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Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang: Song, Sovereignty, Practice
No full textThis PhD project investigates and positions itself around practice-based experiential understandings that emerge from an Indigenous perspective and proposition regarding song as a form of sovereignty as determined through Indigenous ontological epistemological and axiological methodologies.Baiyiya in Yorta Yorta language means ‘song’. Mulana in Yorta Yorta means ‘spirit’. Murrangurang in Yorta Yorta means ‘always’. The combination of these words is: song; spirit; always. These words, individually and together, express the core dimensions and aims for my music practice.Conceptually speaking, and from my lived experience as a Yorta Yorta practitioner of song, Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang is the matter of song and the spiritual essence of it held within and throughout time from original creation through all generations into the Garra (now).Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang, I propose, expresses an essence that transcends contemporised value systems of non-Indigenous systems. In doing so, it rests on tenets which pertain to the sovereignty of song as enduring and ongoing . Contemporary music that is removed from direct cultural systems of connectivity could be described as music, rather than song, for the purposes of this project and thus are defined as such throughout this research.It is to be acknowledged that whilst there are journeys that lead to outputs which one can undertake with the use of the essence of song, and which may then become forms of music, that there is a distinction between this and Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang as defined within this research.The facets of sovereignty with song explored within this thesis have been defined in various ways. It is a concept which shall continue to be explored as the use of music and song occurs in continually evolving ways.Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang combine to express what is central to my own creative practice across multiple projects, each of which are clearly distinguishable from one another. Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang relates to the essential core of song, and that which can constitute its identity and existence as sovereign. Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang is then transmitted through a process which I define as Minyerra, a Yorta Yorta word meaning ‘buzz’. Within my work with Minyerra is the location with which Baiyiya Mulana Murrangurang is transmitted into expressions within an audio format. ‘Minyerra’ has also become the name of one of my musical projects that will be mentioned and explored through this thesis. For that purpose, it will be described as the ‘Minyerra Project’.My reflections across the themes of Baiyiya, Woka and Yenbena are presented here across three parts as symbolic of cultural continuity. Gathering key moments from my practising, knowing and being as a Yorta Yorta Yenbena, I show how song keeping encodes my social, spiritual and ecological world as Yorta Yorta. This approach guides my practice as I reflect on perspectives from sociology, anthropology, education and psychology. I found that both sound design and the development of cultural protocols work in close partnership with community, social justice, and environmental aspirations. For this PhD, my lived experience growing up on Woka (Country) in Mooroopna and Shepparton, Victoria of so-called Australia is narrated as the basis of my influences and ongoing connection to culture. In this way, my creative practice connects directly to Indigenous concepts of place and belonging. First Language is positioned as critical to the dialogue and conception of place and belonging.Through my creative works, I pose questions about the significance and politics of First Nations identity and how this relates to sovereignty. How and why is identity important to the development of the Minyerra Project through a process also titled Minyerra or Minyerra Process and DRMNGNOW. My work engages with the complex relationships between cultural identity, place, and belonging, highlighting how sovereignty was never ceded, today and always. I lastly note my use of Yorta Yorta language throughout this thesis as being central to communicating knowledge within cultural epistemologies. These epistemologies are presented here as part of my experiences as being a Yorta Yorta person within a broader revival process of our systems of practices and knowings. My experiences have been a part of nearly 15 years of language use within a community of others committed to returning Yorta Yorta speaking situated on Yorta Yorta woka, specifically within the Kaieltheban clan area (Shepparton- Mooroopna) areas of Yorta Yorta woka. I acknowledge that there, as with all cultures undergoing revival, and also cultures that have continued minus harmful impacts, that there may be some aspects of divergence in these knowledge systems. As Janke states, ‘Indigenous Cultures including Languages are living, dynamic and evolving’ (Janke 2021 p 39).As Hesquiaht First Nations woman Layla Rorick/ chuutsqua further expresses ;‘Indigenous knowledge is relational, which means not only must we repair our damaged relationship to our languages, but it means we must at the same time maintain and constantly renew our human, metaphysical, and natural world relationships.’ ( Rorick, chuutsqa, L , 2018, pp 299)With the above noted I throughout this thesis, my use of the word Yenbena is used for multiple meanings. These meanings being ancestor singularly, ancestor plurally and person. This differs from an alternate versions of this Yenbena-n or Yenben-l. The word Yakapna, which I also use throughout, is another example of this. My use throughout this work is Yakapna for both singular and plural purposes. There exists an alternate version to this usage with Yakapna for singular use and Yakapna-n as plural.Ngarwu is used throughout this work to mean listen and also listening. However there is also variations to this used whereby Ngarwu is also listen, with Ngarwu-l a variation for the verb listening. There are further variations that have been developed upon this as is shared in this work.I acknowledge examples within this work which may be represented to have different meanings published elsewhere and also referenced within this work. This is also something addressed by Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung woman, Lou Bennett in acknowledging this diversity of language recovery.