This study draws on multiple modes of expression in texts that have been generated by my experience of midwifery development since I moved from England to Australia in early 1997. The Professional Doctorate in Midwifery at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) has enabled me to produce and study my work as a midwifery practitioner, researcher, educator, writer and activist and to engage in a process of scholarship that both informs and is generated by practice. This has allowed me to analyse the complex issues that I, and other midwives in Australia, face as we strategise to narrow the gap between our ideals and the realities of the professional and political constraints that challenge midwifery. The study analyses the rhetorical communications I have employed as both carriers of 'vision' and 'means of persuasion' and the deliberate strategies to make changes that I believe will benefit childbearing women. My portfolio challenges me and others, to explore how we are able to identify, enact, and convince others of the emancipatory potential of midwifery. Rhetorical innovations are therefore linked to the exposition of woman centred midwifery care; an overall goal being to enable situations in which women can experience the potential power that transforms lives, through their experiences of childbirth. In the process, I aim to produce new knowledge that will equip midwives to understand practice, policy and political situations and see new possibilities for responding and taking action. I have analysed and explained my work using a framework appropriated from rhetorical theory and drawing on a range of feminist perspectives. This involves identifying and critiquing the rhetorical innovations that I have used when trying to create possibilities and persuade others of the value of midwifery and the need to make changes happen in practice, education and regulation. My study analyses the rhetorical nature of my own work as presented in my portfolio in a range of carefully selected texts that I have authored during my candidature. These include journal and newsletter articles, conference papers, research activities, policy submissions, education and training materials, the development of midwifery standards, formal and informal communications, and other documents, all aimed in one way or another at the rhetorical strategy of stimulating interest and action. The portfolio texts that arise from this work form the empirical data that is studied. However, in varying ways these texts elicit understandings about the rhetoric and reality of Australian midwifery and the deliberate strategies that are employed by midwives to make changes that will benefit childbearing women. They therefore stand in their own right as contributions to the thesis with their own discursive and epistemological intent. The reflexive process employed in this thesis highlights comparisons between what is being positioned as the potential of midwifery with what is also presented as the reality played out in contemporary Australian maternity service provision and in midwifery education and regulation. The thesis weaves its way around the portfolio documents, attempting to bring to life and discuss the culture in which rhetorical innovations and intentional strategies are aimed at narrowing the gap between 'rhetoric and reality'.

This thesis explores the economic issues associated with the payout phase where a defined contribution (DC) retirement arrangement is adopted. In particular, the role of annuities in providing a retirement income is examined as well as insurance they provide against retirement risks such as inflation, longevity and rate of return volatility. A comprehensive money’s worth calculation based on a Australian population cohort mortality table shows that overall, Australian nominal and inflation indexed life annuities provide relatively good value for money. Although relative to annuities sold in the US and the UK they do suffer from relatively high adverse selection costs, which could in turn reduce demand. In addition, the presence of a government provided safety net pension could also result in low demand for annuities. These two issues suggest that government intervention may be warranted to ensure retirees have access to affordable private insurance to protect their retirement benefit. This could take the form of mandating an annuity purchase at retirement. However, which annuity should be mandated is not well understood. This is an important question as there are many alternative annuity designs, each providing different degrees of retirement risk protection to an individual. This thesis uses numerical simulations to empirically analyse the costs and benefits of mandating alternative annuities from both an individual and government’s perspectives to determine optimal annuity design. A model is used to estimate the value of payouts over time from various types of annuities across a range of retirement benefits. A means tested safety net pension is assumed to exist. Two stochastic variables — inflation and the risky rate of return, are simultaneously used to show how the annuity payouts react to theses changes, highlighting the insurance features of various annuities. Consumer preferences for the various annuities are estimated based on tolerance to risk. The variable annuity dominates the utility rankings under two conditions: -- when the relative risk aversion is low and a safety net payment isn’t available, and when the relative risk aversion is high and a safety net payment is made. Otherwise the CPI indexed annuity has the highest ranking. Sensitivity analysis shows that the results presented here are robust to a number of alternative assumptions about the key variables.

