School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Inquiries

Dr Helen Masterman-Smith

Lecturer
BA (Hons) PhD, University of Western Sydney

Helen Masterman-Smith Helen Masterman-Smith
Charles Sturt University School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Building 611 (Irvington)
Albury Campus NSW 2640 Australia
Ph:(02) 6051 6990
Fax:(02) 6051 6973
Bio

Helen has recently returned to her old Riverina stomping ground after 20 years working in academic and non-academic jobs around Australia. Over the last 15 years she has studied and worked in the fields of sociology, political economy and labour studies. Helen worked at the University of Western Sydney for 8 years across a range of social science/humanities/health disciplines and with the UWS Australian Institute for Gambling Research, while completing her PhD on the political economy of working class women in Campbelltown (NSW).  In 2005 she moved to Adelaide (Adelaide Uni and UniSA) to coordinate an ARC project on low paid employment, the findings of which will be published as Living Low Paid: the Dark Side of a Prosperous Land by Allen and Unwin in late 2008.

At CSU Helen has returned to teaching sociology and social research. Her research continues to focus on the relationship between labour and capital, particularly as it pertains to working class women. She also maintains a research interest in democracy and capitalism, environmental political economy, labour studies, low pay and health politics and inequalities.

Teaching

2008

Previous teaching fields

Research
Recent publications

2008

Masterman-Smith, H. and Pocock, B. 2008 Living Low Paid: the Dark Side of a Prosperous Land. Allen and Unwin, Sydney (in press).
Masterman-Smith, H and Pocock, B. 2008 ‘Working Low Paid In Australia’, 22nd AIRAANZ Annual Conference: Workers, Corporations And Community: Facing Choices For a Sustainable Future, AIRAANZ, Melbourne, 6-8th February.
Masterman-Smith, H and Pocock, B. 2008 ‘Low Pay in a Prosperous Land: An Australian Story’, Australian Journal of Labour Economics (submitted).

2007

Masterman-Smith, H. 2007 More than Pin-Money: Women and Low Wages. Our Work, Our Lives 2007: National Conference on Women and Industrial Relations, 20-21st September, Adelaide.

Masterman-Smith, H. and Elton, J. 2007 Cheap Labour: The Australian Way. Diverging employment relations patterns in Australia and New Zealand? 21st Conference of AIRAANZ, Volume 1: Refereed Papers, Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand, Auckland, NZ, 7-10 February.

Masterman-Smith, H. 2007 Low Pay in a Prosperous Land: An Australian Story. 25th International Labour Process Conference. Amsterdam institute for Advance Labour Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 2-4 April.

Keys, A., Cottle, D. and Masterman-Smith, H. 2007 Time Will Tell: A Political Economy of Time. In Kimber, J. and Love, P. (eds). The Time of Our Lives: The Eight Hour Day and Working Life. Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne, pp. 205-212.

Dann, S., Franzway, S. and Masterman-Smith, H. (eds). 2007 Proceedings of the Our Work, Our Lives 2007: National Conference on Women and Industrial Relations, 20-21st September, Adelaide.

2006

Masterman-Smith, H. 2006 Low Pay and Housing Stress: New Evidence from Childcare Workers, Parity, 19, 4, May, 14-15.

Masterman-Smith, H., May, R. and Pocock, B. 2006 Low Paid Services Employment in Australia: Dimensions, Causes, Effects and Responses. In Pocock, B., Provis, C. and Willis, E. (eds), 21st Century Work: High Road or Low Road? 20th Conference of AIRAANZ, Volume 1: Refereed Papers, Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand, Adelaide, 1-3 February, 369-379.

Masterman-Smith, H. with Elton, J. 2006 Health, Well Being and Working Poverty. Making Research Matter: Translating Research into Health Policy and Practice, South Australian Public Health and Health Promotion Conference, Public Health Association of Australia, Australian Health Promotion Association, SA Department of Health, Adelaide, 21st October.

Masterman-Smith, H. and Cottle, D. 2006 Time Will Tell: Political Economy of Time. Working to Live Conference, 21-22 June, University of Melbourne and Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne.

Masterman-Smith, H., May, R. and Pocock, B. 2006 Living Low Paid: Some Experiences of Australian Childcare Workers and Cleaners, University of Adelaide, Adelaide.

Keys, A. Masterman-Smith, H. and Cottle, D. 2006 The Political Economy of a Natural Disaster: The Boxing Day Tsunami, 2004. Antipode, 38, 2, (March), 195-204.

Pocock, B. and Masterman-Smith, H. 2006 Early Signs: The Impact of WorkChoices on Work and Family. Prepared for Industrial Relations, Victoria. Centre for Work and Life, University of South Australia, Adelaide.

Pocock, B. and Masterman-Smith, H. 2006 Work, Families and Affordable Housing. In Affordable Housing in Australia: Problems and Options. Dunstan Paper 3/4 2006. Don Dunstan Foundation, Adelaide.

Pocock, B. and Masterman-Smith, H. 2006 House, Home and Low Pay: Some Evidence from South Australian Childcare Workers, 10th April, Affordable Housing Roundtable, Centre for Work and Life, University of South Australia, Magill, SA.

2005

Masterman-Smith, H. 2005 Hidden Seeds: A Political Economy of Working Class Women in Campbelltown (NSW), unpublished PhD thesis, School of Humanities, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, NSW.

Masterman-Smith, H. 2005 Low Income Women’s Struggles: The Responsibility of Feminist History. Lilith Symposium: Where to Now? The Future of Feminist History, University of Melbourne,December.

Masterman-Smith, H. 2005 Low Pay – No Pay: Low Paid Employment in South Australia. Poverty: Closer Than You Think Conference, July, South Australian Council of Social Services, University of Adelaide, Adelaide.

Pocock, B. and Masterman-Smith, H. 2005 Women and WorkChoices. Journal of Australian Political Economy, Vol. 56, December, 126-144.

Membership of professional associations and groups

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