Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Leisure Australia'

This study investigated the patterns of and constraints to leisure participation of Korean immigrants in Western Australia. The socioeconomic and demographic attributes of Korean immigrants were examined using descriptive statistical methods and their effects on leisure participation were rigorously analysed using quantitative techniques, based on data that were collected from Korean immigrants in Western Australia. The study showed that Korean immigrants participated in more passive leisure activities such as home-based ones. Participation in more active or western style leisure activities especially sports was found to be considerably low. The study also looked at which variables could explain the change in leisure participation patterns after migration, using regression analysis. The results showed that only limited variables such as age or gender were found to affect the change in leisure participation significantly. Another issue pursued in this study was the importance and determinants of leisure constraints recognised by the immigrants. These leisure constraints consisted of personal, structural and environmental categories. The results revealed that in general Korean immigrants did not regard leisure constraints important. They also showed that only limited numbers of socio-demographic and acculturation variables could explain the importance of constraints.

The notion of leisure is subjective and contradictory, therefore attempts to organise, manage and measure leisure experiences may be described as paradoxical. The evaluation of recreation and leisure services has been focused on performance indicators associated with specific programmes and facilities. At a macro level, evaluation from the broader perspectives of organisational effectiveness and leisure theory is a neglected area of research. This study examines a model of organisational effectiveness criteria as a way of exploring the "leisure management paradox" in local government recreation services. The focus of the research was local government recreation services in Western Australia.This study had two major purposes. The first purpose was to identify a range of criteria that are appropriate for evaluating organisational effectiveness in local government recreation services. Secondly, the study investigated the perceptions of these criteria held by recreation staff in different local government recreation services in Western Australia.The specific research objectives focused on the issues of effectiveness in local government recreation services, namely:1. To identify criteria for organisational effectiveness relevant to local government recreation services in Westem Australia.2. To develop a conceptual model of organisational effectiveness criteria.3. To test the developed model to confirm the appropriateness of the selected criteria for assessing local government recreation services.4. To determine if there are differences in the perceptions of organisational effectiveness held by different groups of recreation workers in different types of local government settings.The findings revealed that perceptions of the importance of organisational effectiveness criteria held by recreation workers in local government in Western Australia are relatively homogeneous. Differences appeared to be associated with geographic location, availability of resources, and the perceived organisational culture of the local government authority. These findings offer a practical framework for managers of recreation services and provide a benchmark for further research in local government and recreation services generally.

The notion of leisure is subjective and contradictory, therefore attempts to organise, manage and measure leisure experiences may be described as paradoxical. The evaluation of recreation and leisure services has been focused on performance indicators associated with specific programmes and facilities. At a macro level, evaluation from the broader perspectives of organisational effectiveness and leisure theory is a neglected area of research. This study examines a model of organisational effectiveness criteria as a way of exploring the "leisure management paradox" in local government recreation services. The focus of the research was local government recreation services in Western Australia.This study had two major purposes. The first purpose was to identify a range of criteria that are appropriate for evaluating organisational effectiveness in local government recreation services. Secondly, the study investigated the perceptions of these criteria held by recreation staff in different local government recreation services in Western Australia.The specific research objectives focused on the issues of effectiveness in local government recreation services, namely:1. To identify criteria for organisational effectiveness relevant to local government recreation services in Westem Australia.2. To develop a conceptual model of organisational effectiveness criteria.3. To test the developed model to confirm the appropriateness of the selected criteria for assessing local government recreation services.4. To determine if there are differences in the perceptions of organisational effectiveness held by different groups of recreation workers in different types of local government settings.The findings revealed that perceptions of the importance of organisational effectiveness criteria held by recreation workers in local government in Western Australia are relatively homogeneous. ++
Differences appeared to be associated with geographic location, availability of resources, and the perceived organisational culture of the local government authority. These findings offer a practical framework for managers of recreation services and provide a benchmark for further research in local government and recreation services generally.

