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Acknowledging Australian Indigenous cultural diversity involves respecting local Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. This can be difficult for teachers who do not know about Indigenous people and their knowledge. The Differentiated Indigenous Pedagogies project evaluated digitally available information describing Indigenous in this paper, 'Indigenous' will be used when referring to First Nations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, pedagogies, policies, and institutional contexts in Australia apart from references used which use other terminology. The authors acknowledge the contested nature of terminology and use the term 'Indigenous' as it is consistent with the title of the research project on which this article is based pedagogies in the Northern Territory. The purpose was to consolidate findings to increase positive intercultural actions in the wider education community. An important aspect of the project is addressing gaps in western, non-Indigenous teacher knowledge pertinent to the diversity within Indigenous language groups and regions. Through searching for available Indigenous pedagogies as a teacher might, we found information differs in description and levels of relationality. Pedagogies are presented in numerous ways which complicates teachers' cultural understandings. Common themes from search results and Indigenist educational research are used to define ways teachers can actively engage in more respectful, relational, and reconciliatory ways to develop a differentiated approach for themselves to use when working with Indigenous pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The gaps in healthy life expectancy (HLE) between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are significant. Detailed and accurate information is required to develop strategies that will close these health disparities. This paper aims to quantify and compare the causes and their relative contributions to the life expectancy (LE) gaps between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Methods: The age-cause decomposition was used to analyse the differences in HLE and unhealthy life expectancy (ULE), where LE = HLE + ULE. The data was sourced from the burden of disease and injury study in the NT between 2014 and 2018. Results: In 2014–2018, the HLE at birth in the NT Indigenous population was estimated at 43.3 years in males and 41.4 years in females, 26.5 and 33.5 years shorter than the non-Indigenous population. This gap approximately doubled the LE gap (14.0 years in males, 16.6 years in females) at birth. In contrast to LE and HLE, ULE at birth was longer in the Indigenous than non-Indigenous population. The leading causes of the ULE gap at birth were endocrine conditions (explaining 2.9–4.4 years, 23–26%), followed by mental conditions in males and musculoskeletal conditions in females (1.92 and 1.94 years, 15% and 12% respectively), markedly different from the causes of the LE gap (cardiovascular disease, cancers and unintentional injury). Conclusions: The ULE estimates offer valuable insights into the patterns of morbidity particularly useful in terms of primary and secondary prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The burden of chronic conditions is growing in Australia with people in remote areas experiencing high rates of disease, especially kidney disease. Health care in remote areas of the Northern Territory (NT) is complicated by a mobile population, high staff turnover, poor communication between health services and complex comorbid health conditions requiring multidisciplinary care. Aim: This paper aims to describe the collaborative process between research, government and non-government health services to develop an integrated clinical decision support system to improve patient care. Methods: Building on established partnerships in the government and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) sectors, we developed a novel digital clinical decision support system for people at risk of developing kidney disease (due to hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) or with kidney disease. A cross-organisational and multidisciplinary Steering Committee has overseen the design, development and implementation stages. Further, the system's design and functionality were strongly informed by experts (Clinical Reference Group and Technical Working Group), health service providers, and end-user feedback through a formative evaluation. Results: We established data sharing agreements with 11 ACCHS to link patient level data with 56 government primary health services and six hospitals. Electronic Health Record (EHR) data, based on agreed criteria, is automatically and securely transferred from 15 existing EHR platforms. Through clinician-determined algorithms, the system assists clinicians to diagnose, monitor and provide guideline-based care for individuals, as well as service-level risk stratification and alerts for clinically significant events. Conclusion: Disconnected health services and separate EHRs result in information gaps and a health and safety risk, particularly for patients who access multiple health services. However, barriers to clinical data sharing between health services still exist. In this first phase, we report how robust partnerships and effective governance processes can overcome these barriers to support clinical decision making and contribute to holistic care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous language bilingual schooling, introduced in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) in 1973, was a reality for over twenty-five schools at the program's height. Today, the language-of-instruction in these same settings is English only, with only 7 state schools operating bilingual programs. Overt Government hostility began with an attempt to defund Indigenous bilingual education in 1998-99. This paper argues that the discursive techniques used to justify these cuts were crucial to developing key themes in 'mainstreaming discourses' in Indigenous politics, which has rehabilitated assimilationist thinking in a neoliberal context through the 2000s and since. Using a discourse-historical method, this paper elucidates how mainstreaming discourses were constructed against bilingual education in the 1998–99 debate, and how they emphasized English-only education geared towards neoliberal assimilation for remote Indigenous communities. Indigenous bilingual education was conceived as part of 'failed' self-determination in remote Australia. This paper enhances understanding of the patterns and themes of mainstreaming discourses by tracing their genealogical development in this debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on transnational education inquiry from Guatemala to Australia. Grounded in field research on Indigenous matters, this paper offers fractal education inquiry as a proposition to interrupt the straight and spatialized notions of time that produce developmental, salvific, and progress-centric aspirations from which educational problems are generated. Set as a manifestación, the paper begins with the case of the Don Dale youth detention center in Australia's Northern Territory and moves on to define the terms of fractal inquiry to defy carceral logics. Fractal education inquiry is exemplified in the study of teacher education reforms in Guatemala. In the last section, the paper interrogates the logics of the gap, teacher competencies in diverse classrooms, and the disadvantaging of populations as reinscriptions of educational regimes attempting to tame multiple and Indigenous fractal ontologies that defy the linear temporalities ruling current schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Culturally safe and meaningful cognitive assessment methods for use with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are scarce. Concerns are raised regarding the efficacy of existing methods in cross‐cultural contexts. The Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) Assessment offers a person‐centred alternative whereby cognitive strategy application is examined during performance of culturally relevant everyday tasks. This paper explores its use with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. Methods: A critical case study design was applied to examine the effectiveness and relevance of the PRPP Assessment with two Aboriginal Australian people in the Northern Territory of Australia. 