Characterising and predicting cyber attacks using the Cyber Attacker Model Profile (CAMP)
- Authors: Watters, Paul , McCombie, Stephen , Layton, Robert , Pieprzyk, Josef
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Money Laundering Control Vol. 15, no. 4 (2012), p. 430-441
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Purpose – Ethnographic studies of cyber attacks typically aim to explain a particular profile of attackers in qualitative terms. The purpose of this paper is to formalise some of the approaches to build a Cyber Attacker Model Profile (CAMP) that can be used to characterise and predict cyber attacks. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds a model using social and economic independent or predictive variables from several eastern European countries and benchmarks indicators of cybercrime within the Australian financial services system. Findings – The paper found a very strong link between perceived corruption and GDP in two distinct groups of countries – corruption in Russia was closely linked to the GDP of Belarus, Moldova and Russia, while corruption in Lithuania was linked to GDP in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. At the same time corruption in Russia and Ukraine were also closely linked. These results support previous research that indicates a strong link between been legitimate economy and the black economy in many countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. The results of the regression analysis suggest that a highly skilled workforce which is mobile and working in an environment of high perceived corruption in the target countries is related to increases in cybercrime even within Australia. It is important to note that the data used for the dependent and independent variables were gathered over a seven year time period, which included large economic shocks such as the global financial crisis. Originality/value – This is the first paper to use a modelling approach to directly show the relationship between various social, economic and demographic factors in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, and the level of card skimming and card not present fraud in Australia. Acknowledgements: Paul A. Watters and Robert Layton are funded by IBM, Westpac, the State Government of Victoria and the Australian Federal Police.
- Description: 2003011112
Colin Clark and Australia
- Authors: Millmow, Alex
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: History of Economics Review Vol. 56, no. 1 (2012), p. 56-70
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- Description: Colin Clark was a rather quixotic figure. Much of his complex character is captured not only in his varied career choices but also the comments made of him by various referees over the years. While Clark spent half of his career in England and half in Australia it was to the latter that he was drawn. He was happy to be identified as an Australian economist. Despite his eminent academic record he was never to occupy a professorial chair in Australia. This was largely attributable to his own choices in career and his penchant for a doctrinaire brand of economics.
Governance and accountability in Australian charitable organisations: Perceptions from CFOs
- Authors: Dellaportas, Steven , Langton, Jonathan , West, Brian
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Accounting and Information Management Vol. 20, no. 3 (2012), p. 238-254
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- Description: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of senior accounting officers on governance, performance and accountability issues in the charity sector. Design/methodology/approach - The empirical data presented in this paper were collected via a mail-out survey to Chief Financial Officers (CFO) of large charity organisations in Australia. Findings - The executives surveyed agreed that the public is entitled to receive high quality financial disclosures from charities, favouring "programme accountability", "fiscal accountability" and "profit" as relevant performance indicators rather than cash surplus/deficit. The respondents also considered that charities warrant a dedicated accounting standard but were less enthusiastic about an independent regulator with stronger control functions. Research limitations/implications - The data in this study report the opinions of financial executives which may not represent the view of all managing executives. Originality/value - While governance in charities has been examined previously from an organisational or management perspective, this is one of the few papers that emphasises how members of the accounting profession view this important topic.
Groups and teamwork
- Authors: Pillay, Soma
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Human resource management in Australia and New Zealand Chapter 13 p. 384-411
- Full Text: false
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- Description: In today's highly competitive environment, organisations realise that they can achieve their goals only through the combined efforts of everybody involved in the organisation. Previously, organisations relied on hierarchiacal, functionally orientated, command-and-control systems. Today, the adoption of a team-based work arrangement creates a flat, focused, flexible, and adaptive organisation capable of rapid responses to change. Groups and teamwork allow for greater participation, increased performance, and ultimately influence the motivation and satisfaction of employees. However, changing to a team-based structure does not guarantee success. Some groups tend to be more successful than others, and for this reason it is essential to investigate the factors that contribute to effective group functioning. The introduction of virtual teams into the workplace also offers new challenges for the way in which people are managed. In this chapter, we explore the nature of groups, how they develope, and the factors that contribute to effective group functioning. We examine the difference between groups and teams, and give special attention to the utilisation of teams in the workplace.
Hydraulic heterogeneity in a highly weathered basaltic regolith : Impact on lateral-flow and solute transport
- Authors: Rasiah, Velu , Armour, John , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Environmental Hydrology Vol. 20, no. 13 (2012), p.
