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Walter Roth ranks among the most prolific collectors of Aboriginal artefacts from North Queensland, including the Wet Tropics, as well as being one of the leading ethnographers in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Australia. He was also one of Queensland's first official Protectors of Aboriginals, appointed immediately after that colony introduced its now-infamous Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act, 1897. This paper explores Roth's twin careers as ethnographic collector and Aboriginal Protector, teasing out the connections and commonalities between the two. It was for his achievements in ethnography and collecting, as well as his medical expertise, that he was appointed to the Protectorship. He carried out both his anthropological work and his administrative duties with determination and dedication. Yet his continuing activities as an ethnographer and collector contributed substantially to his downfall as a senior figure in Aboriginal administration. The paper also positions Roth in the historical context of an evolving Australian anthropology, with particular pertinence to North Queensland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction raises issues concerning transactions involving Aboriginal artefacts of the North Queensland Wet Tropics. We highlight relationships between artefacts, persons and place, as well as the importance of understanding the nature of exchange and concepts of ownership in the creation and collection of artefacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the greatest challenges for the juvenile justice system is to successfully reintegrate young offenders back to their communities so that they do not re-offend and return to detention. This challenge is even greater for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth who are over-represented in the Queensland juvenile justice system in terms of interactions with the police, the courts and in detention settings. This paper presents the outcomes of a two-year-longitudinal study which tracked 40 young Indigenous males as they made the transition from detention in North Queensland back to their communities. Over this period the majority of youth arrived at 'undesirable' destinations by re-offending and returning to detention, compared to a smaller cohort who arrived at 'desirable' destinations and desisted from crime. The paper presents qualitative data from the research which focused on gaining the perceptions of these young males by asking them to identify the risks which prevented them from making a successful re-entry back to their communities compared to those who desisted from further offending behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is part of a larger study carried out in North Queensland, Australia, between 1999 and 2001. The original study focused on the perceptions of 15 women who each have (or had) a child who was medically, educationally and socio-culturally constituted as having a disability. Qualitative methods were used for research design and to gather data. Poststructural and feminist perspectives were added to provide additional methods of data analysis. The primary focus in this paper is the spatiality of inclusive education with/in the discursive site of (special) education. It also considers the binary of regular/special education in relation to the spaces of educational discourse through the perspectives of the mothers, covering a temporal frame of 40 years. The mothers' perceptions provide a historical lens on the changes that occurred in special education in North Queensland over this time, while at the same time offer an insight into the spaces disability occupies in education discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores past connections of Aboriginal people within what is now known as the Wet Tropics, a coastal strip of tropical rainforest in northeast Australia. As a result of historical and ethnographic descriptions the rainforest is often defined as a 'cultural zone'. The proclamation of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, based on environmental parameters, has exaggerated the idea of the rainforest as a cultural boundary. We propose that in the past, Aboriginal connections were multifaceted, multifunctional and multidirectional, extending beyond the Wet Tropics boundaries. We use rock art to illustrate connections within and beyond the rainforest. For example, decorated shields, an iconic item of rainforest material culture, are depicted in rock art assemblages south of the rainforest boundary. Are the shield paintings out-of-place or do they illustrate networks of connection? We examine rock art motifs found in rainforest areas and compare them with those found in other rock art regions in North Queensland. We identify, for example, that sites located in the eastern rainforest are dominated by painted anthropomorphs (people) and zoomorphs (animals) in the silhouette style similar to figurative rock art of southeast Cape York Peninsula. We suggest that, like other areas, there were connections between cultural groups within the rainforest but that these same groups had links that went beyond this environmental zone. We further propose that the proclamation of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area has particularly influenced non-Aboriginal understandings of the past within this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1930s Norman Tindale and Joseph Birdsell identified the inhabitants of the North Queensland rainforests as a distinct race of Indigenous Australians. This classification was a keystone of their attempted reconstruction of the deep past of Australia. According to their narrative, the Aboriginal inhabitants of the rainforests were relicts of the first human occupants of Australia, refugees from later waves of Aboriginal invaders who seized all but the most inhospitable parts of the continent. From the outset, Tindale and Birdsell's argument was burdened with serious problems, both in the qualities they attributed to rainforest people and in their representation of the rainforest environment as a 'refuge'. While Tindale and Birdsell's racial theorising and historical speculations drew some supporters, they failed to win general academic acclamation and by the 1970s were quite thoroughly discredited. Yet the category 'rainforest Aboriginal' survived, disengaged from the reconstruction of Australia's past that had inspired it and anchored instead to the distinctive economy of rainforest subsistence, instantiated in a unique material culture. This paper takes Tindale and Birdsell's relict-race representation of rainforest Aboriginal people as the starting point in an exploration of how European people represented the Aboriginal inhabitants of the North Queensland rainforests over roughly a hundred years, from the 1870s to the 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kerans, A.J., and Cartwright, N., 2016. Testing versions of the Bruun rule for low energy macro-tidal tropical beaches against a theoretical late Holocene sea-level high-stand and beach ridge evidence of late Holocene beach faces. