The equipping inclusion studies : assistive technology use and outcomes in Victoria ; key findings and policy implications, study 1 - the equipment study, study 2 - the economic study

Approximately one in five of the Australian population lives with disability (AIHW 2006a; ABS 2003). Of these, almost 1.9 million rely on assistive technologies to live independently (Hobbs, Close, Downing, Reynolds &amp; Walker 2009).Assistive Technology (AT) is defined as,&lsquo;any device, system or design, whether acquired commercially or off the shelf, modified or customised, that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do, or increase the ease and safety with which a task can be performed&rsquo; (Independent Living Centres Australia n.d).&lsquo;Assistive Technology solutions&rsquo; have been defined as entailing a combination of devices (aids and equipment), environmental modifications (both in the home and outside of it), and personal care (paid and unpaid) (Assistive Technology Collaboration n.d).Despite a large number of Australians relying on AT, there is little data available about life for these Australians, the extent of AT use, or unmet need for AT. Existing research in Australia suggests that aids and equipment provision in Australia is &lsquo;fragmented&rsquo; across a plethora of government and non government programs (AIHW 2006a:35). In Victoria, one of the prime sources of government funding for AT is the Victorian Aids and Equipment Program (VAEP) which is a subsidy program for the purchase of aids and equipment, home and vehicle modifications for people with permanent or long term disability. Recent research suggests that waiting times for accessing equipment through the VAEP are high, as is the cost burden to applicants (Wilson, Wong &amp; Goodridge 2006). In addition, there appears to be a substantial level of unmet need (KPMG 2007).Additionally, there is a paucity of literature around the economic evaluation of AT interventions and solution packages, resulting in little evidence of their cost-effectiveness credentials.<br /

Australian policy levers for obesity prevention in early childhood

The five studies in this thesis focused on the actions undertaken and policy infrastructure provided by the Australian Federal, State and Territory Governments to prevent obesity in early childhood. The first study used the WHO Ending Childhood Obesity implementation plan to facilitate policy mapping and compare Australia’s national action to five similar countries (published paper). The second study explored the role of intergovernmentalism in achieving national food system action and policy coherence across states working on the same policy areas (published paper). The third study used policy mapping to compare states and territories and explored their eclectic approaches to obesity policy (published paper). Both studies interviewed senior officials in health departments in Australian jurisdictions to understand the barriers and enablers of prevention policy implementation. The fourth study used the New South Wales (NSW) Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) Strategy 2013-2018 as a case study of cross-sectoral collaboration in Australia (paper under review). An in-depth policy mapping tool was developed to undertake iterative policy mapping. Semi-structured interviews with 25 senior public officials across 18 agencies in the NSW Government explored the factors effecting implementation of obesity prevention policies. The fifth study explored the perspectives of mothers of young children living in NSW (published paper). Survey questions were embedded into a follow-up cross-sectional survey in a large, randomised control trial – Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone. Mothers were asked how much they supported six different types of policy interventions by the NSW Government. These included food and physical activity environments, settings, support programs and routine measurement of children at health appointments. Potential confounders were included in the analysis to explore associations with their level of policy support

Is a knowledge based value network an effective model for implementing e-government?

Is a knowledge based value network an effective model for implementing e-government? E-Government is a vision of how public sector organisations will govern, serve citizens, and interact with business partners, their employees, and other Government organisations. The “e” in e-Government represents a move to fully integrated, secure, on-demand accessible electronic Government that will: • improve integrated service delivery • provide universal citizen access • begin to enhance traditional Government structures and processes • support new Government products and services by relying on the emergence and convergence of new technologies • improve effectiveness Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has fundamentally changed the way business is being conducted and Government is rushing to catch up

A Systems Analysis of Factors that Lead to the Successful Employment of People with a Disability

BACKGROUND: Disability Employment Services (DES) is the primary vehicle in Australia charged with promoting and supporting successful open employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This research examined the client consultant dynamic to see what factors were at play in promoting successful employment. METHOD: Research was undertaken using a Multiple Perspective Design that resides within the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology. Clients with a wide variety of ID/DD (n=24) and Employment Consultants (n=23) were interviewed using semi-structured interviews in small group settings. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) that allowed for themes to be developed. RESULTS: The research highlighted five primary themes: Relationships, Processes, Compliance Driven Systems, Employers and the Environment. These themes provide a base to develop an understanding of some of the factors influencing employment outcomes amongst the client participant base and the disability employment consultants. The results highlighted disparities in perceived abilities, attitudes and a lack of understanding between the system participants. The results also highlighted the influence of ecology on employment outcomes and a high level of disequilibrium within the employment system and environment. IMPLICATIONS: The inability of the disability employment system to use known evidence-based processes that support clients with ID/DD and consultants has resulted in a system that lacks any real understanding of the client and consultant needs, placing primacy on compliance and system needs ahead of the stated purpose of the program which is to support people with a disability to gain and maintain meaningful employment consistent with their capacity and career aspirations. The research highlights the importance of relationships in creating real understanding of the client to supporting employment outcomes

