bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Stratification and Old Age
Authors: Wild R. A.
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the relationship between social stratification and generation position and their effect in determining the position and role of the aged in Australian society. It details the processes of segregation and isolation among the aged through enforced residential movement, retirement migration, and sickness. Finally, it concludes that power is the crucial connecting link between social stratification and generation position and that it is the complex interrelationships between these structures that provide the basis for the structuration of major status and class groupings among the aged.
Criteria for Welfare: Needs or Earnings?
Authors: Henderson Ronald F.
Published: December 2016

The Report of the Poverty Commission followed Australian practice and recommended that payments to pensioners and beneficiaries be based on their needs. Two other recent reports, the Woodhouse Report on compensation for accidents and sickness, and the Hancock Report on National Superannuation, suggest an entirely different set of criteria—earnings and earnings‐related contributions. It is argued that the latter proposals would discriminate inequitably between different groups of beneficiaries and that Australia should continue on a needs basis moving forward to a guaranteed minimum income scheme.
Women and Work: An Attitudinal Study
Authors: Lansbury Russell
Published: December 2016

While much has been written about the increasing rate of female participation in the workforce, Australian research has seldom explored the motivation of women to remain at work after marriage or return to the workplace after their responsibilities have declined. The results of a survey of 150 women in an outer Melbourne suburb highlight the complex nature of women's attitudes towards work, which vary with employment status, occupational background and age. Although only the latter was found to be statistically significant, the former were also shown to be influential. Furthermore, while economic necessity emerged as the dominant factor in motivating women to work, the need for social contact and the nature of the job itself were also of importance.
Classification of Juvenile Offenders and Ecological Factors
Authors: Kraus John
Published: December 2016

The study was concerned with the relationship of social ecology to types of juvenile delinquency. In comparison with ecology designated (in an earlier study) as ‘Low socio‐educational status’, the delinquent from an area with an ecology designated as ‘Individual‐social‐economic alienation’ was found to be more likely: to offend alone and not be motivated by gain, to abscond from legal custody, to have a history of neuropsychiatric conditions, to come from a broken home and a small family, not to reside with his parents, to leave school before reaching form three, and to be given two or more probations before committal to an institution. The delinquent from 'Low socio‐educational status' area was more likely: to offend in company and be motivated by gain, not to abscond, not to have a history of neuropsychiatric conditions, to come from an intact home and a large family, to reside with his parents, to reach at least form three before leaving school, and to have no more than one period on probation before being committed to an institution. The differences appeared to be consistent with the often used criminological distinction between individual and social delinquency.
Towards Being Down Without Being Out: Self Help on Skid Row
Authors: Ward Jim
Published: December 2016

If the lot of the homeless man in Australian cities is to improve the impetus will have to come largely from within—that is through self help. Amelioration of the skid row life style in Australia will probably come in the form of increased sense of group identity, the establishment of clearly defined home territories, improved communication among those agencies that cater to the needs of homeless persons, and a change in the general public's perception of what constitutes skid row and its inhabitants. Brisbane's 139 Club, a drop in centre for the homeless, is an example of self help approaches to bringing about this amelioration of the skid row life style.
Open Classes: Evaluation of an Innovation Program
Authors: Roseth Naomi
Published: December 2016

A two‐year research program was carried out to evaluate the workings of open education classes in primary schools. Four studies were conducted. Two were comparative: instruments testing cognitive and non‐cognitive variables by the use of standardized as well as behavioural probe measures were administered to experimental (open) and control (traditional) classes. Tests of mathematics, reading, inquiry, cooperation, yielding to authority and creativity showed no differences between children in open and traditional classes. The work of children in the experimental class was less affected by the teachers' absence from the classroom than that of children in the control class.

A third study involved interviews aimed at assessing children's views about the open classroom. A fourth study involved behavioural observations of the use a sample of children made of the special features of the open classroom.
Considerations in the Evaluation of the Short Term Program—The Barwon Experiment
Authors: Swain Phillip A.
Published: December 2016

Evaluation of welfare projects is a difficut and demanding process. There are particular difficulties and considerations associated with an evaluation of the short term program—which for the purpose of this article is defined as one established with an initially guaranteed life of up to twelve months. The author examines some of the issues and practical considerations which emerged during the evaluation of one such program, the Barwon Regional Family Aide Scheme, and presents the model which was developed.
An Australian Survey of Attitudes to Death
Authors: Warren W. G. , Chopra P. N.
Published: December 2016

