Earth resources activities on Crown land: guidelines and procedures for land managers

The purposes of this document are to:
• outline some processes in relation to the administration and/or handling of earth resources activities (particularly exploration and mining for minerals) on Crown land;
• provide Crown land managers with guidelines and procedures to assist in administration of exploration and mining cases;
• provide a broad framework within which regional or localised guidelines and procedures can be developed or utilised;
• provide guidance to proponents wishing to undertake exploration or mining for minerals on Crown land.

A comparison of the psychological outcomes of cosmetic surgical procedures

Studies of psychological outcomes of cosmetic surgery generally provide low standards of evidence due to significant methodological limitations and few studies have explored the outcomes of surgery types other than breast reduction or have compared post-operative outcomes for different surgery types. This study therefore aimed to explore the psychological outcomes and post-operative satisfaction of cosmetic surgery and compare the outcomes and satisfaction of participants undergoing different procedures.

Surveys were administered to a sample of 142 elective cosmetic surgery patients prior to surgery and six months after surgery. The surveys included standardised measures of body image (appearance evaluation, appearance orientation, body areas satisfaction), self-esteem, and mental health (psychiatric disturbance, anxiety, depression, dysmorphic concerns).

The findings revealed high rates of post-operative satisfaction and significant improvements in several dimensions of body image (appearance evaluation and body area satisfaction) and mental health (anxiety, depression, and dysmorphic concerns), but not self-esteem. Breast augmentation patients reported significantly higher improvement on appearance evaluation, significantly higher ratings of how likely they thought it was that they had achieved, or would achieve, what they were looking for in having the procedure, and a trend to report that the overall result of surgery was better than or as expected than rhinoplasty patients.

It is recommended that future research clarifies the degree to which self-esteem and indices of mental health improve after cosmetic surgery and fully establishes the impact of different procedures on psychological outcomes.

Key influences on office comfort and energy performance in different climates

This paper investigates the magnitude of influence of climate, architectural design and occupants on thermal comfort and final energy consumption in offices in different climates. A parametric study for a typical cellular office room has been conducted using the simulation software EnergyPlus. Two different occupant scenarios are each compared with three different architectural design variations and modelled in the context of three different locations for the IPCC climate change scenario A2 for 2030. The parameters evaluated in this study are final energy consumption and adaptive thermal comfort according to ASHRAE Standard 55. The study shows that the impact of occupants on final energy performance is larger than the impact of architectural design in all investigated climates, but the impact of architectural design is predominant concerning thermal comfort. Warmer climates show larger optimisation potential for comfort and energy performance in offices compared to colder climates.

Reducing office workers' sitting time: rationale and study design for the Stand Up Victoria cluster randomized trial

Background
Excessive time spent in sedentary behaviours (sitting or lying with low energy expenditure) is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Desk-based office workers typically accumulate high amounts of daily sitting time, often in prolonged unbroken bouts. The Stand Up Victoria study aims to determine whether a 3-month multi-component intervention in the office setting reduces workplace sitting, particularly prolonged, unbroken sitting time, and results in improvements in cardiometabolic biomarkers and work-related outcomes, compared to usual practice.

Methods/design
A two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT), with worksites as the unit of randomization, will be conducted in 16 worksites located in Victoria, Australia. Work units from one organisation (Department of Human Services, Australian Government) will be allocated to either the multi-component intervention (organisational, environmental [heightadjustable workstations], and individual behavioural strategies) or to a usual practice control group. The recruitment target is 160 participants (office-based workers aged 18–65 years and working at least 0.6 full time equivalent) per arm. At each assessment (0- [baseline], 3- [post intervention], and 12-months [follow-up]), objective measurement via the activPAL3 activity monitor will be used to assess workplace: sitting time (primary outcome); prolonged sitting time (sitting time accrued in bouts of ≥30 minutes); standing time; sit-to-stand transitions; and, moving time. Additional outcomes assessed will include: non-workplace activity; cardio-metabolic biomarkers and health indicators (including fasting glucose, lipids and insulin; anthropometric measures; blood pressure; and, musculoskeletal symptoms); and, work-related outcomes (presenteeism, absenteeism, productivity, work performance). Incremental cost-effectiveness and identification of both workplace and individual-level mediators and moderators of change will also be evaluated.

