Reinventing rural places? The extent and impact of festivals as regeneration strategies. This research addresses the important problem of rural decline in Australia. The project will make available new knowledge on innovation in rural places. Benefits will accrue to specific communities from insights on the possibilities and limitations of renewal through festivals. Tourism promoters and regional development policy makers will be able to make use of the online database of rural festivals. Nation ....Reinventing rural places? The extent and impact of festivals as regeneration strategies. This research addresses the important problem of rural decline in Australia. The project will make available new knowledge on innovation in rural places. Benefits will accrue to specific communities from insights on the possibilities and limitations of renewal through festivals. Tourism promoters and regional development policy makers will be able to make use of the online database of rural festivals. National benefits include greater understanding of the significance of festivals. Research will empower rural communities and advance theory on rural restructuring, post-productivism and the reciprocal relationship between place and identities. In these ways, the project seeks to strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural Australia. Read moreRead less
Rebuilding Sustainable Communities: Assessing Post-Tsunami Resettlement Projects in Sri Lanka and India. It is in the interests of Australia and nations in our regions to improve strategic responses to natural disasters. In addition to their catastrophic short-term effects, disasters sharply reduce employment and output and strain limited state capacity, increasing poverty and inhibiting the prospects for longer-term economic growth and social stability. The development of measures which suppor ....Rebuilding Sustainable Communities: Assessing Post-Tsunami Resettlement Projects in Sri Lanka and India. It is in the interests of Australia and nations in our regions to improve strategic responses to natural disasters. In addition to their catastrophic short-term effects, disasters sharply reduce employment and output and strain limited state capacity, increasing poverty and inhibiting the prospects for longer-term economic growth and social stability. The development of measures which support the effective rebuilding of social structures and economic activity is key to minimising adverse outcomes. By enriching our understanding of how best to support sustainable resettlement programs, the study responds to the national research priority goal of 'Safeguarding Australia: understanding our region and the world'. Read moreRead less
Enhancing the National Benefit of Volunteers through Career Development in Community Organisations: A Case Study of Senior Volunteers. This project aims to determine the benefits of career development in enhancing volunteer performance and volunteer retention, with particular attention to the needs of senior volunteers. Research concerning career development is fundamentally important in the paid workforce; little investigation has occurred in the economically important and parallel area of volu ....Enhancing the National Benefit of Volunteers through Career Development in Community Organisations: A Case Study of Senior Volunteers. This project aims to determine the benefits of career development in enhancing volunteer performance and volunteer retention, with particular attention to the needs of senior volunteers. Research concerning career development is fundamentally important in the paid workforce; little investigation has occurred in the economically important and parallel area of volunteer development. The project will build on preliminary research by the Chief Investigators by developing and testing a research instrument underpinned by career development theory. The anticipated outcomes will be (a) an improved understanding of volunteer needs within an organisation through career matching and development, (b) a generic "tool kit" for organisations wishing to develop and maintain volunteers, particularly their more experienced and senior ones and (c) a benefit to the emotional and physical well-being of the community in general and volunteers in particular.Read moreRead less
The Salmon Ponds and the Development of an Acclimatisation Culture and Landscape in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania. The Derwent Valley, Tasmania, is both an economically depressed rural area and one of the most special and richly endowed colonial landscapes. This project will assist in developing and restoring its status as a touring and angling landscape for tourists by researching and reconstructing its making through the acclimatisation network centred on its cultural and technical hub at Salm ....The Salmon Ponds and the Development of an Acclimatisation Culture and Landscape in the Derwent Valley, Tasmania. The Derwent Valley, Tasmania, is both an economically depressed rural area and one of the most special and richly endowed colonial landscapes. This project will assist in developing and restoring its status as a touring and angling landscape for tourists by researching and reconstructing its making through the acclimatisation network centred on its cultural and technical hub at Salmon Ponds, New Norfolk. The research will trace the social and technical networks that linked newly formed angling associations,landowners, technical and scientific expertise with commercial and political patronage. It will elaborate how these in turn produced both a unique landscape and a culturally embedded association with it.Read moreRead less