'Ivan' and 'Jean' were each receiving occupational therapy through a rehabilitation service over a 6‐month period following acquired brain injuries. Ivan and Jean were assessed performing everyday tasks of interest and importance to them as part of routine care. A partnership approach was adopted throughout the process, and both consented to their stories being told. Results: The PRPP Assessment was able to measure changes in Ivan's and Jean's cognitive strategy use and its impact on performance of meaningful tasks. Ivan demonstrated a 46% increase in performance mastery and a 29% increase in cognitive strategy use with most improvements identified in his ability to sense information, initiate action, and continue performance. Jean demonstrated a 71% increase in performance mastery and a 32% increase in cognitive strategy use. Her greatest improvements were in the ability to recall schemes, self‐evaluate, and initiate action. Conclusion: The two critical case stories shared in this study suggest that the PRPP Assessment has emerging evidence of clinical utility when used with Aboriginal people with acquired brain impairment. The information gained revealed strengths in performance; it was effective in measuring change in cognitive strategy use, was able to inform the goal setting process, and guided intervention to support cognitive strategy use during task performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Whitlam Labor government (1972–75) is remembered for ushering in a new era in Indigenous affairs, with the move to "self‐determination", abandoning the longstanding insistence on "assimilation". The new government intended to deploy the Commonwealth's new legislative power established in the 1967 constitutional referendum to bring in a range of reforms, responding to consistent demands from Indigenous leaders, activists, and supporters through the previous decade. Whitlam's campaign speech promised anti‐discrimination legislation, provisions to allow Aboriginal communities to incorporate, and legislation of a system of land tenure. The government faced considerable political obstacles, ultimately curbing the ambitious reform agenda. Nevertheless, these initial efforts to conceptualise representation, recognition, and compensation laid important foundations for the current public debate about "Voice, Treaty, Truth", following the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This paper explores self‐determination through the path‐breaking work of the Woodward Aboriginal Land Rights Commission and the establishment of well‐resourced land councils as authoritative and legitimate representatives of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. The Whitlam government's willingness to experiment with power‐sharing in the sensitive area of land ownership provided a valuable prototype for genuine engagement with First Nations people today, as Australia contemplates the failure of the constitutional referendum around a Voice to parliament. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Self-determination policies and the expansion of bilingual schooling across Australia's Northern Territory (NT) in the 1970s and 1980s provided opportunities for Aboriginal educators and communities to take control over schooling. This paper demonstrates how this occurred at Shepherdson College, a mission school turned government bilingual school, at Galiwin'ku on Elcho Island in North East, Arnhem Land, in the early years of the policies between 1972 and 1983. Yolŋu staff developed a syncretic vision for a Yolŋu-controlled space of education that prioritised Yolŋu knowledges and aimed to sustain Yolŋu existence. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses archival data as well as oral histories, focusing on those with a close involvement with Shepherdson College, to elucidate the development of a Yolŋu vision for schooling. Findings: Many Yolŋu school staff and their supporters, encouraged by promises of the era, pushed for greater Yolŋu control over staffing, curriculum, school spaces and governance. The budgetary and administrative control of the NT and federal governments acted to hinder possibilities. Yet despite these bureaucratic challenges, by the time of the shift towards neoliberal constraints in the early 1980s, Yolŋu educators and their supporters had envisioned and achieved, in a nascent way, a Yolŋu schooling system. Originality/value: Previous scholarship on bilingual schooling has not closely examined the potent link between self-determination and bilingual schooling, largely focusing on pedagogical debates. Instead, this paper argues that Yolŋu embraced the "way in" offered by bilingual schooling to develop a new vision for community control through control of schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) can have a lower cardiac reserve to cope with pregnancy and labour, leading to increased obstetric and cardiac risks. The Northern Territory has been repeatedly reported to have the highest prevalence of RHD in Australia, yet evidence specific to pregnancy is scarce in the literature. Aims: The primary aim of this paper is to describe the baseline characteristics and maternal outcomes of pregnant women with RHD presenting to the largest obstetrics referral hospital in the Northern Territory. The secondary aim is to evaluate the current model of care in relation to their cardiac status. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted over a 9.5‐year period. Demographics, cardiac, obstetrics and anaesthetics data were collected for analysis. Results: One hundred and twenty‐nine pregnancies were included for analysis. All women were identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and 85% were of a RHD priority of 2 or 3. Of all 28 patients who had an emergency caesarean section, only one patient was indicated for cardiac reasons. There was no maternal or neonatal death reported. Three preterm births were induced secondary to maternal concerns related to RHD cardiac decompensation. There were no major adverse neonatal outcomes, including neonatal death, intraventricular haemorrhage or respiratory distress syndrome. Multidisciplinary care was also evaluated. Conclusion: We observed a low rate of maternal and fetal morbidity and no mortality in a cohort of women with mild to severe RHD. These favourable outcomes have occurred in a multidisciplinary centre with significant experience in managing the medical and cultural complexities of this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many parts of the world, policymakers, legislators, marine managers, and indigenous peoples have attempted to reconcile marine protected area (MPA) governance and management with indigenous peoples' ancient and ongoing traditional ownership of coastal and marine environments. This paper describes a novel approach in Australia to addressing this challenge through indigenous‐led planning and collaborative governance of holistic coastal land and sea indigenous protected areas (IPAs) based on the indigenous concept of "Country"—traditional land and sea estates and their associated cultural, environmental, and other values.To provide context to this approach, the paper explains the concept of "Sea Country" and provides an overview of the relationship between indigenous peoples and Australia's coastal and marine environments, the legal and policy recognition of Indigenous Sea Country rights and interests, and the engagement of indigenous people in the governance and management of government‐led, legislated MPAs in Australia.The paper then describes the evolution of IPAs from being specifically based on indigenous land tenure to being based more generally on Indigenous Country, across multiple tenures, including marine areas. In recent years, IPAs based on Country have enabled indigenous people to lead planning and governance of land and sea areas over which they have limited legal rights, including over existing national parks and marine parks. Using this approach, some IPAs complement existing protected area governance and management arrangements, whereas elsewhere Country‐based IPAs are adding significantly to Australia's MPA estate. The Dhimurru IPA in the Northern Territory and Girringun Region IPAs in Queensland are presented as examples of this Country‐based approach.This indigenous‐driven, collaborative, nonlegislative approach to dedicating, governing and managing coastal areas and MPAs may serve as a model in other nation states for indigenous people wishing to use a protected area governance framework to support the contemporary management of their traditional marine and coastal estates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) employment has become a fundamental feature of construction activity in the resources sector in Australia. Much of the existing FIFO research has focused on the production phase of resource projects, as opposed to the construction phase. The rosters in the construction phase are less sociable than those in the production phase. Production phase-focused FIFO studies have documented negative impacts on communities, work-life balance and on the mental and occupational health of workers. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study among electrical trades workers working a challenging FIFO roster while employed during the construction phase of the INPEX LNG Project in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. Results from 18 semi-structured interviews are used to examine these rosters from the perspective of workplace health and safety. Findings are linked to obligations placed on the Person Conducting the Business or Undertaking (PCBU) by work health and safety legislation. The paper concludes that it is doubtful that these workers' rosters complied with the obligations placed on the PCBU by the legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on the frequency of false onsets of wet season rainfall in the case of the Northern Australian wet season and investigate the role of large‐scale tropical climate processes such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and Madden–Julian Oscillation. A false onset occurs when a wet season rainfall onset criterion is met, but follow‐up rainfall is not received for weeks or months later. Our analysis of wet season rainfall data from 1950 through 2020 shows a false onset occurs, on average, between 20 and 30% of wet seasons across all of northern Australia. This increases at a regional and local level such as at Darwin, the Northern Territory (NT), and parts of Queensland's north coast to over 50%. Seasonal climate influences, such as a La Niña pattern and a negative IOD that typically expedite the wet season rainfall onset, also increase the likelihood of a false onset over northern Australia. Our analysis also finds that periods of false onsets can sometimes, but not always, coincide with periods of rapid soil moisture depletion. The false rainfall onsets that develop into flash drought can be potentially disruptive and costly and are of potential significance for agriculture and fire management in northern Australia, and in other monsoonal climates that also typically experience a slow build‐up to the seasonal monsoon. In conclusion, effective rainfall indicates that many seasons experience 'false onsets' with dry conditions after early rainfall. We propose that false onsets are a physical characteristic of the climate of northern Australia which occurs with relatively high frequency. In addition, these false onsets may sometimes co‐occur with a flash drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 15 years, international climate policy and governance practice have shifted from a linear model of carbon emissions management to a circular model. Whereas the former primarily focused on reducing absolute emissions, the latter focuses on balancing emissions sources and sinks. Australia, a major global exporter of 'old' carbon resources such as coal, has actively embraced circular carbon policies and their related 'new' carbon resources such as carbon credits. Focusing on Australia's Northern Territory as a site of old and new carbon economies, where government administrators have actively sought to host carbon circulations and loops, this paper examines three interlinked cases to illustrate the interdependencies generated through circular carbon policies. Identifying how sources, sinks, and the mediation of relations between them all constitute key contemporary carbon frontiers, we conclude by calling for a research agenda that analyses 'old' and 'new' carbon economies as a co‐produced assemblage rather than as isolated zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Streptoccocal A (Strep A, GAS) infections in Australia are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality through both invasive (iGAS) and post-streptococcal (postGAS) diseases as well as preceding superficial (sGAS) skin and throat infection. The burden of iGAS and postGAS are addressed in some jurisdictions by mandatory notification systems; in contrast, the burden of preceding sGAS has no reporting structure, and is less well defined. This review provides valuable, contemporaneous evidence on the epidemiology of sGAS presentations in Australia, informing preventative health projects such as a Streptococcal A vaccine and standardisation of primary care notification. Methods and findings: MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Global Health, Cochrane, CINAHL databases and the grey literature were searched for studies from an Australian setting relating to the epidemiology of sGAS infections between 1970 and 2020 inclusive. Extracted data were pooled for relevant population and subgroup analysis. From 5157 titles in the databases combined with 186 grey literature reports and following removal of duplicates, 4889 articles underwent preliminary title screening. The abstract of 519 articles were reviewed with 162 articles identified for full text review, and 38 articles identified for inclusion. The majority of data was collected for impetigo in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, remote communities, and in the Northern Territory, Australia. A paucity of data was noted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in urban centres or with pharyngitis. Prevalence estimates have not significantly changed over time. Community estimates of impetigo point prevalence ranged from 5.5–66.1%, with a pooled prevalence of 27.9% [95% CI: 20.0–36.5%]. All studies excepting one included >80% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and all excepting two were in remote or very remote settings. Observed prevalence of impetigo as diagnosed in healthcare encounters was lower, with a pooled estimate of 10.6% [95% CI: 3.1–21.8%], and a range of 0.1–50.0%. Community prevalence estimates for pharyngitis ranged from 0.2–39.4%, with a pooled estimate of 12.5% [95% CI: 3.5–25.9%], higher than the prevalence of pharyngitis in healthcare encounters; ranging from 1.0–5.0%, and a pooled estimate of 2.0% [95% CI: 1.3–2.8%]. The review was limited by heterogeneity in study design and lack of comparator studies for some populations. Conclusions: Superficial Streptococcal A infections contribute to an inequitable burden of disease in Australia and persists despite public health interventions. The burden in community studies is generally higher than in health-services settings, suggesting under-recognition, possible normalisation and missed opportunities for treatment to prevent postGAS. The available, reported epidemiology is heterogeneous. Standardised nation-wide notification for sGAS disease surveillance must be considered in combination with the development of a Communicable Diseases Network of Australia (CDNA) Series of National Guideline (SoNG), to accurately define and address disease burden across populations in Australia. Trial registration: This review is registered with PROSPERO. Registration number: CRD42019140440. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid a renewed push to extract water for agriculture and mining, Indigenous advocacy in northern Australia has resulted in the introduction of a new water allocation mechanism: a reserve of water to be retained for the use and benefit of Indigenous communities. Our socio‐legal analysis of the Oolloo Water Allocation Plan shows that the Strategic Aboriginal Water Reserves carry essential hallmarks of neoliberal property relations and are founded in the modernist mode of regulating extracted water as a commodity divisible from land, amenable to partitioning and disarticulated from socio‐cultural relations. Informed by ethnographic material from the Daly River region gathered over almost a century, we describe the hydro‐social relations that are created through customary traditions and practices, water planning and licencing, and the interaction between different scales of water movement and decision‐making by both the state and Traditional Owners. The paper contributes in several ways to research that has identified ontological conflicts as central to disagreements over water and pointed to the difficulty of articulating theoretical framings of ontological difference with the practical work of water negotiations. It shows how the new Indigenous water rights discourse that coincided with the commodification of water in wider Australia shaped the way in which Aboriginal people of this region have more recently articulated their relationships to the Daly River and the limits to state recognition of those relationships. We find that the Reserve model is unable to recognize the capacity of water to connect and unify people and other beings, as well as to define boundaries between them. Within a regime that facilitates resource extraction, a limited opening has been created for Aboriginal people to benefit from this model of economic development, yet we argue that there is reason to fear that the divisions the Aboriginal Water Reserve enacts between waters and land presents significant socio‐cultural risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe patterns of use of the available Government-subsidised mental health services among people living in Australian residential aged care facilities. Methods: A retrospective population-based trend analysis was conducted, including all non-Indigenous people living in an Australian facility between 2012 and 2017. Adjusted incidence proportions and trends were estimated for four groups of mental health services. Results: The use of Medicare-subsidised mental health services was very low overall. The proportion of residents who accessed primary care mental health services increased from 1.3% in 2012/2013 to 2.4% in 2016/2017, while psychiatry service use increased from 1.9 to 2.3%. Claims for clinical psychology increased from 0.18 to 0.26%, and claims for a registered psychologist, occupational therapist or social worker rose from 0.45 to 1.2%. People with dementia were less likely than people without dementia to access all services aside from psychiatry services. Conclusions: Less than 3% of residents accessed funding subsidies for mental health services and people with dementia experienced pronounced barriers to service access. Mental health care is a pillar of the publicly-funded health system in Australia, and low use of these services among aged care residents indicates a need for organisational and policy changes to improve access. What is known about the topic? People living in residential aged care facilities report very high rates of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. What does this paper add? We demonstrate very low use (<3%) of Government-funded mental health services among people living in residential aged care facilities in Australia, with only small increases in use over time. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners should routinely assess the mental health needs of people living in residential aged care and refer for in-reach mental health services where needed, noting that facility staff are usually not trained for this role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to the threat of COVID-19 infection, Australia mandated a 14 day quarantine period in a designated facility for all travellers returning from overseas from late March 2020. These facilities were usually hotels, or hotel-like serviced apartments, and also included a repurposed former mining village in the Northern Territory. This paper aimed to investigate the experiences of risk of people quarantined in designated supervised facilities in Australia, which has not been systematically explored before.Methods: In this qualitative study semi-structured interviews were conducted with 58 participants quarantined between March 2020 and January 2021. Participants were returned Australian citizens and residents who were required to undergo mandatory supervised quarantine for COVID-19. Interviews were conducted using video teleconferencing (via Zoom), transcribed and coded, then analysed thematically.Results: While participants generally supported the concept of quarantine to protect the Australian public, they were critical of elements of it where they felt exposed to risk (COVID-related or not). They also described instances where infection control within the system seemed inadequate. For some, particularly those quarantined with small children, they reported that the facilities were inadequate or inappropriate for health and wellbeing. Using thematic analysis, three major themes were identified that related to problems in the existing system: perception of being subjected to high risk through lax standards of COVID protection in the quarantine process; risks to the community identified in quarantine; and risk in non-hotel managed quarantine facilities.Conclusions: There are systemic issues with infection control in hotel quarantine, which can be further undermined by individual non-compliance. Risks to safety for those in quarantine can be reduced, both in terms of infection control within hotel quarantine and, in the case of the Northern Territory facility, timely in-person medical care as needed for non-COVID conditions. Systems of infection control need ongoing review to ensure that people entering quarantine are protected from known risks of infection at every stage. Medical services in quarantine facilities should be examined to ensure timely and appropriate non-COVID medical services are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores strategies that support Aboriginal parents' mastery of evidence-based early learning strategies, and their impact on young Aboriginal children's learning outcomes. The three-year study followed 32 parent-child dyads attending Families as First Teachers (FaFT) playgroups in two remote Northern Territory communities in 2015–2017. Trained FaFT staff provided parents with coaching in the use of Conversational Reading—an evidence-based shared reading strategy in first language—at FaFT. The study examined patterns of parent mastery across the three-year study period, the relationship between levels of parent-child participation at FaFT (program dosage) and parent mastery, and the impact of parent mastery of Conversational Reading on young Aboriginal children's language and learning outcomes. By including measures of parent-child participation and parent mastery of key program strategies at three time points, the study also provides a picture of the fidelity of program implementation across the study period. The findings indicate that parents' mastery of strategies (and thus the fidelity of program implementation) increased over time in line with the program dosage parents received. Higher levels of parent-child participation at FaFT and parent mastery of strategies at the end of the program were positively associated with children's language and learning outcomes. This study demonstrates that the provision of coaching at playgroup is an effective way to build parent capacity in the implementation of evidence-based early learning strategies, and that supporting parent mastery of teaching strategies has the potential to improve the learning outcomes of young children in remote Aboriginal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Division 11C of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth) was introduced in 1979 and imposes a withholding tax currently at the rate of 4 per cent on payments made in respect of mining on indigenous land. It was introduced by the Coalition Federal Government as a result of the enactment of land rights legislation in the Northern Territory. Although commentators in the areas of anthropology, economics and indigenous land rights have written extensively about this tax no one has analysed it from an income tax policy perspective. Many reviews of the Australian tax system including the most recent the Review of Australia's Future Tax System (the Henry Review) state that for a tax system to be considered 'good' it should be simple, efficient, equitable, sustainable and be consistent with policy objectives. However there are often tensions between each of these goals particularly in the balance between simplicity and equity. This paper analyses the current withholding tax regime found in Division 11C from the tax policy perspectives of simplicity and equity. It suggests that the current regime is simple however it imposes many indirect inequities. Further, it argues that the mining withholding tax is potentially inconsistent with income tax principles and other income tax laws. It should be noted that this tax