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Blended Learning (BL) as a pedagogical approach has increased in significance during the COVID-19 pandemic, with blended and online learning environments becoming the new digital norm for higher educational institutions around the globe. While BL has been discussed in the literature for thirty years, a common approach has been to categorise learner cohorts to support educators in better understanding students' relationships with learning technologies. This approach, largely unsupported by empirical evidence, has failed to adequately address the challenges of integrating learning technologies to fit with non-traditional students' preferences, their BL self-efficacy and the associated pedagogical implications. Focusing on student preference, our study presents findings from a pre-COVID survey of undergraduate students across four campuses of an Australian regional university where students shared their learning technology preferences and the self-regulated learning that influenced their academic self-efficacy in a BL context. Findings show students want consistency, relevance, and effectiveness with the use of BL tools, with a preference for lecture recordings and video resources to support their learning, while email and Facebook Messenger were preferred for communicating with peers and academic staff. Our study suggests a quality BL environment facilitates self-regulated learning using fit-for-purpose technological applications. Academic self-efficacy for BL can increase when students perceive the educational technologies used by their institution are sufficient for their learning needs.

Global policy development in schooling often looks to solutions that embrace technology and articulate a 'what works' approach to practice. This paper takes as a case study the Australian Government's "Through Growth to Achievement" report on achieving school excellence. It analyses the report through the lens of 'sublimes', which provide insight into the way certain policy rhetoric can become reified. "Through Growth to Achievement" emphasises technological solutions which align with and reify an aesthetic notion of good teaching that draws on the 'what works' literature. This analysis argues that certain assumptions about technology, teacher practice and the 'evidence' for good policy are based on these reifications. A sublimes analysis makes these unspoken assumptions explicit and reveals the way they reinforce globalised policy approaches and foreclose others.

Research on policy enactment has explored tensions created by accountability approaches associated with new forms of management under neoliberalism. These approaches generate particular discursive constructs of the 'good teacher' -- constructs that often negate the rich, unmeasurable, and ethical practices associated with teacher professionalism. This paper draws on data generated as part of an institutional ethnography at an Australian school. Five teachers reflected on their work and the policies and procedures that govern it. They reported a range of practices for coping with the demands of policy enactment; described by one informant using the heuristic of "attachment," "aversion," and "indifference." Significantly, the influence of external contingency -- specifically in the form of climate change -- represents a complex space in which teachers must navigate using ethical judgment and practical wisdom. This kind of ethical work creates demands that exceed the circumscribed notions of good teaching present in governing policies. Taking up the Foucauldian concept of "counter conduct," this paper argues that these 'unofficial' practices are an expression of ethical professionalism. Rather than being explicitly 'activist', these teachers are simply engaging in 'good work' as it might be understood under the external contingencies associated with a changing and challenging world.

Less is known about the professional development of experienced principals, defined here as having more than five years in the role, than that of aspirant principals. This deficit is somewhat surprising at a time when experienced principals are viewed as key players in two major international school leadership movements of the 21st century: the dramatically changing role of school leaders; and the rapidly expanding influence of globalization on the school leadership role. This study explored the professional development opportunities and needs of an experienced principal cohort in Australia. It utilized an iterative, three-phase, mixed method research design. Beginning with exploratory interviews, the study incorporated a broad state-wide survey followed by in-depth individual interviews. Cumulative analysis and triangulation of the data revealed the power of networking in experienced principals' professional development. This finding led to the identification of a significant leadership phenomenon particularly characteristic of this group: collective principal efficacy. The data revealed a need for networking to be recognized as a basis for building collective principal efficacy and to become a major professional learning strategy for experienced principals. The implications of these findings for the professional growth and well-being of principals, and for educational research, policy and practice, are discussed.

