Remote Australia Online

In this paper we present a deep learning (U-Net) based workflow for classifying linear dune landforms based on the discrete Laplacian convolution of a new global elevation dataset, the AW3D30 Digital Surface Model. Crest vectors were then derived for landscape pattern analysis. The U-Net crest classification model was trained and evaluated on sample data from dunefields across the Australian continent. The resulting crest vectors and dune defect placement were then evaluated in typical semi-arid and arid dune landscapes in eastern central Australia where high resolution (5 m horizontal) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are available (for three out of our four study sites) as a reference dataset. The method was applied to quantify dune pattern metrics for the entire Simpson Desert dunefield, Australia. The U-Net does a very good job of segmenting dune crests, even where dunes are less clear in the Laplacian map (intersection over union score ≈ 0.68). When crest vectors and dune defects (network nodes) were derived, the defect predictions were typically correct (0.4 to 0.79 correctness) but incomplete (0.02 to 0.64 completeness). Much of the residual error was traced to the resolution of the input data. Through the application to the Simpson Desert we nevertheless demonstrated that our method can be effectively used for regional-scale dune pattern analysis. Furthermore, we suggest that the combination of morphological filtering and a convolutional neural network could be readily adapted to target other geomorphic features, such as channel networks or geological lineaments.

AIM: To determine the cost-effectiveness of utilizing point-of-care testing (POCT) on the Abbott i-STAT device as a support tool to aid decisions regarding the emergency medical retrievals of patients at remote health centers in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. METHODS: A decision analytic simulation model-based economic evaluation was conducted using data from patients presenting with three common acute conditions (chest pain, chronic renal failure due to missed dialysis session(s), and acute diarrhea) at six remote NT health centers from July to December 2015. The specific outcomes measured in this study were the number of unnecessary emergency medical retrieval prevented through POCT. Cost savings through prevented unnecessary medical retrievals for each presentation type were then determined and extrapolated to give per annum NT-wide estimates. RESULTS: POCT prevented 60 unnecessary medical evacuations from a total of 200 patient cases meeting the selection criteria (48/147 for chest pain, 10/28 for missed dialysis, and 2/25 for acute diarrhea). The associated cost savings were AUD $4,674, $8,034, and $786 per patient translating to NT-wide savings of AUD $13.72 million, $6.45 million, and $1.57 million per annum (AUD $21.75 million in total) for chest pain, missed dialysis, and acute diarrhea presentations, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that POCT when used to aid decision making for acutely ill patients delivered significant cost savings for the NT health care system by preventing unnecessary emergency medical retrievals.

This thesis is about culture, representation, perception, and visual communication. It is set in the community of Ntaria, amongst the ranges of Western Arrarnta Country in the Central Desert of Australia. The research sets out to explore and reveal a Western Arrarnta imagining of communication design through the digital drawings of young adults at Ntaria School. Central to this research are 16 participants from Ntaria School and their digital drawings. This dissertation has three interrelated aims. Firstly, to explore how the introduction of digital drawing can reveal Western Arrarnta imaginings of communication design in relation to design principles, processes, and meanings. Secondly, to evaluate the teaching of communication design through design workshops according to Western Arrarnta ways of learning. Thirdly, to understand the value of digital drawing and communication design education according to Ntaria students’ perspectives and priorities.Communication design develops visual language to convey ideas, information, stories, and messages. Foundational to this study is approaching, situating, and teaching communication design in a way that prioritises the voices, perspectives, and narratives of Ntaria participants. The theoretical framework and methodological approach interweaves youth based participatory action research processes (YPAR), the 8-ways pedagogical framework, and the capability approach. Digital drawing was introduced at Ntaria School through a series of collaborative design workshops. The iterative and adaptive approach to data collection involved interviews, card sorting tools, observations, and a self-reflection survey. Responsive to Ntaria cultural practices and on Country learning processes, it emphasised student participation in all phases of the research. Through ongoing dialogue, the methods, timelines, and educational materials were adapted to suit the realities and priorities of the participants.The participants’ digital drawings reveal a world from a Western Arrarnta youth perspective. The main finding of this study is that a Western Arrarnta communication design process and educational approach can be used to affirm the participants’ connections with family, culture,and community. This study found that the Ntaria participants imagine Western Arrarnta communication design principles and processes in relation to their own spiritual and cultural practices, knowledge systems, and responsibilities. The participants’ spoke about the value of communication design education from their own perspectives, particularly its ability to connect to cultural knowledge, stay on Country, and share stories across generations. They are proud of their design outcomes and positive in how they represent culture, community, and their contemporary identities.

