Margaret Alston

Name: Margaret Alston

Title: Professor of Social Work

Affiliation: Monash University

Margaret Alston is Professor of Social Work at Monash University. At Monash University she has established the Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability (GLASS) research unit which has attracted a significant number of PhD students. In 2010 she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to rural women and to social work.

B.Soc. Stud., University of Sydney 1982

Dip. Comp. Applic., Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education 1989

M.Litt, The University of New England (Australia) 1990

PhD, The University of New South Wales 1993

2010- an OAM (Order of Australia Medal) for services to rural women and to social work

2011- appointed a Foundation Fellow of the Australian College of Social Work

2011- featured in a book sponsored by Westpac for the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage. Titled 1 in 100 it outlines the 100 women selected as having made a contribution to the shaping of Australia over the last 100 years

2011- nominated by the Australian government’s Office for Women to be on the gender expert panel for the 2012 Commission for the Status of Women meeting in New York

2008- a member of the Australian delegation to the UN’s Commission for the Status of Women in 2008 in New York

2007- nominated by my local member of Parliament to represent our electorate in the Premiers award for NSW Woman of the Year for my work in exposing the drought hardships

2004, 2005- received the award of Researcher of the Year for the Faculty of Arts at CSU

2002- received a NSW Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) Edna award for services to early career researchers and postgraduate students in mentoring and encouraging their work

Member, advisory working committee, Health Workforce Australia, Teaching and Learning (2010-14)

Member of advisory working group on socio-economic factors – Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Advisor to Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics working group (October 2011)

Development of Rural Women’s Network model for National Rural Women’s Coalition (2009)

Policy paper on gender mainstreaming for Office For Women (2009)

Chair, Australian Council of Schools of Social Work (since 2008)

Address to AASW AGM Melbourne, (November 2011)

Address to AASW AGM Melbourne (November 2012)

UNEP Gender advisor. Geneva – training staff and preparing manual 2012-13

UNESCO Observer to Pacific Women’s Ministerial Forum on Gender and Climate Change, Fiji, (July 2011)

US State Department, Global Women’s Issues section to discuss gender and climate change, (June 2011)

Travel to South Africa to sign MOUs for placements for students (September 2010)

UNESCO for discussion on research collaboration, Apia. Samoa, (June 2010)

UN-Habitat gender expert, global cities and climate change meeting, Mombasa, Kenya, (October 2009)

UN Gender and Climate Change project – expert adviser, visit to India site (2009)

Book launch – Innovative Human Services: Changing Landscapes, Panmacmillan, (July 2011)

Monash University delegate to the World Health Forum, Berlin, (October 2009)

Member of assessment panel for community grants, Gardiner Foundation (2009)

She has secured approximately $2.6 million in grant funding from a variety of sources, including Oxfam, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, state and federal departments, and the ARC.

 

