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Although cycling has been promoted around the world as a sustainable mode of transportation, bicyclists are among the most vulnerable road users, subject to high injury and fatality risk. The vehicle-bicycle hit-and-run crashes degrade the morality and result in delays of medical services provided to victims. This paper aims to determine the significant factors that contribute to drivers' hit-and-run behavior in vehicle-bicycle crashes and their interdependency based on a 6-year crash dataset of Victoria, Australia, with an integrated data mining framework. The framework integrates imbalanced data resampling, near zero variance predictor elimination, learning-based feature extraction with random forest algorithm, and association rule mining. The crash-related features that play the most important role in classifying hit-and-run crashes are identified as collision type, gender, age group, vehicle passengers involved, severity of accident, speed zone, road classification, divided road, region and peak hour. The result of the paper can further provide implications on the policies and counter-measures in order to prevent bicyclists from vehicle-bicycle hit-and-run collisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses highlights of the OZCOTS 2008, the 6th Australian Conference on Teaching Statistics, that was held on July 3-4, 2008 in Melbourne, Victoria. The OZCOTS 2008 program was made up of six invited papers, 18 contributed papers, and two forums. Some of the invited papers include "Applied statistics as a growth engine for statistics programs," by Chris Wild, and "Technological literacy and statistics education: a call for thought and research," by Rob Gould.

This contemporary comment examines School Community Safety Orders (SCSOs). Introduced in 2022, these provisions permit principals in the Australian state of Victoria to ban adults from school premises and events in response to concerns about the risk of violent, threatening or abusive behaviour, and/or other perceived disruptive acts. SCSOs have only been active for a short time, and there is currently limited information regarding their use. Following an examination of the legislation, this paper discusses a number of operational and procedural concerns. These include the subjective framing of behaviours that may lead to an SCSO, the ways in which SCSOs are imposed and the absence of provision/s to prevent their misuse or abuse. The paper draws attention to the lack of clear protocols and safeguards to ensure the appropriate and proportionate use of SCSOs, advocates for consistent and transparent monitoring—to understand how many are issued, to whom and for what reasons—and asks whether the provisions adequately address concerns regarding safety in schools. More broadly, the provisions are also situated and discussed within the wider context of risk-based criminalisation—including the increasing use of pre-emption and privatisation/civilianisation—and the issues to which these developments can give rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strict lockdowns have been employed by many of the world's nations as a public health response to COVID-19. However, concerns have been expressed as to how such public health responses disturb the human ecosystem. In this paper, we report on findings from a longitudinal study of Australian parents in which we investigated how state differences in government-mandated lockdowns affect the relationship well-being (i.e., relationship satisfaction and loneliness) of parents. We situated the study of the relational effects of strict lockdowns within the Vulnerability Stress Adaptation Model (VSAM, Karney & Bradbury, 1995) that considers the role of parents' pre-existing vulnerabilities (i.e., psychological distress and attachment insecurity), life stressors (pre-pandemic and COVID-19 stressors), and adaptive relationship processes (constructive communication and perceived partner support). A total of 1942 parents completed 14 waves of assessments of relationship satisfaction and loneliness over a 13.5-month period as well as baseline assessments of personal vulnerabilities, life stressors, and adaptive relationship processes. Parents with high relationship adaptations and low vulnerabilities evidenced the highest relationship well-being (i.e., high satisfaction and low loneliness) during changes in lockdown restrictions, while parents with moderate relationship adaptations and vulnerabilities experienced the poorest well-being. Differences in state lockdown restrictions (i.e., Victoria [long and strict lockdown policy] vs all other states) were associated with differences in relationship well-being for parents with high relationship adaptations. Specifically, Victorian parents experienced significant declines in relationship well-being compared to non-Victorian parents. Our findings provide novel insights into how government-mandated social restrictions can disrupt the relational ecology of parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tropical and warm-temperate eastern Australian muricid snail Tenguella marginalba (Blainville, 1832), unknown in Victoria prior to 1982, is formally reported as established in far eastern Victoria. It also occurs in southernmost New South Wales. The Marine Research Group of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (MRG) first detected it at Mallacoota in 1982, and subsequent surveys by the MRG and others have confirmed its local persistence. This paper maps its appearance and range in Victoria over time, based on MRG records and other literature references. A possible cause for its Victorian incursion is the warming of the Eastern Australian Current through climate change. Recent Victorian intertidal records of other warm-temperate marine invertebrates not typically found in eastern Victoria are provided as possible co-examples of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper aimed to describe the legal worries of Australian general practitioners (GPs) and nurses regarding end-of-life care provided in the aged care setting. Methods: An analysis of responses to the final, open-ended question of a cross-sectional online survey of GPs and nurses practising in aged care settings in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria was undertaken. Results: Of the 162 GPs and 61 nurses who gave valid responses to the survey, 92% (151 GPs and 55 nurses) responded to the open-ended question. Participants identified concerns across all relevant areas of end-of-life law. The most common concerns were substitute decision-makers or family member(s) wanting to overrule an Advance Care Directive, requests for futile or non-beneficial treatment and conflict about end-of-life decision-making. Participants often also identified concerns about their lack of legal knowledge and their fear of law or risk related to both end-of-life care generally and providing medication that may hasten death. Conclusions: Australian GPs and nurses working in aged care have broad-ranging legal concerns about providing end-of-life care. Legal concerns and knowledge gaps identified here highlight priority areas for future training of the aged care workforce. The law supports good end-of-life clinical practice by facilitating health care that aligns with the values and goals of patients, including those residing in residential aged care facilities. GPs and nurses here reported broad-ranging legal concerns relevant to providing end-of-life care within aged care, including substitute decision makers/family members wanting to overrule Advance Care Directives, requests for futile or non-beneficial treatment and conflict about decision-making. Participants' concerns can inform end-of-life legal training for aged care GPs and nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous young people around the world suffer poorer mental health outcomes than their non-Indigenous peers. Currently, how culture matters for health, what cultural practices are used in community to support health and well-being, and how culture is passed on in Aboriginal contemporary life in southeast Australia--the region most affected by settler-colonisation--is not