School of Geography - Theses
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ItemIdentifying the real monetary cost of Eildon's water( 1999)In order to understand the real monetary cost of water supply from an impoundment like Eildon Dam there needs to be clear definition of the various costs and benefits associated with it's supply. Some costs, relate to downstream environmental impacts and are difficult to define whilst some benefits like recreational benefits are deemed "non marketable" and are not normally accounted for. This study attempted to explore the different costs and benefits associated with Eildon's water over various time periods, and analyse key cost benefit factors asset value and recreational costs and benefits. An attempt was made to investigate the real monetary cost of Eildon's water and also determine the feasibility of charges being set for recreational use. Review of the costs of Eildon's water revealed that prior to 1994 only maintenance and operational costs had been covered by water tariffs and currently full environmental and recreational costs were not being charged. The real monetary cost of Eildon's water was found to be $3.12/ML and the value of recreation was found via the Travel Cost method to be worth $8.73million / annum although it is important to recognise that their are many non marketable recreational benefits like social and community benefits that make the lake far more valuable than just this. The study concluded that recreational users should pay for their use of Lake Eildon based on the user pays system, with charges weighted towards high impact users like water skiers. It was felt that a charge of $10 per day was affordable by water skiers and would not restrict this activity.
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ItemModern Aboriginal land management: a Victorian perspective( 1999)The aim of this research was to find out what land management activities are being undertaken by Aboriginal communities in Victoria and what barriers these communities face in doing so. Six Victorian Aboriginal communities were contacted and representatives were interviewed about the land management activities undertaken by their communities. Those involved were Ballarat, Framlingham, Healesville, Mildura, Orbost and Swan Hill. Information gathered from these interviews revealed a number of patterns in Victorian Aboriginal land management. First, there is a wide range of land management activities undertaken across the State that have been little documented. In this thesis they are described under these headings: conservation and land management activities; cultural heritage management; environmental and cultural tourism and education; and native title. This research has shown that communities that have title to land or are near areas of national park are likely to be more involved in land management than those surrounded by private property. Secondly, it was found that many of the works undertaken also involve an element of cultural heritage management. Finally the research revealed that Aboriginal land management activities in Victoria are likely to involve modem techniques of land management rather than what might be thought of as 'traditional' methods. This thesis also identifies the barriers that communities face in becoming involved in land management. The main causes are financial, lack of access to land and the lack of employment opportunities in the area land management. Most of these barriers are the result of political decisions and institutional arrangements. This thesis has only scratched the surface of this large issue and should be seen as a starting point. It raises many more questions that need to be asked if Aboriginal communities in Victoria are to realise their goals of managing and caring for the land.
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ItemDevelopment of a five star Landcare rating system for grazing properties in south west Victoria( 1999)A five star rating system has been developed to reward landholders for managing the physical features of their farm including land, water and vegetation in an environmentally sustainable manner. The Landcare movement largely relies on the goodwill of current land managers to undertake measures to ensure sustainable catchment management for future generations. The five star Landcare rating system has been devised to recognise the efforts of farmers in South West Victoria in working towards sustainable agricultural systems. The system can be adopted by graziers as a benchmarking system for continuous improvement, by local government in rate rebate schemes or used as a product marketing tool. The development of indicators as a measure of catchment health is a relatively new science and most systems developed to date are not practical for regular assessment at a farm level. The five star Landcare rating system uses easily measured and proven indicators that can be used by farmers at a farm scale. The system recognises the requirement for continued research to develop benchmarks for individual resource management units. Over time, measurement of indicators under the system can cumulate into long term measures of environmental outcomes.
