Australian Situation Research Articles

Multiband 2D InSAR deformation models with error estimates from natural neighbour interpolation: Case study in the Latrobe Valley, Australia

A long term objective for Australia is to develop a continent-wide 2D deformation model based on satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). Nation-wide InSAR processing has been demonstrated in European countries and Japan. However, there are some key differences to the Australian situation for a 2D model (i.e., vertical and east–west surface movement rates) where SAR data from ascending and descending satellite orbits are needed. The primary difference is that while ESA’s Sentinel-1 ascending and descending satellite observations underpin 2D models in other parts of the world, the Australian continent is only covered by descending Sentinel-1 SAR data in most areas. Combined with Australia’s large size of 7.63 million km2, this means a different approach is needed to realise 2D deformation models. In this article, we propose the novel approach of (1) combining supplementary multiband SAR (ascending X-band and L-band) with the descending C-band Sentinel-1 data, and (2) using natural neighbour (NN) interpolation as a computationally efficient interpolation method for combining the multiband InSAR data on common grids prior to 2D model computation. This is an alternative to the computationally intensive Ordinary Kriging (OK) approach. A disadvantage of NN compared to OK is that it does not compute an error estimate, which we address by deriving an error estimate for the NN interpolation so that errors are provided for each 2D rate to aid with their correct interpretation. To demonstrate our new approach, we compute experimental 2D deformation models that propagate the full error budget from InSAR, a GNSS connection to ITRF2014 and NN interpolation into an error grid in the Latrobe Valley in southeast Australia. The significance of our approach is that it provides a suitable combination of methods that may be used to develop 2D continental deformation models for Australia’s unique circumstances. Our results demonstrate the accuracy of NN and OK interpolation are at the same level (within error), and the error estimates from both interpolation techniques are also comparable: X band (TerraSAR-X) ∼ 1 mm/yr; C band (Sentinel-1) ∼ 2.5 mm/yr, and L band (ALOS PALSAR1) 4 mm/yr. For the first time, we reveal 2D deformation in the Latrobe Valley region showing horizontal east–west deformation in the area surrounding an above-ground mine and reaching 20 mm/yr, with vertical subsidence rates reaching −40 mm/yr.

A proposed governance model for the adoption of geoparks in Australia

PurposeGood governance is crucial in establishing and managing geoparks and is a requirement by UNESCO if global status is to be achieved. Australia has three levels of government, government agencies and not for profit organisations that can assist in the reintroduction of geoparks to Australia. This paper examines a range of governance models used by UNESCO Global Geoparks. Design/methodology/approach: This paper explores mechanisms that could be applied in the reintroduction of geoparks into Australia and considers how future geoparks might be managed. The suggested model is based on a review of existing UNESCO Global Geopark governance and their management structures. Findings: This paper reviews the opportunities for engaging with Australian organisational stakeholders to support geoparks and proposes a model that would be suitable for adoption in Australia. Originality/value: This paper examines a range of governance models applied to geopark development. It reviews the opportunities for engaging with Australian organisational stakeholders to support geoparks and proposes a model that would be suitable for adoption in Australia. Such an account has not previously been undertaken nor a satisfactory model proposed for the Australian situation. This is the first time that a comprehensive model for geopark governance has been proposed for Australia.

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from humans to bats – An Australian assessment

SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, infected over 100 million people globally by February 2021. Reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to other species has been documented in pet cats and dogs, big cats and gorillas in zoos, and farmed mink. As SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to known bat viruses, assessment of the potential risk of transmission of the virus from humans to bats, and its subsequent impacts on conservation and public health, is warranted. A qualitative risk assessment was conducted by a multi-disciplinary group to assess this risk in bats in the Australian context, with the aim of informing risk management strategies for human activities involving interactions with bats. The overall risk of SARS-CoV-2 establishing in an Australian bat population was assessed to be Low, however with a High level of uncertainty. The outcome of the assessment indicates that, for the Australian situation where the prevalence of COVID-19 in humans is very low, it is reasonable for research and rehabilitation of bats to continue, provided additional biosecurity measures are applied. Risk assessment is challenging for an emerging disease where information is lacking and the situation is changing rapidly; assessments should be revised if human prevalence or other important factors change significantly. The framework developed here, based on established animal disease risk assessment approaches adapted to assess reverse zoonotic transmission, has potential application to a range of wildlife species and situations.

