The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution, density, health, condition, fertility, causes of mortality, home range size and tree preferences, of koalas in low density populations in the south of Sydney. This information was then used to make management recommendations; good management is needed because there is rapid human population growth and pressure for development of koala habitat in the Sydney region. State Environment Planning Policy 44(SEPP44) is New South Wales legislation that relates to developments affecting koala habitat. Problems in the application of SEPP44 in the Sydney region were found to exist, such as Sutherland Local Government Area (LGA) not being covered, and changes to this legislation are also recommended. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Since the great Iranian revolution of 1978-79, there has been a significant increase in Islamic consciousness and activity in Muslim communities across the globe. As a phenomenon it has become known as ???Islamic revivalism???. Its hallmark is a return to Islamic origins, the fundamentals of the faith embodied in the Qur???an and the sunnah (sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad). Contemporary Islamic revivalism has its roots in Muslim responses to European colonialism and imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century, when the darker sides of modernity began to reveal themselves in what was perceived as less than desirable social, cultural, economic, and political conditions of many Muslim communities and societies. Islamic revivalism has constantly featured in Islamic history and is by no means a new phenomenon. What distinguishes contemporary Islamic revivalism from earlier revivalisms is its complex multifacetedness as a defensive reaction to a new epoch of modernity described in revivalist circles as jahiliyah (ignorance). This thesis argues there is a central relationship between modernity and Islamic revivalism. Using in-depth interviews and participant observation techniques this study is an ethnography of the Tablighi Jamaat (Preaching Party), a transnational Islamic revivalist movement active in Sydney. It also seeks to locate the Tablighi Jamaat in the spectrum of Australian Islam. The principal argument of the thesis is that contemporary Islamic revivalism is a defensive reaction to modernity. Contrary to popular belief it neither constitutes an antimodernity nor does it seek to destroy modernity. Rather, it highlights that Muslims as adherents to a revealed tradition - Islam - are in a serious state of crisis. They are confronted with both material crisis and the threat of losing their faith and identity in modernity. Through a study of the Tablighi Jamaat the thesis argues that contemporary Islamic revivalism is, therefore, an attempt to rescue Muslims from their modern malaise through selective use of modern ideological and technical means.

The research presented in this Thesis is primarily concerned with the field of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) - specifically, the business applications of the technology. The empirical problem addressed is the selection of branch banks as candidates for closure using the network of branch banks of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in the Sydney metropolitan region as the case study. Decisions to close branches are made by the Bank on the basis of performance indicators that are essentially financial. In this research, however, an alternative approach is adopted: the problem is addressed using a set of spatial criteria. Following the deregulation of the finance industry in the 1980's and the rapid introduction of new electronic channels for delivering financial services, the major banking institutions have been engaged in a process of reorganising their networks of branch banks. The most visible manifestation of this has been the ongoing and widespread closure of branches. Selecting branch banks for closure is a typical example of a complex semi-structured multi-dimensional, multi-criteria, decision-making problem. It has been well documented in previous research that Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) models are the most appropriate ones for solving problems in this particular domain. The identification of branches for closure is also characterised by a significant spatial dimension. Decisions are based on a consideration of a number of geographical criteria and various forms of spatial analysis may be involved. An appropriate technology to assist with solving decision-making problems with a significant spatial dimension is a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS). Most SDSS have been based on the integration of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology with analytical models that are proven to be best suited to specific decision-making problems and this is the approach adopted in this research. The prototype MCBC-SDSS (Multi-Criteria Branch Closure SDSS) developed here is based on the integration through the loose coupling of the ArcView GIS software with the Criterium DecisionPlus (CDP) software, which contains the suite of non-spatial analytical models that provide the analytical capability for solving multi-criteria problems. ArcView GIS is used as the engine that drives the system and to provide the analytical and display facilities to support the spatial data involved. Two MCDM models from the CDP software are used to support the decision-making analysis - the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique (SMART). The integration of GIS with the MCDM models is based on a considerable amount of software enhancement, interface development, and computer programming. The development of the integrated system is designed to create an intelligent and user-friendly SDSS, the application of which, from the user's perspective, is a seamless operation. The success of the MCBC-SDSS is demonstrated by its application to identify candidates for closure among the 197 branches of the CBA in the Sydney metropolitan area in 2000 - the year when the building of the database for the research had been completed. The analysis is based purely on