While there is considerable general interest in Australia in the ‘applied’ aspects of death such as bereavement, grief and mourning, there is almost no psychological or sociological interest and very little data. This paper reports some descriptive data derived from a survey using a questionnaire adapted from an American study. The aim of the paper is to provide a basis and a stimulus for an Australian interest in the psychology and sociology of death. Data are presented and summarized, and compared with the American results.
Social Crisis and Aboriginal Alcohol Abuse*
Authors: Larsen Knud S.
Published: December 2016

This article summarizes the major results of three studies into aboriginal alcohol abuse in and around Perth. The first study was based on in‐depth interviews with thirty‐one officers and members of sixteen Perth community organizations. In addition, a review of impressionistic arguments and research documents was also completed. This section also includes a structured interview with the thirty‐one respondents. The second study examined the fringe dwellers' situation through interviews with four community workers and thirty‐five camp inhabitants. The final study reported on interviews with a representative sample of fifty‐three Perth whites to ascertain the nature of the ‘white backlash’. Overall the results support the predominant role of environmental alcohol abuse and the need for a long term, organic approach.
Family Support of the Aged: Some Evidence and Interpretation
Authors: Howe Anna L.
Published: December 2016

This paper brings together a range of Australian material concerning family support for the aged. From a review of studies dealing with the family structure of the aged and accounts of inter generational contact and supportive exchanges within families, including migrant families, considerable evidence of family support is found. The implications of the absence of such support are seen from data on the use of services and admissions to institutional care; the preventive effect of marriage and family is apparent, those aged without family being identified as most at risk. Reasons for the commonly held view of family breakdown are then examined and some suggestions for service development outlined.
The Nursing Home as Total Institution: A Case Study and Suggestions for the Aged Care System
Authors: Swain Cherry , Harrison Jo
Published: December 2016

A symbolic interactionist perspective is used to examine the effects of institutionalization on residents of a Sydney nursing home. The analysis suggests that much of the ‘negative’ behaviour observed among inmates results from the institutional structuring of a dependence role. Implications for long term care of the aged in both community and institutional settings are discussed.
Youth Unemployed—Observations on the Community Youth Support Scheme
Authors: Koller Karl , Gosden Sylvia , Wade Rebecca
Published: December 2016

Tasmanian CYSS experience reveals the centres are predominantly attended by single young males with minimal educational and employment qualifications. This group also revealed evidence of childhood adversity and current domestic problems. The CYSS project was often considered of doubtful value in procuring a job but nevertheless the centres seem to provide valuable social contact and emotional support. There was less evidence of psychological malaise. Whilst CYSS projects are prohibited from searching for employment, counselling and the selling of goods produced by the centre, in fact, the centres often evade these prohibitions.
Drugs and Technology in Pregnancy and Child‐birth—Review of Literature
Authors: Muhlen Liselott
Published: December 2016

Literature on the use of drugs and technology in pregnancy and in child‐birth is reviewed, giving the general trend of findings in the case of studies and surveys. Very little of the literature is unreservedly positive and much of it emphasizes the need for caution and the risks that exist in both the use of drugs and the use of most forms of technology applicable to investigations and procedures during pregnancy and child‐birth. There is clearly an imperative need for research in this area, before expensive equipment is purchased for every centre which may be used for obstetric cases. There is also a need to educate women in this area to ensure that they can make informed decisions about what they will accept in treatment and what they will not accept.
Some Psychological Effects of Unemployment in School Leavers
Authors: Tiggemann Marika , Winefield A. H.
Published: December 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate some psychological effects of unemployment on young people. Questionnaires requesting attitudes, expectations and experience of employment and unemployment, and containing a variety of psychological measures were administered to 118 intending school leavers when they were still at school and seven months later. In general it was found that attitudes to work differed little between the unemployed and the employed, but that the unemployment experience did result in psychological consequences for the individual in terms of loss of happiness and self esteem.
The Impact of Divorce Laws on Divorce Rate in Australia: A Time Series Analysis
Authors: Ozdowski Seweryn A. , Hattie John
Published: December 2016

This paper investigates the impact of the two major divorce law changes in Australia on the level and the trend of divorce rates. A time series analysis indicated that the impact of the Matrimonial Causes Act was negligible, while that of the Family Law Act was substantial, but temporary in its nature. A non‐linear regression equation indicated that by 1979 the divorce rate was returning to a level consonant with the pre‐1975 trends. The authors concentrated on explaining the change related to the emergence of the 1975 law and addressed the question whether the post‐1976 increase could be regarded as indicating that the FLA undermined the stability of Australian marriages.
Support Systems of Widowed Women in Australia
Authors: Rosenman Linda , Shulman Arthur D. , Penman Robyn
Published: December 2016