All STEM-Ed up: Gaps and Silences around Ecological Education in Australia

Similar to much of the world, the Australian Government has a vision for society to be engaged in and enriched by science which has, as its prime focus, building skills and capabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Simultaneously, the Government’s policies and projects, including in education, ignore intergovernmental environmental initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This article critically analyses the Australian Government’s STEM and climate change education policies and programs, including Citizen Science activities, through an ecological education lens and finds many, and growing, gaps and silences in these areas. It compares the Australian situation with STEM and ecological education-related developments in several other countries. In the context of significant global changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this article argues that it is time for the Australian education agenda to take the Government’s international responsibilities seriously, include meaningful engagement with climate change and biodiversity related topics through ecological education in the school curriculum, and discusses what a reimagined school science curriculum could look like.

Household surveys and the case of the Australian methamphetamine situation.

Household surveys and the case of the Australian methamphetamine situation.

Towards an International Height Reference System: insights from the Colorado geoid experiment using AUSGeoid computation methods

We apply the AUSGeoid data processing and computation methodologies to data provided for the International Height Reference System (IHRS) Colorado experiment as part of the International Association of Geodesy Joint Working Groups 0.1.2 and 2.2.2. This experiment is undertaken to test a range of different geoid computation methods from international research groups with a view to standardising these methods to form a set of conventions that can be established as an IHRS. The IHRS can realise an International Height Reference Frame to be used to study physical changes on and within the Earth. The Colorado experiment study site is much more mountainous (maximum height 4401 m) than the mostly flat Australian continent (maximum height 2228 m), and the available data over Colorado are different from Australian data (e.g. much more extensive airborne gravity coverage). Hence, we have tested and applied several modifications to the AUSGeoid approach, which had been tailored to the Australian situation. This includes different methods for the computation of terrain corrections, the gridding of terrestrial gravity data, the treatment of long-wavelength errors in the gravity anomaly grid and the combination of terrestrial and airborne data. A new method that has not previously been tested is the application of a spherical harmonic high-pass filter to residual anomalies. The results indicate that the AUSGeoid methods can successfully be used to compute a high accuracy geoid in challenging mountainous conditions. Modifications to the AUSGeoid approach lead to root-mean-square differences between geoid models up to ~ 0.028 m and agreement with GNSS-levelling data to ~ 0.044 m, but the benefits of these modifications cannot be rigorously assessed due to the limitation of the GNSS-levelling accuracy over the computation area.

Imagining the region: cartographic representations in Australian metropolitan spatial strategies

ABSTRACT The challenges facing Australia’s capital cities have prompted a renewed interest in metropolitan governance. The Australian situation is unique in that metropolitan spatial strategies are prepared by state governments, rather than through cooperation of local governments as in other countries. This presents specific challenges for establishing the metropolitan region as a relevant scale of action in the minds of stakeholders and citizens. In this paper, different types of spatial images in metropolitan strategies are identified and their potential role in region-building is conceptualised. Spatial imaginaries and spatial representations in metropolitan spatial strategies for Greater Sydney and Greater Adelaide are compared, which allows a reflection on the effect of different governance arrangements on establishing the image and identity of a region. The paper concludes with a critical reflection on the role of spatial representations in supporting the international and external positioning of regions that have been defined in a top-down manner.

Indigenous Rock Art Tourism in Australia: Contexts, Trajectories, and Multifaceted Realities

This paper focuses on Australian Indigenous rock art tourism, a field that has received limited research attention. Our aim is to identify aspects which are invisible in tourism promotions. We note trends in rock art tourism and related research, survey the Australian situation, and employ a case study approach to outline the development of Indigenous rock art tourism in Kakadu National Park (KNP) and parts of the Quinkan (Laura Cooktown) region. In both regions, Aboriginal communities inherited legacies of top down decision-making and bureaucratic methods. Although the Laura people transitioned to a community-based system and a successful ranger program, they face challenges in achieving their aspirations for sustainable rock art tourism. KNP communities, subsumed into an unwieldy joint management arrangement for the World Heritage listed National Park, are faced with competing values and perspectives of the dominant government system. A centerpiece of the Balnggarrawarra tourism initiative is the ranger/tour guide system of the type which operated for some years at Laura and was introduced briefly at KNP. The model incorporates key elements of sustainable Indigenous tourism–traditional owner control and jobs, land care, conservation, cultural preservation, partnerships, and public education. Notwithstanding contemporary challenges and realities, a unifying theme is caring for rock art.