‘In the example of Yorta Yorta language retrieval each family or clan group has a different perspective and reality, a different knowledge base and account of the Yorta Yorta culture. And it is important to identify and acknowledge these differences as the deep layers of cultural richness of the Yorta Yorta people’ (Bennett, 2016, p33).The power that we may all share has the opportunity to evoke different aspects of how encetral knowledge has been carried down through time and continues to be met with in the now . I acknowledge that this work I share here thus as Chelsea Watego speaks of in here powerfully direct way of doing so is an experience ‘[i]n telling stories from the place I come from (geographically, culturally, economically and politically), I am not claiming to know race or culture better than anyone else. I tell these stories to enter into a conversation’ (2023, p5).</p
AI chatbot accountability in the age of algorithmic gatekeeping: Comparing generative search engine political information retrieval across five languages
No full textThis study investigates the performance of search engine chatbots powered by large language models in generative political information retrieval. Applying algorithmic accountability as a central theme, this research (a) assesses the alignment of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot responses with timely political information, (b) investigates the factual correctness and transparency of chatbot-sourced synopses, (c) examines the adherence of chatbots to democratic norms and impartiality ideals, (d) analyzes the sourcing and attribution behaviors of the chatbots, and (e) explores the universality of chatbot gatekeeping across different languages. Using the 2024 Taiwan presidential election as a case study and prompting as a method, the study audits responses from Microsoft Copilot in five languages. The findings reveal significant discrepancies in information readiness, content accuracy, norm adherence, source usage, and attribution behavior across languages. These results underscore the contextual awareness when applying accountability assessment that looks beyond transparency in AI-mediated communication, especially during politically sensitive events.</p
Examining the Pedagogical Practices of a Teacher in a High Mathematical Wellbeing Classroom: An Exemplary Case Study
No full textThis study advances mathematical wellbeing (MWB) research by mapping specific pedagogical practices associated with high class-level MWB. Through examining a Year 5 classroom demonstrating high MWB in a sample of 350 classes (4137 students; 160 teachers), the analysis revealed five key pedagogical practices: substantive conversations, challenging tasks, high expectations, social norms, and mathematical practices. The teacher emphasised student-centred and collaborative approaches while minimising teacher-directed instruction. These findings highlight ways to create enabling classroom environments where students can thrive mathematically</p
Telescope
No full textCritical consideration of Dirk de Bruyn's 2012 film Telescope for Australia's Senses of Cinema website.</p
Fairness-Aware Question Answering for Intelligent Assistants
No full textVoice-based question-answering (QA) systems (e.g., Alexa, Siri, ChatGPT) are increasingly relied upon by diverse users, including individuals with visual impairments, low literacy, and the elderly, across domains such as healthcare, workplaces, and hands-free environments. This shift toward conversational models over traditional search presents new challenges, particularly in how these systems present information. While they offer concise, fact-based answers, they often fail to provide multiple perspectives, reinforcing biases that can shape user perceptions, preferences, and societal attitudes. This limitation is especially critical for stakeholders such as policymakers, healthcare professionals, and researchers, who rely on balanced and diverse information to make informed decisions. This thesis investigates fairness in multi-perspective rankings for top-heavy voice-based QA systems, focusing on the ranking stage where biases in information exposure can significantly impact users. It introduces methods to estimate fairness across both single and multiple attributes in rankings and empirically differentiates fairness from diversity. By adopting a multidimensional approach, the research explores techniques for evaluating and mitigating biases in rankings to ensure a more balanced representation of perspectives. Additionally, the thesis incorporates insights from conversational search, information science, psychology, cognitive science, and acoustics, to characterise resources, experimental settings and new research directions for investigating user biases in voice-based QA systems, thereby contributing towards fairness-aware QA in intelligent assistants.</p
Building Gender Equality: Victoria's Women in Construction Strategy 2023-2031. Focus Group Consultation 2
No full textIn 2019, the Victorian Government released Victoria’s first Women in Construction Strategy 2019-2022 (Strategy) to increase women’s participation in trade and semi-skilled roles. The Strategy set out a four-year work program with actions at three key points of intervention: attract, recruit and retain. We were engaged by the Victorian Government to lead the consultation of the next strategy (Building Equitable Futures Strategy 2024-2032), and an accompanying three-year Action Plan. Consultation occurred over two stages. The first stage set out to explore the scope and vision for the new strategy, challenges experienced by women in construction, and areas of priority to inform the development of the Strategy and its associated Action Plan. The second stage of consultation set out to identify positive and negative aspects of the Draft Strategy and initiatives that should be removed, augmented, or included in the Action Plan. Both consultation stages provided a forum for stakeholders of the Victorian construction industry to participate in shaping the new Strategy and Action Plan.</p
Public housing is (not) junk!
