Illawarra Region Research Articles

Motives of Parents Who Request the Catholic Sacraments of Initiation for Their Children

ABSTRACT Using attachment theory to interrogate findings, a single-case study investigated why parents present their children for the Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church. Twelve parents from the Illawarra region, Australia, participated in the study. Robert K. Yin’s (Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods. 6th ed. Sage, 2018) analytic strategy resulted in two research questions (RQ), namely, why do parents present their children for Baptism and secondly, why do they continue with the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation despite having little to no Church contact during the in-between years? Five overarching themes were found for the first RQ, including non-religious incentive, focus on the child, struggle in understanding Baptism, future orientation and cultural expectation. The second RQ revealed four overarching themes, namely, child-focused apprehension, child-focused commitment, expenditure of time and priorities in a busy life. Emphasis on the child’s welfare was evident in all themes. Discussion focuses on the conflict between Church commitment and emphasis on the child’s well-being.

Community sport, Australian sport policy, and advocacy: The views of community sport club officials

AbstractIn Australia, the policy priorities and processes of government and national governing bodies of sport impact how community sport organizations operate. This study explored the views of community sport club (CSC) officials (n = 53) in the Illawarra region in New South Wales, where there is a disparity in impact compared with their better‐resourced urban counterparts concerning sustainability, policy, and advocacy matters. Participants were surveyed for their views about the typically top‐down policy processes, inter‐organizational relationships, and advocacy for community sport. CSC officials participated in an online survey to assess opinions on resource issues and policy processes. The findings demonstrated that community sport is challenging to sustain and that CSC officials have little influence on policy. The outcome points to an appetite for advocacy from CSC officials in policy creation. Further, the Advocacy Coalition Framework is proffered as a platform for evaluating the viability of advocacy within community sport.

The underdeveloped role of social work in schools: a localised perspective within a Peri-Urban setting

ABSTRACT The role of social work in schools remains underdeveloped as there appears to be a lack of nuanced understanding of social work practice in the education system. In providing a localized perspective of the Illawarra region, which consists of a socio-economically diverse demographic, this research strives to contribute to the literature accounting for the understanding of social work in schools by school staff across a region. A qualitative study design was applied to this study and the data collection included online semi-structured interviews with school staff. Participants with experience in areas independent, public, and catholic school systems were included in the sample. A manual thematic analysis was conducted using the interview transcripts and audio-visual recordings. Findings indicate that the role of social work remains underdeveloped due to the lack of understanding by school staff as to what social work practice is and, in some cases, uncertain due to the lack of priority on student wellbeing. The recommendation of this study is that a collaborative approach, including all key stakeholders promoting education on social work practices in schools is needed in the Illawarra region and could be most effective in addressing the underdeveloped nature of school-based social work.

Culturally Respectful and Competent Practice: What It Looks Like for Organisations Providing Services to Migrant Youth within the Illawarra Region of New South Wales, Australia

The question of culturally respectful and competent practice is important for human services, particularly in Australia, which is characterised by a highly culturally diverse population as a result of migration. On arrival in Australia, migrants start using local services which they anticipate to be appropriate to their culture, situations and aspirations. This study explored what culturally respectful and competent practice looks like for organisations working with migrant youth in the Illawarra region of the state of New South Wales using in-depth interviews and focus groups. Although our focus was youth, responses were more broad to reflect the day-to-day roles of participants. From the responses, themes that came out included awareness of own culture as a practitioner and understanding the cultures of service users; paying attention to service user views of the dominant culture; employing staff from refugee and migrant communities; interpreter services; supporting practitioners in addressing agency limitations; and use of a strengths-based approach. What is central to these themes is capacitating human resources with cultural knowledge and a tendency towards prioritising service users’ interpretation of their culture and addressing the disadvantage and injustice that arise from cultural differences. For the organisations, a key barrier to achieving this is inadequate financial resources. In view of these findings, we conclude that, in relation to the topic and organisations we investigated, culturally respectful and competent practice means embedding service user cultural interpretations and priorities in organisational employment practices, staff skilling and service delivery in order to achieve the best and sustainable cultural, social and economic settlement outcomes.

