Parliamentary Research Officer since 2007, former AusAID Australian Youth Ambassador for Development and currently studying a Joint PhD in Translation Studies at the University of Melbourne and KU Leuven. Address: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
In 2020-22, multilingual vaccination communication became an urgent priority around the world, re... more In 2020-22, multilingual vaccination communication became an urgent priority around the world, requiring trusted communication in non-official languages. In Brussels, Melbourne and Shanghai, quite different legal frameworks and language policies were challenged by the need for behaviorchange communication in a wide range of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. In all three cases, practices were developed that showed the limitations of existing translation policies. Here we use policy analysis to explore the nature of those challenges, to compare the different solutions found in the three cities, and to propose how policies might be developed and adjusted to enhance time-pressured trust-building communication.
This paper examines how parliamentary committees can facilitate meaningful engagement with people... more This paper examines how parliamentary committees can facilitate meaningful engagement with people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
This Research Note examines the background to the amendments and changes: the removal of the requ... more This Research Note examines the background to the amendments and changes: the removal of the requirements for both surgery and for an applicant to be unmarried, and the provision for non-binary sex descriptors to be used on birth certificates.
This Research Note includes proposed changes to drug driving legislation, a history of roadside d... more This Research Note includes proposed changes to drug driving legislation, a history of roadside drug testing and information about the drug ‘ice’.
This Research Note will examine the proposed changes to hoon driving laws, with reference to the ... more This Research Note will examine the proposed changes to hoon driving laws, with reference to the legislative framework in selected other jurisdictions.
This Research Note provides background information on the development of firearm legislation and ... more This Research Note provides background information on the development of firearm legislation and regulations in Victoria and changes in the Bill.
This Research Note provides information on the development of assisted reproductive technology (A... more This Research Note provides information on the development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) legislation in Victoria and donor-conception legislation in other jurisdictions.
This Research Note examines the rooming house sector in Victoria and the proposed legislation to ... more This Research Note examines the rooming house sector in Victoria and the proposed legislation to establish a ‘fit and proper person’ test for rooming house operators.
This paper provides an overview of the election campaign, major policies, opinion polls data, the... more This paper provides an overview of the election campaign, major policies, opinion polls data, the outcome of the election in both houses, and voter turnout. It also includes voting figures for each Assembly District and Council Region.
Rape is about power. Women writing about their experiences of rape often find that the disempower... more Rape is about power. Women writing about their experiences of rape often find that the disempowering effects of rape continues into the aftermath when they face a hostile environment that frequently denies and silences their experience. Even where rape circumstances fit within the definitions of the ‘standard rape narrative’, survivors must still compete against victim-blaming attitudes, rape myths and cultural silencing. In order to find an audience to bear witness to the trauma, women often have to perform according to social expectations, modify their emotions to be accepted and dilute any politically disruptive messages.
To cultivate an awareness of the complex and multifaceted influences and power dynamics shaping the rape story, I examine the development and production of survivor discourse. I argue for the value in conceptualizing three primary ‘gatekeepers’ of the rape story (cultural, literary and judicial) that force a particular kind of story to emerge, which can lead to survivor narratives paradoxically perpetuating rape myths and recuperating dominant discourses.
In the last few decades, disciplines of criminology, social psychology, linguistics, and legal studies have used a variety of social research methodologies to enhance understandings of rape myths and the context within which survivors make sense of their experience. Nonetheless, published autobiographical texts remain an underutilized resource that can offer further insight into the influence of readers and the literary market in shaping the rape story. My methodological approach engages a feminist critical analysis of Alice Sebold’s Lucky (2002 [1999]), Frances Driscoll’s The Rape Poems (1997) and Jamie Kalven’s Working with Available Light (1999) positioned within a socio-legal conceptual framework and informed by an understanding of trauma.
These texts diverge from conventional ways of representing the rape story, compelling their audience to understand rape as prevalent and everyday gender-based violence. They resist the redemptive narrative arc, thereby politicizing their individual stories and challenging the complicity of the community. Driscoll also rejects narratives of ‘personal growth’ that position rape as a difficult personal experience which one can overcome by adopting a survivor mentality. I include Kalven’s memoir of his wife’s rape to examine the nuances of power, privilege and the competition over the meaning of rape for survivors. I argue that while Kalven makes a case for rape to be considered torture, his account is troubling as he takes ownership of his wife’s story and enacts discursive violence by producing a text that disempowers the survivor. This constrains the political potential of his memoir.
