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This article explores the role of public opinion in shaping Australian foreign policy. It emphasizes the need for an informed public and discusses the changing global landscape, with the decline of globalism and the rise of nationalism and protectionism. The article highlights the challenges Australia faces in navigating this changing world and the role of the recently released foreign policy White Paper. It emphasizes the importance of engaging the Australian public, including the new generation of policymakers and the diverse society, in foreign policy discussions and decision-making. [Extracted from the article]

Despite well-established Pasifika communities in Australia, there has been no examination of the English spoken by members of these communities in the sociolinguistic literature. Yet, research shows that Pasifika English may exhibit key differences from local 'mainstream' varieties. In this paper, we present a case study of members of a drill rap group with Pasifika heritage to examine whether Pasifika English features are evident in their speech. We first analyze their monophthong productions and compare these to those of mainstream Australian English speakers. We also analyze their dental fricative realizations to examine whether there is evidence of th-stopping and dh-stopping, commonly described as markers of Pasifika English. Finally, we investigate whether their speech is more syllable-timed than mainstream Australian English. The results show that these speakers produce monophthongs generally consistent with mainstream Australian English vowels, despite some small differences. We also show consistent th-fronting and dh-stopping in their speech, which serves as a marker of their Pasifika heritage. We find a tendency towards more syllable-timed speech; however, this occurs to a lesser extent than has been reported for other Pasifika varieties of English. The results suggest that these speakers index their Pasifika identities by employing indicators/markers of Pasifika English that diverge from mainstream Australian English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment policy internationally places significant importance on the use of assessment criteria across all subject areas. However, in order to ensure effective use of criteria, it is critical for teachers to develop an in-depth understanding of them. This paper reports on a study of a range of Australian Science teachers' views and uses of criteria in practical work. Six Science teachers working in secondary schools across Sydney were interviewed, their classroom activities were observed, and the data obtained were analysed using a qualitative constant comparative method. The findings indicate that despite the emphasis on Assessment for Learning (AfL) in assessment policy in Australia, teachers generally consider criteria as a marking tool, for Assessment of Learning (AoL), rather than a learning instrument. Consequently, they use criteria exclusively as a framework for assigning grades. This paper argues that teachers need to consider the use of criteria from a learning perspective in addition to its other multipurpose functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Electronic medical record (EMR) systems provide timely access to clinical information and have been shown to improve medication safety. However, EMRs can also create opportunities for error, including system-related errors or errors that were unlikely or not possible with the use of paper medication charts. This study aimed to determine the detection and mitigation strategies adopted by a health district in Australia to target system-related errors and to explore stakeholder views on strategies needed to curb future system-related errors from emerging. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study design was used comprising semi-structured interviews. Data were collected from three hospitals within a health district in Sydney, Australia, between September 2020 and May 2021. Interviews were conducted with EMR users and other key stakeholders (e.g. clinical informatics team members). Participants were asked to reflect on how system-related errors changed over time, and to describe approaches taken by their organisation to detect and mitigate these errors. Thematic analysis was conducted iteratively using a general inductive approach, where codes were assigned as themes emerged from the data. Results: Interviews were conducted with 25 stakeholders. Participants reported that most system-related errors were detected by front-line clinicians. Following error detection, clinicians either reported system-related errors directly to the clinical informatics team or submitted reports to the incident information management system. System-related errors were also reported to be detected via reports run within the EMR, or during organisational processes such as incident investigations or system enhancement projects. EMR redesign was the main approach described by participants for mitigating system-related errors, however other strategies, like regular user education and minimising the use of hybrid systems, were also reported. Conclusions: Initial detection of system-related errors relies heavily on front-line clinicians, however other organisational strategies that are proactive and layered can improve the systemic detection, investigation, and management of errors. Together with EMR design changes, complementary error mitigation strategies, including targeted staff education, can support safe EMR use and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonality Index (SI) is commonly used to define rainfall variability within a year for a locality, which has got significant impact on the water resources planning and management. Both the longer periods of dry and wet conditions are reflected by SI value. As SI is calculated using historical rainfall data, a historical average value is represented for a locality. However, with the emerging impacts of climate change SI values based on historical data are likely to change. This paper presents expected changes in future SI values for the largest city of Australia (Sydney) based on projected future rainfall scenarios for the city. The paper further illustrates potential water savings through rainwater tanks under projected climate change scenarios using an earlier developed daily water balance model, eTank. For the simulations of potential water savings through rainwater tanks, projected daily rainfall data was collected from Australian government data portal for four stations within Sydney. Future potential rainwater savings efficiencies were correlated with the corresponding SI values. It is found that such correlation closely matches with an earlier developed correlation using past historical data, however the future water savings efficiency will be slightly lower than the past water savings efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) can have severe impacts on function and quality of life. Up to one third of patients will have an inadequate response to their first line of treatment, with subsequent lines of therapy associated with lower remission rates and higher relapse rates. Recently esketamine has become available for Australian patients, and this agent provides an additional treatment option for those with MDD who have had an inadequate response to two or more antidepressant therapies during the current moderate to severe depressive episode. This paper provides an expert panel's practical recommendations and clinical guidance for establishing esketamine clinics in Australia. Methods: An expert panel (n = 11) comprising psychiatrists, mental health care nurses, pharmacists, and individuals with experience establishing esketamine clinics was convened in Sydney. The panel developed practical recommendations and clinical guidance, which were then further refined. Results: Five key areas were identified: practical considerations for esketamine clinic set‐up, including multidisciplinary care considerations; patient selection; administering esketamine; adverse event management and long‐term follow‐up. Conclusions: Guidance presented in this paper should assist Australian clinicians to set up an esketamine clinic, and provide practical advice on the infrastructure and clinical requirements for treatment of patients with this agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts around transport mega-projects, driven by social and environmental impacts, are increasingly prevalent around the world. While environmental impacts have received significant attention, less is known about how the intangible social impacts of these projects stimulate conflict. Assessment of these impacts is crucial; however, the process is often influenced by the underlying power relationships within neoliberal governance. This paper analyses the discursive context of state-community conflicts in transport mega-projects and explores how power dynamics shape the perceptions of both the intensity and extent of its social impacts. Drawing on a case study of the WestConnex project, a controversial motorway development in Sydney, the paper analyses government policy documents and online community submissions to explore the conflicts around the project. Through critical discourse analysis, the paper provides insights into the nature of power relationships that limit the scope of impact assessment and underpin conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing urbanization is driving rapid growth in residential multi-owned properties (RMOPs) worldwide. Concerns about the quality of these buildings are also growing in many countries. Yet research into the quality of RMOPs (particularly apartments) remains scant and under-theorized. Addressing this knowledge gap, this paper reports the results of research which employed information asymmetry theory to provide new insights into the prevalence and risks of building defects in the Australian RMOP construction market. Using data about defects in 635 RMOPs built in Sydney between 2008 and 2017 and semi-structured interviews with sixty-six experienced practitioners, the results highlight the severity of the defects crisis. The research identified two types of information asymmetries which exacerbate the risk of buying into a defective building for RMOP customers: data fragmentation and data robustness. From a policy and practical perspective, this highlights the challenges faced by consumers in undertaking 'due diligence' and the need for reforms that address these information asymmetries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of COVID-19 have been widespread, and the education sector has not been immune to its effects. In March 2020 Australian universities were forced into a shutdown, which prompted an unanticipated, sudden shift in education, from on-campus and face-to-face to an off-campus and online mode of teaching and learning. This paper describes the experiences of two Sydney-based university unit coordinators, from two different institutions, who rapidly shifted their units online as a result of COVID-19. In particular, it applies reflection as a research method, to share what the authors' encountered as successful, and what was challenging about teaching online. Motivating and retaining students was a key challenge identified by the authors. Therefore, the paper discusses the authors' application of various digital programs and tools in their response to this challenge of motivation and engagement. It is hoped that our experiences might benefit those looking to integrate programs and tools in the online teaching and learning space. Although Australia is currently one of the most successful countries in their handling of COVID-19, there is still great uncertainty about the future. Globally the pandemic shows no signs of abating, as many countries struggle to manage high levels of transmission and infection rates, which in turn have an impact on the education sector more broadly. Consequently, online learning may be the 'new normal' for many institutions in the near future. Therefore, it is important for educators to share their online teaching experiences that can contribute to greater understandings of this space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processes of group formation and social identity are key to understanding human behaviour in social domains. In football, 'ultras' groups are currently considered the most visible style of fandom across the football world. By binding individuals together, these groups create new social identities that make them an ideal context for understanding how people behave within group contexts. This paper employs identity fusion theory to analyse a one-year study of the Red and Black Bloc (RBB), an ultras formation in Western Sydney, Australia. With data collected using active interviews, online surveys, participant observation in football stadiums and fans' online forums, the paper discusses the set of circumstances that bought the RBB together as a cohesive unit. It concludes with a set of recommendations to Australian football administrators and beyond, offering a comprehensive view of fans' tribal behaviour and how to make the most of these findings for the betterment of their emergent leagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney;... I Implementation Science 2023, i B 18(2): b SP a sp Mitchell Sarkies and Hossai Gul contributed equally to this paper SP b sp Andrew Baillie, Lauren Christie, Caleb Ferguson, Julie Gawthorne, Helen Goldsmith, Nicolette Hodyl, Natasha Howard, Karen Hutchinson, Marlena Klaic, Joanna Moullin, Nicole Nathan, Sanne Peters, Nicole Rankin, Ben Smith, Serene Yoong. Only one study reported facilitators to the IMPLEMENTATION of CDS systems, none reported on barriers to the implementation of CDS systems and none reported any information on successful strategies to MAINTAIN implementation of CDS systems. B Methods b A sequence of three studies were conducted via a mixed method methodology and structured by the process model Implementation Mapping (IM) to guide the development of implementation strategies. B Conclusions b Process mapping successfully identifies site-specific variation in complex clinical processes and facilitates a shared understanding of the current systems and factors that affect implementation. [Extracted from the article]

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The Upper Permian sedimentary successions in the northern Sydney Basin have been the subject of several stratigraphic, sedimentological and coal petrographic studies, and recently, extensive U-Pb zircon dating has been carried out on tuffs in the Newcastle Coal Measures. However, detailed petrographic and geochemical studies of these successions are lacking. These are important because a major change in tectonic setting occurred prior to the Late Permian because of the Hunter-Bowen Orogeny that caused the uplift of the Carboniferous and Devonian successions in the Tamworth Group and Tablelands Complex adjacent to the Sydney Basin. This should be reflected in the detrital makeup of the Upper Permian rocks. This study provides data that confirms major changes did take place at this time. Petrographic analysis indicates that the source area is composed of sedimentary, felsic volcanic and plutonic and low-grade metamorphic rocks. Conglomerate clast composition analysis confirms these results, revealing a source region that is composed of felsic volcanics, cherts, mudstones and sandstones. Geochemical analysis suggests that the sediments are geochemically mature and have undergone a moderate degree of weathering. The provenance data presented in this paper indicate that the southern New England Orogen is the principal source of detritus in the basin. Discrimination diagrams confirm that the source rocks derive from an arc-related, contractional setting and agree with the provenance analyses that indicate sediment deposition in a retroarc foreland basin. This study offers new insights on the provenance and tectonic setting of the Northern Sydney Basin, eastern Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a period when care is being cast as an individual responsibility there is a need to invigorate analyses of caring capacity, of the factors and relations that make care possible. This paper develops caring‐with as an analytic to guide analyses of caring capacity. Caring‐with brings feminist care ethics together with assemblage thinking. It innovates from Tronto's identification of "caring with" as the fifth phase of care to figure care as a generative sociomaterial relation that is productive of and emergent through assemblages of actors who are not always supportive of care. Caring‐with advances