well understood. This paper presents findings from yarns with a representative sample of 44 Indigenous participants working in the field of health and well-being that explored how culture interleaves with health and well-being. It uses grounded theory as the overarching methodology with community participation in all aspects of the project. Participants were nominated through snowball sampling and screened by a governing board of Elders. They included men and women of varied ages with half residing in urban areas and half in rural Victoria, Australia. They had declared affiliations to 31 traditional tribal groups. The yarns were held over Zoom videoconferencing between an Indigenous research assistant who was part of the community, and each participant. Each yarn was recorded, transcribed, coded and analysed by a multi-perspectival team. Culture was viewed as central to individual and communal life and passed on through relationships with people and Country itself. Community members used a wide variety of cultural practices to aid and maintain health and wellbeing in profound ways. Myriad extant obstacles to health and well-being were also described, from experiences of disconnection through to barriers for accessing services. These findings have the potential to shape future holistic care and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wildfires are thought to become more prevalent during periods of extended dry weather. This issue is examined using two dryness metrics commonly applied in Australian fire management agencies. Aims: This paper investigated links between wildfire incidence and the Keetch–Byram Drought Index (KBDI) and McArthur's Drought Factor (DF) across the state of Victoria, Australia. Methods: Weather records and data from 41 418 wildfires that occurred across the State over a 17-year period were compiled to examine the distributions of KBDI and DF on days with fires smaller and larger than 5 ha in area and all days, using kernel density plots. Key results: Days with fires, particularly days with fires that escaped initial attack, have higher DFs and KBDIs compared with all days. These differences vary between regions and are greatest in areas with moist climates. Conclusions and implications: An appreciation of dryness conditions using tools such as KBDI and DF is useful for understanding fire potential, particularly in areas that experience higher and more regular rainfall. McArthur's Drought Factor and the Keetch–Byram Drought Index are higher than normal on days with fires in Victoria, Australia. These metrics provide a more reliable indication of fire potential in high-rainfall areas than in lower-rainfall areas. This article belongs to the Collection Fire and Climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Au–Hg–Ag phases have been described from a variety of metallogenic orebodies and the placer deposits derived from them. In many documented placer deposits, the phases typically occur intergrown as 'secondary' rims to primary Au–Ag grains. The origin of these rims has been ascribed to supergene redistribution reactions during deposition or to the effects of amalgamation (i.e. use of mercury) during mining for gold. Difficulties in determining compositions and crystal structures on such a small scale have made full characterisation of these phases problematic. This paper describes a new occurrence of these phases, found by accident during investigation of a historical concentrate of 'osmiridium' containing a number of gold grains from beach sands at Waratah Bay, in southern Victoria, Australia. The phases occur as rims to gold grains and are intergrown on a scale of tens of micrometres or less. Application of electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) and limited electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) was required to characterise them. These techniques revealed the presence of the approved mineral weishanite (Au–Hg–Ag) and a phase with compositional range Au2Hg–Au3Hg surrounding primary Au–Ag (electrum) containing trace amounts of Hg. EBSD analysis showed weishanite is hexagonal P 63/ mmc and Au2Hg to be hexagonal P 63/ mcm. Comparison with published data from other localities (Philippines, British Columbia and New Zealand) suggests weishanite has a wide compositional field. Textures shown by these phases are difficult to interpret, as they might form by either supergene processes or by reaction with anthropogenic mercury used during mining. However, in the absence of any historical evidence for the use of mercury for gold mining at Waratah Bay, we consider the formation of the Au–Hg phases is most probably due to supergene alteration of primary Au–Ag alloy containing small amounts of Hg. In addition to revealing some of the reaction sequences in the development of these secondary Au–Hg–Ag rims, this paper illustrates methods by which these phases can be more fully characterised and thereby better correlated with the Au–Hg synthetic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 26 November 2022 the Andrews Labor Government was reelected for a third term in the State of Victoria. The starting point for this paper is its decision during the pandemic to seemingly break with neoliberal political orthodoxy, by boldly and deliberately leveraging the state's balance sheet to avoid recession, using debt-funded record levels of spending, particularly on infrastructure, as a means of doing so. The paper argues that in decisively embracing a neo-Keynesian budget strategy, the Andrews government did not actually break with the recent neoliberal past. It turbo charged it, with the dramatical increase in debt-funded spending being used to finance a massive expansion of an intricate network of private monopoly contractors operating everything from ports, tollways and public transport, to policy advice, jails and road maintenance. The paper concludes that over the last four decades of policy reform, Victoria has been transformed into a 'Rentier State'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 forced the digitalisation of teaching and learning in a response often described as emergency remote teaching (ERT). This rapid response changed the social, spatial, and temporal arrangements of higher education and required important adaptations from educators and students alike. However, while the literature has examined the constraints students faced (e.g. availability of the internet) and the consequences of the pandemic (e.g. student mental health), students' active management of these constraints for learning remains underexplored. This paper aims to "think with" COVID-19 to explore student agency in home learning under constrained circumstances. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to understand the day-to-day actions of nineteen undergraduate students managing their learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Victoria, Australia. Emirbayer and Mische's multiple dimensions of agency — iterative, projective, and practical-evaluative — are used to explore student experience. The findings illustrate students' adaptability and agency in navigating life-integrated learning, with most of their actions oriented to their present circumstances. This practical evaluative form of agency was expressed through (1) organising self, space, time, and relationships; (2) self-care; and (3) seeking help. Although this study took place in the context of ERT, it has implications beyond the pandemic because higher education always operates under constraints, and in other circumstances, many students still experience emotionally and materially difficult times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a rich international history in social justice scholarship focusing on the practices of educational leadership and leaders in areas of disadvantage. Research suggests that principals who have a clear focus on social justice will tend to exhibit a range of normative practices. This paper examines the social justice understandings and practices of three primary school principals working in areas of social disadvantage in Victoria, Australia. Each of the principals expressed their understanding and belief that their role as principal was as an instrument of justice for the children in their communities, yet all simultaneously held notions of deficit expressed through the discourses of meritocracy and aspiration, and through the othering of their communities. In this paper I argue that while educational leaders with a deep understanding of social justice leadership are critical in arresting the reproduction of disadvantage through schooling in disadvantaged areas, the reality is that leaders who see themselves working for social justice may have disjunctions in their understandings and practice, which has implications for their communities. This suggests that idealized, normative understandings of social justice leadership (what should be) do not capture practice on the ground (what is). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper presents a descriptive analysis of elite women's biographical sketches in Who's Who-type collections, now out of copyright, published in Australia in the 1930s: Victoria (1934), New South Wales (1936) and Queensland (1939). It concentrates on information given about their schooling. Design/methodology/approach: The biographical sketches of the women, defined as "elite" by their inclusion in three collections from the 1930s, were examined for information about their and their daughters' education. Using mixed methods in a prosopographical approach, this is mainly a quantitative analysis. It outlines and compares the schools they attended where given as well as providing basic demographic details of the 491 women. Findings: The paper shows that, for those who gave educational details, the women and their daughters attended private schools almost exclusively. Three types of schools were listed – private venture, corporate, and a very few state schools. The paper demonstrates that the landscape for girls' secondary schooling was not a settled terrain in terms of type, place, religion, or age of schools available for elite girls' education in the late 19th and early 20th century. Private schools are shown to be part of the "machinery of exclusiveness which characterised the inter-war years" (Teese, 1998, p. 402) and private venture schools survived well into the third decade of the 20th century. Originality/value: Beyond the histories of individual schools, little is known about the educational profile of Australian elite women in the past. This largely quantitative analysis helps to uncover and compare across state-based cohorts, previously unknown demographic, and schooling details for interwar women who recorded their educational details, as well as for the NSW and Victorian daughters where given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how a stochastic disruptive event can dramatically alter community soundscapes. Whilst religious bells have symbolism in many worldwide faiths, the sound emanating from church bells can be considered public domain and therefore, is not exclusive to the church. Pandemic-related interruption of these sounds impacts not only the church involved, but both the surrounding soundscape and any members of the community who ascribe value to these sounds. This paper examines the soundscape of Christian churches in the states of New South Wales and Victoria, to give an Australian perspective one year after the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It provides an update of the situation in Australia, building on our previous work from August of that year. In doing so, it explores the activity of church tower bell ringing, and how this "non-essential" activity has been affected, both during and subsequent to the heavy community restrictions applied in Australia. The paper also explores what lengths bellringers have undertaken to be permitted to conduct such activities, such as the use of adaptive measures due to "social distancing", and considers what implications this enforced silence has in similar soundscapes elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper focuses on the donation in 1888 of a Sèvres Vase to the Education Department of Victoria after the International Exhibition in Melbourne. Using the vase as its focus the paper reflects on what this donation may be able to tell us about the impact, primarily on education, of a series of International Exhibitions held both in Australia and internationally between 1851 and 1900. The life of the Sèvres vase highlights the potential of the Exhibitions for the exchange of ideas internationally, the influence of the International Exhibition movement on education and the links between a 19th-century gift and the teaching of Art in 1930s Melbourne. Design/methodology/approach: The paper examines one object in relation to education in its wider historical context through a reading of the archival records relating to the Melbourne Teacher's Training College and Melbourne High School. Findings: The influence of the educational exhibits of the 1888 Centennial International Exhibition held in Melbourne are shown to have had an impact on the design of the Melbourne Teachers Training College. Originality/value: This paper provides a new and original perspective on the Melbourne Teachers Training College and its foundation through its library and museum collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the impact of rate capping policy on local council efficiency. It also examines a set of exogenous factors associated with local government efficiency. A semi-parametric framework based on data envelopment analysis is applied to construct an efficient frontier for Victorian local governments. Findings indicate that rate capping policy had no significant effect on the overall economic efficiency of Victorian local governments. Furthermore, the policy appears to have an adverse effect on the efficiency of metropolitan councils during the study period. The heterogeneity of local governments needs to be considered when setting rate caps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article offers information on several congresses related to econometrics of the Econometric Society from June 28 to November 3, 2012 including North American Summer Meeting at the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois from June 28 to July 1, Australasia Meeting in Melbourne, Victoria on July 3-6, and European Meeting Málaga, Spain on August 27-31.

Anthropogenic climate change is expected to cause an increase in fire danger over south-eastern Australia during the 21st century, primarily driven by increased surface temperature. Studies of future fire weather in Victoria, Australia, have so far mostly utilised direct output from general circulation models, which have inadequate resolution for resolving the dynamics of local fire danger and are prone to substantial biases that may affect the seasonality of dry fuels. In this paper, we assess the ability of the Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogs (MACA) method to downscale output from general circulation models over Victoria, and replicate statistical attributes of fire danger indices. We find that climatological descriptors of meteorological variables of wind, temperature and humidity are captured extremely well, and fields on extreme fire days are well captured. We find that the method works very well for statistically downscaling fire weather elements over Victoria and provides a vehicle to assess the regional variation of fire weather projections over Victoria. This paper evaluates the computationally efficient Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogs (MACA) method for downscaling a single general circulation model to a fine scale over the state of Victoria, Australia. Comparison with a 4-km fire weather climatology dataset shows the method well reproduces observed statistics of mean and extreme fire weather. Photo showing planned burn in Victoria, Australia, by Tim Brown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To alleviate overpopulation in Australia's metropolitan areas and counter population decline in regional areas, regional settlement of newly arrived migrants and refugees has emerged in recent policy debates. With a new federal government plan to introduce mandatory regional settlement for migrants, significant responsibility