The support systems that are used across the life cycle by women who become widowed were investigated in terms of (a) their frequency of use, and (b) problems for which support services were not seen as being available. In‐depth interviews with 298 widowed women indicate relatively little use of organized social services for personal problems. In contrast, family and local doctors were called upon to help with a wide range of personal and economic problems. Many women had problems for which they perceived little or no help as being available in the community. Expectations of ‘front line’ professionals such as doctors, teachers and bankers for help and consultation were frequently not met. Implications of these findings for support systems are discussed.
Drug Use and Crime in Australia
Authors: Wardlaw Grant
Published: December 2016

Data are reported from a study of the criminal histories of a large sample of recent drug offenders in Australia. A substantial percentage of the group had been convicted for a criminal offence prior to their first drug offence. The results suggest caution should be exercised in the degree to which criminal activity is attributed to involvement with expensive drugs.
The Development of the Law of Matrimonial Property—A Historical Perspective
Authors: Goodman Ellen
Published: December 2016

This article outlines briefly the development of matrimonial property law from earliest times to the present day. The issue of central concern throughout is the changing status of women and the bearing that this has had on development of the law. A historical, social and economic perspective is adopted in an effort to explain why particular developments occurred when they did. Finally, attention is drawn to the inadequacies of legal solutions to what is perceived as basically an economic issue.
Social Legislation in Australia
Authors: Cole Stuart
Published: December 2016

Despite strong public interest in law reform by both state and federal governments, very little has been written about social legislation in Australia. Discussions about social legislation frequently proceed with each participant assuming an individual and subjective definition of social legislation; rarely is there agreement about the role and purpose of social legislation.

This paper examines some writings on social policy in an effort to provide a definition of social legislation; a basis for identifying legislation as ‘social’ is provided. It is argued that for legislation to be social it must have a distributional character.

Further consideration is given to the role of social legislation and the motivations for introducing legislative measures to deal with social ills. Attention is focused on approach, rights and tokenism in social legislation.
Motoring Offences as Crime: Some Priorities for Social and Action Research
Authors: Homel Ross
Published: December 2016

This paper highlights recent trends in criminology and assesses their relevance for road safety research. It is concluded that research priorities should be in the areas of general deterrence (particularly the value of random breath testing), physical prevention and study of the criminal justice system (especially the police). In addition, close attention should be paid to the political context within which the research is carried out.

Lessons for methodology include greater use of direct and self reported measures of behaviour in addition to official statistics, experimental techniques rather than ‘quasi‐experimental’, where possible, and interrupted time series analyses of the effects of legislative changes. There is a great need for a close analysis of the way in which traffic crash and violation data are recorded.
The Politics of Social Research: A Social Research Strategy for the Community Health, Education and Welfare Movement
Authors: Wadsworth Yoland
Published: December 2016

The experience of the author led to a consideration of the political nature of social policy oriented research, with a view to developing a strategy which might overcome some of the dissatisfactions experienced with traditional research approaches. Traditional approaches, largely because of their technical nature, have meant a neglect or diminution of those precise characteristics which have characterized the ‘community’ orientation among health and welfare workers. There is a clear need for a research strategy which reflects these characteristics. Such a strategy is proposed. A brief historical perspective is also included to give a context in which such research styles have operated over the past ten years in Australia.
Mediterranean Back and Other Stereotypes: A Review of the Australian Literature Dealing with Industrial Back Injuries
Authors: Rubinstein Annette
Published: December 2016

This paper analyses the attitudes to migrants evident in much of the Australian literature dealing with industrial back injuries. Both medical and lay writers believe that migrants, especially those from Southern Europe, are over‐represented among patients complaining of occupationally induced back pain. It is also widely believed that migrants are more prone than Australian born workers to malingering and psychosomatic complications of back injury. However no firm statistical evidence for this viewpoint was discovered. Three small studies which tend to refute it are discussed.
The Changing Nature of Rape: The New South Wales (Sexual Offences) Amendment Act 1981
Authors: Wallace Margaret Quain
Published: December 2016

The new legislation introduced in New South Wales in July 1981 is a dramatic evolution of the law regarding rape, one which is intended to render the law more flexible in terms of penalties, broader in the definition of the offence, and fairer in the provision on trial procedure. Through a consideration of some of the provisions of the Act, the argument is developed that while some of these aims are met, the law is, in places, less than ideal. An attempt is made to determine the shortcomings of the law, the conclusion involving both the provisions themselves and the proposition that attitudes and prejudices cannot be eliminated by the legislative pen.
Immigration and the Changing Population of New South Wales and Sydney with Implications for Education and Health Services
Authors: Burnley I.H.
Published: December 2016