three frames for conceptualising caring capacity. First, caring‐with situates care in a sociomaterial and performative frame. Second, it places care in a temporal frame, speaking to the historical and generative depth of relations that are the foundation and future of care. Third, it theorises the production and translation of care across space. These concepts are empirically examined through the caring experiences of single older women living in precarious housing in Sydney, Australia. Interviews with these women show how housing assemblages shape the emergent potential for care, co‐constituting the capacity for individuals to take part in caring practices (for self and others) and to achieve basic care needs (including needs for food, energy, and appropriate housing). Caring‐with provides a framework for conceptualising caring capacity in unequal worlds and illuminates the adaptive and creative agencies that generate and hold care together. It also points to new ways of conceptualising caring responsibility as a distributed achievement. Finally, caring‐with suggests an approach to conceptualising housing within care research. At a time when care is being cast as an individual responsibility, this paper asks what makes care possible. It develops caring‐with as an analytic to guide analysis of caring capacity. Caring‐with brings feminist care ethics together with assemblage thinking to place care in a sociomaterial, temporal, and spatial frame. The paper theorises the production and translation of care across space and identifies the assemblages that enable future care. Empirically it asks how older women care in precarious housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the strategies used by Aboriginal young people to build positive relationships and sexual wellbeing. It does so to counter the risk-focussed narratives present in much existing research and to showcase the resourcefulness of Aboriginal young people. We used peer-interview methods to collect qualitative data from 52 Aboriginal young people living in western Sydney, Australia. Participants reported a strong desire to stay safe and healthy in their sexual relationships and to achieve this they relied heavily on oral communication and yarning strategies. Participants viewed communication as a way to gain or give advice (about bodies, infections, pregnancy, relationships); to assess the acceptability and safety of potential partners; to negotiate consent with partners; to build positive relationships; and to get themselves out of unhealthy relationships. Participants also discussed 'self-talk' as a strategy for building sexual wellbeing, referring to narratives of self-respect and pride in culture as important in establishing Aboriginal young people's positive views of self and as deserving of respectful and safe sexual relationships. These findings suggest that future programmes and interventions based on yarning could be well-regarded, given it is a cultural form of pedagogy and a strategy Aboriginal young people already use to build positive relationships and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has a hidden but growing problem with household food insecurity, revealing the failure of conventional food infrastructures to support human flourishing. Disruptions to employment and livelihoods due to pandemic lockdowns have exacerbated household food insecurity, evincing the uneven geography of food access in countries globally, including Australia. Increasing demand for food relief had been observed prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic and has been met by food relief providers, which we consider as infrastructures of care addressing growing levels of hunger. This paper reveals COVID‐19's many impacts on the food relief sector across Metropolitan Sydney, New South Wales. It analyses both a questionnaire of food relief providers in 2022 and media articles, social media posts, reports, and websites. It provides much‐needed insights into the impacts of pandemic lockdowns on the demand for food, interruptions to food provisioning, changes to food supply, and alterations made to suppliers' ways of operating. Those insights show how infrastructures of care are place‐based, responsive, dynamic, and constrained by caring capacities. Such insights are increasingly important for understanding infrastructural failures, documenting the real extent of household food insecurity, and challenging dominant discourses of Australia as a food‐secure nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ralph Balson (1890–1964) was an English plumber and house painter who emigrated to Australia in 1913 and subsequently became a key member of Sydney’s artistic avant-garde. He is credited with having the first solo exhibition of purely abstract painting in Australia in 1941. Despite his role in developing Australian non-objective painting, Balson remained principally a house painter, working on his art practice at weekends. In 1955 he retired on a state pension and became a full-time artist. Balson’s artistic education and methods were critically shaped by his working-class background. He did not travel abroad until 1960 and was an avid auto-didact. His materials, palette, techniques and compositional strategies were likewise informed by his trade. Balson’s profession as a painterdecorator made him conspicuous within the predominantly middle-class Sydney art scene, though his painting partner Grace Crowley considered it an advantage in their pursuit of constructive painting. This paper explores the impact of Balson’s trade on his trajectory towards pure abstraction. While his art was at odds with the predominantly figurative mode of class-conscious art in Australian Modernism, we argue that it is embedded in the experience of class through its creative adaptation of labour into aesthetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of daylight saving time (DST) on fatal road crashes in Australia. I exploit within year transitions to and from DST in a regression discontinuity in time framework. To examine the long run effect of the policy, I use trials of DST implemented in various states, and a DST extension due to the Sydney Olympics. Neither the transition to or out of DST, nor the long run effects of DST have an impact on fatalities on the road. However, there is evidence of reallocation of accidents over the day due to ambient light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The increasing duration of time before the commencement of formal surgical education training (SET) in Australia has emphasised the need for pre-SET "aspiring" surgical trainees to develop greater competency in both generic and specialty-specific skills to fulfil these public hospital positions, however there is no formalised curriculum or guide. This paper investigates current inconsistencies in the training of Australian pre-SET aspiring surgical trainees and attempts to define which skills are required. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with pre-SET supervisors in general and specialty surgery fields at a large tertiary teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, to assess expectations and competencies of pre-SET surgical trainees. A mixed-method analysis was used with inductive content analysis used for the rich interview data and quantitative analysis of 5-point Likert scale scores for the essential skills syllabus and eligibility requirements. Results: Eighteen interviews were conducted. Three major themes arose from inductive content analysis: participants perceived that pre-SET trainees met basic expectations, significant variability in skill level exists between trainees, and simulation was suggested as a potential solution to address gaps in training. Quantitative analysis of Likert scores suggests that trainee competency was inadequate (or not required) for several skills. For general surgery, trainee competency was deemed inadequate for proctoscopy, rigid sigmoidoscopy and appendicectomy. Conclusions: There is a critical need to clearly define the skills expected of pre-SET trainees and their role within the healthcare system. This study provides insights into the content of that skillset, which could be used to design relevant and useful training programs for pre-SET trainees. The value of simulation training was universally noted by participants. They believed that this could improve