The paradox of choice: Unravelling complex superannuation decisions. Australia has been a world-leader in retirement savings policy, but there remains a pervasive lack of understanding about how best to communicate complex financial information to decision-makers, along with a push by government for clearer disclosure and greater financial literacy. This project will inform regulators and the superannuation industry on how choices are made and how to present clearer, better-designed information ....The paradox of choice: Unravelling complex superannuation decisions. Australia has been a world-leader in retirement savings policy, but there remains a pervasive lack of understanding about how best to communicate complex financial information to decision-makers, along with a push by government for clearer disclosure and greater financial literacy. This project will inform regulators and the superannuation industry on how choices are made and how to present clearer, better-designed information to be understood by ordinary participants, thus encouraging active, well-informed participation rather than passive 'default' decisions. More efficient investment and benefit choices will improve the economic welfare of retirees, reduce the burden on the working-age population and improve fiscal sustainability.Read moreRead less
Distributional Consequences of Mass-Market Higher Education in Business. Increased access to tertiary education has not been evaluated for its effects on the full spectrum of individuals served by the tertiary sector. Using longitudinal data on entire student populations at university business faculties, this project will provide the first Australian evidence on the trade-offs amongst the educational success of students with different levels of preparation that occur when those with poorer prep ....Distributional Consequences of Mass-Market Higher Education in Business. Increased access to tertiary education has not been evaluated for its effects on the full spectrum of individuals served by the tertiary sector. Using longitudinal data on entire student populations at university business faculties, this project will provide the first Australian evidence on the trade-offs amongst the educational success of students with different levels of preparation that occur when those with poorer preparation are added to classrooms. Short-term performance and medium-term attrition, a recent educational policy focus, will be evaluated. Theoretically grounded recommendations will result for undergraduate program design to suit a student population with varying levels of university preparation.Read moreRead less
Domestic Subversions: maternalism and cross-cultural histories. This project will assist in the processes of reconciliation, by fostering a sense of a shared history, and increasing public awareness of the complexity of race relations histories in Australia. It will redress a significant gap in Australian knowledge and literature. Very little is known about the history of Aboriginal domestic workers and their relationships with their white employers in Australia, despite growing awareness of the ....Domestic Subversions: maternalism and cross-cultural histories. This project will assist in the processes of reconciliation, by fostering a sense of a shared history, and increasing public awareness of the complexity of race relations histories in Australia. It will redress a significant gap in Australian knowledge and literature. Very little is known about the history of Aboriginal domestic workers and their relationships with their white employers in Australia, despite growing awareness of the significance of domestic service in Aboriginal child removal policies. The project will also assist in establishing Australian historical scholarship at the forefront of leading international research initiatives in gender, race and colonialism studies. Read moreRead less
Autobiography of a People: Aboriginal Writing in Queensland, 1890s-1930s. As the recent "history wars" confirm, Australians today care deeply about the colonial past, because its legacies are "all around us and within" (as Oodgeroo noted). This project advances knowledge and conceptual understanding in the key areas of colonial race relations, Indigenous self-representation, and Indigenous literacy. Aboriginal autobiography is an especially effective tool for stimulating the empathetic imaginati ....Autobiography of a People: Aboriginal Writing in Queensland, 1890s-1930s. As the recent "history wars" confirm, Australians today care deeply about the colonial past, because its legacies are "all around us and within" (as Oodgeroo noted). This project advances knowledge and conceptual understanding in the key areas of colonial race relations, Indigenous self-representation, and Indigenous literacy. Aboriginal autobiography is an especially effective tool for stimulating the empathetic imagination, and bridging social, temporal and geographical distances between people. This research will strengthen the nation's social fabric by promoting inter-racial understanding, and by adding historical depth to present thinking about contemporary Aboriginal attitudes to literacy.Read moreRead less
A cultural history of West Australian popular music, 1945 to 2010. The Valentines, The Triffids, The John Butler Trio all had their origins in the western Australian musical scene. This is the first cultural history of West Australia's popular music industry. It documents the life and times of its musical artists, bands, managers, recording studios, relevant radio programs since 1945.