The problem of economic and social support for the dependant sectors of the Australian population in the future is addressed through consideration of recent national and regional population projections in relation to dependency theory. The level of immigration required to prevent the dependent sectors growing unduly at the expense of the productive is shown to be significant and this is complicated by high unemployment, and the issue of how many immigrants that can continue to be absorbed into the workforce. The contribution of suburban development trends, with their often wasteful provision of services at the local level in the longer term, as the result of regional demographic change, is seen to exacerbate the problems at the national level.
Moslem Arab Portrayal in the Australian Press and in School Textbooks
Authors: Ata Abe W.
Published: December 2016

This paper surveys the overall characterization of Moslem Arabs and their culture as reflected by the press and in social science textbooks. Four widely circulated Melbourne newspapers and 15 of the most commonly used social science school textbooks formed the basis of content analysis. It has been found that the portrayal of Moslem Arabs was predominantly negative, involving overstatements, baseless charges and evaluative perceptions.
Realities and Constraints: Pathways For Female School Leavers
Authors: Poole Millicent E.
Published: December 2016

This article analyses the pathways open to female; leavers as they make the transition from school to work or to post‐secondary education. Trends which have social significance are investigated in terms of participation rates, employment patterns, representation across areas in post‐secondary education, and status attainment within employment. Four types of explanations for the sex‐differentiated pathways found were explored: sex‐role socialization, value orientations, the opportunity structure, and discriminatory practices. The significance of differential patterns is explored within the general context of equality of opportunity and the increasing impact of technological change.
From Public Housing to Welfare Housing
Authors: Paris Chris , Williams Peter , Stimson Bob
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the shift in housing policy from public housing to welfare housing during the 1970's and the period of the Fraser government in particular. The period saw a series of new Commonwealth State Housing Agreements directed toward market pricing of public rental stock; at the same time Federal funds were declining, with marked effects on the public housing sector. The paper reflects on these trends and highlights certain contradictions in public housing policy.
Social Antecedents of Medical Fraud and Over‐Servicing: What Makes A Doctor Criminal?
Authors: Wilson Paul R. , Gorring Pam
Published: December 2016

Medical fraud and overservicing are estimated to cost the Australian community between $130 and $200 million per annum, a figure far greater than the national cost of burglary and almost the same as the total property loss from all conventional crime. An examination of the social antecedents of medical fraud and overservicing suggests that the predisposition of some doctors to engage in these practices occurs because of the following: (1) medical training and professional socialization that orientate student doctors away from altruistic health issues towards narrower self‐interested professional concerns; (2) career expectations of a high pattern of material consumption that are often frustrated by an increasingly competitive medical market place; and (3) professional medical organizations that lobby for national health policies which reflect the mercenary self‐interest of doctors rather than the health interest of the nation.
Disabilities, Employers and Employees: Some Issues
Authors: Junor C. Lloyd
Published: December 2016

Disabled people are nor only capable of being satisfactory employees but often prove superior in terms of continuity, dependability and low rates of occupational injury. Problems in employment of disabled people arise from poor understanding of disablement by employers and the community generally, poor occupational preparation and self‐presentation by disabled workers and the current tight job market. Suggestions are made for improving employment opportunities for disabled workers.
Housing, Demographic Change and the Private Rental Sector
Authors: Watson Sophie , Coleman Lisa
Published: December 2016

Housing policy and provision in Australia are primarily oriented towards meeting the needs of the traditional nuclear family household. Households who cannot afford to buy their own home and are not eligible for public housing have no alternative but to rent in the private sector. Many of these households are single headed, groups, unemployed or on low‐incomes. However, even in the private rental sector family households are favoured by landlords and estate agents and gain access to the better standard accommodation. Flexible and innovative policies in the public sector are urgently needed to meet the housing needs of the growing number of non‐nuclear family households.
Modifying Drink Driving Behaviour: An Overview
Authors: Bungey J.B. , Frauenfelder J.L.
Published: December 2016

To reduce the personal, social and economic costs of road accidents caused by drink driving, a wide variety of countermeasures have been tried. However, the problem facing policy makers has been to find measures that are effective deterrents to drink driving, yet cause minimal inconvenience to the driver population as a whole. This paper presents an overview and discussion of those counter measures which are aimed at modifying driver behaviour.
Growing Pains of a New Health Care Field: Genetic Counselling in Australia and the United States
Authors: Kenen Regina H.
Published: December 2016

