Alex Phan

Bachelor of Psychology and Justice undergraduate (Policy & Politics major)

Alex was involved in this project as part of the Vacation Research Experience Scheme (VRES), an initiative which provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to experience what it’s like to work on a research project for around 6 weeks, which they receive a scholarship for. Alex was involved in the project from 22nd November 2021 – 22nd February 2022. During this time Alex was predominantly focused on News Media Analysis, which involved in comparing and analysing the Final Report: Care, Dignity and Respect from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, in addition to the Australian Government Response to the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, highlighting the differences between them. From this process, Alex discovered key issues including staff shortages and an undertrained and unregulated workforce. Working under the direction of CI T.J. Thomson, Alex was also involved in analysing and coding national news outlets for articles such as The Australian, ABC, The Saturday Paper, and the Guardian based on the sources that journalists referenced in their news articles. The findings from this process showed that the most referenced group of individuals included: politicians, family members of the residents, aged care peak bodies, and academics. The findings also showed that politicians are 60% more likely to be referenced than aged care workers, and 67.5% more likely to be referenced than residents in aged care facilities.