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Principled Solidarity? Humanitarianism and Post-Intifada Documentary Cinema
No full textAfter the Second Intifada, documentaries made in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle saw an unprecedented proliferation. Scholars have attributed this to the humanitarian ideologies and practices that have coloured the Palestine solidarity landscape since the Oslo Accords. While these hegemonic codes of humanitarian representation have rightly been critiqued for their depoliticization of the Palestinian struggle, there is still yet to be a more comprehensive conceptualisation of how and why this impulse emerges in Palestine solidarity documentaries. This thesis addresses this gap by identifying and exploring three humanitarian approaches that pervade this corpus of post-Intifada solidarity documentaries. In Chapter 1, I conduct a comparative case study of the video advocacy initiatives, The Greenhouse Program and the Camera Project. I argue that, despite the initiatives’ self-presentation as vehicles of empowerment and independence for their Palestinian participants, both engage in paternalistic institutional practices that resemble those of humanitarian agencies. In Chapter 2, I argue that, in humanitarian documentaries, Palestinian children are subject to a Eurocentric valuation of innocence that ultimately depends on their simultaneous depoliticization and pathologization. In Chapter 3, I conduct a comparative case study of Waltz with Bashir (2008) and Advocate (2019), and explore how the (de)humanization of the films' Palestinian subjects is dependent upon their proximity to the humanity of the Jewish-Israeli protagonists. Ultimately, I argue that the critical paradigms I identify, informed by the humanitarian principles, allow us to better apprehend and contextualise the pitfalls of humanitarian representations in Palestine solidarity documentaries. They bolster our interrogation of exactly how and why this humanitarian impulse fails to support the struggle for a free Palestine
Maximising the resilience of grasslands to extreme precipitation events, nutrient addition, and grazing
No full textGrasslands cover much of Earth’s surface and support essential ecosystem services. In Australia,
grasslands have been extensively modified for agriculture, with 40% of agricultural production
occurring on grasslands. Understanding the drivers of grassland productivity is critical for maintaining
food security while preserving other ecosystem services. Grassland productivity is shaped by
interactions between precipitation, nutrient availability, and herbivory, and is increasingly threatened
by global change pressures such as altered rainfall regimes, eutrophication, and grazing
intensification. While global networks have studied these drivers independently, their combined
effects remain poorly understood. This thesis examined how changes in precipitation patterns
interact with nutrient addition and livestock grazing to influence grassland productivity, diversity, and composition in southeastern Australia. Reconstruction of spatial and temporal patterns of droughts
and wet events across Australia since 1901 showed droughts have intensified in the south, while
northern Australia has experienced longer, more severe wet periods. Building on this, we conducted
a field experiment manipulating rainfall, nutrients, and grazing in a native pasture at the University of
Sydney's Llara farm. We found that nutrient addition boosted productivity where water was available,
but reduced diversity through increased dominance of Cynodon dactylon. Grazing mitigated some
diversity loss under high water availability. Nutrient addition did not increase productivity under
extreme drought, and instead reduced it over time, especially when grazed. This delayed green-up,
shortened the growing season, and reduced C. dactylon productivity. These results suggest this
system may be vulnerable to multiple, compounding global change pressures, and land managers
should implement climate adaptive practices, avoiding nutrient addition and cattle grazing during
periods of extreme drought
A PRISMA-based systematic review of bilingual conceptual representation in typologically diverse language pairs
No full textUnderstanding how linguistic distance influences bilingual conceptual representation is critical for refining models of bilingual processing. However, existing research has predominantly focused on Indo-European or typologically similar language pairs, limiting theoretical generalisability. This systematic review explores cross-linguistic facilitation and interference effects in bilingual semantic processing across two typologically distinct language pairs to examine the role of linguistic distance and its implications for conceptual representation models. Adhering to the PRISMA 2020 framework, a comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify studies investigating bilingual conceptual and semantic processing. Findings suggest that linguistic distance modulates cross-linguistic interaction. Spanish-English bilinguals exhibited greater facilitation effects, likely due to phonological and orthographic overlap, whereas Chinese-English bilinguals showed stronger interference effects and greater reliance on L1 conceptual mediation. The results offer partial support for several bilingual processing models, including the Revised Hierarchical Model (RHM), Distributed Conceptual Feature Model (DCFM), and BIA+ model. However, no single model fully accounts for the differential effects of linguistic distance. The review also identifies methodological gaps and inconsistencies across studies, particularly in participant profiling, study design, and task selection. In response, the SCOPE-BI framework (Systematic Conceptual and Operational Protocol for Enhancing Bilingual Investigation) is proposed to promote standardisation, comparability, and diversity in bilingualism research. By incorporating open science practices—such as detailed participant profiling, monolingual control groups, standardised tasks, preregistration, and data sharing. SCOPE-BI provides a structured approach for evaluating and refining models of bilingual conceptual representation
