Experience In Australia Research Articles

Past–Present Differential Inclusion: Australia’s Targeted Deportation of Pacific Islanders, 1901 to 2021

In Australia, past and present, Pacific Islanders have been labelled as undesirable others, included to temporarily fill labour shortages as required, controlled while resident in the country and removed when no longer deemed necessary. Pacific Islanders’ experiences in Australia reveal the inception, continuity and durability of differential inclusion produced by border control mechanisms. This paper traces Australia’s history of deporting Pacific Islanders over more than a century: from indentured labour and blackbirding, colonial occupation of Pacific Islands and the White Australia Policy, to more recent patterns of selective inclusion, such as the labour mobility schemes, to the disproportionate effects on Pacific Islanders of modifications to the criteria for deportability introduced in 2014 with the amendments to Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). By tracing the past–present circular border policies, this paper argues that the high number of Pasifika New Zealanders deported from Australia represents a continuation of a regime of differential inclusion.

'If I'm just me, I doubt I'd get the job': A qualitative exploration of autistic people's experiences in job interviews.

When applying for a job, autistic job candidates are likely to face a number of challenges. Job interviews are one of these challenges - they require communicating and relationship-building with unfamiliar people and involve expectations about behaviour (that may vary between companies and are not made clear to job candidates). Given autistic people communicate differently to non-autistic people, autistic job candidates may be disadvantaged in the interview process. Autistic candidates may not feel comfortable or safe sharing with organisations their autistic identity and may feel pressure to hide any characteristics or behaviour they feel might indicate they are autistic. To explore this issue, we interviewed 10 autistic adults about their job interview experiences in Australia. We analysed the content of the interviews and found three themes that related to the individual person and three themes that related to environmental factors. Participants told us that they engaged in camouflaging behaviour during job interviews, feeling pressure to conceal aspects of themselves. Those who camouflaged during job interviews reported that it took a lot of effort, which resulted in increased stress, anxiety and exhaustion. The autistic adults we spoke to reported a need for inclusive, understanding and accommodating employers to help them feel more comfortable disclosing their autism diagnosis in the job application process. These findings add to current research that has explored camouflaging behaviour and barriers to employment for autistic people.

Exploring women’s experiences in a midwifery continuity of care model following a traumatic birth

ProblemOver one third of women report their birth experience as psychologically traumatic. Psychological birth trauma has been associated with perinatal mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder. BackgroundMidwifery continuity of care provides improved outcomes for mothers and babies as well as increased birth satisfaction. Some women who have experienced psychological birth trauma will seek out midwifery continuity of care in their next pregnancy. The aim of this study was to explore women’s experiences of midwifery continuity of care following a previous traumatic birth experience in Australia. MethodsA qualitative descriptive approach was undertaken. Eight multiparous women who self-identified as having psychological birth trauma were interviewed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to discover how participants subsequently experienced care in a midwifery continuity of care model. FindingsSeven out of eight participants had care from a private midwife following birth trauma. Four themes were discovered. The nightmare lives on: despite a positive and/or healing experience in midwifery continuity of care, women still carry their traumatic birth experiences with them. Determination to find better care: Women sought midwifery continuity of care following a previous traumatic birth in their desire to prevent a similar experience. A broken maternity system: women described difficulties accessing these models including financial barriers and lack of availability. The power of continuity: All reported a positive experience birthing in a midwifery continuity of care model and some reported that this had a healing effect. ConclusionOffering midwifery continuity of care models to women with a history of psychological birth trauma can be beneficial. More research is necessary to confirm the findings of this small study, and on ways women who have psychological birth trauma can be prioritised for midwifery continuity of care models in Australia.

The immigration scholarship of Stephen Castles

The immigration scholarship of Stephen Castles

Homesickness at Home: A Scoping Review of Solastalgia Experiences in Australia.