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 740-744. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Significant evidence of late Holocene beach faces is presented in beach ridges along the North Queensland coast between Mackay and the Daintree region. The ages of these ridges has in some cases been dated giving confidence that the rearmost ridges are the result of a combination of cyclone activity and a late Holocene sea level high-stand. The height of this high-stand is the subject of debate, however the level may be confidently predicted through careful and extensive measurement of relict oyster beds in the region. Using pre-existing beach ridge research together with existing and new measurements of oyster beds on Magnetic Island, North Queensland a value for the late Holocene sea level high-stand is proposed which can be compared to the position of the coast on certain beaches during this period. These measurements are a good basis to test the applicability of the Bruun rules and some proposed modifications for the low energy beach systems of tropical North Queensland. This paper firstly examined the late Holocene sea level evidence stored in relict oyster beds and from that proposes a sea level to be used in the analysis. This sea level is then used to test the Bruun rule and variants and examine the differences between dated Holocene beach faces and the recession predicted by these models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines invasive animal management institutions, using theories at the interstices of anthropology and geography, to question current approaches to management based on neoclassical and neoliberal economic rationales. I present an analysis of two feral pig management regimes in Far North Queensland, Australia: (i) bounty systems of payment for feral pig control; and (ii) a community-based feral pig trapping program. I show how these management methods reshape important social and cultural processes through their overlapping technological and economic elements. On the basis of this analysis, I propose a conceptual framework for invasive animal management planning that incorporates a beneficiary–benefactor analysis alongside cost–benefit analyses. I argue that ecological-economic theories of pest management may be usefully enhanced by addressing the links between economic and social behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper was to examine risk and protective factors associated with the consequences of card gambling and commercial gambling for Indigenous Australians in north Queensland. With Indigenous Elders' approval and using qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 Indigenous and 48 non-Indigenous Australians in three north Queensland sites. Risk factors associated with both card and commercial gambling consequences were found to be poverty and a reluctance to seek gambling help, while for card gambling only, generational influences was a risk factor. In contrast, protective factors for both card and commercial gambling consequences were reported as positive role models, family relatedness and cultural resilience. Culturally distinctive risk and protective factors, once identified, can be the target of public health strategies to promote responsible gambling awareness among Indigenous gamblers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger study, this paper reports on findings into risk and protective factors associated with gambling products and services by Indigenous Australians. Both Indigenous card gambling (traditional or unregulated) and commercial gambling (regulated) were investigated. Permission was granted by Indigenous Elders and by a university ethics committee to conduct this research. Using qualitative methods and purposeful sampling, interviews were conducted with 60 Indigenous and 14 non-Indigenous Australians, 14 non-Indigenous gambling help counsellors and 20 non-Indigenous gaming venue managers. Risk factors include gambling availability and familiarity, the use of non-monetary stakes and traditional exchange systems, venue comfort, social inclusiveness and ignoring cultural relationship restrictions. Protective factors include limiting physical and social access to gambling, self-regulated social group gambling and engagement with collective culture. From a public health stance, inclusive responsible gambling policies designed around access may assist Indigenous gamblers in more appropriate and meaningful ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines some of the ways early artefact collecting contributed to the definition of the Australian region now known and marketed as the 'World Heritage Wet Tropics'. While others have collected in this region, we focus on the collecting activities of Hermann Klaatsch and the work of Norman Tindale to explore some factors that contributed to their claims that certain artefacts represent a region and its history. We argue that these understandings of region and the past, along with the now widely dispersed artefacts, maintain a lively, albeit transformed, presence in current debates about Aboriginal regional culture, linking assertions of rights to lost and stolen cultural property with notions of large-scale environmental management within the 'Wet Tropics'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper describes my experience as a psychiatric registrar working with indigenous communities in a remote setting in Far North Queensland. Conclusions: Working in a remote environment provided an insight into how to engage culturally diverse Indigenous communities and an invaluable training experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the colonial encapsulation and post-colonial recognition of North Queensland's Aboriginal population have been achieved through legislative demarcation. This paper explores the way such demarcation has extended the influence of the state within local Aboriginal life-worlds, focusing on the State of Queensland's Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 and the Commonwealth's Native Title Act 1993. Drawing on ethnographic and historical material from Central Cape York Peninsula, and recent anthropological theorization of the state, I argue that anthropologists need to seriously consider Aboriginal claims about what Michel-Roiph Trouillot calls 'state effects'. But careful examination of these claims suggests that the state no longer simply imposes its projects on fundamentally distinct Aboriginal life-worlds. Not only is the state now