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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]

This article uses a narrative framework to analyze the role of newspapers in discursively reestablishing social order during times of social crisis and upheaval. Using the coverage by three diverse newspapers (Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph, and Koori Mail) of the 2004 Redfern Riot in Sydney, Australia, the article will explicate the way each paper narrates social actors, discourses, and events in order to make sense of the riot and promote a way to reestablish social equilibrium. It is argued that the narratives of the two mainstream papers (Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph) converge in a coverage that draws on powerful cultural tropes of race and crime in Redfern to explain the riot. The Indigenous owned and run Koori Mail, in challenging many of those same tropes, is left with fewer publicly available narrative resources through which to conclude its story of the riot. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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]

This paper reports the first findings of an ethnographic research and evaluation project undertaken over two years in a school for students with behaviour disorders in Sydney. These students are at-risk of school exclusion, and have frequently experienced short-term exclusion from more than one school. The John Berne School is the only school of its kind within the Catholic system, and it is privately run by a Catholic Religious Order. This paper reports the experiences and perceptions of a graduating class of students, Year 10 2009. In 2009 there were 12 students, all but one agreeing to be involved in this research. This project explores their understandings of their recent history and educational prospects, as well as their reflections on their own personal growth, using pen-and-paper survey and an individual interview. Additionally, this paper includes the reflections of a small group of parents who chose to be part of the research data collection process by participating in a face-to-face interview. The interview data were analysed using NVivo 8. Results from the project indicate that the students marked their development as individuals as well as the achievement of the School Certificate, and expressed high regard for employment or further study. A number of students were able to reflect on significant behaviour changes in the previous couple of years while at this special school. Students identify the central roles of good relationships with staff and a diversified curriculum in helping them towards achievement at school. This research is significant because it focuses on a much under-researched group, Special Schools. As Special Schools within the Catholic education system are seldom researched, this study is one of the first research studies conducted in New South Wales on such schools. This Special School is focused on addressing the educational disadvantage of a marginalised group: students with learning disabilities, behaviour disorders and contingent personal, family and social issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with enduring histories and micro-geographies of the (post)colonial Australian nation, played out through contemporary connections between Aboriginality, inner Sydney and educational policy change. This paper traces the 'racialization' of space and place in the Sydney inner city suburb of Redfern, including the Aboriginal-'owned' residential area commonly known as the Block; it then outlines aspects of an educational policy change in inner Sydney, specifically the relationship of policy proposals to the positioning of Aboriginal people; and, last, focuses on connecting the notions of Aboriginality and space to educational policy change through Derek Gregory's idea of the 'colonial present'. It explores how the idea of the 'colonial present' as 'performance of space' might help to understand the racialisation of the inner city and education policy discourses. It concludes that the 'colonial present' is a way of understanding how the 'racialisation' of the inner city and education policy discourses can, on the one hand, 'reaffirm' deficit views of Aboriginal people as irredeemably 'Other' and as 'failure', yet, on the other hand, can however precariously mobilize undo colonial enclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study into schooling responses to youth crime in south-western Sydney, Australia. The project was a partnership between the New South Wales Department of Education and Training and the University of Western Sydney's School of Education. Specifically, the paper analyses interviews with school leaders who were interested in understanding how to support young people constructed 'at risk' of engaging in criminal activity. A content analysis, drawing on the concept of 'emotional capital', revealed discourses of safety, hope, engagement, and justice and fairness in the narratives of participants. The various ways in which 'emotion' is operationalized in education is explored so that the nature of emotional capital and its class and gendered inflections are made clear. Emotional capital, as a theoretical framework, also provides new insights into the strategies used by school leaders and helps situate the experiences and interests of the participating principals and key staff in the schools in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pilot research on community conflict resolution, conducted in a local government area in southern Sydney in late 2006, revealed paradoxical findings: the simultaneous presence of both high levels of cross-cultural mixing and appreciation of the area's culturally diverse population; and