The Changing Nature of China's Enterprise Culture. China is one of Australia's most important trading partners. Understanding the transformation now underway in the enterprise culture of China's industrial system is essential in safeguarding Australia's future economic interests. Through in-depth research inside a representative sample of Chinese enterprises with different forms of ownership, this project will provide much needed insights. The findings will be of interest to Australia's academic ....The Changing Nature of China's Enterprise Culture. China is one of Australia's most important trading partners. Understanding the transformation now underway in the enterprise culture of China's industrial system is essential in safeguarding Australia's future economic interests. Through in-depth research inside a representative sample of Chinese enterprises with different forms of ownership, this project will provide much needed insights. The findings will be of interest to Australia's academic community, our government, NGOs and trade unions.Read moreRead less
A history of Australia's 1998 waterfront dispute. The project will produce an innovative account of Australia's Easter 1998 waterfront dispute, within the context of a wider body of research on diverse but related social perspectives. The aim is to not only enhance understanding of the event, but to employ the event to enhance understanding of social relations. The project is based on the hypothesis that the social memory is more complex, multi-layered and contextual than public accounts suggest ....A history of Australia's 1998 waterfront dispute. The project will produce an innovative account of Australia's Easter 1998 waterfront dispute, within the context of a wider body of research on diverse but related social perspectives. The aim is to not only enhance understanding of the event, but to employ the event to enhance understanding of social relations. The project is based on the hypothesis that the social memory is more complex, multi-layered and contextual than public accounts suggest. By incorporating the study of multiple perspectives, the aim is to disclose a different and more insightful memory of both the event and the society in which it occurred.Read moreRead less
Re-inventing Motherhood: Women, Breadwinning and Childcare in Australia, 1880-1980. The project aims to analyse the evolving experiences of working mothers in Australia from 1880 to 1980 to ascertain how women and their families handled the tensions between work, survival strategies, and child care. It will challenge current views of a simple dichotomy between public work and private family lives, exploring the interlinking of forms of work and care, and their intersections with class, ethnicity ....Re-inventing Motherhood: Women, Breadwinning and Childcare in Australia, 1880-1980. The project aims to analyse the evolving experiences of working mothers in Australia from 1880 to 1980 to ascertain how women and their families handled the tensions between work, survival strategies, and child care. It will challenge current views of a simple dichotomy between public work and private family lives, exploring the interlinking of forms of work and care, and their intersections with class, ethnicity and race.This will provide a significant new base for understanding the historical evolution of women's work and family life and for formulating social policy today in an age of the dual-income family.Read moreRead less
Made in the USA?: The Decline of the American Manufacturing Economy, 1950-2008. In a global economy, the decline of manufacturing industries has not just occurred in the U.S. but has also affected other high-wage labor markets, including Australia. As well as throwing light on this process in Australia, this project will show that deindustrialization is a transnational process and that many multinational firms have declined simultaneously in both countries. In a world where factory closings co ....Made in the USA?: The Decline of the American Manufacturing Economy, 1950-2008. In a global economy, the decline of manufacturing industries has not just occurred in the U.S. but has also affected other high-wage labor markets, including Australia. As well as throwing light on this process in Australia, this project will show that deindustrialization is a transnational process and that many multinational firms have declined simultaneously in both countries. In a world where factory closings constantly make headlines, the project also has considerable contemporary relevance in both countries.Read moreRead less
Bold Experiment: an historical evaluation of the Australian Assistance Plan. Australia and similar western democracies continue to wrestle with growing citizen disengagement with political processes and declining levels of active participation in society. This project is expected to provide the first historical examination of the Australian Assistance Plan (AAP), an innovative yet forgotten program from the 1970s. The AAP sought to reframe participation at a local level, stimulate voluntary orga ....Bold Experiment: an historical evaluation of the Australian Assistance Plan. Australia and similar western democracies continue to wrestle with growing citizen disengagement with political processes and declining levels of active participation in society. This project is expected to provide the first historical examination of the Australian Assistance Plan (AAP), an innovative yet forgotten program from the 1970s. The AAP sought to reframe participation at a local level, stimulate voluntary organisations and provide a framework that engaged with all levels of governments. Using archival sources and oral history methods, the project seeks to offer a new interpretation of an important initiative in Australian history and demonstrate how historical analysis can inform policy and shape debates in government and non-profit sectors in the future.Read moreRead less
