Scheme In Australia Research Articles

Competency based advanced training in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry: a NSW prototype

This paper describes a competency based advanced training year in adult Intellectual Disability Psychiatry enabled through a partnership between disability and mental health sectors. This training experience could be viewed as a prototype for further specialised training schemes in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry, and has relevance for the implementation of competency based psychiatric training schemes in Australia. The need for a specific training curriculum in Intellectual Disability Psychiatry is outlined with reference to epidemiological evidence and human rights. The formulation of the training programme and the training experience itself is described and evaluated. Conclusions on the implications of this experience for the future competency based training schemes are drawn. Building a skilled workforce is necessary to address the significant inequalities in mental health experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A significant initial step for this would be the development of a specialised training curriculum. Service provision for this population is scattered across many disciplines and organisations with historically little mutual cooperation. Additionally, proposed competency-based training schemes stipulate that a medical expert develops a wide skill set across multiple domains. Thus, formal cross sector collaboration is fundamental for any competency based training scheme to be feasible.

Mental health nurses in primary care: quantitative outcomes of the Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program

The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) is a funding scheme in Australia that enables mental health nurses to work in primary care settings with people with complex mental health problems for as long as necessary. This study examined the outcomes of the programme as reported by nurses. Nurses provided profiles of 64 people with whom they worked, including measures of symptoms and problems on admission to the programme and at a second point in time. The findings showed that people had high levels of symptom severity and distress on admission, and they experienced significant improvements in all problem areas except physical health over their time working with the nurse. The MHNIP appears to be addressing the needs of people with highly complex needs, but more sensitive measures of outcome ought to be routinely collected. The Mental Health Nurse Incentive Program (MHNIP) provides a funding mechanism for credentialed mental health nurses to work in primary care settings in Australia with people with complex and serious psychosocial and mental health problems. This project explored the extent to which the programme contributed to positive outcomes. Sixty-four service user profiles were provided by nurses working within the programme, including the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS), on admission and at the last review point. Mean total HoNOS scores on admission were higher than those typically seen on admission to inpatient care in Australia. Significant reductions in all problem areas except physical health problems were found at the last review point for this sample. These findings support the viewpoint that MHNIP is addressing the needs of people with the most complex needs in primary care and is achieving clinically significant outcomes.

Domain‐based perceptions of risk: a case study of lay and technical community attitudes toward managed aquifer recharge

AbstractDespite growing water scarcity, communities in many parts of the developed world often reject technically and economically sound options for water augmentation. This paper reports findings from a study investigating risk perceptions associated with a proposed managed aquifer recharge scheme in Australia. Q Methodology was used to compare decision‐making frameworks of lay community and “technical expert” participants. Technical expert participants were also asked to approximate the decision‐making framework of a “typical” community member. The emerging contrasts between lay community frameworks and those approximated by technical experts suggest that there are prevailing yet errant assumptions about lay community attitudes toward new technologies. The findings challenge the characterization of the lay community and technical experts as being in entrenched opposition with one another.

Intestacy Law In Australia, England and Singapore - Another Aid to Social Sustainability in an Ageing Population?

Intestacy law is an important area of property and succession law because some people do not make valid wills. The values and expectations of a society will generally influence the framing of intestacy rules. The intestacy schemes presently operating in Australia, England and Singapore are no exception. This article describes how the law in each of these jurisdictions has changed since the 19th century. It compares and contrasts the major elements of the intestacy schemes in Australia, England and Singapore. It is argued that in Australia and England an important priority is the protection of the economic well-being of the surviving spouse (broadly defined). In recent decades, law reformers in both jurisdictions have articulated an emerging priority for intestacy law: the enhancement of the economic well-being of the aged surviving spouse. Singapore’s statutory intestacy regime has remained stable since its implementation in 1967. It evidences the concern that not only the spouse, but also that in certain circumstances, lineal descendants and ascendants ought to inherit from the intestate. Therefore, the concept of immediate family not only includes the spouse, but the issue and parents of the intestate.