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- Description: Reliable on-ground information on groundwater (GW) hydraulic heterogeneity is required to determine flow direction and quantities, but its experimental characterization is difficult because of the complexities associated with the interaction involving the temporal changes in space modified by regolith stratigraphy. The impact of the aforementioned variables, particularly stratigraphy in a 51 m thick highly weathered basaltic regolith in the northeast humid tropics of Queensland, Australia, on flow gradients and directions was investigated in this study. Regolith cores at 1 m increments indicated that there were 3 different major strata. The temporal changes in water table, hydraulic- and pressure- heads, and solute concentrations in space indicated the top 51 m aquifer was contiguous, dynamic and hydraulically differentiated into three segments which approximately corresponded with the regolith strata. The lateralflow and solute transport from each aquifer segment was controlled by depth to water table, the number of regolith layers the segment covered, and the solute concentration.
- Description: 2003010399
Interaction between a river and its wetland : Evidence from the Murray River for spatial variability in diatom and radioisotope records
- Authors: Grundell, Rosie , Gell, Peter , Mills, Keely , Zawadzki, Atun
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Paleolimnology Vol. 47, no. 2 (2012), p. 205-219
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Sinclair Flat is small wetland, located within the gorge section of the Murray River floodplain. situated near Blanchetown, South Australia, the wetland is closely linked to the River and, since regulation, has become permanently inundated. High summer evaporation rates deplete the volume of water within the wetland. However, this is compensated by perennial inflow via a permanent inlet from the River. This site provides an opportunity to explore the relative contribution of river and wetland diatom flora to the sediment record, and the fluvial and aerial contribution of radiometric isotopes to the system. The geochronological and biostratigraphic data provide an insight into the history of the water quality of Sinclair Flat. Evidence exists for the River being a source of sediments and isotopes and of diatom species typical of the main river channel. Prior to 1950, Sinclair Flat was an oligotrophic, oligosaline, clear-water wetland. The wetland shifted gradually to an environment that favoured clear-water benthic species, most likely as a consequence of changes following river regulation in the 1920s, although the capacity to date these sediments is limited. During the 1950s, the wetland became plankton dominated. Peaks in epiphytic diatoms during the 1960s suggest increased emergent macrophyte cover. The contemporary condition is of a connected, turbid, eutrophic and mesosaline lagoon. The ecological condition of Sinclair Flat has diverged considerably from its historical range of condition. This record supports evidence from upstream of widespread state switches in the Murray-Darling Basin floodplain wetlands. This record also lends considerable weight to modern studies attesting to the degraded state of the waterways of the Murray-Darling Basin and the impact of river regulation practices on the water quality of these ecosystems. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Motivation
- Authors: Pillay, Soma
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Human resource management in Australia and New Zealand Chapter 11 p. 324-352
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Motivating employees is one of the most important managerial functions. Successfully motivating employees is essential in the quest to utilise the full potential of people. This helps to maximize the quality of products and service. In Australia, being such a multi-cultural society and with a very diverse workforce, motivation is a vert complex issue. This is owing to the uniqueness of people and the wide range of internal and external factors that impact on it. Motivation is interdisciplinary and therefore cannot be separated from other branches of social sciences. An example is leadership, which is the ability to inspire people to voluntarily and enthusiastically work towards the attainment of organisational goals. But what is motivation? And how does one motivate people? The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive approach to the question of employee motivation. First, we explore the meaning of motivation. We investigate the practical application of various content and process theories in the workplace. The role of goal setting in motivation is examined, and the power of money as a motivator is considered. We also consider new developments in the study of motivation.
