School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses
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ItemA voice for animals: the creation, contention & consequences of the modern Australian animal movement, 1970-2015( 2015)During the unrest and upheaval of the 1970s and at a time when social movements were struggling for liberation and justice, a fresh wave of animal activism emerged in Australia. From the rearing of pigs and poultry in intensive farms, the slaughter of Australian sheep and cattle in the Middle East and South East Asia, the use of animals in research, the shooting of native waterbirds, to the consumption of meat, across Australia the modern animal movement consistently contested the politics and culture of how animals were used and exploited. Engaging with diverse approaches to studying social movements, exploring previously unexamined archives, and through interviews with current and former leading activists, this thesis offers the first major historical study of the creation, contention, and consequences of animal activism in modern Australian history. Through an account of the ideas of animal rights and by analysing other dynamics and processes, this thesis tells the story of how ordinary people were inspired to take action and create the modern animal movement. By exploring the development and performance of a wide variety of protest methods, such as lobbying, direct action, civil disobedience, open rescue, undercover investigations, and lifestyle activism, this thesis reveals the often innovative and provocative ways in which activists made their claims and challenged the status quo. In doing so, this thesis also examines a set of complex and conflicting outcomes, for the animal movement affected the political agenda, policy, industry, media and communication, and the very fabric of society. Over time, activists influenced and pluralised Australian politics, society, and culture, although not necessarily in the ways they desired. Ultimately, through narrating and analysing the modern animal movement, this thesis reveals how and why ordinary people engaged in politics and activism, and uncovers the extent and limits of the changes they stimulated.
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ItemPrinciples and paradoxes: the Whitlam government's approach towards the Palestine Liberation Organisation, 1972-1975( 2011)Australian policy towards the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) was the source of significant controversy during the Whitlam government’s term in office. Between the years 1972-1975, disagreement within the major political parties and among the Australian public over responses to the PLO emerged in several crises over the period. Drawing upon archival sources and popular media, this thesis examines the personalities, pressures and paradoxes that shaped the government’s viewpoint on the PLO. The difficulties that Whitlam encountered in maintaining a neutral approach and the domestic debate over the government’s even-handed policies contributed to an issue that, although overlooked in much of the scholarship of the period, proved to be an extremely controversial aspect of the Whitlam government’s conduct of Australian foreign policy. Whitlam’s policies to the PLO have been interpreted as being anti-Israel in their orientation, inextricably tied to Middle East economic concerns and an abandonment of Australia’s alliances and principles in international relations. This thesis argues that contrary to this, the overall purposes of Whitlam’s foreign policies to the PLO are best understood in the context of Whitlam’s desire to reshape Australian national identity. Over the course of the events during 1972 and 1975 and the ensuing debate over the PLO, Whitlam strives to articulate a foreign policy that was free of racial considerations, which upheld the principle of neutrality and that demonstrated Australian independence in the world. Whitlam’s commitment to reshaping Australian international relations and renewing Australian identity provided the foundation for his resilience in seeking to accord the PLO with some level of recognition in Australia.