Communicable Diseases Epidemiology

In March 2017 I commenced the Master of Applied Epidemiology program, hosted in the Communicable Diseases Branch at Health Protection New South Wales (NSW). Presented in this bound volume are four research projects: an epidemiological study, data analysis study, outbreak response, and an evaluation of a public health surveillance system. I was also heavily involved in routine public health work including on-call, outbreak investigations and follow-up of laboratory notifications. The epidemiological study was an audit that estimated true immunisation coverage of NSW children at one year of age on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), and explored reasons associated with under-reporting. Our estimate of true coverage was 96.2% with a 95% Confidence Interval 95.9%-96.4%; 2.1% higher than AIR reported coverage of 94.1%. The under-reporting was mainly due to data errors at the provider level and duplicate records. Included is a peer-reviewed article that I wrote and published on the subject in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. The data analysis project investigated the over-representation of Aboriginal people diagnosed with Q fever in NSW, particularly in Western NSW. Following indirect standardisation, we found that Aboriginal people across Western NSW were notified with Q fever almost 35% more often as non-Indigenous people living in the same area. Aboriginal people reported working in occupations such as shearing at a much younger age than non-Indigenous people. Aboriginal community governance over the public health actions that arose from this analysis is provided in detail. I led an investigation into a large protracted outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium with a novel multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis type profile that affected 235 people in the Australian Capital Territory, NSW and Queensland from 10 October 2018 to 31 May 2019. The chapter describes the outbreak investigation including epidemiological, environmental and laboratory components, and control actions taken. I evaluated the NSW Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) Surveillance System, including the RHD Register. Using open ended and closed question surveys, network consultation and analysis of data, the system was found to be useful in improving the management of ARF/RHD. Recommendations for improving attributes were made based on the Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I had the opportunity to teach and present my research during the MAE and through concurrent employment as an academic tutor. I delivered presentations at local, state, national and international conferences throughout the placement, and produced a Lesson from the Field competency with the Gamilaraay title 'nginda MAE waala wiitha' (throwing the MAE into the fire); an acknowledgement of the feeling many peers felt undertaking data linkage projects with inconsistent or missing data. I saw an opportunity to start a conversation about reasons why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity data may be missing in datasets, which prompted the group to explore why an individual may identify in one place and not another

To what extent can knowledge management systems build and reinforce consensus around initiatives for change?: A self-reflective analysis of professional practice

This thesis reports on my attempts to \u27re-align\u27 the purpose, behaviour and underlying culture of a large military organisation through heuristic, self reflective enquiry - to \u27find its future\u27 - with and through its people. I use the word re-align with great care as I recognised that change would have been too ambitious and would (probably have) result(ed) in failure. Whilst I cannot claim total success, I have made new and valuable discoveries in knowledge elicitation and methods of integrating the views of a large number of people to \u27build and reinforce consensus around initiatives for change\u27. In the process of completing this research I developed a novel approach to strategic planning/policy making that advances the ends, ways and means construct of decision-making into a purer and more refined approach. One that anchors these elements firmly to the organisation and its environment simultaneously through a knowledge management system, enabling the strengths and weaknesses within the organisation to be drawn into sharp focus - an effects based planning approach. I have also fused together the more systematic and disciplined approaches embodied within a knowledge management system with existing and more creative scenario planning/future focussed methods. Thus allowing organisations to undertake \u27self-constructed\u27 audits that have an immediate interest or are situated well into their future, doubling its value as a planning device. As I report, the methods have been presented at the highest levels of Defence, attracting interest from the Australian Minister of Defence. The New Zealand Defence Force, Naval Warfare Development Command of the United States Navy and Australia\u27s Chief of Air Force have also expressed an interest in the potential of an effects-based orientation to planning and policy-making. Whether the concepts and underpinning ideas become established, leading to the discovery of a post-modem military is uncertain. What is clear is that there is a definite move away from a pre-occupation with the means, or the things that are done, towards a more comprehensive understanding of what are we trying to make happen as a guiding principle. This is certainly of value within military \u27organisations and has potential for others involved in complex problem-solving in social settings. A heuristic, self-reflective approach has enriched this search for focussed and \u27change-finding\u27 knowledge, allowing a more purposeful, complete and forthright account of the involvement of others