is placed on regional schools to cater for the unique needs of students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. Evoking Bourdieu's thinking tools, this paper examines the perspectives of principals and teachers from two regional schools in Victoria, Australia by exploring their beliefs and dispositions towards English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in mainstream classrooms and their capacity to build student capital within a regional education field. This paper argues that for regional settlement to be 'advantageous', regional schools must look from within to initiate a whole school approach to EAL support and professional development and promote community connections to create advantageous spaces for migrant and refugee youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Early childhood caries ( ECC) describes dental caries affecting children aged 0-71 months. Current research suggests ECC has important aetiological bases during the first year of life. Gaps in knowledge about disease progression prevent the effective and early identification of 'at risk' children. Aim To conduct a systematic review of research studies focusing on (a) acquisition and colonization of oral bacteria and ECC and (b) risk and/or protective factors in infants aged 0-12 months. Design Ovid Medline and Embase databases (1996-2011) were searched for RCT, longitudinal, cross-sectional and qualitative studies. Two investigators undertook a quality assessment for risk of bias. Results Inclusion criteria were met for (a) by four papers and for (b) by 13 papers; five papers were rated medium or high quality. Bacterial acquisition/colonization and modifying factor interrelationships were identified, but their role in the caries process was not clarified. Key risk indicators were infant feeding practices (nine papers), maternal circumstances and oral health (6) and infant-related oral health behaviours (4). Conclusion This review confirmed that factors occurring during the first year of life affect ECC experience. Despite heterogeneity, findings indicated maternal factors influence bacterial acquisition, whereas colonization was mediated by oral health behaviours and practices and feeding habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We evaluated the accuracy of medical coders in distinguishing the aetiology of urinary tract infection according to clinical documentation. Methods: The clinical documentation of patients coded as having had a hospital-acquired urinary tract infection from January to June 2020 at two Melbourne hospitals were assessed for community or hospital acquisition. Results: We found that 48.89% of cases were inaccurately categorised as hospital-acquired, due to insufficient detail in clinical documentation. Risk factors for hospital-acquired urinary tract infection were present in at least 30% of correctly categorised cases. Conclusions: Clinical documentation is not filled out with sufficient detail or in a timely enough manner for clinical coders to distinguish between hospital or community origin. What is known about this topic? Hospital-acquired complications (HAC), such as urinary tract infection (UTI) result in poorer outcomes. They are difficult to track, due to inconsistencies at various levels. Sufficient clinical documentation is required for accurate coding of infection origin. What does this paper add? We evaluated the clinical documentation of patients coded as having a hospital-acquired UTI. A total of 48.89% of the cases were incorrectly coded as hospital-acquired, due to insufficient detail in clinical documentation. What are the implications for practitioners? In the current state of clinical documentation, clinical coding of HACs is inaccurate. The clinical team should be educated on the requirements for clinical documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban greening is attracting considerable research and practical attention for its contributions to conserving biodiversity, mitigating urban heat and enhancing the liveability and sustainability of cities and urban areas. Much of the urban greening research is concentrated on major cities, with little focus on the needs and experiences with urban greening in regional cities and towns. This paper addresses this by presenting a case study of an urban greening project, 'Naturally Cooler Towns', focused on regional towns in north-east Victoria, Australia. The project was undertaken by the Goulburn Murray Climate Alliance, a regional alliance of local governments, catchment management authorities and a state government department. As the region faces increasing temperatures and impacts of more frequent heatwaves, the project aimed to review tree management practices and identify opportunities for increasing canopy cover with appropriate species for 'climate adapted street trees'. We examine how urban greening is planned and implemented in these towns, and the roles of the regional alliance in providing a forum for collaborative adaptive governance. The regional alliance plays a key role as an intermediary facilitating approaches that demonstrate situatedness: credibility, salience and legitimacy. The paper contributes towards increased understandings of urban greening approaches beyond the major cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Stepped care as a model of provision of mental health services has been frequently described from clinical or health administration perspectives, but less is known about the consumer perspective of stepped models of care. Method: Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 18 consumers across a range of residential mental health services in Melbourne, Australia. Interviews were designed to help understand consumers' needs and experiences in navigating different services to meet their needs at different times in their mental health journey. Results: Consumers experience fluctuations in their mental state that are best responded to by having access to a range of services, as well as to services that can respond flexibly to changing needs. Consumers do not necessarily progress through stepped care in a linear or step-up, step-down fashion. Conclusion: Stepped care services need to be flexible in accommodating people along a continuum of care and responsive to where the consumer is at on their journey, rather than predetermining the trajectory of care. What is known about the topic?: Stepped care has been identified as a critical component of comprehensive mental health care, bridging the gap between primary care and acute mental health services. The components of effective stepped care models have been broadly articulated, but the experience of moving through different components of care in response to changing needs has not previously been well described. What does the paper add?: This paper presents consumer perspectives on a model of stepped care that is designed to respond flexibly to the changing needs of consumers, rather than representing a linear model of progress through the system. What are the implications for practitioners?: Mental health services are increasingly grappling with provision of care to the 'missing middle': people with chronic mental illness yet not in an acute phase requiring in-patient hospital care. This paper presents a model of stepped care that responds to the fluctuating needs of consumers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to identify and quantify medication errors reportedly related to electronic medication management systems (eMMS) and those considered likely to occur more frequently with eMMS. This included developing a new classification system relevant to eMMS errors. Methods: Eight Victorian hospitals with eMMS participated in a retrospective audit of reported medication incidents from their incident reporting databases between May and July 2014. Site-appointed project officers submitted deidentified incidents they deemed new or likely to occur more frequently due to eMMS, together with the Incident Severity Rating (ISR). The authors reviewed and classified incidents. Results: There were 5826 medication-related incidents reported. In total, 93 (47 prescribing errors, 46 administration errors) were identified