List of Titles

When more is less : Urban remnants support high bird abundance but diversity varies

- Fitzsimons, James, Antos, Mark, Palmer, Grant

Authors: Fitzsimons, James , Antos, Mark , Palmer, Grant
Date: 2011
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Pacific Conservation Biology Vol. 17, no. 1 (2011), p. 97-109
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Description: Urban remnant vegetation, especially where it occurs in public parks, allows for relatively easy access for ongoing biodiversity monitoring. However, relatively little baseline information on bird species distribution and abundance across a range of identifiable urban remnants appears in the published literature. We surveyed the relative abundance and distribution of birds across urban and suburban remnant vegetation in Melbourne, Australia. One hundred and six species were recorded, of which 98 were indigenous. Red wattlebirds had the highest mean relative abundance with 2.94 birds/ha, followed by rainbow lorikeets (2.51), noisy miners (1.93), brown thornbills (1.75) and spotted doves (0.96). There was no obvious trend between overall relative abundance and the size of the remnant, in contrast to species richness which was positively correlated with remnant size. The data revealed that some species were either totally restricted to, or more abundant in, larger remnants and generally absent from smaller remnants. Some of the more common birds (crimson rosella, superb fairy-wren, spotted pardalote and black-faced cuckoo-shrike) recorded during this study were detected at similar densities to those found in comparable vegetation to the east of Melbourne within a largely forested landscape. Other species occurred at much lower densities (e.g., white-browed scrubwren, brown thornbill, eastern yellow robin and grey fantail) or had habitat requirements or ecological characteristics that could place them at risk of further decline or local extinction in the urban area. We identify a suite of bird species of potential conservation concern within Melbourne's urban landscape. The establishment of repeatable, fixed-point, and long-term monitoring sites will allow for repeat surveying over time and provide an early warning of population declines, or conversely an indication of population increase for other species.

Women managers' career progression : An Asia Pacific perspective

- Jogulu, Uma, Wood, Glenice

Authors: Jogulu, Uma , Wood, Glenice
Date: 2011
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Gender in Management Vol. 26, no. 8 (2011), p. 590-603
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Description: Purpose: The increase in general managerial roles held by women has failed to translate into senior management positions in many countries. The paper aims to focus on the experiences of two groups of female and male managers in two diverse countries and how these groups of employees view career advancement and how this perspective may relate to the lack of women in senior managerial roles. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts deductive reasoning to understand social practice as a means by which and how senior management identities are perceived and whether these roles are attainable. A survey was administered to female and male managers in Malaysia and in Australia. Findings: The findings indicate that women in two countries studied still have significant responsibilities for performing family duties, and bringing up children. In particular, the Malaysian respondents viewed family and personal responsibilities as their greatest impediment to attaining senior management positions. Hence, they are unable to contemplate both careers and families, a view strongly supported by the Australian women as well. Originality/value: Societal expectations on women in certain cultures are still strongly entrenched because they believe that they are required to comply with the social roles by prioritising marital obligations over any desire for senior management careers. Â© Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

A conceptual analysis of price setting in Australian local government

- Carnegie, Garry, West, Brian

Authors: Carnegie, Garry , West, Brian
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Accounting Review Vol. 20, no. 2 (2010), p. 110-120
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Description: A complex set of issues underlies the pricing of the diverse range of goods and services from which Australian local governments derive a significant portion of their revenues. Although local governments have a not-for-profit orientation, they are expected to be financially viable and embrace a broad notion of accountability. They are also expected to influence the behaviour of constituents in accordance with policy decisions, but be equitable in doing so. These and related parameters are discussed and illustrated in order to reveal and elucidate the nature of pricing decisions in local government, and to differentiate the local government context from other price-setting environments.

