Between a rock and a hard place : site selection for Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillata) translocations using an explicit decision-making process
- Authors: Mathews, Emily
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Translocation programs are used in species conservation, but their success rates, particularly in Australia, are low. The poor outcomes for translocation programs are commonly attributed to a lack of information about habitat requirements, especially for rare and endangered species. To address this, the identification of suitable release sites using analytical methods such as Habitat Suitability Models (HSM), has become common. Since biodiversity losses are predicted to increase in the future, effective strategies to reduce species decline are required. Evidence-based decisions and scientific data to support conservation decision-making is paramount in conservation efforts. Once widely distributed across the mountainous country of south-eastern Australia, the distribution of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) has contracted particularly within the southern extent of their range. Considered critically endangered in Victoria and extinct in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), it is more important than ever that the habitat requirements of the BTRW are understood to inform future translocations and the protection of this species in the wild. In this study, an explicit decision-making process was combined with Habitat Suitability Modelling (HSM) and ground-truthing methods to inform potential Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) translocations sites within Victoria and the ACT. Although this study is not the first of its kind to use HSM to predict BTRW habitat suitability, it is the first of its kind to apply an explicit decision-making process at two key stages: 1. to inform the selection of key physical and management attributes to be used in a HSM; and 2. to prioritise sites, within experts’ local knowledge areas, for ground-truthing By combining HSM and an explicit decision-making process, this study has been able to identify six suitable and two highly suitable habitat for BTRW across Victoria and the ACT. The use of an explicit decision-making process and ground-truthing methods to validate the model outputs and prioritise sites for ground-truthing has ensured that the final ranking of potential candidate sites can be reliably used by the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Recovery Team to inform future translocations.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Mathews, Emily
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Translocation programs are used in species conservation, but their success rates, particularly in Australia, are low. The poor outcomes for translocation programs are commonly attributed to a lack of information about habitat requirements, especially for rare and endangered species. To address this, the identification of suitable release sites using analytical methods such as Habitat Suitability Models (HSM), has become common. Since biodiversity losses are predicted to increase in the future, effective strategies to reduce species decline are required. Evidence-based decisions and scientific data to support conservation decision-making is paramount in conservation efforts. Once widely distributed across the mountainous country of south-eastern Australia, the distribution of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) has contracted particularly within the southern extent of their range. Considered critically endangered in Victoria and extinct in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), it is more important than ever that the habitat requirements of the BTRW are understood to inform future translocations and the protection of this species in the wild. In this study, an explicit decision-making process was combined with Habitat Suitability Modelling (HSM) and ground-truthing methods to inform potential Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) translocations sites within Victoria and the ACT. Although this study is not the first of its kind to use HSM to predict BTRW habitat suitability, it is the first of its kind to apply an explicit decision-making process at two key stages: 1. to inform the selection of key physical and management attributes to be used in a HSM; and 2. to prioritise sites, within experts’ local knowledge areas, for ground-truthing By combining HSM and an explicit decision-making process, this study has been able to identify six suitable and two highly suitable habitat for BTRW across Victoria and the ACT. The use of an explicit decision-making process and ground-truthing methods to validate the model outputs and prioritise sites for ground-truthing has ensured that the final ranking of potential candidate sites can be reliably used by the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Recovery Team to inform future translocations.
- Description: Masters by Research
Adolescents and the extended residential learning program : A case study
- Authors: McDonough, Sharon
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore, through the use of a case study, the impact of an eight-week residential learning program upon self-concept, learning and understanding of community amongst adolescent participants. The study utilized multiple methods of data collection including interviews, focus groups, observation, the Learning Process Questionnaire and the Self-Description Questionnaire II in order to address the research question.
- Description: Master of Education (Research)
- Authors: McDonough, Sharon
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The purpose of this study was to explore, through the use of a case study, the impact of an eight-week residential learning program upon self-concept, learning and understanding of community amongst adolescent participants. The study utilized multiple methods of data collection including interviews, focus groups, observation, the Learning Process Questionnaire and the Self-Description Questionnaire II in order to address the research question.
- Description: Master of Education (Research)
Changing rural general practitioner practice : Evaluating health assessment uptake
- Authors: McGrath, Alicia
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Enhanced Primary Care Package aimed to improve health and quality of life through enhancing primary health care for those over 75 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over 55 years and those with chronic conditions and multidisciplinary needs. A multi-level approach was implemented to promote the package. West Vic Division of General Practice conducted the General Practice Education Support and Community Linkages implementation program for the package in Western Victoria and focused on health assessments for those over 75 years. This research investigated what factors affected change in rural general practitioner practice through surveying general practitioners and collecting Health Insurance Commission data prior to and following the program. Patients were also interviewed to determine acceptance of health assessments and nurse involvement. The program increased awareness, but had little effect on increasing uptake, as only 53% of general practitioners began undertaking health assessments. However the general practitioners indicated an increased frequency of health assessment prescription. Health Insurance Commission data suggested an immediate increase in the use of the assessments, however the rate fluctuated and then declined. Lack of sustained uptake of the program was not associated with remuneration, as 77% of general practitioners did not regard finance as a barrier. Respondents’ major barrier was time (40% pre-education, 73% post-education). This data reflected a rural environment where general practitioners face competing priorities, time constraints, workforce shortage and long consultation lists. A notable change did however occur from practice nurse employment as the involvement of a practice nurse generally resulted in patient satisfaction with the assessment. It was apparent that a complex multifaceted and longer-term view is needed to address factors which limit rural general practitioners’ ability to change. This needs to be addressed at the Commonwealth level and not in isolation in order to produce an integrated framework to enhance and promote, rather than demand change.