deeply engaged within these life-worlds, it is also deeply interwoven into post-colonial Aboriginal subjectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years a growing number of disasters have affected the tourism industry on scales that range from regional to global. Although there have been a number of significant disasters including SARS, the September 11 attack on the US in 2001, coups in Fiji and the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997/98 the impacts on the tourism industry in the affected regions and/or countries have been surprisingly short-term. There is still much to learn from how crisis events were managed by the various industry and government authorities involved. This paper focuses on aspects of the impact of Cyclone Larry on the North Queensland tourism industry by examining the impact on visitor flows in the short term and recording the views of visitors who had travelled to the region several months alter the event. The research identifies aspects of visitor behaviours and expectations that may be of use to industry and government to better inform managers and policy makers in their planning and management functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study about the fundamental landscapes for the conceptualization of several interactions between children and the environments where they grow up and live. Accordingly, it discusses the concept on empirical research which is directed in the field of human geography and on how people learn and adapt on their corresponding environments. In addition, the research has employed a qualitative inductive methodology and consisted several interviews with 40 participants across two rural case studies in North Queensland. It highlights the three main outcomes for environmental education including the relevance of experiential learning, the significance of the elders and family in environmental education, and the opportunities for adult place-based environmental education.

Environmental and natural resource management agencies routinely encounter the task of setting priorities. Limited time, staff and financial resources result in some projects, programmes or issues being given greater attention than others. In multi-stakeholder and multi-objective settings the decision-making process is complex. The task is often made harder by incomplete or inaccurate datasets. Decision makers will aim to adopt a procedure that is analytically robust, auditable, transparent and understandable. This paper presents the assets, threats and solvability (ATS) model for structuring an environmental priority-setting problem. A brief illustration of its use for setting priorities in the Wet Tropics of North Queensland is given. The ATS model provides a structured decision procedure applicable with limited information in a multi-objective policy environment. It helps guide the selection and application of priority-setting criteria under these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between catchment variables and sediment transport processes in rivers are complex, and sediment transport behaviour during high-flow events is not well documented. This paper presents an investigation into sediment transport processes in a short-duration, high-discharge event in the Burdekin River, a large sand- and gravel-bed river in the monsoon- and cyclone-influenced, semi-arid tropics of north Queensland. The Burdekin's discharge is highly variable and strongly seasonal, with a recorded maximum of 40 400 m3 s−1. Sediment was sampled systematically across an 800 m wide, 12 m deep and straight reach using Helley-Smith bedload and US P-61 suspended sediment samplers over 16 days of a 29-day discharge event in February and March 2000 (peak 11 155 m3 s−1). About 3·7 × 106 tonnes of suspended sediment and 3 × 105 tonnes of bedload are estimated to have been transported past the sample site during the flow event. The sediment load was predominantly supply limited. Wash load included clay, silt and very fine sand. The concentration of suspended bed material (including very coarse sand) varied with bedload transport rate, discharge and height above the bed. Bedload transport rate and changes in channel shape were greatest several days after peak discharge. Comparison between these data and sparse published data from other events on this river shows that the control on sediment load varies between supply limited and hydraulically limited transport, and that antecedent weather is an important control on suspended sediment concentration. Neither the empirical relationships widely used to estimate suspended sediment concentrations and bedload (e.g. Ackers & White, 1973) nor observations of sediment transport characteristics in ephemeral streams (e.g. Reid & Frostick, 1987) are directly applicable to this river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue control methods are reliant upon control of the vector, primarily Aedes aegypti. Current adulticiding methods in North Queensland include treating premises with residual synthetic pyrethroid insecticides (interior residual spraying; IRS), a laborious, intrusive task. The vapor active synthetic pyrethroid metofluthrin might offer an efficient alternative as some studies indicate that it prevents biting and has strong knockdown effects. However, its expellant and/or irritant effects, longevity, residual activity and the speed with which biting behavior is disrupted have not yet been characterized. Methods: We exposed cohorts of Cairns colony (F2-4) Ae. aegypti to rooms (17-24 m3) treated with 5% and 10% AI metofluthrin emanators. Using free-flying and caged populations we measured biting (human landing rate), expulsion through unscreened windows, knockdown and death over periods ranging between a few minutes and 24 hrs. Observations of the behavior of single female Ae. aegypti exposed to metofluthrin were also made. Results: Female Ae. aegypti exposed to 5% or 10% metofluthrin formulations were almost entirely inhibited from biting. This was the result of rapid knockdown and mortality (80-90% in less than one hour) and to the behavioral impacts of exposure that, within minutes, caused female Ae. aegypti to become disoriented, stop landing on hosts, and seek resting sites. Exposed mosquitoes did not exhibit any increased propensity to exit treated rooms and the 10% AI resin remained fully active for at least 20 days. Conclusion: The new, high-dose, resin formulations of metofluthrin act quickly to prevent biting and to knockdown and kill free-flying female Ae. aegypti in our experimental rooms. There was no evidence that metofluthrin induced escape from treated areas. Resin-based metofluthrin emanators show great potential as a replacement for labor intensive IRS for dengue vector control [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents characteristics of droughts