The growing pains of genetic counselling in Australia and the United States are compared. Genetic counselling is discussed in terms of occupational struggles for status by the non‐medical professionals and the effect this has on the balance between counselling and medical goals in this new health care field. The influence of medical team members vis‐a‐vis non‐medical personnel is viewed as being stronger in Australia than in the United States.
Merit and Gender: Organisations and the Mobilisation of Masculine Bias
Authors: Burton Clare
Published: December 2016

Within work organisations, perceptions of gender‐based competencies and inclinations affect assignment and other practices and thus the distribution of women and men among different opportunity structures. Five illustrations are provided to support the view that ideas about masculinity and femininity are embedded in organisational arrangements. The opportunity to accumulate merit and the attribution of merit appear to be structured along gender lines.
Merit and Power
Authors: Martin Brian
Published: December 2016

The merit principle, used as a way of removing biases in occupational structures, is flawed. The evaluation of merit is tied to the interests of those in positions of power, so that application of the merit principle is compatible with continued structural inequalities. In practice the concept of merit is used as a resource in organisational power struggles. A deeper problem with the merit principle is its acceptance of occupational hierarchies. A more fundamental equal opportunity requires some form of self‐management.
Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives on Domestic Violence: Implications for Social Action
Authors: Knight Rosemary A. , Hatty Suzanne E.
Published: December 2016

Theoretical and methodological paradigms used by researchers and applied workers to conceptualise domestic violence are examined, with particular emphasis on the implications for social action. It is argued that the gender assumptions underlying the theoretical framework adopted are often implicit, unacknowledged, and that when they assume equal power between men and women may do a disservice to female victims. We maintain that the consequence of discrepant approaches of professionals encountering domestic violence is insufficient dialogue between researchers and applied workers, reducing the potential for effective social remedy. Some resolutions of this dilemma are proposed; specifically, these concern the adoption of feminist paradigms, the importance of making victims more visible, and empowering women to overcome violent oppression.
Medical Handmaidens' Changing Self‐image
Authors: Westbrook Mary T. , Nordholm Lena A.
Published: December 2016

To examine whether recent social changes were associated with changes in women's self perceptions, the ambitions and self‐concepts of incoming female students in three health professions were surveyed in 1976 and 1986. In 1986 students were more ambitious to achieve professional recognition and leadership, more committed to their careers (even when their children were young), wanted fewer children, attached more importance to enjoying life and less to doing good in society, and had more egalitarian attitudes toward women's roles in society. In 1986, students described their self‐concepts in more masculine, androgynous and socially desirable terms. Greater career commitment was associated with higher levels of egalitarianism, masculinity and androgyny.
Children's Reactions to Parental Separation and Divorce: The Views of Children and Custodial Mothers
Authors: Amato Paul R.
Published: December 2016

Children in two age groups, middle childhood and adolescence, were asked to describe how they felt when their parents separated. Although most children reported negative feelings, others reported neutral or positive feelings. Mothers' reports of their children's reactions also revealed a good deal of diversity. When asked to describe how they felt at the time of the interview, most children claimed to have accepted the situation. However, a small group of children, mainly of primary school age, reported continuing distress.
Work/Family Policies, The Changing Role of Fathers and The Presumption of Shared Responsibility for Parenting
Authors: Russell Graeme , James Deidre , Watson Jodie
Published: December 2016

Recent approaches to work/family policies which emphasise options for women have the potential to reinforce gender divisions of labour and to increase conflicts between paid work and family. It is argued here that more account needs to be taken of the interaction between male and female commitments to work and family, and of the possible increased involvement by men in family life. The movement away from the traditional role as the autocratic head of the household towards a more nurturant and available father role, while still small, appears to be gathering momentum. This is reflected in recent research findings, in newspaper articles and other media reports, and in proposals for changes in employment policies (e.g., the ACTU “family leave” test case). While research and everyday accounts provide some hope for future changes in gender divisions of labour, more caution needs to be taken in interpreting research findings and in making statements about the extent to which change has already occurred. A radical new direction in approaches to policy development is needed if the existing status quo of father as the major breadwinner and more distant family member, and mother as the housewife, nurturer and supplementary income earner, is to be altered. Suggestions are made for the development of policies that would both respond to the needs of fathers who are primary caregivers, and help promote a greater sharing of parenting responsibilities by fathers. The basis of these proposals is an argument for the adoption of a presumption of shared parenting to parallel the current presumption of gender equality in the paid workforce.
Australia's Enviro‐Economic Dilemma and the World View Of Buddhism
Authors: Daniels Peter L
Published: December 2016

