tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/greater-western-sydney-2247/articlesGreater Western Sydney – The Conversation2023-05-08T05:43:22Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2039322023-05-08T05:43:22Z2023-05-08T05:43:22ZBold and innovative planning is delivering Australia’s newest city. But it will be hot – and can we ditch the colonial name?<p>A massive project is unfolding in Sydney’s Western Parkland region. The building of a new city from the ground up is central to an infrastructure-led restructuring of metropolitan Sydney. The catalysts are the <a href="https://www.wpca.sydney/coordination/western-sydney-city-deal/">Western Sydney City Deal</a> and the <a href="https://infrastructurepipeline.org/project/western-sydney-airport">Western Sydney Airport</a> being built alongside the new Bradfield City. </p>
<p>Bradfield city is being developed on unceded Aboriginal land with complex ongoing settler-colonial legacies and high stakes for diverse First Nations communities – including the <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/census-population-and-housing-counts-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-australians/latest-release">largest urban Indigenous population</a> in Australia. Yet it is named after a <a href="https://southwestvoice.com.au/bradfield-aerotropolis/">colonial figure with no connection to the land</a>.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/henry-halloran-trust/research-grants-and-programs/infrastructure-governance-incubator.html">case study research</a> acknowledges what is happening in the <a href="https://www.wpca.sydney/">Western Parkland development</a> as being at the forefront of urban and infrastructure governance across Australia. It’s particularly notable how all three tiers of government – federal, state and local – have come together in this massive project. </p>
<p>Yet we have also identified a range of concerns, including public consultation, project funding, urban heat and water demand, the need for affordable and public housing, and other social equity issues.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/523570/original/file-20230501-18-l8bw6m.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The new Western Parkland city and airport lie about 55km west of the Sydney CBD.</span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-planning-strategies-for-western-sydney-jobs-but-do-they-add-up-139386">3 planning strategies for Western Sydney jobs, but do they add up?</a>
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<h2>City’s name is not a good start</h2>
<p>The case study is part of a three-year (2020-2023) research project, the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/henry-halloran-trust/research-grants-and-programs/infrastructure-governance-incubator.html">Infrastructure Governance Incubator</a>, across three universities – Sydney, Melbourne and Monash. Our study includes 55 interviews with key stakeholders from all tiers of government, as well as non-government and community voices. </p>
<p>Participants from across the board have seen the “Bradfield” naming as a shameful decision. It’s in stark contrast to the positive steps towards supporting Indigenous voices throughout the project. These steps include the <a href="https://www.planning.org.au/aboutpianew/nsw-citations/presidents-award">award-winning</a> Recognise Country guidelines, Indigenous-led design projects, <a href="https://www.wpca.sydney/get-involved/koori-perspectives-circle/">a Koori Perspectives Circle</a>, and new Indigenous roles within government authorities to support engagement efforts. </p>
<p>In Australian cities, it is critical we explore the role of infrastructure in perpetuating settler-coloniality and in making space for Indigenous-led futures. The complex challenges of a case like this can inform important discussions about how we might improve infrastructure planning to produce just and sustainable approaches.</p>
<p>Our research participants saw a need for governments to give meaningful attention to building relationships and developing cross-cultural understandings. This involves early conversations with Aboriginal groups and adequate resourcing for engagement. Too often, these groups are brought on late in processes after key decisions are already made. </p>
<p>Interviewees stressed the importance of governments “learning to listen”. This requires having the openness to hear what is being said even if inconvenient. Many participants wanted to see Indigenous voices empowered in decision-making, not simply advisory.</p>
<p>“Listening” also means “listening to Country”. Part of demonstrating commitment to relationship building involves sustainably protecting Country. Early and ongoing public scrutiny is essential to ensure the project’s short-term approaches align with long-term perspectives on sustainable outcomes. It may also mean taking steps more slowly and carefully to get it right.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-peoples-across-the-globe-are-uniquely-equipped-to-deal-with-the-climate-crisis-so-why-are-we-being-left-out-of-these-conversations-171724">Indigenous peoples across the globe are uniquely equipped to deal with the climate crisis – so why are we being left out of these conversations?</a>
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<p>The state government could take some key actions. These include committing resources to advancing the <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-nsw-there-have-been-significant-wins-for-first-nations-land-rights-but-unprocessed-claims-still-outnumber-the-successes-186121">many Indigenous land claims</a> and applying exemptions to development barriers such as biodiversity offset obligations. These currently treat First Nation stakeholders like a developer, ignoring their long and ongoing care for Country.</p>
