Drowning deaths in Australian rivers, creeks and streams: a 10 year analysis

735 people drowned in Australian rivers, creeks and streams between 2002 and 2012. Rivers claimed more lives than any other aquatic location across the same period. • Executive Summary This report details the number of drowning deaths in Australian rivers, creeks and streams across the last 10 financial years and the circumstances around those deaths. Rivers have consistently been the aquatic location with the highest number of drowning deaths in annual Royal Life Saving National Drowning Reports and subsequent Australian Water Safety Strategies have highlighted the importance of reducing drowning deaths in rivers in order to achieve a 50% reduction in all drowning deaths experienced in Australia by the year 2020. A review of drowning deaths allows for patterns to be identified and evidence-based strategies for drowning reduction can be developed. Data on all known drowning deaths in rivers across the last 10 financial years (1 July 2002 to 30 June 2012) has been sourced from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS), State and Territory Coronial Offices and the media. It has been collated and analysed by the Royal Life Saving Society – Australia. Between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2012, a total of 2,965 people died as a result of drowning in Australian waterways. Of these 735 people drowned in rivers, creeks and streams, accounting for 25% of all drowning deaths experienced in Australian waterways across this ten year period. Males accounted for 80% of all river drowning deaths across the period of this study. The male burden in river drowning deaths was most prominent in the 25-34 years age group where males accounted for 92% of all drowning deaths experienced in people in that age group. New South Wales, as the most populous State, experienced the highest number of river drowning deaths across the 10 year period of this report, with 246 deaths or 34% of all river drowning deaths. When examining rates per 100,000 population, the Northern Territory experienced the highest average annual rate of river drowning deaths per 100,000 population, with a rate of 1.81 compared to a national annual average of 0.35 drowning deaths per 100,000 population. The Northern Territory’s drowning rate is also over 2.5 times greater than the next closest State, Tasmania, with a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 population. The male rate of drowning in the Northern Territory was the highest of any State or Territory with a rate of 3.19 males drowning per 100,000 population. The average rates per 100,000 population for female drowning deaths in rivers across the States and Territories of Australia were highest in the Northern Territory (0.30), followed by Queensland (0.26) followed by Tasmania (0.24). Almost three quarters (74%) of people who drowned in rivers, did so within 100kms of their home postcode. This provides strength to the argument that public awareness and drowning prevention strategies should be targeted at the local community level to ensure greatest efficacy. The largest proportion of drowning deaths in rivers took place in areas deemed Inner Regional (29.7%). A concerning, 10% took place in areas considered to be Very Remote. By their very definition, areas deemed Very Remote are isolated from basic services such as medical services. Therefore first responder skills in CPR and first aid are vital, as is education among those living in Remote and Very Remote areas about how to minimise the risk of drowning in rivers. When river drowning deaths are segmented and analysed by drainage division, the North East Coast division of Queensland had the highest number of drowning deaths, with 27% of all river drowning deaths during the 10 year period of this study. This was followed by the Murray-Darling Basin (21%) and the South East Coast region of New South Wales (19%). By river system, the Murray River experienced the highest number of drowning deaths across the 10 years, followed by the Brisbane River and the Yarra River. Falls into water were the most common activity being undertaken immediately prior to drowning in rivers (20%), followed by accidents involving non- aquatic transport (18%) and swimming and recreating (15%). Males were more likely to drown as a result of intentionally interacting with water or intentionally entering the water as a result of fishing, jumping in, undertaking a rescue and using watercraft. Females were more likely to drown in rivers as a result of unintentionally entering the water, either as a result of being swept away by floodwaters or a non-aquatic transport accident. Summer experienced the highest proportion of river drowning deaths with 39% of the total number of deaths, followed by Spring (23%). Interestingly, Winter experienced one-fifth of all river drowning deaths (146 drowning deaths) and saw a greater number of drowning deaths than occurred in Autumn (131 drowning deaths). Analysis of the data showed that 17% of all river drowning deaths were known to be related to flooding. The State of Queensland experienced 56% of all known flood related drowning deaths in rivers. Over half (56%) of all drowning deaths that took place in flooded rivers were as a result of either being swept in or deliberately entering floodwaters in non-aquatic transport. Further work must be conducted within the community to highlight the dangers of flooded rivers. Indigenous people drowned at a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 population in rivers, a rate that is 4.4 times that of the general population. Almost half (46%) of drowning deaths in Indigenous Australians occurred in the 25-44 years age range. Over half of all Indigenous people that drowned in rivers (54%) were known to have a positive reading for alcohol in their bloodstream when they drowned. Alcohol was also known to be a contributing factor in 64% of all cases where Indigenous people intentionally entered floodwaters. Culturally appropriate strategies to prevent drowning in Indigenous Australians should be developed that highlight the dangers of floodwaters and alcohol consumption whilst recreating in, on or near rivers. 6Alcohol was known to be involved in 37% of all river drowning deaths. There were a further 252 cases (representing 35% of all river drowning deaths) where information on the involvement of alcohol was not available. This suggests the involvement of alcohol in river drowning deaths could be larger than currently known. Drowning deaths known to involve alcohol accounted for almost half (49%) of all drowning deaths in the 45-54 years age group. A key issue identified during analysis of the data was the extremely large amounts of alcohol being consumed prior to drowning deaths in rivers. Half of all drowning victims whose blood alcohol concentrations were deemed to be contributory (i.e. a Blood Alcohol Content equal to or greater than 0.05g/L) had a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.2 or higher. This level of alcohol in the bloodstream is four times that of the legal driving limit. Twenty seven percent of all river drowning victims recorded some form of drug in their bloodstream when they drowned. In just over a third of these cases, the drugs were known to be illegal, the most common of which were cannabis and methamphetamine. Of the legal drugs detected, commonly occurring types were anti-depressants, anti-convulsants and cardiovascular agents such as anti-arrythmic drugs. The analysis of river drowning data, clearly indicates a significant issue related to alcohol consumption, in rivers across Australia. Although better reporting is required, drowning prevention strategies for rivers must include information on the risks of interacting with rivers when under the influence of alcohol, alcohol and medications and/or alcohol and illicit drugs. Linked to the issue of medication use is the finding that 37% of all river drowning victims were known to have an underlying medical condition. Logically underlying medical conditions were more common in middle aged and elderly people with people aged 45-54 and 75+ accounting for 38% of all drowning victims in rivers known to have underlying medical conditions. Further research is required around the true contribution of underlying medical conditions to river drowning risk. This report makes a number of recommendations aimed at expanding our knowledge of river recreational patterns and to reduce drowning deaths in Australian rivers. These include enhanced understanding of the risks of floodwaters, increased awareness and enforcement of legislative requirements regarding use of watercraft whilst under the influence of alcohol in rivers and improving CPR and first aid skills in Remote and Very Remote areas. Further research is also required around the recreational patterns and risk profiles of river drowning black spots and improving our understanding of river user’s attitudes towards the risks and hazards present in rivers