Australia sits uncomfortably in a troubled and changing world economy with new criteria for the direction of flow of material wealth between nations. Ecocatastrophe based fears may be far less powerful forces of value confrontation than potential social conflict from loss of national income and deepening inequality in in the allocation of resources. The world view of Buddhism offers one Utopian means of resolving the current Australian enviro‐economic dilemma. The inevitably of radically different economic circumstances, and the rationality and idealism of the social and environmental dimensions of a Buddhist solution, are briefly examined in the Australian context.
Aborigines and Conservationism: The Daintree‐Bloomfield Road
Authors: Anderson Christopher
Published: December 2016

This paper examines the relationship between Aborigines and the conservation movement by presenting a case study of a pro‐development stance taken by an Aboriginal group. In 1983, the Aborigines, Kuku‐Yalanji speakers from Wujalwujal south of Cooktown in north Queensland, supported the construction of a road into their community through an ecologically important area of lowland coastal rainforest near Cape Tribulation north of Cairns. The paper attempts to explain the conflict between pro‐ and anti‐road forces by looking, first, at some conservationists' notions of Aboriginal culture, and, second, at the local Aboriginal political economy. It concludes by raising other issues, including that of consultation, and the use by the conservation movement of Aboriginal culture as a touchstone for its endeavours.
Violence Against Prostitute Women: Social and Legal Dilemmas
Authors: Hatty Suzanne
Published: December 2016

Violence against prostitute women is both prevalent and hidden. It may take the form of assault by a client or stranger, or psychological coercion to provide sex on the part of law enforcement personnel. The social organisation of prostitution into dominant modes such as streetwalking, brothel or massage parlour prostitution increases the likelihood that female prostitutes will be physically and sexually abused. Further, current police practices in regulating prostitution within some Australian states create optimum conditions for the abuse of prostitutes. However, this victimisation should be interpreted within the context of social structural factors. For example, the legal response to prostitution favoured within each state is important. This paper examines the various legal approaches to prostitution and assesses the impact of these approaches upon prostitutes' lives. It is argued that the law plays a critical role in determining the physical vulnerability of prostitute women. Within Victoria, for example, the politicisation of prostitution and the resulting legislative reform have effectively reduced the visibility of prostitution and altered the social control of the industry. Women working outside the new legal structures are particularly at risk of abuse and are accorded harsher penalties under the law.
‘Boy, 15, Divorces Parent’: Irreconcilable Difference Applications in Victoria
Authors: Parkinson Patrick
Published: December 2016

The provision in Victoria's child welfare legislation, which allows parents or children to apply to the Children's Court on the ground of irreconcilable differences, is examined in the light of a much publicized case in Melbourne. Similar legislation exists elsewhere in Australia, and in New Zealand. The number of irreconcilable difference applications has declined in recent years due to the provision of counselling. A few cases still reach court. It is argued that legal proceedings serve little useful function. Cases of family breakdown are better handled by the provision of services including alternative accommodation, without a change in the child's legal status.
EXPOSING ADOPTION MYTHS: ACCESS TO INFORMATION ABOUT ORIGINS IN VICTORIA
Authors: McPhee Gerard , Webster Marilyn
Published: December 2016

Victoria was the first State to allow adopted persons unqualified access to their original identity and to provide natural parents and others with conditional access to identifying information. This article examines findings from 1985 to 1988 to examine four assumptions. These are that: few adoptees would want to know about or meet their natural parents and so few would register with the Adoption Information Service; few adoptees would welcome an approach from or on behalf of their natural parents and most would reject such an approach; few relinquishing parents would wish to meet or know about their relinquished child and consequently most would reject an approach by or on behalf of their child; and adoptive parents would not wish to acknowledge the adoptive status of their children by providing information to the natural parent facilitating a meeting between the natural parent and the child. The data suggest that the above assumptions do not reflect the experience or behaviour of adopted persons, natural parents or adoptive parents.
THE POWER OF NORMALISATION: FOUCAULDIAN PERSPECTIVES ON CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIAN HEALTH CARE PRACTICES
Authors: Cheek Julianne , Rudge Trudy
Published: December 2016

Foucault's analysis provides social and political insights into the way that contemporary health care practices in Australia have been, and are being, constructed. His notion of discourse provides a useful starting point to analyse the taken‐for‐granted nature of reality that is so hegemonic in many health care practices. An analysis of discourse reveals the panoptic tendencies inherent in the Australian health care system. The notion of panopticism calls into question some very fundamental assumptions about the relationship between power, knowledge and truth. At the core of such panopticism are disciplinary techniques which promote normalisation. The examinations carried out by health care professionals, the case notes that are subsequently developed, along with an associated proliferation of diagnostic tests and procedures resulting in the production of the docile body, are symptomatic of the process designed to restore normalisation.
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS GOVERNMENT SPENDING ON HEALTH CARE
Authors: Hayes Bernadette , VandenHeuvel Audrey
Published: December 2016

