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NBN's Bill Morrow says rollout on budget despite $19.5 billion Government top-up
No full textThe NBN company\u27s chief executive, Bill Morrow, says the 19.5 billion top-up is in addition to the Government\u27s previously announced $29 billion for the project. It was negotiated despite original expectations that the private sector would be tapped to cover any shortfall
Robot revolution: why technology for older people must be designed with care and respect
No full textMany countries around the world have ageing populations and a growing prevalence of dementia. Japan, in particular, is a “super-ageing” society, with a population getting older faster than anywhere else in the world due to long life expectancy and low birth rates.
In 2015, an article in The Lancet medical journal pointed out that “Japan will be at the forefront of devising ways to tackle the social, economic, and medical challenges posed by a super-ageing society.”
A high-tech innovator, the country is producing robots for people with dementia – to provide companionship, improve safety in the home, and help with therapy. Other countries are jumping on board with initiatives to incorporate service robots into dementia care.
Read the full article on The Conversation
Humanitarian futures for messaging apps
No full textMobile messaging apps are the fastest-growing digital communications phenomenon ever. Today, more than 2.5 billion people around the world use messaging apps, a figure that is expected to rise to 3.6 billion by 2018 – that’s almost half of the world’s population.
Messaging apps have great potential to make a positive impact in situations of crisis. They can also introduce risks relating to security, data protection and privacy. Humanitarian organizations need to better understand the opportunities and risks in order to develop responsible, effective and safe ways to use messaging apps to meet the needs of people affected by armed conflicts, internally displaced people, refugees or migrants.
The ICRC, together with The Engine Room and Block Party, has produced this report on the current and potential uses of messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Snapchat in humanitarian situations
How is family housing property reshaping welfare regimes?
No full textWhile intergenerational inequalities have become more pronounced in recent years, they also appear to have reinforced intergenerational cooperation and the revival of the family as a provider of welfare and economic security. Keynote speaker at the 10th Australasian Housing Researchers Conference 2017, Dr Richard Ronald from the Centre for Urban Studies, University of Amsterdam, and editor of the International Journal of Housing Policy, discusses his recent international project on how family housing property wealth is reshaping welfare regimes, and what Australia can learn from this research. 
Are online and offline prices similar? Evidence from large multi-channel retailers
No full textOnline prices are increasingly used for measurement and research applications, yet little is known about their relation to prices collected offline, where most retail transactions take place. I conduct the first large-scale comparison of prices simultaneously collected from the websites and physical stores of 56 large multi-channel retailers in 10 countries. I find that price levels are identical about 72 percent of the time. Price changes are not synchronized but have similar frequencies and average sizes. These results have implications for national statistical offices, researchers using online data, and anyone interested in the effect of the Internet on retail prices
A conversation on terrorism in Australia, with Levi West – part 1
No full textOverview
In this episode of the podcast Sub Rosa, Andrew talks with Levi West about terrorism in Australia.
Levi West is the Director of Terrorism Studies at Charles Sturt University.
This is the first episode for 2017, and is part of a two-episode series. This episode presents the first half of the conversation, discussing terrorism in Australia from the 1960s up until 2013.
It first discusses the international development of terrorism and its Australian manifestations, demonstrated by some Yugoslav, Ananada Marga, Palestinian, Armenian, far-left and far-right groups that sometimes engaged in small-scale political violence in Australia.
It then discusses transitions that occurred in the 1990s, with high-profile terror attacks such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (by jihadists), the 1995 Tokya subway sarin gas attack (by the Aum Shinrikyo sect), the 1995 Oklahoma bombing (by far-right extremists), and the 1998 US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzani (by jihadists). These attacks had implications for Australia, particularly with a local jihadist scene emerging, though terrorism rarely featured in political discussion at the time.
It then turns to the post-9/11 environment, as global jihadism became the predominant terrorist threat to Australia, posing a more serious prospect of mass casualty attacks than earlier threats had.
It discusses how jihadism within Australia evolved up until 2013, and how various political developments (such as the seizure or loss of territory), strategic shifts (through the writings of jihadist theoreticians), and counter-terrorism responses (including increased resources and powers for security agencies) shaped the threat.
The impact of the Syrian civil war, the rise of “Islamic State”, and controversies over counter-terrorism powers, are covered in the next episode
Readiness to change drug use and help-seeking intentions of police detainees: findings from the DUMA program
No full textForeword
The nexus between drug use and crime is well established. Offenders are considerably more likely to use illicit drugs than the general population, and a large proportion of offenders attribute their criminal offending to drug use, yet very little is known about how to respond effectively to drug problems among police detainees.
