bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CONSUMER BANKRUPTS IN MELBOURNE
Authors: Ryan Martin
Published: December 2016

This paper reviews the literature on consumer bankruptcy in Australia and reports on data from a survey of a sample of consumer bankrupts in Melbourne who petitioned for their own bankruptcy. Data on their socio‐demographic characteristics, perceived causes of their bankruptcy and the nature of the experience are presented. It was found that: bankrupts tended to be social security recipients with few assets; and ‘non‐interventionist’ bankruptcy administration resulted in a fairly benign process which improved the bankrupts' personal and financial affairs. The role of inadequate income support and the lending practices of finance companies are discussed.
DISABILITY AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT: A PREDICTION OF FAILURE AND A PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE
Authors: Trowbridge Roger
Published: December 2016

This article will argue that recent disability services legislation has selectively interpreted the concepts of normalisation and integration to focus on employment for people with an intellectual disability as a major policy goal. It will be contended that the nature of the contemporary labour market is such that this goal cannot be fulfilled and therefore that the aim of enhancing quality of life cannot be achieved. The article recommends an approach to the reorientation of policy which is based upon a critical analysis of the cultural position of people with disabilities. In this regard, the notion of cultural productivity is introduced as a framework within which some solutions may be found.
POLICY PARADOXES: THE DISEMPOWERMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE UNDER THE LABOR GOVERNMENT, 1983–91
Authors: Bessant Judith
Published: December 2016

This paper explores the restructuring of the experience of young people's lives. It examines Federal Labor Government youth and education policy apparently developed as a response to the high levels of youth unemployment in place since 1976–77. It argues that these policies have dramatically altered the experience of being young by creating greater dependence and further disempowerment. It argues that young people have become the objects of punitive exercises that deny them their basic rights, disenfranchise them and extend the socially constructed features of adolescence into early ‘adulthood’.
PATHOLOGIST AS GATEKEEPER: DISCRETIONARY DECISION‐MAKING IN CASES OF SUDDEN INFANT DEATH
Authors: Ballenden Nicola R. , Laster Kathy , Lawrence Jeanette A.
Published: December 2016

In many cases of unexpected infant death the cause of death cannot be ascertained. It has become convention to call such cases ‘SIDS’ (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). A simulation study of pathologists' decision‐making found that there were significant differences in the procedure adopted and the diagnosis of cause of death in such cases. It was found that their decision‐making was influenced by factors such as experience, training and most importantly, pathologists' own perception of their professional role. In an emotive area such as infant death the application of the SIDS label is frequently part of the social process of defining disease.
CHANGES IN FEMALE ENTRY TO TRADE TRAINING IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Authors: Bradley Denise
Published: December 2016

This study examines whether there were significant changes in the entry of young women to trade training in South Australia as a result of equal opportunities policies and initiatives to change the means of entry to trade training. It surveys the period 1981 to 1984 because that, like the present, was a period of change in education and training arrangements. It looks at women's hold on places in pre‐vocational courses and apprenticeships in the most male‐dominated trade areas and examines in detail the outcomes of the first three Introduction to Trades for Young Women courses in 1982 and 1983. It concludes that they led to only a slight improvement in female participation in trade training. The difficulties these courses faced in articulating with both student income support policies and the selection procedures for pre‐vocational courses are discussed. The study demonstrates a marginal increase in the numbers of female apprentices outside hairdressing between 1981 and 1984 and evidence of weak commitment to an effective equal opportunities policy. A brief comparison is made between the situation at the beginning and end of the decade. This suggests that female participation in the most male‐dominated trades areas in South Australia was generally lower than the Australian average in those areas, an outcome which must open to question the policy commitment to change.
CONSTRAINTS ON THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN FROM NON‐ENGLISH SPEAKING BACKGROUNDS AND AUSTRALIAN‐BORN WOMEN IN TRADE UNIONS
Authors: Gale Fran
Published: December 2016

This paper compares traditional explanations given for women's under‐representation in union affairs with those given by a group of NESB and Australian‐born female members of a large New South Wales union. The women's explanations emerge in sharp contrast to traditionally‐held wisdom about women's union participation.
WORK INCENTIVES AND SOLE MOTHERS: COMPARING AUSTRALIAN POLICY
Authors: Evans Patricia M
Published: December 2016

This article adopts a comparative perspective on policies to increase labour force participation of single mothers. Australia's orientation is briefly explored within the context of other major English‐speaking countries (the United States, Britain and Canada), and the common emphasis in the policies on providing employment services and reducing poverty traps for Australia and Canada's largest province (Ontario) is then examined. While the potential of these approaches to increase labour force participation is found to be limited, the comparison suggests that Canada would do well to follow some of the recent anti‐poverty measures Australia has adopted. Australia, however, appears to offer a less favourable employment climate for women. The article concludes that both jurisdictions will need to pursue a broader set of policies to respond to the root causes of poverty among women heading families on their own.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPLICATIONS OF FUNDING THE PROVISION OF ADULT ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Authors: Hampel Bill
Published: December 2016