Solastalgia is a term used to describe the pain and distress experienced by those witnessing their home environments destroyed or changed in unwelcome ways. Solastalgia is expected to become more prominent as climate change worsens and transforms landscapes. This scoping review examines and maps the existing literature on solastalgia in Australia, particularly focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences. Four focus questions guided the review to explore how solastalgia is conceptualized, highlight risk and protective factors, and identify strategies for addressing solastalgia. Eighteen papers met the criteria for inclusion. Overall, our results show a minimal evidence base on solastalgia in Australia with an even greater gap in exploring solastalgia from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. A strong connection to home environments was suggested as both a risk and protective factor for experiencing solastalgia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are considered at risk due to intimate connections to home environments, and since the invasion, have experienced mental distress resulting from significant, damaging changes to landscapes and home environments. We recommend further exploration of lived experiences of solastalgia across a greater diversity of Australian contexts, particularly amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including a focus on practical implications.

Nonurgent Pediatric Interhospital Transfers: A Narrative Enquiry of Nurses’ Experiences in Australia

IntroductionThis study aimed to explore nonurgent pediatric interhospital transfers through the lens of nurses’ experiences and perceptions when undertaking these transfers. MethodsUsing a narrative inquiry approach, data were collected via semistructured interviews with registered nurses (N = 7) who had experience undertaking patient transfers between nonurgent low-acuity and urgent high-acuity hospital settings. ResultsFindings established the following 8 themes: ensuring transfer preparation for risk mitigation, practicing confident advocacy, being accountable for risk mitigation of the deteriorating patient during transfer, maintaining standardized procedure, using training and mentorship to support confidence, maintaining interhospital and intrahospital relationships, recognizing the significance of transfer on families, and acknowledging the burden of transfer and delay. DiscussionBy exploring the stories and experiences of emergency nurses who undertake pediatric interhospital transfers, a deep investigation of the risks and challenges has been described, an area often underrepresented in the literature. Findings from this study highlight important learnings for pediatric interhospital transfer that add value to the wider body of evidence.

Unequal opportunities in accessing employability‐related programmes: South Asian graduates' experiences in Australia

AbstractLimited scholarly work has been conducted on obtaining equal opportunities to participate in employability‐related programmes by international students while studying in Australia. Drawing on a qualitative study, 20 South Asian postgraduates were interviewed to explore their experiences in accessing employability‐related programmes. Based on the findings, South Asian graduates have experienced unequal opportunities in accessing employability‐related programmes as postgraduate international students in Australia. They are disadvantaged by generic career advice and resume assistance offered by their university career office, and companies invited to university career fairs offer internships, placements or graduate programme opportunities mostly to domestic students. As a result, South Asian graduates were unable to gain employment in their field of studies. South Asian graduates have also offered several useful recommendations to facilitate more equal chances of developing employability and thereby gaining successful employment in Australia. These include partnerships with companies in providing employment opportunities, diversification of university career office roles, and establishing connections with alumni. The paper also discusses implications for Australian higher education institutions and higher education policy and practice in Australia.

Legal regulation of divorce in some states of the Anglo - Saxon legal family: the experience of Australia and Canada

Legal regulation of divorce in some states of the Anglo - Saxon legal family: the experience of Australia and Canada

Disruptive innovation, fourth industrial revolution and sustainable entrepreneurship policy: lessons for Nigeria from the experiences of EU and Australia

Disruptive innovation, fourth industrial revolution and sustainable entrepreneurship policy: lessons for Nigeria from the experiences of EU and Australia

Disruptive innovation, fourth industrial revolution and sustainable entrepreneurship policy: lessons for Nigeria from the experiences of EU and Australia

Disruptive innovation, fourth industrial revolution and sustainable entrepreneurship policy: lessons for Nigeria from the experiences of EU and Australia

Educational Card Games: One Way of Assisting the Communication Skills Development of Nursing Students Whose First Language is Not English