Stafford Strategy (Stafford) was commissioned by the Central Western Queensland Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) to undertake the development of a tourism data model for the Central West Queensland (CWQ) region. The project was requested to support the diversification of CWQ’s economy through strengthening the tourism sector and building economic resilience in its communities. Scope The scope of the project included the following. ▪ Identify currently available datasets excluding the following which have already been identified. ▪ Identify data deficiencies and possible options to obtain data to overcome the deficiencies. ▪ Develop a scalable model which allows collection and analysis of data to address the regional data deficiencies. ▪ Deliver a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan detailing the project schedule of activities, mechanisms for monitoring progress and evaluation outcomes to RAPAD for endorsement.

This report provides a high-level synopsis on the Northern Australian forestry and forest products industry, and describes its challenges, and potential solutions and opportunities for further policy development, research or investment. The following sections of the report should be informed by and read in conjunction with the literature review, workshop reports, more detailed indigenous literature review and image library, included as appendices. The major opportunities and associated needs are summarised in the Opportunities and Needs Matrix section of the report. This information can be used to develop a roadmap for the future development of the forestry and forest products industry in northern Australia. Figure 1 provides an emerging roadmap outlining these opportunities, actions for outcomes and overarching needs, derived from the project. A key aim of the project was to raise the visibility of the forestry and forest products industry in northern Australia and identify growth opportunities with policy makers, industry, regulators and stakeholders, and to contribute to the establishment of an Industry Development Alliance with a life beyond the project. To this end, the project partners have established an alliance which includes a number of relevant state departments, industry bodies, companies and landowners. The next steps from the alliance will be to work with relevant key influencers on priority actions, including: •identification of new research and development proposals, arising from this analysis; •targeted briefings at key policy forums and meetings(e.g. Northern Australia Ministers forum, Forestry Ministers Council, senior officer groups); and •greater industry collaboration and partnerships in northern Australia (e.g. conferences, field trips, demonstration trials, joint development and/or investment proposals and projects).Key priority actions and intended impacts for the further development of the northern forestry and forest products industry are discussed in more detail in the Strategic Recommendations section. The study identified six key recommendations across two areas of primary focus: removal of barriers for downstream processing and value-adding for forest product and timber markets; and addressing barriers to new plantation investment and production forestry carbon opportunities. The six recommendations(in no particular order)for action were: 1. Build and maintain the newly formed industry and cross-jurisdictional agency alliance to promote forest sector development across Northern Australia. 2. Promote indigenous forestry development through better engagement models and commercial arrangements between industry and indigenous landowners, and build indigenous forestry capacity and understanding of commercial forest resources including through forest resourceinventory. 3. Development of secure access arrangements for supply from crown native forest land (i.e. leasehold) in northern Queensland. 4. Develop a market research study into the potential supply and demand for wood products from Northern Australia, including key markets and supply chain needs (e.g. regional infrastructure). 5. Assess silvopastoral opportunities as a vehicle for new commercial tree plantings. 6. Review Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) barriers to carbon market access for forestry activities, with priority on the ‘water rule’ requirement for new plantations.