Dancing Transnationally

This paper employs a transnational lens to explore traditional Croatian dance practices in Sydney, Australia. It looks first at individuals and their emotional ties with Croatia as expressed through participation in dance groups. Then, three strands of group activity are explored. Organisations provide structure for alliances between groups; pedagogical principles were brought from Croatia but have undergone modification for the Australian situation, and material exchanges across borders include costume purchase and financial remittances. The transnational framework produces a detailed analysis of dance in the Croatian community in Sydney.

A review of methods used to capture and restrain introduced wild deer in Australia

Six non-native deer species have established wild populations in Australia, and most are expanding in distribution and abundance. There is therefore increasing focus on the need to understand and manage these species. Capturing and immobilising wild deer is essential for many research and management applications, but the best methods for doing this have not been identified for the Australian situation. To address this knowledge gap, we systematically reviewed methods used to physically capture and chemically immobilise the six wild deer species in Australia. A variety of physical and chemical restraint methods have been used to capture wild deer in Australia, but these have seldom been reported in peer-reviewed publications. Physical capture methods have employed a variety of trapping and netting configurations. Some chemical immobilisation approaches have used oral baiting, but most have relied on darting of free-ranging animals or hand-injection of physically restrained deer. There is uncertainty about the efficacy and animal welfare impacts of the techniques currently used to capture wild deer in Australia. Improved reporting of capture outcomes would facilitate the identification of ‘best practice’ techniques for capturing wild deer in Australian environments.

Local Governments’ Roles as Connectors of Healthy Communities and Governance of Place ( breakout presentation )

Background With opportunities to walk having been significantly diminished in many cities over the last fifty-plus years, developed societies in particular are leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles and witnessing firsthand the consequential health impacts. Therefore, a strong case exists for urban planning initiatives that address community health concerns and reduce non-communicable diseases. Aims This paper’s aims are twofold: To examine current governance structures in terms of provision of walkable (healthy) communities in Australia and elsewhere as a response to the above community health considerations; and secondly to further delve into how this role can be fostered as the centrepiece or meeting point of “grassroots and government” to create more walkable localities and healthier communities. This is likely to be of interest to health and built environment professionals, and also to community members interested in advocacy roles. Method The current state of play in Australia regarding walkability and health is examined, and using a socio-ecological framework examines the Australian urban governance model against a global context, briefly comparing it to some North American and European cases. Data from surveys and interviews undertaken with built environment practitioners and healthy urban design and planning advocates are then presented through a multiple streams lens, focusing on local scale governance and initiatives, and community health and walkability. Results This paper identifies Australian local governments as being at a critical crossroads between “grassroots and government” where considerations of walkability and community health are concerned. While higher levels of governance act as important enablers to community health promotion, local governments remain significant ‘place shapers’ and stakeholders of built environments. However the current Australian situation can be seen to create disparities in walkable areas (and health) spatially. Nevertheless, the identification of this presents opportunities for a true connection of grassroots and governance, with place-based, walkable solutions the ultimate (and achievable) target. Conclusion Local government currently plays a significant role in community health in Australia. However, this paper argues that as the intersection between community and government, the role of local government can provide even greater community health benefits, including through improved planning and provision of walkable places.