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ItemAll these things to think about : previously heterosexual women reflect on lesbian identity( 1999)Lesbian identity as a focus for empirical social research has received little attention in recent years, despite extensive investigation into gay male communities and experience as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As a consequence of this lack of attention, knowledge regarding women's experience of lesbian identity is based largely on a small number of US centric and rapidly aging studies, which remain somewhat marginal in the overall body of literature on the topic of homosexuality. More oft-cited and well known are the various models of homosexual identity development which assume an early occurring or innate and relatively fixed sexuality, in addition to a linear developmental process of 'coming out'. Such models fail to address the reality of women's experiences of sexuality as more dynamic. Taking a small step towards reinvigorating an interest in the study of the diversity of lesbian experience and identity, this thesis investigates via qualitative methods the sexual stories of a small group of Australian 'elective' lesbians. In addition to analysing the content of in-depth interviews with these women, the thesis also considers some of the methodological issues arising from the research. The women interviewed for this thesis were previously heterosexual, and their sexuality has demonstrated some degree of choice and fluidity over the life course. Contrary to essentialist discourses, sexuality for this group has been experienced as subject to change in adult life. Despite this, women negotiate their sexuality in a world in which fashionable notions of sexual flexibility, fluidity and choice co exist alongside myriad negative stereotypes, prejudices and abuses of those who openly dare to be 'other than heterosexual'. My interest was in how change in sexual identity was experienced in view of the above, and also in the meanings of sexuality in terms of the social and political frameworks which women brought to their stories. 'Lesbian' was still a meaningful term for all five women researched. Lesbian identity came about via a weighing up of options and priorities, which included desire for women, emotional preference, politics and social identification. Although 'coming out' as a discourse of self revelation was less relevant to these women, as was a transition to lesbianism as a fixed developmental process, becoming a lesbian and maintaining that identity was a process at times fraught with psychological and social difficulties. A process of 'changing teams' needed to be negotiated (moving from a heterosexual to a lesbian identity), which was both a social and a highly personal process. Stigma still played a large role in marring experience of lesbian identity, as did the pervasiveness of heterosexual privileges attached to such life style choices as parenting and permanent partnering. This research has demonstrated that women's sexual subjectivity is more complex and evolving than the rather reductionist label 'lesbian' has suggested in essentialist discourses. Individual women constructed their stories in a manner which interwove a range of personal as well as more overtly political and social agendas. At the same time, sexual fluidity proved to be more of a threat to security in lesbian identity, rather than an unproblematic experience free from social constraints. When one's sexual and emotional repertoire meant being able to 'do' and 'be' heterosexual the questioning as to a future path in life when basic (or at least deeply felt) needs are not being met took women down difficult psychological and social roads.
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ItemA study of the integration of science and park management in Victoria with reference to scientific mandates for national parks agencies in the United States and Canada( 1999)Managing for competing uses within national parks has become increasingly difficult. Recreation and preservation are two uses for which national park managers must provide, however, to provide for both presents a dilemma. Recreational uses often lead to degradation of a park's natural resources, and therefore, compromises the preservation of the park. How should managers make their decisions? This thesis proposes that managers should formulate their management strategies using a scientific framework of data gathering and monitoring in the decision-making process. Management decisions should be based upon what provides the least amount of degradation to the park's natural resources. True knowledge upon which managers can make their decisions comes from a (1) scientific understanding of the park's ecosystems and (2) the impacts upon those ecosystems. Science provides the necessary information that leads to better knowledge of the parks resources. However, science has not always been incorporated in the management process. This thesis details why science is important and the reasons it has not been thoroughly integrated into the park's management process. It critiques the present-day integration of science in Victorian national park management, as well as Parks Victoria's management strategies. The thesis also examines the history of science and its integration into national park management by Victorian, the United States and Canadian agencies and the current attitude toward the integration of science and national park management within the three agencies. Several key figures in national park management were interviewed, and from these interviews, a story detailing the state of science in national parks developed.
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ItemQuality of life as a business objective( 1999)The main purpose of this study was to design and implement an instrument to measure the success of a company if its objective was to improve the quality of life of the people involved in it. The fundamental premise of the research is that companies, being one of the most important institutions of our time, could be more beneficial to humans if it's main objective was to improve their quality of life instead of the creation of profit and wealth. Throughout the thesis I have given theoretical and empirical evidence to support this idea. To analyse the full implications of such a change would require years of research. Because of this, the present study only seeks to answer the following question: How can the success of a company be assessed if its main objective was to improve the quality of life of the people involved in it? Based on the existing literature on quality of life measures, a questionnaire of 82 items and a report of the company's policies was produced to describe what is the influence of an organisation on its members' quality of life. This instrument was applied to a small Melbourne based company. It proved to be an effective tool to provide the company with the required information. The work done in this thesis has implications at two different levels. First, and perhaps most important, it has questioned the generalised idea that the main objective of a company's activities is to make money. Secondly, a first step has been taken towards the achievement of this change in objectives. There is now a specific instrument to measure the success of a company if its objective was to improve the quality of life of its members.
