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Dr Neil Argent

Neil Argent

Senior Lecturer, School of Human and Environmental Studies

Qualifications

BA(Hons), PhD (Adel)

Contact

Email: nargent@une.edu.au
Room: E4
Phone: 02 6773 2803 (or +61 2 6773 2803 overseas)
Fax: 02 6773 3030

Neil Argent joined the staff in the Department in 1996.

Affiliations

  • Honorary Treasurer of the Institute of Australian Geographers Inc. Rural Study Group, 1997- mid 1998
  • Editor of the Institute of Australian Geographers Inc. Rural Study Group Newsletter, 1997 – 2002 (inclusive)
  • Convenor, Institute of Australian Geographers Inc. Rural Studies Group Newsletter, mid-2002 - Present
  • Member, Tablelands Community Transport Advisory Committee, 2002 - Present
  • President, Drummond/Smith College Fellows, 2003 - Present
  • Member of the Institute of Australian Geographers Inc.
  • Member of the Institute of Australian Geographers Inc. Rural Studies Group
  • Member of the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia Inc.
  • Member of the Geographical Society of New South Wales Inc.
  • Member of the Agri-Food Research Network

Areas of Teaching

I currently teach in five units in the Division of Geography and Planning.

        GeoPlan 112: Australia - Sustainable Development?
        GeoPlan 322: Cradle to Grave - Introductory Population Geography
        GeoPlan 321/421: Advanced Population Studies
        GeoPlan 345/445: Regional Development - Problems, Patterns and Policies
        GEAR 330/430: Research Methods

From mid-2006 I will be introducing a new unit on rural social geography/sociology SOGE 380/480: Rural Society

Research interests

His PhD, completed in 1997, was concerned with the impacts of financial deregulation upon South Australian farm families and rural communities. Since then, Neil has pursued a number of research interests. He has conducted, with Dr. Fran Rolley, research into the geographical dimensions and regional development implications of rural bank branch rural bank closures, and is also investigating the impact of changing population densities upon the social and economic viability of rural settlement systems. He his currently examining how rural people's perceptions of the population densities (e.g. feelings of overcrowding or isolation) affect their social interaction patterns and the overall vitality of rural communities.

Grants

2004 -2005, Australian Research Council (Discovery-Project Grant), Dr Neil Argent, ‘Perceived Density, Social Interaction and Morale in Australian Rural Communities’, 2 years, $150 000 2002, Australian Research Council (Discovery-Project Grant), Dr Neil Argent, ‘The Changing Geographies of Power, Knowledge and Access in Australia’s Financial Services Sector: A Regional Development Perspective’, 1 year $24 000 1999, Australian Research Council (Large Grant), Mr Peter Smailes and Dr Neil Argent, ‘Rural Population Density as an Descriptive, Explanatory and Predictive Tool for Analysing Quality of Life in Rural Areas’, 3 years (1999 – 2000 inclusive) $95 000 1999, Australian Research Council (Small Grant), Dr Neil Argent and Dr Fran Rolley, ‘Financial Exclusion in Rural and Remote Australia: Patterns, Processes and Impacts of Financial Sector Restructuring and Bank Branch Closure’ $10 000 1998, University Research Grant, Dr Neil Argent, ‘Bank Branch Closure in Rural and Remote New South Wales: Patterns and Processes’ $2 000

Recent Students

Brendt Reynolds (BURP Hons.) Urban renewal and the community in Brisbane Trevor Dartnell (BURP Hons.) Urban consolidation and transport usage in Sydney Emma Bryant (BURP Hons.) Environmental management in the Bendigo area Emma Woodley (BURP Hons.) Rural subdivision and land degradation: is there a link? Zarene Dallas (BURP Hons.) The regional multiplier effects of the Scone racehorse industry Sarah Poortenaar (BURP Hons.) The rural land market in Ulverstone, Tasmania Danielle Browne (BURP Hons.) Women's utilisation of public open space Marjorie Ferguson (BURP Hons.) An evaluation of Drummoyne Council's Development Control Processes Keri Grainger (BURP Hons.) An investigation of private open space location on small allotments in Brisbane Jordanna Blanch (BURP Hons.) The socio-economic impacts of Port Macquarie's foreshore redevelopment Rishelle Turner (BURP Hons.) Rural Succession Planning: A Lake Cargelligo Case Study Kim Nicholson (MURP) Coastal development in New South Wales: A question of balance? Darrell Fisher (MA) The tourism potential of dairy heritage in the Clarence Valley of New South Wales Amanda Davies (PhD) Rural Leadership in Australia Paul Collits (PhD) Balanced State Development in New South Wales

Publications

Argent, N., 2005, The Neoliberal Seduction: Governing-At-A-Distance, Community Development and the Battle Over Regional Financial Provision in Australia, Australian Geographical Studies, Vol. 43, pp. 29-39,

Argent, N, P. O’Neill, 2005, Neoliberalism in Antipodean Spaces and Times: an Introduction to the Special Theme Issue, Australian Geographical Studies, Vol. 43, pp. 2-8,

Argent, N, T. Griffin, P. Smailes, 2004, Tracing the Density Impulse: population density as a constitutive influence in Australia contemporary population and settlement geography, in progress., ,

N. Argent, T. Griffin, Smailes, P, 2004, The Changing Social Framework, Sustainability and Change in Rural Australia, Cocklin, C. and J. Dibden (Eds.), UNSW Press, Sydney, pp. 80-102,

Argent, N, F. Rolley, 2004, Inhabiting the margins: A geography of rural homelessness in Australia, International Perspectives on Rural Homelessness, Cloke, P. and P. Milbourne (Eds.), Routledge, London,

Argent, N, F. Rolley, 2004, What does the homeless data say about rural homelessness?, Parity, Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 21-22,

Argent, N., 2003, Whose Bottom Line? Investigating the Social Dimensions of Financial Service Restructuring in Rural Australia, The Social Dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line in Rural Australia, Bureau of Rural Science, Canberra, pp. 171-183,

Argent, N, 2002, From Pillar to Post? In Search of the Post-Productivist Countryside in Australia, Australian Geographer, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 97-114,

Argent, N, 2002, A Global Model or a Scaled-Down Version? Geographies of convergence and divergence in the Australian retail banking sector, Geoforum, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 315-334,

N. Argent, T. Griffin, Smailes, P, 2002, Rural Population Density: Its impact on social and demographic aspects of rural communities, Journal of Rural Studies, Vol. 18, pp. 385-404,

Argent, N, 2000, Whither the Lender of the Last Resort?: The Rise and Fall of Public Farm Credit in Australia and New Zealand, Journal of Rural Studies, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 34-47,

Argent, N, F. Rolley, 2000, Financial Exclusion in Rural and Remote New South Wales: A Geography of Bank Branch Rationalisation, 1981-1998, Australian Geographical Studies, Vol. 38, pp. 182-203,

Argent, N, F. Rolley, 2000, Lopping the Branches: Bank Branch Closure and Rural Australian Communities, Land of Discontent, Pritchard, B. and P. McManus (Eds.), University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, pp. 140-168,