competency for pre-SET trainees in technical and non-technical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we draw on insights from economic theory on urban growth, large shocks and spatial dynamics to assess COVID‐19 flow‐on effects and potential disruptive legacy in urban‐regional dynamics. Urban dynamics in Australia are assessed at national, regional and intra‐urban scales. Long‐term and short‐term urban dynamics are analysed against random growth, locational fundamentals and increasing returns theories of urban growth and adjustment. A focus in Australia and elsewhere is the potential effect of COVID‐19 on where people want to live, enabled in part by technological connectivity that releases some workers from proximity to work constraints when choosing a home. Our results suggest that urbanisation trends and adjustments to shocks differ for capital cities and noncapital cities. At the inter‐regional migration level, Australia's largest urban system, Sydney, is characterised by a cointegration relationship between outmigration and Sydney property prices relative to other housing markets. At finer spatial scales, COVID‐19 had a negative impact on house prices within Sydney and may, for some micro‐geographies and/or towns and regional centres, lead to significant change. However, typically this effect on houses (not units) began to dissipate in the period June‐November 2020, when also controlling for housing policy pre‐ and post‐COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a comparative study of political activism in Millers Point, Dawes Point, and The Rocks in Sydney from 1971 to 1974 and from 2014 to 2017, this paper examines the more‐than‐human force of bodies and buildings in redemocratising cities. The paper brings theoretical insights from urban assemblage and Deleuzian scholarship into dialogue with post‐political theory. In doing so, it shifts the focus in urban political geography from a concern with diverse social groups to the political potential in more‐than‐human assemblages. Through a re‐reading of Sydney's Green Bans in Millers Point, Dawes Point, and The Rocks, the paper first shows how the withdrawal of labour and stilled building sites comprise informal pathways of planning rejection that centralise social and ecological concerns in decision‐making in urban development. That first case is then contrasted with the contemporary case of privatisation and displacement at the same sites, showing how aged bodies can energise latent deliberative spaces across diverse (if repressed) institutions in liberal democracies. Given the capacities of materials and bodies to produce planning outcomes, the paper conceptualises planning as a more‐than‐human process enhanced by immersion in the experimental materialism of political movements—and this materialism is inherently geographical. The paper concludes with my reflecting on whether the proximity of workers and residents to the materials of the built environment in social movement activism of the 1970s intensified the reach of the event compared with the uncertain struggle over Millers Point today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe a recent process by which mental health service sector leaders identified key elements of strategic, systemic and structural mental health reform. These elements could guide an incoming Federal government. Method: The paper describes the process undertaken by the Sydney Mental Health Policy Forum between 2019 and 2022. This work generated principles, key domains and finally a set of actions. Results: Five immediate actions were identified that are cost neutral or require minimal investment. Five further actions requiring realignment of existing funds and/or new funds were also identified. Conclusions: The task of mental health reform in Australia is both large and overdue. Continued investment in fragmented or piecemeal programmes and services will not propel desired change. Reform must facilitate new regional control of planning, funding and responding to community mental health needs. The actions identified by the Forum set out a menu of opportunities to guide reform over the life of the next Parliament, starting now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a large‐scale survey conducted with parents from Japanese language schools in Sydney in 2015, this paper aims to review multiple dimensions of social cohesion in the Japanese ethnic community in Australia. Looking at several indices such as economic, political, and cultural integration, the paper describes the social profile of the Japanese ethnic community, questioning the generic perception of the community as a coherent body of middle‐class migrants in Australia. This was achieved through a comparative analysis with outcomes of a national survey of the Australian population on social cohesion and draws attention to the ways in which a particular sense of social cohesion with Australian society is constructed by Japanese migrants. The study found a differentiated sense of belonging to the local community, country of residence (Australia), and nation of origin (Japan). It found communal diversity in the Japanese community resulting from there being a majority of women migrants who were part of cross‐border marriages and their children living in multicultural family circumstances. It was concluded that this configuration within the community leads to advocacy related to a re‐identification as a possible ethnic group of migrants that should be recognized in an inclusive migration settlement policy in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines young Indian-Australians' understandings of identity expressed through their preferences in an intimate partnership. Studies in comparable contexts have indicated that diasporic Indians may identify as generically 'Indian', and express a desire for partners who are the same. This is no less true for many of Australia's Indians. Based on fieldwork with members of the diaspora in Sydney, this paper looks at the extent to which the social hierarchies of regional/linguistic identity, religion, caste and class are reproduced through this group's marriage and partnership practices. I find that their varying relationships with these hierarchies are often unconsciously shaped, and find expression in a sense of 'Indianness' and adherence to 'Indian' values. This paper further disrupts essentialising conceptions of inherent, intransient diasporic identity by highlighting that the diasporic negotiation of self is deeply personal and prone to differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communicating health information quickly and effectively with diverse populations has been essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, health communication practices are often top down and poorly designed to rapidly meet diverse health literacy, cultural and contextual needs of the population. This paper describes a research and practice partnership focused on health literacy, multicultural health, and community engagement to address COVID-19 in Australia. The partnership became influential in the local and state-based response to the COVID-19 Delta outbreak in Western and South Western Sydney, an area of high cultural and socioeconomic diversity. Our approach, bringing together academic researchers and frontline health staff working with multicultural populations using a model of co-design and community engagement and action via the "4 M model," has been successful. It supported the Western Sydney community to achieve some of the highest vaccination rates in the world (>90%). There is an ongoing need to engage respectfully and responsively with communities to address specific challenges that they face and tailor communications and supports accordingly for successful pandemic management. Combining co-designed empirical research with community engagement and action ensures needs are robustly identified and can be appropriately addressed to support an effective public health response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia and internationally, domestic violence is a major cause of homelessness for women and children and yet provision for accommodation for this user-group is not well documented or understood. When designing emergency accommodation, the concerns, preferences, and perspectives of individuals who access refuge services must be sought