This study explores the impact of complexity upon unintentional non-compliance behaviour for personal taxpayers in Australia. This area of research did not appear to have been previously studied in an Australian context and in this respect, the study represents an original contribution. While studies have been conducted both in Australia and overseas, they have generally been directed at other types of compliance behaviour and tend to be inconclusive in their findings. According to the compliance literature, there appeared to be little consensus of opinion on the factors that determined behaviour and appropriate research methods. It emerged that more narrowly-defined studies with stronger research methods offered potential for furthering knowledge in this field. Thus the study focused on one behavioural outcome and one type of taxpayer, using a multi-paradigm research method. Unintentional non-compliance, as an outcome, was selected as it appeared to hold promise for improvements in overall compliance to be readily made, provided its causes were understood. Complexity was considered to be the most likely cause of unintentional non-compliance, and those who prepared their own income tax return, the group likely to be most affected. The study used both a quantitative and qualitative component from which a number of convergent results emerged. These included that the major cause of complexity was the ambiguity of tax laws and the volume of explanatory material required. Further, personal taxpayers were committed to compliance even though they regarded the system as less than fair. Together, complexity and commitment to compliance caused taxpayers to experience unnecessary compliance costs. Where taxpayers completed their own return, complexity resulted in a high level of errors that generally resulted in an overstatement of tax liability. In addition, some taxpayers chose to be over-compliant as a means of dealing with complexity and commitment. It was concluded that complexity compromised the integrity of the Australian income tax system by imposing an unfair burden on personal taxpayers in respect of both tax paid and compliance costs incurred. However, there appeared to be little, if any, financial incentive for the tax authority to address the causes of complexity for personal taxpayers.

The green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) is an Australian hylid, which was once common with a relatively continuous distribution. Historically, this distribution extended from northern New South Wales (NSW), as far as Ballina, to East Gippsland in Victoria; with inland populations as far west as Bathurst and Tumut. Today the species is reported to have disappeared from 80% of its former range and remaining populations are mostly fragmented and typically restricted to the coastline, extending from Yuraygir National Park (northern NSW) to East Gippsland. In this thesis, I report a comprehensive study designed to identify the phylogeographic and conservation genetic parameters of L. aurea. In doing so, I also investigate evolutionary relationships within the ???bell frog??? species group. In this study, microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers are employed. The development of species-specific microsatellite markers and the collection of samples was a substantial component of the study. These markers and samples should prove useful for future studies of L. aurea and perhaps more generally the ???bell frogs???. Initially, a large-scale assessment of genetic structure and diversity in L. aurea using microsatellite markers was undertaken. Twenty-one locations were sampled from throughout the species range covering 1000 kilometres of the east coast of Australia. Levels of allelic diversity and heterozygosity were high (uncorrected mean alleles/locus and HE: 4.8-8.8 and 0.43-0.8 respectively) compared to other amphibian species and significant differences among sampled sites were recorded. Despite recent population declines, no sites displayed a genetic signature indicative of a population bottleneck. Significant genetic structuring (overall FST = 0.172) was detected throughout the species range, but was relatively low compared to previous amphibian studies that used microsatellites. In addition, some areas sampled within continuous habitat showed evidence of weak genetic structuring (data subset FST = 0.034). Next, relationships among extant bell frogs (Litoria aurea species-group) were investigated, using mitochondrial ND4 nucleotide sequence data. Analyses supported a clade comprised of the temperate members of the species-group, L. aurea, L. cyclorhyncha, L. moorei, and L. raniformis but failed to support the inclusion of the tropical bell frog L. dahlii in this group. Relationships among the four members of the bell frog clade correlated with geographical distribution: the south-western Australian bell frogs (L. cyclorhyncha, L. moorei) and the south-eastern Australian bell frogs (L. aurea, L. raniformis) were reciprocally monophyletic. Results also indicated that divergence of these two lineages occurred during the late Miocene, which was consistent with results of previous studies and with more general assertions that much of the major differentiation and radiation of the Australian biota predated the Quaternary. Following this, intraspecific phylogeography of L. aurea using two mitochondrial genes COI and ND4 was investigated. I examined extant populations from throughout the species??? range, sequencing 263 individuals from twenty-six locations. Recent evolutionary history, as well as the current population structure of L. aurea, was inferred from the resulting pattern of genetic variation amongst haplotypes, in conjunction with demographic and population analyses. Results indicated that there were no phylogeographic divisions within L. aurea, despite a general consensus that amphibians are highly structured. However, I did still detect significant structure amongst extant populations (FST = 0.385). Overall, patterns of haplotype relatedness, high haplotypic diversity (mean h = 0.547) relative to low nucleotide diversity (mean Pi= 0.003), and mismatch distribution analysis supported a Pleistocene expansion hypothesis with continued restricted dispersal and gene flow. Taken together, the results of this thesis indicate that L. aurea is a species with relatively weak population and phylogeographic structure compared to other amphibians. The data provide no support for the existence of distinct evolutionary lineages within L. aurea, implying that there are no historically isolated populations that should be viewed as separate evolutionarily significant units. Nevertheless, remaining populations are still significantly structured but not all populations are genetically distinct. Low phylogeographic structure, coupled with evidence for recent gene flow among many sites would permit ???well managed??? intervention to mediate gene flow amongst currently isolated populations, and I provide some guidelines for the implementation of such conservation strategies. However, there is no evidence to suggest that supplementation through artificial immigration is at this time necessary given current levels of genetic variation within populations. In the short-term, conservation management in L. aurea should focus on the protection of local populations and habitat to promote population connectivity to ensure processes that maintain adaptive diversity and evolutionary potential are conserved. Preservation of the species??? natural range and the maintenance of dense networks of suitable habitat, in conjunction with maximising local carrying capacity and reproductive output, as well as minimising known threats, are key to securing the long-term persistence of the green and golden bell frog.

