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As part of the Institute of Australian Geographers' Millennium Project, this article examines the shift of behavioural geography from a cutting edge sub-discipline to a branch of enquiry that is now much less prominent in mainstream human geography, especially in Australia. Through an exploration of the rationale for behavioural geography, a brief outline of the nature of the work that was done, and a consideration of the critiques of behavioural geography, the paper argues that behavioural geography enriched the discipline in several ways: it was instrumental in encouraging geographers to consider the epistemological foundations of the discipline; it fostered consideration of a variety of philosophical and methodological positions; and it highlighted the need to consider interrelationships between individuals, groups, society and environment thereby bringing into prominence the ways in which shared environmental meanings are contested and negotiated. Behavioural geography might be a term that is used much less than it once was and behaviourally-orientated research might increasingly find expression in interdisciplinary outlets rather than in mainstream geography journals but contemporary geography is heir to the endeavours of behavioural geography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work-life balance is a pressing social issue in Australia but one on which geographers have been relatively silent. Predictions of ‘a leisure society’ have not been fulfilled. Instead, work has come to dominate life in Australia and in many other advanced western societies. The reasons for this are explored. Materialism is at the heart of the work-life imbalance. There is, however, evidence of a changing work ethic and the emergence of leisure-orientated lifestyles, albeit with ‘leisure’ interpreted as ‘freedom to’ undertake gratifying activity rather than simply ‘freedom from’ obligatory commitments. Despite the supposed homogenising influence of globalisation and the internet, place will become increasingly important in a leisure-orientated lifestyle-led future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the mass media in Australia have attracted a good deal of academic comment, their significance as sources of spatial information has scarcely been examined despite the fact that the ‘agenda setting’ approach to the study of media impact affords a practical method of assessing how media content may contribute to spatial awareness. News reports constitute a major source of spatial information and, accordingly, a content analysis of New South Wales press, radio, and television is undertaken to show the extent of spatial bias in news coverage and hence the highly constrained ‘agendas’ that are set before the public. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Australian local government was the subject of a great deal of debate in the 1970s as attention focused on geographical boundaries, legal and constitutional jurisdiction, and financial imbalance. Little came of moves to reform boundaries or to alter the scope of activities. More success was achieved in applying the principle of fiscal equalisation to local government's parlous financial situation. Stability and resistance to change are however the overwhelming characteristics of Australian local government. The paper surveys the scope and function of local government in the 1970s. The recently developed radical critique of the local state is found to have little relevance to Australian local government because of the small and fragmented scale of local government social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review and discussion of Tommy Carlstein, Don Parkes and Nigel Thrift (eds). Making Sense of Time (Arnold, 1978, $29.80), Human Activity and Time Geography (Arnold, 1978, $52.40), and Time and Regional Dynamics (Arnold, 1978, S29 80). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a reply to F. Lancaster Jones for his comments on the author's research note on surveys. Most accounts of surveys identify, in a rather facile manner, the sorts of variables that researchers think may influence the level of response and many interviews tend to be preoccupied with the general aim of obtaining high levels of co-operation rather than with the identification of factors which may have an incremental effect on response rates. Seldom are actual figures quoted that may serve as a guide in the planning of subsequent research. Even rarer are attempts to test the influence of certain variables. In the light of Jones' comments certain elaborations on the research note are necessary. In brief, the four surveys focused directly on consumer behavior and cognitive distance but incidentally studied the influence of pre-circulated letters and social status. In all four surveys any adult person was regarded as a potential respondent. The consumer behavior surveys related to household units and consequently an inability to complete the questionnaire because of ignorance of shopping patterns was recorded as "No contact" rather than "Refusal."

This article focuses on the response rates in four Sydney, New South Wales surveys. Response rates to structured interviews and self-ad ministered questionnaires were studied in the course of four surveys in suburban Sydney, three in Bexley and one in Killara. Although the variety of factors involved and the differences between the surveys make it impossible to unravel the trends entirely, there are two main findings. First that the pre-circulation of a letter advising potential respondents of a forthcoming survey may be counter-productive in that it may tend to lower gross and net response rates. Second that response varies with social status to the extent that more people were found at home in Killara than in Bexley. However respondents in the high status suburb returned fewer self administered questionnaires than their counterparts in the lower status neighbourhood.