spatial considerations that have been gleaned from a major review of the literature that previous researchers have identified as affecting branch viability and performance. A set of 17 spatial variables was used as the criteria in the MCDM models. The criteria are organised in two blocks: the first includes 9 criteria relating to the characteristics of demand for branch service in the branch trade areas ('catchment area' specific criteria) while the second includes 8 criteria relating to aspects of supply provided by the existing branches in their location ('location specific' criteria). Using the developed approach, the MCBC-SDSS has been used directly to compare alternatives against criteria, not only spatial based but also financial ones, thus providing a basis for identifying the best choices regarding branch closure. The steps in the preparation of the data and the iterative procedure for implementing the MCDM models are explained and illustrated. This involves building the initial evaluation matrix, normalising the raw criteria scores, assigning weights to the criteria, and calculating priorities. Based on these, the AHP and SMART models then calculate a decision score for each branch that is used as the basis for creating the preference ranking of the branches. In this, branches with a high rank score based on the combined weighted contribution of the 17 criteria are considered to be operationally viable. On the other hand, branches with the lowest rank scores are considered as potential candidates for closure. The preference rankings generated by the models have been tested to examine their robustness in terms of the validity of criteria and their weights used in the decision analysis. Sensitivity analysis has been conducted, the results of which show that the preference rankings are stable. Different approaches have been used to validate the initial criteria, and analyse their contribution to the ranking of branch banks for closure. These help identify critical spatial variables among the 17 initial criteria selected, and suggest that some of the criteria initially selected could be deleted from the criteria list used to generate the preference rankings without substantially affecting the results. The reasonableness of the resulting preference ranking has been further demonstrated from analyses based on changing criteria weights and alternatives. The research successfully demonstrates one of the ways of enhancing the functionality of a GIS through its integration with non-spatial analytical models to develop a SDSS to aid solving decision-making problems in the selected domain. Given that to date there has been relatively few applications of SDSS similar to that developed in this research to real world decision-making problems, the procedure adopted makes it suitable for decision-making in a range of other service business applications characterised by a significant spatial dimension and multiple outlets including shopping centres, motor car dealerships, restaurant and supermarket chains. Instead of just providing solutions, however, the SDSS-based analysis in this research can better be thought of as adding value to spatial data that forms an important source of information required by decision-makers, providing insight about the situation, uncertainty, objectives, and trade-offs involved in reaching decisions, and being capable of generating alternative scenarios based on different inputs to the models that may be used to identify recommended courses of action. It can lead to better and more effective decision-making in institutions involving multi-outlet retail and service businesses and hence enables both integrated data analysis and modelling while taking multiple criteria and decision-makers' preferences into consideration.

THE PROFESSIONAL LIFE-CYCLES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT TEACHERS OF ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (TESOL) This thesis focuses on the findings of a research study conducted in Geneva and Sydney to examine the career cycles of TESOLs. It explores many of the issues investigated in Huberman???s study of 160 secondary school teachers in Geneva (1989, 1993). Seventy-three in-depth interviews were conducted with teachers and trainers / administrators in adult TESOL, and professional development issues were examined in greater detail than in the Huberman study. The central purpose of the study was to test the universality of the Huberman model of career phases. TESOLs were found to have far more variations during their career cycles than school teachers, who were in a more stable and predictable situation. The study focused on particular moments in the career cycle, exploring TESOLs??? levels of satisfaction. TESOLs in the present study were found to have similar intrinsic satisfactions and concerns about working conditions as the findings of other TESOL studies. Although the occupation was reportedly becoming increasingly more professional, its unpredictable nature made it stimulating and rewarding. In spite of the instability of the TESOL career, TESOLs appeared to have more positive career experiences overall than many school teachers with more stable career paths. The study also examined professional development issues by comparing the perceptions of TESOLs and their trainers / administrators. They had many divergent opinions as to the professional development requirements of TESOLs. While there was no conclusive evidence that professional development could be linked to stages, TESOLs in a phase of diversification were found to have different professional development requirements from other phases. Personal, professional and environmental factors also affect the professional development requirements of TESOLs at any stage. In summary, it appears that the traditional career phase model is inappropriate when applied to TESOLs, and perhaps for other similarly unstable careers. With the recent changes in people???s professional lives, requiring increasing mobility and adaptability in the changing job market, other career path models to guide counselling, professional development and other staff management programs will need to be explored.