Largely ignored over the years as a group worthy of serious academic research, grey nomads have recently become a topic of interest, in part due to Australia’s ageing population and resultant increases in the number of retirees with the time available to tour Australia and its regions in this manner. Tourism bodies now view grey nomads as an important market niche and caravan and motorhome manufacturers foresee ongoing growth in their industry. This thesis investigates how grey nomads make sense of their peripatetic lifestyle. It uses an ethnographic approach to uncover how the grey nomad lifestyle is defined by respondents themselves. Through analysis of field interviews, as well as field observations, the meanings and perspectives made by grey nomads are revealed and contextualised. Drive tourism has been a feature of Australia’s domestic travel industry for many decades and the drive industry is nowadays driven by grey nomads. Grey nomads are defined in this thesis as retirees who tour Australia in caravans, motorhomes and sometimes tents. They have been a part of prevailing Australian culture for at least four decades. A highly visible group, these retirees tow their caravans behind their large four wheel drives, or drive their motorhomes, along the city roads and regional highways of Australia. Many form part of a seasonal migration route travelling north at the beginning of winter and returning south with the onset of spring. Others do not return home, however. They are the fulltimers who tour for years at a time. The themes and issues which emerged from this qualitative research process are varied. Grey nomads are a large, heterogeneous cohort of retirees who are little different from many other retired Australians in that they engage in the routines of quotidian life—domestic tasks and everyday relationships—even while touring. They also have similar health outcomes to other Australian retirees but are seemingly resilient, adapting to the ongoing frailties of their ageing bodies in order to carry on touring for as long as possible. Grey nomads have a desire to articulate territory through travel and, consequently, many of them hold a sense of stewardship over the landscape, and are sometimes censorious of those tourists who transgress (what some grey nomads conceive to be) environmentally sound touring practices. This thesis also addresses changing discourses about grey nomads and how these reflect a change in the discursive context in which ageing—in general—is discussed. In addition to this the research considers the future of the grey nomad lifestyle which, despite the predicted influx of grey nomads into regional Australia in the near future, and the ongoing economic boost this will give these regions, is under threat due to the declining number of caravan parks and caravan sites within Australia.

Everyone experiences leisure differently but, for people who excel in a chosen field, a hobby can become a serious goal-oriented leisure pursuit. Many talented people, however, fail to reach their leisure goals due to constraints. This study explored individual life experiences of serious leisure participants. It focused on the lived experiences of individual event [horse] riders and opera singers who successfully negotiated their constraints, enabling them to reach their high performance goals. The purpose of this study was to explore positive personal strategies that individuals used to negotiate constraints in serious leisure. This was done by exploring intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural leisure constraints using an individual’s life experiences. During the process of this study, elitism in the leisure pursuits of event riding and opera singing, and the perceptions about individuals who participate in these activities, were also explored. A multidisciplinary approach was used in this study using a two stage mixed research methodology. The first stage explored the lived experiences of two individuals through a series of in-depth case study interviews, followed by interviews with their parents and coaches. Focus groups followed to establish if a wider group of participants within the same leisure pursuits experienced similar findings. The second stage of the study used a quantitative method, which consisted of a broader national survey. The survey data validated the qualitative findings and strengthened study outcomes. The findings of this study related to the opportunity-seeking skills an individual develops throughout their leisure life. These opportunity-seeking skills were linked to the likes, needs and wants an individual must have to reach a high performance level. It also found four principal ‘C Factors’ important to individual decision-making processes: conditioning, change, choice and control. Research findings revealed that early support and encouragement, however small, conditioned and motivated individuals to start and continue in a particular leisure activity. It also showed that those who had the ability to improve their talent, who personally believed in themselves, who viewed difficulties or complicated situations positively, and sought opportunities to enhance their leisure goals and change constraint outcomes, continued to succeed. Individuals had to make choices to enable them to control their goal achievement and deal with constraints throughout their leisure life. High performance success was found to be related to superior opportunity-seeking skills. Constraints arising from perceptions of elitism within serious leisure pursuits were found to be based on an individual’s life experiences and societal opinions, and not on the actual activity itself. In this study the strength of an individual’s motivation and self-belief, had a direct influence on their perceptions of constraints, and how they personally used opportunity-seeking to negotiate these constraints. Although the ability to predict which athletes or artists will become national or world class is limited, the conceptual framework developed in this study based on successful constraint negotiation strategies, could aid individuals wishing to reach a high performance level, and guide their parents and coaches to provide optimal support.

