Water fluoridation in Queensland, why not? Timing, circumstance, and the nature of 'The fluoridation of public water supplies Act (1963)'

During the last 52 years, almost all Queensland authorities have refused to implement artificial water fluoridation. Once again, the argument that Queensland is different suggests a cultural explanation for its fluoride status. This paper argues, however, that the reason lies with the Fluoridation of Public Water Supplies Act 1963 (Qld), which gives real power to the minister for Local Government, local authorities and 10 percent of electors, who can all request a referendum on fluoridation proposals. This law has given opponents of fluoridation tactical advantages, which they have used consistently

Agrarian Myth: Its History and Use by the Australian Country Party

It is widely acknowledged that agrarian myth was an important component of the Australian Country Party's ideology. This thesis undertakes a detailed examination of the nature of Australian agrarian myth and the manner of its use by the Country Party. The first chapter provides a theoretical framework for the study of myth and its relationship with ideology. The focus of the work then shifts to an examination of the characteristics of agrarian myth, first in Europe and then in America, where the land and the circumstances of its settlement brought about changes in the imported mythology. Some discussion of myth in the European tradition is essential, first to illustrate the strength and duration of the myth which Australia has inherited, and second to provide a model with which Australian agrarian myth can be compared. This also provides the reason for considering rural myth in the American context

The Populist Message of Australian Country Music

Australian country music is influenced by American country music and Australian bush ballads. This music idealises genuine true blue inhabitants of an idealised rural heartland and fuses nationalism with agrarian mythology. The lyrics of a number of country songs contain a populist political message, which is frequently nationalistic but is a form of nationalism