<p>Many participants also raised <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/urban-heat-island-effect-western-sydney/">serious environmental concerns</a>, including water management and <a href="https://wsroc.com.au/projects/project-turn-down-the-heat">extreme heat</a> in the new city. Heatwaves can be <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-western-sydney-is-feeling-the-heat-from-climate-change-more-than-the-rest-of-the-city-201477">5-10°C hotter</a> there than the rest of Sydney. </p>
<p>Some fundamentally questioned a massive greenfield development in such a vulnerable environment. Others saw this as a chance to make much-needed transformational changes to our planning systems. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-western-sydney-is-feeling-the-heat-from-climate-change-more-than-the-rest-of-the-city-201477">Why Western Sydney is feeling the heat from climate change more than the rest of the city</a>
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<h2>Focus on jobs overshadows other issues</h2>
<p>The political focus is on creating jobs in Western Sydney. Participants generally agreed it’s important to <a href="https://theconversation.com/jobs-deficit-drives-army-of-daily-commuters-out-of-western-sydney-139384">rebalance the metropolitan job market</a> and economy.</p>
<p>However, many were concerned this focus has come at the expense of attention to other aspects of inequity, including access to affordable and public housing, public health and social services.</p>
<p>In terms of metropolitan planning, the centralised way the new strategy was adopted is a problem. The concept came from the then Greater Sydney Commission and was supported by the <a href="https://www.wpca.sydney/about/the-western-parkland-city/">region’s councils</a>. </p>
<p>The communities of the wider Sydney region, however, were not given strategic alternatives to consider. In particular, the concept was not put to traditional Indigenous custodians before being adopted. </p>
<p>One of the alternatives might have acknowledged the outer west as the hottest part of Sydney. It could instead have considered development in cooler parts such as Dural or the Central Coast. These sites might have been better placed to manage global warming challenges. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A Western Sydney Parkland Authority video outlines the plans for Australia’s newest city.</span></figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/half-of-western-sydney-foodbowl-land-may-have-been-lost-to-development-in-just-10-years-190148">Half of Western Sydney foodbowl land may have been lost to development in just 10 years</a>
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<h2>Governance is still a work in progress</h2>
<p>Our participants agreed the complexity of urban challenges requires a concerted effort to better integrate infrastructure decision-making. Part of the challenge is to overcome legacies of fragmented urban governance. It’s a result of divisions of responsibilities between tiers of government and siloed decision-making across and within these tiers.</p>
<p>The Western Sydney City Deal is generally seen as a major step towards better integration of all levels of government. Nevertheless, participants note important shortfalls. </p>
<p>City Deal funding committed to date is likely too little, given the major place-making ambitions. While it’s useful for short-term projects, local governments need solutions for their major long-term funding issues, especially in the face of new growth pressures. Lack of funding fuels existing cultures of competition between authorities.</p>
<p>The Western Sydney City Deal has had some welcome successes in improving collaboration between the three levels of government. Local governments have secured “<a href="https://theparks.nsw.gov.au/">seats at the table</a>”, where they have been able to renegotiate the terms of collaboration and governance.</p>
<p>However, important questions remain about how governments collaborate with community infrastructure sectors, non-government organisations and community advocates. Many have raised concerns about lack of meaningful inclusion or being engaged too late for meaningful impact.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-western-sydney-residents-grapple-with-climate-change-they-want-political-action-200917">As Western Sydney residents grapple with climate change, they want political action</a>
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<p>An example of these issues is the three-year review required under the Western Sydney City Deal signed in 2018. An independent university group completed the review in 2021. It has never been released to the public. </p>
<p>Interviewees told us the review was productive and made useful governance recommendations. However, some suggested it was not released due to state government discomfort with the findings. </p>