Emissions Mitigation Schemes in Australia—The Past, Present and Future

Australia was one of the first countries in the world to adopt mandatory emissions trading schemes as part of its emissions mitigation program. To date there have been six states and one federal emissions mitigation schemes. Some state schemes operate in conjunction with other states or the federal scheme and some operate independently. This complex set of regulations and requirements for emitters has led to a deficiency in nationwide coverage with no firm target set for Australia. In July 2011 the Federal Labor Government released details of a carbon tax proposal which was passed by the two houses of Parliament by the end of 2011 and was introduced in July 2012. The Government states that an emissions trading scheme will be introduced in 2015 with a possible link to the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). This paper provides a critical overview of Australian responses to climate change, with a particular emphasis on the numerous emissions mitigation schemes.

Mental health issues decrease diabetes-specific quality of life independent of glycaemic control and complications: findings from Australia’s living with diabetes cohort study

BackgroundWhile factors associated with health-related quality of life for people with chronic diseases including diabetes are well researched, far fewer studies have investigated measures of disease-specific quality of life. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of complications and comorbidities on diabetes-specific quality of life in a large population-based cohort of type 2 diabetic patients.MethodsThe Living with Diabetes Study recruited participants from the National Diabetes Services Scheme in Australia. Data were collected via a mailed self-report questionnaire. Diabetes-specific quality of life was measured using the Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL) questionnaire. The analyses are for 3609 patients with type 2 diabetes. Regression models with adjustment for control variables investigated the association of complications and comorbidities with diabetes-specific quality of life. Next, the most parsimonious model for diabetes-specific quality of life after controlling for important covariates was examined.ResultsThe expected associations with better diabetes-specific quality of life were evident, such as increased income, not on insulin, better glycaemic control and older age. However, being single and having been diagnosed with cancer were also associated with better ADDQoL. Additionally, poorer diabetes-specific quality of life was strongly sensitive to the presence of diabetes complications and mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. These relationships persisted after adjustment for gender, age, duration of diabetes, treatment regimen, sampling region and other treatment and socio-demographic variables.ConclusionsA greater appreciation of the complexities of diabetes-specific quality of life can help tailor disease management and self-care messages given to patients. Attention to mental health issues may be as important as focusing on glycaemic control and complications. Therefore clinicians’ ability to identify and mange mental health issues and/or refer patients is critical to improving patients’ diabetes-specific quality of life.

The implications of carbon pricing in Australia: An industrial logistics planning case study

This article investigates the cost implications and carbon reduction potentials of the carbon-pricing scheme in Australia. A non-linear optimization model is developed representing the trade-off between transportation costs and the costs of carbon emission and fuel consumption. The latter are expressed as functions of vehicle traveling speed and road roughness. Piecewise functions and tangent plane approximation are adopted to linearize the developed model for implementation in CPLEX. Empirical findings from model implementation in an actual case study suggest that the current carbon-pricing scheme in Australia may only make a minor increase in the overall logistics costs that may be inadequate to drive a significant shift in transport behaviors.

Issues Affecting Community Attitudes and Intended Behaviours in Stormwater Reuse: A Case Study of Salisbury, South Australia

Stormwater has been recognised as one of the additional/alternative sources of water to augment freshwater supply and address the growing needs of humankind. South Australia has been a leader in the development of large-scale urban stormwater harvesting schemes in Australia for nearly 50 years and the Salisbury Local Government Area (LGA), in particular, is at the forefront of urban stormwater management and recycling, not only in the state of South Australia, but worldwide. This is mainly due to its pioneering achievements in stormwater capture and treatment through the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) process. However, there are many challenges in implementing water reuse strategies and past studies have identified public health concerns and public acceptance as major challenges. In line with this, our team conducted an internet survey to gauge the attitude and intentions of Salisbury LGA residents to use stormwater treated through the MAR process for non-potable uses. We found that respondents’ emotions and perceptions of health risk, regarding the use of treated stormwater, were closely related to the proximity of the end use to human contact. In terms of quality indicators, colour, odour, and salt levels were all seen as being important. Quality preferences were also closely related to the proximity of the end use to human contact, and reflected the use of water for indoor/outdoor purposes.