A review of twenty years of competency-based training in the Australian vocational education and training system

- Smith, Erica

Authors: Smith, Erica
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Training and Development Vol. 14, no. 1 (2010), p. 54-64
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Description: In this paper, the author reflects, both as an academic researcher and as a senior practitioner, on the experience of competency-based training (CBT) in the Australian vocational education and training system. She seeks to draw conclusions about the Australian experience using a typology drawn from the academic literature which focuses on the philosophical, educational, technical and market aspects of CBT. She concludes that, despite many improvements over the past 10 years, some potential problems remain. The system is controlled overly tightly by the interests of industry and it also exhibits some inflexibilities. Both of these act to disadvantage some groups of learners. Teachers and trainers do not have adequate skills to work skilfully and critically with CBT, leading to thin pedagogy and a narrow focus on assessment of individual items of performance. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Accounting's chaotic margins : Financial reporting of the library collections of Australia's public universities, 2002-2006

- West, Brian, Carnegie, Garry

Authors: West, Brian , Carnegie, Garry
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal Vol. 23, no. 2 (2010), p. 201-228
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Description: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the circumstances and implications of an episode of accounting change arising from the extended use of accrual accounting within the Australian public sector. The matter under scrutiny is the reporting of the library collections of Australia's public universities as assets in general purpose financial reports. Design/methodology/approach: A survey is undertaken of the annual reports of Australia's 36 public universities for the period 2002 to 2006. The analysis of the findings is informed by new institutional sociology (NIS), with a focus on mimetic processes, and the concept of "accounting's margins". Findings: The survey reveals considerable diversity and subjectivity in the accounting practices adopted, as well as instances of sudden and dramatic changes in carrying values. The financial reporting of library collections is depicted as a "chaotic margin" of accounting, and the technical propriety of attempting to express and account for these non-financial resources in financial terms is rendered problematic. Originality/value: The study questions the reliability and usefulness of the information reported, with implications for the accountability of the institutions surveyed as well as the accounting profession in the comparatively neglected domain of the public sector. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Are laboratories useful fiction? A comparison of Norwegian and Australian undergraduate nursing skills laboratories

- Wellard, Sally, Heggen, Kristin

Authors: Wellard, Sally , Heggen, Kristin
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nursing & Health Sciences Vol. 12, no. 1 (2010), p. 39-44
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Description: Drawing on the findings from studies in Australia and Norway that explored the use of laboratories in the preparation of nursing students for entry to practice, this article identifies the pedagogical challenges for the undergraduate education of nurses. The findings from both countries are compared and, in spite of distinct differences in the level of financial investment, there are striking similarities between the ways in which laboratories are used in the two countries. The laboratories were designed to predominately represent acute care hospital environments. The participants demonstrated a high level of commitment and strongly held beliefs in the laboratory as a safe place to facilitate self-paced learning and as an environment where students can practice until they become competent and confident. However, at the same time, there was a striking lack of evidence to support these views. The participants in both countries reported a common approach to instruction: a proce! ss of teacher demonstration, followed by student repetition and practice. Variability in students' motivation also was reported and the participants especially expressed concern for those students with a low level of interest in the basic skills associated with personal care. The possibilities and limitations of using skill laboratories as part of the practical preparation for nursing are discussed, using the metaphor of laboratories as "fiction".

Establishment of the Box-Ironbark ecological thinning trial in north central Victoria

- Pigott, Patrick, Palmer, Grant, Yen, Alan, Tolsma, Arn, Brown, Geoff, Gibson, Matthew, Wright, John

Authors: Pigott, Patrick , Palmer, Grant , Yen, Alan , Tolsma, Arn , Brown, Geoff , Gibson, Matthew , Wright, John
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria Vol. 122, no. 2 (2010), p. 111-122
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Description: An ecological thinning trial was established in 2003 in north-central Victoria as part of the development of an ecological management strategy to support the newly created Box-Ironbark Parks and Reserves System. The objective of the trial was to restore diversity of habitat structure to declining Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands. Three ecological thinning techniques were designed around several principles: reducing total basal-area of trees and retaining levels of patchiness whilst retaining large trees. Thinning treatments were implemented in 30 ha plots at four conservation reserves south of Bendigo, Victoria. A range of ecosystem components were monitored before and after thinning. A woody-debris removal treatment was also set-up at a 1 ha scale within thinning treatments. Prior to thinning, plots were dominated by high numbers of coppice regenerated trees with few of the trees sampled considered large, resulting in low numbers of tree hollows and low loadings of coarse woody debris. It is anticipated that the establishment of the ecological thinning trial (Phase I), is the beginning of long-term monitoring, as effects of thinning on key habitat values may not be apparent for up to 50 years or more. The vision for restoration of Box-Ironbark forests and woodlands is one of a mosaic landscape with a greater diversity of habitat types including open areas and greater numbers of larger, hollow-bearing trees. This paper summarises the experimental design and the techniques adopted in Phase I of this project during 2003-2008.

