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Perceived risks to housing unaffordability in resource and regional communities: policy implications for regional housing affordability in Australia
No full textHousing unaffordability creates pressures on economic and social life of an individual to a community. Periodic housing unaffordability in Queensland resource and regional communities are common over the last two decades. This paper examined the perceived household risks to periodic housing unaffordability in Queensland resource and regional communities through a case study of Rockhampton and Gladstone cities. Two hundred households were surveyed from these two cities and then probability based consensus and agreement method used to identify the level of risks that the community perceived due to housing unaffordability. The study found that economic and social risks and stresses such as extra pressures on household budgets, reduction in disposable income, difficulty with children’s schooling, strain in family relations and poor health were the common perceived risks in these two communities. An appropriate mix of housing development with suitable service options is required to maintain the well-being of various socio-economic groups during the resource boom period
The value of a peer operated service
No full textPeer support in the mental health sector is the help and support that ‘peers’ – people with a lived experience of mental health issues – are able to give one another.
A peer worker is employed on the basis that they bring their lived experience to the workplace to assist other peers in their recovery journey.
While the prevalence of peer workers in mental health services has grown slowly over the last 20 years in Australia, there have been limited evaluations of the impact of the peer workforce. Also, there are few services that are 100 per cent peer operated – run by the peer workers and peer volunteers.
This article shares key insights from a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis of a 100 per cent, peer operated service run by Flourish Australia (previously RichmondPRA) in Hervey Bay, Queensland.
SVA used the SROI analysis to demonstrate where the main value is created and to highlight the key features of the service that create that value.
These insights may be useful for organisations seeking to expand or replicate a peer operated service, or for those looking to gain a deeper understanding of this effective form of support
The mission to stop Ebola: lessons for UN crisis response
No full textOverview
The Ebola outbreak of 2014–2016 was a fast-moving, multidimensional emergency that presented unprecedented challenges for the multilateral system. In response to the outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the UN established the first-ever emergency health mission, the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
UNMEER is an important case study of how the UN, with member-state support, can provide a whole-of-system response through coordination, partnership, and creative use of existing tools. This report, therefore, asks three questions about this groundbreaking mission: was it needed, was it properly structured, and did it deliver? In answering these questions, it offers eight broad lessons for UN crisis response:
A sequenced approach and flexible mandate allow for better responses to unanticipated challenges.
Effective responses draw upon the full range of UN tools and implementing partners based on the principle of comparative advantage, but they must take into account the challenge of integrating distinct organizational cultures.
Flexible and predictable funding is critical for rapidly scaling up responses to multidimensional crises.
Local engagement with key stakeholders during the peak of a crisis enhances long-term effectiveness.
A system-wide communications strategy, bolstered by strong communications capacity in the field, is required from the outset.
High-level coordination and oversight can provide flexibility and quick reaction.
Close proximity to frontline responders and the site of the crisis enhances field coordination.
A regional office can improve coordination across borders, but it must be joined with a strategy to account for the specificity of national and local contexts
Caliphate in decline: an estimate of Islamic State’s financial fortunes
No full textThis report is based on a systematic review of open source information about the finances of Islamic State in its core territory in Syria and Iraq.
Key findings
Estimates vary widely. It remains impossible to say exactly how much money Islamic State has at its disposal.
The group’s most significant sources of revenue are closely tied to its territory. They are: (1) taxes and fees; (2) oil; and (3) looting, confiscations, and fines. We have found no hard evidence that foreign donations continue to be significant. Similarly, revenues from the sale of antiquities and kidnap for ransom, while difficult to quantify, are unlikely to have been major sources of income.
In the years since 2014, Islamic State’s annual revenue has more than halved: from up to 870m in 2016. There are no signs yet that the group has created significant new funding streams that would make up for recent losses. With current trends continuing, the Islamic State’s “business model” will soon fail.
Assessment
Evaluating Islamic State finances through traditional approaches towards “countering terrorist finance” leads to serious misconceptions. Islamic State is fundamentally different because of the large territory it controls and the unique opportunities this offers for generating income.
Conversely, its reliance on population and territory helps to explain the group’s current financial troubles. According to figures provided by the Global Coalition, by November 2016 Islamic State had lost 62 per cent of its mid-2014 “peak” territory in Iraq, and 30 per cent in Syria. From a revenue perspective, this means fewer people and businesses to tax and less control over natural resources such as oil fields.
Prospects
There are good reasons to believe that Islamic State revenues will further decline. In particular, capturing Mosul, the Caliphate’s “commercial capital”, will have a significant detrimental effect on Islamic State finances
Nevertheless, Islamic State, and its Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) predecessor, have repeatedly demonstrated that financial and military setbacks can be overcome.
Moreover, the decline in revenues may not have an immediate effect on the group’s ability to carry out terrorist attacks outside its territory. While hurting Islamic State finances puts pressure on the organization and its state-building project, wider efforts will continue to be necessary to ultimately defeat it
Managing Community Correction Orders
No full textA community correction order (CCO) is a sentence imposed by a court that allows offenders to complete their sentences in a community setting. Offenders on CCOs may have to comply with specific conditions imposed by the courts, such as mandatory drug or alcohol treatment, and significant restrictions such as curfews and judicial monitoring. In this audit, we examined how effectively Corrections Victoria (CV) manages CCOs.