Pedagogical concerns in doctoral supervision : A challenge for pedagogy
- Authors: Zeegers, Margaret , Barron, Deirdre
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Quality Assurance in Education Vol. 20, no. 1 (2012), p. 20-30
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on pedagogy as a crucial element in postgraduate research undertakings, implying active involvement of both student and supervisor in process of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on Australian higher degree research supervision practice to illustrate their argument, the authors take issue with reliance on traditional Oxbridge conventions as informing dominant practices of supervision of postgraduate research studies and suggest pedagogy as intentional and systematic intervention that acknowledges the problematic natures of relationships between teaching, learning, and knowledge production as integral to supervision and research studies. Findings: The authors examine issues of discursive practice and the problematic nature of power differentials in supervisor-supervisee relationships, and the taken-for-grantedness of discursive practice of such relationships. The authors do this from the perspective of the student involved in higher degree research programs, a departure from the bulk of the literature that has as its focus the perspective of the supervisor and/or the institution. Originality/value: The paper examines the perspective of the student involved in higher degree research programs, a departure from the bulk of the literature that has as its focus the perspective of the supervisor and/or the institution. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Political aspects of innovation : Examining renewable energy in Australia
- Authors: Effendi, Pranoto , Courvisanos, Jerry
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Renewable Energy Vol. 38, no. 1 (2012), p. 245-252
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- Description: Despite possessing a very large potential of renewable energy sources, Australia has lagged behind other developed countries in embracing renewable energy. Various programs and policies have been devised and implemented by Australian governments. Nevertheless, the proportion of renewable energy in electricity generation in Australia has not increased significantly. This paper seeks to explain why Australia has difficulties in adopting renewable energy by using the Political Aspect of Innovation (PAI) framework to examine the causes and barriers that have blocked the taking up of renewable energy. The PAI framework is concerned specifically with public innovation policy in Australia and the way it aims to encourage and support investment in new technology development. The paper finally outlines some future suggestions for charting the progression of the Australian energy system toward a transformative sustainable future. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Size and quantity of woody debris affects fish assemblages in a sediment-disturbed lowland river
- Authors: Howson, Travis , Robson, Belinda , Matthews, Ty , Mitchell, Bradley
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ecological Engineering Vol. 40, no. (2012), p. 144-152
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Responses by fish assemblages to individual restoration actions among a suite of channel modifications are not well understood. We investigated whether increasing woody debris abundance, without significant change to channel morphology, would increase native fish abundance and species richness in a sediment-disturbed river channel (Glenelg River, Victoria, Australia). We conducted a Before-After, Control-Impact design experiment at twelve locations containing either a high (n=6) or low (n=6) quantity of large woody debris (LWD). We added small woody debris (SWD) to half (n=6: 3 high, 3 low LWD densities) of the locations to increase woody debris complexity without the impacts on channel morphology associated with LWD manipulations. Fish species richness and abundance was quantified using electrofishing surveys before (4 sampling trips) and after (3 sampling trips) SWD addition. Fish species richness was not associated with high or low quantities of LWD or with types of woody debris (LWD or SWD). Addition of SWD altered fish assemblage composition but the effect depended on LWD quantity. SWD additions to locations with low LWD quantities increased abundance of two, wood-affiliated species: Philypnodon grandiceps and Gadopsis marmoratus. SWD additions to locations with high LWD quantities increased abundance of P. grandiceps and Galaxias olidus. Fish body size was important in detecting a response to added SWD because for two species, only certain size classes responded: adults of P. grandiceps (>50. mm TL) and juveniles of G. marmoratus (<123. mm TL). Fish assemblages responded positively to increased density of SWD through local increases in abundance, despite channel sedimentation. Unlike LWD, SWD is relatively cheap to place in rivers because it does not require heavy machinery and can be obtained without tree mortality. The use of SWD to assist in habitat restoration, especially for small species of native fish and juvenile fish, should be considered as a strategy in river restoration. © 2012.
The gendered shaping of University Leadership in Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom
- Authors: White, Kate , Bagilhole, Barbara , Riordan, Sarah
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Higher Education Quarterly Vol. 66, no. 3 (2012), p. 293-307
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This article analyses career trajectories into university management in Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom (UK), skills required to operate effectively and the power of vice-chancellors (VCs) and their impact on the gendered shaping of university leadership. It is based on qualitative research with 56 male and female senior managers. The research found that the typical career path was modelled on male academic careers. Not surprisingly, in South Africa and the UK the perception of the top university leader was of a man but in Australia, where more women have been VCs, there was no such assumption. Characteristics valued in university leaders in Australia and South Africa were 'soft' leadership traits, but in the UK 'hard' aggressive and competitive leadership prevailed. VCs are enormously powerful and can shape the gender balance in management teams and thereby potentially broadening leadership styles beyond the predominant transactional model to include transformational leadership. © 2012 The Authors. Higher Education Quarterly © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The inconvenient truth : Ocean level not rising in Australia
- Authors: Boretti, Alberto , Watson, Thomas
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Energy and Environment Vol. 23, no. 5 (2012), p. 801-817
- Full Text: false
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- Description: There is a claim that, by the end of this century, Australian coastal communities will experience rising sea levels of up to more than 1 metre because of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions causing global warming. This is the major argument supporting the Australia's Carbon Tax set to become law early next year. Under this legislation, 500 large Industrial manufacturers who emit carbon dioxide will be compelled to pay, from profitable income, for every tonne of carbon dioxide. Most of these emitters are electrical power generation and mining companies and heavy industry manufacturers. To compensate households for projected rising costs, due to the increased taxing pricing caused by this Carbon Tax, the government will cut income tax for smaller industries, boost payments to pensioners and offer various lump sum payments to small companies. This Australian scheme covers approximately 60% of Australia's emissions, making it the most broad-based scheme presented to the world. This carbon pricing will affectively apply to the 22.6 million Australians (2011) living in a 7,682,300 square kilometres country which is a relatively small number, proportional to the 7 billion people worldwide. The paper shows that locally and globally measured data, collected over short and long time scales, prove that the claim of sea level sharply accelerating is false.