<p>We strongly urge the newly elected state government to make the review public and commit to a timely release of all similar documents in future. This will help build trust with the community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203932/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tooran Alizadeh receives funding from Henry Halloran Research Trust and Australian Research Council. The Infrastructure Governance Incubator is funded by the trust and partnered by the Planning Institute of Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glen Searle receives funding from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Clements receives funding from the Henry Halloran Research Trust. </span></em></p>The new city bears a colonial name and there are questions about locating it in the hottest part of Sydney, but we are also seeing all 3 tiers of government work together in an innovative way.Tooran Alizadeh, Associate Professor in Urbanism and Infrastructure, ARC Future Fellow, University of SydneyGlen Searle, Honorary Associate Professor in Planning, University of Queensland, University of SydneyRebecca Clements, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/774032017-07-14T03:16:15Z2017-07-14T03:16:15ZBlaming migrants won’t solve Western Sydney’s growing pains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/169296/original/file-20170515-7011-86autq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many people in culturally diverse populations in Western Sydney have lived in Australia for many years, if not several generations.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Population growth has profound impacts on Australian life, and sorting myths from facts can be difficult. This article is part of our series, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/is-australia-full-39068">Is Australia Full?</a>, which aims to help inform a wide-ranging and often emotive debate.</em></p>
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<p>Western Sydney is one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. It’s also one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse, as a key arrival point for refugees and new migrants when they first settle in Australia.</p>
<p>Various <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/liberal-candidate-links-asylum-seekers-to-traffic-jams-and-hospital-queues-20130902-2t1kw.html">public</a> <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/mark-latham-immigration-is-destroying-housing-affordability-we-need-an-australiafirst-migration-program/news-story/f5597b09f8e449aa5e32985ac93cb700">figures</a> and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4182366/Iraq-Syria-refugees-warned-no-Australia.html">media</a> outlets have connected asylum-seeker intake and immigration to traffic congestion and queues at hospitals in Western Sydney. </p>
<p>However, this kind of reaction can pin the blame for infrastructure and affordability problems on culturally diverse populations who may have already lived in Australia for many years, if not several generations.</p>
<h2>Growth from international and domestic migration</h2>
<p>Greater Western Sydney includes Blacktown, the Blue Mountains, Camden,
Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield
Hawkesbury, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith, the Hills Shire and Wollondilly.</p>
<p>We examined census data <a href="http://www.westir.org.au/new/index.php/census-2016">compiled by WESTIR Ltd</a>, a non-profit research organisation based in Western Sydney, partly funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services. These data <a href="http://www.westir.org.au/new/index.php/census-2016">show</a> that Greater Western Sydney’s population increased by 9.8% between 2011 and 2016. Over the decade from 2006 to 2016, it grew by 16%. </p>
<p>About <a href="http://www.westir.org.au/new/index.php/census-2016">55%</a> of those living there were born in Australia, and about 39% where born elsewhere (the remainder did not state their place of birth). Most put English or Australian as their first response when asked about their ancestry.</p>
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<p>New births are slightly down in the region, meaning growth is coming from other sources. This includes new international migration arrivals, but also incoming residents from other parts of New South Wales and interstate.</p>
<p>Greater Western Sydney has long-established cultural and linguistic diversity. The percentage of residents born overseas has increased from 34.1% in 2006 to 38.7% in 2016. Overall, the west accounts for 50.2% of the overseas-born population for the whole of metropolitan Sydney.</p>
<p>Reasoned debates on sustainable migration intake levels are a crucial part of discussions of urban and regional growth. There are valid criticisms of “Big Australia” policies, based on resource and environmental sustainability. </p>
<p>But while the number of new arrivals settling in Western Sydney has increased steadily since the second world war, with a significant jump over the last decade reflecting accelerated skilled migration policies to fill labour shortages, the majority of overseas-born living in the region are long-term settlers who have been in Australia for ten years or more. </p>
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<h2>Increasing diversity does not always mean more new migrant settlers</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://www.westir.org.au/new/index.php/census-2016">data</a> show that 64% of Western Sydney residents have at least one parent born overseas. This is greater than the number of those born overseas. This correlates with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/27/australia-reaches-tipping-point-with-quarter-of-population-born-overseas">national</a> data indicating that Australian-born second-generation migrant residents outnumber those born outside of Australia. </p>
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<p>So while critics may look at non-white Western Sydney residents and assume they are recent migrants, what they’re often really seeing is multiple generations of multiculturalism. Most of these people are long-term local residents, not necessarily a sudden influx of new arrivals.</p>
<p>In addition, not all overseas-born residents are permanent settlers. Australia takes far larger numbers of temporary entrants than it has in the past. Most of these temporary visa holders, such as international students and temporary skilled workers, live in major metropolitan areas and their surrounds, like Western Sydney.</p>