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE: The objective is to identify and synthesise the best available evidence on the obstacles to the take-up of health-care provision by adult rural and remote dwelling males in Australia seeking mental health services. BACKGROUND: Men's health, in general health-care practice, is defined as the global management of mental, emotional, and physical health conditions, and related risk factors, that are specific to men in order to promote and generate optimal health.Research and practice tends to suggest that health-care and mental-health care practitioners seem to be confronted with obstacles such as distance clients need to travel and rurality in delivering care to adult rural males. Possible issues might be whether, or to what extent, care providers are conscious of these obstacles. Another issue might be how care providers work with these obstacles in practice, and whether or not they may, also to some extent, share some of the responsibility for the existence of these obstacles, on their own, or in conjunction with other factors which might be said to exist purely in the rural context. There is also a need to explore the contributions to obstacles from the adult rural male side as well. There may also be factors at work in the particular unique nature of rural and remote health-care and mental-health care as well, which could also be involved in the creation of obstacles.The structure and functioning of rural care available to adult males of all cultural backgrounds and the obstacles to the take-up of that care represents an area which warrants further exploration and understanding. A foundation paper in this field by Karoski suggests that obstacles exist in health-care provision, particularly in the field of mental-health care to adult males. Other research suggests that, while obstacles in service provision are common to all areas, some obstacles are more significant for rural and remote areas.The reasons for framing this review in terms of the adult rural and remote male (ARRM) context is as follows. Research suggests there is a consensus that Australian rural male health is a unique social problem, and there appears to be a possible perception that the state and national health systems may have failed ARRM's. This research also discusses that ARRM's respond differently and uniquely, compared to their international counterparts, and this might be especially true in the case of Australian Indigenous populations. There is a suggestion in the research that the Australian rural health-care environment is unique because of its mix of ARRM's among a population which includes culturally and linguistically diverse populations, local Indigenous people as well as people of Anglo-Saxon descent. Some research suggests that there are unique complexities confronting the ARRM population mix when access to health-care is considered. Research also suggests unique complexities might exist in the mix of care provision, delivery systems, and funding arrangements in the ARRM context. An interesting area of research in terms of social capital, and moral distress, suggests the Australian context might be unique in terms of its formal and informal care structures and arrangements.. Moral distress is believed to represent an issue in the professional delivery of quality health-care Other research considers the notion of structural disadvantage in the provision of, and access to, care services for ARRM's. Structural disadvantage refers to the dearth of asset-based community development opportunities that play a role in health-care provision.A screening search of Pubmed, Cinahl, the Cochrane Library and the JBI Systematic Review Library did not identify published systematic reviews, or active protocols in this topic of research. Therefore this systematic review will help address this gap. DEFINITIONS: Obstacle: A barrier to the utilisation of health-care/mental-health care.Take-up: The accessing of health-care/mental-health care services.Health-care: Services which promote, maintain, and preserve health, life, and well-being.Mental-Health care: The assessment, diagnosis and treatment of people who are experiencing psychological and situational stressors which create mental-health conditions and disorders such as depression and anxiety.Provision: Professional services for health-care/mental-health care provided by Doctors, Nurses, Medical Specialists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Psychotherapists, and other care providers.Rural and Remote: This term can be conceptualised as a set of characteristics which can impact on the way a health-care service can be delivered and includes: geographical isolation from major population centres of Australia; greater distances; lower socioeconomic status; lower educational levels; higher proportion of Indigenous people; specific occupational health safety and welfare risks; a relatively close relationship with nature; specific cultural attitudes; poor access to services; and, smaller population centres where there is a distinctive occupational profile dominated by primary and resource production.

Large predators are declining worldwide primarily due to hunting and persecution by humans, driven in large part by the livestock industry. Some ranchers are transitioning to “predator-friendly” farming by adopting nonlethal predator deterrents. On very large rangeland properties, such as the vast stations of the Australian arid zone, ending lethal control may in itself reduce livestock losses by enabling the predator’s social structure to stabilize. The dingo (Canis dingo), Australia’s apex predator, is commonly subjected to eradication campaigns to protect livestock. We analyzed causes of cattle (Bos taurus) deaths on Evelyn Downs, a 2,300-km2 predator-friendly station in central Australia, for 2 years after dingo protection was established. Husbandry-related challenges, associated with deteriorating environmental conditions, were the leading causes of deaths of cattle. Predation by dingoes was minor and declined as the indices of dingo abundance stabilized and social stability increased. Shifting from killing predators to improving husbandry standards is likely to improve livestock survival and welfare.