The search for family: A history of adoption in Australia. How has Australia cared for its children? This study will fill a significant gap in the nation's self-understanding by explaining the historical factors driving the changing place, meaning and significance of adoption. Whilst participants and practitioners debate its social worth, the policy pendulum is swinging back to an acceptance of adoption. Australian society is in urgent need of an open hearing of the contesting voices, and a bala ....The search for family: A history of adoption in Australia. How has Australia cared for its children? This study will fill a significant gap in the nation's self-understanding by explaining the historical factors driving the changing place, meaning and significance of adoption. Whilst participants and practitioners debate its social worth, the policy pendulum is swinging back to an acceptance of adoption. Australian society is in urgent need of an open hearing of the contesting voices, and a balanced account of the historical impact of adoption. Our project promises both, thus 'understanding and strengthening (a) key element of Australia's social fabric' - the family.Read moreRead less
Silicosis, Knowledge and Power: Transnational Responses to an Occupational Disease, 1902 to 2005. Silicosis is a global disease which has affected the health of Australian workers and the profitability of Australian companies. Recently, major international mining houses have begun to acknowledge their wider responsibilities, and publish statements on Sustainable Mining. However, poor practices in developing countries continue to shift the costs of production onto labour, thereby under-cutting p ....Silicosis, Knowledge and Power: Transnational Responses to an Occupational Disease, 1902 to 2005. Silicosis is a global disease which has affected the health of Australian workers and the profitability of Australian companies. Recently, major international mining houses have begun to acknowledge their wider responsibilities, and publish statements on Sustainable Mining. However, poor practices in developing countries continue to shift the costs of production onto labour, thereby under-cutting producers who provide safer working environments. This project promises greater understanding of risk assessment and the processes of compensating workplace injuries. In doing so, it will contribute to the work of social movements supporting miners in their struggles for justice.Read moreRead less
Life after care: the life-histories of those who left institutional and other forms of out-of-home care, 1945-1989. This project, developed in close collaboration with the Industry Partner, MacKillop Family Services, will examine the impact of having been in out-of-home care for the subsequent identities and life histories of successive generations of care leavers. While focused on Catholic institutions in Victoria, it will provide more general insights into the role of church-based children's h ....Life after care: the life-histories of those who left institutional and other forms of out-of-home care, 1945-1989. This project, developed in close collaboration with the Industry Partner, MacKillop Family Services, will examine the impact of having been in out-of-home care for the subsequent identities and life histories of successive generations of care leavers. While focused on Catholic institutions in Victoria, it will provide more general insights into the role of church-based children's homes. Based on archival and oral history methods, it will also be an opportunity for those who experienced care to tell the story of life after leaving care.Read moreRead less
History of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, 1930-2003. This project will research and write the history of the Melbourne based Anglican welfare organisation, the Brotherhood of St Laurence since its foundation. It will be a multi-focussed history, which will reassess the Brotherhood's origins in the social divisions of the depression, examine its culture, including the interaction between its religious and secular missions, investigate its record of innovative social policy and service delivery, ....History of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, 1930-2003. This project will research and write the history of the Melbourne based Anglican welfare organisation, the Brotherhood of St Laurence since its foundation. It will be a multi-focussed history, which will reassess the Brotherhood's origins in the social divisions of the depression, examine its culture, including the interaction between its religious and secular missions, investigate its record of innovative social policy and service delivery, and interrogate its changing relationship with the local communities where it has a physical presence. The research will include interviews with present and former staff. The age of some of these makes this aspect of the research urgent.Read moreRead less
Asbestos: The History of a Commodity. This is the first world history of the asbestos industry and its social impact. It investigates key aspects of the mineral's life story in regard to mining, manufacture, medical discovery, labour, social movements, the law and the state. The project is theoretically innovative in linking the distinct bodies of knowledge that flow from each of those sites. It also raises significant questions that cannot be answered within separate disciplines. The result ....Asbestos: The History of a Commodity. This is the first world history of the asbestos industry and its social impact. It investigates key aspects of the mineral's life story in regard to mining, manufacture, medical discovery, labour, social movements, the law and the state. The project is theoretically innovative in linking the distinct bodies of knowledge that flow from each of those sites. It also raises significant questions that cannot be answered within separate disciplines. The resulting book and articles will provide practical tools for those seeking improved working conditions and assist those seeking legal redress for asbestos related disease.Read moreRead less