This thesis examines the theatricality which accompanied the establishment, development and deployment of the colonial army in New South Wales during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. It investigates the transfer to the colony of the military ethos of the Imperial power, and explores the ways in which performances of military spectacle, in both theatrical and paratheatrical contexts, were interpreted by the colonists. The primary sources for the research are the Sydney press and the Mitchell `Australiana' collection of the State Library of New South Wales. The framework of the argument is presented in five chapters. The first, Displaying, investigates the relationship between civilians and the military forces at training camps, and then the performances of sham fights. The second, Committing, explores the attitudes of civilians and soldiers at the departures of New South Wales troops to the Soudan and Boer Wars. Informing, thirdly, investigates how the Imperial military ideology was conveyed through performance, and how this information was interpreted in the colony. Accommodating analyses songs and theatre performances which first reflected colonial anticipations at the commitment to conflict and then attempted to accommodate the actuality of the experience. Lastly, Desiring, explores the colonists' endeavours to invent traditions which satisfied the discrepancy between their hopes and their experiences of Imperial war. This thesis asserts that the colonial reinterpretation of military ideology was influenced by concepts both of service to the Imperial power and of national identity. The interplay between these influences led to the colonists' idealising the Imperial association. This ideal was not demonstrated in the practice of association. The result of this experience was a defining of the differences between colonial and Imperial perceptions, rather than a reinforcement of their similarities. Much of the exploration of thesis also prepares the ground for a fuller cultural understanding of the issues at play in the final emergence of the Anzac tradition at the engagement of colonial soldiers against Turkish troops at Gallipoli in April, 1915.

This thesis examines the social welfare work of four Catholic Sisterhoods in Sydney in the late nineteenth century. The work of Catholic women religious is largely missing from Australian women???s history and the history of social welfare and social work in Australia. The present investigation seeks to add to knowledge of women???s agency in Australian society and to extend the knowledge of Australian social work history. The aim of the thesis is to understand what the Sisters were attempting to do in their work with the poor of Sydney and how they went about it. The emphasis is on understanding the Sisters??? work from their own perspective, particularly the values which underpinned their work and the resources and constraints which affected it. A qualitative, inductive approach is used in which the data are drawn mainly from the Sisterhoods??? narratives and other historical documents. The thesis does not aim to test particular theoretical propositions, but rather to contribute to a number of ???unfolding stories??? about the history of Australian social work, about women???s work in the public realm, and about the development of the caring professions The thesis argues that the social welfare work of four Sydney Sisterhoods had a number of characteristics which made it unusual for the time, and which constituted it as ???proto-professional???. These included the codification of the prescribed stance towards the poor, of methods of work, and a high level of expertise in administration and management. The Sisters??? approach pre-figured later social work in a number of respects including an inclusive and accepting stance, respect for the dignity of the individual, and a concern to develop individuals??? capacities and self-esteem. The professionalism of the Sisters??? work is shown to be related to features which were integral to Catholic women???s religious institutes and to their role and status in the Catholic Church of the day. The Sisters??? social welfare work did not ???evolve??? into secular, professional social work however. It is contended that reasons for this were related to developments in Australian society, the situation of the local Catholic Church and restrictions on membership of the Sisterhoods. The thesis has significance for bodies of knowledge on ???woman???s sphere??? charity in the late nineteenth century, the history of social work in Australia, and theory on the professionalisation of caring occupations.