simulated by global climate models (GCMs) under enhanced greenhouse gases conditions. We used a drought index called the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) which takes both rainfall and potential evapotranspiration into account to investigate variations of droughts among 12 regions in Australia. The RDI was applied to simulated climate variables from 14 GCMs performed for the IPCC 4th Assessment Report. The results show a general increase in drought areal extent and/or frequency for most regions. However, the increases are not significant over the North West, North Queensland, Queensland East Coast and Central Queensland. For most regions, the change beyond 2030 is larger than that prior to 2030, but the uncertainty in the projections also increases with time. By 2030, there is a likely (>66% probability) risk of twice or more drought affected area and/or twice as often drought frequency over South West Western Australia. By 2050, this will include the Murray-Darling Basin, South Australia and Victoria, and by 2070 this will extend to New South Wales and Tasmania. For North Queensland such a risk is unlikely (<33% probability) for the next 100 years. This information can be considered indicative in long-term planning focussing on sustainability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper contains a description of a new species of oribatid mite, Birobates hepaticolus sp. nov., from eucalypt woodland and rainforest in North Queensland, Australia. Adults and immatures of B. hepaticolus live completely enclosed within the ventral lobules of the corticolous liverwort Frullania ferdinandi-muelleri Steph. The ventral lobes provide a protected, moisture-buffered microhabitat on tree bark that would otherwise be subject to extremes of wetting and drying. Analysis of gut contents indicates that B. hepaticolus appears to feed on liverwort tissue. To our knowledge this is the first documented example of an association between an oribatid mite and a leafy liverwort based on the provision of food and habitat. The genus Birobates is redefined and diagnosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dropping out of school has been associated with a student's ethnicity, socioeconomic status, challenging behaviours and low academic achievement. This paper describes research conducted with 1050 students aged 12-15, in three North Queensland urban high schools to investigate issues related to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students at risk of dropping out of school before gaining adequate qualifications. A path-analytic model was developed to assess the influence of socio-demographic, structural family and behavioural factors upon low academic achievement, the strongest predictor of dropping out of school. The specific hypothesis tested was that challenging behaviour, indexed by suspensions, predicts low academic achievement or at-risk status, more strongly than SES or family structure variables. Results indicate that for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, suspensions are a stronger predictor of low achievement than socioeconomic or family factors. Moreover, a model testing low achievement as a precursor to suspensions was not supported. Suggestions for future practice and research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the extent and nature of demonstrated professional partnerships between occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers in rural and remote communities of North Queensland. The study identifies ways in which professional partnerships improve client services and enhance occupational therapy outcomes through exploring the aspects of communication, collaboration and bridging cultural boundaries. Design: Data collected via in-depth, semistructured telephone interviews. Setting: Aboriginal and mainstream health and human service organisations in rural and remote North Queensland. Rural and remote areas were identified using the Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia codes. Participants: Seven participants working in rural and remote areas of North Queensland, comprising four occupational therapists and three Aboriginal health workers. All participants were female. Results: Participants identified five core themes when describing the extent and nature of professional partnerships between occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers. Themes include: professional interaction; perception of professional roles; benefits to the client; professional interdependence; and significance of Aboriginal culture. According to participants, when partnerships between occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers were formed, clients received a more culturally appropriate service, were more comfortable in the presence of the occupational therapist, obtained a greater understanding of occupational therapy assessment and intervention, and felt valued in the health care process. Conclusions: This study substantiates the necessity for the formation of professional partnerships between occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers. The findings suggest that participation in professional partnerships has positive implications for occupational therapists working with Aboriginal clients and Aboriginal health workers in rural and remote regions of North Queensland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Daintree Rainforest is a prime attraction for Tropical North Queensland as a tourist destination. Visitation of the rainforest, specifically the Cape Tribulation section, has increased rapidly as impediments to self-drive access have been removed. This paper examines the potential for the local council to manage the volume of self-drive visitation to the Cape Tribulation region by price mechanisms. Access to the region is by river ferry only. The assessment is based on estimates of willingness to pay from a contingent valuation survey of self-drive tourists to the region, from which estimates of consumer surplus and price elasticity of demand are derived. It is concluded that increasing the price for ferry crossings could be an effective and efficient means of (a) reducing traffic volumes caused by self-drive visitors and thereby alleviating traffic- related social and environmental problems, and (b) significantly increasing the resource rent which the municipality can draw from tourism, with additional revenue from the ferry being available for the improved management of this prime tourist destination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses coexistence among aboriginal people, social change and land rights in Northern Queensland. Factors affecting negotiations between aborigines and pastoralists over land use agreements; Provisions of the Aborigines Protection and Control of Opium Act 1897; Developments related to native titles.