Reducing sitting time in office workers: short-term efficacy of a multicomponent intervention

Objective To investigate the short-term efficacy of a multicomponent intervention to reduce office workers' sitting time. Methods Allocation for this non-randomized controlled trial (n = 43 participants; 56% women; 26–62 years; Melbourne, Australia) was by office floor, with data collected during July–September 2011. The 4-week intervention emphasized three key messages: “Stand Up, Sit Less, Move More” and comprised organizational, environmental, and individual elements. Changes in minutes/day at the workplace spent sitting (primary outcome), in prolonged sitting (sitting time accumulated in bouts ≥ 30 min), standing, and moving were objectively measured (activPAL3). Results Relative to the controls, the intervention group significantly reduced workplace sitting time (mean change [95%CI]: − 125 [− 161, − 89] min/8-h workday), with changes primarily driven by a reduction in prolonged sitting time (− 73 [− 108, − 40] min/8-h workday). Workplace sitting was almost exclusively replaced by standing (+ 127 [+ 92, + 162] min/8-h workday) with non-significant changes to stepping time (− 2 [− 7, + 4] min/8-h workday) and number of steps (− 70 [− 350, 210]). Conclusions This multicomponent workplace intervention demonstrated that substantial reductions in sitting time are achievable in an office setting. Larger studies with longer timeframes are needed to assess sustainability of these changes, as well as their potential longer-term impacts on health and work-related outcomes.

Iterative development of Stand Up Australia : a multi-component intervention to reduce workplace sitting

Sitting, particularly in prolonged, unbroken bouts, is widespread within the office workplace, yet few interventions have addressed this newly-identified health risk behaviour. This paper describes the iterative development process and resulting intervention procedures for the Stand Up Australia research program focusing on a multi-component workplace intervention to reduce sitting time. The development of Stand Up Australia followed three phases. 1) Conceptualisation: Stand Up Australia was based on social cognitive theory and social ecological model components. These were operationalised via a taxonomy of intervention strategies and designed to target multiple levels of influence including: organisational structures (e.g. via management consultation), the physical work environment (via provision of height-adjustable workstations), and individual employees (e.g. via face-to-face coaching). 2) Formative research: Intervention components were separately tested for their feasibility and acceptability. 3) Pilot studies: Stand Up Comcare tested the integrated intervention elements in a controlled pilot study examining efficacy, feasibility and acceptability. Stand Up UQ examined the additional value of the organisational- and individual-level components over height-adjustable workstations only in a three-arm controlled trial. In both pilot studies, office workers’ sitting time was measured objectively using activPAL3 devices and the intervention was refined based on qualitative feedback from managers and employees. Results and feedback from participants and managers involved in the intervention development phases suggest high efficacy, acceptance, and feasibility of all intervention components. The final version of the Stand Up Australia intervention includes strategies at the organisational (senior management consultation, representatives consultation workshop, team champions, staff information and brainstorming session with information booklet, and supportive emails from managers to staff), environmental (height-adjustable workstations), and individual level (face-to-face coaching session and telephone support). Stand Up Australia is currently being evaluated in the context of a cluster-randomised controlled trial at the Department of Human Services (DHS) in Melbourne, Australia. Stand Up Australia is an evidence-guided and systematically developed workplace intervention targeting reductions in office workers’ sitting time.

Police Misconduct as a Breach of Public trust: the Offence of Misconduct in Public Office

Until relatively recently, the common law offence of misconduct in public office has been regarded as anachronistic. The offence was perceived to have been supplanted by specific statutory offences that could more appropriately deal with criminal conduct by public officials. However, there has been a revival of the offence with successful prosecutions occurring in Australia, England and Hong Kong. Many of these contemporary cases have involved police officers. Examination of these cases reveals that the circumstances in which misconduct in public office has been identified have been diverse, including the unauthorised disclosure of confidential information, the use of false search warrants and the sexual exploitation of vulnerable persons. In many instances, police officers were charged with other criminal offences in addition to charges relating to misconduct in public office. The matters prosecuted as misconduct in public office typically involved matters that were serious and/or could not be adequately prosecuted as other criminal offences or as breaches of police regulations governing conduct. Consequently, despite the proliferation of statutory criminal offences in the 20th century it appears that there continues to be a place for the offence of misconduct in public office. It criminalises misconduct by police officers that may not be adequately dealt with by other offences and recognises the public trust dimension of wrongdoing by these officials. However, a continuing and fundamental challenge is to determine the appropriate definition and scope of the offence.

Taking the sting out of darting : Risks, restraint drugs and procedures for the chemical restraint of Southern Hemisphere otariids

The need to manage otariid populations has necessitated the development of a wide range of capture methods. Chemical restraint by remote drug delivery (i.e., darting) is a highly selective method that can be used to facilitate otariid capture in a range of scenarios, when other methods may be impracticable. However, the risks associated with darting otariids are not widely known and guidelines necessary to promote and refine best practice do not exist. We review the risks associated with darting and in light of our findings, develop darting guidelines to help practitioners assess and minimize risks during capture, anesthesia and recovery. Published studies reveal that mortalities associated with darting predominantly result from complications during anesthetic maintenance (e.g., prolonged respiratory depression, apnea, or hyperthermia), rather than from complications during capture or recovery. In addition to monitoring vital signs and proper intervention, the risk of irreversible complications during anesthesia can be reduced by administering drug doses that are sufficient to enable the capture and masking of animals, after which anesthetic depth can be regulated using gas anesthesia.