regime is very different to the proposed Minerals Resource Rent Tax and will not be replaced by this tax. A discussion of the proposed Minerals Resource Rent Tax is therefore outside the scope of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The need for more Remote Area Nurses in the Northern Territory is clear. This paper investigates the perspectives of Remote Area Nurse workforce issues among multiple stakeholders. The aim is to identify how Remote Area Nurse staffing issues are perceived by clinic managers, Remote Area Nurses themselves, Aboriginal colleagues and community members in seven remote communities in the Northern Territory. Design: This is a qualitative study that uses interviews and focus groups to identify key messages of local stakeholders about Remote Area Nurse workforce issues. A content analysis was used for data analysis. Setting: Seven diverse remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory with government‐run health clinics were visited. Participants: Non‐random sampling techniques were used to target staff at the clinics at the time of field work. Staff and community members, who agreed to participate, were interviewed either individually or in groups. Interviews were conducted with 5 Managers, 29 Remote Area Nurses, 12 Aboriginal staff (some clinics did not have Aboriginal staff) and 56 community residents. Twelve focus groups were conducted with community members. Results: Content analysis revealed that participants thought having the "right" nurse was more important than having more nurses. Participants highlighted the need for Remote Area Nurses to have advanced clinical and cultural skills. While managers and, to a lesser extent, Remote Area Nurses prioritised clinical skills, Aboriginal staff and community residents prioritised cultural skills. Conclusions: Participants identified the importance of clinical and cultural skills and reiterated that getting the "right" Remote Area Nurse was more important than simply recruiting more nurses. Thus, retention strategies need to be more targeted and cultural skills prioritised in recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive published works of Hedley Herbert Finlayson provide a major and widely recognised benchmark in the study of Australian mammals during the first half of the 1900s. His publications are still commonly cited in the literature, especially in relation to studies concerning the desert regions, but little has been documented of his extensive and extremely valuable private collection of almost 3000 expertly prepared study specimens. This paper provides a brief background to the man and reports a compilation of his surviving specimens, giving information on quantities, type and geographic origin of specimens, nomenclature and accession numbers. A transcription of his original register of specimens is also provided. The published works of H.H Finlayson provide a benchmark in the study of Australian mammals during the first half of the 1900s. His publications are well known but his private collection of almost 3000 prepared study specimens is known more from inference than published fact. We provide a brief background of Finlayson and report a compilation of his surviving specimens. A transcription of his original register of specimens is also provided. Photograph by Ken Johnson. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to determine whether a single session of a motivational interview (MI) reduces smoking relapse amongst people released from smoke-free prisons. Design/methodology/approach: This study sought to recruit 824 ex-smokers from 2 smoke-free prisons in the Northern Territory, Australia. Participants were randomised to receive either one session (45–60 min) face-to-face MI intervention 4–6 weeks prior to release or usual care (UC) without smoking advice. The primary outcome was continuous smoking abstinence verified by exhaled carbon monoxide test (<5 ppm) at three months post-release. Secondary outcomes included seven-day point-prevalence, time to the first cigarette and the daily number of cigarettes smoked after release. Findings: From April 2017 to March 2018, a total of 557 participants were randomised to receive the MI (n = 266) or UC (n = 291), with 75% and 77% being followed up, respectively. There was no significant between-group difference in continuous abstinence (MI 8.6% vs UC 7.4%, risk ratio = 1.16, 95%CI 0.67∼2.03). Of all participants, 66.9% relapsed on the day of release and 90.2% relapsed within three months. On average, participants in the MI group smoked one less cigarette daily than those in the UC within the three months after release (p < 0.01). Research limitations/implications: A single-session of MI is insufficient to reduce relapse after release from a smoke-free prison. However, prison release remains an appealing time window to build on the public health benefit of smoke-free prisons. Further research is needed to develop both pre- and post-release interventions that provide continuity of care for relapse prevention. Originality/value: This study is the first Australian randomised controlled trial to evaluate a pre-release MI intervention on smoking relapse prevention amongst people released from smoke-free prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Cancer patients in Australia's Northern Territory (NT) face unique challenges to accessing cancer-related community and allied health services (referred here as 'health services'). This is in part due to the NT's unique geographic, socioeconomic and demographic profile. This paper describes the use of health services by cancer patients in the NT.Methods: Adult cancer patients attending appointments at a cancer centre in Darwin, NT and who were diagnosed within the past five years were invited to participate in face-to-face interviews about their use of allied and community health services. A descriptive analysis of health services utilization was conducted.Results: Of the 76 participants interviewed, 63% identified as non-Indigenous, 53% female and 45% lived in very remote areas. Mean age at interview was 58.7 years (SD 13.2). Overall, 82% of participants utilized at least one health service since their cancer diagnosis. All Indigenous participants used at least one service, while 28% of non-Indigenous participants did not use any health service. The services most frequently used by participants were community services (42%) and information sources (40%).Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest there is variation in the type of community and allied health services used by NT cancer patients across clinical and demographic groups (including Indigenous status). Further qualitative enquiry is needed to better understand this variation, which may reflect differences in service preference, accessibility, health literacy of patients or patient engagement. Such knowledge may inform service delivery improvements to better support cancer patients through their cancer care pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a collaborative research project created to promote the coexistence of fire, people and biodiversity in central Australia, a case study was conducted on Aboriginal perceptions of fire and its management in the southern Tanami Desert of Central Australia. The Tanami was chosen due to consecutive wildfire events and reported fire conflicts between Aboriginal and pastoral (cattle station) landholders on fire issues. This paper addresses fire issues from the perspective of Warlpiri Aboriginal people in this region. It shows that many Warlpiri hold strong views concerning the use of fire and its management. Elders, in particular, have retained tradition-based knowledge about fire and its effects on the environment. The complex cultural protocols that structure decisions about who burns, when and where are discussed. It is shown that, although there have been dramatic changes to their subsistence economy, Warlpiri still burn for cultural and economic reasons. At the same time, social change has given rise to new fire-related issues, including lack of access to remote areas in order to undertake burning and a decrease in fire knowledge among younger generations. The paper argues that Warlpiri perceptions of fire management, needs and skills must be incorporated in a regional fire management strategy if the cycle of wildfire that follows above average rainfall periods in the Tanami is to be broken. Proper resourcing of Aboriginal people to fire their land in customary ways will enhance Aboriginal livelihoods as well as benefit other stakeholders in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is endemic in the Aboriginal population of Australia's Northern Territory (NT). However, many people's hepatitis B virus (HBV) status remains unknown. Objective: 1. To maximise the utility of existing HBV test and vaccination data in the NT by creating a linked dataset and computerised algorithmic coding. 