Using data obtained through the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program, this paper explores the readiness to change drug use and help-seeking intentions of Australian police detainees with drug problems.
The analysis revealed those detainees most in need of drug treatment were also those most ready to change their drug use. The findings serve as a reminder of the need and desire for interventions for drug abuse among the police detainee population, and have implications for the development of intervention strategies aimed at reducing drug use among offender populations
Climate change and the Victorian bushfire threat: update 2017
No full textKEY FINDINGS
1. Climate change is increasing the risk of bushfires in Victoria and lengthening fire seasons.
Extreme fire weather has increased since the 1970s in the east and south of Australia, including Victoria, with the fire season length extending from October to March.
Climate change is now making hot days hotter, and heatwaves longer and more frequent. Drought conditions have been increasing in Australia’s southeast.
Climate change is driving an increase in dangerous fire weather, which in turn is increasing the frequency and severity of bushfires.
2. Victoria is the state in Australia that is most affected by bushfires and is on the frontline of increasing bushfire risk.
The 2016–17 bushfire season in Victoria is expected to be ‘above normal’ for the majority of the state including the Melbourne hinterland.
Severe long term rainfall deficits remain across much of western Victoria and West and South Gippsland, which may increase fire risk. Very wet winter and spring conditions has led to high levels of grass growth and above average fuel loads, particularly in the north of the state.
3. The economic cost of bushfires in Victoria is projected to more than double by 2050.
Victoria has sustained around half of the Australian economic losses from bushfires despite comprising only 3% of the continent.
The annual economic cost of bushfires in Victoria is approximately 378 million. These projections do not incorporate increased bushfire incident rates and severity due to climate change, so the total cost is likely to be much higher.
4. Bushfires will continue to adversely affect human and environmental health.
More than two thirds of known civilian bushfire fatalities in Australia have occurred in Victoria (more than 450 fatalities since the start of the 20th century).
Bushfire smoke can seriously affect human health because it contains respiratory irritants, as well as inflammatory and cancercausing chemicals. Elderly, infants and those with chronic heart or lung diseases are at higher risk.
After the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, some members of the community developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, major depressive episodes and increased alcohol use.
Fires can affect water infrastructure. The Black Saturday fires affected about 30% of catchments supplying Melbourne’s drinking water, with estimated recovery costs totalling more than $2 billion.
Increasing fire frequency can cause rapid ecosystem change. After successive fires in 2003 and 2006–07, acacia shrublands replaced some mountain and alpine forests, putting at risk vertebrate species including the endangered Leadbeater’s possum.
5. In the future, Victoria is very likely to experience an increased number of days with extreme fire danger. Communities, emergency services and health services across Victoria must keep preparing.
Fire severity and intensity is expected to increase substantially in coming decades in Victoria. The fire season will continue to lengthen, further reducing the opportunities for safe hazard reduction burning.
Melbourne’s rural-urban fringe is among the most vulnerable in the world to bushfires. The population of Melbourne is continuing to spread, encroaching into surrounding bushland, increasing risk to life and property from bushfires.
An increased likelihood of dangerous fire weather and a lengthening fire season will strain Victoria’s existing resources for fighting and managing fires.
6. Reducing emissions is critical to protecting Australians.
Australia must cut its emissions rapidly and deeply to join global efforts to stabilise the world’s climate and to reduce the risk of even more extreme events, including bushfires.
Australia’s very weak target of a 26-28% reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels – and we are on track to miss even this target – leaves Australia lagging well behind other OECD countries
Defence housing - key issues and impacts
No full textPrior to the establishment of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), much of the accommodation allocated for defence personnel was of poor quality, with a reliance on state governments for its provision and maintenance.
The creation of DHA provided a focus on improving the standard of defence housing, and the Authority’s ability to trade in property allowed for a complete overhaul of the defence property portfolio.
However, as a government business, DHA has continued to be susceptible to potential privatisation, despite contrary views that the government’s role is critical in ensuring defence housing is appropriately located, accessible and of the necessary standard to support personnel retention.
When compared to the defence housing services offered in New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom, DHA rates well in terms of the efficiency of its processes and the effectiveness of its service delivery. Policy requirements, budgetary constraints, and even geography have meant each of the four countries considered in this paper have unique methods of providing defence housing. Yet all offer useful insights into the benefits and liabilities of certain courses of action, especially regarding the impact of reduced government involvement
Growing up digital: a report of the growing up digital taskforce
No full textThe internet is an extraordinary force for good but it is not designed with children in mind. This report examines the internet use of the one third of internet users who are under eighteen years old and the part it plays in their lives.