<p>While some portion of these populations do stay on longer-term, they are not all permanent settlers who will add to long-term population growth. <a href="http://insidestory.org.au/how-many-migrants-come-to-australia-each-year">Net migration figures</a>, which take into account people who depart Australia every year as well as arrive, and exclude short-term visitors, have generally been decreasing over the past six years. </p>
<h2>Who do we define as ‘migrants’?</h2>
<p>New Zealand citizens moving under Trans-Tasman agreements and migrants from the United Kingdom are still among the largest migrant groups in Greater Western Sydney. </p>
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<p>In many local government areas in Western Sydney – such as Wollondilly, the Hills Shire, Penrith, Hawkesbury and Campbelltown – England and/or New Zealand feature in the top five countries of birth of overseas-born residents. </p>
<p>If anxieties about migration and population in Western Sydney are based on genuine sustainability concerns and not xenophobia, why target mostly refugees and non-white migrants? Why focus only on areas with large non-white and non-English-speaking background populations?</p>
<h2>Migrants do use infrastructure, but also drive economic and jobs growth</h2>
<p>It’s never as simple as one new arrival “using up” an allocation of limited resources, whether jobs, housing, or seats on trains. In fact, new arrivals fill the gaps of an ageing workforce, and current migration policies are targeted to favour younger migrants and specific skills shortages.</p>
<p>Western Sydney, like many regions in Australia, has an ageing population. Residents aged 65-74 years increased from 6.2% in 2011 to 7.2% in 2016. </p>
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<p>Large-scale infrastructure – whether the slated new airport or the Westmead hospital – requires young and often skilled workers.</p>
<p>Nationally, recently arrived overseas-born residents have a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/27/australia-reaches-tipping-point-with-quarter-of-population-born-overseas">lower median age</a> and a <a href="http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/migrant-intake/report/migrant-intake-report.pdf">higher level of education</a> than Australian-born residents.</p>
<p>Infrastructure problems are also problems of policy, planning and funding, rather than just population numbers. Problems in transport and health infrastructure in Western Sydney cannot be easily solved by reactive anti-immigration attitudes or policies. </p>
<p>Cuts to programs like the humanitarian program or skilled temporary work visas, where the intake numbers remain relatively small as a proportion of the overall population, will not solve those infrastructure problems.</p>
<p>Western Sydney is growing, and with growth comes growing pains. But equating the region’s rich cultural diversity with a population crisis is the wrong message to send.</p>
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<p><em>You can read other articles in the Is Australia Full? series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/is-australia-full-39068">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/77403/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shanthi Robertson receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristine Aquino has undertaken research with WESTIR Ltd. in the past. </span></em></p>Reasoned debates on sustainable migration intake levels are important. But transport and health infrastructure shortfalls in Western Sydney won’t be solved by reactive anti-immigration attitudes.Shanthi Robertson, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney UniversityKristine Aquino, Lecturer in Global Studies, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/393732015-03-27T01:38:11Z2015-03-27T01:38:11ZA science centre in Western Sydney will inspire more than just kids<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76095/original/image-20150326-30359-1ojhsyp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Western Sydney needs a science centre such as Questacon to help engage young people with science, technology and engineering.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Questacon</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Greater Western Sydney (GWS) region is the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/3218.0%7E2011-12%7EMain+Features%7ENew+South+Wales?OpenDocument">fastest growing region in Sydney</a>. It has a population of <a href="http://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/115432/Greater_Western_Sydney_summary_statistics_November_2012_FINAL.pdf">more than two million people</a> and more than <a href="http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/news/greatteaching/submissions/uni-western-sydney.pdf">240,000 businesses</a>.</p>
<p>It also has a large student population in both primary and secondary schools of over 300,000 students, and a <a href="http://www.uws.edu.au/">university</a> that is going from strength to strength in the areas of research and innovative blended teaching and learning, and up-to-date <a href="http://wsi.tafensw.edu.au/">TAFE Colleges</a>.</p>
<p>What it doesn’t have is a science centre, such as <a href="https://www.questacon.edu.au/">Questacon</a>: somewhere people – particularly young people – can go to engage with science. Building such a centre in Western Sydney would have tremendous benefits not only for students but also for the public awareness of science and Australia’s future prosperity.</p>
<h2>Falling behind</h2>
