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Natural disasters such as bushfires are a test of individual and group resilience, and in extreme cases, threaten the sustainability of communities. Bushfires have long been common in Australia, although anthropogenic climate change has exacerbated their prevalence and severity. The aim of the present study was to assess the individual resilience and disaster-specific adaptation and resilience of community members in the wake of a bushfire event. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, an adult community sample of 165 residents of Noosa Shire in regional Queensland, Australia completed the 25-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC©) and the 43-item Disaster Adaptation and Resilience Scale (DARS). Mean scores for the CD-RISC© indicated significantly greater resilience (p < 0.001) than reported previously for a large Australian community cohort. Similarly, the DARS scores indicated significantly greater adaptation and resilience (p < 0.001) than that of a comparable cohort in the USA. The two oldest groups of residents (66+ years and 51–65 years) reported significantly greater adaptation and resilience than the group of younger residents (≤50 years; p < 0.001). The study findings provide the Noosa Shire community with an objective baseline from which they can assess the efficacy of future resilience-building initiatives and, more broadly, offer a valuable point of reference for future disaster-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between exposure to air pollution and adverse effects on human health is well documented. Yet, in a European context, research on the spatial distribution of air pollution and the characteristics of areas is relatively scarce, and there is a need for research using different spatial scales, a wider variety of socioeconomic indicators (such as ethnicity) and new methodologies to assess these relationships. This study uses comprehensive data on a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic indicators, matched to data on PM2.5 concentrations for small areas in Ireland, to assess the relationship between social vulnerability and PM2.5 air pollution. Examining a wide range of socioeconomic indicators revealed some differentials in PM2.5 concentration levels by measure and by rural and urban classification. However, statistical modelling using concentration curves and concentration indices did not present substantial evidence of inequalities in PM2.5 concentrations across small areas. In common with other western European countries, an overall decline in the levels of PM2.5 between 2011 and 2016 was observed in Ireland, though the data indicates that almost all small areas in Ireland were found to have exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO)'s PM2.5 annual guideline (of 5 µg/m3), calling for greater policy efforts to reduce air pollution in Ireland. The recent Clean Air Strategy contains a commitment to achieve the WHO guideline limits for PM2.5 by 2040, with interim targets at various points over the next two decades. Achieving these targets will require policy measures to decarbonise home heating, promote active travel and the transition to electric vehicles, and further regulations on burning fossil fuels and enforcing environmental regulations more tightly. From a research and information-gathering perspective, installing more monitoring stations at key points could improve the quality and spatial dimension of the data collected and facilitate the assessment of the implementation of the measures in the Clean Air Strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the extent to which behaviour support services are accessible under Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). We conducted semi-structured interviews with families who support a member with an intellectual disability and challenging behaviour. We analysed this data with a supply and demand access framework initially designed for health care and described the lived experiences of participants and their families accessing behaviour supports. Results show that while the NDIS has improved participants' ability to pay for behaviour (and other) supports, this financial capacity represents only one of six other important aspects of access. Families compensate for the shortcomings of the marketised environment which has arisen under the NDIS. This raises questions about the responsibilities of support provision, which is obscured in the new NDIS system and places responsibility for successfully accessing behaviour supports onto the family of the person with an intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]