Focuses on the regionalization of rural medical training in North Queensland, Queensland. Essence of medical training in resolving rural medical workforce issues; Importance of the reform in general practice education; Outline of the key principles and characteristics of a successful regional rural medical training system.

The article describes the opportunities and challenges associated with the establishment of health care networks across rural and remote communities. A definition of rural communities is offered. The process of networking, particularly the issues that require consideration when networks involving human interaction are established, is described. An overview of the telecommunications infrastructure in North Queensland, Queensland is provided.

Background: Indigenous women in remote North Queensland have a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and associated health conditions such as sexual transmitted infections (STI). The association of severe pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) with these factors has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to associate the factors with severe PID, as indicated by hospitalization in a high risk population in North Queensland Indigenous communities. Methods: A cross-sectional association of 1445 Indigenous women using linked hospital separation and survey data during 1998-2005. Results: The mean age of participating women was 37.4 years, 60% were of Aboriginal and 40% were Torres Strait Island (TSI) people. More than half of them (52.5%) were smokers, 9.3% had chlamydia and 2.6% had gonorrhoea with the overall prevalence of STI among those less than 25 years of age being 23.9%. Among the 47 participants diagnosed with PID in the study period, 42.5% were under 25 years and 95.7% (45 cases) were under 55 years (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2-4.1 among women younger than 25 compared to those 25 years and over). PID was strongly associated with smoking (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.4-9.2) independent of age, ethnicity, STI and folate status. Low red cell folate increased PID hospitalization by 4 times (95% CI 1.5-13.2 of lowest quartile compared to the highest quartile) regardless of age. Having a STI significantly increased the likelihood of severe PID by 2.2 times (95% CI: 1.03-4.5) in Indigenous women younger than 45 years, independent of smoking and folate level. The risk of PID hospitalization was higher for gonorrheal infections (OR 3.2, 955 CI 1.1-9.6) compared to chlamydial infections (OR 1.5 95% CI 0.7-3.5). Conclusions: Young Indigenous women in North Queensland communities are at very high risk for STI and PID. Smoking, low folate, and STI are clustered, and are associated with PID hospitalizations. Much of this can be prevented with improved nutrition and access to preventive services, especially tobacco control, regular STI screening and treatment, as well as more investment in sexual health education and awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What constitutes legitimate killing? How do our concerns over animal death fit with respect to our broader beliefs about the conservation or destruction of the 'natural' world? What does this mean for how we think about our own existence? This ethnography concerns itself with such questions as they have played out in a series of entangled conflicts with, and over, the non-human world; specifically, historically rooted tensions over the inception of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in Queensland Australia and contemporary arguments over the 'hunting' and Management' of feral pigs (Sus scrofa), an 'exotic' pest species. Similarities evident in the politics of natural heritage and animal death illuminate two distinct contemporary strategies for confronting existential struggles over life, death and destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explored the perceptions of residents of a regional city in North Queensland of how to remain safe during flood events. It also explored reasons for and how to prevent risk-taking behaviour in floodwater using the protection motivation theory (PMT). PMT is a psychological theory which has recently been applied to assess behaviour during floods and was used as a framework to analyse the themes of responses to the online survey. The online survey was conducted prior to the wet season of 2011/2012 with 130 Townsville residents participating. The results indicate that about half of respondents (55 %) had some experience with floods of which driving through floodwater (38 %) was the most common type of flood experience listed and was more common amongst male