South Australian Government Research Articles

Making the most of a captive audience: Do specialist teams in custodial settings offer a way to assist people to access the NDIS?

AbstractWhile the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been operating in Australia for 10 years, numerous eligible people with disability have not accessed the scheme, many of whom are in prison. The South Australian Government, in partnership with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), implemented a pilot programme to assist people in prison to access the NDIS as having NDIS supports on release may reduce the risk of returning to custody. This qualitative study, drawing on interviews with 20 stakeholders, explores the enablers and barriers of assisting people with disability in prison access the NDIS. Our findings show that while custodial settings provide opportunities to assist people with disability to have their eligibility for the NDIS assessed, prisons are difficult settings in which to undertake subsequent assessment and planning processes to determine the supports available on release. People with disability exiting prison also face significant challenges accessing suitable accommodation and support services, particularly when their needs are complex. Further work is required to ensure planning and assessment processes meet the needs of this group. The findings provide useful insights to both justice and other institutional settings and respond to many of the questions raised by recent public inquiries and reviews.

Evaluation of the 'A walk can work wonders' mass media campaign in South Australia.

Few population-wide efforts have targeted physical activity in Australia. Mass media campaigns are used to promote physical activity and walking, and World Health Organisation recommends their linkage to broader cross-government initiatives. This project evaluates a South Australian (SA) walking mass media campaign linked to the overall SA Walking Strategy. Between January and June 2022, Wellbeing SA (a SA government agency) conducted two waves of a mass media campaign, 'A walk can work wonders', to promote walking. The campaign was part of the SA Walking Strategy, targeting the goal to change the 'community culture towards recognising walking' as convenient, affordable and health-promoting. Evaluation was formative (pre-campaign), process (campaign implementation and delivery) and impact. Formative evaluation comprised concept and tagline testing with adult SAs to develop the campaign messages and theme. Process evaluation was comprised of media monitoring of social media, mainstream media and other media monitoring metrics. The process evaluation was dominated by social media marketing in Wave 1, with substantially more paid TV media and radio in Wave 2. The impact evaluation comprised two independent sample surveys of adult SAs (n = 800 each) following each wave of the campaign. Measures included generic and prompted campaign recall and attitudes to physical activity. An independent South Australian Population Health Survey (SAPHS) tracked walking and physical activity behaviours from 2021 to the end of 2022. Process evaluation showed intensive social media usage in Wave 1, and through increased paid television and radio in Wave 2. Generic recall of any walking message (23.9%) and prompted recall of the specific campaign message (27.8%) reached most socio-demographic groups, especially those with chronic health problems. Increases in intention to increase activity and increased self-reported activity were seen between the campaign Wave 1 and Wave 2 notable as the Wave 2 increase followed substantial television advertising. The SAPHS data showed increased population walking following the campaign waves, compared to the same period in 2021. Detailed and structured evaluation of a comprehensive mass media campaign showed good reach, and population changes in intentions and walking behaviour amongst SAs. SO WHAT?: It is likely that comprehensive approaches are needed to support mass media campaigns and amplify their effects. Serial, sustained campaigns are needed to monitor ongoing effects.

The missing economies of density and south Australian local government efficiency

ABSTRACT Sound theoretical grounds exist to assume that economies of density will have pervasive effects on municipal service provision. However, to date the available empirical literature offers inconsistent and confusing findings on the potential impact of density. Moreover, the extant empirical evidence of substantial density economies is unconvincing. This paper investigates this apparent contradiction by addressing (a) significant non-monotonicity in density economies, (b) confusion over density economies through its disparate impact on various municipal activities and (c) underlying differences in how density affects different types of local council. These questions are investigated employing multiple regression analysis using a panel data set covering all 68 South Australian local authorities over the seven-year period from 2014 to 2020. We find evidence of economies of density across the entire data set. We infer that the measurement of population density imposes constraints on identifying density economies and the empirical methodology employed.

Is it time to increase the cost of tobacco licences after 10 years of stagnation?