Groundwater-level response to land-use change and the implications for salinity management in the West Moorabool River catchment, Victoria, Australia

- Dahlhaus, Peter, Evans, Timothy, Nathan, Erica, Cox, Jim, Simmons, Craig

Authors: Dahlhaus, Peter , Evans, Timothy , Nathan, Erica , Cox, Jim , Simmons, Craig
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Hydrogeology Journal Vol. 18, no. 7 (2010), p. 1611-1623
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Description: The connection between the removal of native vegetation, rising water tables and increasing stream salinity has been established for many catchments across Australia. However, the West Moorabool River in south west Victoria is an example of a catchment where there has been little discernable effect on groundwater levels following land clearing. Over the past 150 years, a significant portion of the catchment has been cleared of dense forest for agricultural development. Historic standing water-level records from 1870-1871 and 1881 are compared with contemporary measurements (1970s to 2007) recorded in the government bore databases. The data show that the earliest recorded groundwater levels are well within the seasonal range of values observed today. By integrating geology and hydrogeology with historical observations of groundwater levels, climate data and land use, the contemporary field observations of stream salinity are linked to the changed water use and shift in rainfall. In contrast to the normally accepted axiom, reafforestation as a management strategy to mitigate the rising salinity in the West Moorabool River catchment would seem inappropriate. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.
Description: The connection between the removal of native vegetation, rising water tables and increasing stream salinity has been established for many catchments across Australia. However, the West Moorabool River in south west Victoria is an example of a catchment where there has been little discernable effect on groundwater levels following land clearing. Over the past 150 years, a significant portion of the catchment has been cleared of dense forest for agricultural development. Historic standing water-level records from 1870-1871 and 1881 are compared with contemporary measurements (1970s to 2007) recorded in the government bore databases. The data show that the earliest recorded groundwater levels are well within the seasonal range of values observed today. By integrating geology and hydrogeology with historical observations of groundwater levels, climate data and land use, the contemporary field observations of stream salinity are linked to the changed water use and shift in rainfall. In contrast to the normally accepted axiom, reafforestation as a management strategy to mitigate the rising salinity in the West Moorabool River catchment would seem inappropriate. Â© 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Isolation, identification, and characterisation of beer-spoilage lactic acid bacteria from microbrewed beer from Victoria, Australia

- Menz, Garry, Andrighetto, Christian, Lombardi, Angiolella, Corich, Viviana, Aldred, Peter, Vriesekoop, Frank

Authors: Menz, Garry , Andrighetto, Christian , Lombardi, Angiolella , Corich, Viviana , Aldred, Peter , Vriesekoop, Frank
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of the Institute of Brewing Vol. 116, no. 1 (2010), p. 14-22
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Description: Lactic acid bacteria are the most frequently encountered beer-spoilage bacteria, and they may render beer undrinkable due to the production of lactic acid, diacetyl, and turbidity. Micro-brewed beer is typically sold unpasteurised, leaving it more susceptible to spoilage by lactic acid bacteria. In this study, the incidence of lactic acid bacteria in bottled microbrewed beer from Victoria, Australia was investigated. A total of 80 beers from 19 breweries were screened for lactic acid bacteria. Almost 30% contained culturable lactic acid bacteria, and many had lactic acid levels well above the flavour threshold. Ethanol, hops, and the pH levels of the beers were not predictors for spoilage in the beers examined, and contamination appeared to be more closely linked to the source brewery. The 45 lactic acid strains isolated from these beers were identified by RAPD-PCR, with Lactobacillus brevis being the most frequently isolated species. All isolates were capable of spoiling beer and contained putative hop resistance genes. At typical beer levels, pH and ethanol had no effect on the growth of the particular spoilage bacteria isolated in this study. Â© 2010 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling.
Description: 2003008145

OHS professionals : Are personal and professional characteristics linked to strategic influence?