in order to create spaces that are conducive to the needs of this diverse and vulnerable group. An empathic 'lens' can provide meaningful insights that can inform the design of refuge services specifically targeted at addressing these needs. This paper describes an authentic interdisciplinary learning experience for nursing, architecture and landscape students at a university in Sydney, Australia, and presents the results of a study designed to measure the impact of this initiative on participants' empathy towards women and children who access refuge services as a result of homelessness and/or domestic violence. Empathy levels were measured using the Comprehensive State Empathy Scale, a validated measurement tool. The learning experience consisted of collaborative meetings with stakeholders from the refuge sector, fieldwork, individual research, exchanging ideas and problem-solving in teams. Students then developed design guides for refuges that demonstrated their emerging understanding of the specific needs and perspectives of the issues faced by women and children who had experienced violence and found themselves homeless. Pre-post Comprehensive State Empathy Scale results indicated that the empathy levels of nursing and landscape students increased and those of architecture students decreased, however, these results were not statistically significant. The significance of the results from this study include an ability to compare the changes in empathy in students working collaboratively on a project and to ascertain possible reasons for this using a validated measurement tool. As empathy is one of the strongest negative correlates of prejudice, authentic teaching and learning activities, such as the one described in this paper, have the potential to positively impact the lived experience of women and children leaving situations of domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Share housing is changing. Once considered a form of short-term housing and a lifestyle choice for young adults fresh out of the family home, share housing is increasingly playing a broader role into advanced adulthood. Recent work has claimed the emergence of Generation Rent; however, the reconfiguration of housing experiences is illustrated not only by renting but also by an increase in house sharing and the emergence of 'Generation Share' within the renting cohort. We know surprisingly little about share housing and its increasingly important role in housing. This paper draws upon exploratory research conducted on share housing in Sydney, Australia, and argues that share housing as traditionally understood is changing. Share housing has a widening demographic and it is driven primarily by economic factors. Despite this, the social affordances offered by share housing are highly valued. Share housing therefore offers us a unique lens into changing housing pathways and values and provokes us to think of ways to produce more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In non-urban places of Australia, caring-as-Country frames natural resource management (NRM) as a practice of reciprocal, more-than-human care-giving (S. Suchet-Pearson, S. Wright, K. Lloyd, and L. Burarrwanga. 2013. 'Caring as Country: towards and ontology of co-becoming in natural resource management.' Asia Pacific Viewpoint 54 (2): 185–197). Caring-as-Country is an idea that encapsulates the entangled, reciprocal relationships that people have with, and as part of, agentic more-than-human worlds. In more urbanised places, however, practices of caring-as-Country are often unrecognised, undervalued and undocumented. In this paper we make explicit practices of caring, healing and rejuvenation at Yellomundee Regional Park, Darug Country in western Sydney. Our discussion of care, entanglement and reciprocity at Yellomundee focuses on two specific activities that embody caring-as-Country: the return of cultural burns and sustained presence on Country in the form of Darug-led culture camps. The Darug principle of yanama budyari gumada, to 'walk with good spirit', embodies and invites new ways of thinking and practising intercultural caring-as-Country in heavily colonised, urban places like Yellomundee. As we document the practices arising from this invitation, we consider its far-reaching implications for NRM and planning, and we expand on the importance of geographies of care for unceded urban places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In self-governing residential communities processes of governance through community appear to be triggering a contractualisation of neighbouring and demise in socially inflected relations. Research to date has examined the socio-political dimensions of neighbouring, highlighting governance frameworks and the social context as key forces shaping transformations in community practice. Meanwhile, the material space of residential estates has largely disappeared from view, assuming a static role as either a container for social relations or a symbol informing estate standards. This paper advances a different perspective, arguing that residential materialities must be taken seriously as agents within community governance and neighbouring. Through a case study examining the management of pets and nuisance noise in strata-titled apartments in Sydney, Australia, the paper shows that community governance takes place through the material environment. Understandings of community self-governance and the ‘building event’ are productively combined to re-place understandings of community self-governance processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Australia, as in other Western countries, peri-urban farmland is increasingly being considered a public good, contributing to urban sustainability and climate change mitigation. To retain local food production, advocates have called for the implementation of farmland protection policies that restrict urban development, such as exclusion zoning. Many such policies have been abandoned due to protests, often from the very people the policies are ostensibly intended to protect - farmers. Examining the failure of Sydney's latest 'green zones' through a political ecology lens, this paper challenges the prevailing narrative that these protests indicate a lack of community support for the ideal of farmland protection. The failure of the green zones was one of political process, specifically the lack of consultation with Sydney's culturally and linguistically diverse small-scale farmers, rather than community rejection of the principle of protection. Interview responses from farmers suggest that a bottom-up approach to policy-making would have yielded alternative and more successful approaches to maintaining farming on the fringe. This paper concludes that ensuring small-scale farmers have access to and agency in the environmental decision-making process generates options for farmland protection policy that move beyond a housing-versus-farming dichotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the course of seven years during ten events, the author explored real-time interactive audiovisual projections, using ad hoc and portable projections and audio systems. This was done in the specific location of Cockatoo Island in the waters of a part of Sydney Harbour, Australia. The island offers a unique combination of the remnants of a shipyard industrial precinct, other buildings, and increasingly restored natural environment. The project explored real-time audiovisual responses through projected overlays reminiscing the rich history and past events, interactively resonating with the current landscape and built environment. This included the maritime industrial history, as well as other historical layers such as convict barracks, school, and the significance of the location for Australia's original inhabitants before colonisation by the British started in 1788. But most prominently, the recent use of the island for large scale art projects (such as the Outpost street art festival in 2011, and over a decade of use as part of the Sydney Biennale of Art, and the use of the island for film sets). This was a rich source of image material collected by the author and used to extend and reflect on current realities. By using the projections, overlaying and extending the present reality with historical data in the form of sounds and video, dialogues were facilitated