ObjectiveReducing tobacco licences is one potential lever to reduce tobacco-related harms. A 15-fold increase in annual tobacco retailer licence fees in 2007 led to a 24% decline in the number of licences in 2009. This study investigates the changes in tobacco licences over a subsequent decade in the absence of real fee increases. MethodsThe South Australian (SA) government tobacco licencing system databases for 2009 and 2020 were audited, measuring changes in the number and distribution of tobacco and vending machine licences by outlet type, disadvantage, and remoteness. ResultsThe number of tobacco licences declined by 33.1% overall. Large reductions were observed in food service venues (65.2%) and hotel/motels (37.2%). In 2020, most licences were in service stations (25.1%), hotel/motels (22.9%), and supermarkets (22.2%). Despite proportional reductions across all disadvantage quintiles, the most disadvantaged areas continued to have the largest number of tobacco licensees. Vending machines declined by 63.6% and remained concentrated in hotels/motels (91.4%). ConclusionsSince a 15-fold licence fee increase in 2007 effectively reduced tobacco retailers from 2007-2009, the decline since has been incremental. Implications for public healthIncreasing tobacco licence fees is a straightforward and effective measure to reduce tobacco availability and should be re-prioritised.

Leading the Circular Future: South Australia’s Potential Influence on Circular Economy Development in Asia-Pacific Region

Circular economy is among the most influential concepts relating to the realization of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Advocates of the circular economy promote its potential to achieve a decoupling of growth from material consumption. Academic critiques describe the circular economy concept as poorly defined and insufficiently concerned with other problems associated with consumerism, globalization, and inequality. South Australia has built a reputation as a first mover in waste management regulations and has recently positioned itself as a leader in the transition to the circular economy. However, the Asia-Pacific region contains a wide variety of socioeconomic, geographic, and climatic conditions that impact waste generation, resource recovery, and circular economy potentials. There are questions about the appropriateness of transferring waste strategy and technologies to different settings. Therefore, this paper explores the basis of South Australia’s leadership credentials and discusses its potential influence over the region. This research is based on an analysis of policy documents produced by the South Australian Government. This study found that while multiple South Australian policy documents highlight a desire to lead in circular economy transition, South Australia’s leadership reputation had been built prior to its adoption of circular economy ideology. The South Australian Waste Strategy 2020–2025 projects a vision of circular futures aligned to circular modernism and planned circularity. The paper concludes that any transfer of waste strategy should occur with sensitivity to existing waste management systems including the informal sector. Asia-Pacific countries, including Australia, should consider decentralized, low-tech circular economy projects to help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Trends in Well-Being Among Youth in Australia, 2017-2022

Little is known about temporal trends in children's well-being and how the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the well-being of young Australians. Certain demographic groups may be more vulnerable to experiencing declines in well-being. To examine well-being trends over 6 consecutive years among South Australian students and explore the influence of sociodemographic characteristics. Longitudinal analyses of annual (2017 to 2022) cross-sectional data of students in grades 4 through 9 (n = 40 392 to 56 897 per year) attending South Australian government schools from the Well-being and Engagement Collection (WEC) census. Calendar year (2017-2022) and sociodemographic characteristics (sex, school grade, parental education, language spoken at home, residential region) from school enrollment records. Students self-reported life satisfaction, optimism, happiness, cognitive engagement, emotional regulation, perseverance, worry, and sadness. Over 6 years (2017 to 2022), a total of 119 033 students (mean [SD] age, 12.1 y; 51.4% male) participated in this study. Most well-being measures declined over time, with consistent worsening of well-being from 2020 onward. For example, compared with 2017, sadness was 0.26 (95% CI, 0.25-0.27) points higher in 2020 (standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.27) and remained elevated by more than 0.26 points (SMD, 0.27) in 2021 and 2022. At almost every time point, greatest well-being was reported by students of male sex (except cognitive engagement and perseverance), in earlier school grades, with highest parental education, speaking a language other than English at home, and residing in outer regional and remote settings (for satisfaction, optimism, and emotional regulation). Sociodemographic differences in well-being were generally consistent over time; however, sex differences widened from 2020 for all indicators except cognitive engagement and perseverance. For example, between 2017 and 2022, sadness increased by 0.27 (95% CI, 0.25-0.29) more points among females than males (SMD, 0.28). In this longitudinal analysis of annual census data, there were downward trends in students' well-being, especially since 2020. The largest sociodemographic disparities were observed for students of female sex, those in later school grades, and those with lowest parental education. Urgent and equitable support for the well-being of all young people, particularly those facing disparity, is imperative.

Climate Change and Health: Challenges to the Local Government Environmental Health Workforce in South Australia.

