By Chance or Choice: The Regulation of the Apprenticeship System in Australia, 1900-1930

This paper traces the process whereby the apprenticeship system came to be regulated by industrial tribunals during the period 1900 to 1930. It describes how the regulation emerged, the motives that underpinned it, and the wider political debate about the apprenticeship system at the time. It then goes on to assess the effect of this regulation. This assessment is informed by an underlying theoretical perspective and draws on the contemporary debate and the outcomes that can be observed. While the question of primary interest is the efficiency of the regulatory regime that emerged, broader considerations are invoked. What was set in place in the early part of the 20th century has continued to shape the how the apprenticeship system has developed since then. For that reason, the future development of the apprenticeship system may be a more relevant indicator of outcomes than the contemporary facts.apprenticeship, trade unions, arbitration, Australia

How did the British media represent European political parties during the European parliament elections, 2014: a Europeanized media agenda?

The European Parliament election of 2014 generated much interest on account of the rise of a whole array of populist ‘anti-EU’ parties. This was widely reported in the British media but did that coverage give British news consumers an insight into the character of these parties, where they stood in relation to one another and where they stood in relation to Britain’s own UKIP? This paper sets out to examine not only how much coverage there was in the British media about European political parties but also whether that coverage enabled citizens to get a sense of the political positioning of populist anti-EU parties. These questions touch on the extent to which British media reflect and comment on populist parties, European affairs and hence on the Europeanization of the news agenda

Nishida's Philosophical Resistance to the Secular-Religion Binary

It has been common in scholarship to frame Nishida Kitarō’s philosophy (西田哲学) as an attempt at overcoming the dualities of Western modernity. But what has been downplayed in this reading is how Nishida re-interprets the concept of religion in a way that challenges modernist theories of religion, with implications that speak to the problematics of the secular-religion binary today. Nishida’s view of religion, as an existential form of awareness, and a structuring logic of historical reality, with its own epistemological criteria, contrast with the theoretical accounts that assume religion is opposite to the real—or that religion is subordinate to the secular. By designating religion as a logical category that coincides with the real, Nishida’s philosophical standpoint offers a means to not only re-think the relationship between the secular and the religious, but to re-think the relationship between the West and the rest of the world, because if rationality is not a superior category over religion, then the races, cultures, and ethnicities that have been historically subordinated are placed on an equal epistemological footing with Western philosophy and science. In this sense, Nishida’s philosophy of religion allows us to think critically about the “problem of religion” and presents a discussion that can also be used to address some of the issues raised within post-colonial studies.Religio

Is there a Post-Marxist Criticism to the Decolonial Critique?

This article makes explicit a hidden tension between post-Marxism and decolonial studies, which points to a challenge for intercultural dialogue. While post-Marxism seeks to rehabilitate a universal foundation for the construction of truth claims—a universal already formed within Western modernity—the decolonial critique seeks to dismantle all universals connected to the myths of modernity and therefore demands a departure from the standpoint of the cultural periphery. In fact, Alain Badiou and Slavoj Žižek, like other post-Marxists, have been rather critical of the standpoints articulated by decolonialists who strive to include cultural differences and marginalised identities in the process of knowledge production, but the reality is that the decolonial critique, more so than post-Marxism, is well-supported by the historical evidence, thus demonstrating the need for Enrique Dussel calls a ‘transmodern pluriverse’ in the academic world. In pursuit of diffusing this tension between the post-Marxists and the decolonialists, this article calls for further investigation in terms of determining if real dialogue is possible between these two trajectories of thought

Earnings, Schooling and Vocational Education and Training

Young persons who do not go on to university face two main educational choices; whether to complete Year 12 and/or whether to undertake a vocational (VET) qualification. These two choices are independent. Both early leavers and completers may subsequently obtain a VET qualification. However, the parametric models that are commonly used to analyse the causal effect of education presume that educational attainments form an ordered sequence. This has the effect of restricting the effects of educational attainments on earnings. This paper departs from this restrictive approach. It estimates the effect of Year 12 completion and VET qualifications on early career earnings using both a single and multiple treatment-effect approach. By using matching methods to estimate these effects, it also allows for the effects of educational qualifications differ between persons. It is found that neither completion of Year 12 nor a VET qualification has an effect on early career earnings over and above the forgone experience

Us and them: how populist parties get their message across

Current discussions about politics – be it European, British, or American – almost inevitably end up being discussions about populism. Yet we know little about how populist parties communicate their messages. Focusing on this area, and drawing on extensive research from across Europe, Toril Aalberg, Frank Esser, Carsten Reinemann, Jesper Stromback, and Claes de Vreese share some key findings on populist political communication

An analysis of the impact of skilled migration on the current and future economic well-being of W.A.

The presence of skill shortages has been the dominant rationale for the recruitment of trained foreign workers. Most Australian states have thus embraced the opportunities that the expansion and devolution of Australia's immigration program in recent times has given them. This paper examines the issue more closely by providing a conceptual overview of the economic case for the continuing need for skilled workers from abroad and discusses various related factors and considerations of relevance. Reference is also made to the current immigration policy and recent trends in skilled and business migration. This provides the context for a review of the contemporary economic impact that skilled migration has had in W.A and its likely future effects on the state. The anticipated future needs as indicated by the demand for skilled workers, the extent to which this demand is met by the resident workforce and the migration planning levels is also analysed