'Sounds, Words, Aboriginal Language and Yarning' (SWAY) is a school-based oral language and early literacy programme based on Australian Aboriginal stories, knowledge and culture. It was developed by a multidisciplinary team in collaboration with Australian Aboriginal community members. SWAY aims to strengthen and support the communication skills of educators to facilitate language and literacy development of children in the early school years, particularly Australian Aboriginal children, within rural communities in New South Wales. Key features of SWAY include capacity building of educators and small group speech-language pathology intervention sessions, delivered remotely via telehealth. This study explored educator perceptions of SWAY training, mentoring and implementation, using a mixed methods approach. Findings revealed: use of culturally responsive strategies; positive educator perceptions of the SWAY programme, training and mentoring and positive changes to the confidence and behaviours of educators both supporting language and early literacy development, and embedding Australian Aboriginal perspectives in the classroom. Positive findings support and encourage the ongoing provision of SWAY. Findings also have implications for the future collaborative development and implementation of culturally responsive language and literacy programmes.

This article compares and evaluates the music components of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus. To guide the analysis, this article employs Bernstein's (1971) concepts of classification and frame, and the two levels of 'best practice' in primary music education proposed by Jeanneret and Stevens-Ballenger (2013). Adoption of the PYP by schools has increased significantly throughout the past decade to the extent that it is now the most widely implemented of the four IB programs currently available in Australia (Kidson, Odhiambo, & Wilson, 2018). However, despite its growth in popularity, little research within Australia has focused on the PYP and even fewer, if any, studies have explored its implications for music education practice both nationally and internationally.

iPads are becoming increasingly prevalent in schools and offer significant potential as both a compositional and pedagogical tool in general music classes. In this article, I discuss a composition activity that I implemented with general primary/elementary music classes in Australia. This activity involved using iPads, namely the apps iMovie and GarageBand. I identified several potential benefits of the iPad, which I attributed to its portable, functional and accessible design.

Background: Rates of cesarean birth (CBs) are steadily increasing and account for 36.7% of all births in New South Wales (NSW), with primary cesareans driving the increase. NSW Health guidelines recommend women attempt a vaginal birth after a previous CB (VBAC); however, rates of VBAC are decreasing, particularly within the private hospital setting. This study aimed to determine the rates of adverse outcomes for women who planned a VBAC (pVBAC) compared with women who planned an elective repeat CB (pERCB) at one private hospital in Sydney, Australia. Method: This retrospective data review evaluated patient records over a 10‐year period (2010–2019). Records (n = 2039) were divided into four groups: pVBAC, pVBAC + EMCB, labor + ERCB (lab + ERCB), and pERCB. The incidence of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes is reported as counts and percentages. Regression and chi‐squared tests were used to compare groups. Significance was determined at a p‐value of <0.05. Results: Overall, very low rates (N = 148, 7.3%) of women had a VBAC compared with a repeat CB at this private hospital over the 10‐year period. The incidence of adverse outcomes was low regardless of study group. Outcomes differed significantly between groups for postpartum hemorrhage (pERCB seven times less likely than VBAC group) and special care nursery admission (pVBAC + EMCB is 4.6 times more likely than in the VBAC group). Conclusion: Overall, it is safe to attempt a VBAC at this private hospital, and labor after a cesarean should be recommended, yet very few women had a VBAC at the study site. The incidence of adverse outcomes was low compared with other published research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although understandings of scientific inquiry (as opposed to conducting inquiry) are included in science education reform documents around the world, little is known about what students have learned about inquiry during their elementary school years. This is partially due to the lack of any assessment instrument to measure understandings about scientific inquiry. However, a valid and reliable assessment has recently been developed and published, Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI; Lederman et al. [2014], Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51, 65-83). The purpose of this large-scale international project was to collect the first baseline data on what beginning middle school students have learned about scientific inquiry during their elementary school years. Eighteen countries/regions spanning six continents including 2,634 students participated in the study. The participating countries/regions were: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Mainland China, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States. In many countries, science is not formally taught until middle school, which is the rationale for choosing seventh grade students for this investigation. This baseline data will simultaneously provide information on what, if anything, students learn about inquiry in elementary school, as well as their beginning knowledge as they enter secondary school. It is important to note that collecting data from all of the approximately 200 countries globally was not humanly possible, and it was also not possible to collect data from every region of each country. The results overwhelmingly show that students around the world at the beginning of grade seven have very little understandings about scientific inquiry. Some countries do show reasonable understandings in certain aspects but the overall picture of understandings of scientific inquiry is not what is hoped for after completing 6 years of elementary education in any country.