Landscape approaches for ecosystem management in Mediterranean Islands

This book presents a series of essays, drawing on the twm concepts of ecosystem management and landscape approaches, to elucidate and reflect on the present situation and future evolution of Mediterranean islands. This publication brings together contributions from Mediterranean individuals, non-Mediterranean individuals, islanders and non-islanders there is, after all, no geographical limit on who and what we can learn from. The essays presented here each contribute a specific perspective on the future evolution of Mediterranean islands. This book presents a series of essays, drawing on the twin concepts of ecosystem management and landscape approaches, to elucidate and reflect on the present situation and future evolution of Mediterranean islands. This publication brings together contributions from Mediterranean individuals, non-Mediterranean individuals, islanders and non-islanders; there is, after all, no geographical limit on who and what we can learn from. The essays presented here each contribute a specific perspective on the future evolution of Mediterranean islands. Following this introductory chapter, the first section of the book focuses on the contributions that can be made by the discipline of landscape ecology. loannis Vogiatzakis and Geoffrey Griffiths first explain the concepts and relevance of landscape ecology, also presenting and discussing a range of applied tools that can facilitate landscape planning in Mediterranean islands. Louis F. Cassar then reviews the 'offshoot' discipline of restoration ecology, making a strong case for offsetting the environmental damage inflicted on natural ecosystems over millennia of human occupation, with constructive efforts to effectively restore and/or rehabilitate ecosystems. The two following chapters bring the socio-economic dimension into the discussion. Godfrey Baldacchino first presents two contrasting paradigms for the development of island territories, reviewing the dual influences of ecological and economic factors, and exploring ways in which the two can be brought together in successful development strategies. Gordon Cordina and Nadia Farrugia then address the demographic dimension of development, presenting a model to explain the economic costs of high population densities on islands. The third block of chapters expands on the relevance of social and cultural dynamics to the management of Mediterranean Islands. Isil Cakcï, Nur Belkayali and Ilkden Tazebay explain the evolution of the concept of a 'cultural landscape', focusing on the challenges of managing change in landscapes with strong heritage values. The chapter concludes with a case study on the Turkish island of Gökçeada (lmbros), which is experiencing major challenges in balancing the conservation of a cultural landscape on the one hand, and the management of inevitable change, on the other. Elisabeth Conrad then discusses the role of social capital in managing the landscape resources of Mediterranean islands, reviewing the potential for this intangible social fabric to facilitate or impede the sustainable evolution of island territories. The fourth section includes four chapters, each of which addresses a different aspect relevant to policy development and implementation in Mediterranean islands. Salvino Busuttil presents an essay outlining the political influences on the management of coastal landscapes, the latter so relevant to Mediterranean island territories. The essay derives from the author's professional experience in various policy-related institutions for environmental management within the Mediterranean region. Maggie Roe then reflects on issues of landscape sustainability, focusing on the neglected aspect of intelligence. She discusses ways in which landscape research, knowledge and understanding can feed directly into frameworks for 'sustainable' landscape planning. In the subsequent chapter, Adrian Phillips takes from his substantial experience with international landscape policy, reviewing the gradual emergence of international and national landscape 'tools', to draw out lessons for application in Mediterranean islands. In the final chapter of this section, Riccardo Priore and Damiano Galla present a comprehensive discussion of the European Landscape Convention, the first international instrument to focus exclusively on landscape. The authors explain the innovative character of this convention, and discuss its potential implementation in Mediterranean islands. The publication concludes with a series of case studies, highlighting specific constraints, experiences and opportunities in different Mediterranean islands. Theano Terkenli explores the landscapes of tourism in Mediterranean islands - perhaps no other industry has played such a fundamental role in shaping the evolution of Mediterranean landscapes in recent years. The author reviews the theoretical relationship between landscape and tourism across Mediterranean islands, before focusing on the specific case of the Greek Cycladic islands. In the following chapter, Alex Camilleri, Isabella Colombini and Lorenzo Chelazzi present an in-depth review of the context and challenges being faced on a number of minor Mediterranean islands, namely those of the Tuscan archipelago (Elba, Giglio, Capraia, Montecristo, Pianosa, Gorgona and Giannutri), and Comino, the latter forming part of the Maltese archipelago. The comparison between these various islands enables an appreciation of both commonalities across these islands, as well as considerations that are specific to the context of each in dividual island. JeremyBoissevain then adopts an anthropological lens to review the cautionary tale of landscape change in Malta, exploring underlying causes of landscape destruction and limited civil engagement. In the subsequent chapter, Jala Makhzoumi outlines the richness of Mediterranean islands' rural landscapes, focusing on olive landscapes in Cyprus. Her research demonstrates the economic and ecological robustness of various olive cultivation practices, and whilst warning of several threats to such sustainable regimes, she outlines strategies for reconfiguring our approach to rural heritage, in order to integrate such assets into sustainable development strategies. Finally, Stephen Morse concludes the section with an evaluation of sustainable development indicators, and the contribution that these can make towards enhancing the management of Mediterranean island territories. He illustrates his arguments with reference to the two island states of Malta and Cyprus. To conclude, in the final chapter of this publication, we review key insights emerging from the various chapters, and summarize considerations for ecosystem management and sustainable development in Mediterranean Islands. We truly hope that this publication makes some contribution towards safeguarding the "magic' of Mediterranean islands, whilst embracing their dynamic characteristics.Published under the patronage of UNESCO and with the support of the Maltese National Commission for UNESCOpeer-reviewe

