causes of river metamorphosis in terms of changes in the channel/floodplain relationship offered in this thesis cannot be accommodated by Schumm's (1969) widely accepted model, an alternative model of river metamorphosis is proposed. This model envisages channel morphology and behaviour as being controlled by an intrinsic sequence of channel and floodplain development, of which river metamorphosis is an inherent component. Extrinsic disturbances can cause river the intrinsic sequence and metamorphosis also even by short circuiting without this shortcircuiting. The occurrence of river metamorphosis in response to intrinsic controls and in the absence of changes in external inputs has serious implications for fluvial palaeohydrology. It means that climatic or other environmental changes cannot be validly inferred from alluvial evidence without independent supporting data.