The influence of age on reproductive success and diet in Australasian gannets (Morus Serrator) breeding at Pope's Eye, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria

The influence of age on reproductive success and diet was examined in ‘old’ (experienced; 12 years and older) and ‘young’ (5–8 years of age) Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) breeding at Pope’s Eye, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria during the 2002–2003 breeding period. Although food availability, as indicated by commercial fish catches, throughout this breeding period was low, there were no significant differences in breeding success or chick growth between groups. Nevertheless, old birds tended to have higher reproductive success, replacing more lost eggs and fledging chicks of a greater mass. However, old birds also laid more eggs that failed to hatch. Five fish species, including jack mackerel (Trachurus declivis), barracouta (Thyrsites atun), redbait (Emmelichthys nitidus), anchovy (Engraulis australis) and red mullet (Upeneichthys vlamingii), were important in the gannet diet during this breeding period. There were no significant differences in dietary parameters, including range of species and size of prey, between old and young gannets, nor were there any differences between those of the chicks and their parents, suggesting that adults do not forage selectively for their chicks. This study showed that even during a period of presumed low food availability, when experienced (older) birds might be expected to have enhanced success, the differences between these and less experienced (younger) birds may not be apparent.

Providing health services to migrants and refugees settling in Victoria, Australia: an analysis of the complexity, cost and policy implications for public health

The aim of the research was to identify factors related to the increased costs of providing health services to clients from a non-English speaking background (NESB), using a cross-sectional analysis of the administrative records of clients using community health services in the Northern Metropolitan region of Melbourne for the 2001/2002 financial year. The higher cost of providing services to NESB clients was influenced by four factors: increased consultation time, group attendance to an appointment, increased interpreting costs and the type of service provider. Family members and multilingual staff play a significant role in providing informal interpreting services or low-cost support for NESB consultants, and these activities should receive appropriate support. Additional funding is needed to support interpreting requirements when dealing with the health needs of NESB clients.

Educational enrolment of students with a disability in New South Wales and Victoria

The extent to which legislation and special education policy have impacted on the nature of the educational enrolment of students with a disability in Australia has not been clearly addressed. Although there are no detailed and systematic national data on the enrolment of students with a disability in inclusive settings, special classes and special schools in Australia, some broad trends are apparent. The legislative background to these trends is discussed. As might be expected, there are variations in the nature of the educational enrolment of students with a disability across the states and territories of Australia. Enrolment trends in the two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, are examined and discussed within the context of their respective special education policies, disability discrimination legislation, and educational precedent.

Trace metal concentrations in edible tissue of snapper, flathead, lobster, and abalone from coastal waters of Victoria, Australia

The concentrations of heavy metals in the edible tissue of commonly fished species of the Victorian coast of Australia are reported. The metals studied were As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Se, and Zn and the fish species examined were snapper (Pagruss auratus), flathead (Platycephalus bassenssis and Neoplatycephalus richardsoni), lobster (Jasus edwardsii), and abalone (Haliotis rubra). None of the fish species studied had average concentrations exceeding the maximum levels specified for As, Cd, Hg, and Pb by the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand Food Standards code. Additionally, the concentrations of Cu, Se, and Zn were close to or below the median values generally expected in these species. Essential trace elements Se and Zn were found to be well regulated by all fish species. Although also essential, Cu was not so well regulated, especially in abalone. Nonessential metals As, Cd, and Hg are not regulated in the studied fish and their concentrations in the fish tissue are dependent on size and fishing zone. Metal concentrations were not largely affected by sex. Surprisingly, the concentrations of metals in fish in Port Phillip Bay, a zone, which includes the major cities of Melbourne and Geelong and is known to have high concentrations of metals in the water and sediment, were not consistently higher than those in other less-populated fishing zones.

Food and activity in out of school hours care in Victoria

Objective: To describe characteristics of the Victorian out of school hours care (OSHC) sector to assess its potential role in promoting healthy lifestyles to children and their families.

Design: Written questionnaires were sent to 1100 Victorian OSHC programs to collect information about the services, foods and activities offered to children, the training and resources utilised by staff and the type of information sent home to parents/guardians.