respondents. Respondents' advice to keep friends and family safe during floods was consistent with 'coping appraisal', which would improve their ability to cope with the flood. Prior experiences with floodwater influenced the reasons given for why people drive through floodwater and were taken to be indicative of an actor/observer bias. Respondents who had experience driving through floodwater (the actors) indicate how the context of the situation can influence decision-making, whereas those respondents who had no personal experience of driving through floodwater (the observers) were more likely to cite low perceived vulnerability of harm as a motivator. Prevention strategies focused on structural mechanisms to block access, information provision and punishment of offenders. It is suggested that in communities which regularly experience flooding, timely and context-specific reminders of the dangers inherent in floodwater along with the type, effectiveness and cost of protective action could minimise the public's contact with floodwater and prove useful regardless of past experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of succession planning, particularly in small and medium accounting practices, continues to become increasingly important with the impending retirement of the 'baby boomer' generation. Planning for succession and retirement within a small practice is even more critical in rural, regional and remote areas where staff recruitment and retention is already an issue. This study provides insight into the views of principals of small accounting practices toward succession planning within a regional area of Australia. Applying Sambrook's model of succession, findings reveal that formal succession planning is no longer considered possible by these principals given the perception of generational differences and a change in employment and workplace expectations within the small accounting practice environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many authors have suggested that Indigenous communities are especially vulnerable to the direct and indirect impacts of climate change, yet there remains a paucity of fine-grained geographic data on the particular impacts of climate change on specific places and on local communities, especially Australian Indigenous communities. While there are some recent studies being undertaken with Australia's Torres Strait Island people, our research takes up the issues of vulnerability and resilience with two Indigenous communities from different environments on the mainland in North Queensland. They are the Aboriginal peoples of the rainforest and reef environments of the Wet Tropics and the Aboriginal people of the discontiguous rainforest, grasslands, dry forests and marine environments of Cape York. The results demonstrate variability in their understandings of climate change and in their capacities to anticipate and manage its impacts, while at the same time illustrating some common held themes about environmental and cultural values, observed environmental change, attributions of cause and effect, and of climate in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the conservation of Imperiled crayfish (Euastacus Bindal), a highland crayfish that founds in North Queensland, Queensland. It offers findings of a field survey that deals with information gaps and conservation status of the said crayfish. Furthermore, it mentions the qualification of Imperiled crayfish in the listing of endangered species under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act in 1992.

Petaurus gracilis (De Vis, 1883) is a gliding possum commonly known as the mahogany glider. This species is endemic to open sclerophyll woodland between Tully and Ingham in North Queensland, Australia. Within its distribution P. gracilis occurs in forests dominated by trees of the genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Melaleuca, and Acacia. This species is recognized as an endangered species because of habitat loss, high degree of fragmentation of the remaining habitat, its naturally limited distribution, lack of habitat protected within national parks, and the degradation of its habitat from the transition to rain forest and thickening of sclerophyllous vegetation in much of its habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the coastal development of North Queensland. It states that the coastal development in the country has been started on the Gold Coast wherein developers and entrepreneurs recognized two potential markets such as homeowners and holiday makers. It states that the Sunshine Coast was developed following Gold Coast in which developers and business operators moved in to cater for tourists.