National economic salvation through improved productivity and quality is surely more likely when English language skills of Non‐English Speaking Background settlers are maximised. This article argues however, that the recent federal user‐pays scheme for funding adult ESL will impose considerable hardship on many prospective and newly‐arrived settlers. The paper briefly surveys the directions and scope of existing and proposed funding schemes; identifies some of the sociological objections to the user‐pays scheme; and then advances an alternative approach that more strictly upholds principles of social justice.
SOLE PARENT INCOME SUPPORT: CAUSE OR CURE OF SOLE PARENT POVERTY?
Authors: Lambert Suzanne
Published: December 2016

The increasing incidence of sole parenthood is justifiably a major concern for policy makers in Australia as elsewhere, not least because it represents an increasing drain on welfare funds. The overwhelming majority of female sole parents, who dominate the sole parent population, and an increasing proportion of male sole parents are in receipt of some form of income support. This article discusses, from an economic perspective, the extent to which the level and availability of income support is an important determinant of sole parenthood and in particular, welfare dependence among sole parents. The Australian sole parent pension program is also discussed and some observations made about the likely outcomes of some of the more recent developments in this program.
THE FAMILY AND THE AUSTRALIAN WELFARE STATE
Authors: Baldock Cora Vellekoop
Published: December 2016

This article discusses, by example, recent trends in government welfare policies and their impact on Australian families. Focus is on the move towards privatisation and the development of the ‘complex interventionist state’.
BUSINESS FAILURE AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Authors: Carr Joan
Published: December 2016

The paper contrasts the characteristics of bankrupt proprietors with those of debtors using Part X of the Bankruptcy Act. The findings, which are based partly on a survey of official files on bankrupts and Part X debtors, reveal class‐related differences between the two groups, with bankrupts coming from relatively underprivileged backgrounds. This finding is moderated by factors such as ethnicity, partnership arrangements and time in business. The data are interpreted sociologically, with special reference to ethnomethodological concepts like deviance and stigma which emphasise the denouncement and symbolic expulsion of debtors; and structuralist explanations which associate differential use of the Bankruptcy Act with social inequality.
FILIPINA‐AUSTRALIAN MARRIAGES: FURTHER PERSPECTIVES ON SPOUSAL VIOLENCE
Authors: Tan James , Davidson Graham
Published: December 2016

In this study 61 Filipinos drawn from rural and regional towns reported that they were generally happily married and were subjected infrequently to physical violence in their marriages, although there was evidence of higher levels of abuse in the form of constraints on personal freedom, access to money and verbal criticism. The Filipino cultural value of amor propio (sense of honour or personal dignity) and Filipinas' experience of spousal abuse in their family of origin best predicted their anticipation of reporting spousal abuse and separating from or retaliating against an abusive partner. This provides some support for cultural value and inter generational transfer explanations of response to spousal abuse.
THE POLITICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AUSTRALIA'S PLURALIST SOCIETY
Authors: Jayasuriya Laksiri
Published: December 2016

This article examines the political foundations of Australia as a multicultural nation in the context of the republican debate and the prospect of constitutional reform. In establishing a constitutional basis for the pluralism inherent in Australian society as it has evolved over lime demographically and normatively, there are symbolic and functional considerations which need to be addressed. It is argued that the key to restructuring the political foundations lies in a postmodern concept of citizenship based on a rights‐based society which gives formal recognition to differences within a liberal democratic framework.
GIS, ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: THE ISSUE OF PRIVACY
Authors: O'Toole Kevin
Published: December 2016

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offer a good technical solution for the handling of large data bases in public administration. However, GIS also poses a problem in terms of ‘information privacy’. At State and Federal levels of administration in Australia, the issue of privacy, is being addressed through various administrative and legislative processes. At Local Government level, GIS technology is now being introduced at a fairly rapid rate, but as yet, there has been little discussion of the issue of privacy at that level. This article discusses the issue of privacy at Local Government level, and suggests that there is a pressing need to introduce some administrative reforms.
VICTIMS OF CRIME AND LAW AND ORDER IDEOLOGY: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Authors: Garkawe Sam
Published: December 2016