<p>The 2012 OECD Program for International Student Assessment (<a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/">PISA</a>) report <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results.htm">assessed the competencies</a> of 15 year olds in reading, writing and science in 65 countries and economies. It placed the East Asian nations – China, Singapore and Hong Kong – at the top three spots, while Australia was ranked number 19. </p>
<p>Both Hong Kong and Singapore established science centres in the early 1970s. They are now reaping the benefits of their investment in involving youngsters at a very early age in science through a hands on science experience. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76192/original/image-20150327-8682-1f0mjqy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Year 12 participation rates in mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics, 1992-2010.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Office of the Chief Scientist</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If Western Sydney wishes to compete in the international science and technology market, it needs to urgently establish a hands on science centre to entice more young people into taking up careers in science and engineering, which are the drivers of economic growth. Otherwise it will remain in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/aspiring-to-something-magnificent-with-science-in-australia-39248">backwaters of the digital age</a> that is engulfing world economies. </p>
<p>Australia’s Chief Scientist, Ian Chubb, has already noted that there has been a <a href="http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/Office-of-the-Chief-Scientist-MES-Report-8-May-2012.pdf">serious decline</a> in the number of Year 12 students doing biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics.</p>
<p>In fact, in the period 1992 to 2010, the proportion of year 12 students in biology fell from 35% to 24%. In physics it fell from 21% to 14%, and chemistry from 24% to 16%. </p>
<p>This is serious for the nation, but more so for a Western Sydney that wants to compete in the international science and engineering markets. And according to Chubb, if we fail to act, “a decline in our productivity growth relative to our region’s leading economies would put us at a growing disadvantage in maintaining our national wealth and security”. </p>
<h2>Getting ahead</h2>
<p>The closest up-to-date hands-on science centre for teachers, students and the public to visit is in <a href="https://www.questacon.edu.au/">Canberra</a>. This is about four hours away from Western Sydney. Added to this is the high cost of visiting this centre. </p>
<p>As a consequence a very large fraction of the schools in Western Sydney do not use this facility to expose their students to a hands-on enquiry based science experience, which is a teaching and learning strategy strongly advocated by the <a href="https://www.science.org.au/science-by-doing">Australian Academy of Science</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/primary-school-science-education-is-there-a-winning-formula-5449">eminent science educators</a>. </p>
<p>A science centre in Western Sydney will be of immense value to science teachers in exposing their students to the latest developments in science and engineering, which is doubling every 18 months according to the <a href="https://www.td.org/">American Society of Training and Documentation</a>. </p>
<p>Science teachers will also be able to use specialised scientific equipment which is normally not available in their schools. It will also assist them in explaining difficult scientific concepts in a hands-on environment. </p>
<p>Science programs run by the science centre for teachers will keep them up-to-date with the latest developments in science. If attendance at other Australian cultural institutions is anything to go by, a science centre could attract over 180,000 visitors per year.</p>
<p>The University of Western Sydney is one of largest universities in Australia and is one of the <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2014/one-hundred-under-fifty/institution/university-of-western-sydney">top 100</a> newly emerging universities in the world. </p>
<p>It is well placed to provide training for the scientific and technical manpower for the industries in the Western Sydney region. It can do this in a more efficient and productive way by getting more young people engaged in science and engineering activities when they are young and their minds are most plastic to absorb the new concepts of science and engineering.</p>
<p>With the location of <a href="https://theconversation.com/abbott-confirms-badgerys-creek-for-sydneys-second-airport-25661">Badgery’s Creek Airport</a> in Western Sydney, this becomes even more important for the economic growth of the region. The science centre will become a crucial institution for attracting young people to consider careers in science and engineering which will support the new high-tech industries that will be built in and around the airport. </p>
<p>It will also help to redress the shortage of skilled scientists, technicians and engineers which has been affecting the region into growing into the technological powerhouse for NSW. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/76097/original/image-20150326-30367-13h06yw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A science centre can not only wow, but also teach.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Questacon</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Embracing STEM</h2>
<p>The establishment cost of a science centre is estimated to be between <a href="https://www.rawlhouse.com/australian-construction-handbook.php">A$15 million and A$20 million</a>, depending on the design, exhibits space and architectural layout of the building. </p>