Problem definition and re-evaluating a policy: the real successes of a regeneration scheme

This article seeks to problematize notions of objective policy evaluation using the techniques of interpretive policy analysis, and use the findings to develop a new evaluation and new proposals for policy improvement. It presents evidence from ethnographic fieldwork on the same set of urban regeneration (or renewal) policies in two Scottish neighborhoods between 1989 and 2009. The analysis showed that the policy was variously understood as a failure or a success in four different ways: as a failure within the rationality of official evaluation; as a failure because of the stigma in wider society against deprived neighborhoods; as a failure in some ways by local community activists describing their lived experience through local knowledge; and as a success through local knowledge of the improvements to the physical environment. It demonstrates how policy problem definition and evaluation are closely intertwined and therefore for a policy to be judged a success requires a nuanced understanding of policy problems within their wider social context

Joining the dots through Scottish crofting education

The ‘Crofting Connections’ (Ceanglaichean Croitearachd) project is described in this article as an exemplar of the prescribed ‘Scottish approach’ to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Drawing upon the evaluation of this project an argument is made for increased attention to such initiatives that seek to (re)connect children with issues of community, heritage, land and place. In doing so, we also call for a reconceptualization of crofting in academic discourse and in the curriculum. While crofting is a specifically Scottish phenomenon, this may be of interest to readers in other nations with similar small scale agricultural traditions

Discovering Pathways to Sustainability: Small Communities in Transition

abstract: Driven by concern over environmental, economic and social problems, small, place based communities are engaging in processes of transition to become more sustainable. These communities may be viewed as innovative front runners of a transition to a more sustainable society in general, each one, an experiment in social transformation. These experiments present learning opportunities to build robust theories of community transition and to create specific, actionable knowledge to improve, replicate, and accelerate transitions in real communities. Yet to date, there is very little empirical research into the community transition phenomenon. This thesis empirically develops an analytical framework and method for the purpose of researching community transition processes, the ultimate goal of which is to arrive at a practice of evidence based transitions. A multiple case study approach was used to investigate three community transitions while simultaneously developing the framework and method in an iterative fashion. The case studies selected were Ashton Hayes, a small English village, BedZED, an urban housing complex in London, and Forres, a small Scottish town. Each community was visited and data collected by interview and document analysis. The research design brings together elements of process tracing, transformative planning and governance, sustainability assessment, transition path analysis and transition management within a multiple case study envelope. While some preliminary insights are gained into community transitions based on the three cases the main contribution of this thesis is in the creation of the research framework and method. The general framework and method developed has potential for standardizing and synthesizing research of community transition processes leading to both theoretical and practical knowledge that allows sustainability transition to be approached with confidence and not just hope.Dissertation/ThesisM.S. Sustainability 201