This article will argue that conservative forces in the community have used the renewed concern for crime victims in order to further their own political positions, rather than to genuinely advance crime victims' interests. These forces, commonly referred to as the ‘law‐and‐order’ lobby, include right wing politicians, the police and some sections of the media. The ideology which informs their approach will be critically examined, as well as the most important specific policies relating to crime victims deriving from this ideology.
CAREER PROGRESSION IN THE COMMUNITY SECTOR
Authors: Onyx Jenny , Maclean Madi
Published: December 2016

This article presents the results of preliminary research into the nature of career progression within the community sector in NSW, using a supply‐side analysis and drawing on the experience of 200 community sector workers over the past 10 years. Contrary to expectations, the majority of workers experienced considerable progression in terms of position level, status, salary and responsibility. There was considerable movement from part‐time to full‐time status. The results are discussed in terms of a blurring of the primary/secondary labour market distinction.
IMPOSED STRUCTURES AND CONTESTED MEANINGS: POLICIES AND POLITICS OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Authors: Willis Karen
Published: December 2016

This article explores the concept of structured community participation in health, which refers to groups that are established by health decision‐makers to provide a ‘community’ viewpoint of health issues and services. The imposed nature of this form of participation is, however, potentially problematic in that it may not ensure that the community's views arc heard. Rather, structured community participation may entrench dominant interests. Drawing on the experiences of District Health Forums in Tasmania, this article explores issues surrounding this form of participation and argues that the political context of participation must be fully understood if it is to be effective. A recognition of the differences between bureaucratic and community needs and interests is essential to the success of structured community participation.
KINSHIP, RECIPROCITY AND VULNERABILITY: SOCIAL RELATIONS IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY
Authors: Short Patricia
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the notion that informal interhousehold transfers of goods and services in the communal economy are based upon reciprocity. Patterns of interhousehold transfer of goods and services are described, and the significance of kinship (or familial obligations) in shaping patterns of informal exchange are discussed. Data from a 1990 survey of household and residential organisation in Brisbane are used. Differences in income, labour force participation and the density and character of householders' social networks are considered as factors shaping contemporary interhousehold economic activity. Implications for our understanding of people's economic vulnerability are drawn from the observations.
THE LIMITS OF EMPOWERMENT IN HUMAN SERVICE WORK
Authors: Solas John
Published: December 2016

This paper critiques the notion of empowerment and the concept of power upon which it is based Specifically, it argues that the concept of empowerment, as generally represented in human service work, has developed along a highly abstract and Utopian line which does not necessarily result in the kind of the practice its supporters preach. The discourse of empowerment is based on rationalist assumptions which if left unexamined will continue to perpetuate relations of domination between human service workers and clients.
POWER AND ADDICTION: THE MAKING OF THE MODERN ADDICT
Authors: Bull Melissa
Published: December 2016

This article provides a genealogical analysis of the ‘discovery’ of the modern phenomenon of addiction. It considers how the emergence of a bio‐politics of the population in the industrialising West facilitated the invention of addiction and supported an argument for the regulation of opiate use. As a result of regulation, particular patterns of opiate use became increasingly visible. In response the medical profession, in the late nineteenth century, through the use of power‐knowledge strategies transformed opiate use from a diverse set of social valuations to a unified pathology associated with madness, or unreason. This constitution of addiction as a negative category has been developed and appropriated by other discourses to provide the foundation for disciplinary interventions directed towards the regulation of undesirable patterns of consumption.
FEMALE SEX WORK, NON‐WORK SEX AND HIV IN PERTH
Authors: Waddell C. E.
Published: December 2016

This study is based on repeated interviews with twelve heterosexual female commercial sex workers (SWs) in Perth. These informants deploy, with various degrees of success, strategies to demarcate ‘work‐sex’, with its socially ascribed stigma, from ‘non‐work sex’. Such strategies inhibit the spread of HIV at work but, ironically, increase the risk of HIV transmission during non‐work sex. SWs recognise this risk and construct a variety of rationales to reduce their fear of contracting HIV and justify their strategies of demarcating work‐sex from non‐work sex. Efforts to reduce the risk of HIV infection among Perth SWs would seem to depend upon addressing not only these strategies of demarcation but these rationales in a supportive environment that recognises the creative complexities of their lives.
MINIMUM AUSTRALIAN CHILD CARE STANDARDS: A COMPARISON WITH INTERNATIONAL BENCHMARKS
Authors: Murray Sally
Published: December 2016

In 1994 the State, Territory and Federal governments agreed upon a set of minimum regulatory standards for long day centre‐based child care. This article compares those standards with two international benchmarks for minimum standards in child care. The Australian standards are barely adequate at best when assessed against those benchmarks. It is an open question how much improvement the new child care accreditation system can achieve without improvements in the underlying regulatory requirements.
USING BUDGET CONSTRAINTS TO ILLUSTRATE POVERTY TRAPS: THE CASE OF YOUNG PART‐TIME WORKERS IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Dollery Brian , Fletcher Michael
Published: December 2016