Background The Northern Territory (NT) of Australia has a mix of climates, sparsely distributed population and a large proportion of the populace are Indigenous Australians, and influenza is known to have a disproportionate impact upon this group. Understanding the epidemiology of influenza in this region would inform public health strategies. Objectives To assess if there are consistent patterns in characteristics of influenza outbreaks in the NT. Methods Laboratory confirmed influenza cases in the NT are notified to the NT Centre for Disease Control. We conducted analyses on notified cases from 2007-2016 to determine incidence rates (by age group, Indigenous status and area), seasonality of cases and spatial distribution of influenza types. Notified cases were linked to laboratory datasets to update information on influenza type or subtype Results The disparity in Indigenous and non-Indigenous notification rates varied by age group, with rate ratios for Indigenous versus non-Indigenous ranging from 1.58 (95% CI:1.39, 1.80) for ages 15-24 to 5.56 (95% CI: 4.71, 6.57) for ages 55-64. The disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous notification rates appeared higher in the Central Australia region. Indigenous versus non-Indigenous hospitalisation and mortality rate ratios were 6.51 (95% CI: 5.91, 7.18) and 5.46 (95% CI: 2.40, 12.71) respectively. Inter-seasonal peaks during February and March occurred in 2011, 2013 and 2014, and were due to influenza activity in the tropical north of the NT. Conclusions Our results highlight the importance of influenza vaccination across all age groups for Indigenous Australians. An early vaccination campaign targeted against outbreaks in February-March would be best focused on the tropical north.

This book concentrates on the process of rural health and provides a significant contribution to the debate surrounding the determinants of health and what is necessary for improving the health status of, and access to health services, for Australians living in remote and rural areas. The book is divided into 4 sections under the following headings: rural society, health, and health services; major health challenges; rural professional practice; and the future of rural health. The book has 18 chapters and a subject index.

Introduction Radiographers employed in remote locations such as Far North Queensland (FNQ) can face unique sets of challenges as they often perform radiographic and sonographic diagnostic imaging without onsite radiologists' services. Additionally, the majority of patients presenting to these sites are Indigenous for whom English may be their third language. This non-participant observational study observed two FNQ radiographers' interactions with patients and interprofessional staff, and the radiographers' ability to fit into the Indigenous community during routine radiographic and sonographic examinations which to date have received little attention. Methods Non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews with radiographers were held at two FNQ hospitals. Consecutive radiographer–patient interactions were observed and recorded on checklists. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis. Results Across both remote sites, 24 patients were observed as they underwent diagnostic imaging examinations, with the majority being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders (n = 17/24 (70.8%). In total, eleven general radiography and sixteen ultrasound examinations were observed. Semi-structured interviews highlighted complex issues such as the need for radiographer communication in local dialect, ongoing interprofessional collaborations, overcoming the lack of radiologists' onsite support by providing radiographic reports directly to referring doctors and midwives, and isolation with regard to professional development opportunities. Conclusions Radiographers working in remote hospitals need to be culturally competent, navigate local indigenous languages and possess excellent interprofessional skills as well as thorough knowledge of imaging pathology to convey findings to referring doctors and allied health professionals. These findings have implications for the entry to practice curriculum. Implications for practice This study provides evidence that culturally competent radiographers are capable of undertaking reporting roles to facilitate patient management in the absence of timely radiologists' reports at remote sites.

This report represents a component of a project commissioned by the Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC) to develop affordable housing solutions for the region. As the CHDC project developed, it became clear that a lack of information on demand for housing was a barrier to approving new housing developments in the region. As a result, Deborah Wilson Consulting Services has worked with the Queensland Resources Council to compile this data. This report presents the findings of research conducted by the Queensland Resources Council to estimate current and future mining industry employment and accommodation supplied by mining companies. This research supports the information needs of a range of research projects on housing demand and affordable accommodation.

