The skin of commerce: the role of plastic packaging in the construction of food security, waste and consumer activism in Australia. Plastic packaging has been important to ensuring food security in Australia, however it is also a major waste burden. This project will critically assess new approaches to reducing plastic packaging in food markets and waste streams and will produce key insights into how sustainable food systems can be organised with less reliance on plastic.
From the Tap to the Bottle: an international study of the social and material life of bottled water. Water is a critical resource in Australia yet little is known about water in bottles. This project will be the first comparative study of bottled water marketing, consumption and disposal. It will make a significant contribution to national and international understandings of changing practices in the consumption of drinking water. The research will produce an analysis of the rise of the bottle i ....From the Tap to the Bottle: an international study of the social and material life of bottled water. Water is a critical resource in Australia yet little is known about water in bottles. This project will be the first comparative study of bottled water marketing, consumption and disposal. It will make a significant contribution to national and international understandings of changing practices in the consumption of drinking water. The research will produce an analysis of the rise of the bottle in relation to the tap. Specifically, how various anxieties associated with drinking tap water, in Australia and elsewhere, impact on bottled water consumption. The knowledge produced about bottled water collection, circulation and regulation will contribute to wider debates about sustainable water provision and access to safe water for all.Read moreRead less
Exploring Internet Induced Changes in Youth Music Consumption. Music consumption is the basis of both a key Australian industry with wide reaching economic impact, and a social practice closely tied to identity formation, relationship development and mood management. This project has significant community and national benefit, in that it will further our understanding of contemporary popular music consumption. In documenting the range of online music products, young consumers' attitudes towards ....Exploring Internet Induced Changes in Youth Music Consumption. Music consumption is the basis of both a key Australian industry with wide reaching economic impact, and a social practice closely tied to identity formation, relationship development and mood management. This project has significant community and national benefit, in that it will further our understanding of contemporary popular music consumption. In documenting the range of online music products, young consumers' attitudes towards them, and their personal music acquisition habits, the project will lead to an understanding of how having access to almost unlimited, personalised music-file collections will affect the role music plays in their lives and the follow-on impact in social, cultural and economic terms.Read moreRead less
The Wealth Effect: A cultural analysis of prosperity, financialisation and everyday life in contemporary Australia. Financial and real estate markets are now central to Australian family life. But current government policies to individualise responsibility for saving and borrowing decisions often exceed the individual capacity to manage complex financial choices and unknown market risks. Growing levels of home and property ownership bring new benefits but they also increase exposure to economic ....The Wealth Effect: A cultural analysis of prosperity, financialisation and everyday life in contemporary Australia. Financial and real estate markets are now central to Australian family life. But current government policies to individualise responsibility for saving and borrowing decisions often exceed the individual capacity to manage complex financial choices and unknown market risks. Growing levels of home and property ownership bring new benefits but they also increase exposure to economic downturn. For many households the Great Australian Dream of home ownership and prosperity has now turned into a nightmare. This project responds to the pressing need for greater understanding of these developments, and will advance our understanding of this new socio-economic terrain.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Fish: a material analysis of cultures of consumption & production. This project is a multifaceted, innovative cultural analysis of the crucial role of fish and fishing in feeding a growing global population. Estimates are that the world’s population will be nine billion by 2050. It is imperative that innovative research strategies are developed to explore how to best respond to questions of food security in a sustainable manner. This brings challenges across numerous scales, includin ....Sustainable Fish: a material analysis of cultures of consumption & production. This project is a multifaceted, innovative cultural analysis of the crucial role of fish and fishing in feeding a growing global population. Estimates are that the world’s population will be nine billion by 2050. It is imperative that innovative research strategies are developed to explore how to best respond to questions of food security in a sustainable manner. This brings challenges across numerous scales, including: changing consumer tastes, new State, Commonwealth and international regimes of marine governance, and adapting fishing communities to new forms of livelihood. This project will provide the first in-depth cultural account of the complex entanglement of the economy, the environment and the humans involved in fish and fishing.Read moreRead less
