Food insecurity among university students in Victoria: A pilot study

Aims: Susceptibility to food insecurity can vary over a life course; however, a potential period of particular vulnerability is while studying at a tertiary institution. This pilot study aimed to assess the prevalence, severity and potential determinants of food insecurity among tertiary students attending a Victorian-based institution. Methods: The present study employed a cross-sectional design, involving use of a self-reported questionnaire. The survey, conducted in 2012, was administered to a sample of 124 Deakin University students and contains measures of food insecurity status, demographics and other potential explanatory factors. Descriptive and regression analysis was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of food insecurity and associations with factors that may support or hinder a student's ability to procure food, such as living arrangements, income and knowledge of support services. Results: Food insecurity without hunger was reported by 18% of Deakin University students, while an additional 30% reported experiencing the more severe form of food insecurity (with hunger). A lower odds of being food insecure was reported among students living with their family (without hunger OR 0.35; 95% CI 0.12-0.99; with hunger OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.12-0.70), while a higher odds was found among those receiving government support (with hunger OR 2.52; 95% CI 1.05-6.04). Conclusions: The reported prevalence of food insecurity among the tertiary student sample was greater than the general Australian population, suggesting they are a vulnerable group. This may be attributable to financial pressures faced when students are not living with their parents.

Student and school factors associated with school suspension : A multilevel analysis of students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States.

One of the common issues schools face is how best to handle challenging student behaviors such as violent behavior, antisocial behavior, bullying, school rule violations, and interrupting other students' learning. School suspension may be used to remove students engaging in challenging behaviors from the school for a period of time. However, the act of suspending students from school may worsen rather than improve their behavior. Research shows that suspensions predict a range of student outcomes, including crime, delinquency, and drug use. It is therefore crucial to understand the factors associated with the use of school suspension, particularly in sites with different policy approaches to problem behaviors. This paper draws on data from state-representative samples of 3,129 Grade 7 and 9 students in Washington State, United States and Victoria, Australia sampled in 2002. Multilevel modeling examined student and school level factors associated with student-reported school suspension. Results showed that both student (being male, previous student antisocial and violent behavior, rebelliousness, academic failure) and school (socioeconomic status of the school, aggregate measures of low school commitment) level factors were associated with school suspension and that the factors related to suspension were similar in the two states. The implications of the findings for effective school behavior management policy are that, rather than focusing only on the student, both student and school level factors need to be addressed to reduce the rates of school suspension.

Effects of early adolescent alcohol use on mid-adolescent school performance and connection: a longitudinal study of students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States

This article examines the effect of early adolescent alcohol use on mid-adolescent school suspension, truancy, commitment, and academic failure in Washington State, United States, and Victoria, Australia. Also of interest was whether associations remain after statistically controlling for other factors known to predict school outcomes.

Energy performance of medium-sized healthcare buildings in Victoria, Australia- a case study

This paper investigates the energy performance of three medium-sized healthcare buildings in Victoria, Australia, that operate only during the daytime. The aim is to provide preliminary understanding of energy consumption in this particular typology in Australia in relation to the available benchmarks. This paper also identifies the differences of energy consumption between different functional areas within medium health facilities. Building features and operational characteristics contributing to the variations in healthcare energy performance are discussed. The total annual energy consumption data ranging from 167-306 kWh/m(2) or 42-72 kWh/m(3) were compared against international data from various climatic zones. Some of the drivers of energy consumption were determined and potentials for energy and water conservation were identified. Comparison with international standards shows a possibility to achieve lower energy consumption in Victorian healthcare buildings.

Adsorption and desorption characteristics of fluoride in the calcareous and siliceous sand sheet aquifers of south-west Victoria, Australia

This study assessed the sustainability of utilising groundwater systems to manage an aluminium smelters fluoridated trade wastewater stream. Replacing ocean discharge of the wastewater with land irrigation is one option. Using a groundwater model (developed using MODFLOW incorporating parameter estimation software (PEST-ASP)), we found that most of the groundwater flow takes place through surface sands. Fluoride is adsorbed in these sands during the drier summer months, but desorption is rapid when winter rain flushes the aquifer. Underlying clays and other layers prevent significant contamination of the deeper aquifer.

Mandatory jury directions in sexual assault trials in Victoria: less a model than a cautionary tale?