Far from individualizing the rape story, a critical analysis of these diverse texts illustrates how survivor narratives can challenge rape myths, victim culpability and dominant discourses. Throughout this thesis I argue for the value of reading autobiographical texts alongside rape scholarship to facilitate an engaged understanding of the way discourses on rape are mutually reinforcing and are produced and reproduced across a range of discursive sites.
This paper examines public opinion polling in Australia and in other jurisdictions. This paper al... more This paper examines public opinion polling in Australia and in other jurisdictions. This paper also contains a discussion of the historical background to public opinion polling, an analysis of the limitations of polling, an examination into methodologies used by polling groups and is intended to function as a guide to interpreting opinion polling results.
This introductory paper examines the law and practice of parliamentary privilege in Australia and... more This introductory paper examines the law and practice of parliamentary privilege in Australia and in other jurisdictions. This paper also contains a discussion of the historical background to parliamentary privilege and examines the issues and tensions associated with parliamentary privilege.
Background material on the Family and Community Development Committee Inquiry into Child Abuse in... more Background material on the Family and Community Development Committee Inquiry into Child Abuse in Victoria, the Cummins Inquiry, the current legislative framework around the protection of children, and legislation in other jurisdictions.
A discussion of the Domestic Animals Amendment (Dangerous Dogs) Bill 2010, including a background... more A discussion of the Domestic Animals Amendment (Dangerous Dogs) Bill 2010, including a background of the Act relating to dog owner responsibility.
A discussion of the Sentencing Amendment Bill 2009, hate crimes, and sentencing in Victoria and o... more A discussion of the Sentencing Amendment Bill 2009, hate crimes, and sentencing in Victoria and other jurisdictions.
An examination of issues relevant to the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2007. The paper in... more An examination of issues relevant to the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2007. The paper includes a summary of the Bill and a discussion of its proposed legislative changes within the current legal context in Victoria. It also discusses Freedom of Information legislation in other jurisdictions.
The paper provides an examination of the Summary Offences Amendment (Tattooing and Body Piercing)... more The paper provides an examination of the Summary Offences Amendment (Tattooing and Body Piercing) Bill 2008 and related issues, including a comparative overview of related legislation in other jurisdictions.
A discussion of the Casino Legislation Amendment Bill 2009, changes to the management agreement f... more A discussion of the Casino Legislation Amendment Bill 2009, changes to the management agreement for the Melbourne casino and other matters.
In 2020-22, multilingual vaccination communication became an urgent priority around the world, re... more In 2020-22, multilingual vaccination communication became an urgent priority around the world, requiring trusted communication in non-official languages. In Brussels, Melbourne and Shanghai, quite different legal frameworks and language policies were challenged by the need for behaviorchange communication in a wide range of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. In all three cases, practices were developed that showed the limitations of existing translation policies. Here we use policy analysis to explore the nature of those challenges, to compare the different solutions found in the three cities, and to propose how policies might be developed and adjusted to enhance time-pressured trust-building communication.
This paper examines how parliamentary committees can facilitate meaningful engagement with people... more This paper examines how parliamentary committees can facilitate meaningful engagement with people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
This Research Note examines the background to the amendments and changes: the removal of the requ... more This Research Note examines the background to the amendments and changes: the removal of the requirements for both surgery and for an applicant to be unmarried, and the provision for non-binary sex descriptors to be used on birth certificates.
This Research Note includes proposed changes to drug driving legislation, a history of roadside d... more This Research Note includes proposed changes to drug driving legislation, a history of roadside drug testing and information about the drug ‘ice’.
This Research Note will examine the proposed changes to hoon driving laws, with reference to the ... more This Research Note will examine the proposed changes to hoon driving laws, with reference to the legislative framework in selected other jurisdictions.
This Research Note provides background information on the development of firearm legislation and ... more This Research Note provides background information on the development of firearm legislation and regulations in Victoria and changes in the Bill.
This Research Note provides information on the development of assisted reproductive technology (A... more This Research Note provides information on the development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) legislation in Victoria and donor-conception legislation in other jurisdictions.
This Research Note examines the rooming house sector in Victoria and the proposed legislation to ... more This Research Note examines the rooming house sector in Victoria and the proposed legislation to establish a ‘fit and proper person’ test for rooming house operators.