- Description: Master of Applied Science
- Authors: McGrath, Alicia
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Enhanced Primary Care Package aimed to improve health and quality of life through enhancing primary health care for those over 75 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over 55 years and those with chronic conditions and multidisciplinary needs. A multi-level approach was implemented to promote the package. West Vic Division of General Practice conducted the General Practice Education Support and Community Linkages implementation program for the package in Western Victoria and focused on health assessments for those over 75 years. This research investigated what factors affected change in rural general practitioner practice through surveying general practitioners and collecting Health Insurance Commission data prior to and following the program. Patients were also interviewed to determine acceptance of health assessments and nurse involvement. The program increased awareness, but had little effect on increasing uptake, as only 53% of general practitioners began undertaking health assessments. However the general practitioners indicated an increased frequency of health assessment prescription. Health Insurance Commission data suggested an immediate increase in the use of the assessments, however the rate fluctuated and then declined. Lack of sustained uptake of the program was not associated with remuneration, as 77% of general practitioners did not regard finance as a barrier. Respondents’ major barrier was time (40% pre-education, 73% post-education). This data reflected a rural environment where general practitioners face competing priorities, time constraints, workforce shortage and long consultation lists. A notable change did however occur from practice nurse employment as the involvement of a practice nurse generally resulted in patient satisfaction with the assessment. It was apparent that a complex multifaceted and longer-term view is needed to address factors which limit rural general practitioners’ ability to change. This needs to be addressed at the Commonwealth level and not in isolation in order to produce an integrated framework to enhance and promote, rather than demand change.
- Description: Master of Applied Science
The lost opportunity of Melbourne's outer circle railway
- Authors: McKenna, Trevor
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines a little known railway line in Melbourne, the Outer Circle Railway (OCR) running from Oakleigh in the south-east to Fairfield in the north. There is great significance to its east-north trajectory, because I will argue, it was conceptualised as a major part of the Melbourne system, for the future; a future that ostensibly lasted only two years, before the economic depression of the 1890s caused it to close in stages. It further brought in many more strands to the Melbourne transport nexus, as it circumnavigated the inner suburbs. I ask the key question ‘was the Outer Circle Railway a lost opportunity’? Though considered one of the great public transport cities of the world, Melbourne with its extensive rail and tramway networks succumbed to the winds of change, embodied by the Fordist principles of private car ownership, freeway building and traffic systems. The public transport budget was cut in the second half of the twentieth century – leaving Greater Melbourne in constant gridlock, in the twenty-first century. I use documentary analysis to examine primary and secondary documents, to comprehend whether the almost immediate denigration of the OCR, by newspapers and most historians, was warranted. Certainly I find many contemporaneous champions of the OCR, which was built to the highest British standard, as was the entire Victorian Railways system. My key finding is that the OCR rail line could be utilised in the modern era. The OCR route is pointed squarely towards Tullamarine airport, and could be used as a basis for the long-sought rail link to the airport. The decision of the Andrews Labor Government in 2014 to abandon the contentious East-West road tunnel in favour of rail projects reflects the need for a growing city to privilege public transport, as it did in the nineteenth century.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: McKenna, Trevor
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines a little known railway line in Melbourne, the Outer Circle Railway (OCR) running from Oakleigh in the south-east to Fairfield in the north. There is great significance to its east-north trajectory, because I will argue, it was conceptualised as a major part of the Melbourne system, for the future; a future that ostensibly lasted only two years, before the economic depression of the 1890s caused it to close in stages. It further brought in many more strands to the Melbourne transport nexus, as it circumnavigated the inner suburbs. I ask the key question ‘was the Outer Circle Railway a lost opportunity’? Though considered one of the great public transport cities of the world, Melbourne with its extensive rail and tramway networks succumbed to the winds of change, embodied by the Fordist principles of private car ownership, freeway building and traffic systems. The public transport budget was cut in the second half of the twentieth century – leaving Greater Melbourne in constant gridlock, in the twenty-first century. I use documentary analysis to examine primary and secondary documents, to comprehend whether the almost immediate denigration of the OCR, by newspapers and most historians, was warranted. Certainly I find many contemporaneous champions of the OCR, which was built to the highest British standard, as was the entire Victorian Railways system. My key finding is that the OCR rail line could be utilised in the modern era. The OCR route is pointed squarely towards Tullamarine airport, and could be used as a basis for the long-sought rail link to the airport. The decision of the Andrews Labor Government in 2014 to abandon the contentious East-West road tunnel in favour of rail projects reflects the need for a growing city to privilege public transport, as it did in the nineteenth century.
- Description: Masters by Research
Occupational fatalities in Victoria 1990-1993 : a case for the control of damaging energy not behaviour
- Authors: McLean, Colin
- Date: 1993
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The aim of the study is to analyse occupational traumatic fatalities in Victoria from the period 1990 through to 1993, to identify opportunities for prevention."
