Representing the refugee: Rhetoric, discourse and the public agenda

The central concern of this dissertation is to examine representation and selfrepresentation as they pertain to this nation’s response to asylum seekers between the Tampa affair in August 2001 and the defeat of the Coalition government in the 2007 federal election. The first half of the dissertation examines the representation of refugees in two of the nation’s prominent newspapers, The West Australian and The Australian. Drawing upon the work of Stuart Hall, Edward Said, Michel Foucault and others it is contended that in the Australian government and media’s representation of asylum seekers Manichean-based ideologies can be traced, which serve to propagate the Orientalist’s project. Furthermore, a close analysis of From Nothing to Zero: Letters from Refugees in Australia’s Detention Centres and Asylum: Voices behind the razor wire, shows that it is only through selfrepresentation that the damaging effects of Orientalism can be challenged. As such the writings of Mikhail Bakhtin are central to this analysis of refugees’ selfrepresentations. In the final chapter the work of Emmanuel Levinas is also used, of particular interest is his concept of ‘face’. Combined with some of the ideas of the aforementioned theorists this demonstrates the centrality of oral discourse and selfrepresentation as sites of life, death and most crucially, hope for those refugees seeking to be accepted into the Australian community. The analysis of The West Australian and The Australian conducted in the first two chapters of this dissertation should be read in this context. While there are many factors that contribute to newspaper production such as audience, editorial influences and advertising demands to name but a few, these are not treated by this dissertation. My approach is entirely focussed on the politics of language in terms of its conception, use and effect. Similarly, in my analysis of refugees’ selfrepresentations, conducted in the final two chapters of the dissertation, these same concerns are fore-grounded. Furthermore, as the representations and selfrepresentations surrounding refugees considered in this dissertation were produced within specific historical and social conditions these also play an important role in informing my analysis. This Masters by Research (English Literature) was written by John Martin Cartner for the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Notre Dame (Fremantle) and submitted in the year 2009

An analysis of the importance of management research topics to academics and chief executives in New Zealand and Canada

This paper reports on a survey in July 1990 to ascertain and compare the views of chief executives and academics in co=erce and administration in New Zealand concerning management research topics, and to compare these with one done concurrently in Canada. The survey was by means of a postal questionnaire developed by Paul Bergman at the University of Western Ontario and respondents were asked to rate forty-three research topics on a five point Likertscale, according to their view of the topic's importance to management research in their respective countries. The analysis of results provides a comparative ranking of the importance of the research topics and of significant differences in the rating of therr importance to the four groups. The pattern with respect to the ranking of topics' importance is of broad similarity and five topics - quality of customer service, strateipc planning and mana~ement, international competitiveness, managing technological change and fostenng organisational innovation - are ranked in the top ten topics by all four groups. The differences found in ranking and importance ratings suggest a mainly intraorganisational focus by chief executives and a wider focus, in particular taking more account of governmental policy topics, by academics

CASE STUDY ON INCLUSIVE DESIGN AND OPERATIONS AT ONE CAMPUS RECREATION CENTER

The case study highlights the evaluation of one campus recreation center in terms of its inclusive design and operation on the basis of physical disability inclusion. Because of the plethora of barriers in campus recreation centers, those with physical disabilities are limited in their recreation choices and do not take part in recreation as their able-bodied counterparts. This study measures, observers, and evaluates one campus recreation center to determine its level of inclusiveness for those with physical disabilities. The AIMFREE survey was conducted along with observations and extensive interviews with staff that run the campus recreation center and those with physical disabilities that have attended the recreation facility. Results from six interviews, a focus group, the AIMFREE survey, and observations have yielded four main themes. The environment lacks inclusivity that results from financial, attitudinal, and social barriers. Attitudinal barriers to inclusivity occur at three main levels: administration, the staff and users of the facility. As a result, the recreation center is also not socially constructed for inclusivity. The goal of this research is to create change in the studied setting. As a result of investigating inclusivity at one recreation center, several areas of improvement emerged and can be used to implement change at campus recreation centers alike