Aim/Purpose. This study seeks to determine the impact of a card game intervention in improving the English verbal communication of nursing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Background. Many international students studying in Australia experience setbacks in their university studies due to English language difficulties. This paper outlines how an educational card game designed can be played by nursing students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds as an intervention for their English verbal communication development. Methodology. The study used a descriptive qualitative approach to analyse the learning experiences of forty-five (N=45) nursing students from CALD backgrounds undertaking their second semester at a metropolitan university in Victoria, Australia after being introduced to an educational card game developed by the first author. The card game was designed to explore the use of English pragmatic markers, which are words, phrases, or verbal cues that signal or emphasise the intentions of the speaker. Following the intervention, participants were queried in a survey about their experiences with English language speaking and how the game improved their verbal communication skills. Contribution. This paper provides knowledge about how a game can be designed to enhance the English verbal communication skills of nursing students from CALD backgrounds which could help them in their clinical placements and their adjustment into Australian society. Findings. Three intertwining themes that emerged from the data analysis were education content, skills development, and fun and creativity. These themes signify the importance of providing opportunities for learners to creatively practise the educational content in simulative contextualised situations within a safe, comfortable, and inclusive learning environment. Recommendations for Practitioners. Educators still need to consider the importance of inclusivity of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds as part of successful integration into the culture of their host countries. Recommendations for Researchers. The findings emphasise the need for educators and researchers to understand the challenges facing these students in relation to marginalisation and discrimination and how they can design an intervention that is engaging and inclusive. Impact on Society. The findings also put forward the awareness of pragmatics as part of both English language learning and integration into the society of a host country as students learn how to express intention appropriately in various interactions. Furthermore, the themes presented in this paper suggest that not only should an educational game or an intervention contain relevant educational content and practical activities for skills development, but they must also be enjoyable by encouraging creativity and social interaction. Future Research. The results of this study also open possible future studies that involves the adaptation of a digital version of the card game or possible implementation of the game in other health professional programs in universities and other educational institutes.

Prevalence Rates of Depression and Anxiety among Young Rural and Urban Australians: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Globally, depression and anxiety are major public health concerns with onset during adolescence. While rural Australia experiences overall lower health outcomes, variation in mental health prevalence rates between rural and urban Australia is unclear. The aim of this paper was to estimate the pooled prevalence rates for depression and anxiety among young Australians aged between 10 and 24 years. Selected studies from a systematic literature search were assessed for risk of bias. Random effects model using DerSimonian and Laird method with Freeman-Tukey Double Arcsine Transformation was fitted. Sensitivity analyses were performed. Prevalence estimates were stratified by region and disorder. The overall pooled prevalence of depression and anxiety was 25.3% (95% CI, 19.9-31.0%). In subgroup analysis, anxiety prevalence was 29.9% (95% CI, 21.6-39.0%); depression: 21.3% (95% CI, 14.9-28.5%); and depression or anxiety: 27.2% (95% CI, 20.3-34.6%). Depression and anxiety prevalence were higher in urban 26.1% (95% CI, 17.3-35.9%) compared to rural areas 24.9% (95% CI, 17.5-33%), although the difference was not statistically significant. The heterogeneity was high with an I2 score of 95.8%. There is need for further research on healthcare access, mental health literacy and help-seeking attitude in Australia.

Influence of Study Abroad Experiences in Australia on Teacher Education in Bhutan’s Education Colleges

Tertiary education in Bhutan has changed with the establishment of the Royal University of Bhutan in 2003, and the two constituent colleges of education have brought many developments in the education system in Bhutan. As the majority of the faculty members in the education colleges are Australian alumni, this case study was focused on how their Australian educational experiences have influenced professional practice in teacher education. This focus was part of a qualitative study which revealed influences in teacher education, research, and leadership as three critical changes that were attributed to the Australian educated faculty members of the education colleges. Inculcating international best practices in teaching pedagogy, curriculum development taking into account the Bhutanese context, and development of Early Childhood Care and Development curriculum are reported in this paper along with discussion of the implications for the Bhutanese education system.