as new or potentially related to eMMS. Only one ISR 2 (moderate) and no ISR 1 (severe or death) errors were reported, so harm to patients in this 3-month period was minimal. The most commonly reported error types were 'human factors' and 'unfamiliarity or training' (70%) and 'cross-encounter or hybrid system errors' (22%). Conclusions: Although the results suggest that the errors reported were of low severity, organisations must remain vigilant to the risk of new errors and avoid the assumption that eMMS is the panacea to all medication error issues. What is known about the topic?: eMMS have been shown to reduce some types of medication errors, but it has been reported that some new medication errors have been identified and some are likely to occur more frequently with eMMS. There are few published Australian studies that have reported on medication error types that are likely to occur more frequently with eMMS in more than one organisation and that include administration and prescribing errors. What does this paper add?: This paper includes a new simple classification system for eMMS that is useful and outlines the most commonly reported incident types and can inform organisations and vendors on possible eMMS improvements. The paper suggests a new classification system for eMMS medication errors. What are the implications for practitioners?: The results of the present study will highlight to organisations the need for ongoing review of system design, refinement of workflow issues, staff education and training and reporting and monitoring of errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a conference report on the fourteenth biannual Australasian Urban History/Planning History (AUHPH) conference held between 31 January and 2 February 2018 at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how auditor-general's offices (AGO) use strategic planning to legitimize value-for-money (VFM) audits. The transformation of VFM audit practice through these planning processes (corporate plan, annual plan and annual report) involves several key actions by AGOs, including the development of VFM audit methodologies and cultivating relationships with the wider audit environment. IMPACT This paper extends the existing international understanding about how value-for-money (VFM) audit/performance audit was added to the audit portfolio of the auditor-general's office (AGO) in a specific country context. VFM audit is unique to AGOs, but its operationalization is different from AGO to AGO. AGOs can use the technical competence of VFM audit to stand out from private sector accounting firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, some non-Aboriginal social workers and academics have difficulty working in partnership with Aboriginal children, families, and communities because they do not know how to build authentic relationships and are fearful of doing so. This is particularly the case in Child Protection where children continue to be removed from Aboriginal families. Reciprocal and genuine relationships involve holding Aboriginal worldviews as equally valid as Euro-western ones. For non-Aboriginal social workers and academics, this means moving beyond a "helping" stance, and towards genuine openness to learn and understand the world, and their place in it, in new ways. This paper shows how two social work academics undertook building relationships with Traditional Custodians in our local area to establish a resource for students that foregrounds Aboriginal ways of knowing and learning by using the Tree of Life concept to embody Aboriginal experiences. The Aboriginal author focused on coming together respectfully to create a better-shared understanding on connecting to Country. For the non-Aboriginal author, a transformation occurred, gaining embodied understanding of her own belonging and connection to Country. The paper concludes with reflections useful to others embarking on this journey. IMPLICATIONS Cultivating an academic environment that prioritises forming authentic relationships with Traditional Custodians on Country is essential in order to be culturally responsive. A decolonising embodied concept, Tree of Life, invites social workers to take a journey of personal self-discovery, of belongingness, and cultural heritage. A simulation resource developed with Traditional Custodians can disrupt daily instances of colonisation and work toward social workers reflecting on practice to minimise further harm in working with Aboriginal communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, 4 major bushfires destroyed vast areas of Gippsland in eastern Victoria including the areas around Delburn, Bunyip, Churchill and Wilsons Promontory. These are collectively known as the 2009 Gippsland bushfires. Research was conducted to investigate the psychosocial recovery of young adults in these areas. Twenty young adults participated in the study and, while these young adults are not an homogenous group, commonalities were identified across their stories. Asked what would have helped their recovery, the participants all said that acknowledgment of their personal and age-specific needs was the single most important factor that enabled or impeded recovery. This paper describes some of their stories. The paper looks at how participants viewed acknowledgment and the effects of its absence on their psychosocial recovery and how they felt unacknowledged in local recovery supports. The paper reports on the findings of this research and suggests an approach for management and longer-term recovery support that is inclusive of the specific needs of young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it proposes a critical posthumanist orientation to social work as an approach to address the impediments to care experienced by interspecies families. Secondly, it challenges the anthropocentric assumptions that underpin this exclusion of nonhuman family members in human services disciplines such as social work. Design/methodology/approach: This article presents primary data from a qualitative study into social work and other human services practice in the family violence and homelessness sectors in the state of Victoria, Australia. Findings: Social workers undertook companion animal-inclusive practice to counter vulnerability to interspecies families caused by gender- and species-based violence, and by homelessness. Gender- and species-based violence was exacerbated by a lack of refuge options, and contributed to women considering their companion animals to be their children. The vulnerability that homelessness brought upon interspecies families was amplified by stigma within and external to social work and related professions, and the impediment that experiences of homelessness had on being able to provide care for their nonhuman family members. These factors shaped practice with interspecies families. Scope for future practice was also identified. Research limitations/implications: The research findings can be used to inform policy change that includes consideration of nonhuman family members, as well as critical posthuman program design in social work education. Originality/value: Companion animal-inclusive practice with interspecies families in social work is an under researched area, and there is little empirical data available on the nature of this work in Australia. This paper addresses this gap by centring social workers' own accounts of practice. This paper has scope to contribute to education in social work and other welfare fields, with the potential to empower students to challenge assumptions about social work being solely focused on human-centred concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of service data for cardiac rehabilitation limits understanding of program delivery, benchmarking and quality improvement. This study aimed to describe current practices, management, utilisation and engagement with quality indicators in Australian programs. Cardiac rehabilitation programs (n=396) were identified from national directories and networks. Program coordinators were surveyed on service data capture, management systems and adoption of published national quality indicators. Text responses were coded and