The implications of COVID-19 on regional journalism in far north Queensland: Measuring the heart rate of local communities

Risk and protective factors for violent behaviour and incarceration for Indigenous and non-Indigenous men in North Queensland

A mixed-methods evaluation: COVID Care in the Home, a public health response to the first omicron wave across the Torres and Cape region, Queensland

Purpose People with disability in regional, rural and remote Australia have poorer service access compared to people from metropolitan areas. There is urgent need for reform. This study’s aim was to explore the needs and aspirations of people with lived experience of disability in Far North Queensland (FNQ) to inform a new service framework. Materials and methods Twenty-five individuals with diverse experience of disability were engaged in semi-structured interviews. Participants were recruited from four sites that differed geographically, culturally, and socioeconomically. Using an inductive then deductive thematic approach to data analysis, statements of needs and aspirations were compiled and aligned with three pre-determined vision statements. Results Needs and aspirations aligned well with the vision statements which were to: feel “included, connected, safe and supported”; have “opportunities to choose one’s own life and follow one’s hopes and dreams”; and have “access to culturally safe services close to home.” To realise this vision in FNQ, support to navigate and coordinate services across sectors is essential. Conclusion People of FNQ of all abilities, need and aspire to experience “a good life” like their fellow Australians. Any new service model must focus on providing service navigation and co-ordination amid the complexities of service delivery in FNQ.

There are approximately 90 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled art centres across Australia, the majority in geographically remote locations. This survey explored how these centres are supporting older people, including people living with dementia, if and how they are collaborating with aged care services and what challenges and opportunities they identify in these arrangements. An online survey was developed by a team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers, art centre staff and art centre consultants. The survey was distributed in 2018 to art centres across Australia via their four art centre peak bodies: Desart; the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists; the Indigenous Art Centre Alliance - Far North Queensland and Torres Strait Islands; and the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub - Western Australia. The survey was also conducted face-to-face with participants at art centre annual events; and on field trips to North Western and Central Australia, conducted as part of an overarching study. There were 53 completed surveys, with the highest proportion of responses (43%) from art centre managers. The survey generated 330 qualitative responses to the 13 questions that provided this option. The results showed that art centres play a wide ranging and vital role in supporting the health and wellbeing of older artists, many of whom are considered Elders within their communities, and that this reaches far beyond the production of art. The results showed that art centres are a safe place providing older people with the purpose and means to generate income, to enact governance, and to share cultural knowledge through intergenerational connection. Additionally, the results indicate that art centres provide a significant amount of direct care for older people, and that relationships are fundamental to delivering this social, emotional, spiritual and physical care. Furthermore, they showed a great deal of collaboration between art centres and aged care services, although little of this is formally documented or resourced. The survey results demonstrate that art centres play a significant and previously unexplored role in supporting the wellbeing of older people and people living with dementia in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia. Respondents shared diverse examples of providing physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural care, assistance with navigating health and aged care systems, as well as examples of collaborations with aged care and health providers. The results demonstrate opportunities to recognise and resource this vital work. These findings are particularly important in the context of Australia's recent Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which found that systemic change is urgently required. Additionally, Indigenous scholars have called for a swell of system reform to address inequities in health and aged care systems. They advocate for a fundamental shift from biomedical and siloed models of care to integrated models that centralise culture, intergenerational connection and the cultural determinants of health. The results show that art centres could bring their expertise to this conversation.