Rethinking social intolerance: lessons from the suspension of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. This project will contribute to the understanding of intolerance via the lessons drawn from an analysis of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. It will take advantage of these events as exceptional social windows that appear to be characterised by a suspension of overt intolerance. The study innovatively reverses the usual analysis of intolerance and hostility as a socia ....Rethinking social intolerance: lessons from the suspension of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. This project will contribute to the understanding of intolerance via the lessons drawn from an analysis of homophobia at public gay and lesbian celebrations. It will take advantage of these events as exceptional social windows that appear to be characterised by a suspension of overt intolerance. The study innovatively reverses the usual analysis of intolerance and hostility as a social presence. It will analyse situational elements and ways of understanding sexuality that structure mainstream views of these events as pleasurable activities for all participants. It will advance knowledge of homophobia and intolerance in Australian society as contradictory and shifting phenomena.Read moreRead less
Sustainable development of Aboriginal-owned small to medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in the Bundjalung Nation. This project will identify the factors that facilitate the sustainable development of Aboriginal owned small to medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in the Bundjalung Nation. Barriers preventing the sustainability of businesses will also be identified. There currently is a paucity of data and, therefore a poor level of knowledge, about the factors that contribute to the successful oper ....Sustainable development of Aboriginal-owned small to medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in the Bundjalung Nation. This project will identify the factors that facilitate the sustainable development of Aboriginal owned small to medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) in the Bundjalung Nation. Barriers preventing the sustainability of businesses will also be identified. There currently is a paucity of data and, therefore a poor level of knowledge, about the factors that contribute to the successful operations of SMTEs. Consequently, there has been a high failure rate of Aboriginal tourism enterprises. This project will help overcome the failure rates amongst Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal SMTEs by increasing the expertise available to Aboriginal SMTEs.Read moreRead less
Cultural Asset Mapping for Planning and Development in Regional Australia. At a time when the environmental, social and industrial bases of regional life are changing markedly, this project examines ways that many areas in Australia might revitalise their economies and communities by engaging in new approaches to the arts and creative activity. For consumers and producers alike, many non-metropolitan regions in Australia offer opportunities for enhanced cultural activity and productivity and qu ....Cultural Asset Mapping for Planning and Development in Regional Australia. At a time when the environmental, social and industrial bases of regional life are changing markedly, this project examines ways that many areas in Australia might revitalise their economies and communities by engaging in new approaches to the arts and creative activity. For consumers and producers alike, many non-metropolitan regions in Australia offer opportunities for enhanced cultural activity and productivity and quality of life. But these opportunities have not yet been thoroughly observed, described or analysed. This project addresses this serious gap in knowledge and gives policy-makers, planners and regional and rural communities crucial information they need to decide their futures.Read moreRead less
Addressing Indigenous complex health, housing and social inclusion issues through critical systems approaches to build workforce capacity. The multidisciplinary research comprises the researchers, Department of Human Services and Neporendi Aboriginal Forum Inc who address complex Indigenous social problems in partnership. The participatory design provides effective solutions, both in treatment and community settings through the development of a computer-modeling technique that articulates and in ....Addressing Indigenous complex health, housing and social inclusion issues through critical systems approaches to build workforce capacity. The multidisciplinary research comprises the researchers, Department of Human Services and Neporendi Aboriginal Forum Inc who address complex Indigenous social problems in partnership. The participatory design provides effective solutions, both in treatment and community settings through the development of a computer-modeling technique that articulates and informs partnership arrangements. The research offers a practical approach to address the communication and policy issues relating to Indigenous family violence, social inclusion, homelessness and drug misuse. It develops and pilots an integrated systems management tool that builds the capacity of the human services workforce to manage referrals across services to maximize user outcomes.Read moreRead less
Touring the past: tourism and history in Australia 1850-2010. This project contributes to understanding our region and the world by investigating how Australia's past has attracted tourists historically. It analyses not only the ways Australians have popularly understood their own past, but how that past has been interpreted to the world. Given tourism's traditional focus has been nature rather than culture in Australia, it has often put pressures on a fragile environment. Cultural tourism is de ....Touring the past: tourism and history in Australia 1850-2010. This project contributes to understanding our region and the world by investigating how Australia's past has attracted tourists historically. It analyses not only the ways Australians have popularly understood their own past, but how that past has been interpreted to the world. Given tourism's traditional focus has been nature rather than culture in Australia, it has often put pressures on a fragile environment. Cultural tourism is developing as a major industry in Australia, destined to be even more significant in the future. History tourism is of particular benefit to rural communities, often under stress from economic and environmental pressures, and contributes to healthy active leisure.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