Although much is known about the incidence of unemployment in Australia over the recent past, the causes of unemployment remain controversial. Various explanations have been advanced, some of which focus on the unemployment benefits system. The present study examines the problem of high effective marginal tax rates faced by young social security recipients wishing to engage in part‐time employment, and the resultant emergence of so‐called ‘poverty traps’. We examine budget constraints for unemployed eighteen year olds, both singles and couples, for part‐time employment in four low income occupations; namely, brickie's labourer, public service clerk, stationhand and sales assistant. The results indicate that pervasive disincentive effects exist for young people seeking low wage employment.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION AND JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM: A QUEENSLAND CASE STUDY
Authors: Hil Richard , Roughley Leanne
Published: December 2016

The paper examines critically the relationship between the rhetoric and reality of the then Queensland Government's consultation procedures in relation to the 1992 Juvenile Justice Bill. It is argued that although the State Government viewed consultation as central to the process of social policy reform, the steps adopted to achieve this in the case of the Juvenile Justice Bill were regarded widely as inadequate in a number of important respects. We contend that such shortcomings were generated by a number of interconnected factors, not least being the Queensland Government's hasty attempt to appease public concern over juvenile crime, and the absence of a practise model to implement it's stated aims of public consultation. This in turn served to enhance the political legitimacy of the Labor Government in the period prior to its re‐election in September 1992.
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF SATANISM: UNDERSTANDING AN INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL PROBLEM
Authors: Richardson James T.
Published: December 2016

The ‘satanism scare’ is a significant collective phenomenon which started gaining attention a decade or so ago in America, but has now spread to a number of Western countries. This article adopts a social constructionist perspective to analyse various structural factors and movements which have come together to give rise to the satanism scare as an international social problem. Special attention is paid to efforts of American anti‐satanist ‘missionaries’ in the spread of the satanism scare to other countries, including Australia and New Zealand. A new typology of types of ‘objectivists’ ‐ people who to varying degrees accept and promote the reality of Satan and satanism ‐ is used as an analytic device in the presentation.
SUPPLYING AND PROMOTING ‘GROG’: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ALCOHOL IN ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA
Authors: Saggers Sherry , Gray Dennis
Published: December 2016

The deleterious effects of alcohol misuse among Aboriginal Australians have been well documented and are widely acknowledged by Aboriginal people. However, most academic discussion has attempted to explain the demand for alcohol by Aboriginal people. In this review, we argue for an analysis of the political economy of Aboriginal alcohol use which also focuses on the supply and promotion of alcohol. Our own research and that of others demonstrates the utility of such an approach and the practical benefits it offers for harm minimisation strategies.
THE IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION POLICIES ON SCHOOL EDUCATION IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Authors: Iredale Robyn
Published: December 2016

Australia's immigration policies have had a dramatic effect on school populations, especially in the state of New South Wales which receives about 40 per cent of the intake. This paper is based on a study that was carried out for the Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research and the NSW Ministry of Education. The study revealed that many non‐English speaking background pupils miss out on English as a second language tuition, community languages are allowed to lapse and aspects of the school environment, such as relations between different groups, are not given the attention that they deserve.
ANCILLARY AND SPECIALIST HEALTH SERVICES: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME, USER RATES AND EQUITY OF ACCESS
Authors: Schofield Deborah
Published: December 2016

Australia's public health system currently provides substantial funding to, amongst its other objectives, ensure access to hospital, medical and pharmaceutical services by all families irrespective of income (McClelland, 1991, p. 6). However most ancillary services are not similarly subsidised and there is some evidence that income presents a barrier to the use of these services. There is also evidence that low income might also reduce access to specialist medical practitioner services which, while funded through Medicare, are less likely to be bulk billed than general practitioner services, and which therefore attract higher out‐of pocket costs. In this study, the 1989–90 National Health Survey is used to examine whether there are indicators that low income reduces access to a range of ancillary services such as physiotherapy, optician services, chiropractic and dental services and to specialist medical practitioner services.
THE BOYS IN BLUE AND THE BAD BLUE BOYS: A CASE STUDY OF INTERACTIVE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE POLICE AND ETHNIC YOUTH IN WESTERN SYDNEY
Authors: Hughson John
Published: December 2016

The paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork undertaken with a group of young men known collectively as the Bad Blue Boys (BBB)1. These young men use the supporting of a soccer team (Sydney United in the national league) as a means of parading nationalistic allegiance to their parent's homeland, Croatia. Given the history of crowd conflict at Australian soccer matches and the current trends within soccer officialdom to move the sport away from its traditional affiliation with ethnic communities, it is inevitable that the BBB have come into confrontation with agents of social authority, such as the police, during an afternoon at the football. The participant observation aspect of the research is used to discuss the interaction between the police and the BBB at soccer matches, while interviews with members of the BBB are recounted to reveal group attitudes held about the police.