The Potential Effects of Mandatory Portfolio Holdings Disclosure in Australia and New Zealand

This research supports the case for introducing mandatory portfolio holdings disclosure regimes in Australia and New Zealand. Of the 22 nations (constituents of the MSCI World Index) surveyed in the 2011 Morningstar Global Investors Report, these are the only two countries that do not require disclosure. Even without compulsory disclosure, some funds do choose to disclose. We examine the potential effects of mandated holdings disclosure on mutual fund returns by using the voluntary holdings disclosures as a proxy for mandatory disclosure. We find that low-ranked (on abnormal returns) New Zealand funds following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), and Australian low-rank funds both before and after the Crisis, would have improved performance with mandatory disclosure. In contrast, returns would drop for Australian high-rank funds. This suggests that disclosure may be costly for high-rank funds due to front-running, while it provides benefits for low-rank funds due to the enhanced monitoring abilities of investors. We also examine whether investors care about disclosure, by measuring fund flows. We find evidence that following the GFC, the importance of transparency has increased for investors in high-rank New Zealand funds, while investors in Australian funds show no preference for disclosure after the Crisis. On balance, we believe the introduction of mandatory disclosure schemes in Australia and New Zealand would represent a significant advance for the industry and bring benefits to investors.

Changing of the water recycling paradigm in Australia

The development of water recycling schemes in Australia has, in recent years, undergone a maturity characterised by some emerging trends in the paradigm of water reuse and its integration into the overall water supply strategies for large urban and peri-urban areas. This paper looks at case studies within the context of these observed trends and discusses the institutional frameworks as well as some technical aspects of the case studies to illustrate the trends. Comparison is made with some selected international examples to develop a better understanding of these recent Australian developments within the international context. While not a complete inventory of the many recent recycling schemes in Australia, the paper examines these emerging trends within the context of the growing number of larger-scale industrial, agricultural and dual reticulation urban recycled water systems in Australia and the trend to decentralised recycling schemes.

Responses to Risk – The Role of Policy and Compensation Schemes Les réponses au risque – Le rôle des politiques et des systèmes d’indemnisation Reaktionen auf das Risiko – die Rolle von Politik und Entschädigungsprogrammen

summaryResponses to Risk – The Role of Policy and Compensation SchemesLivestock diseases can spread quickly and cause very high losses, which has prompted public policy response, including the use of compensation. There is no generic and optimal system of compensation, but the scope and modalities of these policies and the implications for public expenditure and private incentives deserve public, economic and scientific scrutiny. The rationale for government intervention is to internalise the externalities of prevention and control activities. But ‘more is not always better’ and the types of measures employed and the total cost, matter. This article provides some insights from five countries based on a recent OECD report. Compensation schemes can be purely public, such as in Canada, or based on a private–public scheme with some formal representation of the industry to facilitate the engagement of the sector. The costs covered by the compensation schemes included the full market value of destroyed animals in most countries. Cost‐sharing arrangements are an important component of compensation schemes in Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. Expenditure on compensation can be extremely onerous and needs to be disciplined, while at the same time, engaging stakeholders. International comparisons of experiences and knowledge about the costs and benefits of past outbreaks can be very helpful in designing more efficient policy responses.

The Politics of Entitlement and Personalisation: Perspectives on a Proposed National Disability Long-term Care and Support Scheme in Australia

Internationally, over the past two decades the theme of personalisation has driven significant reforms within health and social care services. In the Australian context, the principles of ‘entitlement based on need’ and ‘personalisation’ frame the proposed National Disability Long-Term Care and Support Scheme (LTCSS). In this article, we critically examine the interpretations and ambiguities of need and personalisation. We consider the administrative complexities of applying these principles in practice and the uncertainties about the roles of state and the market, and use individual case examples to illustrate areas of potential tension. Whether principles translate to deliver personalised services and avoid harmful trade-offs between access, equity and choice is the true test of social policy.