GRANTS

  • 2014-15 – ACIAR grant on food security in Laos ($150 000)
  • 2014-16 ARC Linkage with Gardiner – Social Sustainability in Victorian Dairy Communities ($300000)
  • 2011 – RIRDC – drug and alcohol use amongst farm workers
  • 2011-13- Monash-Oxfam partnership funding – gender and climate change in Bangladesh ($350000)
  • 2011 – Monash-Oxfam partnership funding gender justice paper ($10 000)
  • 2011 – AusAID funding for delegates to Prato (approx $60 000)
  • 2011 – US State Dept funding for delegates to Prato (approx $30 000)
  • 2010 – RIRDC – drug and alcohol use amongst farm workers ($400 000)
  • 2010 – ARC linkage with VU, UniMelb and SydUni on exiting farm families ($180 000)
  • 2010 – UNESCO – gender and CC in the Pacific ($5000)
  • 2009 – paper on gender mainstreaming policy for OFW ($20 000)
  • 2009 –development of Rural Women’s Network model for OFW ($15000)
  • 2009 – DAFF women’s grant award to examine women and climate change ($50 000)
  • 2008 / 9 – study of social impacts of water reform funded by Monash Strategic Grant ($52 000)
  • 2007 – study of the social implications of declining water access in the Murray-Darling Basin funded by Department of Transport and Regional Services ($35 000 )
  • 2006 – study of rural women and maternity experience Nurses and Midwives Board ($30 000)
  • 2006 internal CSU funding for a research assistant ($17500)
  • 2006 ARC Linkage grant to study impacts on rural young people of brain injury with industry partners – rural brain injury units in NSW ($67000)
  • 2006 internal CSU grant for Faculty of Arts Researcher of the year 2005 ($5000)
  • 2006 Office for Women grant to study rural teleworking opportunities ($50 000)
  • 2005 KEIS rural disability evaluation $130 000
  • 2005 internal CSU grant for Faculty of Arts Researcher of the Year 2004 ($5000)
  • 2004 successful RIRDC application to study quarantine risk management with student Andrea Grant $230000
  • 2004 – ARC Discovery unsuccessful – Gender and Power in Rural Areas
  • 2004 – Arc Linkage submitted with industry partner Transport Women Australia Ltd for an APAI ($25000 x 3 years) unsuccessful
  • 2004 ARC linkage submitted with industry partner NSW Dept of Commerce for project on Gender and the Digital Divide unsuccessful
  • 2004 ARC International grant submitted with FAO for project on gender dimensions of drought and desertification ($80000) unsuccessful
  • 2004 consortia project for examination of social and economic impacts of water sharing to NSW DIPNR (total project approx $4million over 5 years – CRSR share approximately $200000 per year) state govt withdrew from the project
  • 2004 National Rural Women’s Coalition – survey of rural women $10 000
  • 2004 research project for DEST and FRRR on rural education $100 000
  • 2003 ARC Discovery Gender and Power in Rural Areas (reserve list)
  • 2003 NSW Agriculture and NSW Premiers grant ($75000) to study the social impacts of drought
  • 2003   Airfare and sustenance payment for 4 weeks in Rome – UN Food and Agriculture Organisaiton to produce a paper on gender mainstreaming in the FAO (approx A$15000)
  • 2001 ARC Linkage grant – to study women in the fishing industry. Industry partner Bureau of Rural Sciences (APAI scholarship)
  • ARC special project to study small towns ($15000)
  • 2001 Riverina Regional Development Board grant ($30 000) to study tertiary access in Western Riverina
  • 2000 – $70 000 to study rural youth unemployment funded by Woolworths
  • 1997 Large ARC Grant successful to investigate Rural Women and Leadership. $67 000 for 1997-8.
  • 1996 Successful tenderer for the DPIE Evaluation of the Rural Communities Access Programs.  $132000.

Large ARC grant proposals for 1995, 1996 and 1997, 2000 into final round.

  • 1995 Small ARC grant to investigate domestic violence in farming areas. ($3,400)

1995 -6 NSW Women’s Grants from Ministry for Women in NSW to investigate gender bias in sports reporting in rural areas  ($20,000).

Books

  1. Keerty Naulty, Margaret Alston and Kerri Whittenbury (eds) (in press) Social Science Research Ethics for a Globalizin​g World: Interdisci​plinary and Cross-Cult​ural Perspectiv​es (Routledge Advances in Research Methods)
  2. Margaret Alston (2015) Women in Bangladesh. Routledge Women in Asia series
  3. Margaret Alston (ed) (2014) Women, Political Struggles and Gender Equality in South Asia  Palgrave Macmillan
  4. McKinnon, Jenny and Margaret Alston (eds) (in press) Eco-Social Work Palgrave Macmillan
  5. Margaret Alston and Kerri Whittenbury (eds) (2012) Research, action and policy: addressing the Gendered impacts of Climate Change, Springer, NY.
  6. Margaret Alston  and Wendy Bowles (2012). Research for Social Workers. 3rd edition. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
  7. Margaret Alston (2009) Innovative Human Services Practice: Changing Landscapes. Panmacmillan, Melbourne
  8. Margaret Alston and Jenny McKinnon (eds) 2005. Fields of Social Work Practice 2nd edition. Oxford University Press.
  9. Margaret Alston  and Wendy Bowles 2003. Research for Social Workers. 2nd edition. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
  10. Margaret Alston and Jenny McKinnon (eds) 2001. Fields of Social Work Practice. Oxford University Press.
  11. Margaret Alston 2000 Breaking through the Grass Ceiling: Women, Power and Leadership in Rural Australia. Harwood Publishers, England.
  12. Margaret Alston  and Wendy Bowles 1998. Research for Social Workers. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
  13. Margaret Alston 1995. Women on the Land: The Hidden Heart of Rural Australia, University of NSW Press, Sydney.