The paper is written to articulate with other academic contributions which have investigated the relationship between youth from non‐English speaking backgrounds (NESB) and the police in contemporary Australian urban contexts. A leading contributor to such studies, Janet Chan, has commented, ‘Australian research specifically on police‐ethnic youth relations [paints] a negative portrait’ (Chan 1994, p. 176). The portrait painted by the present study is intended for comparison with such research. At the outset it must be stressed that the findings are peculiar to the study and that no great claim is made for extrapolation. However, this is not to say that the study does not reflect trends in relations between NESB youth and police in Australian cities. On the contrary, a conclusion will be drawn which argues that ethnographic studies of particular ethnic youth groupings and subcultures facilitate a social mapping of police youth relations.
HUSBAND ABUSE: FACT OR FICTION?
Authors: Sarantakos Sotirios
Published: December 2016

During the last thirty years, ideologies, theories and policies relating to domestic violence have changed radically. As a result of this, community concern and state policies shifted considerably towards protecting and supporting abused wives. Although this shift was justified by the extreme severity of the problem and the relative inadequacy of relevant policies of the past to address wife abuse effectively, it nevertheless led to a partial neglect of other types of domestic violence. Particularly wife‐to‐husband abuse has been totally ignored and neglected, and even taken to be the fault of the victim. This paper explores the status of husband abuse, by re‐assessing relevant trends and developments in Australia and other countries, and presents a review of empirical evidence which shows that husband abuse is more common and more serious than it is generally believed to be, and that it is the task of the government to address spouse abuse by means of policies and practices which are free from a sexist bias.
THE CONTEXT FOR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HEALTH ACTION IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Butler Catherine , Rissel Christopher , Khavarpour Freidoon
Published: December 2016

Community participation is one of the underlying principles of democratic societies and the potential benefits of the participation process are well documented. Although a number of participatory mechanisms have been established by government departments and community agencies to facilitate community participation in health, few Australians regularly or actively participate. This paper examines the context for participation in health action in Australia including a political culture which serves to discourage participation in health, and many other areas, and barriers to participation associated with the complex structure and financing of the health care system.
POSTCOLONIAL TRAUMA: THE CONTEMPORARY REMOVAL OF INDIGENOUS CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THEIR FAMILIES IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Cunneen Chris , Libesman Terry
Published: December 2016

The removal of Indigenous children from their families within contemporary Australia is considered by way of both child protection and juvenile justice interventions and within the context of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families. In particular, the article considers the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry in relation to contemporary removals and Government responses to those recommendations.
IN SEARCH OF WHAT IS RIGHT: THE MORAL DIMENSIONS OF THE DRUG DEBATE
Authors: Bush Bill , Neutze Max
Published: December 2016

The protagonists in the drug debate are talking past one another. While some argue that the drug debate is a health and social issue and should primarily be analytical and based on empirical evidence, others, explicitly or implicitly, treat it as a moral issue: overwhelmingly, in Australia, based on Christian beliefs. The aim of this paper is to set out a framework for the debate which explicitly recognises its moral as well as its empirical and analytical dimensions. It is hoped that greater transparency will facilitate the debate and may help the formulation of common positions. Heroin maintenance is used as an example to illustrate the arguments.
HUGH STRETTON AND THE WISE ADMINISTRATOR
Authors: Melleuish Greg
Published: December 2016

His massive textbook, Economics: A New Introduction, is in many ways the culmination of Hugh Stretton's work as a theoretician of the social sciences. From his first major publication in 1969, The Political Sciences, Stretton has wrestled with two major issues. One has been the nature of the social sciences, particularly the role of moral ideas in shaping the theory and practice of social inquiry. The second has been the relationship between social theory and social practice, particularly in terms of policy development. His first book was the most ‘academic’. Since then he has written more in response to the problems of the age than out of a desire to solve merely academic questions. Hence his involvement in issues of housing, the environment and, during the last decade and a half, economic policy. One of his favourite techniques has been to use ‘speculative history’, providing alternative futures to illustrate what he believes to be the consequences of particular policy choices.
THE YOUTH WAGE AND AGE‐BASED DISCRIMINATION: RIGHTS VS JOBS
Authors: Bessant Judith
Published: December 2016