Abortion-Policy-Induced Behavioural Shifts: Examining the Effects of the Abortion Pill PBS Listing on Risky Sexual Behaviour
No full textThis thesis empirically examines the sexual behavioural response of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) listing of the medical abortion pill, which subsidised access to this abortion treatment. Using a regression discontinuity in time (RDiT) framework, we exploit the August 1st 2013 listing date to find a significant increase in abortion uptake and births with no change in pregnancies as well as a shift towards more pro- tective sexual behaviours. This is evidenced by a greater use of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and permanent contraceptive treatments as well as simultaneous reductions in STI transmission and increases in STI testing
SmilesUp! Co-designing and testing a mHealth intervention for early childhood dental caries prevention in families
No full textIntroduction
Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a common but preventable disease closely linked to family lifestyle behaviours. In Australia, 55% of children aged 0–6 are affected, and ECC remains a leading cause of preventable hospitalisation in young children. Current prevention strategies—such as clinical education and pamphlets—are limited. Mobile health (mHealth) has proven effective in managing other non-communicable diseases, but its use in oral health remains limited. This study explored a co-designed mHealth intervention, SmilesUp! to promote oral health behaviours in families beyond standard care.
Context
This research took place within NSW Health’s public dental services, focusing on families unable to afford private care.
Aims
The study aimed to test in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) whether a co-designed, theory-based mHealth program could improve behaviours related to ECC prevention. The 3-month intervention was developed and tested through a co-design process and addressed oral health literacy, motivation, and parental self-efficacy.
Methods
Large linked datasets were analysed to identify patterns of admissions and at-risk families. A systematic review of existing oral health apps found few high-quality options for parents of young children. SmilesUp! was then co-designed using behavioural theory and mixed methods, then evaluated in an RCT with 154 families.
Results
The RCT showed improved behaviours: more parents in the intervention group reported brushing their child’s teeth twice daily (73.8% vs 66.7%) (aOR, 2.45 [95% CI, 0.95-6.74]). and following oral health-promoting bedtime routines (88.5% vs 71.4%) (aOR, 3.25 [95% CI, 1.15-10.18]).
Conclusion
SmilesUp! shows promise as a scalable, acceptable mHealth tool to improve ECC-related behaviours in high-risk families. Future opportunities include broader implementation and integration with health systems to track long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness
Navigating Faulty Logic Noise Characteristics in Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computation
No full textThe full potential of quantum computers will be attainable when large devices can employ quantum
error correction and attain fault-tolerance. Great strides have been made, with experimental
demonstrations of pivotal components for quantum error correction on a variety of platforms,
substantiating that the foundations for fault-tolerant logic are realisable. This thesis explores the kinds
of noise we expect to find at the logical level while employing schemes for fault-tolerance in this
emerging period and how we may optimise such schemes. We study how a noise characteristic
called bias is transformed in the implementation of a fault-tolerant gadget for the T-gate. We show
that noise bias is amplified at the logical level due to error correction, which is furthermore affected by
the noise-transforming properties of the injection gadget, which separately induces logical phase
bias.
We experimentally characterise the noise on a trapped-ion quantum computer. We target a logical
CNOT with this method such that we are able to: understand and mitigate control layer imperfections,
account for the distinction in noise characteristics between individual CNOT and transversal CNOTs,
and make predictions on logical level performance if these transversal CNOTs are used as a logical
CNOT for the Steane code. This is achieved by leveraging information about correlated noise across
the device from the physical characterisation of gates, demonstrating that such diagnostic information
can be learned scalably.
Finally, noting the transversal gate capabilities of recent architectures, we optimise fault-tolerant
circuits for preparing magic states in that setting. We describe an algorithm that recompiles and
synthesises such circuits for minimal T-depth and low CNOT depth, while maintaining the total qubit
count. We apply this algorithm to fault-tolerant circuits for |CCZ>, |CS> and |T> and show how we
can reduce overheads for preparing magic states
Beyond the Bondi Junction tragedy: Strategies to Address System Failures & Subsequent Dangers affecting Homeless, Itinerant & Alienated Individuals living with Complex Mental Health Disorders in NSW
No full textMajor investment and reform of NSW mental health services are urgently needed in
response to the Bondi Junction tragedy of 13 April 2024. This is a major challenge for the
NSW Government.