Wandering cats : Attitudes and behaviors towards cat containment in Australia
- Authors: Toukhsati, Samia , Young, Emily , Bennett, Pauleen , Coleman, Grahame
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Anthrozoos Vol. 25, no. 1 (2012), p. 61-74
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Cat containment is a prominent cat management issue in Australia that provokes strong, and sometimes opposing, points of view. The aim of this study was to explore beliefs and attitudes towards containment in cat owner and non-owner groups, and to examine cat containment practices in owners. A random sample of 424 Victorian residents was recruited to complete the Community Attitudes towards Companion Animals Survey by telephone interview. The results showed that, of 142 cat owners, 80% contained their cat to a property at night but only 41.2% contained their cat to a property during the day. For cat owners, beliefs about the importance of cat containment were related to concerns regarding the protection of cats from injury and the protection of native wildlife. Beliefs relating to the importance of cat containment most strongly predicted containment practices. Conversely, findings from non-owners revealed that support for containment was generally linked to concerns regarding protection for wildlife and protection of community members from harm or nuisance behaviors. These findings indicate broad support for cat containment and suggest that education relating to the advantages of suitably enriched containment to protect cats from injury would be worthwhile in regions with cat curfews in place. © ISAZ 2012.
A diverse pleistocene marsupial trackway assemblage from the Victorian Volcanic Plains, Australia
- Authors: Carey, Stephen , Camens, Aaron , Cupper, Matthew , Grun, Rainer , Hellstrom, John , McKnight, Stafford , McLennan, Iain , Pickering, David , Trusler, Peter , Aubert, Maxime
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Quaternary Science Reviews Vol. 30, no. 5-6 (2011), p. 591-610
- Full Text: false
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- Description: A diverse assemblage of late Pleistocene marsupial trackways on a lake bed in south-western Victoria provides the first information relating to the gaits and morphology of several megafaunal species, and represents the most speciose and best preserved megafaunal footprint site in Australia. The 60-110 ka volcaniclastic lacustrine sedimentary rocks preserve trackways of the diprotodontid Diprotodon optatum, a macropodid (probably Protemnodon sp.) and a large vombatid (perhaps Ramsayia magna or '. Phascolomys' medius) and possible prints of the marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex. The footprints were imprinted within a short time period, demonstrating the association of the taxa present, rather than the time-averaged accumulations usually observed in skeletal fossil deposits. Individual manus and pes prints are distinguishable in some trackways, and in many cases some digital pad morphology is also present. Several parameters traditionally used to differentiate ichnotaxa, including trackway gauge and the degree of print in-turning relative to the midline, are shown to be subject to significant intraspecific variation in marsupials. Sexual dimorphism in the trackway proportions of Diprotodon, and its potential for occurrence in all large bodied, quadrupedal marsupials, is identified here for the first time. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
All over, red rover? The neglect and potential of Australian adult education in the community
- Authors: Golding, Barry , Foley, Annette
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Adult Learning Vol. 51, no. SPEC.ISS.1 (2011), p. 53-71
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Consistent with the 'looking back, moving forward' conference theme, in this paper we undertake a critical, research-based appraisal of the current, arguably neglected state of adult education in Australia in 2010, and proceed to paint a picture of how a different and potentially more positive future might be realised. Firstly, we emphasise situations (including states and territories) in Australia in which adult education is seen to be lacking or missing for particular groups of adults. Secondly we emphasise research evidence confirming the demonstrable value of learning for purposes other than those that are immediately vocational. We identify links between lifelong and life wide learning on one hand, and health and wellbeing on the other. Part of the paper involves international comparisons with other forms of adult learning that Australia might learn from, adapt or borrow. We make particular reference to research underpinning the recent Inquiry into the Future of Lifelong Learning by NIACE in the United Kingdom. Our first main conclusion has to do with equity. Adult and community education (ACE) in Australia is currently seen to be least available or accessible to those Australians with the most limited and most negative experiences of school education, but the most need to learn in non-vocational domains. These groups include older Australians, some men and women, people not in paid work, and rural, isolated and Indigenous people. Our second main conclusion is that, to realise adult learning's future potential, we need changes to government policies, research and practice that acknowledge and actively support the broader nature and value of learning for life across all age groups. To paraphrase research from Belgium by Sfard (2008), based around Beck's (1986) exploration of reflexive modernity, the adult education function of ACE is in dire straits, unless education is seen as being much more valuable than the sum of individual vocational competencies, and particularly unless it is also recognised, valued and supported as one of many valuable outcomes of social, lifelong and lifewide learning throughout the community.