Defences of the youth wage constitute a form of discrimination against young people with significant implications for income poverty among 16–24 year olds in Australia. In a manner comparable to the historic denigration of women and Indigenous Australians, arguments against the equal value of youth work rest on normative and empirical assumptions that are entirely contestable. Ultimately, they embody an animus against a section of the population that deprives them of their fundamental civic status.
FALSE PRINCIPLES OF WELFARE REFORM
Authors: Goodin Robert E.
Published: December 2016

Welfare reform both in Australia and throughout the OECD invokes various moral principles. These are articulated in arguments about ‘consent’, on both a micro‐ and macro‐level, and the ‘mutual obligation’ that ostensibly arises from consent. There are also frankly ‘paternalistic’ arguments, whether weak or strong, to the effect that forcing people into work is good for them. A critical assessment demonstrates that none of these arguments can justify the kind of welfare reform which is currently mooted. The real aim of such reform seems instead to be simply that of ‘clearing the welfare rolls ’. This has worrying ethical consequences.
CHANGING DRIVING BEHAVIOUR — A CULTURAL APPROACH
Authors: Redshaw Sarah
Published: December 2016

The problems being experienced on the roads, of continued fatalities, serious injury and infringements, are currently being evaluated through a cognitive approach which focuses on the individual. The paper outlines the main features of this approach and argues for an alternative approach which investigates driving as a culture and which offers a method of dealing with the appropriateness of the attitudes, beliefs and expectations embodied within that culture. A cultural approach involves looking at how driving as a culture is constructed and maintained, It thus represents a focus which is much more socially oriented and aimed at influencing the culture of driving rather than merely punishing the individual driver.
THE DEBATE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS
Authors: Chamberlain Chris , Johnson Guy
Published: December 2016

Three definitions of homelessness which have been influential in Australia may be categorised as the literal, the subjectivist and the cultural. The literal definition equates homelessness with ‘rooflessness’. The subjectivist definition attempts to establish homelessness ‘ by asking people about the adequacy of their accommodation The cultural definition argues that homelessness is an objective category which is not dependent on people's perceptions. From examining the usefulness of the three definitions in relation to a large body of data collected at an agency providing services for homeless people, we may contend that homelessness is best treated as a concept like poverty, which should be measured objectively and not depend on people's perceptions.
DEBATE A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Authors: Allen Rodney , Hunt Ian
Published: December 2016

The publication of Jonathan Swift's original Modest Proposal in 1729 caused outrage. His suggestion that, to survive, the Irish poor should make food of their own children (whether ‘stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled… in a fricassee or a ragout’) carried the logic of the government of his day to its brutal extreme. Polite society was not amused. But as the critic David Ward has noted: ‘Swift employs pessimism as a weapon to scourge away the smug credulity of most optimists, just as he employs the language of evil … to make us fear the worst in ourselves. ‘ In this piece Rodney Allen and Ian Hunt of the Centre for Applied Philosophy, Flinders University, find inspiration in Swift's pamphlet to make their own contribution to one of the the great debates of our day.
RECONSTITUTING COMMUNITY: SOCIAL JUSTICE, SOCIAL ORDER AND THE POLITICS OF COMMUNITY
Authors: Everingham Christine
Published: December 2016

Social policy debates are informed today by a rhetoric of the ‘politics of community’ which focuses on problems of social fragmentation and exclusion in the new era of globalisation. While this rhetoric was earlier associated primarily with debate on social justice, it now more frequently relies on notions of social order, notably in the Federal Government's welfare reform agenda. ‘Community ‘ is thus a central and dynamic focus of debate, especially in relation to the arguments over ‘social capital’. The most important question in this project of ‘reconstituting community’ is the kind of community likely to emerge under globalisation: which question cannot be raised without shifting the current focus on social order back to one on social justice.
UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT OF RISK PRACTICES AMONG INJECTING DRUG USERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR HEPATITIS C PREVENTION
Authors: Habib Shah E
Published: December 2016

‘Risk’ is central to recent sociological studies of health and related behaviour, particularly in discourses about HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C (HCV). While epidemiological survey predominates over qualitative investigation in HCV risk reduction, it is necessary to move beyond individual‐level characteristics to gain a fuller understanding of the social context of risk. This paper investigates the context of HCV‐related risk behaviour among injecting drug users (IDUs) and discusses the behavioural and social determinants of risk practices. Data from 336 IDUs completing a self‐administered questionnaire were analysed. The data show that needle‐sharing practices are often integral to long‐standing relationships, particularly sexual ones. The level of drug dependency, trust relationships between partners and misconceptions about HCV transmission have been demonstrated to be associated with risk behaviour. Logistic factors, such as poor access to injecting equipment, limited hours of operation, and fear of police were given as barriers to safer injecting. Given the progression of the HCV epidemic, prevention campaigns should aim at risk reduction rather than risk elimination.
TAXES AND SOCIAL SPENDING: THE SHIFTING DEMANDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC
Authors: Wilson Shaun , Breusch Trevor
Published: December 2016

