Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / After decades of discrimination and deprivation, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population faces social circumstances and health status which resemble that of a third world population group. With a wide range of health risk factors and morbidities among this population, a logical place to begin tackling the health problems is at the beginning of life. With increasing recognition of the influence of the intrauterine environment upon health, not only during infancy but into adulthood, improving health during pregnancy offers substantial benefit for present and future generations. The poor health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians is deeply ingrained in social deprivation, poor mental well-being, and an array of modifiable risk factors. Smoking is one risk factor at the centre of this complex web. Smoking is often accompanied by, or used as relief in, stressful situations associated with socioeconomic status, mental health, illness, and other addictions. In order to determine the most appropriate way to tackle the smoking issue among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, a series of studies were conducted. Initial literature reviews found limited evidence derived from methodologically rigorous studies in mainstream populations, and even less evidence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, or other Indigenous groups. Exploration of the knowledge and attitudes of these women in relation to antenatal smoking was conducted to identify the most appropriate targets for intervention. The findings from extensive background studies were drawn upon to design an intervention which aimed to be culturally appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, providing intensive support to assist these women to quit smoking during their pregnancy. Pilot data from the resulting intervention is presented in Chapter 8 of this Thesis. The social network among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities appears to play a central role in the behaviour of individuals. With an array of risk factors and influences found not only in the individuals surrounding women, but in their socioeconomic circumstances and overall environment, it may be that the most important approach for achieving health and behaviour change among this population is the mobilisation of social support and efforts to intervene with multiple elements of that environment.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, School of Education, 2004. / "November 2003". Bibliography: leaves 243-267.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Swinburne University of Technology, 2002. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 2, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. [353]-380).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 1999. / Bibliography : leaves 322-339.

The extractives industry (mining, oil, and gas) engages in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to reinforce its organizational legitimacy and enhance its public image. One such approach to CSR that is popular in the industry is through funding sport initiatives aimed at Indigenous peoples (often termed Sport for Development; SFD). On the surface, such funding may seem commendable and innocuous; however, questions have been raised about the ways in which such funding may obfuscate the harmful impacts that the extractives industry has had and continues to have on Indigenous peoples and their traditional territories. Through the adoption of a postcolonial theoretical perspective and in conjunction with netnographic methods and discourse analysis, this project involved a consideration of how extractives companies portray their funding of sport programs in Indigenous communities on social media. Given the research focus on Indigenous communities in the countries known as Canada and Australia, between country differences were also examined. Three discourses related to the extractives industry’s funding of SFD in Indigenous communities in Canada and Australia were developed. These discourses included the following: 1) Extractives companies are proud “partners” of Indigenous communities; 2) Extractives companies are committed to helping Indigenous communities in Canada and Australia; and 3) Canadian extractives companies are future focused and past-blind, while Australian extractives companies are advocates for reconciliation. Overall, extractives companies in Canada and Australia were found to use social media to portray themselves as responsible and committed partners of Indigenous communities, while obscuring the ongoing histories of colonialism through discourses of empowerment and development through sport. Suggestions are made regarding ongoing interrogation of the ways in which the extractives industry perpetuates colonialism.

Thesis (M.A.) (Honours) -- University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 2000. / A thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Honours) - (Performance), School of Applied Social and Human Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 2000. Bibliography : Vol. 1, leaves 202-209.

This thesis is a work of Christian theology. Its purpose is twofold: firstly to develop an adequate understanding of reconciliation at the level of peoples and nations; and secondly to make a practical contribution to resolving the problems in Australia for the welfare of all the peoples, and of the land itself. The history of the relationships between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Australia has left many problems, and no matter what the non-Indigenous people try to do, the Indigenous peoples of Australia continue to experience themselves as being in a state of siege. Trying to understand what is happening, and what can be done to resolve the problems for the peoples of Australia and the land, have been the implicit drivers for the theological development in this thesis. This thesis argues that the present generation in any trans-generational dispute is likely to continue to sin in ways that are shaped by the sins of the past, which explains why Indigenous peoples in Australia find themselves in a stage of siege, even when the non-Indigenous peoples are trying to pursue policies which they believe are for the welfare of all. The only way to resolve this is for the peoples of Australia to seek reconciliation. In particular, the non-Indigenous peoples need to repent, both of their own sins, and the sins of their forebears. Reconciliation processes have become part of the international political landscape. However, there are real concerns about the justice of pursuing reconciliation. An important part of the theological development of this thesis is therefore to show that pursuing reconciliation establishes justice. It is shown that the nature of justice, and of repentance, can only be established by pursuing reconciliation. Reconciliation is possible because God has made it possible, and is working in the world to bring reconciliation. Because land is an essential part of Indigenous identity in Australia, the history of land in court cases and legislation in Australia over the past half century forms an important case study in this work. It is shown that, although there was significant repentance within the non-Indigenous legal system in Australia, the degree of repentance available through that legal system is inherently limited, and so a more radical approach is needed in order to seek reconciliation in Australia. A final chapter considers what the non-Indigenous people of Australia need to do in order to repent.