Emergent time‐spaces of working from home: Lessons from pandemic geographies

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic and consequent health regulations compelled office‐based knowledge workers to work from home (WFH) en masse. Government and employer directives to WFH disrupted common norms of commuting to city office spaces and reshaped the geographies of office‐based knowledge work, with potentially lasting implications. Pandemic‐induced cohabitation of work‐space and home‐space saw more workers navigating the performance of paid labour in the home to produce new relational geographies of home, work, and worker. This paper provides a window on the lived experiences of the sizeable cohort of office‐based knowledge workers displaced from Sydney’s CBD to undertake WFH in the Illawarra region during the pandemic. We explore the unfolding pandemic geographies of work and home by drawing together feminist economic geography and geographies of home literatures. Our analysis reveals the emergent and variegated time‐spaces of WFH that emerged as the rhythms and routines of WFH shaped the home and vice versa. The analysis also reveals the differentiated agency of embodied workers to orchestrate emergent configurations of WFH, shaped by gender and by the socio‐materialities of home shaped by size, tenure, and life‐cycle stage. We conclude by drawing out important lines of analysis for further research as “hybrid work” evidently becomes entrenched post‐COVID.

The social and emotional wellbeing needs of Aboriginal staff in out of home care: Walking in two worlds

BackgroundThere is a disproportionate representation of Aboriginal children in the Australian Out of Home Care system. An important strategy to ensure Aboriginal children experience trauma informed care that is culturally situated is to have access to Aboriginal practitioners. The experiences of Aboriginal practitioners working in Aboriginal Out of Home Care have not been explored thoroughly. Participants and settingThis community led research was undertaken on Dharawal Country on the South Coast of the Illawarra region, Australia with an Out of Home Care program managed by an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. The study included Aboriginal (n = 50) and non-Aboriginal (n = 3) participants connected through employment or community membership to the organisation. ObjectiveWe aimed to explore the wellbeing needs of Aboriginal practitioners working with Aboriginal children in Aboriginal Out of Home Care. MethodsThis co-designed qualitative research project used yarning sessions (individual and group), co-analysis with co-researchers, document analysis and reflexive writing. FindingsAboriginal practitioners are required to bring their cultural expertise to their work and with this, there is an expectation of cultural leadership and the fulfilling of cultural responsibilities. These elements bring with them emotional labour that must be acknowledged and accounted for in working in the Out of Home Care sector. ConclusionThe findings point to the importance of establishing an organisational social and emotional wellbeing framework in recognition of Aboriginal practitioner's specific needs, centring cultural participation as a key wellbeing and trauma informed strategy.

Genetic analysis reveals spatial structure in an expanding introduced rusa deer population

Context Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis), originally introduced in the 1860s, are still spreading in eastern Australia. The expanding peri-urban rusa deer population in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia is having undesirable impacts on human and ecological communities, but the spatial structure of this population has not been investigated. Genetic information on invasive species is potentially useful in identifying management units to mitigate undesirable impacts. Aims The aim of this study was to investigate population structure, characterise dispersal, and determine if natural and human-made landscape features affected gene flow in rusa deer invading the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Methods We used reduced representation sequencing (DArT-Seq) to analyse single nucleotide polymorphisms distributed throughout the genomic DNA of rusa deer culled during a management program. We used admixture and Principal Component Analyses to investigate population structure with respect to natural and human-made landscape features, and we investigated whether our genetic data supported the presence of sex-biased dispersal. Key results Genetic diversity was highest in the north, near the original introduction site. A railway line demarcated restricted gene flow. Surprisingly, the Illawarra escarpment, a prominent landscape feature, did not restrict gene flow. There was no evidence of sex-biased dispersal and seven individuals were identified as genetic outliers. Conclusions The genetic structure of the Illawarra rusa deer population is consistent with individuals spreading south from their introduction site in Royal National Park. The population is not panmictic, and a landscape feature associated with urbanisation was associated with increased spatial genetic structure. Outliers could indicate hybridisation or secondary incursion events. Implications Rusa deer can be expected to continue invading southwards in the Illawarra region, but landscape features associated with urbanisation might reduce dispersal across the landscape. The genetic structuring of the population identified three potential management units on which to prioritise ground shooting operations.

Neoliberal peri-urban economies and the predicament of dairy farmers: a case study of the Illawarra region, New South Wales.

Rural Australia has been experiencing dramatic agricultural restructuring. A major contributor to this in some areas is peri-urban and rural residential developments, and amenity/lifestyle developments, including those associated with the inflow of urban middle-class groups into rural areas. These processes are intertwined with neoliberal trends in agri-food governance, and have complex effects on farming. However, there is a lack of farm-level studies that explore how professional farmers have been interacting and co-existing with urban/suburban development while also undertaking agricultural intensification and innovation. This study aims to examine how residential and amenity/lifestyle developments have unfolded in the Illawarra region, New South Wales, and come to influence and interact with local dairy farmers who are also managing the consequences of industry restructuring particularly from 2000. Based on semi-structured interviews, this study shows that with their proximity to Sydney, Illawarra dairy farms are influenced by deregulated planning systems, large-scale residential development, amenity driven demand for rural land, and the amenity/lifestyle economy. These processes bring farmers commercial opportunities and drive farmers to form new social and economic relationships with land buyers and investors. However, it has been increasingly difficult for farmers to acquire land for farming locally. They are also subjected to the expectations and demands of new landholders, including in relation to farm externalities and animal welfare. Farmers have to transform their production systems to fit into this context. The above factors together generate a form of multifunctional rural space.