This paper uses data from the Australian Election Studies (1987–2001) to investigate the preference for lower taxes or higher social spending among Australian voters. We offer some explanations for the increased support for higher social spending, especially after the election of the Howard Government in 1996. Regression models allow us to distinguish various factors that predict support for higher social spending. The main conclusions of the paper are that support for social spending is higher among voters with ‘social‐democratic’ attitudes and voting preferences but significantly, is also higher among voters who think health and Medicare services have declined since 1998. These findings are discussed in the context of various possible explanations for declining support for tax cuts.
THE MEXICAN STATE AND THE AGRIBUSINESS MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE GLOBALIZATION ERA
Authors: Cabello Gaspar Real
Published: December 2016

This article analyzes the relationship between the State and transnational capital manifested in capitalist agribusiness schemes in Mexican agriculture. It illustrates a model that has privileged one type of development in detriment to other forms of organizing rural agricultural production and labor (Real 1997). Current agricultural development in México is linked directly to the “Green Revolution”, México being prominent as its birthplace. Ironically, the Green Revolution contributed to a massive displacement of rural population to cities as human labor was replaced by machinery (1992). Development of capitalist agriculture in México and Latin America is closely related to the effects of the transnationalization of agroindustry. The importance of agribusiness has expanded in recent decades through a series of events, including the substitution of basic crops for more profitable ones and the contribution to the “new international division of labor” (Sanderson 1990). Recent trilateral transnational political and economic changes are linked to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between México, United States and Canada (Kearney 1995). In the case of agriculture, Palerm and Urquiola (1993) believe the relationship between United States and Mexico to be bimodal. From a perspective of Social Anthropology we provide firsthand information about two areas of agroindustry: production of vegetables for export and production of poultry where participation by different social actors was observed. Agro‐industrial entrepreneurs depend upon agricultural workers who wish to conserve a peasant way of life.
YOUNG REFUGEES TALK ABOUT WELL‐BEING: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF REFUGEE YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FROM THREE STATES
Authors: Brough Mark , Gorman Don , Ramirez Elvia , Westoby Peter
Published: December 2016

Young people from refugee backgrounds face enormous challenges in the settlement process within Australia. They must locate themselves within a new social, cultural, geographic and adult space, yet also try to find security within the spaces of their own families and ethnic communities. Traumas of the past can mix with painful experiences of the present. The stressors in the lives of these young people can be both complex and diverse. This paper explores the nature of these stressors among young people from refugee backgrounds living in Australia. It is based on in‐depth interviews with 76 young people from refugee backgrounds now living in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. A qualitative analysis of the impact of these stressors as well as the coping strategies employed are discussed. It is argued that trauma exists within a life continuum and that approaches to supporting young people in these circumstances should be wary of limiting their focus to biomedical categories such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Acculturation Stress and instead focus on a wider social context.
WHO'S NOT PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE: PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN TAX SYSTEM
Authors: Braithwaite Valerie
Published: December 2016

Data from the Community Hopes, Fears and Actions Survey are used to examine how pervasive the view is that the more privileged in society are failing to pay their fair share of tax, to understand the beliefs that underpin such perceptions, and the reforms that are needed to open dialogue with the Australian public about the issue. Support is found for five hypotheses. Economic self‐interest provides a partial explanation for perceptions of vertical inequity, but more important are disillusionment with the Australian democracy and perceptions of insufficient procedural justice from the tax office. Values about how Australian society should develop also play a part. Those looking for a more equal, caring and compassionate Australia perceive there to be a high level of vertical inequity. Such perceptions are not shared by those aspiring to an Australia that pursues competitive advantage either economically or politically.

Tax authorities are brokers for social order and harmony in democracies. They can not determine the policies that are supposed to deliver these goals, nor the rules by which individuals are expected to contribute to the government coffers. But they carry responsibility for making it all happen — collecting taxes and providing government with revenue. As such, their integrity is pivotal to smooth democratic functioning.