- Description: Thesis (Master of Applied Science)
- Authors: McLean, Colin
- Date: 1993
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The aim of the study is to analyse occupational traumatic fatalities in Victoria from the period 1990 through to 1993, to identify opportunities for prevention."
- Description: Thesis (Master of Applied Science)
Window on an era : Geelong : a post-industrial city
- Authors: McNiece, Kelly
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Non-economical industrial sites are being demolished in Geelong, making way for alternative economic development. Whilst progress is inevitable, I question the wisdom of short-term financial gain over long-term loss of identity. The association of industrial buildings with the concept of cultural heritage, art and architecture does not seem so incongrous in other parts of the world."--leaf 2.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
- Authors: McNiece, Kelly
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Non-economical industrial sites are being demolished in Geelong, making way for alternative economic development. Whilst progress is inevitable, I question the wisdom of short-term financial gain over long-term loss of identity. The association of industrial buildings with the concept of cultural heritage, art and architecture does not seem so incongrous in other parts of the world."--leaf 2.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
A philosophical analysis of the functions and operation of due process in accounting standard setting in Australia
- Authors: Mehta, Surinder
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The setting of accounting standards in the Australian context has undergone significant change over the past few decades because of both the introduction of international accounting standards and the outcomes of the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (CLERP). One major thrust of these reforms was to widen the breadth of participation and to introduce new voices into the Australian accounting standard setting regime. Though there have been recent changes to Australian accounting standard setting arrangements, due process still remains as the underlying procedure for incorporating stakeholder participation. Standard setting resides within a socio-political and economic realm which lies between a capitalistic economic individualism premised upon self-interest and interest group preferences, and an idealistic paradigm of the public interest (common good). Both notions are espoused within modern civil society and present in the formulation of policy and regulation through participation. Recent times have seen the promulgation of accounting standards given over by delegated legislation to private sector interests who compete for desired outcomes and more recently this has been entrenched within the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) which produces International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This research presents a two-fold investigation of the due process which is applied when developing accounting standards in Australia. Firstly, this study questions whether such standards provide an adequate avenue for incorporating both appropriate attributes of participation and accountability in line with the historical understanding of due process as developed through common law. Secondly, this study questions whether such standards provide an appropriate vehicle for widening participation by introducing new voices into the Australian accounting standard setting process. On the former question, common law due process resonates within a paradigm that supports fair dealing and equity between individuals with themselves and with government. On the latter question, this research identifies low and declining stakeholder participation within the due process of accounting standard setting. This is accompanied by the declining interest of previous major participants. In examining the longitudinal participation trends of submitters to the accounting standard setting regime, this research contends that the due process finds itself embedded within the confines of a procedural construct to the detriment of accommodating natural justice through a more enlightened substantive approach. As such, when considered in light of its common law roots, it fails both to provide an adequate level of openness along with accommodating only a limited opportunity to participate, specifically when taking into account opinions and interests. The very construct of common law due process rests upon its ability both to subsume participation within the decision-making process, and for that participation to be substantive in the outcome of the process. That is, such participation gives meaning to the outcome. Instead the current due process as applied within the accounting standard setting environment resonates such participation through abolitionist type approaches. Here self-interested parties compete for advantages from property rights and private benefits in line with the more modern interpretation of the public interest. The approach taken in this thesis is to consider the due process from a philosophical perspective by assessing the questions of accountability and participation within the due process in terms of civil society, the public good, economic individualism, libertarianism, liberalism, and agency, rather than to embed the discussion within the expansive existing studies concerning due process in the accounting standard setting process. The conclusion from this perspective is that due process is clearly a process past its due date.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Mehta, Surinder
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The setting of accounting standards in the Australian context has undergone significant change over the past few decades because of both the introduction of international accounting standards and the outcomes of the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (CLERP). One major thrust of these reforms was to widen the breadth of participation and to introduce new voices into the Australian accounting standard setting regime. Though there have been recent changes to Australian accounting standard setting arrangements, due process still remains as the underlying procedure for incorporating stakeholder participation. Standard setting resides within a socio-political and economic realm which lies between a capitalistic economic individualism premised upon self-interest and interest group preferences, and an idealistic paradigm of the public interest (common good). Both notions are espoused within modern civil society and present in the formulation of policy and regulation through participation. Recent times have seen the promulgation of accounting standards given over by delegated legislation to private sector interests who compete for desired outcomes and more recently this has been entrenched within the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) which produces International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This research presents a two-fold investigation of the due process which is applied when developing accounting standards in Australia. Firstly, this study questions whether such standards provide an adequate avenue for incorporating both appropriate attributes of participation and accountability in line with the historical understanding of due process as developed through common law. Secondly, this study questions whether such standards provide an appropriate vehicle for widening participation by introducing new voices into the Australian accounting standard setting process. On the former question, common law due process resonates within a paradigm that supports fair dealing and equity between individuals with themselves and with government. On the latter question, this research identifies low and declining stakeholder participation within the due process of accounting standard setting. This is accompanied by the declining interest of previous major participants. In examining the longitudinal participation trends of submitters to the accounting standard setting regime, this research contends that the due process finds itself embedded within the confines of a procedural construct to the detriment of accommodating natural justice through a more enlightened substantive approach. As such, when considered in light of its common law roots, it fails both to provide an adequate level of openness along with accommodating only a limited opportunity to participate, specifically when taking into account opinions and interests. The very construct of common law due process rests upon its ability both to subsume participation within the decision-making process, and for that participation to be substantive in the outcome of the process. That is, such participation gives meaning to the outcome. Instead the current due process as applied within the accounting standard setting environment resonates such participation through abolitionist type approaches. Here self-interested parties compete for advantages from property rights and private benefits in line with the more modern interpretation of the public interest. The approach taken in this thesis is to consider the due process from a philosophical perspective by assessing the questions of accountability and participation within the due process in terms of civil society, the public good, economic individualism, libertarianism, liberalism, and agency, rather than to embed the discussion within the expansive existing studies concerning due process in the accounting standard setting process. The conclusion from this perspective is that due process is clearly a process past its due date.