Bayesian approaches to prediction and the assessment of predictive uncertainty in generalized linear models are often based on averaging predictions over different models, and this requires methods for accounting for model uncertainty. In this thesis we describe computational methods for Bayesian inference and model selection for generalized linear models, which improve on existing techniques. These methods are applied to the building of flexible models for gamma ray count data (data measuring the natural radioactivity of rocks) at the Castlereagh Waste Management Centre, which served as a hazardous waste disposal facility for the Sydney region between March 1978 and August 1998. Bayesian model selection methods for generalized linear models enable us to approach problems of smoothing, change point detection and spatial prediction for these data within a common methodological and computational framework, by considering appropriate basis expansions of a mean function. The data at Castlereagh were collected in the following way. A number of boreholes were drilled at the site, and for each borehole a gamma ray detector recorded gamma ray emissions at different depths as the detector was raised gradually from the bottom of the borehole to ground level. The profile of intensity of gamma counts can be informative about the geology at each location, and estimation of intensity profiles raises problems of smoothing and change point detection for count data. The gamma count profiles can also be modelled spatially, to inform the geological profile across the site. Understanding the geological structure of the site is important for modelling the transport of chemical contaminants beneath the waste disposal area. The structure of the thesis is as follows. Chapter 1 describes the Castlereagh hazardous waste site and the geophysical data, which motivated the methodology developed in this research. We summarise the principles of Gamma Ray (GR) logging, a method routinely employed by geophysicists and environmental engineers in the detailed evaluation of hazardous site geology, and detail the use of the Castlereagh data in this research. In Chapter 2 we review some fundamental ideas of Bayesian inference and computation and discuss them in the context of generalised linear models. Chapter 3 details the theoretical basis of our work. Here we give a new Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling scheme for Bayesian variable selection in generalized linear models, which is analogous to the well-known Swendsen-Wang algorithm for the Ising model. Special cases of this sampling scheme are used throughout the rest of the thesis. In Chapter 4 we discuss the use of methods for Bayesian model selection in generalized linear models in two specific applications, which we implement on the Castlereagh data. First, we consider smoothing problems where we flexibly estimate the dependence of a response variable on one or more predictors, and we apply these ideas to locally adaptive smoothing of gamma ray count data. Second, we discuss how the problem of multiple change point detection can be cast as one of model selection in a generalized linear model, and consider application to change point detection for gamma ray count data. In Chapter 5 we consider spatial models based on partitioning a spatial region of interest into cells via a Voronoi tessellation, where the number of cells and the positions of their centres is unknown, and show how these models can be formulated in the framework of established methods for Bayesian model selection in generalized linear models. We implement the spatial partition modelling approach to the spatial analysis of gamma ray data, showing how the posterior distribution of the number of cells, cell centres and cell means provides us with an estimate of the mean response function describing spatial variability across the site. Chapter 6 presents some conclusions and suggests directions for future research. A paper based on the work of Chapter 3 has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, and a paper based on the work in Chapter 4 has been accepted for publication in Mathematical Geology. A paper based on the spatial modelling of Chapter 5 is in preparation and will be submitted for publication shortly. The work in this thesis was collaborative, to a smaller or larger extent in its various components. I authored Chapters 1 and 2 entirely, including definition of the problem in the context of the CWMC site, data gathering and preparation for analysis, review of the literature on computational methods for Bayesian inference and model selection for generalized linear models. I also authored Chapters 4 and 5 and benefited from some of Dr Nott's assistance in developing the algorithms. In Chapter 3, Dr Nott led the development of sampling scheme B (corresponding to having non-zero interaction parameters in our Swendsen-Wang type algorithm). I developed the algorithm for sampling scheme A (corresponding to setting all algorithm interaction parameters to zero in our Swendsen-Wang type algorithm), and performed the comparison of the performance of the two sampling schemes. The final discussion in Chapter 6 and the direction for further research in the case study context is also my work.

