This paper examines the formative period (1913–1935) and the developmental period (1936–1950s) of Australian composer, pianist, and educator Miriam Hyde (1913–2005). By comparing her autobiography Complete Accord (1991) with contemporary newspaper articles, it explores the dynamic relationship between her self-image and her social evaluation. During the formative period, Hyde received significant support from the community of her birthplace, Adelaide, and considerable attention from the local media. These factors positioned her as a promising young musician, enabling advanced studies in London through scholarship programmes. The developmental period marked a significant shift, as she relocated to Sydney and established her position as both a performer and a composer. At the same time, she expanded her professional scope by assuming roles as an educator and commentator, thereby increasing her visibility and influence within the musical community. Through her multifaceted activities in performance, composition, teaching, examining and writing, Hyde achieved recognition not only within Australia but also internationally. A comparative analysis of newspaper materials reveals a notable expansion in the geographical range of coverage of her work alongside shifts in tone and emphasis. These changes trace her transformation from a regionally supported prodigy into a musician acknowledged on an international stage. By using autobiography and newspapers as complementary sources, this study illuminates a more complex and multidimensional portrait of Hyde. It demonstrates how her artistic trajectory and social engagement can be interpreted within the broader cultural history of twentieth-century Australia. Consequently, the paper highlights the interaction between personal narrative and public discourse, suggesting that Hyde’s career cannot be fully understood without considering the reciprocal influences between her self-representation and the wider social frameworks in which she operated.

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This paper examines how the principle of self-determination has been institutionally implemented and transformed within Aboriginal art policy in Australia, with a particular focus on the Northern Territory since the 2000s. Taking the National Aboriginal Art Gallery project in Alice Springs as a case study, it explores the gap between policy ideals and administrative practices by analyzing government documents, parliamentary records, and legal judgments. While the principle of self-determination has been officially embraced in cultural policy frameworks, its implementation often remains shaped by state-led decision-making processes. This study highlights the limits of institutional inclusion and reveals how Indigenous participation has been constrained within bureaucratic procedures, particularly in the processes of site selection and a state tribunal ruling in the Northern Territory. By critically tracing these developments, the paper sheds light on issues around how the principle of self-determination has been reconfigured under contemporary policy logic and seeks to contribute to historical understandings of Indigenous policy and cultural governance in Australia.

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This study considers the relationship between current official multiculturalism and everyday multiculturalism in Australia by focusing on international education policy and the educational and living conditions of Asian international students. Based on policy documents and research, it traces the historical development of international education policies related to Asian international students. Notably, it analyses the content of two national strategic policy papers for international education, the National Strategy for International Education 2025 (2016) and the Australian Strategy for International Education 2021–2030 (2021), from the perspective of the above two forms of multiculturalism. While both policy papers are strongly influenced by neoliberalism and the concept of productive diversity underlying current official multiculturalism broadly speaking, they refer to everyday multiculturalism in relation to Asian international students, the importance of intercultural communication on university campuses and in local communities, and the wellbeing of international students. This approach reflects the diverse positioning and characteristics of international students as consumers, potential skilled workers, immigrants, learners, and so on, which has been noted by the previous WPR approach analysis of international education policy. However, this approach is based on the direction of current official multiculturalism and the ‘productive politicisation’ of everyday multiculturalism. To improve the social and cultural environment and wellbeing of Asian international students, additional policies and initiatives are needed at the national/federal level that go beyond politicised references and are consistent with everyday multiculturalism, the realities facing Asian international students, and policies and initiatives on the ground at the state/local level.

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The COVID-19 pandemic which originated in Wuhan, China in 2019, dealt a severe blow to the global economy. After the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a pandemic in March 2020, the Australian government banned the entry of foreign nationals and the travel of its own citizens. These stringent state border controls became known as “Fortress Australia.” The downturn in industries like tourism caused the country’s GDP to fall below the previous year's levels in both the January-March and April-June quarters of that year, bringing an end to a long period of prolonged economic growth that was unprecedented in Australia's and any other advanced economies’ history. Amid this situation, then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in April 2020 that an investigation into the origins of the corona virus in China was necessary, prompting a fierce reaction from the Chinese government. In May, it suspended the export licenses for four Australian beef processing companies to China and imposed high anti-dumping tariffs on Australian barley. These import restrictions on Australian products lasted for four and a half years, until December 2024. This paper examines these Chinese import restrictions on Australian products as “economic sanctions” and analyzes their impact. Building on prior research and using Australian Bureau of Statistics export value data, seven product categories were identified as sanction targets, and the specific sanction periods for each were analyzed. The results show that while exports to China decreased by AUD 42 billion, total exports to the global market excluding China increased by AUD 1158 billion. Consequently, the impact of China's economic sanctions on Australia's total export value was minimal. Analyzing the impact of the sanctions from both Chinese and Australian perspectives reveals that, for China, the sanctions against Australia effectively failed. In Australia, the public lost trust in China and other foreign policy areas, such as regional security, were not affected. This provides a significant case study in how to respond should China adopt similar economic diplomacy measures or sanctions toward other countries or regions in the future.

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