Outdoor workers are exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and may thus be at greater risk to experience UVR-related health effects such as skin cancer, sun burn, and cataracts. A number of intervention trials (n=14) have aimed to improve outdoor workers’ work-related sun protection cognitions and behaviours. Only one study however has reported the use of UV-photography as part of a multi-component intervention. This study was performed in the USA and showed long-term (12 months) improvements in work-related sun protection behaviours. Intervention effects of the other studies have varied greatly, depending on the population studied, intervention applied, and measurement of effect. Previous studies have not assessed whether: - Interventions are similarly effective for workers in stringent and less stringent policy organisations; - Policy effect is translated into workers’ leisure time protection; - Implemented interventions are effective in the long-term; - The facial UV-photograph technique is effective in Australian male outdoor workers without a large additional intervention package, and; - Such interventions will also affect workers’ leisure time sun-related cognitions and behaviours. Therefore, the present Protection of Outdoor Workers from Environmental Radiation [POWER]-study aimed to fill these gaps and had the objectives of: a) assessing outdoor workers’ sun-related cognitions and behaviours at work and during leisure time in stringent and less stringent sun protection policy environments; b) assessing the effect of an appearance-based intervention on workers’ risk perceptions, intentions and behaviours over time; c) assessing whether the intervention was equally effective within the two policy settings; and d) assessing the immediate post-intervention effect. Effectiveness was described in terms of changes in sun-related risk perceptions and intentions (as these factors were shown to be main precursors of behaviour change in many health promotion theories) and behaviour. The study purposefully selected and recruited two organisations with a large outdoor worker contingent in Queensland, Australia within a 40 kilometre radius of Brisbane. The two organisations differed in the stringency of implementation and reinforcement of their organisational sun protection policy. Data were collected from 154 male predominantly Australian born outdoor workers with an average age of 37 years and predominantly medium to fair skin (83%). Sun-related cognitions and behaviours of workers were assessed using self-report questionnaires at baseline and six to twelve months later. Variation in follow-up time was due to a time difference in the recruitment of the two organisations. Participants within each organisation were assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention group participants received a one-off personalised Skin Cancer Risk Assessment Tool [SCRAT]-letter and a facial UV-photograph with detailed verbal information. This was followed by an immediate post-intervention questionnaire within three months of the start of the study. The control group only received the baseline and follow-up questionnaire. Data were analysed using a variety of techniques including: descriptive analyses, parametric and non-parametric tests, and generalised estimating equations. A 15% proportional difference observed was deemed of clinical significance, with the addition of reported statistical significance (p<0.05) where applicable. Objective 1: Assess and compare the current sun-related risk perceptions, intentions, behaviours, and policy awareness of outdoor workers in stringent and less stringent sun protection policy settings. Workers within the two organisations (stringent n=89 and less stringent n=65) were similar in their knowledge about skin cancer, self efficacy, attitudes, and social norms regarding sun protection at work and during leisure time. Participants were predominantly in favour of sun protection. Results highlighted that compared to workers in a less stringent policy organisation working for an organisation with stringent sun protection policies and practices resulted in more desirable sun protection intentions (less willing to tan p=0.03) ; actual behaviours at work (sufficient use of upper and lower body protection, headgear, and sunglasses (p<0.001 for all comparisons), and greater policy awareness (awareness of repercussions if Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was not used, p<0.001)). However the effect of the work-related sun protection policy was found not to extend to leisure time sun protection. Objective 2: Compare changes in sun-related risk perceptions, intentions, and behaviours between the intervention and control group. The effect of the intervention was minimal and mainly resulted in a clinically significant reduction in work-related self-perceived risk of developing skin cancer in the intervention compared to the control group (16% and 32% for intervention and control group, respectively estimated their risk higher compared to other outdoor workers: , p=0.11). No other clinical significant effects were observed at 12 months follow-up. Objective 3: Assess whether the intervention was equally effective in the stringent sun protection policy organisation and the less stringent sun protection policy organisation. The appearance-based intervention resulted in a clinically significant improvement in the stringent policy intervention group participants’ intention to protect from the sun at work (workplace*time interaction, p=0.01). In addition to a reduction in their willingness