School ethos and culture, and their influence on teacher career-stage learning, are integral yet often overlooked components of school-based professional development planning. An in-depth study was conducted over two years within and across three independent schools in Sydney, Australia utilising a collegial methodology centred on principles of action research and focused on continuous school improvement. It revealed how specific school contexts have a substantial and differential impact on teacher learning across all career stages from neophyte to principal. Each school's ethos and culture were seen to produce a distinctive teacher learning culture that subsequently influenced whole-school planning for, and participation in, teacher professional development. Teacher growth, well-being and job satisfaction were integrally related to ethos and culture and further influenced by the specific characteristics of the career stage of the teachers and school executive involved. The study gave further insights as to how the nature of teacher learning changes according to career stage. It was evident from the study that, for teachers, the school that they are in has a sizable impact on the nature of their professional learning and how they develop differentially at each stage of their career path trajectories.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the processes and relationships between school councils and school leadership teams in the local governance of 18 independent, faith-based schools in New South Wales, Australia. Design/methodology/approach: A three-phase, mixed-method research design was used incorporating development of a conceptual framework for local school governance drawn from current literature, face-to face interviews with chairs of school councils and principals, and a subsequent survey of school council members and within-school leadership teams. Findings: Noting a lack of research into the practices and processes of school council operations and their interface with school leadership, the study identified five key areas that were seen to be foundational to the effectiveness of local governance. Research limitations/implications: The study contributes an Australian perspective to an international need to better understand local governance arrangements in school leadership and management. Practical implications: At a practical level, the study provides valuable insights to principals, and to those aspiring to the role, on the nature of the relationship between the school council and school leadership teams. Social implications: The study responds to a marked increase internationally in local governance arrangements for schools by way of school councils or boards. Originality/value: A review of literature reveals that, somewhat surprisingly, there has been relatively little research undertaken in this key area of leading and managing schools.

In recent years, concerns about the financial burdens of health care and growing recognition of the relevance of cost to decision making and patient experience have increasingly focused attention on financial 'transparency' and disclosure of costs to patients. In some jurisdictions, there have been calls not only for timely disclosure of costs information, but also for 'informed financial consent'. However, simply putting the 'financial' into 'informed consent' and invoking an informed consent standard for cost information encounters several ethical, legal, and practical difficulties. This article will examine the viability and desirability of 'informed financial consent', and whether it is possible to derive ideas from traditional informed consent that may improve decision making and the patient experience. We argue that, while there are important legal, ethical, and practical challenges to consider, some of the principles of informed consent to treatment can usefully guide financial communication. We also argue that, while medical practitioners (and their delegates) have an important role to play in bridging the gap between disclosure and enabling informed (financial) decision making, this must be part of a multi-faceted approach to financial communication that acknowledges the influence of non-clinical providers and other structural forces on discharging such obligations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Untreated hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can result in cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies are highly effective and have few side effects compared to older interferon-based therapy. Despite the Australian government providing subsidised and unrestricted access to DAA therapy for chronic HCV infection, uptake has not been sufficient to meet the global target of eliminating HCV as a public health threat by 2030. This study will offer people with HCV financial incentives of varying values in order to evaluate its effect on initiation of DAA therapy in primary care. Methods: Australian adults (18 years or older) who self-report as having current untreated HCV infection can register to participate via an automated SMS-based system. Following self-screening for eligibility, registrants are offered a financial incentive of randomised value (AUD 0 to 1000) to initiate DAA therapy. Study treatment navigators contact registrants who have consented to be contacted, to complete eligibility assessment, outline the study procedures (including the requirement for