'90s life proves tough for Melbourne's working class

Two of Australia's most respected urban sociologists will discuss the theme 'Suburbanisation meets globalisation: life in working class suburban Melbourne, 1960s - 1990s' at RMIT University's City Campus today (Thursday 12 August) at 5.30pm.

Professor Lois Bryson and Dr Ian Winter will share their insights into how globalisation and economic restructuring have affected suburban life at the end of the twenty-first century.

They will compare and contrast life in the 1960s with life in the 1990s, on the basis of two studies of the same Melbourne suburb, which goes under the pseudonym of Newtown.

The first was undertaken by Professor Bryson and Dr Faith Thompson in the 1960s. The second study has just been completed by Professor Bryson and Dr Winter.

The suburb was built on the urban fringe of Melbourne, in the 1950s and 1960s, largely by the Victorian government's housing authority. Many such public housing developments were being built across Australia at the time.

"In the current debates about globalisation, not much research has been done into the experiences of ordinary working class communities," said Professor Bryson.

"Our research shows that this suburb has been hard hit. Families who moved into Newtown in the 1950s and 1960s were far from well-off. Indeed, many were struggling. But there were jobs available for all - there was virtually no unemployment."

"The families were enthusiastic about their new houses and optimistic about the future. People thought the future was secure. The most striking difference in the early 1990s, is the loss of this optimism".

"When we went back in the early 1990s, some of the factories in the district had closed and the unemployment rate in the area was at around 20 per cent. Even the workers with jobs were worried about losing them and their working conditions were worse."

Lois Bryson is Adjunct Professor of RMIT University's School of Social Science and Planning and Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Newcastle.

Dr Ian Winter is a Principal Research Fellow in the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

The lecture is part of RMIT University's Living Cities Lecture Series, which looks at ways in which Melburnians see and use their city.

Organised by RMIT's Faculty of the Constructed Environment, the lectures are held weekly on Thursdays (5.30pm to 7.00pm) and Fridays (12.30pm to 2.00pm) until 22 October.

More information: (03) 9925 2910.

The lecture will be held at RMIT University's City Campus, Building 8, Level 11, Swanston Street Melbourne. General admission $12; students/concession $7.

For a preview of the lecture contact: Professor Lois Bryson on (03) 9600 9130 or 015 224 001.

Or, call Claire Whiteley on (03) 9925 2807 or 0407 853 489