<p>This is a modest sum when one considers that the NSW government has been subsiding the city’s cultural institutions, such as the Power House Museum, Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum and the Historic Houses Trust, to the tune of several million dollars for the last ten years. It spent over A$80 million in the Financial Year 2012-2013, excluding the capital works grants that the government has been providing these institutions. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/your_council/news/media/2015/february_2015/lord_mayor_welcomes_visionary_relocation_of_powerhouse_museum_to_parramatta2">relocation of the Powerhouse Museum</a> to Western Sydney is not going to solve the problem of attracting young people to embrace the new technologies that are coming online at an exponential rate. By the time the relocation of the museum is completed it is estimated that it will cost the NSW taxpayer over A$60 million. </p>
<p>This money could be much more wisely spent on building a hands-on science centre for the youth and citizens of Western Sydney. A science centre by definition is a hands-on enquiry based institution which provides interactive exhibits that illustrate the concepts, principles and applications of science and engineering which are focused on the latest advances in science and engineering. The Powerhouse Museum is a great institution which serves its purpose of showcasing nostalgic 19th century technology and the applied arts. </p>
<p>The benefits a science centre will provide for Western Sydney are manifold: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>a highly educational hands-on science experience for primary and secondary school students, including Indigenous youth</p></li>
<li><p>an innovative and up-to-date resource for science teachers</p></li>
<li><p>research-led programs on the latest developments in science, medicine and engineering through refresher courses for teachers</p></li>
<li><p>information on the latest developments in science, engineering and medicine to the public so as to enable them to participate actively in science policy issues, such as climate change, sustainable energy, etc</p></li>
<li><p>a venue for industry to showcase their new inventions and products and promote high-tech industry to locate in Western Sydney and</p></li>
<li><p>an exciting and innovative attraction for tourists visiting Western Sydney. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>The leaders and citizens of Western Sydney need to grasp the idea of a hands-on science centre if they wish not only to compete with the East Asian nations in the coming years but also give the young people in schools today the scientific and technological expertise to compete in the digital age which is raising ahead at an exponential rate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/39373/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ragbir Bhathal does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A science centre in Western Sydney would help young people engage with science and promote STEM in Sydney’s fastest growing region.Ragbir Bhathal, Lecturer in physics, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/126052013-03-07T23:52:37Z2013-03-07T23:52:37ZJulia Gillard’s western Sydney road show: the good, the bad and the ugly<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21079/original/wrd25b8m-1362698704.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Has Julia Gillard's tour of western Sydney been the vote winner she hoped? The answer is yet to come.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Miller/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The announcement that Prime Minister Julia Gillard would spend a week in the western suburbs of Sydney was <a href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/02/26/pms-four-star-rooty-hill-blitz-try-the-wagyu-say-locals/">greeted with mild amusement</a> by some, and became the base of jokes about “beige rooms” for others. </p>
<p>It was an important visit, however, as opinion polls are indicating least ten federal seats in the area could be lost to the Liberals at the next election. Western Sydney seems to capture the imagination of the media – Howard’s Battlers that morphed into the Aspirational Classes - to this week’s attempt by Gillard to reclaim a “Labor Heartland’. </p>
<p>The reasons for this are complex, but I suspect that it is a microcosm of broader Australia: a multicultural region with a growing population, with long neglected infrastructure that is slowly choking the region. <a href="http://newmatilda.com/2013/03/07/western-sydney-isnt-anyones-heartland">As I wrote recently</a>, it captures both the best and most negative aspects of Australian society. As such, while there is much that is unique about western Sydney, it also acts as a mirror for the rest of the country.</p>
<p>The question then: how did Julia Gillard do on her journey way out west, and what will be the likely result?</p>
<p>Let’s begin with the good. The Prime Minister gave an inspiring speech on the opening night to the Labor faithful. She proved once again that she is eloquent and motivating in her delivery. Her approach showed no signs of the latest poll figures and her discussion about "quality of life” was something that would appeal to most of us.</p>
<p>There are elements of government policy that are popular with the electorate that the Gillard highlighted. Key here is the National Broadband Network, which while painfully slow in its rollout, is fundamental for the efficiency and the economic prosperity of a large sprawling city such as Sydney, not to mention the rest of the country.</p>
<p>Then there is the unavoidable bad. The bad also started on the very night of her opening speech when Gillard stated that the residents of Western Sydney were not “second class citizens”. I am not sure who inserted that line, but when it was heard, the reaction was “who said we are?” </p>