Background Pain is a growing public health problem associated with significant health and functional implications. Limited data exist for Aboriginal Australians. Aim To describe the prevalence, severity and sites of pain, analgesic use, and associated factors including depression and disability, in remote-living Aboriginal Australians. Methods Cross-sectional study of 263 Aboriginal Australians aged ≥45?years from six remote Indigenous communities and the town of Derby in the Kimberley region of Western Australia between 2011?2013. Pain was assessed using a culturally adapted pain scale. Factors associated with pain were investigated with binary logistic regression. Results One hundred and seventy participants (64.6%) reported having pain and 53 (20.2%) reported persistent pain. Of those reporting pain, 61 (35.9%) rated it as moderate and 70 (41.2%) as severe. The most common sites of pain were back and knee, and 38 participants (22.4%) with pain indicated ≥3 sites of pain. Only 70 participants with pain (41.2%) were on some type of analgesic medication. After adjustment, poor vision (OR = 2.21; 95% CI 1.22?4.00), hypertension (OR = 1.89; 95% CI 1.03?3.45) and heart problems (OR = 2.05; 95% CI 1.01?4.14) were associated with pain. Higher depression scores were associated with more persistent pain, but pain was not significantly associated with clinically relevant depressive symptoms, or requiring assistance with ≥2 personal and/or instrumental activities of daily living. Conclusion High levels of pain were reported, although the prevalence of persistent pain was comparable to the general population. Identifying risk factors, improving pain recognition and assessment, and evaluating culturally tailored management approaches should be a priority. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

There are important differences concerning health outcomes between the Australian population living in rural/remote regions and the urban population. Health care provision in remote areas, particularly in regions with a low number of inhabitants, is not without challenges. Aboriginal, rural and remote communities are therefore affected, as they face various obstacles in accessing health services, owing to geographical settings, difficulties in transportation to nearby hospitals, limited or inexistent local qualified personnel. The implementation of point-of-care testing could be a plausible solution to these challenges, as various point-of-care services that have been successfully put into action worldwide indicate towards positive clinical outcomes. Point-of-care units have a real potential in reducing morbidity and mortality in all population groups. This article aims to review the published literature on point-of-care testing around the world, with a focus on health economics and the feasibility of its implementation in Australian rural and remote regions.

Where mesopredators co-exist with dominant apex predators, an understanding of the factors that influence their habitat and space use can provide insights that help guide wildlife conservation and pest management actions. A predator’s habitat use is defined by its home range, which is influenced by its selection or avoidance of habitat features and intra- and inter-specific interactions within the landscape. These are driven by both innate and learned behaviour, operating at different spatial scales. We examined the seasonal home ranges and habitat selection of actively-managed populations of a native apex predator (dingo Canis dingo) and invasive mesopredator (feral cat Felis catus) in semi-arid Western Australia to better understanding their sympatric landscape use, potential interactions, and to help guide their management.

In 1826, around two and a half years before the start of the Swan River Colony, a small group of convicts was despatched from New South Wales to King George's Sound on the far south-western corner of the Australian continent, as skilled labour for a British military outpost. The convicts would live at the remote outpost alongside officers, soldiers and the local Indigenous people for over four years, until 1831 when colonial authorities called for the outpost's abandonment, and most but not all soldiers and convicts were returned to Sydney. Initially known as Fredericks-town, the military outpost at King George's Sound constituted the earliest official European settlement on the western side of Australia, and while it has been studied for the unusually 'friendly' European-Indigenous relations which took place there, little has been written about the convict experience. This article highlights the lesser-known details of convict lives at the outpost, including their labour, shelter, diet, how they were controlled, some of their concerns and more, and presents these within a greater chronology of outpost life. The study reveals that this outpost convict experience echoed neither the horrors of more lurid convict experience at larger settlements in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, nor was it a convict Eden. Instead, this convict experience evolved and changed over time, resultant to a range of variables including stage of the outpost, availability of food, and changing prison command and philosophy. Significantly, it reveals how extended amicable relations between outpost dwellers and the local Indigenous people at this rare 'friendly frontier' assisted newcomer interaction with the local natural surroundings, helping to change convict experience from conflict and ill-health in 1827, to relative outpost security and sustainability by 1831. This article will contribute to convict experience at smaller or lesser-known settlements and outposts around Australia during the early nineteenth century, as well as earliest convict experience on the western side of Australia more than two decades before Western Australia's official convict transportation period.