to tan both at work (will tan at baseline: 17% and 61%, p=0.06, at follow-up: 54% and 33%, p=0.07, stringent and less stringent policy intervention group respectively. The workplace*time interaction was significant p<0.001) and during leisure time (will tan at baseline: 42% and 78%, p=0.01, at follow-up: 50% and 63%, p=0.43, stringent and less stringent policy intervention group respectively. The workplace*time interaction was significant p=0.01) over the course of the study compared to the less stringent policy intervention group. However, no changes in actual sun protection behaviours were found. Objective 4: Examine the effect of the intervention on level of alarm and concern regarding the health of the skin as well as sun protection behaviours in both organisations. The immediate post-intervention results showed that the stringent policy organisation participants indicated to be less alarmed (p=0.04) and concerned (p<0.01) about the health of their skin and less likely to show the facial UV-photograph to others (family p=0.03) compared to the less stringent policy participants. A clinically significantly larger proportion of participants from the stringent policy organisation reported they worried more about skin cancer (65%) and skin freckling (43%) compared to those in the less stringent policy organisation (46%,and 23% respectively , after seeing the UV-photograph). In summary the results of this study suggest that the having a stringent work-related sun protection policy was significantly related to for work-time sun protection practices, but did not extend to leisure time sun protection. This could reflect the insufficient level of sun protection found in the general Australian population during leisure time. Alternatively, reactance caused by being restricted in personal decisions through work-time policy could have contributed to lower leisure time sun protection. Finally, other factors could have also contributed to the less than optimal leisure time sun protection behaviours reported, such as unmeasured personal or cultural barriers. All these factors combined may have lead to reduced willingness to take proper preventive action during leisure time exposure. The intervention did not result in any measurable difference between the intervention and control groups in sun protection behaviours in this population, potentially due to the long lag time between the implementation of the intervention and assessment at 12-months follow-up. In addition, high levels of sun protection behaviours were found at baseline (ceiling effect) which left little room for improvement. Further, this study did not assess sunscreen use, which was the predominant behaviour assessed in previous effective appearance-based interventions trials. Additionally, previous trials were mainly conducted in female populations, whilst the POWER-study’s population was all male. The observed immediate post-intervention result could be due to more emphasis being placed on sun protection and risks related to sun exposure in the stringent policy organisation. Therefore participants from the stringent policy organisation could have been more aware of harmful effects of UVR and hence, by knowing that they usually protect adequately, not be as alarmed or concerned as the participants from the less stringent policy organisation. In conclusion, a facial UV-photograph and SCRAT-letter information alone may not achieve large changes in sun-related cognitions and behaviour, especially of assessed 6-12 months after the intervention was implemented and in workers who are already quite well protected. Differences found between workers in the present study appear to be more attributable to organisational policy. However, against a background of organisational policy, this intervention may be a useful addition to sun-related workplace health and safety programs. The study findings have been interpreted while respecting a number of limitations. These have included non-random allocation of participants due to pre-organised allocation of participants to study group in one organisation and difficulty in separating participants from either study group. Due to the transient nature of the outdoor worker population, only 105 of 154 workers available at baseline could be reached for follow-up. (attrition rate=32%). In addition the discrepancy in the time to follow-up assessment between the two organisations was a limitation of the current study. Given the caveats of this research, the following recommendations were made for future research: - Consensus should be reached to define "outdoor worker" in terms of time spent outside at work as well as in the way sun protection behaviours are measured and reported. - Future studies should implement and assess the value of the facial UV-photographs in a wide range of outdoor worker organisations and countries. - More timely and frequent follow-up assessments should be implemented in intervention studies to determine the intervention effect and to identify the best timing of booster sessions to optimise results. - Future research should continue to aim to target outdoor workers’ leisure time cognitions and behaviours and improve these if possible. Overall, policy appears to be an important factor in workers’ compliance with work-time use of sun protection. Given the evidence generated by this research, organisations employing outdoor workers should consider stringent implementation and reinforcement of a sun protection policy. Finally, more research is needed to improve ways to generate desirable behaviour in this population during leisure time.