classified. Logistic regression determined independent associates of the use of data for quality improvement. A total of 319 (81%) coordinators completed the survey. Annual patient enrolments/programs were >200 (31.0%), 51−200 (46%) and ≤50 (23%). Most (79%) programs used an electronic system, alongside paper (63%) and/or another electronic system (19%), with 21% completely paper. While 84% knew of the national quality indicators, only 52% used them. Supplementary to patient care, data were used for reports to managers (57%) and funders (41%), to improve quality (56%), support funding (43%) and research (31%). Using data for quality improvement was more likely when enrolments where >200 (Odds ratio [OR] 3.83, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.76−8.34) and less likely in Victoria (OR 0.24 95%, CI 0.08−0.77), New South Wales (OR 0.25 95%, CI 0.08−0.76) and Western Australia (OR 0.16 95%, CI 0.05−0.57). The collection of service data for cardiac rehabilitation patient data and its justification is diverse, limiting our capacity to benchmark and drive clinical practice. The findings strengthen the case for a national low-burden approach to data capture for quality care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a focus on successful transitions to school, transition to School Aged Care (SAC) has largely been overlooked. This paper shares insights into transition programs provided for children commencing in SAC, at or close to their transition to school. Educators working in SAC programs in Victoria, Australia, participated in an online survey exploring their practices, beliefs, and understandings regarding children's transition into SAC in their Foundation year of school. Findings highlighted that whilst transition to SAC should be considered an integral component of a child's broader transition to school program, very few SAC programs are formally included in the process. Findings also showed that the programs that do offer transition to SAC programs for children commencing their Foundation year of school tend to design and implement these externally to the broader transition-to-school process. Furthermore, SAC educators share a strong consensus that clear integration of transitions into SAC and school should occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systems thinking approaches are increasingly being used by communities to address complex chronic disease. This paper reports on the VicHealth Local Government Partnership (VLGP) which sought to co-create improvements in the health and well-being of children and young people by working with local government in Victoria, Australia. Methods: The VLGP included a series of health promotion modules, aimed at creating policy, programme and practice changes across local government. One of these modules, Connecting the Dots – creating solutions for lasting change, aimed to build capacity for systems thinking in municipal public health and well-being planning across 13 councils. The approach was adapted and data were collected on the stimuli for, and results of, adaptation. Results: The council adapted the systems thinking approach to meet geographic characteristics, priority health issue/s and participant target group needs. Adaptions applied to workshop materials, training delivery, existing and new resources, and to align with other community-based approaches. Stimuli for adaptation included the COVID-19 pandemic, needs of children and young people, capacity of council to deliver the workshop series, and time available within the project or for the participant group. Conclusions: Systems thinking was used and adapted by councils to improve the health and well-being of children and young people and increase the voices of children and young people in decision-making. Flexible delivery is critical to ensure communities can adapt the approach to meet local needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a limited and highly valuable resource. In many parts of the world, water agencies allocate water according to agreed entitlement systems. The allocations are largely based on water already available in storages and rivers. Water agencies may also issue seasonal water allocation outlooks by anticipating future inflows to the storages and rivers. These outlooks are meant to assist water entitlement holders to plan for their crop planting, irrigation, and participation in water markets. Currently, these outlooks are generally based on historical inflow observations (climatology) and are often determined for a small selection of possible climatic scenarios (e.g., extreme dry, dry, average, and wet). These outlooks have large uncertainties, which require users to manage high risks themselves, leading to inefficient water use. In this study, we investigate the use of ensemble seasonal inflow forecasts to improve the production of seasonal water allocation outlooks through a case study of the Goulburn system in central Victoria, Australia. This is a complex system with active water trade both within the region and outside with the larger connected southern Murray-Darling Basin. In this case study, we integrate Australian Bureau of Meteorology's seasonal streamflow forecasts with Goulburn-Murray Water's water allocation to produce fully probabilistic water allocation outlooks. We evaluate the outlooks for three irrigation seasons from 2017 to 2020. We compare these outlooks with those produced from using inflows based on climatology only, an approach akin to the current practice of Goulburn-Murray Water. Using seasonal streamflow forecasts resulted in outlooks up to 60% (average 20%) closer to actual determinations, with uncertainty reduced by up to 65% (average 19%) Improvements were most obvious for short lead times and later in the irrigation season. This is a clear demonstration of how integration of streamflow forecasts can improve end-user products, which can lead to more efficient water use and water market participation. This paper demonstrates how skillful forecasts of streamflow can be used to produce meaningful products for end users. Specifically, improvements are made to outlooks of water that will be made available to irrigators in dry years. The new outlooks are up to 60% closer, with up to 65% less uncertainty. These improved outlooks allow entitlement holders to more confidently plan for the irrigation season, leading in turn to more efficient water use. The method presented here should provide benefits for any water management systems where skillful streamflow forecasts are available. Beyond its use for high-reliability water share outlooks, it could easily be adapted for other water manager applications such as outlooks of low-reliability water shares in very dry years, or risk of spill (insufficient storage capacity) in wet years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning often tries to shape human behavior for public benefit. Planning also seeks to implement broad constructs, like livability and sustainability. In response to both tasks, qualitative explanatory research can help build crucial understanding. Still, qualitative approaches are often underused and undertheorized due to misconceptions about their resource and time-demands. This paper explores how rapid ethnography, already used in health and other disciplines, could help planning researchers improve their understanding of human behavior and of broad constructs. It then illustrates the methodology through a case study exploring performances of authentic community at an arts festival in Victoria, BC, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater (GW) is commonly conceptualized as causally linked to streamflow (SF). However, confirming where and how it occurs is challenging given the expense of experimental field monitoring. Therefore, hydrological modeling and water management often rely on expert knowledge to draw causality between SF and GW. This paper investigates the potential of convergent cross‐mapping (CCM) to identify causal interactions between SF and GW head. Widely used in ecology, CCM is a nonparametric method to identify causality in nonlinear dynamic systems. To apply CCM between variables the only required inputs are time‐series data (stream gauge and bore), so it may be an attractive alternative or complement to expensive field‐based studies of causality. Three upland catchments across different hydrogeologic settings and climatic conditions in Victoria, Australia, are adopted as case studies. The outputs of the method seem to largely agree with a priori perceptual understanding of the study areas and offered additional insights about hydrological processes. For instance, it suggested weaker SF‐GW interactions during and after the Millennium Drought than in the previous wet periods. However, we show that CCM limitations around seasonality, data sampling frequency, and long‐term trends could impact the variability and significance of causal links. Hence, care must be taken while physically interpreting the causal links suggested by CCM. Overall, this study shows that CCM can provide valuable causal information from common hydrological time‐series, which is relevant to a wide range of applications, but it should be used and interpreted with care and future research is needed. Plain Language Summary: It is common in hydrology to assume that the water below the ground (in aquifers) interacts with the rivers. However, it is challenging to identify where and how it occurs with the available data and financial resources. Therefore, we often use computer models that represent these interactions according to the knowledge of experts. This paper investigates the potential of convergent cross‐mapping (CCM), a method that is widely used in ecology, to identify these interactions. This method only requires time‐series data (e.g., streamflow and groundwater level data) and represents an attractive alternative or complement to expensive field‐based studies. The results of the analysis appear to agree with an initial understanding of the aquifer‐river interactions in three study areas in Victoria, Australia, and offered additional insights. For instance, it suggests weaker interactions during and after the Millennium Drought than in the previous wet periods. However, variability and significance of the causal links inferred by CCM can be due to some limitations of the method. Hence, care must be taken while physically interpreting the results. Overall, CCM can unlock valuable information from common data, which is relevant to hydrology, but it should be used and interpreted with care and future research is needed. Key Points: Convergent cross‐mapping (CCM) is a nonparametric method to identify causality in nonlinear dynamic systems that is widely used in ecologyCCM results suggest heterogeneous causal links that are largely consistent with perceptual understanding of processesCCM seems widely applicable in hydrology, but also has limitations and thus should be used and interpreted with care [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents equations for fuel load and fuel hazard rating (FHR) models based on the time since last fire for dry eucalypt forests in eastern Tasmania. The fuel load equations predict the load of the surface/near-surface and elevated fine fuel. The FHR equations predict the surface, near-surface, combined surface and near-surface, bark, and overall FHR. The utility of the "Overall fuel hazard assessment guide" from Victoria, Australia, is assessed for Tasmanian dry eucalypt forests: we conclude that, when fuel strata components are weighted according to their influence on fire behaviour, the Victorian guide provides a rapid, robust, and effective methodology for estimating FHR. The equations in this paper will be used for operational planning and on-the-ground performing of hazard reduction burning, prediction of fire behaviour for fire risk assessments and bushfire control, and providing inputs into the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Demonstration of impact" is now a key measure of research value. Within and beyond social work, researchers are looking for guidance on how to best demonstrate this. To provide an example, this paper reports on a case study of the impact of a collaborative project conducted by a university and an Aboriginal community organisation in regional Victoria, the aim of which was to promote community wellbeing. The paper presents the case study within the Australian Research Council's impact framework; it is also informed by the ethical research principles of the Lowitja Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. Some of the challenges associated with documenting more complex and participatory forms of social research are highlighted, including identifying the primary research and differentiating knowledge translation from impact. IMPLICATIONS As a practice-based discipline social work is well placed to benefit from the new emphasis on research impact. There is a need for methods and frameworks to guide researchers to effectively capture impact. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethical principles for research are imperative for research impact in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) emphasises full and equal legal capacity of all citizens to participate in decisions. This paper examines whether the principles of Article 12, also reflected in other reform documents, were evident within 12 guardianship hearings conducted in Victoria, Australia from 2001 to 2016 involving adults with cognitive disability. The issues this study raises resonate loudly across the globe as multiple signatory nations to the CRPD grapple with the complexities of implementing Article 12. Reports of VCAT decisions with written reasons of Guardianship List hearings from 2001 to 2016 were selected from the Australasian Legal Information Institute site and analysed thematically. Thematic analysis of proceedings revealed three consistent trends. Firstly, a presumption of incapacity based on disability excluded Proposed Represented Persons (PRP) from involvement in decision-making. Secondly, external perceptions of PRPs best interest were dominated by safeguarding concerns and conflict between supporters. Finally, in multiple cases, although a PRP's preference had been established, it was considered immaterial to the final decision. The paper concludes with a promising discussion of the new Guardianship and Administration Act 2019 (Vic), which came into force on 1 March 2020, and recommendations for guardianship practice both locally and internationally. Legal capacity should be recognised as inherent in all people, and therefore decision making incapacity should not be assumed based on a person's cognitive and/or communication disability; The supported decision making mechanisms, born from Article 12 of the CRPD, that facilitate acknowledgment, interpretation and acting upon a person's expression of will and preference need to be recognised and promoted within the context of Guardianship proceedings and by health professionals when assessing decision making capacity of people with cognitive disability; Significant knowledge and attitudinal changes are required within the Tribunal and incorporated into the practice of health professionals informing the Tribunal, in order to counter many conceptual underpinnings embedded within current guardianship legislation across the globe; Ascertaining the will and preference of the proposed represented person should be prioritised by Guardianship tribunal members' rather than the management of conflict between interested parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines how elderly people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse(CALD) backgrounds in Victoria, Australia use visual-based platforms in navigating the lockdown in Melbourne, Australia. Based on conducting remote interviews among 15 participants in 2020, the findings show digital practices as integral to forge and maintain cultural identities and social connectedness. Using the mobilities perspective to interrogate digital behaviours, I coin the term '(im)mobile intimacy' to articulate a sense of closeness enabled, felt and negotiated through modes of movements and stasis in and with online platforms. I contend that differential mediated mobilities and immobilities are informed by social, contextual, and technological factors, revealing the textures of