2. To undertake rigorous quality assurance processes to establish feasibility of using the linked dataset and computerised algorithmic coding for individual care for people living with CHB. Methods: Step 1: We used deterministic data linkage to merge information from three separate patient databases. HBV testing and vaccination data from 2008–2016 was linked and extracted for 19,314 people from 21 remote Aboriginal communities in the Top End of the NT. Step 2: A computerised algorithm was developed to allocate one of ten HBV codes to each individual. Step 3: A quality assurance process was undertaken by a clinician, using standardised processes, manually reviewing all three databases, for a subset of 5,293 Aboriginal people from five communities to check the accuracy of each allocated code. Results: The process of data linking individuals was highly accurate at 99.9%. The quality assurance process detected an overall error rate of 17.7% on the HBV code generated by the computerised algorithm. Errors occurred in source documentation, primarily from the historical upload of paper-based records to electronic health records. An overall HBV prevalence of 2.6% in five communities was found, which included ten cases of CHB who were previously unaware of infection and not engaged in care. Conclusions: Data linkage of individuals was highly accurate. Data quality issues and poor sensitivity in the codes produced by the computerised algorithm were uncovered in the quality assurance process. By systematically, manually reviewing all available data we were able to allocate a HBV status to 91% of the study population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper claims that for wildlife-rich destinations such as the Northern Territory, the analytical focus of wildlife tourism research ought to shift from that of the tourist-animal encounter (in terms of personal motivations, impact on the animal welfare, etc.) towards that of habitat sustainability, multiple uses and larger-scale impacts on those habitats. This paper overviews selected findings emanating from wildlife tourism research related to visitor behaviour, marketing and economic activity undertaken around the wetlands of Northern Australia. In its final part, the paper suggests that the concept of 'landscape' constitutes an appropriate and under-utilised analytical device connecting in a workable scale the most relevant management issues associated with wildlife in multiple uses context, and that this allows to address jointly wildlife tourism marketing and planning considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, population growth in Australia's Northern Territory, as in other peripheral parts of high-income countries, has been driven by internal labour migration and migration from outside of Australia. These have been contributing to the high population turnover experienced in peripheral areas. Since 2010, the Northern Territory has experienced low (and even negative) population growth, and public policy is currently focused on migration as a lever to reverse this trend. However, the extent to which the characteristics of migrants influence the potential for longer-term population growth is poorly understood. This paper uses a new method to analyse the contributions of various types of migrants to both population turnover and retention. Two major sets of findings emerge: First, the significance of separating newer in-migrants from longer-term residents when analysing migration patterns; and secondly, the contribution of age, gender, Indigenous status, international origin, wages and industry of employment to the Northern Territory's population turnover. The research suggests that current forms of migration favour people who are likely to stay for only short periods, and have high wage demands. The main policy inference is that long-term population growth will likely not eventuate unless new forms of migration can be stimulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northern Territory Living With Alcohol Programme (LWAP), implemented in Australia from 1991 to 2000, has been hailed as a successful example of a comprehensive public health alcohol policy, especially in its first 4 years--1991/92 to 1995/96. This paper draws upon a policy analysis of the LWAP currently in progress to identify and describe the factors that made implementation possible at this time. I argue that programme implementation was shaped by a remarkable alignment of agencies and actors in the political, fiscal, administrative and industrial domains. This alignment of forces, however, owed as much to contingency as to planning and did not endure. Although the policy itself remained unchanged and continued to generate significant achievements, the alignment of forces sustaining it began to fragment from late 1995 onwards. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of the analysis for alcohol policy in other domains, and for the relationship between evidence regarding effectiveness and other components of the policy process. [d'Abbs P. Alignment of the policy planets: behind the implementation of the Northern Territory (Australia) Living With Alcohol Programme. Drug Alcohol Rev 2004;23:55-66] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Murrinhpatha, a non-Pama-Nyungan language from the Daly region of the Northern Territory of Australia, has an extant ergative case marker that has been reported to be very rare in use. In this paper we report on the use of ergative marking in an experimental study of sentence production. Forty-six adult L1 speakers of Murrinhpatha were asked to describe a series of unrelated bivalent scenes that were manipulated for humanness (±human) in the agent and patient roles. Our results show higher than expected ergative use given previous descriptions (more than 14% of utterances with an overt agent NP). Furthermore, we found an alternating pattern between multiple ergative markers that is correlated with variations in word order and humanness of agent and patient characters. This pattern seems consistent with the available naturalistic corpus, but the rate of ergative marking is so low that it may never have been identified. Our study both contributes to the typology of ergative case marking and demonstrates the value of experimental research for language description in unearthing properties of the grammatical system that may not be easily discernible in other types of corpora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine national service usage for initial and subsequent outpatient consultations with a consultant physician and any variation in service-use patterns between states and territories relative to population. Methods: An analysis was conducted of consultant physician Medicare claims data from the year 2014 for an initial (item 110) and subsequent consultation (item 116) and, for patients with multiple morbidities, initial management planning (item 132) and review (133). The analysis included 12 medical specialties representative of common adult non-surgical medical care (cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general medicine, geriatric medicine, haematology, immunology and allergy, medical oncology, nephrology, neurology, respiratory medicine and rheumatology). Main outcome measures were per-capita service use by medical speciality and by state and territory and ratio of subsequent consultations to initial consultations by medical speciality and by state and territory. Results: There was marked variation in per-capita consultant physician service use across the states and territories, tending higher than average in New South Wales and Victoria, and lower than average in the Northern Territory. There was variation between and within specialties across states and territories in the ratio of subsequent consultations to initial consultations. Conclusion: Significant per-capita variation in consultant physician utilisation is occurring across Australia. Future studies should explore the variation in greater detail to discern whether workforce issues, access or economic barriers to care, or