<p>Rightly or wrongly, the Abbott Opposition has framed the Gillard government as making policy on the run. Unfortunately for Gillard, two of the key announcements from the Rooty Hill sojourn appeared to confirm this. </p>
<p>The first was <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3703055.htm">promise of a billion dollars</a> worth of funding for the so-called Westconnex Link. It was a funding commitment made with conditions attached that surprised NSW Premier, Barry O’Farrell, who quickly described it as “back-of-the-envelope affair”.</p>
<p>O'Farrell quickly dismissed the idea and said his government would not support it – and as such it died a lonely death. There is no doubt that such an infrastructure project is fundamental for the region, but these things are always years off and the region needs relief from congestion immediately. The announcement failed to be accompanied by a more integrated transport plan in both the short and long term, something that is not possible without broader consultation. But as a region that has seen many such plans come and go, it was not surprising that this did not have much traction.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=444&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/21081/original/g6x2ydpx-1362699375.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Julia Gillard’s appearances at the Rooty Hill RSL have been met with a mixed reception by locals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alamo25</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second such <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/pm-under-fire-on-gun-crime-20130116-2ctvs.html">policy announcement</a> was the focus on new gun and anti-gang laws. The promise of a $64 million anti-gang taskforce was encased in a description of soaring gun crime and gangs out of control. While gun crime is a problem in specific sections of western Sydney, it was one of those generalisations that people make about the region that is all too often repudiated. </p>
<p>It was not surprising that the PM’s announcement would put offside three conservative premiers, it was when NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics director Don Weatherburn, stated that claims that shootings have “soared”. The plan <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/pm-gun-figures-shot-down-by-statistics-chief-20130306-2flrw.html#ixzz2Mt7ca3Ym">began to unravel</a> when Dr Weatherburn, stated that the non-fatal shooting offences in NSW had peaked in 2001 and then began to fall.</p>
<p>Now to the ugly – and this was <a href="https://theconversation.com/gillard-and-abbott-bet-on-australias-xenophobia-12639">elegantly captured</a> by Michelle Grattan earlier this week. Grattan noted that both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have started courting xenophobic attitudes. </p>
<p>Just how ugly this was <a href="http://www.afr.com/p/national/hanson_backs_gillard_on_foreign_gSNBeFUoA7xgLWcSskKkHP">became evident</a> when the most enthusiastic supporter of the announcement was Pauline Hanson. </p>
<p>While any system is open to abuse, when pushed Gillard could not provide specific information regarding such instances or discrimination against Australian workers.</p>
<p>The Prime Minister’s trip to Western Sydney was important – as it would have been if she announced an extended stay in any region of Australia. Like the western suburbs of Sydney, each region has its own specific challenges and being exposed to them can only break down barriers that have emerged between politicians and the everyday experiences of the Australian public. </p>
<p>The problem for the Prime Minister, however, is that this trip happened after she had announced the longest election campaign in Australian history. </p>
<p>It has been seen as an election stunt, and this has clouded the aims of her trip. Unfortunately, a great opportunity for all involved was lost amongst the roadshow and media circus that followed. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/12605/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Arvanitakis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The announcement that Prime Minister Julia Gillard would spend a week in the western suburbs of Sydney was greeted with mild amusement by some, and became the base of jokes about “beige rooms” for others…James Arvanitakis, Lecturer in Cultural and Social Analysis, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/51762012-02-12T11:28:24Z2012-02-12T11:28:24ZBridging codes: football and Islam in western Sydney<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7428/original/p9h5yq2t-1328576044.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The AFL is throwing everything is has at Greater Western Sydney.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Paul Millar</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 2012 AFL debut of the <a href="http://www.gwsgiants.com.au">GWS Giants</a> is the culmination of efforts by the <a href="http://www.afl.com.au/">powerful, cashed up body that administers Aussie Rules</a> to make inroads into the rugby league-obsessed, poor and predominantly refugee and migrant neighbourhoods on the “wrong” side of the tracks in Australia’s largest city.</p>
<p>I recently produced an episode of ABC Radio National’s <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/encounter/new-document/3801094">Encounter</a> that discussed how a religiously diverse part of Australia juggles its negative reputation with a growing, strategically important population. It’s a population the sport of Aussie Rules football is trying to reach out to, but whose identity is wrapped up in the “rival” football code of <a href="http://www.nrl.com">rugby league</a>. </p>
