Australian nurses volunteering for the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami of 2004 : a review of experience and analysis of data collected by the Tsunami Volunteer Hotline

This paper provides an outline of the work undertaken by nurses who participated in the relief effort as members of Australian medical teams during the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami response. This profile is contrasted with the information provided by nurses who registered their interest in volunteering to help via the Australian Tsunami Hotline. The paper provides an overview of the skills and background of the nurses who provided information to the hotline and describes the range and extent of experience among this cohort of potential volunteers. This data is compared to nursing workforce data and internal rates of volunteering in Australia. The paper concludes that further research is necessary to examine the motivations of and disincentives for nurses to volunteer for overseas (disaster) work and, to develop an improved understanding within the discipline of the skills and experience required of volunteer responders. Further, it is argued that the development of standards for the collection of disaster health volunteer data would assist future responses and provide better tools for developing an improved understanding of disaster volunteering.

Catching drink drivers in Queensland through Random Breath Testing : what does the last decade of data tell us

Background Random Breath Testing (RBT) has proven to be a cornerstone of enforcement attempts to deter (as well as apprehend) motorists from drink driving in Queensland (Australia) for decades. However, scant published research has examined the relationship between the frequency of implementing RBT activities and subsequent drink driving apprehension rates across time. Aim This study aimed to examine the prevalence of apprehending drink drivers in Queensland over a 12 year period. It was hypothesised that an increase in breath testing rates would result in a corresponding decrease in the frequency of drink driving apprehension rates over time, which would reflect general deterrent effects. Method The Queensland Police Service provided RBT data that was analysed. Results Between the 1st of January 2000 and 31st of December 2011, 35,082,386 random breath tests (both mobile and stationary) were conducted in Queensland, resulting in 248,173 individuals being apprehended for drink driving offences. A total of 342,801 offences were recorded during this period, representing an intercept rate of .96. Of these offences, 276,711 (80.72%) were recorded against males and 66,024 (19.28%) offences committed by females. The most common drink driving offence was between 0.05 and 0.08 BAC limit. The largest proportion of offences was detected on the weekends, with Saturdays (27.60%) proving to be the most common drink driving night followed by Sundays (21.41%). The prevalence of drink driving detection rates rose steadily across time, peaking in 2008 and 2009, before slightly declining. This decline was observed across all Queensland regions and any increase in annual figures was due to new offence types being developed. Discussion This paper will further outline the major findings of the study in regards to tailoring RBT operations to increase detection rates as well as improve the general deterrent effect of the initiative.

Mapping geographical knowledge and skills needed for pre-service teachers in teacher education

In Australia, for more than two decades, a ‘social science’ integrated framework was the favoured approach for delivering subjects such as history and geography. However, such interdisciplinary approaches have continued to attract criticism from various parts of the academic and public spheres and since 2009, a return to teaching the disciplines has been heralded as the ‘new’ way forward. Using discourse analysis techniques associated with Foucauldian archaeology, the purpose of this paper is to examine the Australian Curriculum: Geography document to ascertain the discourses necessary for pre-service teachers to enact effective teaching of geography in a primary setting. Then, based on pre-service teachers’ online survey responses, the paper investigates if such future teachers have the knowledge and skills to interpret, deliver and enact the new geography curriculum in primary classrooms. Finally, as teacher educators, our interest lies in preparing pre-service teachers effectively for the classroom so the findings are used to inform the content of a teacher education course for pre-service primary teachers.