Criminality, Justice and the Australian Multifunctional Countryside

Abstract

Different socio-political and environmental forces change the way that rural societies, economies and ecologies are regulated and function, a set of dynamics that continues to this day. These varying forms of regulation enable and constrain different forms of market and non-market activity. The notion of the multifunctional countryside highlights the fact that many new interests and parties have asserted their influence into the physical and social landscapes of rural Australia, challenging the hegemony within many rural communities, and leading to the creation of a contested countryside. The development of new economic enterprises and even new industries via shifting regulation (e.g. ecosystem services) along with the arrival of new groups in rural Australia – physically and virtually – has opened the way for different forms of deviance to find their expression. In the context of climate change, rural criminality can take many varying trajectories. As competition for scarce resources increases, illegal capture (e.g. water) and flouting laws for perceived personal gain at the broader public expense is increasingly likely. While these likely scenarios will challenge the collective efficacy of rural communities, as social institutions they can choose to respond in environmentally just ways.

Keywords: multifunctionality, social construction, environmental justice, agriculture, Australia

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