One of the most vigorously debated topics in the area of health care is the proportion of health care costs that should be borne by the government, rather than by the individual. Using nationally representative data, the views of Australian citizens on this issue are explored. The findings suggest that the majority of Australians favour increased spending on health by the government. Multiple regression analyses indicate that in addition to various sociodemographic factors, political partisanship and political efficacy are strong, significant predictors of attitudes towards health spending by the government. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.
PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT IN THE HOME IN NEW ZEALAND
Authors: Maxwell Gabrielle
Published: December 2016

Results are reported for a national opinion poll of 1,000 adult New Zealanders which focussed on two questions: what are New Zealand parents currently doing to discipline their children, and what are the current attitudes of New Zealanders towards physical punishment in the home? Changes appear to be occurring in the attitudes and behaviour of New Zealanders toward physical punishment in the home. Although smacking with the hand is still both approved and used as a common parental response to the misbehaviour of children of all ages, anything more severe is no longer part of the repertoire of most parents or the experience of most children. Further evidence of change is provided by data on difference among the groups in the sample. Younger parents, current parents and the more highly educated are less likely to report using and endorsing the more severe forms of physical punishment that those who are older, have never had children or who have less education. Unlike the reported child‐rearing practices of 30 years ago, parents today appear to be making use of a range of non‐physical responses to misbehaviour and are more frequently explaining or discussing matters with their children.
YOUTH HOMELESSNESS: ABUSE, GENDER, AND THE PROCESS OF ADJUSTMENT TO LIFE ON THE STREETS
Authors: Pears Judi , Noller Patricia
Published: December 2016

Interviews were conducted with 66 homeless adolescents from various parts of Brisbane. Information regarding incidence of abuse, reasons for leaving home and lifestyle on the streets was sought. Homeless adolescents were compared using the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Questionnaire and the Beck Hopelessness Scale, by gender and whether they were abused or not. There were differences related to gender, but not to the abuse category. Females showed lower levels of self esteem and less sense of hope for the future than males. Changes in levels of self‐esteem, sense of hopelessness and incidence of self‐inflicted injury were used to examine the process of adjustment to homelessness. Findings revealed that the levels of self‐harm were different for abused and non‐abused adolescents. The abused maintained similar levels of self‐harm over time, whereas the self‐harming behaviour in non‐abused adolescents increased after six months but then decreased to previous low levels.
DISABILITY: A STATE OF MIND?
Authors: Gleeson Brendan
Published: December 2016

Many people believe that discriminatory social attitudes are the fundamental cause of disablement. In this view, attitudinal change is regarded as the key to the emancipation of disabled people from the social oppression of disability. However, historical materialists, such as Abberley (1991a) and Oliver (1990), have rejected psychological accounts of disability on the ground that they fail to recognise the socio‐economic causes of disablement. This article presents an historical materialist critique of the ‘attitudinal’ explanation of disability. The argument has three parts: the first reviews the recent application of historical materialist principles to the question of disability; the second considers the importance of space as a source of disablement; and the final part of the discussion is a report on recent research that has applied the materialist viewpoint to the study of disability in past societies.
TRIPARTISM AND THE SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICES INDUSTRY: A CASE STUDY
Authors: Baldock Cora V
Published: December 2016

In this article I discuss the consequences of tripartism for the definition of the social and community services industry. Data pertain to Western Australia, and concern the effect of tripartism on the representativeness of the industry training council for social and community services in Western Australia.
RESPONSES TO DEATH IN COMPLEX INDUSTRIAL WORK SITES: THE NEXUS BETWEEN WORKPLACE SAFETY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Haines Fiona
Published: December 2016

This article is concerned with the effect of the current economic, political and regulatory climate on the future of health and safety at work. This climate includes a push for increased efficiency and flexibility through industrial restructuring leading to the growth of the secondary labour market of subcontractors, casual labour in increased self employment. Measured against this is the increased regulatory expectations in the area of health and safety including legislation which places major contractors as primarily responsible for all employees on site, whether their own or not. The sets up a potential conflict between the economic and regulatory imperatives. It is this potential conflict which is the focus of concern. The data used to explore the issue are the responses organisations made to a fatality they experienced on a complex industrial worksite. The nature of their response was related to their ideology concerning business success, which was in turn related to the influence they held at the worksite. While these findings tentatively support legislation to increase the responsibility of major contractors, this should not be seen as a panacea. The growth of the secondary labour market as well as the culture of success which motivates large contractors to comply with such legislation is dependent upon the broader economic climate making the a viable success strategy.
LONG‐TERM UNEMPLOYMENT, EMPLOYMENT ATTITUDES AND MENTAL HEALTH
Authors: Pernice Regina , Long Nigel
Published: December 2016