The attainment of expertise has been the focus of research in many domains including music, chess and sport. This research has progressed with many theories detailing the best way to develop expertise and nurture talent in sport. Soccer is a multifaceted sport which requires a number of physical, technical and tactical skills to be successful, making it difficult to achieve expertise. Although Australia’s performance on the international stage is improving, there is a lack of evidence to inform the most effective development pathways to support the next wave of talented youth soccer players. Therefore, the aim of the thesis was to understand what is required to be an expert in Australian youth soccer, and which environmental factors can influence the development of expertise in youth soccer players. To enhance our understanding of the development of expertise in Australian soccer, the current thesis was guided by the Expert Performance Approach (Ericsson & Smith, 1991) and included three individual studies which captured expert performance, identified underlying mechanisms and examined how expertise was developed. Sixty-two male soccer players (17.0 ± 0.61 y) who represented three cohorts in Australian youth soccer; national elite (Australian Institute of Sport), state elite (state institute) and sub-elite (state league) participated in this study. Study One captured expert performance through an in-depth analysis of the match characteristics of the three levels of expertise. A total of 24 matches across the three levels of expertise in Australian youth soccer were analysed, with each match videoed and manually coded using SportsCode according to frequently used match characteristics from the literature. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to see if teams with similar technical characteristics could be grouped together in order to make inferences about distinctive tactics and game styles. There were three game styles identified across the cohorts, with the state and national elite cohorts forming two distinct clusters, whilst the sub-elite teams clustered together based on technical output. More specifically, the two elite cohorts executed two different possession styles of play, while the sub-elite cohort played a direct style of game. Although it was clear that technical output and game styles differed across cohorts, it was not clear which underlying mechanisms allowed teams to play this way. The aim of Study Two was to identify which skills could distinguish the three levels of Australian youth soccer players and contribute to an explanation of the different game styles identified in Study One. This was done using a multifaceted testing battery including physical, technical and tactical tests. The physical tests included intermittent endurance, sprinting, change of direction and vertical jumps, the technical tests included short and long passing, dribbling and shooting, while the tactical test was a perceptual-cognitive decision-making task which required players to choose the correct option in a video-based task. There were a number of physical, technical and tactical outcome measures that could distinguish between cohorts based on the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves. The most prominent tests included the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1, 30m sprint and 20m flying start, height, Loughborough Soccer Passing Test, long passing test, ball control, shooting test and perceptual-cognitive decision-making task. Furthermore, the multidimensional analysis could clearly differentiate players from each cohort based on a Cumulative Total Score for each player. It is evident that the underlying mechanisms for expert performance in Australian youth soccer included elements of physical, technical and tactical prowess which may contribute to the differences in game styles observed in Study One. Study Three examined how expertise is developed in Australian youth soccer players. The participants completed the Development History of Athletes Questionnaire (DHAQ) (Hopwood, Baker, MacMahon, & Farrow, 2010). A decision tree induction analysis was used to determine which developmental factors contributed most to the predictor variable, the Cumulative Total Score. The amount of sport specific practice distinguished the two highest skilled groups from the lower skilled players. There were then two distinct pathways taken by the elite Australian youth soccer players. The first pathway included players who were later born in their family and had older siblings that participated in other sport, which contributed to their development in soccer. The second pathway included those players who were born early in their family (first or second), with this group specialising later in soccer (after the age of 13), compared to the second tier of athletes. Overall it was clear that there were distinguishing game styles for various levels of Australian youth soccer players. The elite players had underlying physical, technical and tactical attributes that allowed them to execute a possession-based game style. This thesis has provided evidence that the national elite players had followed a different pathway and been exposed to different environmental influences compared to the sub-elite players, factors that had contributed to their current level of expertise and success. This work provides Football Federation Australia and associated personnel with a strong framework upon which to base their talent identification and development programs given this thesis was able to provide evidence of distinct game styles, physical, technical and tactical skills distinguishing playing levels and differing pathways exhibited by the athlete cohorts.