Climate change is the most urgent and significant public health risk facing the globe. In Australia, it has been identified that Environmental Health Officers/Practitioners (EHOs/EHPs, hereafter EHOs) are a currently underutilized source of knowledge and skills that can contribute to climate change adaptation planning at the local government level. The ability of local government EHOs to utilize their local knowledge and skills in human health risk assessment during a public health emergency was demonstrated through their role in the response to COVID-19. This study used a survey and follow up interviews to examine the roles and responsibilities of EHOs during the COVID-19 pandemic and used the results to examine the potential of the workforce to tackle climate change and health related issues. What worked well, what regulatory tools were helpful, how interagency collaboration worked and what barriers or hindering factors existed were also explored. A workforce review of EHOs in South Australia was also undertaken to identify current and future challenges facing EHOs and their capacity to assist in climate change preparedness. The findings demonstrated that the workforce was used in the response to COVID-19 for varying roles by councils, including in education and communication (both internally and externally) as well as monitoring and reporting compliance with directions. Notably, half the workforce believed they could have been better utilized, and the other half thought they were well utilized. The South Australian Local Government Functional Support Group (LGFSG) was praised by the workforce for a successful approach in coordinating multiagency responses and communicating directions in a timely fashion. These lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic should be incorporated into climate change adaptation planning. To ensure consistent messaging and a consolidated information repository, a centralized group should be used to coordinate local government climate change adaptation plans in relation to environmental health and be included in all future emergency management response plans. The surveyed EHOs identified environmental health issues associated with climate change as the most significant future challenge; however, concerningly, participants believe that a lack of adequate resourcing, leading to workforce shortages, increasing workloads and a lack of support, is negatively impacting the workforce's preparedness to deal with these emerging issues. It was suggested that the misperception of environmental health and a failure to recognize its value has resulted in a unique dilemma where EHOs and their councils find themselves caught between managing current workload demands and issues, and endeavouring to prepare, as a priority, for emerging environmental health issues associated with climate change and insufficient resources.

How have South Australian urban planning policies affected Blakeview’s surface temperatures?

ABSTRACT The South Australian Government is creating plans, policies, and strategies (PPS) that are preferencing infill development. While there are benefits to infill development, if scientific evidence is not adequately incorporated into these PPS, they can elevate urban temperatures. This study investigated Blakes Crossing, an infill development of Blakeview (South Australia) to identify the extent to which scientific evidence has informed the PPS that guided its urban fabric and their impact on Blakeview’s urban temperature. This was achieved by comparatively analysing the temporal PPS that guided Blakes Crossing’s urban fabric, with primary remote sensing data (using Landsat 8 imagery) that identified and compared Blakes Crossing’s land cover composition and surface temperature against four neighbouring areas. This study found that all tiers of government have applied a reductionist approach when applying science to form their PPS. This has resulted in inadequate cooling policies and principles being incorporated into Blakes Crossing’s urban design, thereby, elevating its surface temperature by as much as 2.67°C when compared to this study’s other analysed areas and consequently, elevating Blakeview’s surface temperature. To ameliorate the disconnect between science and planning, scientific tools such as remote sensing should help guide future PPS to effectively reduce urban temperatures.

A Wellbeing Index for South Australia.

Wellbeing SA, an independent South Australian government agency, developed a Wellbeing Index for South Australia across a 12-month period in 2021-2022 to enable the measurement of wellbeing outcomes for the state. The development of the Index was a methodical process based on two key emphases-evidence-based action and working in partnership. The steps included a scoping of existing wellbeing measurement frameworks and then working with a broad range of partner agencies to define the purpose, scope and structure for the Index and subsequently the content (indicators, their measures and the most robust data available). A Wellbeing Index for South Australia was launched in June 2022 on the Wellbeing SA website. It is structured against domains of physical, mental, social/community, Aboriginal cultural wellbeing and the underpinning determinants of wellbeing. The Index communicates the importance and the breadth of wellbeing outcomes addressed by the various health promotion and policy actors in South Australia and provides a sound basis for monitoring the wellbeing of the community over time. SO WHAT?: Measuring wellbeing is identified by proponents of a Wellbeing Economy as one useful mechanism, alongside legislation, policy and funding, for shaping a broader definition of a successful society. The health promotion community, and their partners, have a role to play in promoting the importance of a broad definition of wellbeing, and in identifying robust and meaningful indicators. This paper offers other jurisdictions insights into the process used, and challenges encountered, in creating the Index.

Global Epidemiology of Vaccine-preventable Bacterial Meningitis.

Global Epidemiology of Vaccine-preventable Bacterial Meningitis.

A Food Relief Charter for South Australia-Towards a Shared Vision for Pathways Out of Food Insecurity.