- Description: Masters by Research
Electrokinetic remediation of arsenic contaminated soils
- Authors: Mewett, John
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Arsenic is a common soil contaminant in Australia and worldwide. There is a need to find safe, effective and economic methods to deal with this problem. The soils used in this research were collected from central Victoria. They were contaminated with arsenic by historic gold mining activity or by past sheep dipping practices. This research investigated ten different leaching agents for their effects on three different arsenic contaminated soils. [...] Electrokinetic experiments were conducted on three arsenic contaminated soils. [...] The arsenic in these soils appears to be relatively stable and immobile under oxidising conditions. The soils had a high iron content which assists in the stabilisation of arsenic. This is beneficial with respect to the environmental impact of the arsenic contamination, however, it remains an obstacle to low cost electrokinetic remediation."
- Description: Masters of Applied Science
- Authors: Mewett, John
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Arsenic is a common soil contaminant in Australia and worldwide. There is a need to find safe, effective and economic methods to deal with this problem. The soils used in this research were collected from central Victoria. They were contaminated with arsenic by historic gold mining activity or by past sheep dipping practices. This research investigated ten different leaching agents for their effects on three different arsenic contaminated soils. [...] Electrokinetic experiments were conducted on three arsenic contaminated soils. [...] The arsenic in these soils appears to be relatively stable and immobile under oxidising conditions. The soils had a high iron content which assists in the stabilisation of arsenic. This is beneficial with respect to the environmental impact of the arsenic contamination, however, it remains an obstacle to low cost electrokinetic remediation."
- Description: Masters of Applied Science
Letters to Francisco : Negative imagery in art and the depiction of microstructural elements of the human body
- Authors: Milos, Emil
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The thesis itself, involves some psychological and philosophical aspects and thoughts about fear as the main mover in the so called negative aesthetic. This specific method of self-expression, its possible triggers and the reasons that may initiate art creation on the basis of pessimistic and ugly imagery have not been discussed to a great degree in the past. Generally, the content of this writing is focused on the fictious correspondence between two engravers and printmakers. These invented letters serve as an exposé for practical findings and thoughts about the author's works executed during the period 2005-2006."
- Description: Master of Arts
- Authors: Milos, Emil
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The thesis itself, involves some psychological and philosophical aspects and thoughts about fear as the main mover in the so called negative aesthetic. This specific method of self-expression, its possible triggers and the reasons that may initiate art creation on the basis of pessimistic and ugly imagery have not been discussed to a great degree in the past. Generally, the content of this writing is focused on the fictious correspondence between two engravers and printmakers. These invented letters serve as an exposé for practical findings and thoughts about the author's works executed during the period 2005-2006."
- Description: Master of Arts
Effect of lactate tolerance board training on upper body anaerobic performance
- Authors: Morton, Darren
- Date: 1994
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The present study was concerned with the effect of lactate tolerance training and a period of reduced training on the energy systems and associated performance."
- Description: Thesis (Master of Science (Human Movement)
- Authors: Morton, Darren
- Date: 1994
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "The present study was concerned with the effect of lactate tolerance training and a period of reduced training on the energy systems and associated performance."
- Description: Thesis (Master of Science (Human Movement)
Valuing difference : A visual investigation of the contemporary depiction of Down syndrome
- Authors: Morton, Felicity
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: For over seven years I have worked within the Disability sector witnessing not only the daily challenges faced by individuals with a disability, but also the barriers placed by society. Throughout this period I have become acutely aware of the lack of representation of individuals with Down syndrome within the public domain of contemporary art. This is an area which I believe also creates barriers to society's acceptance and understanding of disability.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
- Authors: Morton, Felicity
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: For over seven years I have worked within the Disability sector witnessing not only the daily challenges faced by individuals with a disability, but also the barriers placed by society. Throughout this period I have become acutely aware of the lack of representation of individuals with Down syndrome within the public domain of contemporary art. This is an area which I believe also creates barriers to society's acceptance and understanding of disability.