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ItemMorphodynamics of a small inlet on the southwest coast of Victoria: a study of the Hopkins Inlet, Warrnambool (1996-97)( 1999)Tidal inlets are one of the most dynamic features of the world's coastlines (Dyer, 1995; Davis Jr, 1996). Since the 1960s, the majority of inlet studies have focused upon the variability, or morphodynamies, of larger features over many years and decades. But recent findings by Kench and Parnell (1991); Hume and Herdendorf (1992) and Kench (1996) show that the temporal variability of small inlets (<100m in diameter) is extremely short compared to the rate of physical change experienced in larger features. This evidence has serious implications for the existing knowledge of inlet morphodynamics. In Australia, the existing knowledge of tidal inlets is limited to the study of larger features occurring along the coasts of New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria. Although there are a number of studies on smaller inlets, this research has largely concentrated on the geological evolution of the barrier-island coasts of south east Australia. This represents a serious gap in the knowledge required to adequately understand the stability of small-scale inlets under Australian conditions. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to analyse the morphodynamics of a small-scale inlet on the south west coast of the Victoria, Australia.
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ItemEnergy efficiency and the environment: the potential for energy efficient technology to save energy and reduce CO2 emissions at Melbourne University, Australia( 1999)In this study, the potential to improve the energy efficiency of lighting systems and to conserve energy within gas fired space heating systems at Melbourne University were assessed. The cost effectiveness of energy efficiency measures was also calculated. First, the electricity used by existing 1.2 metre fluorescent lighting fixtures and four energy efficient lighting technology alternatives was compared. Relative to the existing system, installation of the lighting technology alternatives would save 13.9%, 20.5%, 24.4% and 64.9% respectively. If the technology alternative that saved the most electricity was installed, carbon dioxide emissions associated with the University's electricity use would be reduced by about 10%. Economic analysis shows that overall, none of the four technology alternatives are cost effective, although fine scale analysis shows that one technology alternative is cost effective in two out of the five room categories that were examined. Four barriers to the cost effective installation of energy efficient lighting technologies at Melbourne University are identified: (a) low lighting system operating hours, (b) an existing ballast to globe ratio of 1:1, (c) the high cost of energy efficient lighting components and (d), the low cost of electricity. Second, an experiment was conducted to assess the potential to conserve energy within gas fired space heating systems at Melbourne University. The hypothesis that turning down the thermostats on hot water boilers by 5 C will reduce the amount of natural gas they consume was tested using a three factor repeated measure Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Data were collected within a Before-After Control-Impact experimental framework with multiple control and experimental locations (MBACI). The results indicate that turning down the thermostats has no effect on gas consumption (i.e. the null hypothesis of no difference is accepted). The contribution that energy related carbon dioxide emissions make to global warming and associated climate change is also discussed, as is the effectiveness of energy efficiency as a strategy to reduce energy related carbon dioxide emissions.
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ItemGender, power and leadership: a comparison of male and female managers in Melbourne( 1998)This study is an exploratory research project that investigated the relationship between gender, power and leadership style. A modified version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Rosener, 1990) was used to measure transformational and transactional leadership. A 31 item scale developed by Rosener (1990) was used to measure the five bases of power. The respondents were 18 male and 13 female managers from Melbourne. The median age of the respondents was 30 - 39 years. The majority of the respondents (84%) had tertiary qualifications ranging from a TAFE diploma up to a doctorate. The average number of staff reporting directly to each manager was 10. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) was used for data analyses and no significant sex differences were found in both leadership style and use of power, p>0.05 for all the factors.
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ItemMunicipal water use for irrigation in Victoria, Australia( 1998)Recent water industry reforms, pressure for ecologically sustainable development (ESD) and administrative changes to local government such as the introduction of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) have the potential to affect municipal water use in Victoria. This thesis examines how local governments in Victoria manage water used for irrigation of council green areas. Global and Australian water issues, local government in Australia, ESD and local government water management, and Victoria's water industry and pricing system are discussed. Forty five councils in Victoria completed the survey `Municipal Water Use for Irrigation'. Results indicate that water use is becoming increasingly important to local government and the perceived need for water conservation is driven by both economic and environmental factors. Pressure for ESD is having an impact on municipal water use, particularly as many councils develop environmental management strategies or similar policies. Recent State Government reforms to the water industry, including changes to water pricing and charges for water use, are likely to have an affect on future consumption levels. Changes to the operational structure of local government in recent times, particularly the introduction of CCT, are also having an impact on water management. Councils reponses to CCT were mixed; some saying it created opportunities for improved water management, while others felt it gave them less control over water use. However, CCT has probably not been in operation long enough for its effect to be fully gauged. Councils are beginning to implement strategies for water conservation, including the application of xeriscape principles to council landscapes and improved horticultural practices and irrigation management. Further work is required at a local government level before significant reductions in water use can occur. This includes an audit of council water use, the development of water management strategies, improved landscape management practices and community education.