The impact of public sector employment on regional economic activity: countering seasonal fluctuations and economic shocks

ABSTRACT This research documents multidimensional facets of public value provided by public sector employment in regional Australia. Evidence and estimates of the contribution and impact of public sector employment to regional labour markets and economic activity are documented for the Illawarra, South Coast and Capital regions of New South Wales, Australia. Using a mixed methods approach, results presented illustrate that public sector employment embodies a significantly larger proportion of total employment and economic activity in most regional labour markets compared to Greater Sydney or Australia in general. Other analyses reveal both counter-seasonal and countercyclical contributions of public sector income and spending to regional economic activity. The main finding of this research is that public sector employment provides a stable foundation to regional economies that are otherwise strongly influenced by seasonal patterns associated with tourism and agriculture. The importance of public sector employment to the regional economies has been amplified in recent crisis periods associated with large scale bushfires and COVID-19.

A Photographic Essay on Landslides Across Southeastern New South Wales Triggered by the Rainfull Events of 2022

Eastern Australia has experienced a significant magnitude rainfall event of extended duration in the first 7 months of 2022. Across the east coast of New South Wales (NSW) a series of troughs and East Coast Lows occurred during a La Nina weather cycle bringing above average rainfall to the region. As this first half of 2022 La Nina event was drawing to a close the Indian Ocean Dipole entered a negative phase which coincided with another intense East Coast Low in early July 2022 impacting the Illawarra region of NSW. These events caused widespread flooding and significant landslide damage to road and rail infrastructure across the state networks and local government infrastructure across NSW. During this extended wet period in the first 7 months of 2022 more than 200 landslides have been recorded across the Illawarra, Southern Highlands and Blue Mountains regions of NSW whilst many more have occurred across the north coast region. This paper presents a brief and albeit preliminary summary of the rainfall and provides a series of photographs with very brief descriptions of some of these landslide events within southeastern NSW. The intent of the paper is to provide early guidance to AGS members of the nature and form of landslides that have occurred across the Illawarra region. This paper does not discuss the dual fatality resulting from the Wentworth Falls area rockfall of the 5th April.

Strengthening assessment and response to mental health needs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents in primary care settings: study protocol for the Ngalaiya Boorai Gabara Budbut implementation project

IntroductionOpportunities for improved mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people lie in improving the capability of primary healthcare services to identify mental healthcare...

Epidemiological study of multiple sclerosis in the Illawarra region.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease that causes significant disabilities. Latest MS epidemiological data in Australia reveal rising prevalence. No epidemiological study of MS has been conducted so far in the Illawarra region. To calculate prevalence and incidence of MS in the Illawarra region and compare with data from other regions, states and the national prevalence. Data of MS patients in the Illawarra region were collected from hospital medical records, ambulatory care units and hospital pharmacy. Prevalence was calculated for alive MS patients on 30 June 2018 expressed per 100 000 population. Yearly adjusted incidence rate was calculated for 10 years (2009-2019), expressed as cases per 100 000 population-years. Estimated MS prevalence in the Illawarra region was 116.6 per 100 000 population with yearly incidence (2009-2019) of 5.06 cases per 100 000 population-years (female to male, 3:1). Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) was the most common type (277/397; 69.7%) with primary progressive MS (PPMS) in 52/397 (13%), and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) in 45/397 (11.3%; unknown in 23). The commonest age at diagnosis ranged between 30 and 39 years for all types with RRMS and PPMS between 30-39 years and 40-49 years respectively. The most common recorded treatment was natalizumab (103 patients), followed by fingolimod (82 patients) and interferon (58 patients). The calculated MS prevalence in the Illawarra region is higher than New South Wales and the Australian average MS prevalence. Further epidemiological studies focussing on MS risk factors and other factors bearing on MS prevalence in the Illawarra region are required.