An Explorative study of Australian nursing scholars and contemporary scholarship
- Authors: Stockhausen, Lynette , Turale, Sue
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nursing Scholarship Vol. 43, no. 1 (2011), p. 89-96
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Purpose: To explore Australian nurse scholars' personal and professional perspectives on the nature and development of contemporary Australian scholarship, including its facilitators and barriers. Design and Methods: A qualitative exploratory design, with snowball sampling, identified 13 well-regarded nurse scholars from Australian universities or clinical health services. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted in 2008-2009, and transcripts of data were subjected to Morse's content analysis method. Results: Four themes with supporting subthemes emerged: Views on Scholarship; Locations; Facilitators and Barriers; and Visioning the Future. New and reinforced information about Australian nursing scholarship was revealed. Conclusions: The study revealed contemporary Australian perspectives on nursing scholarship. It included participants' personal and professional histories; definitions of the attributes of scholars; mentoring; and that educational and practice maturity contribute to contemporary definitions of nursing scholarship. Scholars, working in either academic or practice environments, provided points of difference on scholarship. High workloads associated with curricula, lack of recognition of a scholar's achievements, and securing research funding were seen as barriers to scholarship. Moreover, current scholars are aging, and there is a looming shortage of scholars prepared for the future. Urgent attention needs to be paid to capacity building of clinicians and academics for the future scholarship of Australian nursing. Clinical Relevance: Scholarship is seen as the hallmark of the intellectual pursuit of knowledge and understanding and is essential for the practice of nursing and improvements to health. Educators, policy makers, and nursing leaders need to clearly develop strategies to sustain Australian nursing scholarship for the future. © 2011 Sigma Theta Tau International.
Australian prison tourism : A question of narrative integrity
- Authors: Wilson, Jacqueline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: History Compass Vol. 9, no. 8 (2011), p. 562-571
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The article discusses the special nature of prison tourism in Australia, given the nation's origins, just over two centuries ago, as a penal colony, and the significant role thus played by convicts in the development of Australian society. Prison tourism is also examined as almost the only type of 'dark tourism' widely undertaken within Australia. It is argued that a combination of prevailing social attitudes and the influence of certain stakeholder groups limit or skew the narratives inherent in former prison sites, with consequent negative ramifications for the historical and social integrity of the sites. (Author abstract).
Densely regenerating coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah) woodlands are more species-rich than surrounding derived grasslands in floodplains of eastern Australia
- Authors: Good, Megan , Price, Jodi , Clarke, Peter , Reid, Nick
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Botany Vol. 59, no. 5 (2011), p. 468-479
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Woody plant encroachment the conversion of grasslands to tree- or shrub-dominated ecosystems occurs in rangelands and savannas worldwide. In eastern Australia, coolibah (Eucalyptus coolabah subsp. coolabah Blakely Jacobs) regenerated densely following floods in the mid 1970s, converting derived grasslands to dense woodlands. We compared soil and groundstorey vegetation attributes of dense coolibah regeneration to adjacent derived grasslands at three grazed sites in the northern riverine plains of New South Wales. Groundstorey species richness and diversity were significantly higher and groundstorey biomass was significantly lower in dense regeneration plots than in derived grassland plots. Soils from dense regeneration had higher C:N and pH, and lower Na than soils from derived grasslands. Although groundstorey species composition differed significantly between derived grasslands and dense regeneration within sites, variation among sites was more pronounced, indicating that site factors influence community composition more than dense regeneration of coolibah. Our findings suggest that, in contrast to other studies of woody plant encroachment, dense regeneration of coolibah does not result in a decrease in plant biodiversity or soil condition. © 2011 CSIRO.