The effect of long‐term unemployment and employment attitudes on mental health of 99 unemployed people in New Zealand were investigated in 1989 and again one year later. Each participant was interviewed in‐depth on employment attitudes, and the General Health Questionnaire‐12 (GHQ), the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale(RSE) together with a demographic questionnaire were administered. The results indicated that the percentage of people who in 1989 wanted employment and of those who were interested in training had decreased within one year, whereas the percentage of people who stated having alternatives to employment increased. The group who felt unable to work stayed the same in size. Good mental health was associated either with re‐employment or with those who had alternatives to employment. Poor mental health was evident in those still wanting employment and in those who felt unable to work. The implications of these findings regarding governmental policies are outlined.
WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL COSTS OF GAMBLING?: THE CASE OF THE QUEENSLAND MACHINE GAMING INDUSTRY
Authors: Boreham Paul , Dickerson Mark , Harley Bill
Published: December 2016

Gambling has frequently been blamed for contributing to a range of social and economic problems for players and their families. The introduction of gaming machines (more commonly referred to as “poker machines” or “pokies”) to clubs and hotels in Queensland in 1992 attracted such criticism. This paper presents data from a survey conducted in Brisbane in May 1994, funded by the Department of Family Services and Aboriginal and Islander Affairs, which seeks to assess the characteristics of gaming machine players and to evaluate the extent to which players and their families seem disproportionately likely to experience social and economic difficulties. The survey led to a number of noteworthy findings, many of which challenge conventional stereotypes concerning the characteristics of players and the consequences of their playing. Firstly, men, the young and those in employment are disproportionately likely to be players. Secondly, playing is spread evenly across different occupations and levels of educational achievement. Thirdly, most players appear not to play very often or spend very large amounts of money. Fourthly, while there is evidence that money is being diverted from necessities to machine gaming, there is virtually no evidence of an association between machine playing and economic hardship.
WESTERN SYDNEY AND THE DESIRE FOR HOME
Authors: Johnson Lesley
Published: December 2016

‘Western Sydney’ frequently figures in current debates about urban planning as exemplifying ‘the problem of urban sprawl’. In this context it is represented as the spatial articulation of the irrational desires of a wilful population to live out ‘the great Australian dream’. This paper proposes an alternative reading of the western Sydney suburban landscape to argue for a different understanding of the issues it poses for urban planners. In particular, it is argued that this landscape articulates, and should be valued as, the memories and history of people struggling to make a home for themselves in the, modern world. Attempts by urban planners, it is suggested, to ignore or marginalise this version of ‘the great Australian dream’ will inevitably lead to failure.
AN EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE?: CHANGING PATTERNS IN REPORTED RAPES IN VICTORIA
Authors: Ross Stuart , Brereton David
Published: December 2016

Victoria Police statistics show that, since the late 1980s, there has been a significant increase in reported rapes in that State. One interpretation of this trend is that there has been an increase in the underlying incidence of sexual violence in the community. An alternative explanation is that rape victims have become more willing to report to the police, in response to factors such as improved provision of support services to sexual assault victims, reforms to substantive and procedural law, and changes in police attitudes and procedures. In order to test these competing interpretations data were collected and analysed on the characteristics of rapes reported to the Victoria Police in the late 1980s/early 1990s. This analysis showed that: (1) most of the additional offences reported in the early 1990s were allegations of rapes committed by family members, spouses and other intimates; and (2) an increasing number of reports related to offences which had been committed at least one year prior to a report being made to the police. It is argued that these changing patterns are co nsistent with a significant increase in the reporting rate for rape. More generally, the research reported in this paper highlights the limitations of reported crime statistics as measures of the level of social violence, and points to the need for crime researchers to develop alternative methodologies for measuring and interpreting trends.
INTERGENERATIONAL FAMILY LITERACY: WORKING TOGETHER
Authors: Grabsch Brenda E. , Toomey Derek M.
Published: December 2016

This paper brings intergenerational family literacy programs to the attention of both an education and a social welfare readership. It describes how they benefit both children of parents with unmet literacy needs and the parents themselves. The paper presents results, from a Department of Employment. Education and Training national study, which show an important overlap between adult literacy teachers and family support workers in their interests in their clients, and argues for the need for cross‐sectoral cooperation. Australian examples of such cooperation are provided and a scheme is proposed linking a number of government agencies to provide intergenerational family literacy programs offering a suite of needed services.