The Patonga Claystone, a red bed facies in the Narrabeen Group of the Sydney Basin, is one of the most unfavorable rock units in the basin from a geotechnical point of view. This rock unit is composed of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and claystone. One of the unfavorable characteristics is the low shear strength, which causes instability of cut slopes; another is its slaking-prone behaviour. Numerous measurements of geotechnical properties, along with extensive mineralogical and geochemical determinations, were carried out to identify cause of this slaking behaviour. Key techniques were the use of quantitative X-ray diffractometry for mineralogical analysis, and the determination of slake durability index and related properties to evaluate the slaking behaviour under both standard and more extended conditions. Standard (two cycle) slake durability test results indicate a range from low to high slake durability index values, with some mudstone samples having very low durability and some sandstones having very high slake durability indices. Jar slake test results indicate that the rock samples break rapidly and/or develop several fractures (Ij = 4) in an as-received state, but degrade to a pile of flakes or mud (Ij = 1) if the samples are oven dried before testing. The results for jar slake testing of oven-dried material are comparable, for individual samples, to those obtained from the more comprehensive slake durability tests. The mineralogy of the samples was evaluated by quantitative X-ray diffraction techniques using the Rietveld-based Siroquant processing system. Comparison to independent chemical data show a generally good level of agreement, suggesting that the mineralogical analysis results are consistent with the chemical composition of the individual rock samples. Good correlations were also obtained between clay mineralogy determined from orientedaggregate XRD analysis of the &lt2 micron fraction and the results from powder diffractometry and Siroquant analysis of the whole-rock samples. Evaluation of the slake durability characteristics and other geotechnical properties in relation to the quantitative mineralogy suggests that quartz and feldspar form a rigid framework in the rocks that resists the disruptive pressures that cause slaking. Expansion of the clay minerals by various processes, including the incorporation of water into the interlayer spaces of illite/smectite as well as changes in pore pressures associated with entry of water into micro-fractures in the clay matrix, are thought to produce the disruptions that cause slaking and degradation. An abundant clay matrix also reduces the strength of the rock materials, probably because of the less rigid nature of the clay minerals relative to the quartz and feldspar particles. As well as the mineralogy, the loss on ignition (LOI) and water absorption percentage were found to provide good indicators of longer-term slaking behaviour. Both properties are also related to the overall clay content. Rock samples with water absorption values of &lt10, 10-15 and &gt15% behave as highly durable, intermediate and less durable materials respectively. Rocks with LOI values of greater than 5% by weight behave as less durable rock materials, at least for the strata encompassed by the present study. The water absorption and LOI values were also used to develop a predictive model of slake durability characteristics for the different rock materials in the Patonga Claystone, providing a relatively simple basis for predicting longer-term stability in a range of geotechnical studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 1996. / Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Department of History, Faculty of Arts. Degree awarded 1996; thesis submitted 1995. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Faculty of Education. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 331-367).

This thesis studies sectarianism in New South Wales from 1947 through to 1981. This was a period of intense change in Australian socio-cultural history, as well as in the history of religious cultures, both within Australia and internationally. Sectarianism, traditionally a significant force in Australian socio-cultural life, was significantly affected by the many changes of this period: the religious revival of the 1950s, the rise of ecumenism and the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, as well as postwar mass-immigration, the politics of education, increasing secularism in Australian society and the Goulburn schools closure of 1962, which was both a symptom of the diminishing significance of sectarianism as well as a force that accelerated its demise. While the main study of sectarianism in this thesis ends with the 1981 High Court judgment upholding the constitutionality of state aid to non-government schools, this thesis also traces the lingering significance of sectarianism in Australian society through to the early twenty-first century through oral history and memoir. This thesis offers a contribution to historical understanding of sectarianism, examining the significance of sectarianism as a discursive force in Australian society in the context of social, political and religious cultures of the period. It argues that while the significant social and religious changes of the period eroded the discursive power of sectarianism in Australian society, this does not mean sectarianism simply vanished from Australian society. While sectarianism became increasingly insignificant in mainstream Australian socio-political life in this period, sectarianism -- both as a discourse and ideology -- lingered in social memory and in some religious cultures.

This thesis studies sectarianism in New South Wales from 1947 through to 1981. This was a period of intense change in Australian socio-cultural history, as well as in the history of religious cultures, both within Australia and internationally. Sectarianism, traditionally a significant force in Australian socio-cultural life, was significantly affected by the many changes of this period: the religious revival of the 1950s, the rise of ecumenism and the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, as well as postwar mass-immigration, the politics of education, increasing secularism in Australian society and the Goulburn schools closure of 1962, which was both a symptom of the diminishing significance of sectarianism as well as a force that accelerated its demise. While the main study of sectarianism in this thesis ends with the 1981 High Court judgment upholding the constitutionality of state aid to non-government schools, this thesis also traces the lingering significance of sectarianism in Australian society through to the early twenty-first century through oral history and memoir. This thesis offers a contribution to historical understanding of sectarianism, examining the significance of sectarianism as a discursive force in Australian society in the context of social, political and religious cultures of the period. It argues that while the significant social and religious changes of the period eroded the discursive power of sectarianism in Australian society, this does not mean sectarianism simply vanished from Australian society. While sectarianism became increasingly insignificant in mainstream Australian socio-political life in this period, sectarianism -- both as a discourse and ideology -- lingered in social memory and in some religious cultures.