the prevalence of prejudice against Arab and Muslim residents and visitors to the area. Many respondents, who supported cultural diversity, saw Arab and Muslim Australians as an exception and even a threat to harmonious community relations. Particularly striking was the anxiety and anger caused by their apparent large numbers, seen to be taking over certain public recreational spaces. This paper explores the contradictions in these findings in light of other contemporary Australian research and identifies complex and difficult issues to be addressed by research and by local government. In particular, the paper discusses the need to address the interconnections between both everyday multiculturalisms and everyday racisms, to distinguish between 'victim' claims amongst diverse communities, and to ground research and policies on 'place-sharing' in Indigenous sovereignties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Ninth Asia Pacific Tourism Association Annual Conference, held from July 6-9, 2003 at the University of Technology, in Sydney, Australia. The theme of the conference was 'Current Research, Future Strategies: Bridging Uncertainty,' which could not be more appropriate with the uncertain obstacles and challenges that the tourism industry has had to face over the past year. With tourism being one of the world's largest employers, when there are disasters, such as the war in Iraq or the SARS epidemic, the impact on tourism is severely felt with thousands of tourism employees loosing their jobs. The world is becoming a smaller place and a problem that in the past would have only effected one area or region, now has global effects and practically stops people from traveling causing world tourism to be at a standstill. The first day of the conference featured four concurrent paper sessions divided into twelve different themed sessions. These included - Marketing, Hospitality Management, Sustainability, Technology, Crisis, Attractions, Community Issues, Management and Tourists.

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]

As the social, ecological and economic benefits of green buildings become more established, firms, especially professional service firms, are responding by adopting sustainable office space (SOS). Accelerating this uptake demands a nuanced appreciation of firms’ understandings of and motivations for adopting SOS. Through a qualitative study of professional service firms in Sydney, this paper brings together a decentred understanding of the contemporary firm drawn from the ‘new economic geographies’ approach and theories of corporate social responsibility to trace and interpret the diverse and overlapping motivations shaping the uptake of SOS amongst these firms. The firm is shown to be a site of plurality and agency, governed by multiple logics. Whilst motivations informed by economic logic remain persuasive and pervasive, the adoption of SOS is simultaneously informed by a wider palette of logics, including environmental and social logics. The paper argues that a decentred conceptualisation of the firm brings the multiplicity of firms’ orientations towards SOS into view and, in so doing, has the potential to inform a politics of intervention for steering firms towards more socially and environmentally sustainable behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the redevelopment of the site of Sydney’s 2000 summer Olympics, locating it within debates over the legacy of these events. The paper describes some of the key stakeholders involved in the redevelopment and planning of the site. It provides an overview of the regulatory context and governance bodies that have structured the space since the staging of the Olympics, then identifies two key areas of private-sector involvement, in event space and in business development, where tensions emerged over how the site should best be governed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to trace debates between state and federal governments, and community stakeholders, leading to the establishment and abolition of the first attempt at a university for Western Sydney, established as Chifley University Interim Council. Design/methodology/approach - The historical analysis draws from published papers, oral history accounts, and original documents in archives of the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. Findings - Higher education reform in the 1980s in Australia was fought out as an extension of broader issues such as "States rights", the rising political power of peri-urban regions, long-standing tensions between state and Commonwealth bureaucracies, and the vested interests of existing tertiary education and community groups. Originality/value - This is the only existing study of attempts to found Chifley University, and one of the few available studies which take a social and contextual approach to understanding the critical reforms of the 1980s leading up to the Dawkins Reforms of 1988-1990. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of e–Universities and flexible delivery in higher education may also lead to increased use of electronic course evaluation methods. The effectiveness and methodology of electronic surveys are discussed. In the graduate–entry, problem–based University of Sydney Medical Program extensive use is made of web technologies for curriculum delivery and evaluation. The design and response rates for web–based “End of Year” student evaluation surveys in the medical program are reported for the period 1997–2001. To be used successfully in course evaluation, online surveys should be infrequent, short, simply designed and free from password access, and de–identified results should be displayed to students on their completion of a survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Journal of Political Science is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Bayesian network used to structure available knowledge and facilitate simulation of management alternatives. • Demand for urbanization and recreation were identified as dominant human drivers, exerting pressure on the beach ecosystem. • Demographic trends were integrated into a decision-making framework that supports beach managers. • Beach user surveys proposed as periodic network inputs, indicating beach recreational quality and management issues. • Urban WALROS classes were widespread across land-based sites, and more natural classes prevailed over water-based sites. Managing coastal areas under an Ecosystem Based Approach–Marine Spatial Planning framework acknowledges the complexity associated with the need to address multiple environmental and socioeconomic issues. The development of efficient management plans is critical to the implementation success of the framework; in this regard, unresolved challenges remain for measuring the effectiveness of planning plans and monitoring implementation progress. This paper describes the development of a Bayesian Belief Network as a prototype Decision Support Tool to assist coastal planning in the catchment areas of the Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The model was co-designed with local managers, underpinned by the Drivers-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses analytical framework to identify key coastal cause-effect relationships, and by the Recreational Opportunity Spectrum framework to account for significant recreational areas. The Bayesian Belief Network was structured on a conceptualisation of the relationships between key pressures affecting coastal management targets (biological areas and human activities) and their impacts on the state of the variables, with emphasis on the beach ecosystem. The socio-economic component of the model consists of predictive socio-economic modelling on preferred beach activities, the assessment of beach recreational settings, and a beach quality survey. Conditional probability tables were derived from local and regional databases. The model structure allows decision makers enhanced understanding of key interactions between management variables, assessment of management scenarios, and increased accountability of planning decisions. Future work on the prototype could expand the model to become a Bayesian Decision Network, through the integration of proposed management actions and their utilities, thereby helping managers identify optimal decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops four novel measures of a residential property's view using purely topographical data, evaluates each measure's contribution to property prices, and compares the efficacy of these new variables with manually-generated measures of view used in the literature. Using a set of semi-logarithmic and spatial autoregressive hedonic regression models for Sydney, Australia, this paper finds that water views contribute 2.30%-216.2% to property prices and land views contribute -5.94%-69.7%. These new measures confer an improvement in out-of-sample prediction accuracy of up to 6.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian state police have historically held wide-ranging powers which reflect their origins as all-encompassing administrators and agents of control over unruly colonial subjects. Contemporary police powers to stop and question individuals to establish whether they are lawfully present stem from at least 1958 when they were incorporated into section 188 of the Migration Act. There is no official monitoring of the use of stop and search powers in this or any other context, and the capacity for police to make on-the-spot checks has been enhanced by the establishment of the Immigration Status System which provides immediate feedback about immigration status, 24 hours a day. This paper will draw on statistical data, survey responses and interviews with senior New South Wales police to build up a picture of their immigration status checking practices, concentrating on opportunistic street encounters. The reported starting point – of directing attention to those who are perceived to be ‘out of place’ – embeds street-level border control into everyday practices of order maintenance policing. Questions of immigration status are found to be closely intertwined with determinations of identity, highlighting the importance in a globalising world of marking non-citizens as ‘surveillable subjects’, and raising deeper questions about entitlement and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports on a study of Sydney's rail system to argue that engaged research requires a problem-oriented complexity framework. This needs a richer method drawing on ideas from more scientific and mathematical forms of complexity/chaos theory to complement cultural studies understandings of complexity. The paper develops the idea of critical incidents as a bridge between science, cultural studies and business, and uses it to analyse small and large problems of Sydney rail, from loose roof-hatch bolts to communication problems in the organization. It also proposes a strategy, virtual trialogues, to construct a manageable intermediate level of complexity and analyse it by adapting digital software. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multisensory environments (MSEs) have become popular in schoolsfor students with severe disabilities in the UK, the US, and Australia, despite a lack of convincing research evidence for any positive effects on learning and behaviour. This paper reports on in depth interviews with stafffrom two schools in Sydney, NSW Australia that explored the background to the installations of MSEs, perceptions, and beliefs about the effects of use of MSEs. School staff was unfamiliar with the literature on MSEs and relied on the Internet and commercial firms for information. They accepted the claims made for the effects of MSEs, but translated these claims in the light of their beliefs about the needs of their student population. Calls are made for education departments to provide more information and support to schools when they make decisions about the use of resources and to support schools in making objective evaluations of the outcomes of use of MSEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For much of its history in the twentieth century, television was conceived mostly in national terms. American television, British television, Australian television and so on were thought of as distinct systems, even if they frequently displayed significant degrees of overlap. Such a notion has always been a convenient simplification. Television exists at a series of different spatial levels and the nationwide tier is only one of these. Recent interest in the notion of media capital draws attention to the role played by broadcasting hubs in larger television formations, not only in the industrial sense of resource accumulation and density but also in terms of colonizing larger media environments. This paper addresses this matter in terms of the role that a Sydney metropolitan television service has played in the life of the Australian nation. It surveys the material and ideological dimension of this service as a means of further problematizing the connection of television and nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between spirituality/religion and health is receiving increasing academic interest, but few studies have explored the experience of Australians. This paper presents data from an exploratory survey of patients and families in a public teaching hospital in Sydney. The findings show that the majority of hospital service users: • believe there are links between spirituality/religion and health; • believe that rituals and customs can help people when they are sick/suffering; • have valued practices associated with their beliefs; • feel it is helpful for health staff to know their patients' beliefs; • are willing to be asked about their beliefs; or • want hospital staff to respect and support the beliefs and practices of all patients. Spirituality and religion, and the beliefs and practices associated with them, were found to be eclectic, individualised and evolving in response to life events such as loss and health crises. This paper concludes that a person-centred framework of health practice includes attention to the religious/spiritual dimension of patients and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the results of research into the learning experiences of a group of adult learners in a university preparation programme in a college of Technical and Further Education in Sydney, NSW, Australia. The research was conducted over a three year period by the author as a teacher-researcher and is grounded in the phenomenological work of Schutz, and Berger and Luckmann. Students identified the diverse segments of their complex life-worlds and the salient situated interactions within these segments which support or distract them from learning. What emerges is a representation of the life-world of the adult learner which enables adult educators and students to better understand the complex world of learning in adulthood. An understanding of this world has become increasingly significant as recent economic and social changes have ensured that more adults return to formal education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is widespread consensus in human geography that neoliberalism is achieved through the intersection of multiple scales and states, there has been growing emphasis in recent years on the hybrid qualities of neoliberalist-styles of governance. Because hybrid approaches draw attention to the wide range of actors and contradictory agendas underpinning the always uneven expression of neoliberalist projects, they are particularly suited to the identification of residual state capacities in contexts where neoliberalist forms dominate economic and political life. Drawing on two cases of large-scale residential development in New South Wales, namely Warnervale Town Centre on the New South Wales Central Coast and the Australian Defence Industry site at St Marys in Sydney's west, the present paper adopts an hybrid approach in order to identify current state capacities. Through a comparison of both sites, it identifies the potential for socially and ecologically balanced development in the outer suburban context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the birth of rugby league in Australia has been addressed in a number of works by a number of historians, dating back to the first 'Sporting Traditions' conference in Australia in 1977. It is the intention of this paper to argue that there are still some aspects of the 'split' that have remained hidden, and perhaps neglected, by these existing studies. Most importantly, it will be argued that the causes of many players (and some clubs) defecting to the new game of rugby league lay in specific 'local' issues surrounding existing football clubs rather than as some consequence of a wider form of socially-based revolt against the Rugby Union establishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 11 September 2001, Australia's race relations have been an issue of significant cultural concern, particularly relations between Anglo-Celtic and Middle-Eastern Australians. Riots on Cronulla Beach, Sydney, in December 2005 heightened this concern. This paper looks at the events at Cronulla and the debates they