Oncology service initiatives and research in regional Australia

OBJECTIVE: This paper reflects on the recent growth of cancer research being conducted through some of Australia's rural centres. It encompasses work being done across the fields of clinical, translational and health services research. DESIGN: This is a collaborative piece with contributions from rural health researchers, clinical and cancer services staff from several different regions. CONCLUSION: The past decade has seen an expansion in cancer research in rural and regional Australia driven in part by the recognition that cancer patients in remote areas experience poorer outcomes than their metropolitan counterparts. This work has led to the development of more effective cancer networks and new models of care designed to meet the particular needs of the rural cancer patient. It is hoped that the growth of cancer research in regional centres will, in time, reduce the disparity between rural and urban communities and improve outcomes for cancer patients across both populations.

Energy and communication infrastructure for disaster resilience in rural and regional Australia

Energy and communication infrastructure for disaster resilience in rural and regional Australia, Regional Studies. Australia's rural and regional areas are prone to frequent natural disasters with extensive socio-economic impacts. Resultant damage to large-grid energy and communication networks can lead to widespread, lengthy outages, signalling the need for alternative infrastructure developments to aid disaster risk reduction and resilience-building (DRRR). Distributed smart renewable energy micro-grid systems can mitigate adverse impacts through outage prevention and rapid service restoration, increase rural and regional resilience, and offer communities opportunities for socio-economic development. However, renewable energy and digital communications policy uncertainty currently adversely affects disaster preparedness and investment in alternative infrastructure, undermining rural and regional futures.

Corners, squares and urban identities: perceptions, attitudes and values

In February 2000, the new Victorian Labor Government announced that they were removing the western shard from Lab Architecture Studio's winning Melbourne Federation Square design. then under construction. The specific 'contested terrain' at the intersection of Flinders Street and Swanston Street Walk. Melbourne, allows the exploration of the politics of place construction over time, through an examination of Young and Jackson's Hotel [1861]. St Paul's Cathedral [1886). Flinders Street Station [1912]. the Westin Hotel [1999) and Federation Square. This site brings together architectural and social history, questions public space and identity, and looks at Melburnian's perceptions, attitudes and values. It further demonstrates that the fragmentation of the professions, and fragmentary histories. lead to the preservation of 'bits' of architecture and the destruction of the urban/landscape context, jeopardizing the Identity of place.

Review of greywater reuse practices in Victoria

Greywater reuse has become popular in rural and urban communities of Australia. In recent years, the Barwon region of Victoria has been affected by drought and as a result, water restrictions were imposed at different stages. While a water conservation by-law was introduced in February 2003 with overwhelming community support, greywater reuse is still debated among householders, Environment Protection Authority (EPA), local councils, and the water authorities. Higher levels of greywater reuse are needed due to low average rainfall in the region and high water consumption per capita. This paper looks at the position of the different parties that govern greywater reuse and presents the factors that restrain uniform reuse practices. Factors considered include quantity and quality of greywater generated in the Barwon region, current regulatory controls as reviewed through a series of surveys of local councils and water authorities. While the water restrictions resulted in an increased demand for alternative means of watering garden areas, the regulatory conditions were found to be unsettled about greywater reuse, with a wide range of concerns making these authorities unwilling to encourage it.

A proposal for change to teacher education in and for rural and regional Australia

In recent years, much attention has been given to the preparation of teachers for rural and regional schools (for example, Marks et al, 2000, Marks et al, 2001, Jones, 2002). Rural and regional teacher education brings with it exciting opportunities for individuals and communities. However, it is also coupled with specific demands on governments, teaching staff and tertiary institutions. However, as yet little attention has been given to how to reform teacher education to address the identified issues (Green & Reid, 2004). At present, the teacher education course offered on the Warrnambool campus of Deakin University is identical to that offered on the metropolitan (Burwood) and regional (Geelong) campuses. The course is a traditional four-year course.

At the Warrnambool campus we are embarking on a project which aims to reconceptualise teacher education for rural and regional contexts. It seeks to: better understand the issues and challenges rural and regional stake holders face within the profession, including both pre-service and service dimensions; identify the context specific knowledge, skills and strategies rural and regional schools are looking for in graduate teachers; and develop and implement a revised Bachelor of Education program that reflects the needs of rural and regional education.

In this paper, we outline how we intend determining the demand for a community-based teacher education program in western Victoria and determining/negotiating community support for such an initiative.

Australian gp's preferences for education about depression and related disorders

OBJECTIVE: To Investigate Australian general practitioners' experiences of accessing education about depression and their preferences for future education on depression and related disorders.
METHOD: Six hundred and eight anonymous surveys were distributed to GPs through 52 rural and urban divisions of general practice; 420 were retumed.
RESULTS: Educational formats involving direct contact with people having mental health expertise were highly valued. Distance education and web based technologies were least used. In the previous year, women and older GPs had spent more time on education about depression. Most intended to undertake more such education in the future and said that education in psychosocial strategies would be very useful. General practitioners' attitudes to further education about depression were influenced by their gender, practice location, and their previous mental health training.
DISCUSSION: More face-to-face training may be desirable to take advantage of GPs' willingness to spend more time on education about depression and related disorders.

Teacher perceptions of the role and value of excursions in years 7-10 geography education in Victoria, Australia

Excursions are extremely important to the education of students in the geography curriculum. However, personal observations demonstrated a lack of readiness to conduct excursions in secondary schools. This apprehension of the teachers in this school to implement excursions in geography education was the basis for this study. The study addresses the importance of excursions in education and the roles and values that teachers place on excursions in years 7-10 geography curriculum. Quantitative research was conducted in the form of a questionnaire on a wide range of Study of Society and Environment (SOSE) teachers in secondary schools. The research population consisted of 60 teachers from both rural and urban schools across Victoria. The findings of this study showed that teachers conduct on average one to two excursions per class per year, teachers understand the importance of excursions in geography education and they find planning difficult, but work collaboratively with other teachers to overcome these issues. Other barriers include transportation, student behaviour and cost. With a firm grounding in the conceptual theories and state-level policies of geography education, the conduct of excursions was found to be both difficult and rewarding by teachers in Victoria.