This thesis assesses the efficiency wage hypothesis using Australian industry and macro economic time series data by focussing on two questions: whether paying an above market clearing wage called the efficiency wage raises industry output and productivity, and if such a payment causes unemployment at the macro economic level. The wageproductivity or wage-output nexus is investigated using three techniques; namely a decomposition procedure used by Huang, Halam, Orazem, and Paterno (1998), an instrumental variable estimation method, and the Solow residuals approach. Further, an examination of macro economic unemployment involves developing an aggregate unemployment equation, where the Solow (1979) model is used to derive a testable hypothesis. The Solow model argues that effort, which is a function of the wage, enters the production function when the real wage is rigid. By introducing profit maximising behaviour and making further economic assumptions, the Solow condition that the effort elasticity with respect to the wage is one can be derived. The theoretical framework of Solow is useful as specifying a production function allows the possibility of aggregate data being used to assess the wage-productivity prediction. The Solow condition is also useful because it provides the basis for constructing a testable hypothesis using an unemployment equation. Solow???s theoretical framework and the Solow condition does not rely on the economic assumptions of the shirking, labour turnover, sociological and adverse selection [micro economic] efficiency wage models. Therefore, the innovation of this thesis is to treat the efficiency wage hypothesis as an imperfectly competitive model of the labour market using applied macro economic methods. Previous Australian macro economic literature in the 1970s and 1980s have argued that the wage is either harmful to employment prospects (ie unemployment is classical), or that factors such as consumption and investment are more important (ie unemployment is Keynesian). One of the aims of the thesis is to use the empirical analysis to suggest that neither of these propositions is entirely correct. Rather, an intermediate position is arrived at by arguing that there is some empirical evidence in Australian industry and macro economic time series data to suggest that the wage plays a dual function: both as a small source of productivity and also a minor cause of involuntary unemployment.

A survey to determine the origins of many of the mono- and sesquiterpenoids derived from over 800 species from the Eucalyptus, Leptospermum and Chamelaucium alliances of the family Myrtaceae subfamily Leptospermoideae was undertaken using specially developed small-scale extraction and steam-ditillation techniques (using normal and O-labelled water) coupled with enantioselective gas chromatography. This information was used to indirectly identify potential biosynthetic pathways and accessed how extraction conditions, such as those encountered during a distillation, can alter the oil profiles obtained. Terpenes present in the oils of the Myrtaceae showed a wide range of acid-catalysed solvolysis reactions during distillation and leaf aging thereby altering the biosynthetic history laid down by the plant. Such changes can occur both during leaf aging and distillation. Similarly acid-sensitive sesquiterpenes also undergo acid-solvolysis during leaf aging or distillation. This work identifies the biosynthetic and degradative origins of many of the compounds present in the oils extracted from the Myrtaceae and has found that the composition of an oil, regardless of extractive conditions, should not be considered a true representation of the biosynthetic history of the plant. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)(Chemistry)

Typescript. Copies of two papers co-authored by the author, in back cover pocket. Bibliography: leaves 128-143.