The Anthropogenic emergencies of climate change, biodiversity loss and chemical pollution have resulted in a call for planetary stewardship from scientists and educators. Environmental stewardship in this research is defined as action that restores and/or maintains the integrity of a healthy Earth System. Through developing environmental stewardship, capacity is built for response to the complex, unprecedented and uncertain conditions of the 21st Century, the Anthropocene. Environmental stewardship is a learned behaviour developed from informal and formal mentoring and through opportunities to enact an ethic of care for the natural environment. There are few published research studies either internationally or in Australia about the environmental stewardship capacity of Gen Z, the first generation of the Anthropocene. A 2013 Swiss study described this generation as apathetic about the natural environment and living in post-ecologism. But is such a finding true of Australian adolescents living in Tropical Queensland? This doctoral research aimed to understand the expression of environmental stewardship in Gen Z in a formal, Year 10 state schooling context in the Wet Tropics region of Far North Queensland, Australia. Participants included five teachers and 126 students from three suburban high schools in Cairns and two high schools located in rural towns less than 80 kilometres from Cairns. A mixed methods research methodology following an explanatory, sequential research design was used, involving three phases of data collection interspersed with five stages of analysis. The first phase, a document study, analysed Australian Government education policy documents, frameworks, reports and curricula for the promotion of both environmental stewardship and sustainability (sustainability being the medium through which environmental stewardship is typically developed). The second phase of data collection used an online survey with three distinct sections. Section I of the online survey explored participants' values and used Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire. Data were analysed using Karp's four hypotheses for pro-environmental behaviour. Section II of the online survey was based on a modified version of Milfont and Duckitt's Environmental Attitude Index. Data were analysed to determine attitudes of preservation or utilisation of the natural environment. Section III was authored by the researcher to understand environmental stewardship knowledge and action and school learning for environmental stewardship. The third phase of data collection involved one-on-one interviews with Year 10 teachers and small group interviews with Year 10 students to enable in-depth discussion about environmental stewardship, if learning to care for the natural environment should occur (and how), knowledge of and opinions about environmental challenges, and how participants viewed the future. Findings show that environmental stewardship education is largely absent from education curriculum, policy documents and formal schooling, and that environmental stewardship capacities are undeveloped in participating students and teachers. Sustainability education had a very limited presence in the study schools at Year 10. Both Gen Z participants and their teachers demonstrated values that indicate pro-environmental behaviour. Teacher environmental attitudes were pragmatically positioned between preservation and utilisation of the natural environment whilst student attitudes were inclined to preserve the natural environment. Teachers expressed concern that students were ignorant of and apathetic about the natural environment, a sign of post-ecologism, and that environmental stewardship education should be included in formal education to enhance wellbeing. Students expressed a lack of knowledge about the ecological challenges of the Anthropocene and felt overwhelmed when discussing what they knew (and did not know) about current and future conditions. Many were untrusting of their peers' capacity to care and ability to respond. Students also indicated that environmental stewardship education should be included in school learning. This research proposes environmental stewardship education develops well-being, scholastic performance, critical thinking and problem solving. Outcomes of this research include a learning for environmental stewardship conceptual framework.

To describe the process of gaining consensus across regional organisations in formulating measures to improve coordination of care for people from remote Far North Queensland communities coming to town (Cairns) to access health care. This is a descriptive study that includes survey data from workshop participants. Coming to town for health care poses great challenges, especially for Indigenous Australians from remote communities. Numerous organisations are involved, communications are fragmented and there is no central coordinating body. The system frequently fails to deliver necessary services. This generates preventable cost burdens through missed flights, missed appointments, missed treatment opportunities and extra administration. Workshop organisers invited key service providers from across Far North Queensland. Using real-case scenarios, the task was to identify and prioritise the central issues and explore ways to address them. Participants jointly crafted the final recommendations and also posted suggestions on a 'wish-list' board. A participant assessment survey was conducted at the end of the workshop, followed by an online survey 6 weeks later. There were 32 participants. The concluding survey indicated the workshop was well received and people valued the collaboration. There were six primary recommendations plus numerous wish-list suggestions. The best-supported recommendation was establishment of a coming to town Hub with a local coordinating team and community-based representatives. Implementation of the workshop recommendations and support of all key service providers should be culturally acceptable and resource-efficient with better health outcomes for travellers, their families and communities.

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

Social work and social work student placements in general practice [GP] can contribute to wholistic healthcare. The overall aims of this research were to develop, implement and evaluate a field education placement curriculum for social work student placements in GP clinics. Between December 2021 and June 2022, six students completed their social work placements in four GP practices in North Queensland. Data collection included student records and an online survey that invited students, field educators, task supervisors, mentors, allied health professionals and GPs to provide feedback about the usefulness of the developed materials, the benefits and challenges of the placements, the services provided by the students, patient outcomes and feedback, social work learning, service delivery overall and the value of, and satisfaction with, the social work GP placements. Social work student placements in GP practices offer a valuable broadening of field education learning opportunities for social work and can benefit GP settings. Such placements need to be particularly carefully scaffolded and supported through a comprehensive curriculum, supervision, and a welcoming GP setting. Students interested in embarking in such a learning journey need to be highly confident and competent in social work practice.