Business strategy and information systems alignment : a study of the use of enterprise architectures in Australian Government

This thesis investigates the use of Enterprise Architectures ("the logical structuring and classification of descriptive representations of an enterprise") as enablers of alignment between business strategy and information systems in public sector agencies. The scope of this study has been shaped by Australian government policies that have set firm directions for the delivery of community products and services in the electronic domain. Foundation management and information systems theories, empirical studies and public management literature -have been used extensively in grounding this research study. A substantial body of literature has been reviewed, and this study positioned in the context of these prior literary works. In particular, the principal alignment theories have been adopted and the research model developed from the published works of eminent management and information systems researchers. The primary research question asks whether Enterprise Architectures are enablers of business strategy and information systems alignment, and if so, what are the associated alignment enabling processes? The study's four research themes are: (i) Enterprise Architecture frameworks and methods; (ii) architectural completeness; (iii) the social aspects of alignment (management support, business planning style, business plan communications); and (iv) the formal high level alignment mechanisms used by public agencies. The study has used an exploratory qualitative case_study research method that includes semi-structured and unstructured interviews, archival research and document discovery, public announcement and presentation information, organisational observations, and system demonstrations for the collection and triangulation of data. The case studies at four government agencies are presented as metastories of how Enterprise Architectures and other alignment mechanisms are used within the contextual frame of each public organisation. The research shows that Enterprise Architectures can be enablers of alignment within a public organization environment. Architectures possess the ability to define and describe the states of the agency business and technology domains, and the intimate domain relationships and processes that inform the agency's state of alignment. Changes in the agencies or their operating environments are reflected in the architecture and its subsequent evolutionary changes (such as new business requiring new supporting information systems and technology). Enterprise Architectures were considered as important enablers of alignment with each agency dedicating specialist corporate resources for architecture development and maintenance. The case studies showed that the origin (either internally developed or commercially acquired) of the agency Enterprise Architecture was not necessarily important for the enabling of alignment. However, organizations would do well to concentrate their resources on developing and implementing architectures that accurately represent and integrate the agency business and technology domains. The research used an architectural requirements framework, adapted from an International Standard (ISO 15704), to gauge architecture completeness. The study found that substantially complete architectures integrated the business and information systems entities, included the necessary components (such as the governance frameworks) to achieve strategic alignment, and offered opportunities for agency alignment. Architectures that were deficient in their business, technology or managerial orientations could display reduced clarity of the business and technology states, placing the organisations at risk of misalignment. The case research allowed the comparison of centralised and decentralised agency business structures and information systems, allowing explanations to be developed for the longer architecture implementation periods, and reduced architecture completeness at the decentralised agencies. In particular, the research findings point to the non-uniform application of decentralised resources, and the reduced corporate visibility of decentralised systems, as reasons for long architecture implementation periods, reduced completeness, and impaired alignment. The case studies identified that architectures develop and evolve over time and possess specific characteristics that assist the alignment process. Architectures acted as focal points for business entities and processes that are enabled by the supporting information systems. Architectures provided a mechanism for information systems and technology governance that jointly support business and information systems requirements. Architectures enabled agency information structuring and sharing for the support of business operations. Architectures supported the reuse of systems and technologies for the delivery of business strategies and plans. Other characteristics, such as using architecture as a corporate philosophy, were agency-specific and reflected the agency's culture, people, business capabilities, and corporate history. The detailed examination of management support, business planning styles and business plan communications, showed that the social aspects of alignment were important. In particular the study showed that executive managers must support business and technical directions through demonstrable understanding of the important business and information systems issues, and cohesive decision-making that is built on sound relationships between business and technically oriented executives. The case studies also showed that business plans that are horizontally and vertically integrated, and are well communicated and understood by stakeholders, assisted the enabling of alignment. Finally, the study uncovered several formal alignment mechanisms (such as corporate boards, agency plans, balanced score cards) that were consistent with alignment and governance theory and government management literature. The findings of the case research placed this study of alignment in a process or system frame, while empirically demonstrating that alignment is a continuous and dynamic process that combines several enabling mechanisms. The study showed that any research or conceptual analysis of alignment should consider the alignment mechanisms to operate in combination with each other. Future directions for alignment and architecture research were also described