In Australia today, beach-going is a major pastime but a poorly understood activity. A large number of stereo-types and images have been used to characterize beach-going and beach-goers. There have been images of national types, such as life savers; images of groups, such as willowy board riders; images of sex, such as bikini-girls; and images of character, such as lazy workers who take sick-days off to go the beach. Such stereo-types suggest th a t beach-going is an important aspect of Australian life yet, because they deal only with isolated aspects of beach-going, they do not significantly advance our overall understanding of beach-goers and beach life. This history will try to provide a general understanding of the changing character and role of beach-going in Australian life.

Bibliography: leaves 378-402.
xviii, 402 leaves : ill. (chiefly col.), maps (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm.
Explores the status and nature of interpretation within the Australian whale watching industry, on both a national scale and as it is practiced at three diverse case study sites along the southern coast, and develops strategies which may enable this form of tourism to reach it's highest educative potential
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2000

The rising physical inactivity rates of all adult age subgroups in Australia are a growing concern within public health. This original research explores a range of elements that influence the leisure time physical activity (LTPA) of young adults in South East Queensland, Australia. Using a socio-ecological framework and a grounded theory approach, this study combines data from 61 participant interviews, five key actor interviews, focus groups and environmental surveys across rural, outer-metropolitan and inner-metropolitan study sites. Recruitment targeted young adults aged 18-30 years, in sedentary occupations or study and without dependent children; and key actors including the representative for each local council. Analyses of these data link understandings of leisure and leisure time, physical activity and the nature of consumption of and for leisure that influence levels and types of engagement in physical activity. Semi-structured interviews explore aspects of the participants’ upbringing, details of their past and present leisure, transport practices, the effects of their environment and the effects of their socio-demographic position. Interviews with key actors highlighted local government policy environment influencing facilities, services and access particular to each area. An environmental audit of each site and a set of closed questions for participants assisted in this process. Together, data collection sought to reveal the enablers and inhibitors of physical activity for young adults living in each area. They show an important differentiation in the understanding of leisure and affective responses to leisure and physical activity that relate directly to levels of physical activity in their spare time, when leisure is more about relaxation and socialising than pursuits that involve physical activity. Perceptions of leisure, leisure time and physical activity change during young adulthood to begin to acknowledge the value of health maintenance as an appropriate reason to be physically active. The research findings provide insight into the enablers and inhibitors for young adults being physically active as well as directions for strategic interventions relating to young adults in the areas of health promotion, community recreation and local government planning. The transitions leading up to and including young adulthood are important influences in the attitude towards physical activity. Three elements are core enablers to LTPA: 1) deep familiarity and enjoyment of LTPA from youth; 2) access to affordable quality goods and services; and 3) access to age-appropriate local opportunities. During young adulthood, people’s affective responses play an important role in whether a young adult is physically active or not. As they adjust to the new demands of adulthood, they prefer for leisure experiences that provide opportunities to relax, reboot, rejuvenate, regenerate, renew, re-centre, re-energise, release and find relief. These highlight common sensations sought during leisure to form what I call the Nine R’s of Leisure. The findings present particular challenges for planners and promoters of LTPA and my recommendations target the development of physical literacy involving families and the whole school. In doing so, this research reframes the construction of opportunities for physical activity that will influence ways of understanding and prioritising physical activity in young adulthood.

The purpose of the present study was to validate the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS). This included examining the internal consistency and criterion validity of the PALMS, as well as testing the proposed model of PALMS subscales in a confirmatory factor analysis. This study also looked at the various reasons people nominate for engaging in physical activities. A community sample of 202 volunteer participants, 120 males and 82 females, aged 18 to 71 years, was recruited from various organizations, clubs, and leisure centres. The participants represented different forms of physical activity namely, Australian Football League (AFL), gym-based exercise, tae kwon do, tennis, and yoga. Results indicate that the PALMS has a robust factor structure (CMIN/DF = 2.22; NFI = 0.95; CFI = 0.97; RMSEA = 0.078). The PALMS also demonstrated good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha (α) of 0.79. The α values for the PALMS subscales ranged from .80 to .99. In terms of criterion validity, Spearman’s rho (rs) indicated a strong positive correlation between the REMM and the PALMS (rs = .9). The correlations between each PALMS sub-scale and the corresponding sub-scale on the validated REMM were also high and varied from .76 to .95.