<p>I am interested in the collision of sport and faith. Academically, the nexus between sport and religion in Australia is under-researched. This topic has been looked at in other national contexts such as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523369408713867">South Korea</a> and the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523369308713826">United States</a>. It has also been explored through the lens of participation – and barriers to participation – in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Women-Sport-Tansin-Benn/dp/0415522374">sport by Muslim women</a>. </p>
<p>In the media, the notion of sport and religion being intertwined is usually reduced to narratives about the impact of the practice of faith on an individual’s sport and life. Some examples of this might include articles listing the <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/962060-the-25-most-religious-athletes">most religious US athletes</a> or stories about the challenges sports stars who are Muslim, or <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/north-queensland-cowboys-nrl-star-cory-paterson-converts-to-islam/story-e6frexnr-1226106289628">who have converted to Islam</a>, face with the fasting month of Ramadan. One such sportsman – hometown boy and <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/hazem-el-masri-to-play-80-minutes-without-water/story-e6frep9x-1225766216335">rugby league legend</a> Hazem el Masri – is featured on the program.</p>
<p>But it could be argued that affiliation with a sport or a team runs so deep as to form a part of someone’s religious or cultural identity. My premise is that following an NRL team is a crucial part of the lived experience of Australians of Muslim background in suburbs such as Lakemba, Auburn, or Punchbowl. </p>
<p>In a diverse part of Sydney, which also happens to be one of Australia’s <a href="http://www.metrostrategy.nsw.gov.au/dev/uploads/paper/introduction/BACKGROUND%20ANALYSIS-8.html">fastest growth corridors</a> (and therefore a politically and economically strategic area), to be a good Muslim and a proper Australian can mean following one of the local rugby league teams.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/7424/original/kzqbnw3z-1328575093.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=515&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Devout Muslim Hazem El Masri says sport unifies people across religions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Action Photographics/Colin Whelan</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is why the AFL’s exercise (or experiment, if you want, albeit a very expensive one) in introducing a second Aussie Rules team for Sydney’s “westies” is such a fascinating turn of events. In the lead-up to the Giants’ debut, the league has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at the area: <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-greater-western-sydney-empire-strikes-back/story-e6frf9jf-1226208602677">money to build new stadiums</a>, <a href="http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-4018-0-0-0">programs</a> to get people interested in playing Aussie Rules, and time and resources getting <a href="http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/community.html">involved in community events</a>. </p>
<p>I spoke to the man tasked by the AFL with making Aussie Rules football a part of the lives of the people of Greater Western Sydney. He told me both the club and the league are consciously marketing to the rugby league-obsessed Muslims of Western Sydney by catering to their religious-specific needs. </p>
<p>In the process, a gender dimension is revealed, as young Sydney women of Lebanese Muslim background defy cultural norms by playing – in headscarves – a rough physical contact sport new to their community. One of the co-founders of <a href="http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=1-1047-93147-0-0&sID=174100">western Sydney’s first women’s Aussie Rules team</a> told me playing the sport is a delicate juggling act between embracing something new and accommodating a culture which she says demands a lot of its young women.</p>
<p>The documentary film <em><a href="http://fordsonthemovie.com/">Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football</a></em> looks into sport (specifically American football) and Muslim identity in the United States after 9-11. “On a football field,” says an Arab-American student at Fordson High School, “it’s time for football – no matter what religion you are, knock them down, make a play.” </p>
<p>That sentiment was echoed by the people I spoke to in western Sydney. “Sport unifies people,” <a href="http://thebulldogs.com.au/sportal.php?page=player&id=605">El Masri</a> told me.</p>
<p>The AFL’s community engagement manager for Greater Western Sydney, Ali Faraj, had a similar view. It doesn’t matter which type of “footy” we talk about, Faraj told me, because it’s “about giving chances for young refugees and new migrants to feel a better sense of Australian culture”. </p>
<p>The paradox in Australia is that while Aussie Rules – a sport often described as a religion – explicitly reaches out to a religiously defined demographic, on the field issues of faith tend to vanish. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/5176/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nasya Bahfen works for the ABC</span></em></p>The 2012 AFL debut of the GWS Giants is the culmination of efforts by the powerful, cashed up body that administers Aussie Rules to make inroads into the rugby league-obsessed, poor and predominantly refugee…Nasya Bahfen, Senior Lecturer in the Journalism and Media Centre, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.