The research reported in this thesis is concerned with the spirituality of Chinese young people who attended a Chinese evangelical church in Melbourne, Australia. This research is a case study conducted in the framework of a qualitative approach using ethnographic methods, including fieldwork methods with data triangulation through participant observation, individual interviews and focus group interviews. Grounded theory was used to analyse data collected. The particular group of young people were Chinese in race, and Australian born, or had been living in Australia since early childhood. They attended the English speaking fellowship and services of a Chinese evangelical church in Melbourne, and their ages were between fifteen and eighteen years. They were born or had grown up in Australia, and had been exposed at least to two cultures, the Australian culture in the society, and the Chinese traditional culture in their family, in which the parents were the first generation in Australia. This research aimed to find out the characteristics of the spirituality of the Chinese young people through acknowledging the multicultural context in which they lived. Thus, it began with a cultural perspective and sought to study the cultural contexts that account for their distinctive Christian spirituality. In summary, the research reported in this thesis describes the young participants’ spirituality from their own perspectives, discusses their construction of identity that led to their distinctive spirituality, and studies their parents’ worldviews and the role of cultural institutions that have affected their spirituality. Finally, it concludes with development of theories of spirituality related to Chinese young people in a multicultural society, and proposes ways in which churches and families may encourage the development of spirituality for Chinese young people in a multicultural society.

This thesis re-examines the foundation of South Australia influenced by Foucauldian theories of governance and set within the framework of contemporary thinking on colonisation and empire in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Informed also by postcolonial theory it seeks to incorporate the Aboriginal inhabitants within the story of settlement, in a way which has previously not been attempted. The influence of utopian thought on governance and society in early nineteenth century Britain is explored. These combined approaches, which do not always sit easily together, may provide a new lens through which to view the complexities and ambiguities of the State's beginnings.

Male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, WA, form several levels of alliances. Determining the relationship between paternity, relatedness and alliance membership is crucial in seeking evolutionary adaptive explanations for alliance formation. Previous behavioural data have revealed a social system whose complexity is unparalleled outside humans. Pairs or trios of male dolphins cooperate as stable first-order (1? alliances to sequester and control reproductive females. Two 1?alliances sometimes cooperate as small second-order (2? alliances to attack other 1?alliances or defend against attacks. Some males choose a different strategy by forming large superalliances of approximately fourteen individuals to attack 1?and 2?alliances. Kinship appears to play a role in the structuring of male alliances, but its importance differs with the alliance type. Relatedness analyses showed that on average, males in 1?and 2?alliances are strongly related, while members of the superalliance are not. Further, the strength of the association of partners within the superalliance was not correlated with their genetic relatedness. Thus, within one sex, it appears that there may be more than one simultaneous mode of group formation and its evolution. There was also an association between alliance behaviour and reproductive success as predicted by some theories of group formation. I assigned nine paternities to six out of 107 mature males. Males with alliance partners were significantly more successful in fathering offspring than males without partners. Compared to non-allied males, the chance of obtaining a paternity was significantly higher for members of 1?alliances, and reproductive success was significantly skewed among 1?alliance members. Assessment of kinship and relatedness required a number of technical developments and some preliminary data. I first refined a biopsy system in order to obtain tissue samples from free-ranging dolphins with minimum behavioural effects irrespective of age-group or gender. Then I carried out population genetics analyses, which demonstrated that there was only weak population structure within Shark Bay. Microsatellites showed a weak pattern of isolation by distance, and eight haplotypes of the mitochondrial DNA control region suggested weak female philopatry. The high number of migrants between locations allowed all samples from East Shark Bay to be pooled for subsequent analyses.