Cultural advice

The Australian National University acknowledges, celebrates and pays our respects to the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people of the Canberra region and to all First Nations Australians on whose traditional lands we meet and work, and whose cultures are among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that ANU Library collections may include images, names, voices, and other representations of deceased persons.

Material in the collection may contain terms, language or views that reflect the period in which the item was created and may be considered inappropriate today.

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Recent Submissions

  • Item type: Publication ,
    Classifying Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths to Inform Prevention Strategies
    (2026) Flenady, Vicki J.; Wojcieszek, Aleena M.; Astell, Chrissie; Dahlstrom, Jane E.; Gordon, Adrienne
    Accurate and consistent classification – at the global level – of causes and contributing factors to stillbirths and neonatal deaths (perinatal mortality) is essential to inform policy and programmatic change, and counsel bereaved parents. However, a globally acceptable classification system remains elusive. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases for Perinatal Mortality (WHO ICD-PM) is recommended as a global solution for the accurate classification of perinatal deaths, but deficiencies in this system remain. The International Stillbirth Alliance proposes a system for use across data-rich settings, which will also serve low-resource settings through a purposeful mapping to the ICD-PM.
  • Item type: Publication ,
    The Position of Tomoip in the Oceanic Family
    (2025) Barlow, Russell; Ross, Malcolm
    Tomoip is an Oceanic language spoken on the island of New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. Although previously thought by some to be a non-Austronesian language, Tomoip is undeniably a member of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family. However, its precise classification has remained a challenge, largely because its lexicon seemingly contains a high percentage of non-Austronesian content and its Austronesian forms exhibit several complex sound correspondences. This paper provides a historical phonology of Tomoip, detailing the sound changes that have led from Proto-Oceanic to contemporary Tomoip. Based on these sound changes and morphological evidence, we propose that Tomoip is most closely related to the New Ireland subgroup of the Meso-Melanesian cluster. We further hypothesize that Tomoip and Proto-New Ireland are coordinate branches of a single proto-language, which we call Proto-Tomoip–New Ireland.
  • Item type: Publication ,
    Cattle chill events in northern Australia: observations and predictions
    (2026) Taylor, Rachel; Cowan, Tim; Hinds, Emily; Marshall, Andrew
    Extended periods of cold, wet and windy conditions, known as 'chill events', rapidly increase potential heat loss in livestock. Such events pose substantial risks to cattle, particularly breeds in northern Australia, that are acclimatised and bred for warmer conditions. Yet due to their rarity, very little is known about chill events in tropical climates, particularly during the dry season (May to October). This study provides an observational analysis of two multi-day chill events over Australia's Northern Territory in June 2007 and September 2021; combined, these events caused the deaths of over 700 cattle at two pastoral stations. Here we investigate the meteorological evolution and biometeorological severity of each event using livestock-specific thermal stress indices: the Cattle Comfort Index (CCI) and Livestock Chill Index (LCI). In both events, unusual warmth gave way to extremely cold conditions (CCI < the long-term 1st percentile), including high to very high LCI values despite the events occurring during the May to October dry season. We find that established LCI absolute thresholds developed for southern sheep do not adequately reflect chill severity in northern cattle systems, underscoring the need for locally derived percentile-based measures. We also present an illustrative example of the early-warning signals for the September 2021 event that could have been produced using the Bureau of Meteorology's operational numerical weather prediction system ACCESS-G. Several forecast initialisations indicated a shift towards markedly colder conditions up to 8-10 days in advance. Our results highlight the benefit of integrating agriclimatic indices into forecast products and the need to develop region-and species-appropriate chill thresholds for northern Australia livestock.
  • Item type: Publication ,
    Operationalizing social justice theory in transport resource allocation
    (2026) Qiu, Esta; Rey, David; Waller, Travis
    Operationalizing social justice is challenged by the absence of a universal equity definition and inherent policy trade-offs. This study bridges theoretical social justice principles with operational decision-making by integrating four commonly discussed distributive justice theories—Utilitarianism, Rawls’ Egalitarianism, Prioritarianism, and Capabilitarian Sufficiency—into a bilevel bus frequency optimization model. It introduces linearized equity-oriented formulations to reflect the distinct distributive principles of these theories and proposes justice theory-driven equity metrics to evaluate distributive impacts using different ethical criteria. Using cumulative opportunity as a unit of distribution, the proposed frameworks and metrics are applied to Canberra's southern suburbs. The results demonstrate that the choice of justice framework is not a neutral modelling decision but a normative one, with each framework producing distinct redistributive patterns and community-level trade-offs. This highlights the importance of aligning equity frameworks with policy objectives and governance contexts, as these choices ultimately shape public perception, political feasibility, and the long-term societal goals of transport investment.
  • Item type: Publication ,
    Snake and Moon ‘Right Way Marriage’ Stories on Stone and Bark
    (2025) Balme, Jane; Campbell, Donald; Marshall, Mel; O'Connor, Sue; Sahanna, Arnold; Jnr, Gordon Smith; Andrews, William; Frederick, Ursula
    In northwest Australia, boab trees hold significant cultural values for First Nations people. Their leaves, bark, roots and nuts are important as traditional resources for food, medicine, fibre, water and shade and serve as reference points in the landscape. Some of the tree trunks are inscribed with images and symbols which tell of events and narratives that took place during the time when the landscape was created. One boab tree, at Karunjie Station on Nyaliga Country in the Kimberley, is carved with images of a black-headed python and the moon which are associated with a narrative that is a reminder of cultural law about forbidden love. This narrative is widely related across the central and eastern Kimberley and provides a means of selecting marriage partners over a culturally diverse landscape. On Karunjie Station images associated with this narrative are also painted on two rock shelter walls suggesting the importance of maintaining marriage laws at this location. Adhering to these laws may have been particularly important when European and other foreign colonists disrupted the economy as they appropriated First Nations peoples’ land. Carvings on the Karunjie boab tree demonstrates another way in which First Nations people incorporate boab trees into their culture.