Estuarine acidification, caused by disturbance of acid sulfate soils (ASS), is a recurrent problem in eastern Australia. Affected waters are characterised by low pH and elevated concentrations of metals, principally aluminium and iron. The effects of acid and elevated metal concentrations associated with ASS, on adult Sydney rock oysters, have not been previously investigated. This study tested links between ASS-affected drainage, subsequent estuarine acidification and Sydney rock oyster production problems on the Hastings and Manning Rivers, mid north coast New South Wales. The primary objective of this thesis was to establish if estuarine acidification causes mortality and slow growth in individual Sydney rock oysters by exposing oysters to low pH, iron and aluminium using field and laboratory experiments. Water quality data showed that estuarine acidification was spatially extensive in the Hastings and Manning Rivers following heavy rainfall and was due to mineral acids originating from drained or excavated ASS. Estuarine acidification regularly affected areas used for Sydney rock oyster production following heavy rainfall. Field experiments showed that Sydney rock oyster mortality rates were significantly higher at sites exposed to ASS-affected waters compared to locations that were isolated from ASS-affected waters. Oyster mortality increased with the time of exposure and smaller oysters (mean weight = 5 g) experienced significantly higher mortality relative to larger oysters (mean weight = 29 g). This was caused by acid-induced shell degradation resulting in perforation of the smaller oysters??? under-developed shells. Additionally, Sydney rock oyster growth rates were dramatically reduced at sites exposed to ASS-affected waters and the overall mean condition index of oysters at ASS-affected field sites was significantly lower than the overall mean condition index of oysters at non-impacted sites. Findings from laboratory experiments showed that ASS-affected water alters oyster valve movements and significantly reduces oyster feeding rates at pH 5.5. Acidic treatments (pH 5.1) containing 7.64 mg L-1 of aluminium or ASS-affected water caused changes in the mantle and gill soft tissues following short-term exposure. Degenerative effects described in oysters in this study were also due to iron contained in ASS-affected waters. Iron precipitates accumulated on the shell, gills and mantle and were observed in the stomach, intestine, digestive tubules and rectum. This study concluded that Sydney rock oysters are unable to tolerate acidic conditions caused by ASS outflows and cannot be viably cultivated in acid-prone areas of the estuary.

Obtaining a very high level of precision and sophistication in automated computer control is now available inexpensively from a variety of hardware and software sources. Applying this automated technology to an astronomical telescope broadens the scope of applications of the instrument, particularly in areas such as photo electrics, CCD imaging and remote control. The ultimate design goal of the UWS telescope was that of full roboticism, giving access of the facility to off campus clients both in Australia and overseas. The first phase towards full robotic control is automation of the required optical and mechanical parameters, providing precision targeting and object tracking. This thesis describes the mechanical aspects of the UWS telescope and the procedures and equipment involved in its automation, including the drive system, electro mechanical design and associated computer hardware and software. Sample performance test data shows that using a high percentage of inexpensive proprietary robotics components, a very sophisticated and accurate measuring device can be produced. / Master of Science (Hons.)

Although the importance of fire management for biodiversity conservation is increasingly being recognised, little is known about the relationship between fire regimes and plant diversity in Australia’s temperate grassy woodland ecosystems. This project sought to address this gap in the woodlands of Western Sydney’s Cumberland Plain. Aspects of vegetation dynamics were investigated through six studies, mostly in shale-based Cumberland Plain Woodland (CPW) remnants. Results indicate that fire frequency profoundly affects both vegetation composition and structure. The influence of fire cycles was most readily apparent in the shrub layer. Findings from the six studies were synthesized into a state and transition model which allows exploration of management actions. Interfire intervals between 4 and 12 years are predicted to maintain Themeda woodland with both Bursaria thickets and open areas, and obligate seeder shrubs. Variable intervals across time and space within these thresholds should maintain much of the landscape at fuel levels compatible with property protection; fuel loads in CPW peak well below those in woodlands on sandstone. Low fire frequency remnants dominated by Bursaria retain many conservation values, but are likely to support lower abundances of obligate seeder shrubs and open patch herbs, and to be more weed-prone, than remnants burnt once or twice a decade. Experimentation with one or two short interfire intervals may be appropriate in long unburnt CPW. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)