affective and relational dimensions of enacting mobile intimacy. In sum, by locating both movements and stasis in digital environments, this paper sheds light on the (re)production of exclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing dissatisfaction with representative democracy and concomitantly, the increasing expectation that citizens assert more influence over public policy have seen the emergence of more participatory and deliberative forms of governance in public management practice. This article explores the attempt of the state government of Victoria, Australia to legislate for mandatory deliberative engagement as part of its local government strategic planning instruments. The ambition of the reform was significant; however, it was almost unanimously rejected by the local government sector. Based on analysis of the key themes that emerged from the submissions made during the 3‐year Victorian Local Government Act Review process, we explore the limitations and barriers to implementing deliberative engagement practice at a local government level. We demonstrate that whilst the promise of participatory democracy might have been compelling, in the case of Victoria there were a series of contextual and capacity considerations that needed to be taken into account before the implementation of such reforms were pursued. This article explores the process of legislating for deliberative engagement as a strategic planning instrument during the Victorian Local Government Act Review process. We demonstrate that whilst the promise of participatory democracy might have been compelling, there were limitations to implementing this practice which needed to be considered in the reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of evidence and its use in a cluster of Australian community-based child development programs. The paper draws on findings from a 2016–2017 study commissioned by a not-for-profit organization to review their programs' alignment with government evidence-based program expectations. Cunningham and Duffee's (2009) evidence-based practice style typology is utilized to examine how different purposes of use drive styles of and approaches to evidence sourcing, application, and reporting. Perspectives on what constitutes evidence and how such evidence is valued, used, and reported can vary considerably between individual programs, irrespective of enforced standards and expectations. It is argued that a single-dimensional approach to program evidence-based evaluation and reporting is not appropriate and potentially damaging in contexts where community-based programs have different purposes, structures, cultures, and intentions. Given a program's particular evidence-use style, evidence-based criteria, processes, and reporting requirements should be matched accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Twenty‐five years after the Kennett government began privatising prisons, Victoria has the world's highest proportion of prisoners in private prisons. When the privatisation project began, it was confidently expected that privately managed prisons would be cheaper, better, and more accountable than traditional public sector provision. This paper examines whether those anticipated benefits have been realised. In doing so, we assess system‐wide operating costs, specific measures of performance, and accountability of the prison system between 1992 and 2017. Using publicly available data, we conclude temporary lower costs occurred but have not been sustained. Similarly, performance improvements are mixed, and enhanced accountability is contested. Although the performance information now available on Victoria's prisons is superior to what was available in the pre‐privatisation era, successive Victorian governments have also overseen arrangements that severely curtail dissemination of such data. This has restricted the capacity of Parliament and the public not only to hold government to account for the operations of the prison system, but also to evaluate the efficacy and impact of the prisons privatisation project. We conclude a more definitive assessment will only be possible when current limitations on accessing performance and other data are lifted enabling greater public scrutiny of Victoria's prison system. Twenty‐five years after the Kennett government commenced an ambitious program to privatise key elements of the Victorian prison system, this paper explores if the anticipated improvements in the operational costs, performance and accountability of the prison system have been realised. It concludes that while some improvements have been observed, the tentative general picture is one of mixed results. And whilst a more definitive assessment is desirable, this will not be possible until all relevant data are publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported in this paper is an evaluation of structural and functional performance of heavy duty and light duty pavements by addressing the effects of several factors on the rate of pavement deterioration. The sample used herein is a network of freeways and arterials from Victoria/Australia covering four road classes, namely M, A, B and C. The first two road classes represent heavy duty pavement and the last two road classes represent light duty pavements. These road classes differ in qualities, functions, duties, geometric standards, and traffic volumes and loadings. This paper aims to assess the performance of the four road classes by comparing their pavement conditions and environmental factors affecting the rate of pavement deterioration. More than 2300 kilometers of road length was selected from 40 highway sections to reflect Victoria's network conditions. The parameters considered for assessing road performance were traffic loading, pavement strength, and environmental factors. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to explore the significance of different predictor variables for all road classes. The study confirms that the rate of roughness and rutting progression per year for all road classes is very close, and the environmental factors affect roughness and rutting progressions for light duty pavements only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Golden everlasting paper daisies in the genus Xerochrysum Tzvelev are iconic Australian native plants grown worldwide. The X. bracteatum species complex has been regarded as taxonomically confusing and in need of revision for over 60 years. We applied morphological and molecular analyses to delimit species, detect common ancestry among populations, and identify putative hybrids in the genus Xerochrysum (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae). Multiple lines of evidence provided strong support for the recognition of new taxa. Here we describe the following 11 new species: X. andrewiae T.L.Collins & J.J.Bruhl, X. berarngutta T.L.Collins & I.Telford, X. copelandii J.J.Bruhl & I.Telford, X. frutescens J.J.Bruhl & I.Telford, X. gudang T.L.Collins & J.J.Bruhl, X. hispidum T.L.Collins & I.Telford, X. macsweeneyorum T.L.Collins, X. murapan T.L.Collins & I.Telford, X. neoanglicum J.J.Bruhl & I.Telford, X. strictum T.L.Collins, and X. wilsonii T.L.Collins, reinstate Helichrysum banksii A.Cunn. ex DC. (as X. banksii (A.Cunn. ex DC.) T.L.Collins & I.Telford), lectotypify X. banksii and X. papillosum (Labill.) R.J.Bayer, and recircumscribe X. bicolor (Lindl.) R.J.Bayer to include X. halmaturorum Paul G.Wilson and some populations of X. bracteatum sens. lat. from mainland South Australia and Victoria. We also provide revised descriptions of all taxa in the genus, their conservation status, a dichotomous key, tables distinguishing closely related taxa and distribution maps. Golden everlasting paper daisies in the genus Xerochrysum are iconic Australian native plants grown worldwide, but have been in need of revision for over 60 years. We use multiple lines of evidence to delimit species, detect common ancestry among populations and identify putative hybrids. We describe 11 new species, provide revised descriptions, conservation status, a dichotomous key, tables distinguishing closely related taxa, and distribution maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]