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
Applying reinforcement learning in playing Robosoccer using the AIBO
- Authors: Mukherjee, Subhasis
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Robosoccer is a popular test bed for AI programs around the world in which AIBO entertainments robots take part in the middle sized soccer event. These robots need a variety of skills to perform in a semi-real environment like this. The three key challenges are manoeuvrability, image recognition and decision making skills. This research is focussed on the decision making skills ... The work focuses on whether reinforcement learning as a form of semi supervised learning can effectively contribute to the goal keeper's decision making when a shot is taken." -
- Description: Master of Computing (by research)
- Authors: Mukherjee, Subhasis
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Robosoccer is a popular test bed for AI programs around the world in which AIBO entertainments robots take part in the middle sized soccer event. These robots need a variety of skills to perform in a semi-real environment like this. The three key challenges are manoeuvrability, image recognition and decision making skills. This research is focussed on the decision making skills ... The work focuses on whether reinforcement learning as a form of semi supervised learning can effectively contribute to the goal keeper's decision making when a shot is taken." -
- Description: Master of Computing (by research)
To Wandiligong : a visual journey through memory, time, space, light, landscape and fourteen layers of glass
- Authors: Murray, Kathleen
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research project examines the process of conceptualisation and its effects on the development of layers of meaning in a visual context. It explores a journey over time, within an observed environment. It explores the conceptual processes which, like a physical journey, runs through many landscapes. Memory and emotion, analysis and observation, recording and interpretation and as a final destination, the practical application in the making of the pictures. This exegesis compares the differences between the theoretical stances artists have taken in the pursuit of creating work based on the depiction of the landscape. It considers a variety of approaches to image and meaning and determines the effect of disruption as it relates to art practice over centuries and to my own practice. Throughout the work there is an exploration of the different forms of disruption on the landscape, from colonisation through to the visual effects of a changing climate. Consideration is given to the similarities and differences between the practices of visual art and communication design particularly in relation to the role of the audience. The process of research and experimentation in the making of 16 digitally augmented inkjet print, photographic images and an accompanying story map drawing of the journey is described. This involved the investigation of the conceptual development processes and approaches in relation to landscape imagery and the effect of a changing climate on their visual outcomes. The results of my experimentation in capturing images through drawing and photography using graphite pencils and paper and a camera, in a car moving through the landscape, are described. This is followed by a description of my experimentation of the use of a disruptive digital drawing application on photographic images located within an iPad and how the resulting images were conceptualised and created.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Murray, Kathleen
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research project examines the process of conceptualisation and its effects on the development of layers of meaning in a visual context. It explores a journey over time, within an observed environment. It explores the conceptual processes which, like a physical journey, runs through many landscapes. Memory and emotion, analysis and observation, recording and interpretation and as a final destination, the practical application in the making of the pictures. This exegesis compares the differences between the theoretical stances artists have taken in the pursuit of creating work based on the depiction of the landscape. It considers a variety of approaches to image and meaning and determines the effect of disruption as it relates to art practice over centuries and to my own practice. Throughout the work there is an exploration of the different forms of disruption on the landscape, from colonisation through to the visual effects of a changing climate. Consideration is given to the similarities and differences between the practices of visual art and communication design particularly in relation to the role of the audience. The process of research and experimentation in the making of 16 digitally augmented inkjet print, photographic images and an accompanying story map drawing of the journey is described. This involved the investigation of the conceptual development processes and approaches in relation to landscape imagery and the effect of a changing climate on their visual outcomes. The results of my experimentation in capturing images through drawing and photography using graphite pencils and paper and a camera, in a car moving through the landscape, are described. This is followed by a description of my experimentation of the use of a disruptive digital drawing application on photographic images located within an iPad and how the resulting images were conceptualised and created.
- Description: Masters by Research
Revealing the essence of the sacred
- Authors: Nash, Vikki
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research project, ‘Revealing the Essence of the Sacred’, examines the archetypal forms of the dot, cross and the mandorla. Their appearance and meaning are traced back through history and across cultures. The commonalities between the physical act of making imagery using these pared back abstracted forms and the experience, in the maker, of embodied immanence are examined. By extension the research also considers how creating and contemplating artwork can be a curative spiritual practice. I identify how the artwork correlates with, and is informed by, my spiritual practice. The research takes a phenomenological approach and is based on my own subjective experience of bodily sensed knowledge whilst making and viewing the image. Intuitively accessing the source or essence of the subject matter has been a primary motivating factor in the images used in the artwork. This approach is grounded in the innate belief that what has been distilled and purified has great transformative power. Informing this is an alignment with both the Jungian Collective Unconscious and the ancient Indian spiritual system of Tantra. The artworks, rendered within a ritualistic structure and using abstracted form, are an individual expression of the universality of intuitive mark making. A similar connection is established in the practice of contemporary artists who strongly identify with a level of spirituality in their personal lives
- Description: Master of Arts
- Authors: Nash, Vikki
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This research project, ‘Revealing the Essence of the Sacred’, examines the archetypal forms of the dot, cross and the mandorla. Their appearance and meaning are traced back through history and across cultures. The commonalities between the physical act of making imagery using these pared back abstracted forms and the experience, in the maker, of embodied immanence are examined. By extension the research also considers how creating and contemplating artwork can be a curative spiritual practice. I identify how the artwork correlates with, and is informed by, my spiritual practice. The research takes a phenomenological approach and is based on my own subjective experience of bodily sensed knowledge whilst making and viewing the image. Intuitively accessing the source or essence of the subject matter has been a primary motivating factor in the images used in the artwork. This approach is grounded in the innate belief that what has been distilled and purified has great transformative power. Informing this is an alignment with both the Jungian Collective Unconscious and the ancient Indian spiritual system of Tantra. The artworks, rendered within a ritualistic structure and using abstracted form, are an individual expression of the universality of intuitive mark making. A similar connection is established in the practice of contemporary artists who strongly identify with a level of spirituality in their personal lives
- Description: Master of Arts
Spiritual Art : evoking the numinous using a 3D computer game engine
- Authors: Nelson, Christopher
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story.