We also looked at:
the Department of Health and Human Services to assess how well it coordinates court-ordered programs with CV
Victoria Police, to examine how well it exchanges information with CV about offenders on CCOs.
Twelve recommendations are made in this report for CV, and one each for Victoria Police and the Department of Health and Human Services
How Americans encounter, recall and act upon digital news
No full textWhen following links, online news consumers could recall the name of the news outlet 56% of the time.
nyone who wants to understand today’s news environment faces a challenge: How to discern the nuances of digital news habits when Americans’ attention spans are fractured, human memory is naturally limited and news comes at them every which way.
To tackle this complex question, Pew Research Center, in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, took on the unusual task of staying in touch with more than 2,000 U.S. adults who get at least some news online over the course of a week. The study ran from Feb. 24 to March 1, 2016. Respondents were asked twice a day whether they got news online within the past two hours and, if so, were asked about their experience with that news. This technique was used to improve the chances that respondents would be able to accurately recall their recent news interactions and allowed researchers to ask about sources and behaviors with a high level of detail. This amounted to up to 14 completed surveys per person for a total of 25,602 interviews – 13,086 of which included online news consumption.
While there are a number of pathways Americans use to get news online, two in this study stand out as the most common: social media and direct visits to news organizations’ websites. When asked how they arrived at news content in their most recent web interaction, online news consumers were about equally likely to get news by going directly to a news website (36% of the times they got news, on average) as getting it through social media (35%). They were less likely to access news through emails, text messages or search engines. And most people favored one pathway over another. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of online news consumers had one preferred pathway for getting most of their online news
Jan Gehl stories: people, places and cities
No full text‘If Jan Gehl did not already exist it would be necessary to invent him to rescue our cities.’ wrote Janette Sadik-Khan, former Commissioner NYC Department of Transportation.
Influential urbanist, architect and humanist Jan Gehl returns to Melbourne with more stories about observing public life and how cities can be made more liveable, humane and happier. As Gehl says, ‘A good city is like a good party. People stay longer than really necessary because they are enjoying themselves.’
The event celebrated the publication of a new book about Jan Gehl entitled People Cities – Life and legacy of Jan Gehl written by Annie Matan and Peter Newman, Island Press, 2016.
Professor Rob Adams AM – City of Melbourne
Professor Jan Gehl – Architect and Urbanist
MC Professor Carolyn Whitzman – Urban Planning, the University of Melbourn
Cycling in Melbourne
No full textThese maps draw on data from the Riderlog application. They are organised to show cycling activity in Melbourne organised by time, gender, age, duration, purpose and origin
TMT predictions 2017
No full textAs the pace of technological change becomes exponentially faster, it is increasingly difficult to identify the major trends that could have profound effects on enterprises and consumers. To help address this challenge, we’re pleased to offer the 2017 version of Predictions from Deloitte Global, designed to provide insight into what may offer disruption and growth opportunities across the technology, media and telecommunications ecosystems.
This year’s 10 Predictions combine Deloitte Global thinking, original and secondary research, perspectives gained from hundreds of conversations with industry leaders, and the aggregated opinions of tens of thousands of consumer across the globe
Gen nbn: 2020 and beyond
No full textAustralia is set to be the world’s most connected continent following the completion of the NBN rollout in 2020, according to new research released today.
Developed by Western Sydney University, this report provides an in-depth analysis into how advancements in technology and nationwide access to fast broadband will transform all aspects of the Australian way of life.
It predicts ‘gen nbn™’, Australia’s newest and most connected generation, will benefit from better business opportunities and flexible-working arrangements as well as access to leading education and healthcare services.
The report predicts:
The internet of everything – Increased connectivity and digital innovation is rapidly penetrating every facet of day-to-day life. By 2020, technologies such as drones, 3D printers, Virtual and Augmented Reality as well as home automation will become deeply entrenched in homes and workplaces. These technologies will help transform our lives and enable better connectivity with family and friends as well as provide access to a range of new entertainment options. By 2025-2030, there are likely to be well over 50 billion devices or apps connecting everything from our fridge door to our home security systems, which will be enabled to run concurrently over the nbn™ network.
Rapid growth in medical innovations – Digital technology in health care is increasing exponentially with the advent of big data, advanced video conferencing systems and 3D printing. By 2020, telehealth services, enabled by the nbn™ network will be able to connect regional, rural and remote areas with access to affordable and convenient GP and specialist healthcare appointments, saving up to $3 billion in annual health costs. By 2025, it may be possible to use big data to predict widespread disease outbreaks and by 2030 we are likely to see 3D printing drastically enhance the ability to produce medical aids and prosthetics.
E-change movement will continue – Access to fast broadband in regional towns and rapid adoption of teleworking is leading people to migrate away from the major cities to regional hotspots. From now to 2030, the nbn™ network will be a critical enabler to the success of home-grown start-ups across the country and will help to facilitate access to new markets and business opportunities while still enjoying their country or coastside lifestyles. Close to 400,00 Australians workforce currently work from home; as fast broadband becomes more widespread, these figures could as much as double by 2025.
Jobs of the future – Connectivity is driving innovation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) disciplines spurring a transformation of the Australian job market. Health, education and technical services are expected to employ over 4.3 million Australians by 2030, up from the current 3.5 million jobs. From now until 2030, we will see a huge increase in online educational resources and services offering better teaching facilities to upskill our nation in key areas such as health and technical services, to harness careers in data science, coding and bio-chemistry