- Pryor, Pam

Authors: Pryor, Pam
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Health, Safety and Environment Vol. 26, no. 1 (2010), p. 21-23
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Description: Analysis of the data collected from a survey into what OHS professionals do in practice indicated that they are not strategically influential with senior managers and that this lack of influence may be limiting workplace health and safety improvements. This article revisits the survey data to investigate the potential links between the personal (gender) and professional (education and experience) characteristics of OHS professionals, the industry and the size and geographical location of the organisation in which they work, and their involvement in strategic activities. The analysis indicates that the profile of OHS professionals who are strategically influential includes the following: they are male; they have worked in OHS for six to 10 years; and they are employed by large organisations, particularly in the mining and construction industries. The data regarding the role of education were contradictory to expectations and other reports. While this analysis has provided a profile of OHS professionals in Australia, it has added little to our understanding of the interactions and dynamics of factors that might impact on the strategic influence of OHS professionals.

OHS professionals: Technicians or strategic advisors?

- Pryor, Pam, Sawyer, Neroli

Authors: Pryor, Pam , Sawyer, Neroli
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Health, Safety and Environment Vol. 26, no. 1 (2010), p. 7-20
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Description: This article arose from a concern that OHS professionals are not strategically influential with senior managers, and that this lack of influence may be limiting workplace health and safety improvements and, in turn, hindering the progress of the national OHS improvement strategy. The article analyses data from an Australian survey into the communication patterns and activities of OHS professionals in an attempt to clarify whether their activities are likely to have a strategic influence on senior managers. While there may be a number of interpretations of the data, the results indicate that the focus of the activities of OHS professionals is mainly task-oriented. Less often, the focus of their activities is operational (such as developing the OHS management system), while a few of their activities may be considered as strategic. The Australian survey was part of a broader international study and a comparison of the results with those from other countries revealed that the limited focus on strategic activities is not unique to Australia.

Reactive trace element enrichment in a highly modified, tidally inundated acid sulfate soil wetland : East Trinity, Australia

- Keene, Annabelle, Johnston, Scott, Bush, Richard, Burton, Edward, Sullivan, Leigh

Authors: Keene, Annabelle , Johnston, Scott , Bush, Richard , Burton, Edward , Sullivan, Leigh
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol. 60, no. 4 (2010), p. 620-626
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Description: This study examines the abundance of trace elements in surface sediments of a former acid sulfate soil (ASS) wetland subjected to marine tidal inundation. Sediment properties of this highly modified study site are compared with those of an adjacent unmodified, intertidal mangrove forest. Whilst some trace elements (Al, Cd, Mn, Ni and Zn) were clearly depleted due to mobilisation and leaching in the previous oxic-acidic phase, other trace elements (As and Cr) displayed significant enrichment in the tidally inundated ASS. Many trace elements were strongly associated with the reactive Fe and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) fractions, suggesting that trace elements may be adsorbed to abundant reactive Fe phases or sequestered as sulfide minerals. These findings provide an important understanding of the fate and mobility of reactive iron, AVS and trace elements during tidal remediation of a formerly acidified Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Registered nurses as members of interprofessional primary health care teams in remote or isolated areas of Queensland : Collaboration, communication and partnerships in practice

- Mills, Jane, Francis, Karen

Authors: Mills, Jane , Francis, Karen
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Interprofessional Care Vol. 24, no. 5 (2010), p. 587-596
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Description: Nurses represent the largest occupational group of health care professionals in Australia. The ratio of nurses to population is relatively consistent, unlike other health care professional groups (including medical doctors and allied health staff) whose numbers decline as population density and distance from metropolitan areas increases. Nurses working in areas where other health care professionals are limited or absent have expanded scopes of practice with their work being more generalist than specialist. The role of nurses in remote and isolated areas of Queensland, Australia was the focus of a commissioned multi-case research project. Findings reported in this paper relate to the position of registered nurses as part of an interprofessional team. These findings indicated that, in some instances, local health care teams were limited to a single nurse and Indigenous health care worker/s, while in others the teams were more diverse. In all cases collegial support was available either locally or via telecommunication technology. Understanding the role of each team member, having useful strategies to enhance communication and work collaboratively were identified as essential criteria for "good practice".