Stimulating Innovation through Government Investment in Venture Funds

Innovation and R&D are important to economic growth. One argued way to encourage innovation is through government support for venture funds. This might be especially important in countries that lack a developed venture capital (VC) sector. However, some papers have suggested that this government backing might ‘crowd out’ purely private sector funds and might undermine innovation creation. Thus, I examine the use of a scheme in Australia (the Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) scheme). I focus on Australia because unlike many low innovation countries, it has strong legal foundations, enabling a cleaner look at the impact of government backing. I argue that Australia’s scheme is well structured. I then show that while Australia has relatively low levels of VC and innovation compared with other countries, Australia’s VC activity scaled by GDP has increased following the inception of the IIF scheme, particularly increasing after 2001. The policy implication is that properly structured government support for VC funds can stimulate innovation and VC activity.

Stimulating Venture Activity Through Government Investment in Venture Funds

Innovation and R&D are important to economic growth. One argued way to encourage innovation is through government support for venture funds. This might be especially important in countries that lack a developed venture capital (VC) sector. However, some papers have suggested that this government backing might ‘crowd out’ purely private sector funds and might undermine innovation creation. Thus, I examine the use of a scheme in Australia (the Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) scheme). I focus on Australia because unlike many low innovation countries, it has strong legal foundations, enabling a cleaner look at the impact of government backing. I argue that Australia’s scheme is well structured. I then show that while Australia has relatively low levels of VC and innovation compared with other countries, its VC activity scaled by GDP has grown following the inception of the IIF scheme, particularly increasing after 2001. The policy implication is that properly structured government support for VC funds can stimulate innovation and VC activity.

Rationales for Additional Climate Policy Instruments under a Carbon Price

AbstractThe plan to introduce a carbon pricing scheme in Australia has focused attention on the future relevance and necessity of using other policy instruments to reduce carbon emissions. Significant reports, including the Wilkins Review and reports by the Productivity Commission, have argued using the standard neoclassical economics framework that once a carbon price is established, it should be (almost) the only instrument needed to tackle climate change mitigation in Australia. With a small number of exceptions for complementary instruments to address some market failures, the use of other climate policy instruments, it is argued, will result only in unnecessary duplication and potential distortions. The aim of this article is to show that there are, in fact, a significant number of rationales for implementing several climate policy instruments in combination with a carbon price, and we should not be too quick to dismiss certain climate policy instrument combinations.

First Home Buyers’ Support Schemes in Australia

Government policy to encourage home ownership has a long history in Australia. In 1918, for example, the War Service Homes Act made provision for 45 year loans to ex‐service personnel to facilitate home purchase. Since then, home ownership has been encouraged by a variety of measures. A short and incomplete list includes the non‐taxation of imputed rent on owner‐occupied houses, exemption from capital gains tax, provision of incentives to financial institutions to finance construction of owner‐occupied homes, employer‐provided incentives for home ownership as part of salary packages, and schemes directed towards disadvantaged socio‐economic groups.

Framework for Enhancing the Supply-Demand Balance of a Tri-Supply Urban Water Scheme in Australia

Fit-for-purpose potable source substitution of appropriate water end uses with rainwater or recycled water is often essential to maintain water security in growing urban regions. This paper provides the results of a detailed supply-demand forecasting review of a unique tri-supply (i.e., potable, A+ recycled and rain water sources reticulated to household) urban water scheme located in Queensland, Australia. Despite the numerous benefits of this scheme, system efficiency (e.g., reduced demand levels, water treatment, low chemical and energy use) and economic viability (i.e., capital and operating costs per kL of supply) aspects need to be considered against derived potable water savings. The review underpinned the design of a framework to enhance the schemes supply-demand balance and reduce the unit cost of alternative source supplies. Detailed scenario and sensitivity analysis identified the possibility of a refined scheme design, whereby the A+ recycled water supply would be reticulated to the cold water input tap to the washing machine, and the rain tank that originally supplied this end use be removed from future constructed households. The refined scheme design enhances the present recycled plant utilisation rate and reduces the cost to home owners when building their dwelling due to the removed requirement to install a rain tank to indoor end uses; such actions reduce the overall unit cost of the scheme.

