AustLit

'This article investigates the evolution of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in Western Australia between the 1920s and the 1960s, covering the introduction and spread of radio and then television. It considers the visits of ABC commissioners and management to Perth, the appointment of commissioners from Western Australia, the building of radio and television studios, the creation of the ABC’s first state Advisory Committee in 1935, and the operations—in Perth—of the broadcaster’s last surviving capital city Television Viewers’ Committee. It examines local innovations in drama and in children’s, women’s and current affairs programming; the development of a broadcast news service and a symphony orchestra; and the work of key broadcasting figures, including Basil Kirke and Cathering King. The article argues that the history of the ABC in Western Australia was distinctive because of the state’s isolation and sparse population and, crucially, its time difference from the east coast.' (Publication abstract)

'Kalgoorlie and the sex industry are synonymous. Around the time of Federation, significant attempts were made by the community to rid itself of prostitution. An important contributor to this endeavour was the local long-running daily newspaper, the Kalgoorlie Miner. To date, research has overlooked its significant role in building community and reinforcing hegemony. The Kalgoorlie Miner’s framing of prostitution as the “social evil”—antithetical to Christian living, morals and civility—was a successful position because it appealed to the buying public and maintained pressure on the problem. This article explores the place of newspapers in a given community, Federation Kalgoorlie, and its prostitution. It finds that gatekeeping and community Christianism, particularly the laity, played an essential role in challenging and opposing prostitution.' (Publication abstract)

'Amanda Lohrey’s seventh novel, The Labyrinth, won the 2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award and is well regarded by readers and critics alike. Julieanne Lamond’s 2022 Lohrey alerts us to the longevity of Lohrey’s career and how her “newfound” popularity has been a long time coming. Lamond’s Lohrey is part of Miegunyah’s Contemporary Australian Writers series. The book is set out thematically and mainly discusses Lohrey’s seven novels, The Morality of Gentlemen (1984), The Reading Group (1988), Camille’s Bread (1995), The Philosopher’s Doll (2004), Vertigo: A Pastoral (2009), A Short History of Richard Kline (2015) and The Labyrinth (2020), but she also touches on Lohrey’s collection of short stories: Reading Madame Bovary (2010). Lamond reflects on Lohrey’s 40-year career as an author and finds the diversity of Lohrey’s writing has enabled her to remain relevant but at the same time has made her difficult to market and promote: “Hers is a deeply independent approach to fiction, often out of step with prevailing trends” (24).' (Introduction)          

'The peripatetic Methodist missionary Annie Lock worked with around a dozen Aboriginal communities across three Australian states and the Northern Territory from the 1900s to the 1930s. A historical biography by Catherine Bishop draws on the travelogue form to describe these places, landscapes and cultures, as well as the benefits and damage connected with cultural exchange. Bishop’s biography is the study of an ordinary individual who has previously had only a cameo role in academic histories.' (Introduction)