Simpson, his donkey and the rest of us : Public pedagogies of the value of belonging

- Tsolidis, Georgina

Authors: Tsolidis, Georgina
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Educational Philosophy and Theory Vol. 42, no. 4 (2010), p. 448-461
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Description: At the heart of this paper is an exploration of belonging and how this is assumed to connect with a set of values represented as national. There is a particular interest in the relationship between these values and education. Because the significance of the learning that occurs through the public domain outside educational institutions such as schools is assumed, several cultural texts are examined in order to consider public pedagogies of Australianness including iconic displays such as those associated with the Sydney Olympics and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Media reports surrounding the Cronulla riots are also examined as a means of understanding the values associated with non-belonging. These cultural texts are considered along side curriculum and policy concerned with values education. Through an exploration of the imaginary, the argument is made that in relation to ethnic difference, an hegemonic narrative has remained at the core of how Australianness is represented, despite multicultural incursions and fears about the cultural dissipation associated with globalisation and so-called postmodern fragmentation. Â© 2010 The Author. Journal compilation Â© 2010 Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia.

Sojourners or a new diaspora? Economic implications of the movement of Chinese miners to the south-west Pacific goldfields

- Reeves, Keir

Authors: Reeves, Keir
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Economic History Review Vol. 50, no. 2 (2010), p. 178-192
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Description: Chinese gold seekers were the largest non-British group on the goldfields of Australasia and constituted the largest nationality on some diggings. In considering the movement of Chinese miners to and throughout the goldfields colonies of the southwest Pacific, this articles argues there existed a more complex pattern of migration than that suggested by the sojourner model of arrival, brief stay and departure. It examines the links between migration patterns and economic activity, and argues that economic history perspectives complement the insights offered by recent social and cultural history in the field.

Whose security? How white possession is reinforced in everday speech about asylum seekers

- Koerner, Catherine

Authors: Koerner, Catherine
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Vol. 6, no. 1 (2010), p. 1-14
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Description: The national narratives that construct asylum seekers as illegal immigrants in Australia were protected and contested during the term of the former Howard Liberal government. This paper explores how white possession is reinforced in everyday speech about asylum seekers. To do this, it draws upon an empirical study conducted in rural South Australia with people who identified as “white Australian”. The study consists of 28 in depth semi-structured interviews conducted in 2003. The paper will firstly locate the interviews in the sociopolitical context of the former Howard Liberal government’s policies and key events such as the Tampa incident. In doing so, the paper adds to the small body of Australian sociological empirical research that investigates everyday practices of whiteness. The paper identifies discourses about refugees, border security and the “war on terror” that reinforce Australian discourses of white possession. The paper critiques the racialised privilege in discourses used by the interviewees about asylum seekers and argues this privilege is gained through the assertion of “white patriarchal sovereignty” (Moreton- Robinson 2004a) in everyday speech. This privilege simultaneously disavows Indigenous sovereignty and reasserts white national sovereignty through the raced exclusion of Middle Eastern and/or Muslim peoples who are located as illegal immigrants in everyday white discourses about asylum seekers.

Ensuring the future of rural social work in Australia

- Brown, Grace, Green, Rosemary

Authors: Brown, Grace , Green, Rosemary
Date: 2009
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Rural Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2009), p. 293-295
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Description: The article focuses on several approaches to improve social work in remote, rural and regional locales in Australia. It says that despite the need for social work services, human service agencies face difficulty in retention and recruitment of qualified staff. To address such problems in rural social work, it suggests the involvement of urban universities, which provide social work education, by supporting rural student placements. It mentions the need for industry support to encourage and assists student in rural placements. It also states that distance education can be an alternative for students from rural locales. Moreover, it says that continuing professional development opportunities should be provided for rural social workers.
Description: 2003007962

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