catalysed about race relations in Australia, and examines how these discourses have been shaped by arguments from both the Right and the Left. Informed by the discourse of critical multiculturalism, we examine several performance-based arts activities that made the riots their subject matter and argue that these arts practices reflect a larger cultural concern about the currency of traditional forms of multiculturalism, and promote instead an emphasis on understanding racial conflict as a critical negotiation over shared territories and values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Psychology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper presents the findings of the National Fluoride Varnish Workshop in 2018 along with subsequent actions to scale-up the use of fluoride varnish nationally in Australia. The use of fluoride varnish programs to prevent dental caries in high-risk child populations is an evidence-based population health approach used internationally. Such programs have not been implemented at scale nationally in Australia. A National Fluoride Varnish Consensus Workshop was held in Sydney in November 2018 with an aim of sharing the current work in this area being undertaken by various Australian jurisdictions and seeking consensus on key actions to improve the scale-up nationally. Forty-four people attended the Workshop with oral health representatives from all Australian state and territory health departments, as well as the Australian Dental Association (ADA) at both NSW branch and Federal levels. There was strong support for further scale-up of fluoride varnish programs nationally and to see the wider use of having non-dental professionals apply the varnish. This case study identifies key actions required to ensure scale-up of systematic fluoride varnish programs as part of a strategic population oral health approach to preventing dental caries among high-risk children who may not routinely access dental care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobility is the keystone of the 'new' regional geography. Attention is drawn to the outpouring of work on travellers throughout history. Surprisingly, little mention is made of geographers who have crossed borders, been immigrants and have engaged in writing about movement. As is evident from Peter Scott's pocket log diary of air travel and airports, there is scope for a study of the whole range of spatial practices of individual geographers through an examination of maps, diaries, stories, books and television programs. As all geographers are travellers, it is perhaps more appropriate to create the spirit of the time so that we can position ourselves in the bigger picture and enjoy our private reveries. This paper, therefore, seeks to recreate the air transport geography of the mid-1960s and to list key changes over the following thirty years, before examining air transport geography in the mid-1990s. Attention is paid to advertising signs and images of each period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study concerning Aboriginal prehistory before British colonisation in Sydney, New South Wales. It notes that the study has been conducted by the Department of Archaeology, University of Sydney. It mentions that the British colonists have arrived in Port Jackson in January 1788 under the command of Arthur Phillip to establish a penal settlement.

Smoke pollution from landscape fires is a major health problem, but it is difficult to predict the impact of any particular fire. For example, smoke plumes can be mapped using remote sensing, but we do not know how the smoke is distributed in the air-column. Prescribed burning involves the deliberate introduction of smoke to human communities but the amount, composition, and distribution of the pollution may be different to wildfires. We examined whether mapped plumes produced high levels of particulate pollution (PM2.5) at permanent air quality monitors and factors that influenced those levels. We mapped 1237 plumes, all those observed in 17 years of MODIS imagery over New South Wales, Australia, but this was only ~20% of known fires. Prescribed burn plumes tended to occur over more populated areas than wildfires. Only 18% of wildfire plumes and 4% of prescribed burn plumes passed over a monitor (n = 115). A minority of plumes caused a detectable increase in PM2.5: prescribed burn plumes caused an air quality exceedance for 33% of observations in the daytime and 11% at night, wildfire plumes caused exceedances for 48% and 22% of observations in the day and night-time, respectively. Thus, most plumes remained aloft (did not reach the surface). Statistical modelling revealed that wind speed, temperature, and mixing height influenced whether a plume caused an exceedance, and there was a difference between prescribed and wild fires. In particular, in wind speeds below 1 kmhr−1, exceedance was almost certain in prescribed burns. This information will be useful for planning prescribed burning, preparing warnings, and improving our ability to predict smoke impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A new self-directed learning package was developed to assist medical students learn the counselling and practical skills to enable them to communicate with men and women about contraception and related matters. Objectives This paper describes the package and the way it was facilitated, the students’ ratings of the package and their feedback about the session on the first time it was presented at four teaching hospitals. Results The students rated the contraception package as average. The reasons given were: no introduction to the contraception session, lack of a trained person to conduct and facilitate the contraception learning session, poor organization at one of the