participants to consult a primary care provider), obtain consent, and finalise enrolment. Enrolled participants receive their offered incentive on provision of evidence of DAA therapy initiation within 12 weeks of registration (primary endpoint). Balanced randomisation is used across the incentive range until the first analysis, after which response-adaptive randomisation will be used to update the assignment probabilities. For the primary analysis, a Bayesian 4-parameter EMAX model will be used to estimate the dose–response curve and contrast treatment initiation at each incentive value against the control arm (AUD 0). Specified secondary statistical and economic analyses will evaluate the effect of incentives on adherence to DAA therapy, virological response, and cost-effectiveness. Discussion: This project seeks to gain an understanding of the dose–response relationship between incentive value and DAA treatment initiation, while maximising the number of people treated for HCV within fixed budget and time constraints. In doing so, we hope to offer policy-relevant recommendation(s) for the use of financial incentives as a pragmatic, efficient, and cost-effective approach to achieving elimination of HCV from Australia. Trial registration: ANZCTR (anzctr.org.au), Identifier ACTRN12623000024640, Registered 11 January 2023 (https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=384923&isReview=true). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An appreciation of Aboriginal land rights in New South Wales (NSW) is characterised by two dominant narratives. One is that land rights are central to achieving and advancing recognition and support for the existence and survival of Aboriginal peoples in the settled spaces of south‐eastern Australia. In this view, Aboriginal land rights realise intrinsic political power. The second dominant narrative is that the land estate restituted to Aboriginal people's Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) is to be "activated" and "leveraged" for economic prosperity of collectively defined groups and shared to support and sustain individuals and families. This perspective holds that land enables realisation of wealth and prosperity. Although these narratives are based in truth, they have served to make some important work and values held by Aboriginal people less visible in any evaluation of the benefits of land rights. It is this less visible work, the work of care that is unique to Aboriginal worlds and made possible by the resources and structures of LALCs realised through the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, 1983, that is the focus of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Economic evaluation of healthcare typically assumes that an identical health gain to different patients has the same social value. There is some evidence that the public may give greater value to gains for children and young people, although this evidence is not always consistent. We present a mixed methods study protocol where we aim to explore public preferences regarding health gains to children and young people relative to adults, in an Australian setting. Methods: This study is a Person Trade Off (PTO) choice experiment that incorporates qualitative components. Within the PTO questions, respondents will be asked to choose between treating different groups of patients that may differ in terms of patient characteristics and group size. PTO questions will be included in an online survey to explore respondent views on the relative value of health gains to different age groups in terms of extending life and improving different aspects of quality of life. The survey will also contain attitudinal questions to help understand the impact of question style upon reported preferences. Additionally, the study will test the impact of forcing respondents to express a preference between two groups compared with allowing them to report that the two groups are equivalent. One-to-one 'think aloud', semi-structured interviews will be conducted to explore a sub-sample of respondents' motivations and views in more detail. Focus groups will be conducted with members of the public to discuss the study findings and explore their views on the role of public preferences in health care prioritisation based on patient age. Discussion: Our planned study will provide valuable information to healthcare decision makers in Australia who may need to decide whether to pay more for health gains for children and young people compared with adults. Additionally, the methodological test of forcing respondent choice or allowing them to express equivalence will contribute towards developing best practice methods in PTO studies. The rationale for and advantages of the study approach and potential limitations are discussed in the protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In Australia, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has declined among gay and bisexual men (GBM) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) since 2015 and is low among GBM using HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, ongoing HCV testing and treatment remains necessary to sustain this. To assess the potential utility of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) to inform HCV testing among GBM with HIV and GBM using PrEP, we examined the association between bacterial STI diagnoses and subsequent primary HCV infection. Methods