Nurse practitioner prescribing in Australia: barriers to practice

•Identify barriers to nurse practitioner prescribing in Australia•Raise awareness among health practitioners, highlight the inconsistencies across Australia and recommend necessary changes. Examine and compare Australian state and territory legislation and regulations that govern nurse practitioner prescribing, and contrast the Australian situation with international examples. In Australia, each State and Territory has individual drug and poisons legislation and regulations. How the regulation is administered is different in each state and territory, resulting in confusion and uncertainty in relation to prescribing practice and the process of becoming authorised to prescribe. This also impacts on nurse practitioners working across state and territory borders. This paper provides a national overview of legislation and regulation associated with nurse practitioner prescribing, informing stakeholders of the key barriers, and making recommendations for change to improve clarity and transferability across borders. These recommendations are based on a review of how nurse practitioners are authorised to prescribe both in Australia, and internationally.

Beautiful Lies, Damned Statistics: Reframing How Australian University Finances are Compared with the OECD

In higher education funding debates, Australia has been ranked ‘second last in the OECD’ for its public investment in universities. Yet such comparisons overlook particular features of the Australian situation. Five general problems with the ‘second-last’ narrative are examined. Many interpretations of OECD statistics overstate the Australian under-funding case and raise questions of relevance in domestic funding debates. Flawed comparisons drawn from OECD data do not appear to be confined to Australian commentary.

Health concerns associated with unconventional gas mining in rural Australia

Many governments globally are investigating the benefits and risks associated with unconventional gas mining for shale, tight and coal seam gas (coalbed methane) to determine whether the industry should proceed in their jurisdiction. Most locations likely to be developed are in rural areas, with potential impact on farmers and small communities. Despite significant health concerns, public health knowledge and growing evidence are often overlooked in decision-making. It is difficult to gain a broad but accurate understanding of the health concerns for rural communities because the evidence has grown very recently and rapidly, is complex and largely based in the USA, where the industry is advanced. In 2016, a concerned South Australian beef and lamb farmer in an area targeted for potential unconventional gas development organised visits to homes in developed unconventional gas areas of Pennsylvania and forums with leading researchers and lawyers in Pennsylvania and New York. Guided by priorities identified during this trip, this communication concisely distils the research evidence on these key concerns, highlighting the Australian situation where evidence exists. It summarises key information of particular concern to rural regions, using Australia as an example, to assist rural health professionals to be better prepared to engage in decision-making and address the challenges associated with this new industry. Discussions with communities and experts, supported by the expanding research from the USA and Australia, revealed increasing health concerns in six key areas. These are absence of a safe solution to the toxic wastewater management problems, air pollution, land and water competition, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing risks, fugitive methane emissions and lack of proven regulatory regimes. Emerging epidemiological studies suggesting interference with foetal development and birth outcomes, and exacerbation of asthma conditions, are particularly concerning to rural families and livestock. Rural residents in potentially affected areas should be supported to access and interpret the best current evidence regarding the multiple health concerns associated with unconventional gas mining. This knowledge should be part of wider discourse and decision-making processes driving local economic development and national and global energy choices.

Economics: An elite subject soon only available in elite universities?

There are some alarming stories coming out of the UK about the state of academic economics there. It appears that “economics” is becoming an elite subject for elite UK universities. This paper examines the Australian situation to see if similar patterns exist. This paper considers the trends in the availability of economics degrees across the nations and looks at the implications of these trends in Australia in terms of research outcomes, teaching and learning and the impacts on socio-economic opportunity. The similarities between the UK and Australian situation are disturbing and present a challenge to economists, and to the economics community and society as a whole.

The literary field and contemporary trade-book publishing in Australia: Literary and genre fiction

This article examines fiction as a major sector of trade-book publishing in exploring the place of Australian publishing within a globalised industry and marketplace. It traces the function of ‘literary fiction’ as industry category and locus of symbolic value and national cultural capital, mapping its structures and dynamics in Australia, including the impact of digital technologies. In policy terms, literature and publishing remain significant sites of national and state government investment. Following Bourdieu’s model of the field of cultural production, the literary/publishing field is presented as exemplary rather than as a high-cultural exception in the cultural economy. Taking Thompson’s use of field theory to examine US and UK trade publishing into account, it analyses the industry structures governing literary and genre fiction in Australia, demonstrating the field’s logic as determined by the unequal distribution of large, medium-sized and small publishers. This analysis reveals distinctive features of the Australian situation within a transnational context.

Online pharmacies: buyer beware.