Nurses have a role in addressing the burden of disease in remote or isolated areas of Queensland. Activities to prevent chronic and acute disease and injury, while promoting a health lifestyle, are a part of nurses' work that help to meet the goal of keeping a population healthy. The findings presented in this paper, as part of a broader study into the role of nurses working in remote or isolated areas of Queensland, describe how registered nurse in these locations address local burden of disease. Participants discussed the increased workload that engaging in health promotion and disease prevention activities creates for them when providing health-care services for their communities. Establishing stronger working relationships with visiting members of the primary health-care team, while addressing organizational barriers, might have a significant impact on the nurses' ability to help reduce the burden of disease in these areas.

Aim This review aimed to synthesise the evidence on the effectiveness of dietary interventions targeting adolescents (>13 years) and adults living in rural or remote Australia. Methods Six electronic databases were searched to identify dietary interventions undertaken in rural or remote communities. Studies were included if they utilised intervention and control comparisons or pre and post assessment of diet-related outcomes. If studies included metropolitan populations, dietary outcome measures had to be provided separately for rural data. Results In total, 14 articles from 12 unique studies met the criteria for inclusion and together provided incomplete coverage across all states of Australia, included intervention studies targeted diet to address obesity, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure or diabetes. No studies were focussed on reducing community malnutrition. All studies, with one exception, focussed specifically on rural adults, no interventions specifically targeted adolescents in rural areas. Only two studies documented the involvement of a dietitian in intervention development or delivery. All studies produced a significant outcome for either dietary intake, body mass index, waist circumference, or diet related biomedical risk factors for individuals located in rural or remote areas of Australia. Conclusion Dietary interventions in rural Australia are under-studied, especially among the adolescent population. This is despite the high level of preventable diet-related disease burden in rural and remote Australia. Existing evidence shows promise in improving dietary intakes, but further, large scale intervention research, with the involvement of dietitians, is urgently needed to improve the health of rural communities.

The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) held a scene setting workshop in Darwin in May 2004. This workshop aimed to determine the scope of NAILSMA as an organisation and the governance that was appropriate to it. A potential structure for NAILSMA was presented at this meeting and is represented in Figure 1. This paper aims to articulate the benefits of this structure, as agreed at the workshop, and provide input into further discussion on the future development of NAILSMA. The paper begins by summarising the current structure and aims of NAILSMA. This is followed, by a discussion of key factors relevant to Indigenous land and sea management in the North. The third section of this paper briefly describes the model structure presented at the scene setting workshop. The paper is concluded by articulating the benefits of the model structure for the future development of NAILSMA with reference to the discussion provided.

Giardiasis is a communicable gastrointestinal disease caused by Giardia duodenalis and two genetic assemblages, A and B, cause human infection. In remote Indigenous communities of Australia, giardiasis is highly prevalent among children but disease transmission is poorly understood. This study investigated the prevalence of Giardia and genetic subtypes contributing to human disease in a remote Indigenous community, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Eighty-seven faecal samples were collected from 74 children (<15 years) over an 18 month period, and the distribution of positive cases relative to participant age and gender were examined. Screening by microscopy and 18S rRNA PCR amplification showed 66.7% (58/87) of faecal samples were positive for Giardia. Both males and females were equally affected and high detection rates were obtained for participants aged 0-<5 years and 5-<10 years (66.0 and 60.0% respectively). For 58.6% of the positive samples, Giardia was only detected by 18S rRNA PCR. Approximately 75% of cases were assemblage B, and subassemblage analyses using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism of the glutamate dehydrogenase gene demonstrated that a variety of genetic variants were present. The high proportion of positive cases that were not detectable by microscopy, and dominance of assemblage B cases highlights the need for further research in this community, to assess the contribution of Giardia to chronic gastrointestinal disease among children, and to understand conditions conductive to assemblage B transmission.