Land of the Black Stump: a history of Australias Inland Corridor, 1815-2005. This project explains the origins of key areas of current interest and concern about rural and regional Australia. It provides historical lessons that address four National Research Priority areas (sustainable water and land management, sustainable communities, technological innovation, Australia in regional and global context). The project highlights the historical importance to Australia of inland regions, industries, ....Land of the Black Stump: a history of Australias Inland Corridor, 1815-2005. This project explains the origins of key areas of current interest and concern about rural and regional Australia. It provides historical lessons that address four National Research Priority areas (sustainable water and land management, sustainable communities, technological innovation, Australia in regional and global context). The project highlights the historical importance to Australia of inland regions, industries, and communities which today are undergoing fundamental economic, technological, and social readjustments. The project identifies the relationships that bind urban and rural Australia yet problematise racial reconciliation. It brings together a national network of researchers and provides vocational training for students.Read moreRead less
Cartoon Nation: Australian Editorial Cartooning - Past, Present, and Future. This landmark study aims to facilitate a new scholarly and public appreciation of Australian editorial cartooning: something often celebrated, but seldom studied seriously. At a moment when the art-form is transitioning, the study will elucidate its enduring democratic and cultural significance, revealing diverse stories told through cartoons. Expected project outcomes include: pioneering new scholarship; the enhancemen ....Cartoon Nation: Australian Editorial Cartooning - Past, Present, and Future. This landmark study aims to facilitate a new scholarly and public appreciation of Australian editorial cartooning: something often celebrated, but seldom studied seriously. At a moment when the art-form is transitioning, the study will elucidate its enduring democratic and cultural significance, revealing diverse stories told through cartoons. Expected project outcomes include: pioneering new scholarship; the enhancement of cross-institutional networks; and improved capacity for collaboration between academia and industry (professional bodies and collecting institutions). The project will benefit the nation, providing a truer understanding of the defining Australian sense of humour, press, and political culture, across more than 200 years.Read moreRead less
Digital China: From cultural presence to innovative nation. This project aims to investigate how digital platforms and technologies help Chinese culture and ideas reach the world. While China's global cultural presence has increased, it is not seen as an innovative nation. The project examines how the Chinese government’s internet+ strategy changes power dynamics among political institutions, commercially motivated digital companies and online communities. The project will investigate internatio ....Digital China: From cultural presence to innovative nation. This project aims to investigate how digital platforms and technologies help Chinese culture and ideas reach the world. While China's global cultural presence has increased, it is not seen as an innovative nation. The project examines how the Chinese government’s internet+ strategy changes power dynamics among political institutions, commercially motivated digital companies and online communities. The project will investigate internationalisation strategies and consumption of Chinese culture on digital platforms in China, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. It expects to understand the implications of China's digital ascendency and the lessons for Australia in the post-resources boom era.Read moreRead less
Goolarabooloo Culture of the Western Kimberley. With the prospect of new industries, starting with a major gas plant, the Indigenous population of Broome finds itself under pressure and internally divided. The group to be studied here, Goolarabooloo, is opposed to mining on their Dreaming. Their struggle has had the effect of reviving forms of culture, that take contemporary shape, but are always strongly linked to the traditional culture. With national and international attention focussed on Go ....Goolarabooloo Culture of the Western Kimberley. With the prospect of new industries, starting with a major gas plant, the Indigenous population of Broome finds itself under pressure and internally divided. The group to be studied here, Goolarabooloo, is opposed to mining on their Dreaming. Their struggle has had the effect of reviving forms of culture, that take contemporary shape, but are always strongly linked to the traditional culture. With national and international attention focussed on Goolarabooloo, this study will analyse the transformation of this confederacy of language groups in the context of industrialisation and tourism. The output will be a first in ethnographic documentation of this culture, first recorded by Daisy Bates in 1901.Read moreRead less
J. M. Coetzee and Making Sense in LIterature. Focusing on the work of Nobel Prize winning South African-Australian novelist J. M. Coetzee, this project examines how Coetzee’s fiction develops techniques that generate or produce meaning about the world and involves levels of ‘translatability’ that allow it to maintain relevance across cultures. A detailed analysis that focuses on how Coetzee makes us question the nature of meaning itself has not yet been undertaken, even though this is of central ....J. M. Coetzee and Making Sense in LIterature. Focusing on the work of Nobel Prize winning South African-Australian novelist J. M. Coetzee, this project examines how Coetzee’s fiction develops techniques that generate or produce meaning about the world and involves levels of ‘translatability’ that allow it to maintain relevance across cultures. A detailed analysis that focuses on how Coetzee makes us question the nature of meaning itself has not yet been undertaken, even though this is of central importance to his work.Read moreRead less