This paper provides an overview of the election campaign, major policies, opinion polls data, the... more This paper provides an overview of the election campaign, major policies, opinion polls data, the outcome of the election in both houses, and voter turnout. It also includes voting figures for each Assembly District and Council Region.
Rape is about power. Women writing about their experiences of rape often find that the disempower... more Rape is about power. Women writing about their experiences of rape often find that the disempowering effects of rape continues into the aftermath when they face a hostile environment that frequently denies and silences their experience. Even where rape circumstances fit within the definitions of the ‘standard rape narrative’, survivors must still compete against victim-blaming attitudes, rape myths and cultural silencing. In order to find an audience to bear witness to the trauma, women often have to perform according to social expectations, modify their emotions to be accepted and dilute any politically disruptive messages.
To cultivate an awareness of the complex and multifaceted influences and power dynamics shaping the rape story, I examine the development and production of survivor discourse. I argue for the value in conceptualizing three primary ‘gatekeepers’ of the rape story (cultural, literary and judicial) that force a particular kind of story to emerge, which can lead to survivor narratives paradoxically perpetuating rape myths and recuperating dominant discourses.
In the last few decades, disciplines of criminology, social psychology, linguistics, and legal studies have used a variety of social research methodologies to enhance understandings of rape myths and the context within which survivors make sense of their experience. Nonetheless, published autobiographical texts remain an underutilized resource that can offer further insight into the influence of readers and the literary market in shaping the rape story. My methodological approach engages a feminist critical analysis of Alice Sebold’s Lucky (2002 [1999]), Frances Driscoll’s The Rape Poems (1997) and Jamie Kalven’s Working with Available Light (1999) positioned within a socio-legal conceptual framework and informed by an understanding of trauma.
These texts diverge from conventional ways of representing the rape story, compelling their audience to understand rape as prevalent and everyday gender-based violence. They resist the redemptive narrative arc, thereby politicizing their individual stories and challenging the complicity of the community. Driscoll also rejects narratives of ‘personal growth’ that position rape as a difficult personal experience which one can overcome by adopting a survivor mentality. I include Kalven’s memoir of his wife’s rape to examine the nuances of power, privilege and the competition over the meaning of rape for survivors. I argue that while Kalven makes a case for rape to be considered torture, his account is troubling as he takes ownership of his wife’s story and enacts discursive violence by producing a text that disempowers the survivor. This constrains the political potential of his memoir.
Far from individualizing the rape story, a critical analysis of these diverse texts illustrates how survivor narratives can challenge rape myths, victim culpability and dominant discourses. Throughout this thesis I argue for the value of reading autobiographical texts alongside rape scholarship to facilitate an engaged understanding of the way discourses on rape are mutually reinforcing and are produced and reproduced across a range of discursive sites.
This paper examines public opinion polling in Australia and in other jurisdictions. This paper al... more This paper examines public opinion polling in Australia and in other jurisdictions. This paper also contains a discussion of the historical background to public opinion polling, an analysis of the limitations of polling, an examination into methodologies used by polling groups and is intended to function as a guide to interpreting opinion polling results.
This introductory paper examines the law and practice of parliamentary privilege in Australia and... more This introductory paper examines the law and practice of parliamentary privilege in Australia and in other jurisdictions. This paper also contains a discussion of the historical background to parliamentary privilege and examines the issues and tensions associated with parliamentary privilege.
Background material on the Family and Community Development Committee Inquiry into Child Abuse in... more Background material on the Family and Community Development Committee Inquiry into Child Abuse in Victoria, the Cummins Inquiry, the current legislative framework around the protection of children, and legislation in other jurisdictions.
A discussion of the Domestic Animals Amendment (Dangerous Dogs) Bill 2010, including a background... more A discussion of the Domestic Animals Amendment (Dangerous Dogs) Bill 2010, including a background of the Act relating to dog owner responsibility.
A discussion of the Sentencing Amendment Bill 2009, hate crimes, and sentencing in Victoria and o... more A discussion of the Sentencing Amendment Bill 2009, hate crimes, and sentencing in Victoria and other jurisdictions.
An examination of issues relevant to the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2007. The paper in... more An examination of issues relevant to the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2007. The paper includes a summary of the Bill and a discussion of its proposed legislative changes within the current legal context in Victoria. It also discusses Freedom of Information legislation in other jurisdictions.