This article reflects upon collaborative research relationships between indigenous communities and universities in social health and empowerment programmes. This article is focused on Family Well Being programme and Indigenous Men's Support Groups conducted over the last decade at Yarrabah in northern Queensland. These programmes have incorporated a process whereby the community has set research agendas, local researchers have been employed, and university researchers have facilitated the development of appropriate programmes, the capacity of the community to manage these, and programme evaluation. This article draws upon reflective data derived from intensive group workshops and semistructured, in-depth interviews with both community and university-based researchers conducted in late 2006 and early 2007. These workshops and interviews describe, often in the words of participants, the experiences, challenges and strategies for research collaborations. This article recommends positive strategies for successful partnerships and outlines some challenges faced by both community and university researchers in programmes. The findings of the interviews and workshops are thematically discussed in relation to international literature on collaborative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aetiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is thought to involve both genetic and environmental factors. In other complex diseases, analysis of large multi-case families has resulted in insights into biological mechanisms. We have sought to characterise the members of an extended Indigenous family, five of whom have been diagnosed with SLE. Pedigree members were evaluated using the Lupus Screening Questionnaire, clinical interviews and medical records. Participants contributed blood and urine samples for laboratory analysis. A Mendelian pattern of inheritance was not observed. The five affected members (all female) shared two American College of Rheumatology criteria (positive ANA and arthritis) but showed a wide variety of other SLE manifestations. Disease onset, severity and progression were discordant. Including the five individuals with SLE, 15 blood relatives and two non-consanguineous spouses had autoimmune manifestations. Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (one case), idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) (one case) and hypothyroidism (two cases) were observed in non-SLE affected individuals. Anti-nuclear antibodies were present in 12 blood relatives and one non-consanguineous spouse. Infections (especially of the skin) were observed to be common in the kindred. The lack of clear Mendelian inheritance or phenotypic concordance makes a rare monogenic explanation for SLE unlikely in this family. The finding of familial autoimmunity associated with SLE further supports the hypothesis that a common genetic pathway can precipitate autoimmunity, with further genes and possible environmental factors interacting to produce the eventual phenotype. Future genetic linkage studies may reveal a rare 'autoimmune gene' variant in this kindred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study explored the practices of, and perceived barriers to, physical activity of young people living in remote communities in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area of Far North Queensland. Design and setting: A cross-sectional survey exploring physical activity practices of children attending primary and secondary schools in two communities in the Torres Strait, Far North Queensland. Participants: A total of 367 primary and secondary school-aged children (aged 9–16 years). Main outcome measures: Only 50% of the children reported being active for more than 30 min a day and approximately 25% of both primary and high school children surveyed were ‘pretty much active only at week-ends’. The major barriers cited to being active were related to the climate, lack of equipment and child-specific activities and low self-perception of ability. Conclusions: A large proportion of school students in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area reported low levels of physical activity. The main barriers cited to being active suggest that structural and family-based strategies are required to help young people, especially girls, to engage in more physical activity. There is also a need for skills and confidence-building activities delivered in a non-competitive environment for those who feel that they lack the necessary skills to participate fully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women who are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer face a difficult journey. For women residing in areas geographically removed from major health providers the journey can be much more difficult. While they ‘make do’ and ‘struggle on’, their lived experiences can provide valuable insight into the complex issues surrounding a cancer diagnosis in rural areas. This study aimed to understand their experiences through the women's stories and sought to identify the major themes impacting on these stories. This qualitative phenomenological study undertook interviews with seven women with gynaecological cancer who reside in rural and remote north Queensland. Analysis of the data collected revealed three themes: seeking answers at a distance; sharing information within a small community; and experiences of navigating the health system. The results show the inherent difficulties in accessing support in rural areas and the difficulties associated with travelling considerable distances to undergo treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifetime records of 442 Holstein cows on one farm in North Queensland, Australia, were analysed to evaluate the effects of age at first calving (AFC) and first lactation milk yield on parities per lifetime, longevity, milk yield in subsequent lactations, lifetime milk production and the longevity index (LI), that is the proportion of a cow's life spent in active milk production. The mean daily yield in the first lactation was a reliable indicator of milk yield in subsequent lactations, estimated lifetime production, longevity and LI. The AFC had no effect on lifetime days in milk. Neither the AFC nor the milk yield in the first lactation significantly affected the number of parities per lifetime. For the majority of cows, which produced less than 30 l/day in the first lactation, there was a significant positive relationship between longevity and AFC. However, none of the cows that produced more than 30 l/day in the first lactation survived for more than two lactations. The optimal AFC was thus two to two-and-a-half years, as these cows had the highest first lactation yield, estimated lifetime production and LI. The optimal mean daily yield in the first lactation was 20 to 30 l/day, as these cows lived longer and had a higher LI and lifetime