Handing-over of the keys

This print hung in Alfred Deakin's study in 'Llanarth', South Yarra. It is a print of Raphael's original cartoon for the Sistine Chapel tapestries, drawn by him and his workshop in 1515. The original cartoona are in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Healing of the lame man

This print hung in Alfred Deakin's study in 'Llanarth', South Yarra. It is a print of Raphael's original cartoon for the Sistine Chapel tapestries, drawn by him and his workshop in 1515. The original cartoona are in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Miraculous draught of fishes

This print hung in Alfred Deakin's study in 'Llanarth', South Yarra. It is a print of Raphael's original cartoon for the Sistine Chapel tapestries, drawn by him and his workshop in 1515. The original cartoona are in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Last interglacial climates of south-eastern Australia : plant and beetle-based reconstructions from Yarra Creek, King Island, Tasmania

This paper explores the palaeoclimatic significance of a fossil plant and insect record from Yarra Creek, on King Island, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland. The record dates, based upon a thermoluminescence chronology and other evidence, to Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5); the exact timing is impossible to ascertain given the resolution of the thermoluminescence results and the presence of an unconformity in the dated section. The presence of a cool-temperate rainforest flora, outside its modern range, and other independent evidence, suggest the sequence may represent the last interglacial (MIS 5e) rather than a later MIS 5 substage. Using coexistence methods that compare modern climatic ranges of the taxa in the assemblage we reconstruct independent beetle and plant based annual and seasonal temperate and precipitation parameters. The results imply the assemblage was deposited under a wetter summer climate and suggest conditions of enhanced temperature seasonality. It is probable that enhanced temperature seasonality is a methodological artefact reflecting the rarity of extremely equable climates (like King Island) in modern climate space. This would indicate a limitation of most methods of palaeoclimatic reconstruction that rely on modern datasets – it is only possible to reconstruct past climates as being within the range of values in that currently exist in modern climate space.

R v Scobie, finally taking the Royal Commission into aboriginal deaths in custody seriously?

Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody examined in the context of R v Scobie - the use made of the Commission's recommendations by Justice Gray in R v Scobie - questioning the value of imprisonment for certain types of offenders.

The diet of powerful owls (Ninox strenua) and prey availability in a continuum of habitats from disturbed urban fringe to protected forest environments in south-eastern Australia

This study investigates the diet of six breeding pairs of powerful owls in the Yarra Valley Corridor in Victoria, Australia, and compares prey consumption with prey availability. The six sites represent a continuum of habitats, ranging from urban Melbourne, through the urban fringe interface to a more forested landscape. We found that powerful owls in the Yarra Valley Corridor are reliant almost exclusively on arboreal marsupial prey as their preferred diet, with 99% of their overall diet comprising four arboreal marsupial species. These four species (the common ringtail possum, common brushtail possum, sugar glider and greater glider) were also the most abundant species observed while spotlighting; however, their abundance varied along the continuum. There was a strong positive relationship with the presence of these species in the diet and their site-specific availability, indicating that the powerful owl is a generalist hunter, preying on the most available prey at a given site and in a given season. This study suggests that food resources are high in these disturbed urban fringe sites and it is unlikely that food availability in urban environments will limit the potential survival of urban powerful owls.

The influence of weather and solar elevation on perceived colour of Blue Lake, Mount Gambier, South Australia

Previous studies of the remarkable seasonal colour changes of Blue Lake, Mount Gambier, South Australia have speculated on the roles of weather and solar elevation in this phenomenon. In this study the influence of weather and solar elevation on apparent colour is examined. Solar elevation and some weather variables were found to have a statistically significant influence, particularly when Blue Lake is undergoing transition from its blue to grey stage. However, the proportion of the overall variation in colour explained by solar elevation and weather was only 16%, so it is concluded that in-lake properties are probably the main determinants of colour.