Centering Indigenous knowledge in suicide prevention: a critical scoping review

BackgroundIndigenous peoples of Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand experience disproportionately high rates of suicide as a result of the collective and shared trauma experienced with colonization and ongoing marginalization. Dominant, Western approaches to suicide prevention—typically involving individual-level efforts for behavioural change via mental health professional intervention—by themselves have largely failed at addressing suicide in Indigenous populations, possibly due to cultural misalignment with Indigenous paradigms. Consequently, many Indigenous communities, organizations and governments have been undertaking more cultural and community-based approaches to suicide prevention. To provide a foundation for future research and inform prevention efforts in this context, this critical scoping review summarizes how Indigenous approaches have been integrated in suicide prevention initiatives targeting Indigenous populations.MethodsA systematic search guided by a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was conducted in twelve electronic bibliographic databases for academic literature and six databases for grey literature to identify relevant articles. the reference lists of articles that were selected via the search strategy were hand-searched in order to include any further articles that may have been missed. Articles were screened and assessed for eligibility. From eligible articles, data including authors, year of publication, type of publication, objectives of the study, country, target population, type of suicide prevention strategy, description of suicide prevention strategy, and main outcomes of the study were extracted. A thematic analysis approach guided by Métis knowledge and practices was also applied to synthesize and summarize the findings.ResultsFifty-six academic articles and 16 articles from the grey literature were examined. Four overarching and intersecting thematic areas emerged out of analysis of the academic and grey literature: (1) engaging culture and strengthening connectedness; (2) integrating Indigenous knowledge; (3) Indigenous self-determination; and (4) employing decolonial approaches.ConclusionsFindings demonstrate how centering Indigenous knowledge and approaches within suicide prevention positively contribute to suicide-related outcomes. Initiatives built upon comprehensive community engagement processes and which incorporate Indigenous culture, knowledge, and decolonizing methods have been shown to have substantial impact on suicide-related outcomes at the individual- and community-level. Indigenous approaches to suicide prevention are diverse, drawing on local culture, knowledge, need and priorities.

Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA): initial experience in Australia.

Thyroidectomy is traditionally an open procedure. The potential for and unpredictability of patients developing an unsightly anterior neck scar has led many investigators to develop various 'scarless' thyroidectomy techniques. Here we report on our initial experience, and to our knowledge, the first and largest series of this technique in Australia and New Zealand. Across two centres in Western Australia, three Endocrine surgeons utilized the Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA). Key endpoints such as operating time, blood loss, pain scores, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and hypoparathyroidism was collected. Data was analysed using R statistical program. One hundred and two TOETVAs were performed between March 2018 and May 2021. There were 66 hemithyroidectomies, 34 total thyroidectomies (four converted to open), and two isthmusectomies. We noted a trend in median operating time decreasing over the study period. There were no cases of permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, wound infection, seroma or haematoma. We had four instances of open conversion; one temporary RLN palsy, and 12 cases of temporary hypoparathyroidism. This is the first series of TOETVA reported in Australia and New Zealand. Our results demonstrate that with appropriate surgeon experience, training, collaboration, and in well selected patients, this is a feasible and safe thyroidectomy technique. We hope that our work will build confidence in Endocrine Surgical units seeking to develop this technique in Australia.

Employing Indigenous methodologies to transform dental and medical education

Indigenous people in Australia experience considerably more dental and medical ill-health than non-Indigenous people. Cultural competence of dental and medical teams is crucial in the delivery of services to address these health disparities. Traditionally, cultural training has been incorporated later in health education curricula, resulting in students perceiving Indigenous health to be less important, relevant or useful in their future careers. Higher education institutions struggle to incorporate Indigenous culture into curricula to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous peoples and to increase cultural competence of staff and students. This study explores how a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers navigated the cultural interface to develop an Indigenous curricula model for dental and, potentially, medical programs in Australia. A team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous oral health, dental and social science researchers, together with a Cultural Competence Curriculum Review Reference Group comprising Indigenous and non-Indigenous members, successfully navigated the cultural interface. Collaborations between the reference group and research team at each phase of this research ensured authentication and validity of the data. This study highlights the importance of employing Indigenous methodologies when conducting Indigenous research to improve dental and medical health outcomes for Indigenous peoples.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student experiences during rural placements in Australia: findings from a national multi-centre survey

The aim of this national study was to explore the learning experiences of Australia's medical students who trained rurally during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. A cross-sectional, national multi-centre survey was conducted in 2020, through the Federation of Rural Australian Medical Educators (FRAME). Participants were medical students who had completed an extended Rural Clinical School (RCS) training placement (≥ 12months). A bespoke set of COVID-19 impact questions were incorporated into the annual FRAME survey, to capture COVID-19-related student experiences in 2020. Pre-pandemic (2019 FRAME survey data) comparisons were also explored. FRAME survey data were obtained from 464 students in 2020 (51.7% response rate), compared with available data from 668 students in 2019 (75.6% response rate). Most students expressed concern regarding the pandemic's impact on the quality of their learning (80%) or missed clinical learning (58%); however, students reported being well-supported by the various learning and support strategies implemented by the RCSs across Australia. Notably, comparisons to pre-pandemic (2019) participants of the general RCS experience found higher levels of student support (strongly agree 58.9% vs 42.4%, p < 0.001) and wellbeing (strongly agree 49.6% vs 42.4%, p = 0.008) amongst the 2020 participants. Students with more than one year of RCS experience compared to one RCS year felt better supported with clinical skills learning opportunities (p = 0.015) and less affected by COVID-19 in their exam performance (p = 0.009). This study has provided evidence of both the level of concern relating to learning quality as well as the positive impact of the various learning and support strategies implemented by the RCSs during the pandemic in 2020. RCSs should further evaluate the strategies implemented to identify those that are worth sustaining into the post-pandemic period.

