scholarly journals More regulated, more level? Assessing the impact of spending and donation caps on Australian State elections

Party Rules? ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Rayner
Keyword(s):  
Australian State ◽  
The Impact

‘To die, to sleep’ – assisted dying legislation in Victoria: A case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1976-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Gilbert ◽  
Jane Boag
Keyword(s):  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Assisted Dying ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Australian Society ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Impact

Background: Assisted dying remains an emotive topic globally with a number of countries initiating legislation to allow individuals access to assisted dying measures. Victoria will become the first Australian state in over 13 years to pass Assisted Dying Legislation, set to come into effect in 2019. Objectives: This article sought to evaluate the impact of Victorian Assisted Dying Legislation via narrative view and case study presentation. Research design: Narrative review and case study. Participants and research context: case study. Ethical considerations: This legislation will provide eligible Victorian residents with the option to request access to assisted dying measures as a viable alternative to a potentially painful, protracted death. Findings: This legislation, while conservative and inclusive of many safeguards at present, will form the basis for further discussion and debate on assisted dying across Australia in time to come. Discussion: The passing of this legislation by the Victorian parliament was prolonged, emotive and divided not only the parliament but Australian society. Conclusion: Many advocates for this legislation proclaimed it was well overdue and will finally meet the needs of contemporary society. Protagonists claim that medical treatment should not provide a means of ending life, despite palliative care reportedly often failing to relieve the pain and suffering of individuals living with a terminal illness.

scholarly journals Organising for power: solidarities and transformation

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
James Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Government Organization ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Political Conflicts ◽  
Australian State ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Political and social movements are both empowering and power-seeking: they seek both to mobilize civil society and overwhelm state institutions. As organisations they mobilize collective power, generating solidarities and transforming social structures. As such, political organisations both challenge power and exercise power. This article addresses organizational vehicles for political change in Australia, drawing out limits and possibilities. Three organizational forms are discussed - the political party, the non-government organization (NGO), and the social movement - in terms of their capacity and limits. The social solidarities and social structures that frame political organization are debated, highlighting the impact of political conflicts over ecological change. The article ends with a discussion of the proceeding four articles, drawing out shared themes and implications in terms of the relationships post-Howard, between the Australian state, political parties, NGOs and movements.

Police officer perspectives on the implementation of a sex offender community notification scheme

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Whitting ◽  
Andrew Day ◽  
Martine Powell
Keyword(s):  
Sex Offenders ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Sex Offender ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Notification ◽  
Megan's Law ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Australian State ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews

Community notification statutes, popularly known as ‘Megan’s Law’, were passed in rapid succession throughout the United States following the enactment of landmark legislation in the state of Washington in 1990. Calls for the adoption of similar legislation in Australia gained momentum following the introduction of ‘limited disclosure’ schemes in the United Kingdom and, in 2012, one Australian state introduced a limited form of community notification. This study presents an analysis of in-depth interviews with specialist police officers ( N=21) who are responsible for coordinating the ongoing management, registration and monitoring of sex offenders who live in the community in this jurisdiction to understand their perspectives on the scheme’s implementation. Systematic thematic analysis revealed that the officers were particularly interested in understanding the impact that notification has on offenders, victims and the broader community, and the police agency. The practice-based wisdom distilled from these interviews is used to inform a discussion about the more widespread implementation of this type of public policy both in Australia and in other countries that may be giving this consideration.

scholarly journals Australian state influenza notifications and school closures in 2019

F1000Research ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1899
Author(s):  
Anna Mae Scott ◽  
Mina Bakhit ◽  
Justin Clark ◽  
Melanie Vermeulen ◽  
Mark Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
School Closure ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Vacation Period

Background: The impact of school holidays on influenza rates has been sparsely documented in Australia. In 2019, the early winter influenza season coincided with mid-year school breaks, enabling us the unusual opportunity to examine how influenza incidence changed during school closure dates. Methods: The weekly influenza data from five Australian state and one territory health departments for the period of week 19 (mid-May) to week 35 (early September) 2019 were compared to each state’s public school closure dates. We used segmented regression to model the weekly counts and a negative binomial distribution to account for overdispersion due to autocorrelation. The models’ goodness-of-fit was assessed by plots of observed versus expected counts, plots of residuals versus predicted values, and Pearson’s Chi-square test. The main exposure was the July two-week school vacation period, using a lag of one week. The effect is estimated as a percent change in incidence level, and in slope. We also dichotomized the change in weekly counts into decreases versus increases (or no change). The proportion of decreases were then compared for each of three periods (pre-vacation, vacation, post-vacation) using Fishers exact test. Results: School holidays were associated with significant declines in influenza incidence. The models showed acceptable goodness-of-fit. The numbers and percentages of decreases in weekly influenza counts from the previous week for all states combined were: 19 (33%) pre-vacation; 11 (92%) decreases during the vacation; and 19 (59%) decreases post-vacation (P=0.0002). The first decline during school holidays is seen in the school aged (5-19 years) population, with the declines in the adult and infant populations being smaller and following a week later. Conclusions: Given the significant and rapid reductions in incidence, these results have important public health implications. Closure or extension of holiday periods could be an emergency option for state governments.