This study explores the experiences of abuse and harassment faced by female journalists in the Karnali Province. In the base of concurrent research design, mixed method was adopted in this study. For quantitative method, questionnaire was developed and online survey was conducted for data collection. For that 60 respondents were selected. Like that, for qualitative study, focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews were performed. Where 3 senior female journalists were selected for the interview and 10 victims were selected for focus group discussion. This study set up within the theoretical framework of objectification and spiral of silence. Results reveal that patriarchal societal norms contribute to the objectification of female journalists, leading to a high prevalence of abuse that is often not reported due to ineffective laws, discrimination, shame, economic vulnerability, and lack of political access. The result also shows that female journalists often lack self-confidence and may bear the harassment silently or try to hide it due to the fear of social boycott. It highlights the issues of unequal wages, lack of credit for their work, and exploitation by senior journalists.

Background: For generations, surgical training has followed the example of an apprenticeship model. However, many doctors see this training as insufficient and potentially unsafe for the patient. Web-based simulation training for teaching laparoscopic surgery is not only becoming increasingly popular but is cheaper in comparison to the traditional apprenticeship method. Objective is to assess the educational value of web-based training videosMethods: Data was obtained through questionnaires sent to consultant surgeons and surgical trainees at three sites in North Queensland. Study invited participants to complete a 24-item questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes. The questionnaires were distributed using online survey monkey software to send emails to the three Government Hospitals.Results: There was a response rate of 11.40%, Consultant surgeons (13/17; 72.20%) and surgical trainees (4/17; 22.20%). Majority of participant`s sources of learning laparoscopic surgery was from supervisors in operating theatre (64.30%) and online Web-based training video (WBTV; 7.10%), although satisfaction with current web-based training video resources was found to vary widely for a variety of reasons. WBTV were used mainly when required for clinical rotation.Conclusions: There was a response rate of 11.40%, Consultant surgeons (13/17; 72.20%) and surgical trainees (4/17; 22.20%). Majority of participant`s sources of learning laparoscopic surgery was from supervisors in operating theatre (64.30%) and online Web-based training video (WBTV; 7.10%), although satisfaction with current web-based training video resources was found to vary widely for a variety of reasons. WBTV were used mainly when required for clinical rotation.

Telecommunications infrastructure and services are essential for rural communities to respond to natural disasters, like bushfires, cyclones and floods. Such disasters are becoming increasingly frequent in rural Australia. This cross-disciplinary study draws together community disaster resilience and digital capability concepts to address a critical gap in our understanding how rural individuals and organisations can effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters using telecommunications. The study adopts an ethnographic methodology, including semi-structured interviews and community workshops, in rural Far North Queensland, Australia. A socio-technical approach enabled the authors to analytically highlight both technical and social aspects of digital capability at each phase of disaster resilience: preparedness, response, and recovery. In contrast to the dominant focus on technical infrastructure and capability in the literature, this study builds on emerging work focused on social factors of disaster resilience that are facilitated by digital technologies. It particularly demonstrates how digital capabilities contribute to the essential disaster resilience factors of social capital, community competence, economic development, and information and communication. This research problem is particularly critical as rural Australia and other parts of the country and the world experience more frequent and more severe natural disasters.

Despite recent investments in telecommunications infrastructure in regional Australia, a digital divide remains between rural and urban communities. The impacts of comparatively limited digital connectivity in rural Australia include fewer opportunities for economic participation, difficulty accessing health and educational services, and challenges responding to crisis events such as natual disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an acute need for improved access to robust mobile and broadband services before, during and after crises in rural Australia. This article presents solutions for improved digital connectivity and digital capability in Far North Queensland, founded in a project that brought together researchers, business owners, councils, development organisations, technical experts and service providers to collaboratively identify and define telecommunications challenges related to a catastrophic flood in 2019. The research supports telecommunications providers, state and local governments, and community development organisations working together to collaboratively invest in technical and social solutions that enable rural communities to achieve greater crisis resilience.

Australia has a shortage of doctors in general and more so in Aboriginal communities. The 2011-2012 report by Health Workforce Australia endorses the relevance of physician assistants (PAs) in rural Australia, and this article describes the experience of a PA employed in rural Aboriginal Health Services in North Queensland. The author also shares recommendations and insights for expanded implementation of PAs.

Health in the outback

Co-design of an mHealth application for family carers of people with dementia to address needs related to the functional disability of their care recipients