hospitals and too little emphasis on self-assessment. The assumption that the students had a basic hormonal knowledge prior to the contraception sessions was incorrect. Discussion The results suggest the contraception learning package needs a person with contraceptive knowledge, patient–doctor skills and experience with self-directed learning to be present throughout the 3-hour session and for tools to be available that emphasize self-assessment during the session. Outcome The modifications to be made to the learning package include pairing male and female students, a reduction in duration of the learning stations, an additional learning station relating to hormonal contraception, and inclusion of pregnancy and ovulation testing. These modifications were suggested by the participating students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quarrying for aggregate material at Hornsby in New South Wales (Australia) exposed a >100 m-deep cross-section of the volcanic neck of a Jurassic diatreme, which extruded through the Sydney Basin deposits. The cross-section reveals volcanic features at many scales. Globally, there are very few instances of such excellent 3D exposure. It is arguable that this exposure alone makes it a geosite of international value. However, evaluation of the Hornsby Diatreme using a geoheritage toolkit shows that it meets various geoheritage conservation criteria, being a reference site, and an historically and culturally important site, as well as hosting important archival material. It has significant features at various scales: at the macroscale, where dish beds are visible on all quarry walls, preserving the structure formed during volcanic accretion and later caldera collapse; at the mesoscale, where breccia and surge layers are visible, providing insight into how magma interacted with various host rock types; and at the microscale, where lapilli, chilled margins on host rock blocks, and carbon-rich xenoliths are visible in hand specimens. As such, the Hornsby Quarry hosts a world-class array of volcanic features and preserves an important period of volcanic and post-volcanic history within the Sydney Basin, fostering geoeducation and geotourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the formation of Catalanness within the parameters of the new surge of Catalan independentism in the 2010s. It specifically looks at the Casal Català of New South Wales in Sydney as an illustrative example, through which the visual symbols of Catalan independentism function synecdochically as part of the whole of what it is to be Catalan in Australia. This is what will be termed the visual politics of the Casal Català in Sydney. Having this in mind, the article lastly explores in what ways the symbols used by the Casal Català are effective markers of Catalan commonsense in an extremely fragile diasporic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on proceedings of the 2001 biennial conference of the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA), held in Sydney, New South Wales, from June 27 to 30, 2001. Venue of the conference; Number of delegates at the conference; Themes of keynote addresses delivered at the conference; Issues discussed by panelists; Initiatives taken by JSAA2001.

Serpentine leafminer Liriomyza huidobrensis is a highly polyphagous insect pest that threatens vegetable and ornamental horticultural production globally as a function of feeding and egg laying damage to plants. Although this species has been periodically intercepted at Australia's border, the pest had not been recorded as established on the mainland. A population of L. huidobrensis was identified in the Sydney Basin, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in late 2020 affecting a variety of vegetable crops. Delimiting surveillance revealed L. huidobrensis to be widespread in the Sydney Basin and present in several regional locations, impacting vegetable, ornamental and weed hosts. This article documents the first report of L. huidobrensis in Australia and the ensuing biosecurity response that was triggered at its detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent landscape‐scale wildfires in eastern Australia have made apparent the need for a greater understanding of the flammability dynamics of forested ecosystems. Fire severity is a measure of the impact of a fire on vegetation, but little is known about the landscape‐scale response of the fire‐prone dry sclerophyll forests of eastern Australia to different levels of fire severity. Species in these forests have multiple responses to fire, which can be dependent on the fire severity. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of fire severity on the vegetation structure, and therefore flammability, of these forests. We addressed two hypotheses that 1) High severity fire would result in a denser understory than low severity fire after 5 years and that 2) High severity fire would reduce the vertical separation between understory and canopy after 5 years. Field surveys of 38 forest sites with differing fire severity but standardised time since fire and forest type, in Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia, were used to test these hypotheses. We found lower canopy cover and greater understory cover (0.5–4 m height) after high severity fire compared with sites which burnt at low severity. Vertical separation was less between the canopy and understory at sites after high severity fire than after low severity fire. The greater quantity of understory fuel and greater vertical continuity in fuel structure observed suggests a potential increase in forest flammability after high severity fire compared with lower severity fires in these forest types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper provides a synopsis of the current regulatory and institutional arrangements that pertain to the urban water and wastewater sector in Australia. A short and selected institutional history of the urban water sectors in the Australian cities of Sydney and Melbourne is outlined, followed by an analysis of the relative effectiveness of the institutional structures in enabling the sector to respond to the challenges faced by the sector in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The annual incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza is usually between 2 to vaccinate their children. The aim of our study was to determine parental intentions and behavior regarding influenza vaccination for their children and to explore explanatory variables. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 16 child-care centers in Sydney, Australia, between November and December 2009, just after the first wave of the 2009 influenza pandemic. Survey packets were distributed at the child-care centers and e-mails were sent to parents of children aged 6 months to 5 years, asking them to complete the questionnaire either on paper or over the web. The questions addressed knowledge, behavior, intentions and beliefs regarding seasonal influenza and vaccination. We analyzed the data by descriptive statistics as well as using both univariate and multivariate tests with logistic regression. We received 431 completed questionnaires (response rate: 44%). Vaccination was chosen by 59% of respondents as a method for preventing influenza. 21% of parents were extremely or very concerned about the likelihood of their child contracting influenza. During 2009, 12% of children were offered seasonal influenza vaccine by a health-care professional, but only 8% received it. For the coming 2010 season, 22% of parents were planning to have their child vaccinated while 52% were unsure about vaccinating. Nearly half (45%) were "unsure" whether influenza vaccine is more of a risk for children than actually having influenza. About 60% were unsure whether or not the vaccine should be recommended for chronically ill children. The two strongest discouragers to vaccination were a parental perception that the vaccine was new and the requirement for annual vaccination. The strongest behavioral predictors for vaccination in 2009 were the offer of vaccination by a health-care professional (OR: 35.7, 95% CI: 13.2-90.9) and the perception that the vaccine is safe for children aged 1-5 years (OR: 27.8, 95% CI: 3.6-200.0). Australian parents had limited knowledge about seasonal influenza vaccine, with almost half unsure about its safety for children. Health-care professionals are pivotal to promoting vaccination uptake, as parents considered them the most reliable source of information. Health-care professionals should be educated to provide up-to-date, accurate information to parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents X-ray diffraction and SEM evidence for the formation of alunite, and possibly small quantities of natroalunite, within opal-A stalactites formed on quartz sandstone near Sydney in south-eastern, Australia. Alunite has been reported as a speleogenetic mineral from sediments within a number of caves around the world, but this is believed to be the first report of speleothemic alunite in opaline silica speleothems. Individual alunite crystals have not been visually identified, but SEM X-ray element mapping suggests the alunite has formed amongst kaolinite clay. Sedimentary alunite and natroalunite formation is usually associated with the reaction of sulphuric acid on illite, smectite and kaolinite clay materials. In this location groundwater sulphate levels are not high, but evaporative concentration of stalactite drip-water containing small amounts of sulphuric acid generated by oxidization of pyrite might lower the pH to a level sufficiently acidic for conversion of kaolinite or illite to alunite. The ferrolysis of hydrous Fe2+-oxides, or the biochemical activities of bacteria or other micro-organisms, also provide conceivable pathways for the generation of pH sufficiently low to contribute to alunite formation. The occurrence of alunite in these silica stalactites, whilst unusual, is consistent with the normal silica stalactite-forming process in this region, and in accord with observations of the authigenic formation of alunite and groundwater opal in weathering profiles elsewhere. INSET: 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the foundation of some travelling notes from New Zealand, Australia and Dubai, from early 2010, this text is both a travel diary and a pretext to analyze the way some of the world's countries managed to blossom economically and culturally under the strong influence of previous centuries of colonialism. The approach is unconventional, combining objective attitude and some personal subjective considerations towards various phenomena and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within scholarly discussion about the mother identity and how it is assumed, women with intellectual disabilities are silent. While debate has explored the experiences of many considered to mother outside the margins of the motherhood institution, the experiences of this group of women lies beyond that reach. This paper presents findings from a phenomenological study into becoming a mother for women with intellectual disabilities. The experiences of these women broaden our conceptual understanding of a well debated phenomenon and suggest that their social networks are integral to the development of the mother identity. As mother, the women with intellectual disabilities in this study aligned themselves with a key person in their social network who advocated for and supported them as the central figure in the life of their babies. Examining the experiences of perhaps the most marginalised of women serves to expand understanding of the means by which women come to understand themselves as mothers and assume the identity of mother. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rainwater tanks have become popular in large Australian cities due to water shortage and greater public awareness towards sustainable urban development. Rainwater harvesting in multi-unit buildings in Australia is less common. This paper investigates the water savings potential of rainwater tanks fitted in multi-unit residential buildings in three cities of Australia: Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong. It is found that for multi-unit buildings, a larger tank size is more appropriate to maximise water savings. It is also found that rainwater tank of appropriate size in a multi-unit building can provide significant mains water savings even in dry years. A prediction equation is developed which can be used to estimate average annual water savings from having a rainwater tank in a multi-unit building in these three Australian cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The waste intermodal station of Clyde, in the city of Sydney, Australia, is in the heart of a complex network of terminals connected by road and rail to transport urban waste from its first collection to its final disposal. The amount of waste the network is projected to handle in 2015 will increase from about 340,000tonnes/year in 2006 up to about 1.5million tonnes/year, following population and consumption raise. The paper proposes a discrete-event model to represent Clyde Transfer Station (TS) and its relations with the other terminals. Such a model allows one to evaluate the effects of different expansion plans of the station structures as well as different policies of the collection service. The results show that, as often happens, a careful consideration of management alternatives can decrease the necessity of structural enlargement, which is normally much more expensive, if at all possible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rainwater is a traditional but under-utilized water resource that has today had a resurgence due to the worldwide water crisis. This paper demonstrates the outcomes of research on the feasibility of rainwater use in high-rise residential envelopes for four Australian cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Darwin. Different climate patterns and various levels of water demand management were established for determination of storage dimensions; annual tank water use; reduction in both imported water flow and stormwater disposal; and water spillage from tanks. High level water demand management was a profoundly effective tool for reducing potable water supply, especially in combination with rainwater use. The economic feasibility of rainwater use systems were estimated; with Sydney having the shortest payback period compared to other cities either both with 3A rated appliances (8.6 years) or 5A ones installed (10.4 years). That was due to the higher and more consistent rainfall in Sydney. An outcome of this study was that Sydney was likely most suited to rainwater use, followed by Perth, Darwin, and then Melbourne. The objective of this study was to fill in the gap in estimating feasibility of rainwater use in various Australian cities. This investigation endeavors to provide assistance to water authorities and urban planners of Australian cities with the consideration of the potential of rainwater harvesting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Analysis of press reports of the onset of drought in Sydney in 2002 and London in 2006 shows different understandings of the relationship between infrastructure provision, individual behaviour and the environment. Drought is both a natural and cultural phenomenon requiring urban water managers to consider social as well as technical considerations in preparing for future droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Australia has been progressive by world standards in its programme of airport privatisation and the adoption of a ‘light-handed’ regime of airport regulation. This paper discusses Sydney Airport''s experience in negotiating commercial pricing agreements with airlines in the context of the light-handed regime and the Australian infrastructure access arrangements. It concludes that contractual relationships in an environment of informal regulation are able to provide sound, and arguably superior, outcomes to formal price regulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The architecture of the Sydney General Post Office, completed from 1864 to 1891, captures the spirit of the Australian populace in the period preceding Federation. By the time the carvings on the Pitt Street façade were commenced, Sydney had hosted an international exhibition and become a world city; and an emerging urban ethos of pride in the city was encouraging widespread interest in further development. The controversial carvings reflected this changing temper. The completion of the clock tower in 1891 marked a new stage in the life of the city. The physical form of the metropolis had nurtured the ideals and aspirations of society and now provided a platform for nation building. The remarkable clock tower was used as a metaphor for Federation in a poem by the Federalist, Robert Garran. Australian Federation, claims John Hirst in The Sentimental Nation, was a people's movement and an outcome of national sentiment. This paper is the first to identify how the grand architecture of the General Post Office helped people to imagine themselves as part of a larger national and international community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]