the possibility of over- or under-servicing in certain geographic areas is leading to this variation. What is known about the topic?: There are nearly 11 million initial and subsequent consultant physician consultations billed to Medicare per year, incurring nearly A$850 million in Medicare benefits. Little attention has been paid to per-capita variation in rates of consultant physician service use across states and territories. What does this paper add?: There is marked variation in per-capita consultant physician service use across different states and territories both within and between specialties. What are the implications for practitioners?: Variation in service use may be due to limitations in the healthcare workforce, access or economic barriers, or systematic over- or under-servicing. The clinical appropriateness of repeated follow-up consultations is unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of opportunities to study Indigenous languages at tertiary level in Australia highlights the devaluing of Indigenous languages and cultures in Australia. Innovation in methods of delivery is required, to enable Indigenous language authorities to configure their own arrangements of content and pedagogy in collaboration with university academics, to comply with the different requirements of each group. Some of the identified challenges of developing university courses for Indigenous languages include shortages of resources, teachers, students, and personal connections. This paper describes an experiment in mobilising digital technologies to develop new approaches through the collaborative design of an online university course teaching the Kunwinjku language (Bininj Kunwok) of the Northern Territory, using a Digital Language Shell. This paper argues that collaborative work in this space can serve to create new resources, teachers, students and personal connections in the learning of Indigenous languages. Such work has potential to engage Indigenous language authorities and integrate Indigenous language and knowledge practices in the academic life of Australian universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Savanna fires contribute approximately 40-50% of total global annual biomass burning carbon emissions. Recent comparisons of emission factors from different savanna regions have highlighted the need for a regional approach to emission factor development, and better assessment of the drivers of the temporal and spatial variation in emission factors. This paper describes the results of open-path Fourier transform infrared (OP-FTIR) spectroscopic field measurements at 21 fires occurring in the tropical savannas of the Northern Territory, Australia, within different vegetation assemblages and at different stages of the dry season. Spectra of infrared light passing through a long (22-70 m) openpath through ground-level smoke released from these fires were collected using an infrared lamp and a field-portable FTIR system. The IR spectra were used to retrieve the mole fractions of 14 different gases present within the smoke, and these measurements used to calculate the emission ratios and emission factors of the various gases emitted by the burning. Only a handful of previous emission factor measures are available specifically for the tropical savannas of Australia and here we present the first reported emission factors for methanol, acetic acid, and formic acid for this biome. Given the relatively large sample size, it was possible to study the potential causes of the within-biome variation of the derived emission factors. We find that the emission factors vary substantially between different savanna vegetation assemblages; with a majority of this variation being mirrored by variations in the modified combustion efficiency (MCE) of different vegetation classes. We conclude that a significant majority of the variation in the emission factor for trace gases can be explained by MCE, irrespective of vegetation class, as illustrated by variations in the calculated methane emission factor for different vegetation classes using data sub-set by different combustion efficiencies. Therefore, the selection of emission factors for emissions modelling purposes need not necessarily require detailed fuel type information, if data on MCE (e.g. from future spaceborne total column measurements) or a correlated variable were available. From measurements at 21 fires, we recommend the following emission factors for Australian tropical savanna fires (in grams of gas emitted per kilogram of dry fuel burned), which are our mean measured values: 1674±56 g kg-1 of carbon dioxide; 87±33 g kg-1 of carbon monoxide; 2.1±1.2 g kg-1 of methane; 0.11±0.04 g kg-1 of acetylene; 0.49±0.22 g kg-1 of ethylene; 0.08±0.05 g kg-1 of ethane; 1.57±0.44 g kg-1 of formaldehyde; 1.06±0.87 g kg-1 of methanol; 1.54±0.64 g kg-1 of acetic acid; 0.16±0.07 g kg-1 of formic acid; 0.53±0.31 g kg-1 of hydrogen cyanide; and 0.70±0.36 g kg-1 of ammonia. In a companion paper, similar techniques are used to characterise the emissions from Australian temperate forest fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-breeding migration of an adult male little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) was followed from south-eastern Australia to the Northern Territory using a GPS satellite transmitter. The bird bred in open woodland habitat on the edge of the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), before it flew more than 3300 km in 18 days, to winter in an area of eucalypt savannah in the Northern Territory. It remained there for 59 days, within a range of ~30 km2, after which the last signal was transmitted. The bird was subsequently resighted back in its ACT territory at the end of winter, thus completing a return migration. This is the first confirmation of post-breeding migration for the species. The little eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) is listed as Vulnerable in the Australian Capital Territory, but the movements and ranges of birds breeding in the ACT are unknown. An adult male bird was tracked by GPS-satellite transmitter between the ACT and the Northern Territory. This paper gives the first confirmation that little eagles can migrate between southern and northern Australia and conservation of the species needs to be of nation-wide consideration. Photo by Stuart Rae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A palynological record from Girraween Lagoon sediments (Darwin region of the Northern Territory, Australia) provides detailed long-term insight into tropical savanna vegetation community patterns, climatic and fire relationships, through Marine Isotope Stage 4 (MIS 4: 71–57 thousand years ago, ka) and Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3: 57–29 ka). Owing to a lack of data in reconstructing northern Australian environments, this paper looks to define and describe to a greater degree the nature and scope of these stadial and interstadial stages for the region. Girraween Lagoon simultaneously provides proximal palaeoecological data for the time and region of Aboriginal people's first arrival into Australia, also encompassing the late Pleistocene continental decline of megafauna. This study provides a dataset enabling full exploration of long-term people-landscape and faunal-floral interactions. Sea levels and associated variations imposed on the transportation of moisture and heat, held implications for MIS 4 and MIS 3 monsoon strength, which was particularly consequential for Girraween regional ecology. Results reveal a prolonged transition from wooded- to grassy-savanna, into a cool drier semi-arid savanna. Increasingly episodic delivery of moisture influenced the permanency of freshwater in the landscape. • A detailed picture of vegetation in monsoonal north Australia during MIS 4 and MIS 3. • An ultimate transition from grassy eucalypt savanna into semi-arid savanna revealed. • Changed monsoonal delivery particularly consequential for regional ecology. • An indication of baseline landscapes during people's first arrival into Australia. • Assisting to place megafaunal decline within an ecological landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in remote Australia have initiated bold policies for health-enabling stores. Benchmarking, a data-driven and facilitated 'audit and feedback' with action planning process, provides a potential strategy to strengthen and scale health-enabling best-practice adoption by remote community store directors/owners. We aim to