Mother of Pearl (in memorium Liz Evans, 1971-2014)

This artwork is a paitning which was accepted for exhibition in the Art for Wellbeing 2016 Queenscliff Vic., which was curated by the CENTRE FOR THEOLOGY & MINISTRY, Parkville. The Exhibition ran from 29 April to 27 May 2016.

Sharing stories for healing: Liz Cameron

Liz Cameron describes what led her to do her PhD in Durng healing, the process

Darug healing: Liz Cameron

Liz Cameron describes the healing techniques she has learned and how they apply to individuals and communities: the importance of healing the person and the community through being on country, artistic process, intimacy and belonging.

Outdoor education and bush adventure therapy: A social-ecological approach to health and wellbeing.

Together, outdoor education and bush adventure therapy can be seen to constitute a population-wide health intervention strategy. Whether in educational or therapeutic settings, the intentional use of contact with nature, small groups, and adventure provides a unique approach in the promotion of health and wellbeing for the general population, and for individuals with identified health vulnerabilities. This paper explicitly emphasises human and social health, however, an integral assumption is that a healthy and sustainable environment is dependent on healthy human relationships with nature. We invite outdoor educators and bush adventure therapy practitioners to examine the proposition that healthy interactions with nature can create a unique stream of socio-ecological interventions. A spectrum of outdoor adventure programs is provided, allowing outdoor educators and bush adventure therapy practitioners to locate their work according to program context and aims, and participant aims and needs.

General practitioners' competence and confidentiality determinations with a minor who requests the oral contraceptive pill

The right of minors to make medical treatment decisions is an issue that is not explicitly addressed in the legislation of most Australian jurisdictions. While recent common law decisions allow competent minors to consent to treatment, current legislation in Victoria does not provide adequate guidelines on how competence is to be measured. It is also unclear whether the duty of confidentiality is extended to competent minors. The current study explored general practitioners' competence and confidentiality decisions with a hypothetical 14-year-old patient who requests the oral contraceptive pill (OCP). Questionnaires were sent to 1,000 Victorian general practitioners, 305 of whom responded. General practitioners were asked to determine whether "Liz" was competent to request the OCP, and whether they would maintain her confidentiality. A total of 81% of respondents found the patient competent, while 91% would have maintained her confidentiality. Results indicate that the majority of general practitioners used rationales that generally did not conform to current legal principles when making competence and confidentiality determinations regarding this patient.

The evidence of harm to adults relating to exposure to extreme pornographic material: a rapid evidence assessment (REA)

This document reports on a rapid evidence assessment (REA) of the evidence of harm to adults relating to exposure to extreme pornographic materials.

The evidence of harm to adults relating to exposure to extreme pornographic material : a rapid evidence assessment (REA)

This document reports on a rapid evidence assessment (REA) of the evidence of harm to adults relating to exposure to extreme pornographic materials

Challenges in teaching capstone courses

Many of us run capstone project courses and do so in different ways. The members of this panel come from different countries, belong to different types of institutions, teach in different computing disciplines and the capstone projects they run also vary considerably. Yet, there is a strong sense of consensus about what a capstone project is and how valuable it is as a learning experience for students.The panel discussion will serve as an inspiration to develop new, and change old capstone project courses. The main aim is to discuss why, or why not, different approaches work in a capstone project. What are the learning objectives behind the approach? What are the problems? What are the benefits? How is assessment managed? What resources, tools and techniques are used to administer and manage the projects?Concrete examples of how capstone projects are run at the six institutions represented by the panellists will be given, and issues such as framework, methodologies, project examples and technologies used in the process of producing projects will be addressed.

Regional people more content : wellbeing index

Are you feeling happier, safer and are more connected to your community? You should be, if you're living in rural and regional Australia, according to the latest research from Deakin University. Nine of the top ten happiest electorates are in rural Australia, and all of them report feeling safer and having a stronger sense of belonging to their communities, compared to their city counterparts. Rural Social researcher from Charles Sturt University in Wagga, Margaret Alston, says even bad events like drought and bushfires tend to bring people together. "I'd have to agree that there are certain factors that actually lead to people in the country being on average happier than those in cities. The community where I live, we're just recovering from quite a significant bushfire. People have come forward and offered adjistment for stock for the affected farmers, there's been community drives to support the people who've lost their houses, some real moves from the community to make sure the incident didn't scar people unnecessarily." Deakin University researcher, Liz Eckerman, says when it comes to feeling connected to your community, rural and regional people come out on top. She also agrees difficult circumstances like drought often bring out the best sense of community.

Australian unity wellbeing index

We keep hearing it, but of course few of us believe it. Today another survey is out that says money doesn't always buy happiness! A new study has found the happiest Australians actually live in one of the poorest rural electorates.

Of course this means that the most disgruntled are in the heart of Sydney, the wealthiest city in the country.

Liz Eckerman is an associate professor in the Sociology Department at Deakin University. She's one of the authors of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, and spoke to Fran Kelly this morning.

The modern Medea : Euripides, anti-imperialism and infanticide

Euripides' Medea has been reinvented several times in the twentieth century. This paper uncovers the impetus that informs the lineage of Medeas that are overt in their politicisation of the problems of colonialism and/or institutionalised gender dissymmetry: the Medeas of Pier Paolo Pasolini, Heiner Mller, Brendan Kennelly, Liz Lochhead, Christa Wolf, Diana Wakoski, Tony Harrison - and more recently Wesley Enoch. What, however, lends the Euripidean narrative to such politicisations? To answer this question, the paper looks back to Euripides' play, offering a reappraisal of its representation of infanticide. The paper argues that while this motif is routinely dismissed in the scholarship as a demonising representation of the cultural and sexual Other, the infanticide motif is also the key to understanding Medea's radicality and politicisation of rights-bearing subjectivity in its ancient and modern incarnations.