Explaining non-renewal behaviour : an empirical investigation of recently lapsed NRL club members

This paper reports on a survey of lapsed members of an Australian professional National Rugby League (NRL) Club. Analysis of the 195 useable responses returned suggest that these lapsed members had originally joined as much for intangible aspects, such as seeking a greater level of involvement with the club, as for the functional aspects such as savings on game entry. Overall, these lapsed members were satisfied with the service they received whilst a member, and claimed it had been performed in line with expectations. The main drivers of satisfaction were also a mix of tangible and intangible factors such as feeling valued by the club and receiving discounts on entry costs. The members gave a number of reasons for not rejoining in 2002, but primarily cited an inability to attend games. Despite joining for intangible reasons, it seems that if these members could not get to games, they perceived that membership was not worth maintaining. That said, a large number of members indicated that as their circumstances change they will rejoin the club, supporting the theory that non-renewal is not driven by service failure, but rather the perception that attendance is still the core product (entertainment). The overall level of satisfaction had a weak but positive relationship with the likelihood of members rejoining in the future.

Detection and habitat use of the rufous bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti) in coastal heathland, in south-western Victoria, Australia

The Rufous Bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti) is a sedentary, ground-dwelling passerine of southern Australia, which is listed as nationally vulnerable, and as near-threatened (lower risk) in Victoria. The species inhabits a variety of vegetation, including shrub thickets in coastal gullies to heathlands on limestone cliffs. This study aimed to assess the size, distribution and habitat use of a population of the subspecies D. b.  broadbenti at Portland in south-western Victoria. Monthly surveys (2002–03) were conducted on foot for 1 h after official sunrise and 1 h before official sunset, and presence of Bristlebirds recorded using vocalisations and sightings. Observations outside of the survey times were also recorded to estimate the size of territories and core area of occupancy. To quantify habitat preferences, vegetation composition and structure were measured in areas where Bristlebirds were present, as well as surrounding areas where they were not detected. The population in the survey areas was estimated at between 70 and 86 individuals in the 170-ha survey area. The estimated size of territories of eight selected pairs of Bristlebirds ranged from 0.5 to 3 ha, with core areas of occupancy ranging from 0.2 to 0.6 ha. During the nesting season (August November) Bristlebirds were detected at greater frequencies in the core area of occupancy within each territory. Significant associations were found between the presence of Bristlebirds and floristic associations dominated by the native environmental weeds Acacia sophorae and Leptospermum laevigatum. Bristlebird presence was significantly positively correlated with increasing vegetation density in the mid-canopy level (80–120 cm) indicating that vegetation structure is a key factor in habitat use.

Further Observations on the Diet of the Sooty Owl Tyto Tenebricosa in the Royal National Park, Sydney

Dietary samples from four Sooty Owl Tyto tenebricosa roost-sites within one territory in the Royal National Park, Sydney, New South Wales, were collected in December 2005. A total of 144 dietary items was identified, representing eight mammal species and at least one bird species. The samples were compared with those collected during a study 10 years earlier (in 1994-96) that included samples from the same roost-sites. Ten years later, the diet of the Sooty Owl in this territory appears little changed, except that the Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps is now taken more frequently. The Common Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus continued to be the principal prey species taken by the Owls at this location. The Long-nosed Bandicoot Perameles nasuta may have declined in the Sooty Owl's diet during this period, but this trend was not significant statistically. This study showed that Sooty Owl diet at a single location is relatively stable, despite the occurrence of a major disturbance to habitat caused by a severe wildfire 12 years previously.

New species of Otionellina and Selenaria (Bryozoa-Cheilostomata) from the South West Shelf, Western Australia

Recent sediment samples recovered from the mid-latitude South West Shelf (SWS) of Western Australia (23°- 32° S) by a scientific team aboard the RV Franklin have produced large numbers of free-living, lunulitiform bryozoans. Among these are three undescribed species, Otionellina boneae sp. nov., Selenaria kayae sp. nov., and Selenaria meganae sp. nov. The Australasian lunulite fauna is both diverse and abundant and the new species bring the total of described taxa to sixty (P. Cook unpub.). Twelve lunulite species have been recorded from the SWS. These findings have extended the known geographical range of several lunulite species.