The impact of rate capping on local government expenditure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subba Reddy Yarram ◽  
Brian Dollery ◽  
Carolyn-Dung Thi Thanh Tran
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Government Expenditure ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Local Council ◽  
Local Government Finance ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Expenditure Data ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Impact

In common with higher tiers of government worldwide, Australian state governments often adopt highly interventionist ‘one-size-fits-all’ policies aimed at improving local government efficiency and performance. In this article, we employ recent expenditure data to investigate empirically the short-term impacts of rate capping on municipal expenditure in the Australian state of Victoria and to explore whether it had differential effects on spending by different types of local authorities. We find that while total spending did not fall, budgets for ‘invisible’ services, like aged care and disabled services, did decline. Our analysis also shows that the impact of rate capping on the various types of municipal expenditures is uneven between the different categories of local authority. Our findings add to the existing literature on local government finance by demonstrating that the impact of rate capping varies according to different expenditure types classified by local council categories in a non-linear population framework.

The theory of planned behaviour, micro-growers and diversification: an exploratory study

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abel Duarte Alonso ◽  
Vlad Krajsic
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Planned Behaviour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Diversification ◽  
Emerging Industries ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Diversification Strategies ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to study diversification among Australian olive growers in various regions, as well as perceived opportunities and challenges of olive growing from the perspective of micro olive growers. In doing so, the study considers and adopts the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews with 24 micro olive growers operating in the Australian state of New South Wales were conducted. Findings – The findings partly identify alignment with the TPB. Essentially, attitude or growers’ favourable assessment to diversify appears to determine growers’ intention to implement diversification strategies, including adding value to olive production, and marketing it through tourism. In contrast, subjective norm, which refers to the impact of social influence or pressures, in the case of the present study to growing olives or to diversifying into olive oil production, was to a great extent disconfirmed. Originality/value – Very limited research has investigated the motivations of micro olive growers, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. In particular, the use of the TPB has been adopted to a very limited extent in the context of micro-farm diversification, including among emerging industries such as olive growing in Australia. The study addresses these current research gaps.

The Impact of Political Finance Regulation on Party Organisation

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anika Gauja ◽  
Stephen Mills ◽  
Narelle Miragliotta ◽  
Joo-Cheong Tham ◽  
Zim Nwokora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
New South ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Party Organisation ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Political Finance ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Party Family ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Political finance regulations require political parties to engage with a complex and multi-faceted regulatory environment. This article develops a framework to understand how political finance regulation impacts on party organisation and applies it to a diverse grouping of six parties from the Australian State of New South Wales. We find that all parties seek to capture the benefits of compliance, and minimise their exposure to the risks of non-compliance, by centralising and professionalising their organisation. However, the intensity of these responses is moderated by party characteristics, including levels of institutionalisation, party family type and incumbency status. The research thus highlights the intended and unintended consequences of regulation on party organisation, and illuminates the mechanisms through which change occurs.

Taking charge of the future. From states of anxiety and dependence to becoming actualised professionals

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ailsa Drent
Keyword(s):  
School Psychologist ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Counselling Services ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Taking Charge ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Education Psychology ◽  
The Impact

Between the mid 1940's and the mid 1980's psychology, guidance and counselling services were established and rapidly expanded within Australian state departments of education. This occurred in a socio-political context where the values of social justice and concern for the disadvantaged were regarded as important by communities looking to governments to reflect these values through appropriate policies and programs. Since then a distinct change has occurred. Economic Rationalism and the move to greater school autonomy has led to the abandonment of central structures and centralised training that supported professional psychological services in schools. Schools increasingly will be expected to “buy in” contracted services as perceived needs arise. The resulting deprof essionalisation, whilst shared at this time by psychologists in other agencies, is particularly threatening in the case of school psychology. By destroying continuity of service and the possibilities of building of long-term relationships, it will reduce opportunities to initiate those school-wide initiatives that can maximise the impact of case work. The authors are of the view that, given the prevailing ideology, governments will persist in ridding themselves of responsibility and the expense of providing psychological and counselling services to school communities. At the same time information from principals suggests that schools' will find it difficult to afford these services from their limited global budgets, despite urgent and growing need for more, not less school-based support for teachers, students and parents. As a profession we must look to old and new models of service delivery and devise practical ways of providing cost-effective, equitable and high quality services to schools. This paper attempts to bring forward the issue as one for urgent debate and planning by our professional associations. Rather than let the profession wither away or end up providing services for the wealthy only, we must take action ourselves to see that it not only survives, but thrives. ( In this paper, the terms guidance officer, school counsellor and school psychologist are used as if they are interchangeable. The reason is that education departments around Australia use different names for those of their student support workers who have qualifications in education, psychology and counselling.)

scholarly journals The Wittenoom legacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur W (Bill) Musk ◽  
Alison Reid ◽  
Nola Olsen ◽  
Michael Hobbs ◽  
Bruce Armstrong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malignant Mesothelioma ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Related Disease ◽  
Exposure Response ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Asbestos Cement ◽  
Asbestos Related Disease ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Town

Abstract The Wittenoom crocidolite (blue asbestos) mine and mill ceased operating in 1966. The impact of this industry on asbestos-related disease in Western Australia has been immense. Use of the employment records of the Australian Blue Asbestos Company and records of the Wittenoom township residents has permitted two cohorts of people with virtually exclusive exposure to crocidolite to be assembled and studied. Follow-up of these two cohorts has been conducted through data linkage with available hospital, mortality and cancer records. The evolution of asbestos-related disease has been recorded and, with the establishment of exposure measurements, quantitative exposure–response relationships have been estimated. There has been an ongoing epidemic of mortality from lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma and, less so, from asbestosis. Wittenoom crocidolite was used extensively in asbestos-cement products in Western Australia. As a result, the state has recorded a higher malignant-mesothelioma mortality rate than in any other Australian state and in any defined general population in the world. Thus, the legacy of Wittenoom has extended beyond the mine and the town, and is still evident more than 50 years after the closure of the mine.

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