Chlorohydrocarbon pesticides in the Australian marine environment after banning in the period from the 1970s to 1980s

The chlorohydrocarbon pesticides (CHPs) (principally DDT, dieldrin, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) including lindane, chlordane, heptachlor and heptachlorepoxide, aldrin and hexachlorobenzene (HCB)) were used extensively in Australia during the 1960s and 1970s. These were progressively banned from the 1970s with DDT being totally banned in 1987. The levels in marine waters are believed to have progressively declined as indicated by water in the Brisbane River, which consistently fell from maximum concentrations of about 1.7 μg/l in 1972–1973 to not detectable in 1986–1987. In some urban areas sediment concentrations, up to 1700 μg/kg dry weight, were recorded in the early 1990s which may reflect the reworking and exposure of older more contaminated material. Fish exhibited consistent occurrence of DDT, HCH, dieldrin and HCB through the 1970s to the 1990s. Maximum concentrations of DDT and dieldrin occurred generally in the 1970s at 40.3 and 8.8 μg/g wet weight, and minimums in the 1990s at 2.4 and 0.041 μg/g wet weight respectively. Inputs of dialdrin from sewage and DDT from the broad environment, reflected by the calculated daily human uptake in the diet, were shown to decline with half-lives of 1.1–1.5 and about 3 years respectively. This evidence suggests that banning of the CHPs has greatly reduced the inputs into the marine environment with consequent reductions in concentrations in biota but there is the occasional occurrence of relatively high concentrations.     

An Eruv for St Ives? Religion,identity, place and conflict on the Sydney north shore

Religious identity, when marked by physical changes to urban landscapes, has been a cause of tension and conflict in many cities. In the Sydney suburb of St Ives, an attempt to create an eruv, a symbolic and only partly physical boundary around orthodox Jewish space, was vigorously opposed and eventually defeated through the planning system. The religious and physical significance of the eruv resulted in diverse rationales of opposition, centred on the physical and environmental impact, the conceptual nature of boundaries and the role of religion and ‘modernity’ in everyday suburban life. The place of an eruv was opposed with reference to spatial imaginaries of the nation, the suburb and the secular public, as religion and worship intersected with the politics of urban citizenship and belonging. Each of these spatial imaginaries was constructed by opponents in such a way as to deny a place for an eruv in St Ives, and reinforced through the application of planning instruments which eventually refused permission for an eruv. To many residents, public space was seen to be at risk, raising complex questions over amenity, the politics and perception of difference and what is in or out of place. The planning framework adjudicating such development proposals must transcend such imaginaries in the production of public spaces in multicultural cities.     

Social Networks as Livelihood Strategies for Small-scale Traders on the Thai–Lao Border

ABSTRACT

Small scale cross-border trade on the Thai–Lao border has come under increasing pressure with the construction of a new Mekong bridge that has expanded formal trade between the two countries. Most small-scale traders are women who, with assistance from family and friends, have developed small businesses from childhood, and created social networks across the border with other traders, and relevant actors such as drivers and government officials. Such networks, trust, experience and familiarity enabled superior access to information and trading concessions that have enabled the continued success of small-scale trade, the maintenance of complex cross-border livelihoods, and the ability of traders across an increasingly regulated border to deal with constraints and risks. A few established traders have developed trade networks and social relationships involving supply chains across several countries.     

'You Gotta Love This City': The Whitlams and inner Sydney

This analysis of music in cultural geography, in the context of the inner Sydney-based band, The Whitlams, traces the creative links between sounds, 'scenes' and places. Based in Newtown, The Whitlams are associated with political values, evident in the band's name, and social values tied to and opposed to urban changes, such as gentrification, where community is threatened. The band's lyrics emanate from their experiences, challenging commercialisation of city life at different scales and reflecting the anomie of city living, but defending its virtues, whilst also fostering place stereotypes. The audience was similarly inner-city based until the band's recent commercial success, which has challenged The Whitlams' identity and radicalism, and resulted in mainstream appropriation. Though The Whitlams continue to reaffirm their local identity, and local audiences have remained, the popularity and commodification of their music has challenged concepts of shared meaning, the link between bands and their fans, and the connection between music and its place of origin. The Whitlams' music nevertheless remains a means of evoking and sharing a sense of place.     

Flower viewing from horseback? New directions in Chinese tourism in Australia

ABSTRACT

In this century Chinese tourists in Australia have rapidly become the most numerous national source. Relatively little is known about their socio-economic status, their geographical origins and expectations of tourism, and their attitudes to and perceptions of Australia, although every Australian state has devised a specific Chinese tourism strategy to tap into this market. Chinese tourism is concentrated in metropolitan areas in the eastern states, has evolved from group tours to individual plans, and is relatively high spending. Unless geographical and tourism research on Chinese tourism aligns with contemporary theoretical developments in tourism studies, the type of knowledge being produced will be limited. Whilst there is value in extending existing knowledge, important social insights into the Chinese tourists’ experience of Australia will not emerge. Although Chinese tourism is similar to earlier waves from East Asia, it constitutes a distinct component of the contemporary Australian market. A deeper understanding of this phenomenon requires the adoption of practice theories that privilege social practices as the entry point for theorising and conducting research. In advocating such an approach, we highlight challenges of linguistic and cultural differences, scale and governmentality in providing a qualitative research agenda for geographical and tourism studies’ engagements with Chinese tourism.