The Politics of \u27Giving Back\u27 and its Effects on the Autonomy of Women after Sex Trafficking

In the field of humanitarian service, advocates have the intentions of speaking on behalf of those they represent. Many activists and organizations seek to ‘give back’ to those in need of food, shelter and social services. But, does ‘giving back’ really help? This essay explores the politics and hierarchies of humanitarian aid to discover if independence and agency for aid recipients can be achieved. On the path to independence, what are the obstacles that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and activists create for the underprivileged? Are there effective frameworks and methods for advocate organizations to approach the underprivileged? Authors such as Columbia University professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak questions whether any agency can be achieved while Bengali activists such as Samarajit Jana, Nandinnee Bandyapadhyay, Mrinal Kanti Dutta and Amitrajit Saha argue that agency is attainable by providing tools for the underprivileged to empower themselves. Using my own observations from working at All Bengal Women\u27s Union in Kolkata, India, I review and analyze the attempts of this organization to empower women and girls to determine whether the underprivileged can speak. My work in the All Bengal Women’s Union in Kolkata in Spring 2008 allowed me to spend personal time with young women who were sexually exploited. The women I met left such an indelible impression on me that I brought their voices and causes back with me. Every day I saw the pain of these girls, struggling to overcome their violent past. And every day, I saw their endless ability to continue to dance, to smile, and to love. Our sisterhood pushed me to promote awareness of sex trafficking and to identify the best methods of rehabilitation that value their voice. After reviewing previous literature and theory discussing if the underprivileged have a voice, I began my participant observation and field research at All Bengal Women Union during the months of January to April in 2008. Using my ethnographic data, I examine the programs and initiatives put forth by All Bengal Women’s Union as well as reviewing material published by the NGO. The approach of analyzing the organization’s efforts is significant; the concern is not the intentions and mission of the organization, but the process and outcomes it has on the women. Instead of looking at the organization as a whole, my approach is to view it’s effectiveness from the perspective of the female clients. This essay concludes there are good and bad approaches towards the path of victim empowerment, but ability of voice and agency can only be determined by the underprivileged. While a structure like All Bengal Women’s Union posses the ability to oppress its constituents, critically analyzing approaches and methods in dialogues with its privileged and underprivileged members can lead to more effective strategies. In order for women and girls after trafficking to have a voice in society, critical and opposition structures like All Bengal Women’s Union must exist to serve a space to achieve agency, a space where they can demand their choice. It is best to be critical of one\u27s intentions of \u27helping\u27 the subaltern, and to listen more often – perhaps the subaltern are speaking but we are not listening

Transformational government and assistive web base technologies

Transformational government has been on the European agenda for several years. However, progress towards realising the full potential of ICT to transform public services for older adults with age related cognitive impairments has been very limited. Highlighting such limitations this paper demonstrates how assistive web base technologies can be developed to improve the public services for older adults with age related cognitive impairments. However the paper argues that these transformations can be obstructed if there is no strong leadership and political commitment from people at many levels in public sectors and governments

Management of active ageing in France in businesses: Some case-studies

If some European countries started work on age management long ago, several reports confirmed the urgency and the complexity of age management in France. The low participation of French older workers in the labour market was the result of premature exclusion, within a context of high unemployment and industrial restructuring. Discrimination concerning access to jobs and training persists with regard to older workers. The management of ages is not yet something from which enterprises could expect a return, because of the socio-cultural negative perceptions and image of older workers. Nevertheless, some companies start to implement innovative initiatives and test new solutions for promoting active ageing. This article brings some examples of those experiences and concludes with the necessity to reconciliate “age, work and training” to favour social links and better sharing between generations promoting “aging, living and working well together”.older workers, work, human resource management, inter-generational links

Joint Learning Update

Over the past three years, the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN) has become a well-established practitioner-to-practitioner network of countries at the forefront of the global movement toward universal health coverage (UHC) . Now that the JLN has been active for a few years, many involved in the JLN felt that it was an appropriate time to assess what has been achieved to date and develop a roadmap for the future.In December 2012, the Rockefeller Foundation engaged Pact, an independent NGO that specializes in community engagement and networks, to conduct an independent strategic review of the JLN's value proposition, mechanisms for engaging members, and decision-making structures. Pact sampled each stakeholder group in the JLN by administering an online member survey and conducting a series of in-person interviews to gather perspectives from across the community and gain a deeper understanding of how each group contributes to the JLN's goals.One hundred and four JLN members -- a 45 percent response rate -- responded to the member survey and 27 stakeholders participated in semi-structured interviews. The results provided useful information about JLN members and how they are applying knowledge acquired through network activities in their own context