Alternative water strategies in public domains : innovative strategies in progress along North Terrace, Adelaide

Water sensitive design on our urban threshold is increasingly becoming topical. In Adelaide it is being driven by stormwater management strategies and economic efficiencies in a city that is beginning to embrace its Mediterranean environment, low water sustainability, and whether our showpiece public domains in Adelaide can afford large expanses of manicured lawns.

This paper reviews four projects in progress along the North Terrace in Adelaide. The first involves a major redesign of First Creek as it traverses Adelaide Botanic Garden to address stormwater management issues. The redesign includes strategies to control flash flooding, to cleanse stream water from pollutants, and to carefully incorporate a wetland system as an integral botanical and horticultural feature of a botanic garden. Further down North Terrace, the University of Adelaide is evaluating a scenario that will totally redesign Goodman Crescent, its picture-postcard promenade lawn. The scenario is to host an integrated water retention and water purification and cleansing system that will service independently of mains water an irrigation system and a waterfall. The proposal draws upon a similar strategy recently adopted by the South Australian Museum to capture and cleanse surface and roof water but place the installation and process on display as part of its overall biodiversity museum display that will unfold over the next five years under director Tim Flannery. The fourth example, in process at present, is to devise an integrated water system that may enable the Government House grounds to remove itself from dependence upon costly mains water to totally sustain its extensive gardens and lawns.

Importantly each project has similar threads: creative water maximization and purification use, and a desire to place these ‘installations’ on display as public statements of their commitment to water sustainability in Adelaide. But radically, here are four prominent cultural institutions readily willing to redefine the notion and traditional visual imagery of a ‘wetland’ on what is the main cultural boulevard of a capital city.

Human resource management studies in mainland China : mainstream or alternative research?

Our paper presents a summary of the existing literature on human resource management (HRM) studies in mainland China published in the 25 leading international journals over the last 30 years. The aim is to take stock of what is known and what is yet to be known about HRM in China. We argue that what is known is comparative rather than definitive, with HRM in China treated as a subset of international HRM, rather than as a mainstream issue. With a quarter of the world’s population affected by an understanding of what constitutes better HRM in China, we call for a more inclusive, collaborative approach by researchers inside and outside China.

Complementary and alternative therapies : regulatory issues

Complementary therapy (CAM) use is common.  CAM includes a variety of medicines, products and therapies used to promote health or treat symptoms and minor illnesses. CAM products are widely available from a variety of sources such as practitioners, pharmacies, supermarkets, health food shops and markets as well as on the internet.  Many CAM and conventional practitioners are concerned about the safety and efficact of CAM products and the lack of a strong regulatory framework for their use. 

Alternative pathways to traditional destinations : higher education for disadvantaged Australians

In 1985, the Higher Education Equity Program was introduced by the Australian Government to improve the participation of those persons from social groups traditionally under-represented within higher education. In 1990, the program was incorporated within A Fair Chance For All which provided more specific details of the government's desire for a system-wide approach to equity issues. One result has been the proliferation of access and equity programs conducted by universities around the country and aimed at redressing the disadvantage of potential students. The alleged success of these programs is based on greater participation in and graduation from Australian universities by individuals from targeted disadvantaged groups. The research reported here, however, would suggest that such programs are prone to co-opt the language of equity and social justice, dependent as they are on satisfying statistically-orientated program performance indicators in order to receive recurrent government funding. Further, the paper argues that success in achieving equity within Australian higher education will remain limited unless the structural arrangements that work to construct social inequalities in mainstream higher education are addressed.

Beyond statutory enforcement - alternative approaches to improving OSH in the temporary agency sector

As with other types of flexible employment, a growing body of international research has found an association between temporary agency work and comparatively poor occupational safety and health outcomes. Temporary agency work has also been found to pose a serious challenge to regulatory regimes, including the activities of inspectors. Government agencies have responded to these challenges in a number of ways. This study examines a project undertaken in the Australian state of Queensland that sought to identify both particular problems and ways of resolving them. The focus of the project was to identify ‘non-regulatory’ solutions based on information collected through focus groups of agency and host employer representatives. However, while a number of policy interventions were identified that fitted this approach, the project also found that both agency firms and hosts believed additional regulatory controls were required. This paper assesses these findings in the context of broader research and policy debates about how to deal with the occupational safety and health problems posed by the global shift to more flexible work arrangements.