Data were from a national network of 46 clinics participating in the Australian Collaboration for Coordinated Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance. GBM included had ≥1 HCV antibody negative test result and ≥1 subsequent HCV antibody and/or RNA test. Discrete time survival analysis was used to estimate the association between a positive syphilis, rectal chlamydia, and rectal gonorrhea diagnosis in the previous 2 years and a primary HCV diagnosis, defined as a positive HCV antibody or RNA test result. Results Among 6529 GBM with HIV, 92 (1.4%) had an incident HCV infection. A prior positive syphilis diagnosis was associated with an incident HCV diagnosis (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.99 [95% confidence interval, 1.11–3.58]). Among 13 061 GBM prescribed PrEP, 48 (0.4%) had an incident HCV diagnosis. Prior rectal chlamydia (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.75 [95% confidence interval, 1.42–5.32]) and rectal gonorrhea (2.54 [1.28–5.05]) diagnoses were associated with incident HCV. Conclusions Diagnoses of bacterial STIs in the past 2 years was associated with HCV incidence. These findings suggest that STIs might be useful for informing HCV testing decisions and guidelines for GBM with HIV and GBM using PrEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is some concern that hepatitis C virus (HCV) reinfection might impact HCV micro‐elimination efforts among gay and bisexual men (GBM) with HIV. However, there is a limited understanding of reinfection incidence in the context of unrestricted government‐funded HCV treatment. We aimed to estimate HCV reinfection incidence among GBM with HIV in Australia from 2016 to 2020. Methods: Data were from 39 clinics participating in ACCESS, a sentinel surveillance network for blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections across Australia. GBM with HIV who had evidence of treatment or spontaneous clearance with at least one positive HCV RNA test, a subsequent negative HCV RNA test, and at least one additional HCV RNA test between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2020 were eligible for inclusion. A new HCV RNA positive test and/or detectable viral load was defined as a reinfection. Generalised linear modelling was used to examine trends in reinfection. Results: Among 12 213 GBM with HIV who had at least one HCV test, 540 were included in the reinfection incidence analysis, of whom 38 (7%) had evidence of reinfection during the observation period. Over 1124 person‐years of follow‐up, the overall rate of reinfection was 3.4/100PY (95% CI 2.5–4.6). HCV reinfection incidence declined on average 30% per calendar year (Incidence Rate Ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.54–0.91). Conclusion: HCV reinfection incidence has declined among GBM with HIV in Australia since government‐funded unrestricted DAAs were made available. Ongoing HCV RNA testing following cure and prompt treatment for anyone newly diagnosed is warranted to sustain this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean warming and extreme heatwaves threaten marine species supporting commercial fisheries and aquaculture. Predicting the responses of these industries to chronic and acute warming depends on understanding which life stages are most vulnerable, the potential for stocks to adapt to changing thermal environments, and the availability of thermally adapted genotypes to help enhance stock resilience through strategic interventions. Here, we shed light on some of these knowledge gaps by quantifying the critical thermal maximum (CTmax) of ~ 10–210 g hybrid abalone (Haliotis rubra × H. laevigata) from two farms representing contrasting thermal environments from south-eastern Australia. CTmax was not dependent on body size or provenance (farm) when heating rates were rapid (1 °C per h), but a significant relationship between CTmax and body size was observed when heating rates were slower and more ecologically realistic (1 °C per 12 h). Histological analyses revealed a negative relationship between CTmax and the stage of gonadal development when abalone were exposed to chronic thermal stress conditions. These results suggest that marine heatwaves and ongoing ocean warming might favour smaller, less fecund animals in natural and farm settings. This could potentially impact future harvestable biomass, recruitment and population dynamics in wild-capture fisheries, and production of larger, high-value animals in farm settings. This study adds to a growing body of literature pointing to complex and often negative effects of climate change on commercial fisheries, and the potential need for interventions aimed at bolstering fisheries resilience against the effects of ocean warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the prevalence of a history of induced abortion among women who gave birth in Victoria during 2010–2019; to assess the association of socio‐demographic factors with a history of induced abortion. Study design: Retrospective cohort study; analysis of cross‐sectional perinatal data in the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection (VPDC). Setting, participants: All women who gave birth (live or stillborn) in Victoria, 1 January 2010 – 31 December 2019. Main outcome measures: Self‐reported induced abortions prior to the index birth; outcome of the most recent pregnancy preceding the index pregnancy. Results: Of the 766 488 