Governments have spent unprecedented sums on transport infrastructure in the last decade. But mostly, they have not spent it wisely. Some of the additional spending can be attributed to unusual events such as the mining boom, the Global Financial Crisis and the Queensland floods. But even leaving these aside, too much money has been spent...

This paper examines the extent of an independent Australian foreign policy prior to World War I, why Britain’s declaration of war was considered to automatically include Australia, and the role of the parliament in committing Australia to war. Introduction On 31 July 1914 in an election speech at Colac in Victoria, the Opposition Leader Andrew...

Balancing work and family responsibilities is an increasingly significant concern not only for individual employees, their families and the broader community, but also for government and local communities. However little attention has been paid to the different ways in which constraints and opportunities for work and family balance operate across industry in regional and rural...

Settling refugees in country towns is not the answer to dwindling regional populations unless support services are improved, according to Janet Taylor and Dayane Stanovic. In this report they look at the settlement experiences of two recent refugee groups (Iraqi and Sudanese) in the Victorian towns of Shepparton, Colac and Warrnambool.

The debate about the regional settlement of refugees takes place within a number of important and at times conflicting policy arenas: humanitarian goals and obligations, population strategy and economic development of regional areas. In a paper for the Australian Social Policy Conference 2005, Janet Taylor discusses a recent Brotherhood of St Laurence study to explore...