Book Chapters

Published

  1. Alston, Margaret (in press) The Genderness of Climate Change. In Shortall, Sally and Bettina Bock (in press) Rural Gender Relations: issues and case studies. London: CABI International
  2. Clarke, Jo and Margaret Alston (in press) Understanding the ‘Local’ amd ‘Global’: Intersections engendering change for women in family farming in Australia. In Kubik, Wendee and Amber Fletcher Women in Agriculture Worldwide: Key Issues and Practical Approaches. Canada, Gower publishers
  3. Alston, Margaret and Kerri Whittenbury (in press)  Women and Food Security in South Asia. In Kubik, Wendee and Amber Fletcher Women in Agriculture Worldwide: Key Issues and Practical Approaches. Canada, Gower publishers
  4. Alston, Margaret (in press) Gendered outcomes in post-disaster sites: public policy and resource distribution. In Cohen, Marjorie Gender, Climate Change and Work in Rich countries.
  5. Alston, Margaret (in press)  In Matthies, Aila-Leena and Kati Narhi EcoSocial transitions of Society: Contribution of Social Work and Social Policy. London, Ashgate
  6. Alston, Margaret (in press) Feminism and Rural Community Development. In Sarah Wendt (ed) Contemporary Feminisms in Social Work Practice. Routledge
  7. Alston, Margaret (2014) Introduction – Women in South Asia. In Margaret Alston (ed) (in press) Women, Politics and Activism Palgrave Macmillan
  8. Alston, Margaret (2014) Conclusion – Women in South Asia. In Margaret Alston (ed) (in press) Women, Politics and Activism Palgrave Macmillan
  9. McKinnon, Jenny and Margaret Alston. Introducing Ecological Social Work. In McKinnon, Jenny and Margaret Alston (eds) (in press) Eco-Social Work Palgrave Macmillan
  10. Alston, Margaret, Kerri Whittenbury and Deb Western (in press) Rural Community Sustainability. In McKinnon, J. and M. Alston (eds) Eco-Social Work. Palgrave Macmillan
  11. Alston, Margaret, Tricia Hazeleger and Desley Hargraves (in press) Social Work in post-disaster sites. In McKinnon, J. and M. Alston (eds) Eco-Social Work. Palgrave Macmillan
  12. Alston, Margaret (2014) Rural Policy: shaping women’s lives. In Anthony Hogan and Michelle Young (eds) Regional Futures. Routledge
  13. Alston, Margaret (invited chapter, under review) Rural Social Work, Lena Dominelli (ed) International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioural Sciences published by Elsevier
  14. Alston, Margaret and Susan Vize (under review) Gender and Climate Change in the Pacific. Chapter for UNESCO book
  15. Margaret Alston (2013) Social Work in the Context of Climate Change and Disasters. In Marie Connolly and Louise Harms (eds) Social Work: Contexts and Practice, Oxford University Press, Melbourne
  16. Margaret Alston (2012) Introduction: Gender and Climate Change. In Margaret Alston and Kerri Whittenbury (eds) Research, action and policy: addressing the Gendered impacts of Climate Change, Springer, NY. Pp. 3-16
  17. Margaret Alston (2012) Gender and Climate Change in Australia and the Pacific. In Margaret Alston and Kerri Whittenbury (eds) Research, action and policy: addressing the Gendered impacts of Climate Change, Springer, NY. Pp. 175-188
  18. Margaret Alston, Kerri Whittenbury and Alex Haynes (under review) Lessons from the field: Outsider research in a cross-cultural gender project, In Keerty Nakray (ed) Cross-Cultural Issues in Research.
  19. Margaret Alston (2012) Gender-Based-Violence in Post-Disaster Recovery Situations: an emerging public health issue. In Keerty Nakray (ed) Gender Based Violence and its Impact on Health  Routledge
  20. Margaret Alston (2012) Social Work: providing health care to people, families and communities. In Willis, Eileen, Louise Reynolds and Helen Keleher (eds) Understanding the Australian Health Care System. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, Sydney. Pp 319-330
  21. Margaret Alston and Fred Besthorn (2012) Environment and Sustainability, In Karen Lyons, Terry Hokenstad, Manohar Pawar, Nathalie Huegler (eds), SAGE Handbook of International Social Work  International Social Work, London
  22. Margaret Alston (2012) Addressing the Effects of Climate Change on Rural Communities. In Jane Maidment and Uschi Bay (eds) Social Work in Rural Australia: Enabling Practice. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest NSW pp. 204-220
  23. Margaret Alston (2010) Australia’s Rural Welfare Policy: overlooked and demoralised. In Paul Milbourne (ed) International Perspectives on Rural Welfare.
  24. Allan, Julaine, Ball, Patrick and Alston, Margaret 2009 The impact of policy processes on children’s access to healthcare in rural Australia, in Bell E, Merrick J, eds., Child rural health. International aspects. New York: Nova Science
