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Summary: Understanding the complexities of pasture responses (the overall seasonal gains or losses in herbage mass) under different environmental conditions is critical to the effective management of total grazing pressure, whether to achieve agricultural, cultural or biodiversity conservation outcomes. Whilst large‐scale management programmes for kangaroos (Macropus spp. and Osphranter spp.) occur across much of south‐eastern Australia, there is limited understanding of how such programmes influence the overall pasture response across different environmental contexts in the temperate environment. This study investigates the effects of potential grass productivity (measured as the growth of pasture protected from large herbivore grazing), initial herbage mass (measured as the attached, above‐ground component of grass tussocks), kangaroo density (measured at the site scale) and season on the overall pasture response in plots dominated by six common grass types from south‐eastern Australia. Using generalised additive mixed modelling, we demonstrate potential grass productivity (related to but not synonymous with grass palatability) to be the major predictor variable for pasture responses across all six grass types. Kangaroo density, either directly or via an interaction with initial herbage mass, was related to overall pasture responses for most grasses in spring and remained an important variable in favoured areas dominated by preferred Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra) and Redleg Grass (Bothriochloa macra) throughout the autumn survey period. Plots dominated by grazing‐tolerant species, including wallaby grasses (Rytidosperma spp.) and Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica; an introduced pasture grass), showed marginally positive pasture responses under higher kangaroo densities, whilst plots with Wild Oats (Avena fatua; an introduced annual grass) and less preferred native spear grasses (Austrostipa spp.) showed no significant effect of kangaroo density on pasture response. Results support a context‐specific mix of 'bottom‐up' (resource‐driven) and 'top‐down' (consumer‐driven) processes in temperate grassy ecosystems, highlighting the importance of considering landscape productivity, existing herbage mass and grass species composition when informing kangaroo management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations of macropods are higher than estimated pre‐European densities in many parts of Australia. To achieve appropriate densities of macropods in the Australian Capital Territory's nature reserves, multi‐tenure kangaroo management units are used to tailor management of kangaroos and total grazing pressure to achieve conservation objectives. An adaptive management framework is recommended that monitors the state of the ground‐layer vegetation and alters the cull accordingly. This case study may provide insights for kangaroo management in other temperate areas of Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large component of the anthropogenic biodiversity crisis is the loss of animal species. In response, there has been significant investment in reintroductions of species to their historical ranges. Predation by native and exotic predators, however, remains a barrier to success. Over the past 200 years, Australia has seen the highest rate of mammal extinction on earth, with mammals within a critical weight range (CWR: 35 g–5.5 kg) most affected due to predation by exotic predators. Populations of some threatened species now exist only in Tasmania, offshore islands, or predator-proof sanctuaries. The next critical step is to return native populations outside of predator-free areas, 'beyond-the-fence', on the continental mainland. Given our current inability to completely remove exotic predators from mainland ecosystems, how can we achieve successful mammal reintroductions? A potential solution is to drive adaptation of reintroduced animals towards predator-resistance by exposing them to low levels of predation. We propose the concept of a 'Goldilocks Zone'—the 'just right' levels of predation needed to drive selection for predator-resistant native species, while ensuring population viability. We experimentally reintroduced a mammal, the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), to mainland Australia, 100 years after its local extinction. Using an intense baiting regime, we reduced the population density of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the main factor behind the eastern bettong's extirpation from the continent. Reducing bait take to 15% of previous levels allowed differential survival among bettongs; some surviving under 100 days and others over 450 (~ 4 times longer than some similar trials with related species). Surviving individuals were generally larger at release than those that died earlier, implying selection for larger bettongs. Our results suggest that reducing predation could establish a Goldilocks Zone that could drive selection for bettongs with predator-resistant traits. Our work contributes to a growing body of literature that explores a shift towards harnessing evolutionary principles to combat the challenges posed by animal management and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large mammalian grazers can alter the biotic and abiotic features of their environment through their impacts on vegetation. Grazing at moderate intensity has been recommended for biodiversity conservation. Few studies, however, have empirically tested the benefits of moderate grazing intensity in systems dominated by native grazers. Here we investigated the relationship between (1) density of native eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, and grass structure, and (2) grass structure and reptiles (i.e. abundance, richness, diversity and occurrence) across 18 grassland and grassy Eucalyptus woodland properties in south-eastern Australia. There was a strong negative relationship between kangaroo density and grass structure after controlling for tree canopy cover. We therefore used grass structure as a surrogate for grazing intensity. Changes in grazing intensity (i.e. grass structure) significantly affected reptile abundance, reptile species richness, reptile species diversity, and the occurrence of several ground-dwelling reptiles. Reptile abundance, species richness and diversity were highest where grazing intensity was low. Importantly, no species of reptile was more likely to occur at high grazing intensities. Legless lizards (Delma impar, D. inornata) were more likely to be detected in areas subject to moderate grazing intensity, whereas one species (Hemiergis talbingoensis) was less likely to be detected in areas subject to intense grazing and three species (Menetia greyii, Morethia boulengeri, and Lampropholis delicata) did not appear to be affected by grazing intensity. Our data indicate that to maximize reptile abundance, species richness, species diversity, and occurrence of several individual species of reptile, managers will need to subject different areas of the landscape to moderate and low grazing intensities and limit the occurrence and extent of high grazing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues faced by some of the first researchers in the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) for tracking terrestrial mammal in Australia, based on 24 studies involving the use of GPS collars in 280 deployments on 13 species. The common problems encountered by researchers include those associated with collar design, the GPS, and very high frequency (VHF) and time-release components. The authors discuss the impact of collar failures on research programs and animal welfare, suggesting ways to avoid or improve. Although 96 percent of the 249 collars retrieved and/or downloaded recorded some data, the number of recorded locations was less than expected due to shortened operating life, intermittent failure and/or disruptions to the fix schedules and duty cycles.