women who gave birth during 2010–2019, 93 251 reported induced abortions (12.2%), including 36 938 of 338 547 nulliparous women (10.9%). Women living in inner regional (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93–0.96) or outer regional/remote/very remote areas (aOR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.83–0.89) were less likely than women in major cities to report induced abortions. The likelihood increased steadily with age at the index birth and with parity, and was also higher for women without partners at the index birth (aOR, 2.20; 95% CI, 2.16–2.25) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.25–1.40). The likelihood was lower for women born in most areas outside Australia than for those born in Australia. The likelihood of a history of induced abortion declined across the study period overall (2019 v 2010: 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90–0.96) and for women in major cities (0.88; 95% CI, 0.84–0.91); rises in inner regional and outer regional/remote/very remote areas were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Access to abortion care in Victoria improved during 2010–2019, but the complex interplay between contraceptive use, unintended pregnancy, and induced abortion requires further exploration by remoteness of residence. Robust information about numbers of unintended pregnancies and access to reproductive health services are needed to guide national sexual and reproductive health policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children face many threats that have implications for their future. Empirical evidence on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's health and its variation across geography remains limited. Parents (n = 340) and their primary school-aged children in five Australian states completed anonymised online questionnaires early during the pandemic in mid-2020. COVID-19-related forms of worry were measured, and contributing variables were examined. Most children were worried: 89% were worried about contracting the virus, and 79% were worried about playing outdoors. Forms of worry varied by ethnic background. There were geographical patterns in variables contributing to children's worry aligning with COVID-19 morbidity and mortality across all states. Parents' characteristics of age and history of distress symptoms, daily exposure to pandemic-related news, and parents themselves being worried predicted children's worry. Technology use lacked predictive power. The outcome has implications with international relevance: children living in stressful environments, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, are highly vulnerable despite not personally being at a high health risk. During health crises, parents are urged to limit children's exposure to unfiltered news and care for their children's and their own mental health. Timely intervention and better access to mental health care may help mitigate the impact of health crises on children. Listening to children's voices and addressing the diverse needs of all communities can promote equitable children's well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The southern and central greater glider (Petauroides volans) is a nationally listed endangered species in Australia. The species depends upon mature native forest providing critical habitat resources including tree hollows. Aims: This study aimed to map and evaluate the tenure of patches of potential high-quality (core) habitat and corridors for the southern greater glider in Queensland. Methods: Within greater glider habitat, we mapped 10 ranked classes of relative forest maturity using a model comprising remotely sensed metrics of canopy height, above-ground living biomass and canopy cover at a 30 m resolution. We also modelled the optimum movement corridors within and between habitat patches. Key results: Results showed that 35% (4.943 million ha) of habitat was found in the more mature classes (Classes 7–9), which represent a proxy for associated limiting habitat resources, especially tree hollows. Mean patch size above a 1.6 ha threshold was found to be 122 ha and most patches (71%) were ≤10 ha, with 14 patches ≥100 000 ha. Freehold and leasehold lands hold 63.4% of the more mature habitat, multiple-use public forest 21.4% and nature conservation areas 12.8%. About half of the potential habitat is located on formally recognised Indigenous lands that represent different categories of Aboriginal ownership, management and other special rights. Conclusions: The protection of mature forest patches and movement corridors is necessary for the conservation of the greater glider, a nationally listed threatened species. Implications: Conservation interventions are needed, using a whole-of-landscape approach to protect core habitat and corridors from inappropriate land use. With increasing pressures on Australian forests, identifying old growth and mature habitats for threatened species is vital. We evaluated greater glider habitats and found that mature areas are vulnerable to human impacts. Protecting areas containing mature forests and hollow-bearing trees is crucial for the species' survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prevalence and patterns of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use among specific lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (trans) and queer (LGBTQ+) subpopulations are well