- Description: Master of Arts
- Authors: Nelson, Christopher
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story.
- Description: Master of Arts
Seated working posture : a research thesis with experimental methodology and literature review
- Authors: Nelson, David
- Date: 1990
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Masters Degree in Applied Science
- Description: Much has been written about seated working posture - particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the furniture associated with achieving what is commonly referred to as the "German Square" postural geometry (after Mandal, 1974). The physical sciences aspects of chair, desk and associated furniture ancillary to the task required of the seated worker, have been described in the scientific literature and the standards and guideline publications of the authorities of many countries of the western world. The most important contribution of multi-adjustable furniture to the reduction of postural discomfort and musculo-skeletal complaints is recognised. As a result a variety of standards and guidelines concerning some of these aspects exists in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, Germany, Australia and the Scandinavian countries. The International Organisation for Standardisation published document TC136/SC7 in 1978, consolidating such existing standards. Less emphasis has been placed on the interface of the information exchange and the comfort, performance and preferences of the seated worker; ie., the practically, the comfort and the intrinsic safety of the working posture prescribed by the model established by the many standards. Existing specifications and guidelines differ in their orientation towards operator performance and comfort of the operator, in as much as some purport to be "furniture standards", for example C.E.N, Comite European de Normalisation, Paris, 1980, while others purport to be "postural standards", for example, International Organisation for Standardisation document TC 136/SC7 (1978). The standards are uniform in matters of upright trunk and 90° upper and lower limb geometry, but are divided in the lineal dimensions applied to eye height above the floor, shoulder acromion to home row of keys (or pen-grip position of the dominant hand and fingers), and eye distance to copy.
- Authors: Nelson, David
- Date: 1990
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Masters Degree in Applied Science
- Description: Much has been written about seated working posture - particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the furniture associated with achieving what is commonly referred to as the "German Square" postural geometry (after Mandal, 1974). The physical sciences aspects of chair, desk and associated furniture ancillary to the task required of the seated worker, have been described in the scientific literature and the standards and guideline publications of the authorities of many countries of the western world. The most important contribution of multi-adjustable furniture to the reduction of postural discomfort and musculo-skeletal complaints is recognised. As a result a variety of standards and guidelines concerning some of these aspects exists in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, Germany, Australia and the Scandinavian countries. The International Organisation for Standardisation published document TC136/SC7 in 1978, consolidating such existing standards. Less emphasis has been placed on the interface of the information exchange and the comfort, performance and preferences of the seated worker; ie., the practically, the comfort and the intrinsic safety of the working posture prescribed by the model established by the many standards. Existing specifications and guidelines differ in their orientation towards operator performance and comfort of the operator, in as much as some purport to be "furniture standards", for example C.E.N, Comite European de Normalisation, Paris, 1980, while others purport to be "postural standards", for example, International Organisation for Standardisation document TC 136/SC7 (1978). The standards are uniform in matters of upright trunk and 90° upper and lower limb geometry, but are divided in the lineal dimensions applied to eye height above the floor, shoulder acromion to home row of keys (or pen-grip position of the dominant hand and fingers), and eye distance to copy.
Exploring youth perceptions of school (dis)engagement and absence in Hepburn Shire
- Authors: O'Loughlan, Courtney
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines the educational experiences of some young people living in the Hepburn Shire, a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Central Highlands of Victoria. These young people were in various stages of disengaging from the mainstream education on offer in the shire. The research came about via consultation between the secondary school and Federation University in response to data from the Department of Education and Training (DET) showing that the Hepburn area had the lowest school attendance figures of the eleven LGA’s in the Grampians region. The school was interested in the reasons behind the lower figures and sought to gather some further information which might shed light on the experiences of young people who had difficulty in connecting, or staying connected to, school. It was hoped that the resultant findings would inform the approach taken by the schools in offering appropriate programs to support people to re-engage with school. Thus, the research question underpinning this research is: What are the key reasons that school attendance has been identified as being lower in the Hepburn Shire Local Government Area than in other parts of the Grampians region? A critical ethnographic study was undertaken comprised of participant observation, facilitated by the researcher being situated within the school, and a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with young people (of secondary school age), families, teachers, Principals, support staff including welfare providers and a selection of other professionals working with youth and their families in the Hepburn Shire. The study revealed a complexity within the Hepburn community, where a rich diversity of views about child-raising and education was present. Such views spanned philosophies about ‘unschooling’, the benefits of home-schooling, and a sense of permissiveness about not attending school each day. Further, there seemed to be a tendency within the school (both by teachers and other professionals working with youth) to talk about disengaged students and families of nonattending students in terms of deficit: there was something lacking with them, parenting skills, work ethic, behavioural or emotional regulation, that was viewed as contributing to the students’ poor attendance. Finally, the centrality of the teacher-student relationship to both student engagement and disengagement was evident in the conversations with young people and their families. Building respectful, reciprocal relationships with at least one key member of staff seems to be a major protective factor against disengagement. And further, seems to be a pre-requisite for those students who are entering the school for the first time, or who are re-entering after a significant absence.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: O'Loughlan, Courtney