The article presents Bliss Carey's depiction on public and political institutions in Australia. His evaluation includes personal happiness and communal interaction rather than political institutions. He perceived that these institutions as entirely negative, with mental institution exceeded police and government in its oppressiveness. It has been stressed that literature tends to draw individual, rather than communal solutions to its raised problems. He observed that Australian literature prevents contemporary political themes. However, his assessment of the commune is much more positive since the commune is more bucolic escape than political solution.

This article analyzes the Australian government's approach to boat people in terms of the concept of othering within a general framework of discourse theory. The refugee issue has been central to Australian politics, and systemic analysis in these terms should add to its understanding. The term boat people is used because it includes the word people and differentiates those involved from other asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by airplane and are treated differently. The topics of border protection, national sovereignty, mandatory detention and boat people have dominated the popular press and been an object of political focus in Australia. The government's stance on such issues has been very popular among the Australian public generally, helping the Coalition split the Australian Labor Party along such demographics as socially conservative blue collar workers skilled white collar workers, and possibly deciding the 2001 federal election. Since the revelation of the inaccurate political representation of the so called children over-board affair of October 2001, there has been greater critical analysis of the policies, treatment and discourse concerning boat people, and the terms demonisation and dehumanization have been applied to the government's approach.

Berween 1982 and 1993 the number of women serving on local government councils, the political arena in which women have been most successful, more than doubled. Data from two Australia wide surveys, one in 1982, the other in 1993, indicate that in the period benveen the two studies there were also some significant changes in the characteristics of women entering local government, with the 1993 respondents better educated and more likely to be in the paid workforce than their earlier counterparts. Some aspects of the commonly held stereotype of female councillors as middle aged, middle class housewives with adult children are challenged by these data, particularly with respect to workforce participation. While this indicates that female councillors are in some ways more heterogeneous than the stereotype suggests, their characteristics remain unrepresentative of those of many women in the community. This paper attempts to provide a picture of women who serve on local government councils, drawing on survey data collected Australia wide in 1982 and 1993. It examines the extent to which the characteristics of female councillors have changed over the period between the two surveys and the extent to which these women conform to the commonly held stereotype of women in local government, and considers the relevance of this to the issue of representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agroeconomy. To understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts better, occurrence and abundance data have been collected by researchers and citizens from sites covering a broad spectrum of climatic and environmental conditions in Australia. The lack of a common and accessible repository for these data has, however, limited their use in determining important spatiotemporal drivers of the structure and dynamics of the geographical range of rabbits in Australia. To meet this need, we created the Australian National Rabbit Database, which combines more than 50 yr of historical and contemporary survey data collected from throughout the range of the species in Australia. The survey data, obtained from a suite of complementary monitoring methods, were combined with high‐resolution weather, climate, and environmental information, and an assessment of data quality. The database provides records of rabbit occurrence (689,265 records) and abundance (51,241 records, >120 distinct sites) suitable for identifying the spatiotemporal drivers of the rabbit's distribution and for determining spatial patterns of variation in its key life‐history traits, including maximum rates of population growth. Because all data are georeferenced and date stamped, they can be coupled with information from other databases and spatial layers to explore the potential effects of rabbit occurrence and abundance on Australia's native wildlife and agricultural production. The Australian National Rabbit Database is an important tool for understanding and managing the European rabbit in its invasive range and its effects on native biodiversity and agricultural production. It also provides a valuable resource for addressing questions related to the biology, success, and impacts of invasive species more generally. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set other than citation of this Data Paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]