co-design a benchmarking model with five partner organisations and test its effectiveness with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community stores in remote Australia. Methods: Study design is a pragmatic randomised controlled trial with consenting eligible stores (located in very remote Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, primary grocery store for an Aboriginal community, and serviced by a Nutrition Practitioner with a study partner organisation). The Benchmarking model is informed by research evidence, purpose-built best-practice audit and feedback tools, and co-designed with partner organisation and community representatives. The intervention comprises two full benchmarking cycles (one per year, 2022/23 and 2023/24) of assessment, feedback, action planning and action implementation. Assessment of stores includes i adoption status of 21 evidence-and industry-informed health-enabling policies for remote stores, ii implementation of health-enabling best-practice using a purpose-built Store Scout App, iii price of a standardised healthy diet using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthy Diets ASAP protocol; and, iv healthiness of food purchasing using sales data indicators. Partner organisations feedback reports and co-design action plans with stores. Control stores receive assessments and continue with usual retail practice. All stores provide weekly electronic sales data to assess the primary outcome, change in free sugars (g) to energy (MJ) from all food and drinks purchased, baseline (July-December 2021) vs July-December 2023. Discussion: We hypothesise that the benchmarking intervention can improve the adoption of health-enabling store policy and practice and reduce sales of unhealthy foods and drinks in remote community stores of Australia. This innovative research with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can inform effective implementation strategies for healthy food retail more broadly. Trial registration: ACTRN12622000596707, Protocol version 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the Australian democratic nation there are towns where the citizens are governed by administrations that have not been democratically elected by the residents. These unique residential centres are termed 'special purpose towns' that can be transformed to a permanent community governed by a democratic structure through a process termed normalisation. This paper examines the special purpose mining town of Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory of Australia, which is on the cusp of the normalisation process. The paper outlines the similarities and differences of local government roles and responsibilities with Australian towns or shires that have publicly elected executive members. How Indigenous people are facilitating the normalisation of Nhulunbuy, through cultural perceptions of opportunity, is discussed. A concluding focus challenges well established conventional frameworks endorsing the roles of governments and miners in the normalisation phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the aspirations of a group of young women in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia. It examines how their hopes and expectations are influenced by the reality of their everyday lives and the extent to which they are able to influence the course of their lives and become agents for change in their own communities. As with adolescents in lower socio-economic groups, the majority of young women in River Town have not developed life goals or clear strategies of how to achieve these goals. The choices that young women have are constrained by their narrow range of experience, which is characterized by early pregnancies and the potential threat of male violence. However, young women have articulated specific domains where they are able to control and structure their lives. This paper discusses the experiences of young women in this remote Aboriginal community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Comparisons of birth outcomes between Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations show marked inequalities. These comparisons obscure Indigenous disparities. There is much variation in terms of culture, language, residence, and access to services amongst Australian Indigenous peoples. We examined outcomes by region and remoteness for Indigenous subgroups and explored data for communities to inform health service delivery and interventions.Methods: Our population-based study examined maternal and neonatal outcomes for 7,560 mothers with singleton pregnancies from Australia's Northern Territory Midwives' Data Collection (2003-2005) using uni- and multivariate analyses. Groupings were by Indigenous status; region (Top End (TE)/Central Australia (CA)); Remote/Urban residence; and across two large TE communities.Results: Of the sample, 34.1% were Indigenous women, of whom 65.6% were remote-dwelling versus 6.7% of non-Indigenous women. In comparison to CA Urban mothers: TE Remote (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.47, 95%CI: 1.13,1.90) and TE Urban mothers (aOR 1.36 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.80) were more likely, but CA Remote mothers (aOR 0.43; 95%CI: 0.31, 0.58) less likely to smoke during pregnancy; CA Remote mothers giving birth at >32 weeks gestation were less likely to have attended ≥ five antenatal visits (aOR 0.55; 95%CI: 0.36, 0.86); TE Remote (aOR 0.71; 95%CI: 0.53,0.95) and CA Remote women (aOR 0.68; 95%CI: 0.49, 0.95) who experienced labour had lower odds of epidural/spinal/narcotic pain relief; and TE Remote (aOR 0.47; 95%CI: 0.34, 0.66), TE Urban (aOR 0.67; 95%CI: 0.46, 0.96) and CA Remote mothers (aOR 0.52; 95%CI: 0.35, 0.76) all had lower odds of having a 'normal' birth. The aOR for preterm birth for TE Remote newborns was 2.09 (95%CI: 1.20, 3.64) and they weighed 137 g (95%CI: -216 g, -59 g) less than CA Urban babies. There were few significant differences for communities, except for smoking prevalence.Conclusions: This paper is one of few quantifying inequalities between groups of Australian Indigenous women and newborns at a regional level. Indigenous mothers and newborns do worse on some outcomes if they live remotely, especially if they live in the TE. Smoking prevention and high-quality antenatal care is fundamental to addressing many of the adverse outcomes identified in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public debate about reconciliation in Australia has been polarized by a distinction between the symbolic and the practical. Challenging this false dichotomy, this paper explores courageous listening as a practice that entails both responsiveness and creative action. Although listening can function as a way of responding to the other and expanding the possibility for shared action; it is nonetheless not inherently open or transformative. Indeed, public debate about the Australian federal government's Northern Territory Intervention is examined as a case study that manifests communicative practices which preserve, rather than transform, established hierarchies of attention. The terms of this debate also, however, contain listening practices grounded in the ideal of responsiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to recent debates about whether urban policy discourses are transferable and what is at stake in their translation. It draws on discussion of Darwin (Northwest Territory, Australia), a tropical savanna location that the local government wants to promote as a ‘creative city’, without quite knowing what this might require. We discuss relevant debates on research knowledge construction, the creative city and the path-dependent character of neoliberal governmental objectives. We then turn to the geographical, demographic and cultural characteristics that make Darwin a challenging and distinct context for translation of global theories of creative city rejuvenation. As well as arguing a case for more nuanced, locationally specific, analysis of the capacity of places to embrace travelling policy discourses, we suggest ways in which creative city research can be refreshed through engaging with literatures on (post)colonial urban politics and intersections with policy initiatives other than those targeted at ‘creative industries’ per se. We systematically outline the particular challenges that tropical cities in remote locations provide to accepted wisdom about creativity-led urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]