Chronic food insecurity persists in high-income countries, leading to an entrenched need for food relief. In Australia, food relief services primarily focus on providing food to meet immediate need. To date, there has been few examples of a vision in the sector towards client outcomes and pathways out of food insecurity. In 2016, the South Australian Government commissioned research and community sector engagement to identify potential policy actions to address food insecurity. This article describes the process of developing a co-designed South Australian Food Relief Charter, through policy–research–practice collaboration, and reflects on the role of the Charter as both a policy tool and a declaration of a shared vision. Methods used to develop the Charter, and resulting guiding principles, are discussed. This article reflects on the intentions of the Charter and suggests how its guiding principles may be used to guide collective actions for system improvement. Whilst a Charter alone may be insufficient to create an integrated food relief system that goes beyond the provision of food, it is a useful first step in enabling a culture where the sector can have a unified voice to advocate for the prevention of food insecurity.

Development of an artificial intelligence model for predicting the likelihood of human embryo euploidy based on blastocyst images from multiple imaging systems during IVF.

Development of an artificial intelligence model for predicting the likelihood of human embryo euploidy based on blastocyst images from multiple imaging systems during IVF.

Managing the Grey-headed Flying-fox as a threatened species in New South Wales two decades on: threats and conservation issues

ABSTRACT The Grey-headed Flying-fox Pteropus poliocephalus was listed as a vulnerable species by both the New South Wales (NSW) and Australian Governments in 2001. The NSW Government has since collaborated with other organisations and stakeholders on projects and initiatives for flying-fox conservation and population monitoring. While contentious issues for horticulturalists and communities are detailed in a companion paper, this paper examines a number of persistent threats and conservation issues, such as habitat destruction and food shortages, anthropogenic injuries and extreme heat events. While there have been several independent efforts to conserve flying-fox habitat leading up to the recent commencement of a state-wide funding program for flying-fox habitat restoration, the continual loss of foraging habitat to urban development occurring at a greater scale is a conundrum. Flying-foxes suffering from injuries with anthropogenic causes are primarily addressed by wildlife carers rescuing and rehabilitating them. Additionally, preventative actions, such as promotion of wildlife-friendly netting, are implemented by different organisations to reduce injuries. There is also work being done by government agencies, land managers, scientists and wildlife carers to improve heat stress management, including moving towards a more coordinated and collaborative approach for responding to extreme heat events and undertaking scientific research. The diversity of threats affecting the Grey-headed Flying-fox means that the species’ conservation is beyond the capacity of any one organisation and relies on the collaborative efforts of a broad range of stakeholders across the entire species’ range.

Prevalence of breakfast skipping among children and adolescents: a cross-sectional population level study

BackgroundInterventions to promote breakfast consumption are a popular strategy to address early life inequalities. It is important to understand the epidemiology of children and adolescents who skip breakfast so that interventions and policy can be appropriately considered. This study investigated the prevalence of breakfast skipping among a contemporary, population-wide sample of children and adolescents in Australia.MethodsParticipants were grade 4–12 students (n = 71,390, 8–18 years) in South Australian government (public) schools who took part in the 2019 Wellbeing and Engagement Collection. The prevalence of breakfast skipping (never, sometimes, often, or always) was calculated for the overall sample and stratified by gender, school grade, socioeconomic status and geographical remoteness. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the relative risk ratio of sometimes, often, and always skippers compared with never skippers, according to demographic characteristics.ResultsOverall, 55.0% of students reported never skipping breakfast, 17.4% reported sometimes skipping, 18.0% reported often skipping, and 9.5% reported always skipping breakfast. Skipping breakfast was more prevalent among females, students in senior grades, and those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged and regional and remote areas. Analyses disaggregated by gender revealed that grade level gradients in breakfast skipping were more marked among females compared to males.ConclusionsBreakfast skipping among children and adolescents appears considerably more prevalent than previous research suggests. Drivers of breakfast skipping across population sub-groups need to be explored to better inform strategies to promote breakfast consumption.

When good intentions are not enough: Professionals’ perceptions of the South Australian communication partner scheme

AbstractChildren and other vulnerable parties such as those with a cognitive, social or communication impairment frequently struggle to understand, and be understood in, the criminal justice environment. One way this has been addressed in jurisdictions around Australia and overseas is through the introduction of intermediary (or communication partner) schemes, whereby an independent third party assists vulnerable witnesses, and in some cases, defendants, with their communication needs. The South Australian Government introduced a trained volunteer communication partner scheme for defendants and prosecution witnesses as one element of its Disability Justice Plan in 2016. However, the scheme had relatively limited use and ceased operation on 1 March 2020. This study provides a qualitative analysis of stakeholders’ (N = 23 professionals) perceptions of how the scheme was implemented, the factors that constrained the usefulness of the scheme and how the initiative could be improved. Participants highlighted the need for a future communication partner service to include highly trained and specialized professionals situated within a government agency.