This research added an innovative, critical component to the current problem gambling treatment approaches available in Australia. It targeted a susceptible and significant group of people who experience gambling-related harm but find it difficult to stop gambling and not to start again. Relapse in problem gambling and treatment dropout is common, with a rate of up to 70% being generally accepted. To date, gambling interventions specifically targeting risk factors for relapse have not been the focus of many studies. The author of this thesis, who has lived experience with problem gambling, designed a structured group program targeting two identified risk factors for gambling relapse: 1) lack of social connectedness, and 2) lack of leisure substitution. Between 2009 and 2016, four versions of this program were trialled. All program participants were supported by a group of volunteers, most of whom had lived experience with problem gambling and were participants in previous program versions. Four versions of the program were evaluated using a multi-method approach. Quantitative data were collected using validated psychosocial measures. Journaled observation by the author, anecdotal evidence and journaled participants quotes were documented by the author in various project reports and are used in this thesis to support the qualitative findings. The results of the quantitative data revealed significant improvement for participants in the areas of social connectedness, self-efficacy, and mental health. Importantly, the results also indicated that the program supported the goals of either abstinence from, or control over, gambling behaviour for program completers. It is concluded that this innovative program helped to reconnect people to activities other than gambling and to a supportive community and, in so doing, effectively achieved the research objectives. An extra qualitative study ‘Volunteer study’ was conducted to explore if the aspect of ‘volunteering’ made a positive contribution to sustain behavioural changes that were achieved by previous program participation. This exploratory study utilised 14 in-depth semi-structured interviews with current volunteers of the trialled relapse-focused programs from studies 1-4. This part of the research indicated that volunteering for any of the peer support relapse focused programs provided significant benefits to an individual’s recovery from problem gambling. The sample was a small convenience sample, so it is not possible to generalise the findings but offers an opportunity to further explore the importance of volunteering in recovery.

The Australian population is ageing. The 'fifty plus' or 'mature' segment of the population will grow rapidly. As a result the number of mature Australians travelling can be expected to increase. Despite this increase, little is known about the travel behaviour of this market segment. This study reviews the travel behaviour, the reasons for travel and the expectations and opinions of mature Australian domestic travellers towards hotel attributes.

Aquatic and recreation centres (ARCs) are social spaces that provide communities with opportunities to be physically active. They deliver important health, well-being, and social benefits to communities and contribute to local economies by providing job and income opportunities (Howat et al., 2012; Tower et al., 2014; Victorian Auditor General’s Office, 2016). Despite the significant role ARCs play in the community, the factors that have guided ARC planning and decision-making processes are largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, two public sector management theories, new public management theory (NPMT) and public choice theory (PCT), were employed to explain ARC planning and decision-making processes. This is the first time these theoretical lenses have been applied simultaneously to explain ARC planning and decision-making processes. The current study was guided by two research questions, ‘How is a leisure planning process used in ARC planning?’ and ‘How is a decision-making process used in ARC planning?’ A qualitative multiple-case-study design investigated two local government cases in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. The current study employed two data sources: documents (n= 264) and semi-structured interviews (n=19) to explore the research questions. Data analysis, deductively guided by NPMT and PCT, were conducted using a six-step thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2012). Data were analysed within the individual cases by using thematic maps to illustrate the components for ARC planning and decision-making processes. The data were then analysed across these two cases through triangulation and pattern-matching to identify the global, organising, and basic themes. The current study is the first in-depth academic investigation into ARC planning and decision-making processes. The findings explain the lived experiences of people involved in ARC planning and decision-making processes. The current study identified the two cases followed a non-systematic leisure planning process i.e., the local governments applied individual components based on leisure planning models and NPMT to suit their individual ARC’s development. Therefore, the planning process fits somewhere between an ad-hoc planning method, which has no structure, and a structured process similar to a leisure planning model. The ARC planning data analysis identified four focus areas i.e., research, service delivery, engaged experts, and organisational outputs, to explain the process used by the local government when planning an ARC in metropolitan Melbourne. The ARC decision-making data analysis identified three focus areas i.e., government influence, financial influence, and political influence, to explain the ARC decision-making process. Further, the ARC planning and decision-making processes was reliant upon each other. From a practical perspective, the findings explained that local government did not use a structured planning model, however, the two ARCs applied similar planning and decision-making focus areas. These focus areas act as a starting point in the development of a model of how ARCs are planned in metropolitan Melbourne. From a theoretical perspective, the findings identified that the ARC planners in the two cases made decisions that were explained by financial outputs (NPMT) and political behaviours (PCT), indicating that ARC decision-making was more weighted towards financial outcomes rather than community benefit.