Backpacker cultures, residential communities, and the construction of tourist spaces and landscapes: A regional study of changing tourism dynamics in Sydney. This interdisciplinary project draws on Cultural Studies, Cultural Geography, and Tourism to respond to industry calls for more comprehensive, long-term research on tourism issues, particularly backpacker tourism in the Sydney metropolitan region. The project will explore tourism as a complex cultural practice through an innovative approach ....Backpacker cultures, residential communities, and the construction of tourist spaces and landscapes: A regional study of changing tourism dynamics in Sydney. This interdisciplinary project draws on Cultural Studies, Cultural Geography, and Tourism to respond to industry calls for more comprehensive, long-term research on tourism issues, particularly backpacker tourism in the Sydney metropolitan region. The project will explore tourism as a complex cultural practice through an innovative approach investigating the links between backpacker tourism and the transformation of places and communities. The focus is on backpackers, with a special emphasis on the problems Local Government faces in relation to backpackers within residential communities. The project will generate new approaches to these issues, informing a range of policies for local councils.Read moreRead less
Early start arts programmes to counter radicalisation. This project aims to strengthen interfaith relationships, through youth arts workshops that generate positive images of Muslim and non-Muslim Australian youth belonging together. Anxiety about violent extremism can stigmatise Muslim-Australian youth, but the arts can transform negative effects and amplify feelings of belonging. This project will create early childhood and primary interfaith arts intervention workshops to develop interfaith b ....Early start arts programmes to counter radicalisation. This project aims to strengthen interfaith relationships, through youth arts workshops that generate positive images of Muslim and non-Muslim Australian youth belonging together. Anxiety about violent extremism can stigmatise Muslim-Australian youth, but the arts can transform negative effects and amplify feelings of belonging. This project will create early childhood and primary interfaith arts intervention workshops to develop interfaith bonds at crucial developmental stages. It will also develop a public art campaign featuring images from the workshops about Muslim children belonging to Australian culture. The project has potential economic, social and cultural benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Creative industries pathways to youth employment in the COVID-19 recession. This project aims to accredit 21st century skills developed through youth arts. The significance of this project lies in our response to the increase in Australia’s youth unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and industry demand for 21st century skills. Outcomes include pathways from arts to employment and job-ready skill development, through micro-creds that showcase skills to employers. Benefits align with UN Su ....Creative industries pathways to youth employment in the COVID-19 recession. This project aims to accredit 21st century skills developed through youth arts. The significance of this project lies in our response to the increase in Australia’s youth unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and industry demand for 21st century skills. Outcomes include pathways from arts to employment and job-ready skill development, through micro-creds that showcase skills to employers. Benefits align with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5 and 8: to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, and promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Read moreRead less
The Lively Regional City: Mapping City Centre ‘Assemblages’ that Work. This project analyses city centre revitalisation processes and policies in the context of regional Australia. Working with Wollongong City Council, the project aims to provide an evidence-based analysis of how the Wollongong city centre is perceived, regarded and used by its residents and visitors, paying particular attention to those aspects considered either 'lively' or 'dead'; its goal is to interrogate revitalisation poli ....The Lively Regional City: Mapping City Centre ‘Assemblages’ that Work. This project analyses city centre revitalisation processes and policies in the context of regional Australia. Working with Wollongong City Council, the project aims to provide an evidence-based analysis of how the Wollongong city centre is perceived, regarded and used by its residents and visitors, paying particular attention to those aspects considered either 'lively' or 'dead'; its goal is to interrogate revitalisation policy frameworks and create decision-making tools to inform planning processes for long-term city centre revitalisation and sustainable economic growth; and identify opportunities for innovative city centre planning in Wollongong to contribute to the regions sustainable transformation, long-term growth, employment and community development.Read moreRead less
Making less space for carbon: cultural research for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The project meets the pressing need for a national response to climate change. The National Climate Change Adaptation Framework identifies a number of cultural changes needed within the next five years to adapt to existing climate change. Profound cultural transformations are also urgently needed to mitigate future change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The true national benefit of this work shoul ....Making less space for carbon: cultural research for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The project meets the pressing need for a national response to climate change. The National Climate Change Adaptation Framework identifies a number of cultural changes needed within the next five years to adapt to existing climate change. Profound cultural transformations are also urgently needed to mitigate future change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The true national benefit of this work should be assessed in terms of the costs of not funding it. Australia's capacity to adapt will only ever be partial without the new and fundamental insights provided by cultural geographic research. Read moreRead less