A study of residues and usewear on 49 provenanced and dated whole or fragmentary groundstone implements excavated from Puntutjarpa Rockshelter in Australia's Western Desert suggest that plant processing and seed grinding were important components of Aboriginal diet well before the Mid to Late Holocene. The analysis revealed the presence of starch grains in varying concentrations on the surfaces of all but four of the 49 artefacts dating back to approximately 10,000 years ago. Eight of the specimens also contained traces of blood residue and five contained ochre, indicating multiple use of some grindstones for processing either both plant and animal products or both plant products and pigment. Three of the four specimens on which no traces of starch were recorded were too large to fit under the metallurgical microscope and it is likely that starch residues are also present on them. Ochre was macroscopically visible on one of the three specimens. Ochre was the only residue on the remaining artefact. Â This study of specimens excavated from Puntutjarpa Rockshelter located near the Warburton Ranges, Western Australia (Gould 1977) is part of ongoing archaeological research into the palaeodiet of Aboriginal people in arid Australia. Approximately 20% of the total site deposit by volume was excavated at Puntutjarpa, making it one of the few sites in arid Australia to produce a large sample of artefact and faunal remains. Limited excavations using metre squares (the so-called telephone booth method) are useful for strato-chronological purposes but cannot be expected to produce significant samples of cultural remains.The Puntutjarpa excavations are sufficiently large to provide an adequate spatial sample of artefacts to represent the range of on-site activities.

Mapping of fire scars from NOAA AVHRR satellite data by the WA Land Information Authority (Landgate) allows ACRIS to periodically update the fire record for the rangelands. This brief report updates the rangelands-wide fire record between 2006 and 2010 and follows the presentation style used in Rangelands 2008 – Taking the pulse (Bastin et al. 2008) for reporting fire regime between 1997 and 2005.Key pointsThe continued mapping of fire scars from satellite imagery has allowed ACRIS to update the fire record for 2006 through 2010. A complete fire record for the rangelands now exists between 1997 and 2010. Fire extent and frequency continue to vary considerably across the rangelands. Notable differences include: •Fire continues to be widespread and frequent in much of northern Australia when there is little rain during the dry season. Much of this burning appears to be uncontrolled, occurring in the late dry season when fires are more extensive and quite intense. However there is evidence for some northern bioregions that the extent of cooler fires in the early dry season is increasing. Such burning should mitigate the extent and severity of hotter fires in the late dry season. •Fire was relatively more extensive in north east Queensland in 2008 and 2009 following high rainfall over the preceding summers. For example, 3.8% and 4.7% of the Brigalow Belt North and 5.0% and 6.0% of the Desert Uplands bioregions burnt in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Median annual fire extent (between 1997 and 2010) for the Brigalow Belt North is 0.7% and for the Desert Uplands, 1.9%.•In the semi-arid and arid parts of central Australia, there has been little recent fire activity. This region last experienced extensive episodic fire, particularly in the western deserts, following the sequence of wetter years at the start of the most recent decade.•Fire was generally minimal and infrequent across most of the southern rangelands.

OBJECTIVES: To study rheumatic heart disease health literacy and its impact on pregnancy, and to identify how health services could more effectively meet the needs of pregnant women with rheumatic heart disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Researchers observed and interviewed a small number of Aboriginal women and their families during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum as they interacted with the health system. An Aboriginal Yarning method of relationship building over time, participant observations and interviews with Aboriginal women were used in the study. The settings were urban, island and remote communities across the Northern Territory. Women were followed interstate if they were transferred during pregnancy. The participants were pregnant women and their families. We relied on participants' abilities to tell their own experiences so that researchers could interpret their understanding and perspective of rheumatic heart disease. RESULTS: Aboriginal women and their families rarely had rheumatic heart disease explained appropriately by health staff and therefore lacked understanding of the severity of their illness and its implications for childbearing. Health directives in written and spoken English with assumed biomedical knowledge were confusing and of limited use when delivered without interpreters or culturally appropriate health supports. CONCLUSIONS: Despite previous studies documenting poor communication and culturally inadequate care, health systems did not meet the needs of pregnant Aboriginal women with rheumatic heart disease. Language-appropriate health education that promotes a shared understanding should be relevant to the gender, life-stage and social context of women with rheumatic heart disease.