Bibliography: leaves 384-402 / xv, 408 leaves, [19] leaves of plates : maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Depts. of Geography and Politics, 1991

Doctor of Philosophy / Persons with acquired brain injury require continuing support and care in various aspects of their lives many years post-injury. Their care and support are mainly provided by family members. While respite is one of a range of critical support systems for carers and people with life-long disability, very little is known about respite in the area of acquired brain injury. The majority of the research on respite has been undertaken in developmental disability, mental health and in aged care, but there is no research to date about respite from the perspectives of the person with a disability, the carer and respite provider. There is also no research that examines these perspectives in the acquired brain injury literature. This study was aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating respite from the perspectives of the person with acquired brain injury, the carer and the respite provider. It also examined the profile of respite services being provided in the Australian state of New South Wales as there had not been a comprehensive mapping of respite before. Survey methodology was used to gather information from persons with acquired brain injury and their carers who were members of the New South Wales Brain Injury Association, which is the peak advocacy association of people with brain injury. The same methodology was used to gather similar information from members of Interchange Respite Care New South Wales, which is a peak association representing respite providers in the state. The survey questionnaires were developed and designed after an extensive review of the literature, and were reviewed by experts in the fields of respite, disability and acquired brain injury. The survey questionnaire was also trialled on a sample of families. The survey questionnaires for the three participant groups shared several common sections, such as demographic information; factors influencing respite use; expectations of respite; and satisfaction with respite services used by persons or carers. The responses from the three participant groups were analysed and compared using logistic regression and descriptive statistics. The key findings of the study are (a) several characteristics or factors of the person with acquired brain injury and their carer were significantly associated with the use of respite, (b) there were several common factors that all three participant groups reported to influence respite use, and (c) there were several common expectations of respite among the three participant groups. Some of the characteristics or factors that were significantly associated with respite use included the severity of disability, the high level of dependency of the person with acquired brain injury, and the number of days spent in a coma. Common factors reported by all three participant groups to influence respite use included the stress level of the carer and the severity of disability. Factors reported to influence respite use appear to be consistent with the literature in developmental disability. There were common perspectives regarding the expectations of respite among all three participant groups, such as the need for trained and qualified respite staff; a wider range of respite services and more flexibility of respite service provision. The study also indicated a reported lack of sufficient respite for persons with acquired brain injury and their carers. Some of the findings of the study appeared to be consistent with the research literature on acquired brain injury; such as the majority of carers being mainly female; there is a reliance on informal networks for the care and support of the person with acquired brain injury; and the majority of the persons with acquired brain injury being male. The study also found that many respite providers in New South Wales had extensive experience in running a respite service. The findings of the study have important implications for policy direction and development, practice and service delivery, and research. In terms of policy direction and development, implications explored included: a flexible funding model that is responsive to the needs of carer and person with acquired brain injury, and adequately trained and qualified staff and volunteers play an important role in respite provision. Further research is required to understand empirically the benefits and quality of life outcomes over a period of time, such as what types and extent of respite are more beneficial for certain demographic profiles. The study highlights the perspectives of persons with acquired brain injury, their carers and respite providers. Respite is an important support system to enable persons with acquired brain injury to receive the continuing care and support from their carers. Respite in acquired brain injury is a new field that merits further research as it holds the potential for addressing the needs of people with acquired brain injury and their carers.

Abstract not available

The effects of roads on landscapes and wildlife and their ecological processes are substantial and represent a major anthropogenic disruption to the natural environment. Current understanding of the impacts of roads for their strategic management is hampered by a lack of information on 1) the influence of the ecosystems on road effects, 2) the effects of roads on higher-order ecosystem responses (populations and communities), and 3) the overall impacts of roads on ecosystems and their wildlife (on both abiotic and biotic ecosystem components). This study used the Silver City Highway in arid New South Wales, Australia, as a model for a typical road in an arid ecosystem to investigate the ecological effects of arid-zone roads and their management. The study examined the spatial variation of soil, vegetation, kangaroo and small mammal variables in relation to the road, explored the factors contributing to these respective spatial variations, investigated the effects of arid-zone road management on vegetation, assessed the fragmentation effect of the arid-zone road on small mammals, and determined the patterns, causes and effects of kangaroo-vehicle collisions. The study revealed that the arid-zone road influenced most of the variables measured, skewed the population demographics of two kangaroo species, and altered the community composition of small mammals, with two small mammal species listed as threatened in NSW and of national significance (Sminthopsis macroura and Leggadina forresti) negatively impacted by the road. Increases in the amount of water along the road edge drove many of the subsequent effects of the arid-zone road as arid-zone flora and fauna are adapted to exploiting limited and patchily distributed resources. However, current arid-zone road management also influenced vegetation quality, microclimates around the road influenced kangaroo densities and small mammal communities, and kangaroo flight behaviour and temporal variations in traffic volume affected roadkill frequency. Together, these results suggest that roads have a high overall ecological impact in arid ecosystems. Conservation managers need to first rank the impacts of arid-zone roads in order of their conservation importance and need for mitigation, and from there, devise relevant informed management frameworks to target these impacts.

Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis traces NSW Aboriginal political activity and demands from 1909 to 1939. In examining the background to the situations of Aboriginal communities in the early 1900's, two factors appear to have been of major importance. One was the degree of compatibility between Aboriginal and rural capitalist land use. The other was the labour requirements of rural industries. There are clear indications of internal colonial economic relations continuing until at least the late 1930's. As European land use intensified regionally, Aborigines attempted to secure their position by demanding tenure over land of significance to them. Initially, the creation of reserves was as much a result of this Aboriginal demand as of white settler desires to segregate Aborigines.