established. However, patterns of substance‐related risk have been less thoroughly explored. This study aimed to determine typologies AOD risk among LGBTQ+ adults in Australia. Method: Latent class analyses were performed to determine distinct patterns of AOD risk (n = 6835), as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test and Drug Abuse Screening Tool. Demographic characteristics, experience of harassment, assault and/or threats, mental wellbeing and LGBTQ+ connectedness were compared across emergent classes. Results: AOD risk was characterised as 'no risk' (13.3% of sample), 'low risk' (15.1%), 'moderate risk' (alcohol + other drugs; 30.1%), or 'moderate alcohol only risk' (41.5%). The 'moderate risk' class was the most likely class to report recent sexual assault, verbal abuse, harassment and physical threats compared to other classes, while those in the 'moderate alcohol only risk' group were least likely to report these experiences of all classes. However, both the 'moderate risk' and 'moderate alcohol risk only' classes reported greater mental wellbeing and LGBTQ+ connectedness compared to the 'no risk' and 'low risk' classes. Discussion and Conclusions: Our findings indicate that level of AOD risk is not uniform among some LGBTQ+ adults, nor is the distribution of harms experienced by them. Tailored harm‐reduction interventions may be fruitful in attenuating harms based on risk profile; most specifically, LGBTQ+ individuals engaging in moderately risky concurrent AOD use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Telepractice service delivery of allied health interventions to people with disability can potentially reduce access barriers and improve service equity. However, questions remain regarding telepractice functionality for people with disability. This study addressed questions related to how allied health clinicians and managers perceive telepractice as functioning in the provision of therapy services to people with disability. Methods: Thirteen interviews of allied health clinicians and managers from across Australia were conducted between 21 November and 22 February via MS teams. Qualitative methodology and critical realist theoretical paradigm underpin the study. Data analysis was completed using a reflective thematic analysis method and five themes were generated and described utilising an analytic metaphor. Results: The study themes were described in relation to a shopping for shoes analytic metaphor and the five themes included (1) a shoe for every foot, (2) planned purchases, (3) shoe on the other foot, (4) you need both shoes and (5) help choosing their shoes. In summary, the function of telepractice fits differently for each individual, similar to pairs of shoes. Conclusions: Telepractice has its own strengths and weaknesses and isn't a direct substitute for in‐person sessions, much like left and right shoes are similar but not the same. The results support participant perceptions that telepractice functions best as an adjunct to in‐person sessions through a flexible hybrid delivery model in the provision of therapy services to people with a disability. A strategy for improving perceived usefulness may involve positioning telepractice as unique with strengths and weaknesses, not replacing in‐person care. Patient or Public Contribution: The paper forms part of a larger codesign process which included customer and carer participants throughout the design and planning of the project, inclusion of a peer researcher, and the selection of the analytic metaphor including in the findings of this article production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the lived experiences of the international students using their university's social media, through a lens of customer engagement (CE) in the services marketing literature. Design/methodology/approach: A case study was conducted in an Australian university. Three semi-structured focus groups with ten international students, along with a preliminary netnographic analysis of the university's social media account, provided a rich description of the phenomenon in the real-world context. Findings: The results suggest that these students are likely to engage in their university's social media as part of their acculturation and social identity construction strategy. Their engagement was cognitive and emotional, being influenced by the instrumental value of the social media page, engagement with campus rituals and artefacts, social identity and bonds with other students and perceptions of the page administrator. Furthermore, these students' engagement influenced their identification with the university and its student community, manifested in a sense of belonging and pride. Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to the higher education literature by offering relationship implications of social media CE. Limitations include small sample size and the single institutional context. Practical implications: The paper informs student communication practice, especially the design of university-initiated social media content and policy. Originality/value: Universities and faculties today use social media to engage with students outside classrooms. However, little has been known about how international student sojourners view and respond to such initiatives. The paper addresses this gap by offering insight into how they engage with their university on social media and its relationship implications.