 Jury directions in relation to the issue of consent in trials of sexual offence cases are mandated in two jurisdictions in Australia (Victoria and the Northern Territory). The Australian Law Reform Commission, in conjunction with the New South Wales Law Reform Commission, has recommended that provisions similar to those in Victoria should be contained in relevant legislation in all States and Territories. However, a recent series of cases in Victoria has revealed significant problems in relation to the mandatory jury directions. These difficulties have generated increasingly elaborate and complex directions. The complexity of these directions not only presents considerable challenges for judges but also may overwhelm, rather than assist, members of the jury. The Court of Appeal of Victoria has called for “urgent and wholesale reform”. In the light of these concerns, it is suggested that the Victorian mandatory directions do not provide a model for other jurisdictions. Rather, the Victorian experience can be seen as a cautionary tale of the problems and pitfalls of such directions. Recently, the Victorian government has passed the Jury Directions Act 2013. This Act sets out “guiding principles” that should determine the content, and use, of jury directions. These guiding principles should form the basis for any jury directions with respect to sexual offences.

Naming and shaming: a report on media shaming for minor crimes in Victoria

This exploratory study examines the power of the news media to publicly name ordinary people who receive non-convictions for committing minor crimes. If a magistrate imposes a non-conviction, it means the offender is guilty, but gets a chance to reform away from the public gaze. They are not required to reveal the crime in any job application, and it does not restrict them from overseas travel. This report argues that the power of media to report non-convictions is an issue of national importance in this changing digital landscape because the news media can impose relatively permanent public records, especially in digital space, that detail's one's minor misdemeanour.

Reassessing the Effects of Early Adolescent Alcohol Use on Later Antisocial Behavior : A Longitudinal Study of Students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, United States

The effect of early adolescent alcohol use on antisocial behavior was examined at one- and two-year follow-up in Washington, United States and Victoria, Australia. Each state used the same methods to survey statewide representative samples of students (N = 1,858, 52% female) in 2002 (Grade 7 [G7]), 2003 (Grade 8 [G8]), and 2004 (Grade 9 [G9]). Rates of lifetime, current, frequent, and heavy episodic alcohol use were higher in Victoria than Washington State, whereas rates of five antisocial behaviors were generally comparable across states. After controlling for established risk factors, few associations between alcohol use and antisocial behavior remained, except that G7 current use predicted G8 police arrests and stealing and G9 carrying a weapon and stealing; G7 heavy episodic use predicted G8 and G9 police arrests; and G7 lifetime use predicted G9 carrying a weapon. Hence, risk factors other than alcohol were stronger predictors of antisocial behaviors.

An assessment of riparian restoration outcomes in two rural catchments in south-western Victoria: Focusing on tree and shrub species richness, structure and recruitment characteristics

Riparian ecosystems are among the most degraded systems in the landscape,and there has been substantial investment in their restoration. Consequently, monitoring restoration interventions offers opportunities to further develop the science of riparian restoration, particularly how to move from small-scale implementation to a broader landscape scale. Here, we report on a broad range of riparian revegetation projects in two regions of south-western Victoria, the Corangamite and Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Areas. The objectives of restoration interventions in these regions have been stated quite broadly, for example, to reinstate terrestrial habitat and biodiversity, control erosion and improve water quality. This study reports on tree and shrub composition, structure and recruitment after restoration works compared with remnant vegetation found regionally. Within each catchment, a total of 57 sites from six subcatchments were identified, representing three age-classes: <4, 4–8 and >8–12 years after treatment, as well as untreated (control) sites. Treatments comprised fencing to exclude stock, spraying or slashing to reduce weed cover, followed by planting with tube stock. Across the six subcatchments, 12 reference (remnant) sites were used to provide a benchmark for species richness, structural and recruitment characteristics and to aid interpretation of the effects of the restoration intervention. Vegetation structure was well developed in the treated sites by 4–8 years after treatment. However, structural complexity was higher at remnant sites than at treated or untreated sites due to a higher richness of small shrubs. Tree and shrub recruitment occurred in all remnant sites and at 64% of sites treated >4 years ago. Most seedling recruitment at treatment sites was by Acacia spp. This assessment provides data on species richness, structure and recruitment characteristics following restoration interventions. Data from this study will contribute to longitudinal studies of vegetation processes in riparian landscapes of south-western Victoria.