Knowledge of and attitudes toward assisting patients with dementia during mealtime among nursing staff in acute care settings: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundMealtime difficulties are exacerbated in acute care settings, which further complicate health issues in people with dementia (PWD). Understanding staff knowledge and attitudes is crucial for providing better care for PWD in nursing home settings. However, little is known about the knowledge and attitudes of acute care staff in assisting dementia patients during mealtimes. AimTo explore the knowledge and attitudes of acute care staff in assisting dementia patients during mealtimes. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study between August and December 2020 at three acute care hospitals in Illawarra region, New South Wales, Australia. Surveys were distributed to nursing staff including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and nurse assistants, who worked in geriatric wards. Medical practitioners and casual staff were excluded from the survey. Demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward mealtime assistance of PWD were included in the survey. FindingsA higher level of knowledge in mealtime assistance of PWD was found to be associated with positive attitudes toward mealtime assistance of PWD (r = 0.464, p < 0.001). No differences were found between educational levels and knowledge and attitudes of mealtime assistance for PWD. DiscussionThe need for mealtime assistance training to enhance knowledge of and attitudes toward assisting PWD during mealtimes is highlighted and needs more attention. Future studies could consider including a simulation training program and adopting a mealtime engagement scale to provide training and assess changes in nursing staff knowledge of and attitudes toward mealtime assistance for PWD in acute care settings. ConclusionsThe study findings can inform future research in raising awareness of the need for and developing mealtime assistance training programs for nursing staff in acute care settings.

Incidence of Pseudophakic Cystoid Macular Oedema Post-Cataract Surgery in Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Australia

Background: Post-operatively, cataract surgery is associated with pseudophakic cystoid macular oedema (PCMO) causing vision disturbances. The presence of comorbidities may increase the incidence of PCMO post-cataract surgery. Objective: This observational study aimed to assess the incidence of PCMO in Australia (Illawarra region) and identify risk factors for developing PCMO. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on data from patients who underwent uncomplicated phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation between 1st March and June 30, 2016. Demographics, comorbidities, central subfield thickness (CST), visual acuity, and intraocular pressure (IOP) were collected preoperatively, day 1, and weeks 2, 4, and 6 post-operatively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.27.0 and GraphPad Prism v.9.0. The median and 95% confidence intervals were used to describe data. Logistic regression and χ² tests were used to describe the associations. We followed the Declaration of Helsinki guidelines. Results: Fifty right and 35 left cataract eyes were operated on (58.8% were females; average age 72.8 ± 8.146 years). Total PCMO incidence was 10.6%, and true PCMO incidence (removing PCMO risk factors) was 4.2% at week 6 post-operatively. CST was slightly increased between pre- and post-cataract surgery at week 4 (p = 0.002) and week 6 (p < 0.0001; median = 259 μm, 264 μm, and 263 μm, respectively). IOP was found to be decreased (p < 0.0001) compared to day 1 (median = 17 mm Hg) and week 6 (median = 13 mm Hg). The probability of developing PCMO (odds ratio [OR] = 3) and vitreomacular traction (OR = 2.9) was higher in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients and in patients >65 years old (OR = 1.5). Conclusion: The true incidence of PCMO was found to be the greatest at 2–4 weeks post-operatively. Patients with diabetes or advanced age (>65 years) are at an elevated risk of developing PCMO after cataract surgery. The treatment regimens for the comorbid populations, especially diabetic patients, remain limited, and future efforts should target pharmaceutical management for these groups.

Lost but Not Forgotten: Identifying Unmapped and Unlisted Environmental Hazards including Abandoned Mines

Environmental databases play an essential role in the management of land and communities, including mapping and monitoring environmental hazards over time (i.e., abandoned mines). Over the last century, mines have closed for many reasons, but there has been no comprehensive database of the locations of closed and abandoned mine sites kept for many regions of the world. As such, the locations of many mines have been lost from public knowledge, with no way for managers to assess the risks of land and water contamination, as well as subsidence. To address this knowledge gap, we present an integrated framework for identifying abandoned mine sites using a combination of satellite imagery, historical records, geographic evidence, and local knowledge. We tested this framework within the Newcastle, Illawarra, and Lithgow regions of NSW, Australia. We identified 61 abandoned coal mines which are currently unaccounted for in mine registries, with 56% of all mines in the Newcastle region being unmarked (N = 32), 36% in the Illawarra region (N = 22), and 20% in the Lithgow region (N = 7). These findings demonstrate that our framework has promising utility in identifying historic and unmarked environmental hazards in both national and international contexts.