The Dynamics of Energy Poverty : Evidence from Spain

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Is it Easier to Escape from Low Pay in Urban Areas? Evidence from the UK

In this paper we compare periods of low pay employment between urban and rural areas in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we estimate the probability that a period of low pay employment will end allowing for a number of possible outcomes, namely to a ‘high pay’ job, self-employment, unemployment and out of the labour force. The results show that there are statistically significant differences in the dynamics of low pay across urban and rural labour markets, particularly in terms of exits to high pay and out of the labour force. After controlling for different personal and job characteristics across markets, urban low pay durations are somewhat shorter on average, with a higher probability that urban workers will move to high pay. However, the results suggest that any urban-rural differences in the typical low pay experience are particularly concentrated among certain types of individuals, e.g. young workers, women without qualifications.Preprin

Water Policy in Chile and Bolivia: A Comparative Case Study

This thesis addresses three questions: why has universal potable water access not been achieved with the water policy changes made in Bolivia between 1990 and 2000? What can be learned from the water policy changes implemented in Chile between 1980 and 1999? Finally, what changes can be made to both countries’ water policies to ensure the sustainable use of water resources? To answer these questions, this thesis reviews water policy changes in Chile as a result of World Bank loans before privatization in the 1980s and compare them to the water policy changes in Bolivia as a result of World Bank loans in the 1990s in the form of water privatization. I argue that water privatization is neither the solution to lack of water access nor the solution to water scarcity. Secondary sources were used to analyze the historical differences of water policy in Santiago, Chile and La Paz, Bolivia to see the effectiveness of privatization as a universal water provider and a solution to water scarcity. The results show that the water policy changes that were implemented in Santiago, Chile before privatization were more effective in supplying affordable water to citizens than the immediate privatization in La Paz, Bolivia. I also analyze the effectiveness of water privatization in both countries, as it pertains to the scarcity of water resources in each region. I argue that privatization of the water sector failed to prepare for water scarcity and I recommend institutional pluralism with sustainable water policy at the forefront as a solution to lack of water access and threat of water scarcity in Bolivia and Chile

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping in Prehypertensive Individuals

Fifteen prehypertensive individuals completed a 30 minute timed bout of moderate intensity aerobic exercise at 7 AM, 1 PM, and 7 PM. Following each exercise bout, the subject’s were outfitted with an ambulatory blood pressure cuff and their blood pressure was monitored for the following 24 hour time period. Measurements were recorded for systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as blood pressure dipping percentage at night during sleep. The results showed a bout of aerobic exercise completed at 7 AM was the most beneficial epoch of time to conduct aerobic exercise with regard to the circadian blood pressure rhythm

Disodium (2RS,3SR)-tartrate

The asymmetric unit of the anhydrous title compound, 2Na+·C4H4O6 2−, contains two sodium cations and one tartrate anion. Each sodium ion is six coordinate, with bonding to six O atoms from both the carboxyl­ate and hydroxyl groups of the anion. A three-dimensional coordination network is formed with sodium ions stacking in layers along the c-axis direction. This network is supported by additional O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

IELTS and an English for academic study programme: points of similarity and areas of divergence

This paper describes an analysis of assessments on a preparatory, English for academic study (EAS) programme at a New Zealand university and of IELTS tests. The university accepts students with the required Band 6 overall in IELTS, and also those who graduate from the EAS programme with Grade B and above for its undergraduate programmes. Other institutions also accept this EAS certificate as evidence of English language proficiency. However, as far as we are aware there has been no formal comparative study of the points of similarities and areas of divergence between IELTS and such programmes. The identification of similarities and differences allows for a detailed profile of the knowledge, skills, and competencies acquired by students who successfully complete such pre-sessional programmes, as compared with students who have completed an IELTS preparation programme. It is anticipated that the information provided, will be of benefit to academic English and literacy practitioners