Understanding the impacts of rainfall and fire on the population dynamics of mammals in desert ecosystems has been hampered by a lack of long-term data. In this study, we use a 16-year data set to investigate these relationships in an assemblage of 8 small rodents and dasyurid marsupials in central Australia. We hypothesized that marsupial populations would be less variable and less responsive to rainfall than rodents, and would also exhibit lower capture rates. We also hypothesized that fire would decrease capture rates of both groups and that in the 5 years after fire, rodents would be more abundant on burned sites than marsupials. Our data show, however, that population fluctuations in rodents and marsupials were largely synchronous, albeit of greater absolute size in rodents, and only partly explained by antecedent rainfall. While fire initially reduced all mammal populations, postburn areas were preferentially exploited by both groups, with rodents displaying only a weak pattern of prolonged use of burned areas. Since both groups recovered well from drought and wildfire, protection of drought refuges and generation of new habitat through small prescribed burns may benefit both groups. Although dasyurid marsupials have been found previously to show inconsistent responses to rainfall and fire, we conclude that their dynamics may sometimes resemble the “boom” and “bust” cycles that typify rodent populations in Australia’s arid interior.

The successes and failures of interventions to close the disadvantage gap for remote Aboriginal communities have been well documented but the role of the non-Indigenous advisers tasked with carrying out those interventions has remained obscure. This study explores the development of the culture of non-Indigenous government staff living and working in remote Aboriginal settlements in Central Australia in the 1960s and early 1970s. Elements of Constructivist Grounded Theory Methodology and its methods were used to analyse interviews of a representative group of workers. Three core themes were identified: Confronting disconnectedness, Finding our own space within the institution, and We formed a new social framework. Further analysis led to a descriptive narrative that incorporated personal characteristics, social processes, reactions to ambiguous governance structures, and the creation of a new social structure. From this analysis, three propositions can be drawn: (1) Remote communities with an absence of governance structures attracted workers characterised by a preference for autonomy and self-organisation, workers who sought difference, meaning and adventure. (2) Remote Aboriginal settlements with inadequate governance structures resulted, paradoxically, in social connectedness being contingent on the ability to maintain and navigate distance from other people. (3) The stronger the governance structures, the more cohesive the group. This led to less need for external networking, which, in turn, lessened the likelihood that remote workers would be influenced by other external factors. The relationship between the strength of governance structures and the workers’ personal characteristics determined how, and with whom, non-Indigenous workers formed meaningful connections. Conclusions: The ongoing heterarchical network – an unranked collective of absent, unclear or frequently changing hierarchies - that is identified in this thesis, would likely benefit from the development of a national peak body which could aggregate and maintain an organisational structure, and formalise training and the maintenance of professional standards of workers in remote settlements.

A large complement of Australia’s biotic web is dependent on a regular regime of burning, much of which is the result of firing by humans. Many researchers have suggested that moderate and repeated burning by Aborigines is a tool designed to enhance hunting efficiency. We present the first test of this with data on contemporary Martu Aboriginal burning and hunting strategies in the arid spinifex savanna of the Western Desert during the cool-dry season (May–August). Our results show a strong positive effect of mosaic burning on the efficiency of hunting burrowed prey (primarily conducted by women), but not larger mobile prey (primarily conducted by men). We suggest that regular anthropogenic disturbance through burning in Australia’s Western Desert may be important for sustaining biodiversity and habitat mosaics, but these effects may be maintained primarily by women’s hunting of burrowed game. We discuss the implications of these results for understanding variability in hunting strategies, issues of conservation, and land management policy for the region.