Asylum Seekers and the Refugee Determination Procedure

Extracts from a Position Paper by the Refugee Council of Australia

Biosecurity Council of Western Australia Annual Report 2018/19

In 2018/19 there were four key areas in which the Council focused during the year: • the attributes required by a biosecurity ‘combat’ agency to effectively sustain a biosecurity response • funding for biosecurity research and development in WA • border biosecurity; and • WA’s preparedness for myrtle rust.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/ar_bcwa/1004/thumbnail.jp

International arts activity – Australian arts sector

Overview The International Arts Activity – Australian Arts Sector report highlights the value of a strategic approach to international arts development and explores the existing activity and future priorities of the sector.  The report was part of a significant body of research and analysis undertaken over the past year to provide a comprehensive overview of Australian international arts activity and identify high value international opportunities for Australian artists. International development activity includes international presentation, residencies, collaborations and exchanges, networking, participation in festivals, fairs or showcasing platforms, translations and co-productions, all of which provide both short and long-term benefits to the artists involved and enrich our nation’s arts and cultural life. The research involved an analysis of funding trends, interviews and focus groups with funding recipients, and a sector-wide survey to identify motivations, needs, challenges and future priorities.  The Council has invested around $11 million each year in international arts activity since 2010-11, and in addition regularly funds many arts organisations that work internationally. This strategic support has enabled artistic, market and audience development, as well as providing significant value to Australia’s cultural diplomacy agenda.  Australia Council support has increased mobility and participation of Australian artists in international projects and facilitated vital new networks and connections. Among the many benefits are an increased international profile for innovative Australian arts and the increased integration of international best practice into Australian arts infrastructure.  The research findings indicate that many artists and organisations believe that without Australia Council support they would have been unable to undertake international activity

Arts nation: an overview of Australian arts - 2015 edition

This paper provides evidence as a catalyst for informed discussion about arts and culture in Australia. Executive summary Australians value the arts. A growing number of Australians believe that the arts make for a richer and more meaningful life; they influence how we express ourselves, our creative thinking and new ideas. Understanding the scope and impact of the arts in an Australian context is complex. This first Arts Nation report provides a starting point for that exploration at a national level, and will continue to develop over time. New analysis using the internationally recognised wellbeing valuation approach is one way of calculating the value of intangibles. It suggests that people who engage with the arts have higher life satisfaction. This is a significant finding given the level of engagement by Australians with the arts. Nearly all Australians consume at least one form of art and half participate in arts creation each year. Geographic location does not impact on arts engagement as much as you might expect and creative participation has increased amongst some groups with historically lower levels of participation. The 44,000 practicing professional artists in Australia predominantly have portfolio careers, with just 17% working full-time on their creative practice. The arts are deeply embedded in the cultural sector, and cultural activity makes a substantial contribution to the Australian economy. Cultural activity contributes $50 billion to Australia’s GDP, comparable to the GDP share in the USA, including over$4.2 billion from the arts. Expenditure on culture by Australian governments in 2012–13 was $7 billion including over$1.3 billion on the arts. Important to note is that the main source of income to the arts is consumer spending, for example, ticket sales for performing arts events generated $1.5 billion in 2013. Private support for the arts continues to grow, most significantly from private donations. Arts organisations are experiencing rapid growth with the major performing arts companies seeing an 81% increase between 2009 and 2013. Crowdfunding is a small but growing area for Australian artists to raise smaller amounts with a higher than average success rate. Exploring the way international tourists spend their time in Australia has highlighted the growth in arts tourism. There has been 19% growth over the past four years, with 2.4 million international visitors to Australia in 2013–14 engaging in arts tourism. More than one in four international tourists visit galleries or museums, similar to the levels in the UK and USA. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are cherished both at home and abroad. Nine in ten Australians agree that Indigenous arts are an important part of Australian culture and audiences for Indigenous arts are growing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists are proportionally more likely to be nominated for a major Australian art award or participate in an international arts event. The Indigenous visual arts sector is a major contributor to the arts economy and responsible for some of Australia’s most valuable works of art. This snapshot in time affirms the significance of the arts in the lives of Australians, as well as our international profile. Central to this is our unique position as home to the world’s oldest continuous living culture

Salinity in the classrom, a resource for Western Australian Schools

A Western Australian educational resource for teachers and students of the early, middle and early adolescent phases of learning. Work is sponsored by Alcoa, Shell, State Salinity Council, Department of Agriculture, Water Rivers Commission. Contributing authors from the Department of Agriculture are: Gale Bell, David Bicknell, Bruce Radys, Kirsty Chandler and Anne Jones. Contributing authors from Department of Education WA; Kevin Brady, Michael Burke. Contributing authors from State Salinity Council; Don Crawford.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/books/1016/thumbnail.jp

In their own words: A qualitative study exploring influences on the food choices of university students

Issue addressed: University students generally make independent decisions regarding food choices. Current research about knowledge of Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG), sources of nutrition information and influences on food choices for this group is scarce. Methods: Qualitative data were collected from gender‐separated focus groups comprising four female (n = 31) and four male (n = 18) to identify: knowledge of ADG; sources of nutrition information; factors that influence food choices; perceived relevant nutrition messages and how best to deliver them. Results: Gaps in knowledge were identified particularly regarding number of serves and serving size for food groups. Social media was the most commonly reported source of knowledge. Social media was also a major influence on food choice due to its impact on body ideals. Conclusion: Current health promotion nutrition messages were perceived irrelevant given the focus on long‐term health risks. Health and adhering to the ADG were not identified as important. The desire to look a particular way was the major influence on food choices. So what? While there is an awareness of ADG, our participants made a deliberate decision not to follow them. This provides a challenge for developing relevant preventive health messages for this target audience

Management of the Houtman Abrolhos system

In November 1995 Cabinet resolved that the Minister for Fisheries would establish the Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee (AIMAC) pursuant to Section 42 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. The role of AIMAC is to advise the Minister for Fisheries about the management of the Abrolhos Islands and the adjoining State Territorial Waters, as detailed in Section 2.2.3.1 of this report. The AIMAC has overseen the preparation of this report on behalf of the Minister for Fisheries. This draft report contains a brief description of the Abrolhos System and its special values. It also states goals and objectives for management during the next five years, along with strategies to achieve these objectives. The report provides a ‘blue print’ for the future management of the area. Schedule 1 attached to this report is the draft plan of management for the Abrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area, which will be established pursuant to Section 115 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. This is a separate draft plan which has been prepared to meet the requirements of Section 117 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. It contains a legal description of the area and the recommendations in this report which relate to the management of the proposed Fish Habitat Protection Area

Draft: Plan for the management of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands fish habitat protection area (Schedule 1)

This document is a separate draft plan which has been prepared to meet the requirements of Section 117 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. It contains a description of the area; outlines the purposes for which the area is to be set aside; and lists the recommendations contained in Fisheries Management Paper No. 104, Management of the Houtman Abrolhos System, which relate to the management of the proposed Fish Habitat Protection Area