Subjects: A total of 426 Victorian OSHC coordinators completed questionnaires in the present descriptive study (39% response rate).

Setting: Out of school hours care provides care for 5–12 years olds before school, after school and/or during school holidays.

Results: Over 80% of coordinators reported offering fruit, breads, cereals, and milk and dairy products. One-third offer vegetables as part of meals or snacks. One-third reported offering cakes, biscuits and/or slices, and chips and/or pastries. About 17% reported offering water, whereas 24% reported offering cordial/soft drinks and fruit juice. Cooking was offered as an after-school activity by about half of those surveyed. Active games were common (62%) as were indoor active games and sports (36%). Sedentary activities were also commonplace (37–51%). Only about 30% of OSHC coordinators had participated in nutrition and/or physical activity training in the previous two years. Few OSHC programs sent home health information to parents/guardians.

Conclusion and application: Opportunities exist to help Victorian OSHC programs with nutrition and physical activity information, resources and training. Although the findings of the present study are specific to Victoria, they highlight the potential role of the growing OSHC sector to help improve the health of Australian children.

A cross-national comparison of school drug policies in Washington State, United States, and Victoria, Australia

Using mail survey data collected from primary and secondary school administrators in Washington State, United States, and in Victoria, Australia, this study compared aspects of the school drug policy environment in the 2 states. Documented substance-use policies were prevalent in Washington and Victoria but less prevalent in primary schools, especially in Victoria. Victorian school policy-setting processes were significantly more likely to involve teachers, parents, and students than processes in Washington schools. Consistent with expectations based on their respective national drug policy frameworks, school drug policies in Washington schools were more oriented toward total abstinence and more frequently enforced with harsh punishment (such as expulsion or calling law enforcement), whereas policies in Victorian schools were more reflective of harm-minimization principles. Within both states, however, schools more regularly used harsh punishment and remediation consequences for alcohol and illicit-drug violations compared to tobacco policy violations, which were treated more leniently. (J Sch Health. 2005;75(4):134-140)

Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios and chemistry in semiarid land river water, Southwest Victoria, Australia

Salt in a salt lake accumulated as a result of perfect evaporation of inflow water during the dry season. Water in a salt lake had a high salinity and its isotope indicated a little evaporation in the wet season because precipitation replenished the salt lake and there was no residual water during evaporation process in salt lake. In a marsh, both perfect and partial disappearance of water by repeated evaporation and water supply from upstream contributed to high salinity and high isotopic ratios because residual water had high isotopic ratios and dried areas accumulated salt. On the other hand, salinity and isotopic ratios depended on ratio of evaporation and water supply during evaporation excluding perfect disappearance of water.

Conservation and management of hydromyine rodents in Victoria, Australia

Of the 15 species of native rodents recorded from Victoria, Australia, six became extinct within 70 years of European settlement, and two of the remaining nine are classified as ‘threatened’ and four are classified as ‘near threatened’. Thus, only three species are considered to be adequately conserved. This represents one of the most dramatic mammalian species declines recorded in Australia. All the threatened species belong to the subfamily Hydromyinae, the Australian ‘old endemics’. Of the extinct species, four were recorded only from the semi-arid north-west of the state and two from dry woodlands in the central and southern regions. The two  endangered species are the smoky mouse, which has a disjunct distribution from near-coastal to sub-alpine habitats, and the New Holland mouse, which is the most geographically restricted species. Discovered in Victoria only in 1970, it has become extinct at several locations and is the subject of a major recovery program that includes captive breeding and reintroduction. Conservation protocols and practices for Victoria’s native rodents are implemented under state legislation, but lack of basic ecological information makes their conservation a difficult task.

Nursing education and graduates in Victoria : profiles for 2000, 2001, and 2002 with projections for 2003

This project is the second of two projects commissioned by the Nurse Policy Branch, Victorian Department of Human Services (VDHS). The project investigated nursing education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the university sector and in the VET sector. The data gathered from the project provided VDHS with a better understanding of nurse labour force issues.