Current trends in penile cancer survivorship amongst remote patients and Aboriginal people in Western Australia.

Penile cancer is a rare urological malignancy, accounting for less than 1% of all cancers in males. Given its rarity, few studies exist reporting survival outcomes. The primary objective of this project was to review the mortality of patients diagnosed with penile cancer in Western Australia between 1992 and 2017 and to determine if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and patients in rural and remote regions experience discrepancies in survival outcomes. All cases of penile cancer recorded within the Western Australia Cancer Registry between 1992 and 2017 were reviewed. Analysis was performed using chi-squared test of association, binomial logistic regression and survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan Meier and Cox Regression analysis. One hundred eighty-six cases of penile cancer were identified; 62 patients (33%) were from regional or remote locations and nine patients (4.8%) were Aboriginal. 13 of the regional or remote patients and 5 of the Aboriginal patients died from penile cancer. Patients who were Aboriginal (HR 6.512, CI 2.123-19.968; P=0.001) or from regional or remote Western Australia (HR 2.382, CI 1.050-5.401; P=0.038) were at an increased risk of penile cancer-specific mortality. Aboriginal people with penile cancer and men from regional and remote Western Australia experience worse penile cancer-specific survival outcomes.

Guilt and migrant experience in Australia: narratives of happiness and hatred

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the role that guilt plays in Australia’s construction of its outsiders by focusing on contemporary migrant experience. I build upon Sarah Ahmed’s work on the politics of emotion to read migrant interviews in relation to media: films, political speeches, and other discursive structures that facilitate social organization in Australia. In the first part of this paper, I argue that a ‘multicultural narrative’ positions the nation as a ‘happy home,’ and examine how this can displace feelings of guilt in the migrant by rendering possible social transgressions positive steps towards attaining a greater social good. In the second section of this paper, I discuss Australia’s ‘hatred narratives.’ I do not define hatred as a necessarily aggressive emotion, but instead, demonstrate the way particular words can be affectively charged because of the histories they invoke, and show how this affect can be mobilized to create outsiders who are not welcome in the national imaginary and Australian society. These narratives however, are not fixed: political parties can appeal to tropes that have accumulated in affective value – such as the ‘home’ – in order to achieve different political goals, and to organize social groups by aligning individuals with or against affectively charged objects.

How structural and symbolic violence during resettlement impacts the social and mental wellbeing of forced migrant women: the lived experiences of Arabic speaking survivors of IPV resettled in Melbourne, Australia

Forced migrant women experience high levels of violence across their journeys and violence can be characterised as having three overarching forms: structural, symbolic, and interpersonal. It is important to understand the intersecting nature of gendered forms of symbolic, structural and interpersonal violence, and their impact on the mental health of forced migrant women in order to develop holistic IPV and resettlement programs and interventions. This article adopts an ecological framework of violence and qualitative methods with mental health service providers and survivors of IPV to understand the intersections of different forms of violence and their impact on mental health as they relate to the lived experiences of Arabic-speaking forced migrant survivors currently residing in Melbourne, Australia. Our research has three key findings: (1) that forced migrant women living in Melbourne, Australia experience intersecting forms of violence during resettlement (2) Structural and symbolic violence against forced migrant women persists regardless of marital status (3) Autonomy and independence plays a vital role in the mental health and wellbeing of forced migrant women. Our findings reveal that structural and symbolic violence increase the risk of IPV for forced migrant women during resettlement and that even when forced migrant women leave IPV situations, structural and symbolic violence persist and exacerbate mental ill-health. This article also reveals the importance autonomy and independence in both the perpetration of violence and in healing and recovery.