Online pharmacies: buyer beware.

The Renal Drug Handbook. 4th ed.

This handbook provides detailed drug information to assist healthcare professionals to safely dose medications in patients with kidney disease. It is also available online which I suspect will extend the readership from predominantly renal pharmacists to other groups. The Preface outlines how to use the monographs and basic drug dosing advice including valuable information on the use of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Over 800 drug monographs are arranged in alphabetical order, making navigation easy. Each monograph has a standard format, which includes information about the drug’s clinical use, its dose in normal renal function, and its pharmacokinetics and metabolism. If a dose reduction is required in renal impairment, the dose is given either in milligrams with the appropriate frequency, or as a percentage of the normal dose. Dosing for patients undergoing renal replacement therapies is also included. If relevant, other useful information about drug interactions, administration, adverse effects more commonly seen in patients with kidney impairment and monitoring is also included. The section on pharmacokinetics is particularly useful as it gives the prescriber access to information so that first principles can be applied. Although I would like to have seen more referencing within the individual monographs, a list of texts and websites is included in the Preface. One limitation is that the handbook is a UK publication so some of the drugs and dosing recommendations are not relevant to the Australian situation. Perhaps a consideration for future editions might be to include some general comments on the use of various drug classes in patients with renal disease. Overall I applaud the authors for updating this publication, which is an extremely useful resource for guiding prescribing in patients with kidney impairment.

Aboriginal ‘resistance war’ tactics – ‘The Black War’ of southern Queensland

Frontier violence is now an accepted chapter of Australian history. Indigenous resistance is central to this story, yet little examined as a military phenomenon (Connor 2004). Indigenous military tactics and objectives are more often assumed than analysed.Building on Laurie’s and Cilento’s contentions (1959) that an alliance of Aboriginal groups staged a ‘Black War’ across southern Queensland between the 1840s and 1860s, the author seeks evidence for a historically definable conflict during this period, complete with a declaration, coordination, leadership, planning and a broader objective: usurping the pastoral industry. As the Australian situation continues to present elements which have proved difficult to reconcile with existing paradigms for military history, this study applies definitions from guerilla and terrorist conflict (e.g. Eckley 2001, Kilcullen 2009) to explain key features of the southern Queensland “Black War.”The author concludes that Indigenous resistance, to judge from southern Queensland, followed its own distinctive pattern. It achieved coordinated response through inter-tribal gatherings and sophisticated signaling. It relied on economic sabotage, targeted payback killings and harassment. It was guided by reticent “loner-leaders.” Contrary to the claims of military historians such as Dennis (1995), the author finds evidence for tactical innovation. He notes a move away from pitched battles to ambush affrays; the development of full-time ‘guerilla bands’; and use of new materials.

Optimising the expansion of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

To estimate the impact of various expansion scenarios of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) on the number of bowel cancer deaths prevented; and to investigate the impact of the expansion scenarios on colonoscopy demand. MISCAN-Colon, a well established, validated computer simulation model for bowel cancer screening, was adjusted to reflect the Australian situation. In July 2013, we simulated the effects of screening over a 50-year period, starting in 2006. The model parameters included rates of participation in screening and follow-up, rates of identification of cancerous and precancerous lesions, bowel cancer incidence, mortality and the outcomes of the NBCSP. Five implementation scenarios, based on biennial screening using an immunochemical faecal occult blood test, were developed and modelled. A sensitivity analysis that increased screening participation to 60% was also conducted. Australian residents aged 50 to 74 years. Comparison of the impact of five implementation scenarios on the number of bowel cancer deaths prevented and demand for colonoscopy. MISCAN-Colon calculated that in its current state, the NBCSP should prevent 35 169 bowel cancer deaths in the coming 40 years. Accelerating the expansion of the program to achieve biennial screening by 2020 would prevent more than 70 000 deaths. If complete implementation of biennial screening results in a corresponding increase in participation to 60%, the number of deaths prevented will increase across all scenarios. The findings strongly support the need for rapid implementation of the NBCSP. Compared with the current situation, achieving biennial screening by 2020 could result in 100% more bowel cancer deaths (about 35 000) being prevented in the coming 40 years.