  25. Margaret Alston (2010) Gender and Climate Change. In John Martin (ed) Climate Change in Regional Australia: Social Learning and Adaptation. ASSA, Canberra. (John. Martin, Maureen Rogers and Caroline Winter eds (2009) Climate Change in Regional Australia: Social Learning and Adaptation, Ballarat, Victorian Universities Regional Research Network Press. ISBN 9781876851361.Your chapter ‘Gender and Climate Change’ is pp 45-64.
  26. Margaret Alston. (2008) Working with Communities. In Social Work: Contexts and Practice. Melbourne, Oxford University Press.
  27. Margaret Alston (2009) Health and the Environment. In Paul Bywater, Lindsey Napier and Eileen MacLeod (eds) Social Work and Global Health Inequalities. Polity Press.
  28. Margaret Alston (2007) Collaborative health care practice within the rural context. In Sandra Taylor, Michele Foster and Jennifer Fleming (eds) Healthcare Practice and Policy in Australia, Oxford University Press, Sydney
  29. Margaret Alston (2007) Maintaining Vibrant Communities. In D. Swain (ed) Redesigning Animal Agriculture. CABI, Wallinford, UK pp 18-29.
  30. Margaret Alston (2006) The Impact of Drought on Gender and Power Differentials in Australian Farm Families. In B Bock and S Shortall (eds) Rural Gender Relations: Issues and Case Studies. CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire.
  31. Margaret Alston (2006). Gender Dimensions of Water Management. In Lahiri-Dutt, Kuntala (ed) Fluid bonds: Views on gender and water, Stree, Calcutta. Pp. 246-257
  32. Margaret Alston and Jenny McKinnon (2005) The Context of Contemporary Social Work Practice. In Alston and McKinnon (eds) Social Work Fields of Practice. OUP, Melbourne
  33. Margaret Alston (2005) Working with Women. In Alston and McKinnon (eds) Social Work Fields of Practice. OUP, Melbourne
  34. Margaret Alston (2005). Drought and social exclusion. Participation and Governance in Regional Development,Edited by Robyn Eversole and John Martin, Ashgate.
  35. Margaret Alston 2004. Social Exclusion in Rural Areas. In Cocklin, C. and Dibden, J., (eds.), Sustainability and Change in Rural Australia, UNSW Press, Kensington.
  36. Margaret Alston 2004. Gender Issues in Rural Areas. Cocklin, C. and Dibden, J., (eds.), Sustainability and Change in Rural Australia, UNSW Press, Kensington.
  37. Margaret Alston 2003 Gender Dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line. In refereed conference proceedings, Social Dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line in Rural Australia, ed Bob Pritchard, Alan Curtis, John Spriggs and Richard Le Heron, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Dept of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries, Canberra
  38. Wilkinson, Jane, Iane Gray and Margaret Alston 2003. Tumbarumba: a case study. In Cocklin, Chris and Margaret Alston (eds) 2003 Community Sustainability: A Question of Capital. Centre for Rural Social Research, Wagga Wagga
  39. Margaret Alston 2001. Working with Women. In Margaret Alston and Jenny McKinnon (eds) Fields of Social Work Practice. Oxford University Press.
  40. Margaret Alston and Jenny McKinnon. 2001. Introduction. In Margaret Alston and Jenny McKinnon (eds) Fields of Social Work Practice. Oxford University Press.
  41. Margaret Alston 1997. Socio-cultural factors and family farming. In Jim Lees (ed) A Legacy under threat: Family Farming in Australia.  Rural Development Centre: UNE. Pp 99-120
  42. Margaret Alston 1996.  Backs to the Wall: Rural Women make Formidable Activists. In Social Change in Rural Australia.  Geoffrey Lawrence, Kristen Lyons and Salim Momtaz (eds).  Rural Social and Economic Research Centre, UCQ, Rockhampton. Pp 77-84
  43. Margaret Alston 1995.’Women in Rural Australia: A Case for Cultural Misogyny’. Paper for Key Papers No 4. Australian Rural Culture and Ideology, edited by Perry Share, Centre for Rural Social Research. Pp 87-96
  44. Margaret Alston 1994. ‘Women and the Rural Crisis’  published in Country Women at the Crossroads, edited by Dr Margaret-Ann Franklin, Lyn Short and Elizabeth Tether, UNE, Armidale. Pp 11-17
  45. Margaret Alston 1994. ‘Farm Women and Feminism’ in Country Women at the Crossroads, edited by Dr Margaret Anne Franklin, Lyn Short and Elizabeth Teather, published by UNE, Armidale. Pp 24-30
  46. Margaret Alston 1993. ‘The Personal, Practical and Political Aspects of Rural Social Work Practice’, Keynote Address. Conference Proceedings of Victorian Rural Social Work Conference.
  47. Margaret Alston 1991. `Women’s Place in the Future of Agriculture’. In Key Papers number 2, edited by M Alston. Pp 93-100
  48. Margaret Alston 1990. `Farm Women and Work’ In Key Papers Number 1: Rural Women,  Edited by Margaret Alston, Centre for Rural Social Research. Pp 29-40.