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines the educational experiences of some young people living in the Hepburn Shire, a Local Government Area (LGA) in the Central Highlands of Victoria. These young people were in various stages of disengaging from the mainstream education on offer in the shire. The research came about via consultation between the secondary school and Federation University in response to data from the Department of Education and Training (DET) showing that the Hepburn area had the lowest school attendance figures of the eleven LGA’s in the Grampians region. The school was interested in the reasons behind the lower figures and sought to gather some further information which might shed light on the experiences of young people who had difficulty in connecting, or staying connected to, school. It was hoped that the resultant findings would inform the approach taken by the schools in offering appropriate programs to support people to re-engage with school. Thus, the research question underpinning this research is: What are the key reasons that school attendance has been identified as being lower in the Hepburn Shire Local Government Area than in other parts of the Grampians region? A critical ethnographic study was undertaken comprised of participant observation, facilitated by the researcher being situated within the school, and a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with young people (of secondary school age), families, teachers, Principals, support staff including welfare providers and a selection of other professionals working with youth and their families in the Hepburn Shire. The study revealed a complexity within the Hepburn community, where a rich diversity of views about child-raising and education was present. Such views spanned philosophies about ‘unschooling’, the benefits of home-schooling, and a sense of permissiveness about not attending school each day. Further, there seemed to be a tendency within the school (both by teachers and other professionals working with youth) to talk about disengaged students and families of nonattending students in terms of deficit: there was something lacking with them, parenting skills, work ethic, behavioural or emotional regulation, that was viewed as contributing to the students’ poor attendance. Finally, the centrality of the teacher-student relationship to both student engagement and disengagement was evident in the conversations with young people and their families. Building respectful, reciprocal relationships with at least one key member of staff seems to be a major protective factor against disengagement. And further, seems to be a pre-requisite for those students who are entering the school for the first time, or who are re-entering after a significant absence.
- Description: Masters by Research
Vessels for miracles : a tangible expression of an unwillingness to disallow belief
- Authors: O'Loughlin, John
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Through a review of the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, the study examines the nature of, and tension between, superstion and belief. It debates the implicit question 'is all religion superstition?' in an attempt to provide a sound basis for the presentation of reasons for my personal unwilingness to 'disallow belief' in the mysteries of the Faith, despite doubts on their content."
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
- Authors: O'Loughlin, John
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: "Through a review of the art of late antiquity and early Christianity, the study examines the nature of, and tension between, superstion and belief. It debates the implicit question 'is all religion superstition?' in an attempt to provide a sound basis for the presentation of reasons for my personal unwilingness to 'disallow belief' in the mysteries of the Faith, despite doubts on their content."
- Description: Master of Arts (Visual Arts)
Physical and emotional touchpoints influencing user journeys : how mothers navigate through the maternity and early childhood development service systems in a rural Victorian city
- Authors: O'Neill, Carina
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The quality of maternity and early childhood development service systems has a profound impact on children’s capacity to grow, learn and thrive throughout their lifespans. This research study investigated the experiences of first-time mothers attempting to navigate complex, disjointed service systems in a small rural Australian city. The study aimed to identify the critical touchpoints that first-time mothers often encountered when navigating maternity and early childhood development service systems from conception to school and then generate a broader understanding of how the individual and collective user might navigate through this period. In my capacity as the manager of a major early childhood service in this small city, I was able to apply my critical, reflexive insights of the service to the development of this research study. This descriptive, retrospective study employed a qualitative methodology. A novel, user-centred design approach – drawing upon the concept of service touchpoints – was applied to explain families’ experiences of using services from the point of their child’s conception until the commencement of school. A self-selected sample of eight first-time mothers participated in the study. Comprehensive, tape-recorded interviews were conducted with the mothers that incorporated innovative tools for generating ideas and identifying critical touchpoints during the mothers’ user journey. The data was analysed to produce four products: a cross-case, thematic analysis of the families’ experiences; a visual user journey map containing the physical and emotional service touchpoints for each individual family; and two customer journey maps (one showing physical touchpoints; the other showing emotional touchpoints) to visually represent the typical user’s experience. The four major themes that emerged were: (1) dissonance between expectations and the lived reality; (2) the continuum of support from ideal to going “above and beyond”; (3) social isolation and lack of information; and (4) the need to become experts/advocates to make informed choices. The two conjoint customer journey maps revealed that a lack of service knowledge, unclear processes and disruptions in service transitions impacted on the physical service experience. However, surprisingly, it was the emotional – rather than the physical –touchpoints that were most significant for these mothers.