The paper provides an examination of the Summary Offences Amendment (Tattooing and Body Piercing)... more The paper provides an examination of the Summary Offences Amendment (Tattooing and Body Piercing) Bill 2008 and related issues, including a comparative overview of related legislation in other jurisdictions.
A discussion of the Casino Legislation Amendment Bill 2009, changes to the management agreement f... more A discussion of the Casino Legislation Amendment Bill 2009, changes to the management agreement for the Melbourne casino and other matters.
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To cultivate an awareness of the complex and multifaceted influences and power dynamics shaping the rape story, I examine the development and production of survivor discourse. I argue for the value in conceptualizing three primary ‘gatekeepers’ of the rape story (cultural, literary and judicial) that force a particular kind of story to emerge, which can lead to survivor narratives paradoxically perpetuating rape myths and recuperating dominant discourses.
In the last few decades, disciplines of criminology, social psychology, linguistics, and legal studies have used a variety of social research methodologies to enhance understandings of rape myths and the context within which survivors make sense of their experience. Nonetheless, published autobiographical texts remain an underutilized resource that can offer further insight into the influence of readers and the literary market in shaping the rape story. My methodological approach engages a feminist critical analysis of Alice Sebold’s Lucky (2002 [1999]), Frances Driscoll’s The Rape Poems (1997) and Jamie Kalven’s Working with Available Light (1999) positioned within a socio-legal conceptual framework and informed by an understanding of trauma.
These texts diverge from conventional ways of representing the rape story, compelling their audience to understand rape as prevalent and everyday gender-based violence. They resist the redemptive narrative arc, thereby politicizing their individual stories and challenging the complicity of the community. Driscoll also rejects narratives of ‘personal growth’ that position rape as a difficult personal experience which one can overcome by adopting a survivor mentality. I include Kalven’s memoir of his wife’s rape to examine the nuances of power, privilege and the competition over the meaning of rape for survivors. I argue that while Kalven makes a case for rape to be considered torture, his account is troubling as he takes ownership of his wife’s story and enacts discursive violence by producing a text that disempowers the survivor. This constrains the political potential of his memoir.
Far from individualizing the rape story, a critical analysis of these diverse texts illustrates how survivor narratives can challenge rape myths, victim culpability and dominant discourses. Throughout this thesis I argue for the value of reading autobiographical texts alongside rape scholarship to facilitate an engaged understanding of the way discourses on rape are mutually reinforcing and are produced and reproduced across a range of discursive sites.
To cultivate an awareness of the complex and multifaceted influences and power dynamics shaping the rape story, I examine the development and production of survivor discourse. I argue for the value in conceptualizing three primary ‘gatekeepers’ of the rape story (cultural, literary and judicial) that force a particular kind of story to emerge, which can lead to survivor narratives paradoxically perpetuating rape myths and recuperating dominant discourses.
In the last few decades, disciplines of criminology, social psychology, linguistics, and legal studies have used a variety of social research methodologies to enhance understandings of rape myths and the context within which survivors make sense of their experience. Nonetheless, published autobiographical texts remain an underutilized resource that can offer further insight into the influence of readers and the literary market in shaping the rape story. My methodological approach engages a feminist critical analysis of Alice Sebold’s Lucky (2002 [1999]), Frances Driscoll’s The Rape Poems (1997) and Jamie Kalven’s Working with Available Light (1999) positioned within a socio-legal conceptual framework and informed by an understanding of trauma.
These texts diverge from conventional ways of representing the rape story, compelling their audience to understand rape as prevalent and everyday gender-based violence. They resist the redemptive narrative arc, thereby politicizing their individual stories and challenging the complicity of the community. Driscoll also rejects narratives of ‘personal growth’ that position rape as a difficult personal experience which one can overcome by adopting a survivor mentality. I include Kalven’s memoir of his wife’s rape to examine the nuances of power, privilege and the competition over the meaning of rape for survivors. I argue that while Kalven makes a case for rape to be considered torture, his account is troubling as he takes ownership of his wife’s story and enacts discursive violence by producing a text that disempowers the survivor. This constrains the political potential of his memoir.
Far from individualizing the rape story, a critical analysis of these diverse texts illustrates how survivor narratives can challenge rape myths, victim culpability and dominant discourses. Throughout this thesis I argue for the value of reading autobiographical texts alongside rape scholarship to facilitate an engaged understanding of the way discourses on rape are mutually reinforcing and are produced and reproduced across a range of discursive sites.