and a conflation of past and present explored. The main activity were the VideoWalks, where the author, using a custom built portable audiovisual projection system and a bank of audiovisual material was able to re-place sound and video of previous events in the present context, in some instances whilst delivering a performative lecture on the way. The explorations are part of the author's Traces project, exploring traces and remnants of past events and how these can inform design approaches. The project over the years also developed an element of recursion, by using footage of an earlier projection into the current, the footage of which was then used in the next event, and so on—up to five layers of extended reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to assess the level of occupants' satisfaction, comparing older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Sydney, Australia, aiming to identify their comfort factors deficiencies in terms of design and construction solutions/strategies (e.g. spatial arrangements, materials, thermal comfort). Design/methodology/approach: A post occupancy evaluation survey was used to assess the occupant satisfaction with three on-campus accommodation buildings in The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. One of the selected buildings is an older building opened for occupation in 1996, and the other two are more recent on campus accommodations buildings. The survey included 11 post occupancy evaluation elements identified through literature review which were categorised into three dimensions: technical, functional and behavioural. Findings: The results show that the satisfaction levels with thermal and acoustic comfort were below standards for both older and newer buildings. In addition, the older building used in this study was rated low in terms of: indoor air quality, lighting, maintenance and management, vertical transportation facility, room layout and furniture quality, building layout and aesthetics and level of privacy. Such factors related to both functional and behavioural dimensions were of greater satisfaction in newer buildings. Practical implications: Findings suggest the high priority of strategies that address and improve the thermal and acoustic comfort of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings if the intention is to enhance students' satisfaction, especially considering the impact that these facilities have on students' performance. Thermal performance in different seasons and adaptive thermal comfort activities should be considered in the design of new on-campus accommodation buildings and the retrofit of existing old buildings. Originality/value: On-campus accommodation is an important facility that supports student learning outcomes and helps students adapt in a new learning environment. A post occupancy evaluation study to assess the adequacy of this facility is still lacking because previous studies have generally focussed on class rooms and work spaces in the education sector. This research compares the user satisfaction of older and newer on-campus accommodation buildings in Australia, to highlight deficiencies and areas for improvement in the design of existing and future buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Drowning is a global public health challenge with a need to ensure equity to drowning prevention information and interventions. In Australia, people born overseas are identified as being at greater risk of drowning. This paper presents findings from a community-based qualitative evaluation of swimming and water safety (SWS) programs delivered to adults from migrant backgrounds in Sydney, Australia.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in November-December 2019 among 35 female participants of SWS programs targeted to adult migrants. While offered to all SWS program participants, no males took part in the study. Focus groups and interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using a deductive approach. The domains of enquiry were guided by the health belief model and the theory of planned behaviour.Results: Study participants were ≥25 years, first generation and most had lived in Australia for ≥10 years. Most were nonswimmers and were fearful of water prior to the program. Key themes were: direct SWS program outcomes, health and well-being; enablers and barriers to participation including: motivation, a program coordinator, fear and settlement priorities.Conclusion: Findings suggest that in order to increase SWS participation among migrant communities, the broader determinants of health need to be considered. Culturally appropriate strategies are required to enable both men and women equal opportunities to access SWS programs.So What: SWS programs provide multiple benefits for adult migrants; however, the impact on reducing inequities is limited, with broader multi-strategic health promotion approaches and policies required for inclusion and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planning policies in New South Wales (NSW), Australia are continuously being reformed, in order to make them more economic development friendly. These reforms are concerned with making development approvals easier and faster. The implementation of these reforms and their outcomes in Greater Sydney, NSW, vary according to the local socio-economic conditions. The affluent communities in Greater Sydney are very concerned about these reforms and actively resist their application in their areas. They are successful in avoiding the application of reformed urban planning policies. However, the lower socio-economic parts of Greater Sydney in the outer areas are not able to engage with these urban policy issues. The reformed urban policies are fully applied in the poorer areas, often resulting in excessive and poor-quality urban development. Past research on urban planning policy development, application and outcomes in Sydney has not investigated selective planning policy application and its differential outcomes. This paper analyses the selective application of some recent urban planning policy reforms as they relate to socio-economic division in Greater Sydney. The research argues that the selective application of urban planning policy in Greater Sydney is reinforcing socio-economic division there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood utility poles are widely applied in power transmission and telecommunication systems in Australia. Because of a variety of external influence factors, such as fungi, termite and environmental conditions, failure of poles due to the wood degradation with time is of common occurrence with high degree uncertainty. The pole failure may result in serious consequences including both economic and public safety. Therefore, accurately and timely identifying the health condition of the utility poles is of great significance for economic and safe operation of electricity and communication networks. In this paper, a novel non-destructive evaluation (NDE) framework with advanced signal processing and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques is developed to diagnose the condition of utility pole in field. To begin with, the guided waves (GWs) generated within the pole is measured using multi-sensing technique, avoiding difficult interpretation of various wave modes which cannot be detected by only one sensor. Then, empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and principal component analysis (PCA) are employed to extract and select damage-sensitive features from the captured GW signals. Additionally, the up-to-date machine learning (ML) techniques are adopted to diagnose the health condition of the pole based on selected signal patterns. Eventually, the performance of the developed NDE framework is evaluated using the field testing data from 15 new and 24 decommissioned utility poles at the pole yard in Sydney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries are quintessential civic and education institutions which have undergone significant transformation. In the context of digital knowledge platforms and the neoliberalisation of public space, libraries are increasingly framed as knowledge portals, community hubs, refuges, and rare examples of universally accessible public spaces. If public libraries are transforming as educational, public and civic spaces, what does this mean for the way