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The article focuses on the ninth conference of the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC). The conference began with a warm and touching welcome of the attendees by Ali Golding, an Indigenous Australian from Sydney, New South Wales, and an adopted elder of the Eora people of Sydney. The atmosphere of harmony generated by this welcome provided a challenging context for the delivery of papers that together highlighted a diverse range of problematic social issues. This year also marks the beginning of close collaboration between the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Social Policy Research Centre in the evaluation of the Australian Government's innovative "Stronger Families and Communities Strategy." This important and intensive evaluation is being led by the SPRC, with the Institute as its partner. The nature of the strategy and ways in which it will be evaluated formed the basis of papers at the SPRC. As this work progresses, it will no doubt produce informative papers linking research, policy and practice.

The article focuses on the Ninth Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, titled "Families Matter," which was held in Melbourne on 9-11 February 2005. The conference was opened by the Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator the Hon. Kay Patterson. The conference concluded with a panel discussion on the topic "Family policy in the Asia Pacific region." Early childhood development, early intervention strategies and the development of effective children's services continue to be enduring themes of Institute conferences. A number of papers discussed children's well-being in childcare. A number of sessions were dedicated to exploring the interaction between family life and community life. The participation of international delegates provides an important networking opportunity for Australian researchers and policy makers attending the Institute's Conference. Feedback from delegates attending the conference was very positive. During and immediately after the conference, research presented at the conference was reported in more than 800 media items.

The article presents an edited version of a paper presented to the Sixth Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference "Changing Families, Challenging Futures," held in Melbourne, Victoria on 25-29, November 1998, concerning attachment theory and marital adjustment. Pre-marriage education has a long history in Australia and there is a wide range of pre-marriage and relationship education programs offered by religious and secular organisations. Some of these programs, through raising awareness and teaching relationship skills, aim to prepare young couples for marriage, while others provide opportunities for married couples to identify their strengths and develop ways of dealing with current and potential problems. Practitioners in both the education and counselling fields draw on a vast body of theory and knowledge about relationships which provides both descriptive and explanatory information, and experiential learning tools and resources. A rapidly expanding field of research, attachment theory, provides a framework for explaining how relationships form, develop, and break down, and offers educators and counsellors tools for informing and challenging those preparing for, and experiencing difficulties in, marriage. INSET: Attachment theory and research..

This article presents abstracts of research papers, government policy and practice literature on family and social issues in Australia. To mark the International Year of Older Persons this bibliography provides an overview of research dealing with families and older people. The main purpose of "Interim Report: Prepared for the Minister for Family Services," is to provide a summary of the work undertaken to date by the Conference for Older Australians in preparing for the 1999 International Year of Older Persons. A number of key themes and issues important to older people have been suggested as priority areas for consideration during the International Year. According to "Valuing Older Australians: Federal Budget Submission 1999-2000," the Council on the Ageing has responded to the 1999 International Year of Older Persons by publishing this submission to the federal government for the 1999-2000 budget. The Council on the Ageing has prepared this year's Commonwealth Budget submission from the point of view that there is a crisis of confidence amongst older people.

The article presents the author's views on the journal and a conference of the Australian Institute of Family Research. This edition of the journal "Family Matters" presents the keynote addresses and a selection of other key papers from the Institute's very successful Seventh National Conference, held in Sydney from 24-26 July 2000. The Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Jocelyn Newman, opened the conference, the theme of which was Family futures: Issues in research and policy. Some 363 people attended and there were 121 presentations, including 15 by staff of the Institute. The conference represents an important opportunity to present the Institute's research to a broad audience, particularly as it is one of the few conferences in Australia that brings together researchers, academics, practitioners, policy advisers and government public servants to talk about research and policy issues in the family area. The conference is also an important means by which the Institute fulfils its role of encouraging and coordinating research on factors affecting family stability and wellbeing. It provides an opportunity for key stake-holders in the development and implementation of family policy in Australia to meet and discuss current research and policy directions.

The article informs that the Sixth International Symposium sponsored by the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (ARHRF) was held at University House, Australian National University, Canberra, on May 23-25, 1966. The purpose of the symposium was to establish a framework within which an agenda could be established for a research initiative on "Health and the Family." Participants in the invitational symposium included family and health researchers with national and international reputations in medical, psychiatric, psychological and social science research. They also included representatives from government and community policy makers, service managers and service providers. To have people from such diverse backgrounds present at the symposium was deliberate strategy on the part of the organizers, intended to foster communication and collaboration between stakeholders with shared interests in the field of family health research but whose approaches to the issues derive from different perspectives. INSET: Papers presented at the rotary symposium..

This article focuses on the Australian Institute of Family Studies' Web site. The Web site provides Institute research, information projects and publications, and access to Institute databases and resource collections. A feature of the Institute's Web site for the past two months has been the Institute's conference, "Changing Families, Challenging Futures," held in Melbourne, Victoria in November 1998. The Institute's Web site offers a full listing of Institute publications with descriptions, prices and information for ordering print copies. A growing collection of papers is also directly available from the Web site. Users should select "Publications" and click on "Current Publications," to find works arranged in subject groupings and also a list of titles available in full text. Child protection and youth suicide prevention are the foci of two specialist information projects hosted by the Institute. To provide access to the current literature in these subject areas a series of regularly updated bibliographies has been compiled.

The article discusses several developments concerning the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The institute invites registrations from people wishing to attend the sixth Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, to be held at the Carlton Crest Hotel in Melbourne from November 25-27,1998. The conference will provide a valuable forum for those interested or involved in family research, the development of family policy, or providing services to families in Australia. The conference will focus on family issues in Australia and feature the presentation and discussion of findings of the Institute's own studies, along with work from other researchers, government bodies, service providers and community organizations. It reports that over 150 presentations will be made during the course of the conference. The conference will include keynote addresses, papers, symposia, display and discussion poster presentations, and workshops. All have been grouped into the following broad themes. The article also presents information on family values and family relations, effects of divorce on family members, demographic change, life courses and family futures, and others.