No full textAlongside an emphasis on lack of worth and quality, definitions of junk commonly include an inherent or achieved state of permanent undesirability. This paper explores the process of acquiring junk status, focusing on the ‘junking’ of high-rise public housing in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Erected between the 1960-70s via a mass 'slum reclamation' program, the city’s 44 public housing towers were intended as a modern ‘solution’ to inner-city poverty and low-quality housing. Having been subjected to managed decline since shortly after their construction, however, the towers have been progressively recoded as the detritus of a bygone era of social welfare policy. In September 2023, the Victorian Government announced the planned renewal of all 44 buildings, arguing that they are "reaching the end of their useful lives, and no longer fit for modern living.” In their place will be high-rise mixed-tenure buildings, with public tenancy categorically excluded from this mix.
Junk analogies abound in political discourse about the towers and their tenants. Not only are the buildings bad for residents' health, but the estates are dirty, run down, socially contaminated, a blight on the community, an eyesore, a waste of space, not worth refurbishing, and in the way of progress. These analogies include mutually reinforcing arguments in the business case for urban renewal: junking public housing as physical infrastructure and discarding low-income, racially diverse tenant communities through the government’s withdrawal from direct affordable housing provision. Drawing on insights obtained from primary research into high-rise public tenants’ experiences of the planned demolition of Melbourne's 44 towers, this paper explores the conceptual and material junking of high-rise public housing estates and the people who call them home. It ultimately argues that the political coding of public housing and its tenants as unworthy of public investment and inner-city space constitutes junking via organised state abandonment.</p
Building Blocks: We Are Stardust
No full textResearch Background This research sits within the field of architectural design and immersive media, intersecting with speculative world-building, participatory design, and emerging AI workflows. It responds to contemporary discourse on immersive environments and digital ecologies in design practice (e.g. Marcos Novak’s transarchitectures, Sandra Manninger’s synthetic natures, and Liam Young’s speculative urbanism). The project engages with real-time design methodologies explored in gaming platforms (Unreal Engine, Unity) and AI-generated spatial assets (e.g. NERF, text-to-3D), extending the work of scholars such as Ed Keller on post-digital architecture and Ruairi Glynn’s interactive systems. There is a growing need to integrate environmental imagination, collaborative authorship, and spatial storytelling in architectural pedagogy and creative public engagement—particularly with young audiences. Research Contribution We Are Stardust is a design-led workshop for children aged 8–12, collaboratively developed by the Immersive Futures Lab (Vei Tan and Patrick Macasaet). It speculates on future ecologies by enabling participants to generate creatures and habitats using AI tools, which are then situated in an explorable real-time gaming world constructed from NERF scans of the MPavilion site. The research explores hybrid workflows between AI, gaming, and participatory design, testing a novel method for engaging the public in environmental futures through co-creation and spatial storytelling. My role involved conceptualisation, environmental design, workshop development, and facilitation. Research Significance This work was selected for the MPavilion 2025 program, curated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. It extends a research lineage developed through partnerships with ACMI, Federation Square, and Melbourne Recital Centre. It advances architectural knowledge through public pedagogy, creative AI applications, and immersive site-specific design. It demonstrates a novel mode of architectural engagement and public research translation.</p
Voxel-based vegetation change detection using multi-source data
No full textAbstract. Detecting vegetation changes finds its application in several important areas, including city planning and urban science, climate change and ecological research. Several sensors and approaches can be used to measure the 3D geometry of vegetation, including aerial, mobile and terrestrial laser scanning, and photogrammetry. Other historical data sources, such as 2D shapefiles might also be available, however, the use of multi-source data presents challenges for vegetation change detection. This study presents a voxel-based approach to vegetation change detection from multi-source datasets, including laser scanning and 2D shape files from different years. A novel Octree data structure is utilised in this work that supports different operations for efficient vegetation change. We demonstrate the strengths of the approach with a case study to discuss the challenges and the future directions.</p
Headquarters–subsidiary exchanges and relationship quality: Moderating roles of subsidiary establishment mode and managers’ identity with the subsidiary
No full textand subsidiary managers interact with interorganizational and interpersonal exchanges between headquarters and subsidiary (HQ–Sub) in shaping the quality of HQ—Sub relationships. Specifically, we argue that organizational and managerial exchanges between headquarters and subsidiaries have a positive impact on HQ–Sub
relationship quality. The effect of HQ–Sub organizational exchange on HQ–Sub relationship quality is moderated by the subsidiary’s establishment mode, while the effect of HQ–Sub managerial exchange on HQ–Sub relationship quality is moderated by subsidiary managers’ identity with the subsidiary. Our arguments are empirically tested with survey data collected from senior managers of HQ–Sub dyads in 312 Chinese multinational enterprises. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed in the paper.</p