There have been overlapping and cumulative crises in NSW mental health services for some
years. This culminated in 2024 in the Bondi Junction Tragedy which alerted the public to the
serious system failures in the mental health system. This was compounded by the
impending collapse of public health psychiatrist services in 2025. A NSW Coroner’s Inquest is
soon to investigate these related system failures, and what can we do to prevent their
recurrence.
A chronology of events at the Bondi Junction tragedy indicates at least 20 cumulative
system failures and missed opportunities [ see Box 1 pp 20-24].
How to avoid these tragedies has been evident for some time. So far there has been a lack
of action by NSW Government Authorities to take the necessary coherent action, even after
a year. It is possible that only recommendations of a Royal Commission may be able to
generate and sustain effective solutions. But why must we wait further for a long-drawnout
Royal Commission when we know what needs doing? Some of the most rigorous
studies which generated and replicated international evidence of the effectiveness of the
methods recommended below, were completed in NSW for Australian conditions. NSW
often led the way in Australia & internationally with this evidence base and subsequent
reforms. Over recent years, these reforms have been eroded, diluted and underfunded by
NSW Health and inadvertant neglect by successive governments
The effect of swirl and capsule rotation on the fluid mechanics of dry powder inhalers.
No full textThis thesis presents findings from an extensive study into the dispersion mechanisms that drive the performance of Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI) devices for pulmonary drug delivery. The design of DPIs and the subsequent air flow achieved play a critical role in powder deagglomeration which is necessary for lung deposition. The powder dispersion platforms fabricated for this contribution aim to explore the dynamic powder behaviour of swirl-based designs and capsule-based devices. High-speed microscopic imaging was employed within these devices to analyse the interactions between the air, device geometry, and the powder particles. This included quantifying powder dispersion using particle size measurements, and analysis of particle motion via particle tracking velocimetry
Into the Fog of Digital Delusion: The Lighthouse Paradox and the Rise of Far-right Extremism in Australia
No full textThis thesis examines how extremist far-right recruiters communicate online to support Australia’s countering violent extremism (CVE) early detection efforts. It argues that current strategies—while sometimes effective—overlook online spaces as primary recruitment sites, focus too heavily on detecting already-radicalised individuals, and rely on oversimplified root-cause models. Further, it contends that detection is hindered by representational biases portraying the far right as non-terrorist and unified, leaving many groups free to operate. Using an interdisciplinary approach combining media logic with Critical Terrorism and Security Studies, the research develops an original “Extremism Typology,” blending Social Identity Theory and Identity Theory to analyse how social, cultural, and collective identities shape recruitment discourse. Applying multimodal discourse analysis to far-right websites, it conceptualises recruiters as “lighthouses” guiding audiences through a “digital fog” of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. It concludes that far-right groups are not unified and that effective early detection must treat them as distinct entities while recognising online environments as central to recruitment
Event-based Satellite Docking
No full textDataset to accompany Le Gentil et al. "Mixing Data-driven and Geometric Models for Satellite Docking Port State Estimation using an RGB or Event Camera", IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2025.
In-orbit automated servicing is a promising path towards lowering the cost of satellite operations and reducing the amount of orbital debris. For this purpose, we present a pipeline for automated satellite docking port detection and state estimation using monocular vision data from standard RGB sensing or an event camera. Rather than taking snapshots of the environment, an event camera has independent pixels that asynchronously respond to light changes, offering advantages such as high dynamic range, low power consumption and latency, etc. This work focuses on satellite-agnostic operations (only a geometric knowledge of the actual port is required) using the recently released Lockheed Martin Mission Augmentation Port (LM-MAP) as the target. By leveraging shallow data-driven techniques to preprocess the incoming data to highlight the LM-MAP's reflective navigational aids and then using basic geometric models for state estimation, we present a lightweight and data-efficient pipeline that can be used independently with either RGB or event cameras. We demonstrate the soundness of the pipeline and perform a quantitative comparison of the two modalities based on data collected with a photometrically accurate test bench that includes a robotic arm to simulate the target satellite's uncontrolled motion