Australian Chaplaincy Support of Health Care Staff: Presence, Professional and Relational.

The aim of the research was to explore how health care staff experienced support from hospital chaplains. The context for the study was two acute care hospitals in the South Australian Government’s public health system: one paediatric, the other adult. The research utilised semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and analysed and coded using established methodologies for qualitative studies. The results and subsequent analysis revealed two overarching themes which emerged from the narratives of staff members. Support from chaplains was perceived as being (i) part of the hospital institution, (ii) a participant in the overall care team, (iii) as a symbolic presence, and (iv) available in the diverse settings of education, crisis and trauma events and debriefings. Chaplaincy support was experienced in relational and spontaneous care in serendipitous meetings with staff or at a workstation which was experienced as inclusive and respectful.

Content analysis of school websites: policies and programs to support healthy eating and the environment.

Preschools and primary schools are important settings for the development of healthy eating habits and awareness of environmentally friendly practices. This study explored South Australian government schools’ policies and programs in relation to healthy eating and environmentally friendly aspects of food choice (such as packaging), and whether any schools approached these issues in combination. Websites of 18 government preschools and primary schools in the Greater Adelaide region, stratified by low, medium and high socioeconomic status were reviewed for publicly available policies and other relevant content. A content analysis was undertaken, with policies and programs analysed deductively and thematically. Healthy eating (n = 8) and environment (n = 3) related policies were found on preschool websites only. The main themes observed across the three categories of interest (healthy eating, environmentally friendly practices and low-waste healthy foods) included the presence/absence of formal policy, promotional strategies and implementation. Expectations of children bringing healthy ‘nude’ foods that were environmentally friendly were mentioned informally on the websites but were not part of policy documents. Policies and programs around healthy eating and environmentally friendly practices (in combination) were lacking. There is scope to address this gap to improve health and sustainable outcomes within the school environment context.

The World Fisheries Congress 2021

The World Fisheries Congress 2021 will be delivered from Adelaide, South Australia by the World Council of Fisheries Societies, the Commonwealth and South Australian Governments and the Australian Society for Fish Biology. The Congress’ Steering and International Program Committees have developed the program, “Sharing the World’s Oceans and Rivers – a vision for the world’s fisheries”. Delegate access to the 2021 Congress has been affected by travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has guided the program delivery format to become an interactive hybrid format. The Congress will be delivered in-person to New Zealand and Australian delegates and via an interactive virtual platform designed to accommodate the delivery of program sessions at convenient times for delegates around the world. The program features 1,400 presentations addressing sustainability matters;innovation in technology and policy;acknowledgement and discussion of the societal matters facing fisheries;new research and discoveries in fish and aquatic ecosystem management. © 2021 American Fisheries Society

Is Bigger More Efficient? An Empirical Analysis of Scale Economies in Administration in South Australian Local Government*

A vast empirical literature has investigated economies of scale in municipal operations, especially in water and wastewater provision as well as domestic waste management. By contrast, comparatively few studies have been conducted on the extent of scale economies in local government administration. Given the stress placed on scale economies in Australian state and territory government policies aimed at the structural reform of local government through municipal mergers, including in South Australian (SA) local government, the absence of empirical research into administrative scale economies is unfortunate. To address this gap in the empirical literature, in this paper, we consider administrative scale economies in the SA local government system using four‐year panel data from 2015–2016 to 2018–2019. We find limited evidence for a relationship between administrative intensity and municipal by population size and for a difference between the administrative intensity of urban and rural councils.

Challenges to the co‐management of biodiversity in a reflexive modernity

AbstractThe marginalisation of people from natural areas has dominated conservation approaches in post‐colonial societies such as Australia. Yet the approach is limited, in part because people are also excluded from co‐managing their local environments, an effect that raises important questions about the future of conservation in a reflexive era where account must also be taken of how to manage risks such as bushfires. To address the complexity of social processes that influence conservation, new forms of co‐management between governments and community stakeholders are evolving but do not always achieve their participatory aims. In this article, discrepancies between perceptions of conservation governance and the responsibilities and activities of the South Australian Government are examined by reference to original research involving a residential survey and a follow‐up focus group discussion with local community and non‐profit environmental organisations. Findings suggest that local environmental groups are knowledge‐rich and strong relationships exist between local conservation actors and government officers, but those partnerships receive only limited support. In addition, opportunities for co‐management between government and non‐governmental environmental organisations are hindered by insufficient acknowledgement within government of the importance of unique, actionable local knowledge; an inability to effectively coordinate activities across and between government and non‐government actors; and an unwillingness to engage with stakeholders in a manner that develops and maintains trust.