Neoliberalism, economic restructuring and policy change : precarious housing and precarious employment in Australia

Housing, employment and economic conditions in many nations have changed greatly over the past decades. This paper explores the ways in which changing housing markets, economic conditions and government policies have affected vulnerable individuals and households, using Australia as a case study. The paper finds a substantial number and proportion of low income Australians have been affected by housing and employment that is insecure with profound implications for vulnerability. Importantly, the paper suggests that in Australia the economic gains achieved as a consequence of mining-related growth in the early 2000s were translated as greater employment security for some on low incomes, but not all. Enhanced access to employment in this period was differentiated by gender, with women largely missing out on the growth in jobs. For the population as a whole, employment gains were offset by increased housing insecurity as accommodation costs rose. The paper finds low income lone parents were especially vulnerable because they were unable to benefit from a buoyant labour market over the decade 2000–2010. They were also adversely affected by national policy changes intended to encourage engagement with paid work. The outcomes identified for Australia are likely to have been mirrored in other nations, especially those that have embraced, or been forced to adopt, more restrictive welfare and income support regimes.

Narratives exploring earth-based spirituality for transformative outdoor and environmental studies

This research examined Outdoor and Environmental Studies pedagogy, and the role of meditation during expeditions in natural environments. Using an eco-feminist framework, the researcher explored how such spiritual and emotional inquiry can promote holistic wellbeing, deep ecology and strong environmental ethics.

Adolescent predictors and environmental correlates of young adult alcohol use problems

To examine the rates of young adult alcohol and drug use and alcohol problems, adolescent predictors of young adult alcohol problems and correlations with young adult social, work and recreational environments.

Social marketing and behaviour change : where to from here?

'This is essential reading for social marketing practitioners, researchers and students. the book describes a comprehensive range of behavior change theories of relevance to social marketing and is complemented with illustrative case ...

Individual, social, and environmental correlates of healthy and unhealthy eating

Few studies use comprehensive ecological approaches considering multilevel factors to understand correlates of healthy (and unhealthy) dietary intake. The aim of this study was to examine the association between individual, social, and environmental factors on composite measures of healthy and unhealthy dietary intake in adults.

Excessive gestational weight gain: a psychosocial and behaviour change approach

Briony’s findings indicate that gaining excess weight during pregnancy can be influenced by depressive symptoms, body image, confidence, and motivation. Prevention of excessive pregnancy weight gain needs to be addressed by identifying women at risk and incorporating psychological and behaviour change intervention into broader health system and prevention programs.

Indigenous knowledge and climate change: settlement patterns of the past to adaption of the future

For centuries the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia have been confronted with major ecological, geological and climate events, and had to adapt home shelters and settlements to seasonal variations. Many of these changes have been captured in the cultural traditions of the indigenous people reflecting a harsh coastal environment. Weather patterns and climate change were gauged by the occurrence of the tidal changes, landscape changes, recurring weather events and the acknowledgement of six seasons. Community settlements got established and relocated to adapt to the patterns of nature. This paper investigates if this ancient knowledge can provide answers for adaptation of coastal settlements to a changing climate. Drawing upon recent published literature on predicted coastal climate change impacts in the different regions of Australia, and the review of indigenous settlement planning according to a six season cycle, the author explores traditional knowledge as input to a potential Design Based Adaptation Model for coastal settlements along the Australian coast.

The influence of fiber diameter, fabric attributes and environmental conditions on wetness sensations of next-to-skin knitwear

This study investigated the relationships between the sensations of sweaty, damp, muggy and clingy, as assessed by human response from wearer trial garment assessment, and fiber type, fiber, yarn and fabric properties and instrumental fabric measurements of next-to-skin knitwear. Wearer trial assessment of 48 fabrics followed a strict 60 minute protocol including a range of environmental conditions and levels of exercise. Adjusted mean weighted scores were determined using linked garments. Instrumental fabric handle measurements were determined with the Wool HandleMeter (WHM) and Wool ComfortMeter. Data were analyzed using forward stepwise general linear modeling. Mean fiber diameter (MFD) affected the sweaty, damp, muggy and clingy sensation responses accounting for between 23.5% and 56.2% of the variance of these sensations. In all cases, finer fibers were associated with lower sensation scores (preferred). There were also effects of fiber type upon sweaty, muggy and clingy scores, with polyester fiber fabrics having higher scores (less preferred) compared with fabrics composed of wool, particularly for peak sweaty scores in hot and active environments. Attributes such as fabric density, yarn linear density, knitting structure and finishing treatments, but not fabric thickness, accounted for some further variance in these attributes once MFD had been taken into account. This is explained as finer fibers have a greater surface area for any given mass of fiber and so finer fibers can act as a more effective sink for moisture compared with coarser fibers. No fabric handle parameter or other attribute of fiber diameter distribution was significant in affecting these sensation scores.

Political competition and environmental reporting: evidence from New Zealand local governments

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between "political competition" and "environmental reporting" by New Zealand local governments. Design/methodology/approach - The research method includes a longitudinal analysis of environmental reporting by New Zealand local governments in their annual reports for the financial years 2005-2006 to 2009-2010. "Content analysis" was used to attach scores to the extent of environmental reporting. The "number of candidates divided by the number of available positions at the previous election" was used as the proxy for "political competition". Findings - The study reports a positive relationship between "political competition" and "environmental reporting" in 2007-2008. The number of local governments reporting voluntary environmental information increased in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 compared to 2005-2006, followed by a reduction in such numbers following the 2007-2008 financial year. This trend in disclosure can be attributed to the local government elections in October 2007. This finding is consistent with the expectation of "agency theory" and provides insight into the pattern of perceived agency costs. The study also finds a dearth in reporting "monetary" and "bad" news. Originality/value - The study contributes towards the previous literature on environmental reporting by concentrating on the public sector and New Zealand, together with investigating the relationship of such reporting with "political competition" through a longitudinal analysis. The theoretical contribution of this study is the adoption of "agency theory" in the context of public sector voluntary reporting and investigating the significance attached by agents to environmental reporting to minimise agency cost. The practical contribution of the study is in the area of future development of reporting standards in regards to environmental reporting.

Young children learning about well-being and environmental education in the early years: a funds of knowledge approach

Early childhood educators currently provide content focused learning opportunities for children in the areas of well-being and environmental education. However, these are usually seen as discrete content areas and educators are challenged with responding to children’s interests in popular-culture inspired food products given these influence their consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor and highly packaged food in the early childhood setting. This paper reports preliminary findings from a pilot randomised trial examining the interconnectedness of sustainability, well-being and popular-culture in early childhood education. Planning, assessment documentation and summaries from twenty-four learning experiences implemented by six educators over a six-week period were analysed using a deductive approach. Twenty well-being and environmental education topics were identified and shown to be generated by the educators when considering the children’s ‘funds of knowledge’ on popular-culture inspired food products. We argue that topics derived from children’s engagement with popular-culture may help educators to create an integrated approach to curriculum provision. This may impact child weight and facilitate obesity prevention and environmental sustainability as children create stronger connections between these content areas and their everyday choices and practices.