The barriers and enablers to implementing the New South Wales Healthy School Canteen Strategy in secondary schools in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions – A qualitative study

In 2017, the New South Wales Healthy School Canteen Strategy (Strategy) was introduced into primary and secondary schools. Studies have reported that secondary schools have a lower level of compliance with healthy canteen policies compared with primary schools. This study aims to identify and describe the barriers and enablers to implementing the Strategy in Department of Education (DoE) secondary schools in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions. The framework underpinning the study was the systems theory. Canteen managers (CM) and principals from the 21 DoE secondary schools in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were structured around the five focus areas of the Strategy, including questions on school nutrition policies and the role of the canteen. Data were collated using the interview guides as a framework and qualitative content analysis, using manual coding, was undertaken. Eight (38%) schools participated with seven CMs and six principals interviewed. Barriers to implementing the Strategy included the changing role of the canteen, the increased demands placed on CMs and inconsistencies between the school food environment and the Strategy. Enablers included monitoring implementation, and internal and external support. This study also recognised that previously identified barriers to healthy canteen strategy implementation are ongoing. The school canteen is an integral part of the school environment and therefore needs whole-of-school support if successful implementation of the Strategy is to occur. Addressing the barriers and promoting the enablers identified in this study will support better nutrition policy implementation in secondary schools.

Protecting Australia's soft underbelly: defending the Illawarra 1939–1944

Looming war with Germany and Japan led Australia frantically to prepare its home defences. The industrial Illawarra region, in the south of New South Wales, represented a target of national significance that was ill prepared to resist an Axis attack. This article considers why Australia’s government was so fearful of an attack in this location, and how it responded to the threat. It links to the emerging scholarship on Australia’s home defences, shining new light onto this currently neglected part of the wartime narrative.

A Cross-Sectional Audit of Nutrition and Health Claims on Dairy Yoghurts in Supermarkets of the Illawarra Region of New South Wales, Australia.

Health and nutrition claims are used by consumers to guide purchasing decisions. In consequence, monitoring and evaluation of such claims to ensure they are accurate and transparent is required. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of nutrition and health claims on dairy-yoghurt products within select Australian supermarkets and assess their compliance with the revised Food Standards Code (FSC). Nutrition, health, and related claims on yoghurt products were assessed in a cross-sectional audit of five supermarkets in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Claim prevalence, type, and compliance were assessed and products were compared against current rating measures. A total of n = 340 dairy yoghurt products were identified. Most products (97.9%) carried at least one nutrition and/or health claim, with nutrition-content claims (93.9%) the most prevalent. Most products (n = 277) met the nutrient profiling scoring criterion; while 87.9% of products did not carry the health star rating. Almost all claims surveyed (97.4%) were compliant with the FSC. Health and nutrition claims are highly prevalent across yoghurt categories, with the majority of these compliant with regulations. The ambiguity surrounding the wording and context of claims challenges researchers to investigate consumers’ interpretations of health messaging within the food environment.

Population Genetics of the Invasive Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, in South-Eastern Australia.

The use of genetic information in conservation biology has become more widespread with genetic information more readily available for non-model organisms. It has also been recognized that genetic information from invasive species can inform their management and control. The red fox poses a significant threat to Australian native fauna and the agricultural industry. Despite this, there are few recently published studies investigating the population genetics of foxes in Australia. This study investigated the population genetics of 94 foxes across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of New South Wales, Australia. Diversity Array sequencing technology was used to genotype a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (N = 33,375). Moderate genetic diversity and relatedness were observed across the foxes sampled. Low to moderate levels of inbreeding, high-levels of identity-by-state values, as well as high identity-by-descent values were also found. There was limited evidence for population genetic structure among the foxes across the landscape sampled, supporting the presence of a single population across the study area. This indicates that there may be no barriers hindering fox dispersal across the landscape.

The Family Farming Culture of Dairy Farmers: A Case‐Study of the Illawarra Region, New South Wales

AbstractSince the 1980s, many parts of rural Australia have experienced persistent financial difficulties. However, there is a lack of account on how farmers have improved business performance while maintaining traditional farming culture. By focusing on dairy farmers in the Illawarra region in New South Wales, Australia, this study examines the evolution of family farming culture under global agricultural change. Dairy farming dominates Illawarra agriculture, and has been constantly pressured by neoliberal policy reform and adverse market conditions. This study draws on public data, semi‐structured interviews, and participant observation. In recent decades, dairy farming has shown a trend of declining farm numbers. A long‐standing culture of family farming has existed in the Illawarra and continues to shape farmers’ lifestyle and business. Farmer interviewees shared this culture, and continued farming partly for non‐economic reasons. However, under economic pressures farmers both compromised some elements of this traditional farming culture, and drew on the strategic value of other elements.