Development of hydraulic models for a complex and large scale water distribution system in regional Australia
- Authors: Mala-Jetmarova, Helena , Schwarz, S. , Barton, Andrew , Le Roux, S , Smalley, P. , Gerke, S.
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text: false
- Description: Hydraulic simulation models have become a valuable tool to manage water distribution networks commencing from their initial design through their operation, assessment of the level of service to customers, system performance improvement, analysis of planning alternatives, to system optimisation. The development of hydraulic models can be a time consuming task with complex and large scale water distribution networks being particularly challenging. The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline (WMP) in Western Victoria, Australia is a recently constructed and unique regional scale water distribution system which consists of over 8,800 km of pressurised pipelines spreading across an area of approximately 20,000 km 2. Currently, the WMP provides water to 34 townships, rural farms and other water users across the Wimmera Mallee region with an annual design capacity of 31.6 mil. m 3. The WMP sources its water from multiple reservoirs in the Grampians mountain ranges in the south and the River Murray in the north. Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water (GWMWater) is the local water organisation responsible for managing the WMP. GWMWater is currently initiating the development of a water market to generate and support growth, and to ensure that water is available for the highest value social, economic or environmental use. The hydraulic models discussed in this paper will assure that informed decisions are made by GWMWater regarding the capacity to deliver water through the pipeline system, and therefore the extent of trade by customers. The philosophy for development of the WMP hydraulic models was to replicate the real system as credibly as possible into the level of required accuracy for decision making, yet enable simple model operation, maintenance and update. The network is modelled to the individual customer level in order to accommodate small diameter pipes. Modelling at this level simplifies the future model maintenance and updates, and also ensures the compatibility with other GWMWater's systems such as Geographic Information System (GIS) and the customer database. A major part of the model development consisted of data preparation. This was undertaken by using "as constructed" GIS asset data captured during the WMP construction and entered into a GIS database (ArcGIS by ESRI). Due to the scale of the system and associated amounts of data, it was essential to develop sophisticated data transformation and validation procedures to simplify the model build which thereby minimised manual data entry and potential sources of errors. This paper focuses on the methodologies and techniques used in data preparation for hydraulic models and development of hydraulic models. An example is also provided of how the models will be used as a decision support tool in water supply and allocation planning.
Does the availability of vocational qualifications through work assist social inclusion?
- Authors: Smith, Erica , Smith, Andy
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Education and Training Vol. 53, no. 7 (2011), p. 587-602
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether the availability of qualifications through work-based traineeships in Australia assists social inclusion. Design/methodology/approach: Industry case studies, of the finance and cleaning industries, were undertaken as part of a national research project on quality in traineeships. The two industry case studies were analysed to provide data on social inclusion aspects. A general discussion on the "pros" and "cons" of gaining qualifications through work, from a social inclusion point of view, is included. Findings: The industry case studies show many advantages of work-based qualifications for people who have had disadvantaged economic and social backgrounds. The study presents a model showing how work-based qualifications help to meet the twin social inclusion goals of employment and education. However in economic hard times, the need to have a job may rule out some people. Also, some doubts about quality in work-based delivery may mean that qualifications gained through work may be of lower value than those gained at least partly through formal study. Research limitations/implications: The models put forward are tentative, based on the findings in the research study that has been described and the authors' earlier research. Further research is necessary to establish the social inclusion benefits of this means of gaining qualifications. In particular longitudinal research with disadvantaged people who have gained qualifications through this route is needed to evaluate whether their completion of qualifications through employment has assisted their broader economic and social engagement, and in what ways. In addition, research is needed to compare the quality and utility of qualifications gained through work and those through education providers as a poor-quality qualification may be of limited long-term use to an individual. Practical implications: Work-based qualifications are shown to be a useful investment of public resources. The research also analyses some shortcomings of this method of gaining qualifications so that they can be addressed by employers and training providers. Social implications: The research establishes the social inclusion utility of work-based qualifications, providing insights useful for education systems and social welfare organisations. Originality/value: This is one of very few scholarly studies of the large-scale use of work-based qualifications. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.