Integrity for a tax authority involves having purposeful and sound goals, appropriate and ethical procedures for pursuing such goals, and processes allowing reflection and evolution of their operation in response to the democratic will (Braithwaite 2003). This paper is a contribution to the process of reflection on how the tax system is working for its citizens. Its purpose is to investigate the extent to which the Australian community believes that their tax authority is pursuing one of its goals, collecting revenue, in a sound and purposeful way. Three questions are addressed: (a) Are different social groups in our society paying their fair share of tax? (b) What are the experiences and aspirations lying behind public perceptions that some groups do not pay their fair share? and (c) Do perceptions of fairness shape the direction in which Australians want to see tax reform progress?
AUSTRALIAN WAR WIDOWS: A CASE STUDY TO CHALLENGE PUBLIC POLICY
Authors: Cooke Marie
Published: December 2016

This paper explores public policy in relation to war widows. The effects of public policy are rarely analysed from an individual's perspective. The paper draws on interview data to analyse the case study of a 51 year old Vietnam War widow and compares this to the experiences of six other war widows. Findings are part of a larger study on widowhood. Life histories were gained through unstructured interviews and then constructed as case studies that enabled an analysis of the relationship between the individual lived experience of the women and broader social forces that influence this. The findings suggest that women may feel differently about being categorised as ‘war widows’ in public policy and the reasons for this are varied. The paper suggests that an extension of this study be conducted to more fully explore the reasons for the differences in war widows to inform future policy review/revision.
A Critique of the Concept of Social Exclusion and its Utility for Australian Social Housing Policy
Authors: Arthurson Kathy , Jacobs Keith
Published: December 2016

The paper reviews the usefulness of the concept of social exclusion for Australian social housing policy. We draw on recent theoretical and empirical research from Europe and the UK to develop a critique of the concept of social exclusion. It is argued that any assessment of social exclusion needs to distinguish between its utility as an academic explanatory concept and its political deployment to justify new forms of policy intervention. Policy targeting anti‐social behaviour through increasingly more punitive means, for instance, is often justified on the basis that it ameliorates the problems of social exclusion experienced by tenants residing in public housing estates. We conclude that, in spite of the limitations of social exclusion as an analytical concept, for political and pragmatic reasons it is likely to become an important component of the emerging Australian housing policy agenda.
Behind the Rhetoric of Community Development: How is it perceived and practiced?
Authors: Hudson Kim
Published: December 2016

State and local governments in Western Australia increasingly identify ‘community development’ as a key approach for the delivery of community services. In this paper I explore how the concept of community development is understood and practiced by workers in the context of government community services. While definitions are most often presented as a universally understood approach, my key argument is, that there are instead, community development ‘discourses’ that are variously applied to diverse situations. Foucauldian notions of discourse and power are used to propose that, while there may be core and recognisable traits found within the language of community development, in any given situation these combine with a number of variables (most notably stemming from the organization responsible for community services) to form a ‘situated’ community development ‘discourse’.
Beyond the Local: Extending the Social Capital Discourse
Authors: Healy Karen , Hampshire Anne , Ayres Liz
Published: December 2016

Social capital and community capacity have become key concepts in social policy responses to marginalised individuals and communities. Policy making has occurred in the context of heated debate about the roles government and business institutions in strengthening community capacities. In this paper, we will explore theoretical positions about the role that these institutions play in building local social capital. We argue that the dominant conceptions of social capital in Australia fail to recognise the potential for non‐local institutions to strengthening local community capacity. Drawing on a study of four geographically diverse communities we show that a substantial proportion of community members were disconnected from non‐local government and business institutions. We conclude with some initial suggestions for extending the social capital discourse to recognise and build the role of non‐local institutions in strengthening local communities.
Exploring alternative pathways out of poverty: making connections between domestic violence and employment practices
Authors: Costello Mayet , Chung Donna , Carson Ed
Published: December 2016

In this article we report on the research findings from our exploratory study examining connections between Australian responses to two important social issues: domestic violence and employment. Although international literature particularly from North America, comprehensively addresses the connections between domestic violence and employment, there is a paucity of Australian research on this topic. Intrigued by this as both practitioners and researchers, we sought to discover whether the problems, solutions and conclusions addressed internationally were relevant to an Australian context. The result was a unique contribution to Australian knowledge and practice where we demonstrate the applicability of some aspects of North American approaches to Australia and document innovative local practices in the field. In this article we argue for a more comprehensive approach in responses to the connections between domestic violence and employment as an alternative pathway out of poverty for women affected by domestic violence.
The Sole Parent Family: Family and Support Networks
Authors: Webber Ruth , Boromeo Deborah
Published: December 2016

This paper reports on a research project that focused on the experiences of ten sole parents and their support networks. Results indicate that they relied both on informal support networks and welfare organizations in the initial period of sole parenthood but that this reliance waned over time. Participants accessed church groups, cancer support groups, governmental agencies, financial institutions, and counselling services. After the initial use of support networks, many of them became involved in recreational activities that they had not participated in during the course of their marriage. They emphasized the importance of friends who were influential in assisting them to cope with the initial stresses of sole parenting. Most were critical and disillusioned about the level and type of assistance from the extended family and the emotionally charged responses to their situation. They were also critical of Government services and felt stigmatised by the treatment they received.