libraries work as everyday pedagogical spaces? This paper explores this question by considering how citizen-subjects might be 'curated' through the everyday materialities and spatial ordering of a community library in an ethno-culturally diverse neighbourhood in suburban Sydney. Drawing on interviews with users and staff in the library, I examine how material, spatial and interactional codes shape habits and constitute a pedagogical assemblage oriented around civic instruction, particularly for recently arrived migrants. I suggest that the library as conditional, semi-public space and spatial-material assemblage includes subtle forms of citizenship training, including training in openness to forms of 'commonplace diversity'. I argue that examining community libraries in this way can offer insights into the everyday pedagogies of social spaces and the way people practice civic belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground urban development is rapidly expanding. Like all forms of 'development', utilising the underneath of cities can present a range of possibilities and problems. Much underground urban development, however, has been conceptualised through a technical rather than a broader social lens. This is problematic, not least as these developments are usually financed with public money, while their governance is often realised through complicated and opaque public–private partnerships. In this context, the urban underground is often present as sub terra nullius: an epistemologically blank slate waiting to be exploited with the necessary technology and funding. In this paper, the author presents four analytical strata to help us to rethink how urban undergrounds are conceptualised and developed. Drawing on examples from Australia, she presents how we need to appreciate the more-than-human geographies of the underground (stratum 1); critically understand the dynamics of volumetric dispossession (stratum 2); question who owns the underground and how (stratum 3); and rethink how the underground is accessed (stratum 4). By engaging with these themes, we can explore ways to move subterranean urban development away from a technoscientific tunnelling decision-making process to one that engages with the social, political and economic implications of urban infrastructural projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has long been held that the general population of the British colony of New South Wales before the 1820s was neither exposed to nor interested in science, and that there was little home-grown science in Sydney at this time. This prevailing view, however, is based on a definition of science as institutionalized knowledge producer. In this paper I examine the Sydney colony between 1788 and 1821 through the lens of recent historiographical developments that have redefined science as a form of communicative action, and that incorporate the study of popular discourse centrally within histories of science. Under this approach, an examination of Sydney's mass media and popular culture reveals a widespread, rich and invested fascination with science among the colony's general population, and active contributions to public science discourse by ordinary colony residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing number of aging infrastructures has drawn attention among the industry as the results caused by critical infrastructure failure could be destructive. It is essential to monitor the infrastructure assets and provide timely maintenance. However, one of the crucial problems is that the budget allocated to the maintenance stage is much less than that for the designing and construction stages. The cost of labor, equipment, and vehicles are significant. Therefore, it is impossible to perform a thorough inspection by human inspectors over each asset. A more efficient method will be needed to solve this problem. This paper aims to provide an automatic approach to detecting and measuring the dimensions of minor cracks that appear on concrete structures with a noisy background. This research also investigates the relationship between image pixel size, accuracy, detection rate of cracks, and shooting distance of images. The proposed method will be able to reduce the cost and increase accuracy. A case study was performed on a concrete sewer with cracks distributed on the surface in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive cancer centres are on the rise as patients seek a more holistic approach to maintaining their wellbeing when living with a cancer diagnosis. Many cancer centres worldwide now incorporate a selection of evidence-based complementary therapies and qualified therapists into their offerings. The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, a comprehensive cancer centre in Sydney, Australia, provides integrative oncology services including acupuncture, massage, reflexology, dietetics and exercise physiology for individual patients, along with group programmes, and an integrative and supportive care medical specialist. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on one model of integrative oncology service and approach to integration and team and service development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: Safety climate (SC) is considered a leading indicator of safety performance, but scholars suggest that a common SC assessment framework is yet to be developed. Following the debate between the importance of facet analysis and agent analysis, the purpose of this paper is to test a factor structure, developed by the authors in previous work and arising from their systematic literature review, highlighting the role of safety agents in a construction site setting. Design/methodology/approach: Multi-level SC surveys were conducted at five construction sites in Sydney, Australia, collecting data from of 352 workers associated with a mega-construction project. While examining the factor analysis of different studies, data reliability and data validity of the survey findings were ensured and a goodness-of-fit of SC model was examined through structural equation modelling. Findings: The systematic literature review of Newaz et al. (2018) suggested a five-factor model of: management commitment, safety system, role of the supervisor, workers' involvement and group SC. However, empirical data indicated that the questionnaire used to measure "safety system" failed to pass scale reliability; thus, a four-factor model was proposed to develop an agent-specific SC factor structure in the construction industry. Originality/value: The four-factor model indicates the role and level of influence of different safety agents to improve safety perceptions on construction sites. The findings of this study will encourage researchers in construction safety to use the simplified four-factor SC (agent-specific) model presented and test it to further develop a common factor structure for the construction industry. The fact that the model is comprised of four factors makes further implementation somewhat easier in the development of safety plans, and when considering the role of safety agents, therefore enhancing its potential value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the role of Citizen Science in planning processes that seek to secure environmental conservation, drawing on new empirical data from Sydney, Australia, for the case of Citizen Science around the Chullora Wetlands. Through in-depth qualitative interviewing and deskwork, a detailed account is presented of the input and contestation of diverse actors within the approval processes around a major development, over the period from 1991 to 2012. The analysis demonstrates the development of Citizen Science in response to varied treatment of citizen contributors and contributions to a series of episodes of statutory processes embedded in a shifting political context. Findings highlight the importance of the creativity and relational tenacity of the particular groups of volunteers involved in achieving the wetlands in the Sydney case and leveraging additional societal benefits. More widely, the case demonstrated the importance of: independent agency of civil society organizations, which can interact with but are not dependent on statutory actors; status and legitimacy derived from scientific credentials; and collaborative work before, throughout and beyond decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In Australia there has been a sharp increase in the proportion of older people who live alone. Living alone increases the risk of being socially isolated or experiencing loneliness. Older people who are lonely have an increased risk of dying sooner and are more likely to experience a decline in their mobility [1]. Understanding if and how social isolation/loneliness impacts on managing health conditions and use of health services is important in providing quality care and preventing premature mortality. Living alone is not necessarily a predictor of social isolation/loneliness, rather lack of time spent with family or friend may be a better indicator. More supportive social relationships are related to a decreased mortality risk [2]. Research has been undertaken on the determinants of isolation/loneliness (individual, social, community and environment), however less emphasis has occurred on the medical determinants and how these might be mitigated. Using our existing data linkage resource, the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary and Community Health Cohort/Resource (CES-P&CH), which includes questionnaire data, primary care records, prescribing information, hospital records, emergency department records, cancer registry, and vital statistics on over 30,000 participants in CES aged 45 years and over we explored patterns of service use in people who are socially isolated. Methods: A record linkage study using 45 and Up Study questionnaire data, MBS claims, hospitalisations and deaths was undertaken. Social isolation was defined using a combination of baseline questionnaire data on living arrangements, family and friend support, and health issues that impacted on work/daily activities. Participant characteristics and health conditions at baseline (2006-2009) and health service use (including GP presentations, care plan use, and number and frequency of hospitalisations over the next 10 years) were compared for those who were defined as socially isolated versus those who were not using multivariate/time series models. Results and Discussion: At baseline 20% of participant lived alone; 30.8% had no partner; 18.5% had no children; 44.3% were not working; 4.9% regularly need help with daily tasks; 12.0% had severe physical limitations; 8.8% did not have support from family or friends; 9.6% were urinary incontinent, and 11.3% had depression or anxiety. These participants were included in the socially isolated group for the analysis if they had multiple risks. This paper will discuss the different algorithms that were developed to describe social isolation. This paper will also provide the results from the multivariate/time series models and how this information is being/can be used to better understand and provide person-centred quality care in CES. Limitations and suggestions for future research: Because the research study used an existing record linkage resource we were limited to the items that were included in the questionnaire to define social isolations. This research study would benefit from sensitivity testing of the resultant social isolation algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With persistent housing affordability issues in many parts of Australia, planners, designers and community members have begun to contemplate alternative housing options. One such option is micro-living, where occupants reside in dwellings that are significantly smaller than conventionally sized housing types. This paper explores the experience of occupants who have chosen to live in small, single-room and self-contained apartments sized between 24.5 and 28 m2 in Sydney. Using the results of a questionnaire survey and a series of interviews, the research reveals why occupants chose this housing type. The article highlights the trade-offs occupants make in their housing decision process and that affordability benefits of choosing smaller dwellings are not always guaranteed. This research has implications for minimum size requirements for emerging types of micro-living options such as tiny houses and micro-apartments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the complex and continuously evolving processes of de-democratisation evident in urban planning practice in Sydney between 2011 and 2017. New South Wales' successive rounds of planning reform, establishment of a metropolitan commission, and amalgamation of local governments over that period have aimed to reduce local democratic participation in planning decisions, but they have had uneven success. I argue that while New South Wales' efforts to streamline development and de-democratise planning have evolved considerably in response to multiple forms of opposition, the success of the neoliberal project is still uncertain. The insights this story offers add complexity to theorists' claims about the inevitability of depoliticisation and the end of meaningful democratic engagement. The story also offers insights about how power is created, lost, and regained in particular local circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the role of women in the Sydney branch of the New Theatre, from 1936 to 1969. In contrast to other gendered spaces found in the theatrical, industrial and political spheres, women held together the New Theatre. Not only did the theatre give opportunities to women as performers, but women embraced roles as directors, stage managers, writers, designers as well as holding elected offices. Drawing on oral histories and archival research, this study presents new scholarship on Australian women’s leadership in the theatre, arguing that their pattern of involvement was shaped by the voluntary nature of the work, the longevity of involvement, their political commitment and the theatre’s democratic structure. The blending of organisational and creative leadership created spaces for women’s voices in ways that were crucial to the long-term success of the Theatre, at a time when women were generally expected to focus on the domestic sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The name of Irish immigrant Michael Purtill appears multiple times in Australian newspapers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This paper focuses on Purtill's career as a step dancer, as his dance experiences illuminate multiple differences in step-dance practice between Purtill's lifetime and the present era. Purtill was also active in the broader Irish immigrant community, as well as having many encounters with the law while living in Sydney. Purtill's life reveals much about both the historical development of step dancing and the socio-cultural experiences of Irish immigrants in Australia at that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2021, Australia initiated a national COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy but faced setbacks, leading to negative press and media controversy, which may have diminished vaccine confidence. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing vaccine confidence in Australian adults (≥18 years of age) following the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine. Conducted at Blacktown Hospital, Sydney, a cross-sectional survey with 1053 respondents gauged vaccine confidence and influencing factors. The results showed overall high confidence (mean score 33/40). Trusted sources included the Australian Department of Health (77.8%), NSW Health (76.7%), and general practitioners (53.7%), while social media was distrusted (5.9%). The motivations for vaccination varied: university-educated individuals prioritised personal health (X2 = 17.81; p < 0.001), while religious and/or older respondents (≥50 years of age) emphasised community (X2 = 11.69; p < 0.001) and family protection (X2 = 17.314; p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression revealed use of the Australian Department of Health website as a trusted source of COVID-19 information as the strongest predictor of high confidence (>30; OR 1.43; p = 0.041), while exposure to fake news decreased confidence (OR 0.71; p = 0.025). The study underscores the importance of reliable health information sources in bolstering vaccine confidence and highlights the detrimental effects of misinformation. Promoting awareness of trustworthy health channels is crucial to combat vaccine hesitancy in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]