production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the influences of organizational culture on rangers' perceptions of tourism management in North Queensland's (Australia) protected areas. This research was undertaken during a time of an increasingly anthropocentric management focus, including the creation of partnership agreements with tourism operators. Qualitative, semistructured interviews revealed that some rangers embraced tourism as an asset to parks, whereas others perceived the industry to be in conflict, or in competition, with the preservation of their areas. The concepts of organizational culture and climate were found to be useful for explaining the differences in rangers' perceptions of tourism and for explaining the presence of a distinct subcultural group amongst the rangers interviewed. Poor communication of tourism policy changes between the upper management levels and the on-park rangers had contributed to a loss of goal congruence, infighting, low morale, and an organizational climate in turmoil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the source, evolution, reactions and environmental impacts of F-rich thermal water at Innot Hot Springs, north Queensland. Thermal water of the Innot Hot Springs has a surface temperature of 71°C, alkaline pH (8.1), low dissolved oxygen (0.61 mg/L) and low total dissolved solids (652 mg/L). The main chemical composition is Na - Cl, with F concentrations (16 mg/L) being comparatively high. Concentrations of alkali and alkali-earth metals (Cs, Li, Rb, Sr) are elevated, while those of other trace elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Be, Cr, Cu, Ga, Mn, Mo, U, Zn) are significantly less. Hydrochemical and stable isotope data of hot spring water show that the fluid is meteoric in origin and has undergone significant water - granite interaction. Common geothermometers suggest temperatures of water - rock interaction at depth in the 119 - 158°C range (corresponding to a depth of <3.9 - 5.2 km). Solubility modelling of the thermal fluid demonstrates that the evolution of F concentrations in spring waters at the discharge site can be accounted for by fluid - rock interaction of a H2O - NaCl solution with fluorite - calcite-bearing granite assemblages between 150 and 200°C and subsequent granite-buffered cooling. Modelling also indicates that the F concentration in the hydrothermal system is largely controlled by interactions with fluorite, with less evidence for the significant involvement of F-topaz. Speciation calculations demonstrate that F speciation in the fluid is dominated by F- (99.4%), followed by minor CaF+ (0.5%) and NaF(aq) (0.1%), and traces of other F complexes. Thus, the F-rich Innot Hot Springs result from meteoric water circulating through fluorite-bearing granitic rocks and are the surface expression of a low-temperature, non-volcanic geothermal system. Discharge of the hot spring water occurs into an ephemeral stream located in a seasonally wet - dry tropical climate. As a result, the F content of local surface waters is distinctly elevated (max. 18 mg/L) during the dry season, making them unsuitable for stock water supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the clinical signs, results of clinical pathology and serology tests, and treatment outcome of clinical leptospirosis in 40 dogs from North Queensland. Design Retrospective study from January 1995 to August 1999. Procedure Case records were reviewed for age, breed, sex, month of submission, geographical location and presenting clinical signs in 40 dogs with titres of ≥ 200 for leptospirosis by the microscopic agglutination test. A biochemistry panel and complete blood count were performed on 18 dogs. Results Canine leptospirosis occurred most frequently during the summer and autumn particularly in the ‘wet’ tropical coastal areas of Mackay and Cairns. Fewer cases were seen in the Atherton Tablelands and ‘dry’ tropics around Townsville. Young and male dogs were more commonly affected. Most cases were caused by L australis (80%) and L zanoni (15%) with individual cases of L hardjo and L copenhageni. All dogs showed a distinctive multiorgan disease pattern including renal failure and cholestatic hepatopathy. Presenting clinical signs were related to these disease syndromes and included jaundice, vomiting, lethargy, inappetence, dehydration, pyrexia, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Just over 50% of the dogs in the present study failed to recover. Clinical biochemical changes indicative of renal failure and cholestasis were significantly less severe in dogs that recovered compared with dogs that did not survive. Conclusions Clinical pathology testing should be performed on all dogs presented for illness in the endemic areas so as to help make a presumptive diagnosis and assist in determining the prognosis as soon as possible. The presumptive diagnosis should be confirmed serologically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen and diatom analyses of organic sediments from Three-Quarter Mile Lake, a perched lake on Cape York Peninsula, north Queensland, indicate that significant changes in vegetation and hydrology occurred during the Holocene. Early Holocene grass-dominated landscapes were replaced in mid-Holocene times by increasingly woody vegetation comprising tropical heathlands, savanna and rainforest. Early-Holocene lake levels fluctuated widely. From mid-Holocene times, lake levels stabilized and water became increasingly acidic as a mature swamp forest developed adjacent to the lake and contributed tannins to the lake water. The timing and character of changes are consistent with those described from the Atherton Tableland in wet tropical Queensland. Holocene dry phases described from the Northern Territory and the western shores of Cape York cannot be identified from Three-Quarter Mile Lake. Rainforest is currently close to its greatest Holocene extent, suggesting that the rainforest-dependent endemic fauna of northern Cape York have been isolated from rainforest blocks to the south throughout the last 10 000 years and, by inference, throughout at least the 120 000 years beyond that. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To observe and record an outbreak of acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) in the Lockhart River community in 2005 and the steps taken by health workers to contain the epidemic. Methods: A descriptive study of cases of APSGN and children aged from 2 to 12 years involved in the screening program. Setting: A remote indigenous community in Far North Queensland. Participants: All children aged from 2 to 12 years in the Lockhart River community. Results: Eighty-seven children were screened. And 46% were found to have infected scabies. Conclusions: There were 11 confirmed cases of APSGN over four months from February to May. Infected scabies was the main preceding finding in these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]