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Childhood participation in organised leisure activities has increased over the past six decades. Parents in the first part of the 21st century are inundated with often contradictory messages from government, experts and media organisations regarding the leisure activities of children. They are told simultaneously that organised leisure activities are beneficial for children in terms of development and socialisation, whilst at the same time warned against the harm that the over-scheduling of children’s activities may bring. In order to understand why children take part in organised leisure activities this research examined the influences on the organised leisure of Australian children. This research explored the influences on the leisure of children from four different generations - Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z. An interpretive, broadly feminist approach investigated influences on participation in organised leisure activities of children since the 1950s. The multi method research was primarily qualitative in nature and comprised three elements: focus group interviews with 55 participants from both urban and rural areas in Queensland and New South Wales, semi-structured telephone interviews with 87 ‘young’ participants from the eastern Australian states and semi-structured telephone interviews with 80 ‘mid’ participants from eastern Australian states. All participants completed a short demographic style survey. Findings indicated that whilst similar influences were in effect across the generations, the way in which these influences manifested differed vastly. Influences were varied and included factors such as rapid and vast technological change, especially in the area of transport, a child’s locality in an urban or rural environment, along with the influence provided by educational and religious institutions, and friends and peers. Parents from all generations were an important influence on organised leisure activities. This influence varied across generations and migrated from a ‘gatekeeper’ role played by parents of Baby Boomers to the coercive role provided by the parents of Generation Z. In the late modern era, parental reactions to risk were found to be an influence on the organised leisure of Generation Z children. This influence included parents guarding against future risk, their reactions to current risk and the consequences of risk. Findings indicated that the leisure activities of children had largely shifted from being autonomous, child lead, and carefree during the childhood of Baby Boomer children to being tightly controlled, adult organised and supervised in the childhood of Generation Z children.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
This narrative analysis of the gendered construction of travel in written, visual and oral travel texts is used to identify textual congruities and incongruities between travel knowledge and practice. Travel and women's magazines reproduce a sovereign tourist within a preferred contemporary travel discourse that is based on a fantasy of tourists' class elitism, masculine exploration and colonialism; sightseeing; a desire for place and its past; and fanciful play. Textually. women are marginalized in travel as if they are men or aligned with romantic fantasies of a colonial or domestic past. Women who work in travel agencies reproduce this discourse when they assume divorcees and widows need the protection of package tours to reduce any fear of travel. This discourse is also dominant for some of the women I interviewed who began travelling abroad when family responsibilities diminished and resources increased. These women would not travel abroad if it were not for package tours and travelling companions. Yet, their travel is not always entirely congruous with this discourse. However, my research also uncovers a group of women whose travel does not fit with dominant media discourses of travel in travel and women's magazines. These are women who work in the tourism industry and some of the women I have interviewed who are beginner mid-life travellers. These self-sufficient tourists are social adventurers and risk-takers who construct their travel in a relational travel discourse. This discourse, which is missing from the magazine texts examined, includes a tourist's subjective experience; a fully sensory engagement with place; a desire for authentic contact with Others, place and everyday domestic life; and practiced interactive social relations with local inhabitants. This travel practice is more likely to be self-transformative than travel within the fantasy discourse. Even though women's travel is diverse, gendered ambiguities are ongoing and central features in women's stories of their travel practices, travelling self-identities and their homecoming.