Proposal for a “Dual Scheme” model of statutory adjudication for the Australian building and construction industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline a proposal for a Dual Scheme model of statutory adjudication for the Australian building and construction industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper deals with the security of payment problem in the Australian construction industry and the legislative response to that problem in New South Wales and elsewhere more generally. The paper highlights deficiencies in current adjudication schemes in Australia and proposes a revised methodology of adjudication by means of the proposed Dual Scheme model. The Dual Scheme is explained in detail and examples are given showing how the Dual Scheme would work in practice.FindingsThe Dual Scheme of adjudication allows for adjudication of “progress claims” (just as they are adjudicated now under the “Defined Scheme”), but also provides for separately adjudicated “money claims” in a similar way to that done under the “Non‐specific Scheme”. Both parties to a construction contract can take advantage of adjudication under a Non‐specific Scheme whilst simultaneously maintaining the relative time and cost benefits of the Defined Scheme in dealing with progress payment claims. Implementation of the proposed Dual Scheme would require new legislation.Originality/valueThe Dual Scheme is not a proposal to merely amalgamate two existing models of adjudication in Australia. Rather, it is a Dual Scheme incorporating the philosophy of two disparate systems of adjudication framed in a companionable form. It is hoped that the Dual Scheme may act as a common starting point for eventual agreement between the various interested groups as to what a national scheme of statutory adjudication in Australia will resemble in the future. The Dual Scheme proposal may be of interest in other jurisdictions where statutory adjudication for the construction industry has been introduced or is being contemplated.

Mandatory continuing professional education: What is the prognosis?

Each year registered nurses apply for registration renewal The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia stipulate all nurses and midwives are expected to take responsibility and accountability for participating in continuing professional development (CPD) as a declaration that their practice is current, safe and competent. The code of professional conduct and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) competencies governing registered nurses and midwives, outline the professional and personal responsibility nurses hold in order to maintain clinical competence; which may be achieved through continuing nurse education and professional development. As the health care industry shifts focus to keep up with changes in technology, economics, demographics and culture, the nursing profession must respond accordingly. With the implementation of a national registration scheme in Australia, this paper provides a review of the literature relating to mandatory CPD and how CPD may assist nurses to respond to the changing needs of the health care system and its consumers, to ensure the best possible health outcomes. Suggestions of possible avenues of research into the concept of CPD are also offered.

Household perceptions of climate change and preferences for mitigation action: the case of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in Australia

The study aims to reveal Australian households’ perceptions of climate change and their preferences for mitigation action. A web-based survey was conducted in November 2008 in which over 600 households from the state of New South Wales were asked for their willingness to bear extra household expenditure to support the ‘Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme’, an emissions trading scheme proposed by the Australian government. The results of the study can be summarized in four key findings. First, respondents’ willingness to pay for climate change mitigation is significantly influenced by their beliefs of future temperature rise. Support for the policy increased at a decreasing rate as the perceived temperature change rose. Second, perceptions of policy failure have a significant negative impact on respondents’ support for the proposed mitigation measure. The higher the perceived likelihood that the measure would not deliver any outcome, the lower was the likelihood that respondents would support the policy. Third, respondent preferences for the proposed policy are influenced by the possibility of reaching a global agreement on emissions reduction. Sample respondents stated significantly higher values for the policy when the biggest polluting countries implement a similar scheme. Finally, respondents’ willingness to take action against climate change, both at the national and household level, is found to be influenced by their level of mass-media exposure. Particularly, those respondents who watched ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ were significantly more likely to act for climate change mitigation than others.