- Description: Masters of the Arts
- Authors: O'Neill, Carina
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The quality of maternity and early childhood development service systems has a profound impact on children’s capacity to grow, learn and thrive throughout their lifespans. This research study investigated the experiences of first-time mothers attempting to navigate complex, disjointed service systems in a small rural Australian city. The study aimed to identify the critical touchpoints that first-time mothers often encountered when navigating maternity and early childhood development service systems from conception to school and then generate a broader understanding of how the individual and collective user might navigate through this period. In my capacity as the manager of a major early childhood service in this small city, I was able to apply my critical, reflexive insights of the service to the development of this research study. This descriptive, retrospective study employed a qualitative methodology. A novel, user-centred design approach – drawing upon the concept of service touchpoints – was applied to explain families’ experiences of using services from the point of their child’s conception until the commencement of school. A self-selected sample of eight first-time mothers participated in the study. Comprehensive, tape-recorded interviews were conducted with the mothers that incorporated innovative tools for generating ideas and identifying critical touchpoints during the mothers’ user journey. The data was analysed to produce four products: a cross-case, thematic analysis of the families’ experiences; a visual user journey map containing the physical and emotional service touchpoints for each individual family; and two customer journey maps (one showing physical touchpoints; the other showing emotional touchpoints) to visually represent the typical user’s experience. The four major themes that emerged were: (1) dissonance between expectations and the lived reality; (2) the continuum of support from ideal to going “above and beyond”; (3) social isolation and lack of information; and (4) the need to become experts/advocates to make informed choices. The two conjoint customer journey maps revealed that a lack of service knowledge, unclear processes and disruptions in service transitions impacted on the physical service experience. However, surprisingly, it was the emotional – rather than the physical –touchpoints that were most significant for these mothers.
- Description: Masters of the Arts
"Beyond home and sex?" : Gender and sexuality in Elizabeth Moon's
- Authors: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Historically, fantasy fiction has tended to present sexuality and gender in a conservative light. Contemporary authors in this genre have the opportunity to imagine worlds in which they can critique these norms and offer new and subversive alternatives. Elizabeth Moon’s work has been seen by some readers and critics (Mains, et al, Bach) to challenge conservative gender roles, and while in some areas this is evident, a critical reading of her Paksworld series through a feminist lens reveals that her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals. In this thesis I argue that while Moon’s female characters are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, they are still often repressed by those around them, silenced, or subject to male dominance and/or sexual violence. Those women in the novels who achieve a position of social, political or spiritual power are forced to make choices between roles: for example, between being a warrior and a mother, and are not allowed to ‘have it all’. Moon does subvert some familiar feminine tropes – her fantasy princesses for example avoid being married against their will, and her female warriors are more complex than simply being ‘sheroes’. Utilising masculinities and disability theory, I also analyse Moon’s treatment of men and masculinity. While Moon presents several familiar male fantasy tropes, she also portrays some surprisingly subversive men. These men are forced to reimagine and reinterpret their own masculine identities by having to confront ageing, disability, mutilation and loss of personal power while negotiating traditionally masculine homo-social environments. Finally, I argue that Moon’s presentation of sexuality in the Paksworld series is problematic and conservative in that very few of her characters are having pleasurable, consensual sex, especially not outside traditional marriage structures. Furthermore, the Paksworld series is largely heteronormative, with same-sex desire identified predominantly with a character who is presented as an antagonist to Paks. Paks herself is asexual, and I argue that Moon uses this as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of female sexual desire rather than an opportunity to explore asexuality as a valid sexual preference or identity. Overall, I argue that despite some subversive elements, Moon’s characters are still largely restricted by conservative expectations of genre, culture, gender and sexuality.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Historically, fantasy fiction has tended to present sexuality and gender in a conservative light. Contemporary authors in this genre have the opportunity to imagine worlds in which they can critique these norms and offer new and subversive alternatives. Elizabeth Moon’s work has been seen by some readers and critics (Mains, et al, Bach) to challenge conservative gender roles, and while in some areas this is evident, a critical reading of her Paksworld series through a feminist lens reveals that her work is still largely restricted by normative notions of gender and heteronormative contexts and ideals. In this thesis I argue that while Moon’s female characters are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, they are still often repressed by those around them, silenced, or subject to male dominance and/or sexual violence. Those women in the novels who achieve a position of social, political or spiritual power are forced to make choices between roles: for example, between being a warrior and a mother, and are not allowed to ‘have it all’. Moon does subvert some familiar feminine tropes – her fantasy princesses for example avoid being married against their will, and her female warriors are more complex than simply being ‘sheroes’. Utilising masculinities and disability theory, I also analyse Moon’s treatment of men and masculinity. While Moon presents several familiar male fantasy tropes, she also portrays some surprisingly subversive men. These men are forced to reimagine and reinterpret their own masculine identities by having to confront ageing, disability, mutilation and loss of personal power while negotiating traditionally masculine homo-social environments. Finally, I argue that Moon’s presentation of sexuality in the Paksworld series is problematic and conservative in that very few of her characters are having pleasurable, consensual sex, especially not outside traditional marriage structures. Furthermore, the Paksworld series is largely heteronormative, with same-sex desire identified predominantly with a character who is presented as an antagonist to Paks. Paks herself is asexual, and I argue that Moon uses this as a way to avoid dealing with the issue of female sexual desire rather than an opportunity to explore asexuality as a valid sexual preference or identity. Overall, I argue that despite some subversive elements, Moon’s characters are still largely restricted by conservative expectations of genre, culture, gender and sexuality.
- Description: Masters by Research