Dr Jane Bullen
Dr Jane Bullen brings to the UNSEEN multi-media project her invaluable talent and extensive experience over 40 years in the areas of housing, disability, homelessness and domestic violence. Jane has worked both in research and in policy, program and service delivery in government and non-government organisations in the ACT, NSW and Victoria. This included work at several organisations that support women experiencing homelessness and/or domestic violence, including eight years as Co-ordinator at Stepping Out Housing Program, a service for women survivors of child sexual assault experiencing homelessness.
Jane’s PhD in Social Inquiry from University of Technology, Sydney (2010), is titled Governing Homelessness: The Discursive and Institutional Construction of Homelessness in Australia. The study analysed changes in the ways in which the phenomenon of ‘homelessness’ has been conceptualised in Australian policies, programs and services since the 1970s. The results have policy implications for the development and evaluation of social welfare policies and programs, in particular those for homeless people.
Following her PhD, Jane worked for seven years as a researcher at the Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales. Since 2017, she has worked as a Social Policy Research Consultant and became an Honorary Associate at RMIT University in May 2020. Jane’s networking, interpersonal skills and capacity to to think strategically has enabled her to identify and respond effectively to challenging socio-political environments. Her ability to collaborate with a diverse range of organisations, groups and individuals who work with and for vulnerable people is evidenced through her most recent work:
- Supported Transition and Engagement Program (STEP) evaluation: input to ethics application, qualitative interviews (Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia, November 2019-current)
- Older women’s homelessness in rural and regional Victoria: literature review, research design and pursuing avenues for funding of qualitative data collection with co-researcher(La Trobe University, June 2019 – current)
- Support Needs and Outcomes for Women Accessing Domestic Violence Services: research design, ethics application, staff training to administer entry and exit questionnaires, data analysis and report writing (DV West, August 2018 – current)
- Meeting the Needs of Women Experiencing Long-term and Recurrent Homelessness: literature review, qualitative data collection, analysis, report preparation and research dissemination (Mercy Foundation, December 2017 – July 2019).
- Oral History Interviewer, ARC project: ‘Homelessness and homeless people: an Australian history’, June-December 2018).
- Women’s Financial Wellbeing Guide (Commonwealth Bank, June-October 2018)
- Housing Resource Bank Project: through an environmental scan and qualitative interviews with people with disability, identify resources that exist to help people with disability find housing resources and gaps where additional housing resources need to be created (Summer Foundation, Aug 2017-Dec 2017).
- Profiling women and children experiencing family violence who require a supported response (Victorian Department of Health and Human Services): This research responded to recommendations of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence. Its purpose was to understand the profile of women and children who are, and are not, accessing family violence refuge and emergency accommodation and make recommendations about refuge responses and sustainable housing outcomes. Research design, ethics application, qualitative data collection and analysis, report writing (RMIT University February 2017-June 2017).
Since 2015 Jane has been a member of the Executive Committee of Women’s Electoral Lobby, NSW, and is currently Deputy Convenor, WEL NSW.
Belinda Mason
Since 2000, Belinda Mason Knierim has conceptualised, produced and presented high quality socio-cultural engaging multimedia projects for national and international audiences which focus on the topics of sexuality, disability, identity and violence. Belinda collaborates with individuals, governments and organisations to create a focal point for conversations which support social change. On any given day during the past 20 years, one or more of her multimedia exhibitions are on display in an institution somewhere in the world. Belinda has recorded the stories of over a thousand Australians and in doing so has captured the social and political history of Australia’s marginalised communities. Her approach provides a platform for them to express their thoughts and feelings without judgment and in an unquestioning way. Belinda is completing a Bachelor of Communications, Journalism and Creative Writing and is currently studying a Master of Human Rights at Curtin University.
Belinda has been invited to speak at conferences and associated events such as: the United Nations Commission of the Status of Women in New York 2016 and 2018 at the United Nations Commission on the Rights of Persons with Disability in Geneva 2016 and World Conference on Indigenous Persons in New York in 2014 and the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva 2013. Other events include; 2017 National Disability Summit, 2017 Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality in Sydney, 2016 Sydney Ideas at Sydney University, 2016 Australian Medical Students Global Health Conference, 2016, 2014, 2011 National Arts Activated Conference, 2016 International Arts and Health Conference at the Art Gallery of NSW, Australia and the 2016 Jejer Wadon Conference Solo, Indonesia, 2004 International Festival of Photography in Sydney, 2010 Australian Institute of Professional Photography Blowfish Conference, 2006 Australian Centre of Photography, and the Melbourne Festival of Arts 2002.
While Belinda’s exhibitions are her core focus, she also submits her work to significant art prizes. She is the winner of the 2019 Olive Cotton Award for photographic Portraiture. In 2008 Belinda’s peers award her the richest photography prize in Australia, The Moran Prize, of $50,000 with her photograph titled Four Generations (2008). Her digital photograph Beyond the Burn series (2004) was awarded the 2008 Kodak Salon Centre for Contemporary Photography and the Perth Centre for Photography 2008 Iris Award. Her Images from the Maningrida series won her the 2008 Human Rights Award for Photography. She is the winner of BHP Images of the Outback Award in 2003, 2004, and 2012. She came third in the prestigious International Spider Awards for Photojournalism in 2008. Other national photographic awards including being a finalist in MAMA Art Foundation National Photography Prize (2016) DTreats o UO (2015) Head On (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008,), Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award (2002, 2006, 2012), the Olive Cotton Awards (2007, 2008), the Iris Award (2004, 2007, 2009 and 2010), The Moran Prize (2012) and VIVID (2014), The Blake Prize (2009,) and the 2016 United Nations Peace Media Awards.
The portraits and stories of the participants of the Unfinished Business and Breaking Silent Codes projects have been published with the support of stakeholders including City of Sydney, NSW Create and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. These books are held in the collection of the National Library of Australia along with the catalogues from the exhibitions Silent Tears, Taken and Intimate Encounters. The projects Unfinished Business, Outing Disability, One Life and Silent Tears all include an app to enable people with learning, sensory and cognitive impairments to access the content of the projects. The short films from Unfinished Business Belinda directed for Dieter and Liam Knierim were broadcast on NITV. Belinda also directed the short film Intimate Encounters – 20 years on, for Knierim Productions which was included in the 2018 Sydney Film Festival.
Belinda’s photographs are held in national and international museums and galleries including Shape Arts Gallery UK, Museum of Sex New York, Murray Arts Museum Albury, Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra Australian National Maritime Museum and the Australian Museum.