State of Australian cities 2014-2015: progress in Australian regions

Provides insight into the vital role that Australian cities play in the growth of the countries economy and tracks the overall progress made in Australia\u27s major centres. Summary Since 2010, the State of Australian Cities reports have examined the progress being made in our major cities. These reports have provided insight into the vital role that Australian cities play in the growth of our economy and have tracked the overall progress made in Australia\u27s major centres. The State of Australian Cities 2014–2015 once again looks at the drivers behind some of the public policy issues facing the country today and into the future. Australia is a highly urbanised country. The populations of Australia\u27s major cities are at record levels, as is the number of people employed. It is in our cities that the overwhelming majority of jobs are located and where the most new jobs are being created. The economic output of our major cities has grown and their national importance remains extremely high. However, alongside that growth there is more demand on transport systems in Australia than ever before. This report examines population growth, economic growth and the increased traffic flows through our ports and airports and on our roads and rail lines. Issues of space and the potential conflicts of the usability of cities with the utility and long term capacity of freight hubs, ports and airports and the movement of goods and people in cities is a challenge for policy makers. This report provides the evidence base for policy makers at all levels of government to consider those challenges now and into the future

Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002: final report

Executive summary: The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) allows the Australian Government to make standards to ensure that people with disability are not discriminated against, and to provide information about these standards. The purpose of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards) is to enable public transport operators and providers to remove discrimination from public transport services. Part 34 of the Transport Standards requires the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, in consultation with the Attorney-General, to review the efficiency and effectiveness of the Transport Standards within five years of them taking effect, with subsequent reviews every five years. This report of the Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (this review) assesses how accessible public transport systems are to people with disability. Under its Terms of Reference, publicly released on 19 October 2012, this review was required to: report the views of people with disability, and the community generally, on progress towards achieving the targets set out in the Transport Standards assess compliance with the requirements set out in Schedule 1 of the Transport Standards, in particular the targets listed under Part 2 of Schedule 1 identify initiatives and actions for removing discrimination from public transport services delivered by state and territory governments since the 2007 Review assess the progress of implementing the response to the 2007 Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (the 2007 Review). The effectiveness and efficiency of the Transport Standards is vital for people with disability to engage and participate in the community. The 2012 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Disability, Ageing and Carers Survey (SDAC) released in November 2013 shows that the number of people with disability in Australia is 18.5 per cent of the population or 4.2 million people. Of these people, 1.4 million had a profound or severe limitation affecting their mobility, self-care or communication. The rate of disability increased with age, with less than 5 per cent of children under the age of five having a disability compared to almost 90 per cent of people aged 90 years and over. There has been no improvement in the labour-force participation rate by people with disability since the SDAC was last conducted in 2009. The 2012 SDAC also shows that just over 50 per cent of people with disability aged between 15 and 64 were participating in the labour force in 2012, compared with 80 per cent of people without disability. An accessible public transport system is also important for planning for Australia’s ageing population. In 2012 there were around 3.3 million older people (aged 65 years and over), representing 14 per cent of the population. This proportion has risen from 12.6 per cent in 2003. Around half of Australia’s older population have disability. As such, older people with disability now form a larger part of the Australian population than previously measured. The Transport Standards also help to ensure Australia meets its international obligations. The ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008 reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to promoting and supporting the equal and active participation by people with disability in economic and social life. The National Disability Strategy (NDS) incorporates the principles underpinning the CRPD into the government’s policies and programs directed towards people with disability. The NDS Policy Direction 4 of Outcome 1 focuses on developing a public, private and community transport system that is accessible to the whole community.&nbsp

Guidelines for management of farmland adjacent to the Busselton wetlands

The Busselton Wetlands are a chain of wetlands that lie parallel with the coastline of Geographe Bay, Western Australia and in close proximity to the town of Busselton. The main issues for the maintenance of quality of the wetlands are nutrient levels and habitat value. This guide outlines many of the current best practices related to farming around wetlands.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1228/thumbnail.jp

Advancing our cities and regions strategy

The Advancing our cities and regions strategy is an innovative approach to renewing and repurposing surplus and underutilised state property to deliver better community outcomes, create jobs and drive economic growth. Property Queensland within the Department of State Development is working with government land-owning agencies to identify sites that represent property opportunities that will deliver on government priorities, and generate economic development and community outcomes. To help achieve this strategy, eight economic and community zones have been identified where Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) will lead the delivery of a range of projects, many of which will be iconic developments to transform precincts and catalyse economic growth and diversification in our cities and regions. &nbsp

Progress in Australian regions: yearbook 2015

The Progress in Australian Regions—Yearbook provides a statistical resource that can help all Australian\u27s to understand how their region is progressing against economic, social, environmental and governance indicators. The Yearbook brings together information about Australia\u27s regions from a range of different sources and presents that data in a consistent format over time. This second edition of the Yearbook builds on the information that was provided in 2015 by updating data sources wherever possible and improving the method used to construct estimates for a number of indicators. The 2015 Yearbook also includes an expanded set of geographies. Within the Yearbook publication, the list of sub-state regions has been expanded to provide a finer level of detail in outback Australia. The attached data files provide even greater geographic detail, presenting data by Local Government Area (LGA) and by Regional Development Australia Committee (RDA) boundaries wherever possible

Free State Public Works & Infrastructure contributes to the Hlasela basket of the province through provision of sustainable infrastructure

Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract

Feeling Safe in the Dark : Examining the Effect of Entrapment, Lighting Levels, and Gender on Feelings of Safety and Lighting Policy Acceptability

This research examined to what extent physical factors, notably lighting and entrapment (blocked escape), and individual factors, notably gender, affect feelings of safety and the acceptability of reduced lighting levels. The authors reasoned that acceptability of reduced street lighting depends on perceived safety, which in turn depends on entrapment, lighting, and gender. Virtual representations of a residential street were used, systematically manipulating entrapment and lighting levels. As expected, people felt less safe in lower lighting and higher entrapment settings, and these settings were evaluated as less acceptable. Although women perceived a situation as less safe compared with men, the authors found no gender differences in acceptability, which extends previous research. Importantly, as hypothesized, perceived safety mediated the effect of lighting on acceptability levels, suggesting that people can accept lower lighting levels when social safety is not threatened

Below market financing available for qualified borrowers

The State Revolving Funds offer long-term, low-interest loans for public drinking water and wastewater facilities. This paper gives the details

Energy transitions and uncertainty: creating low carbon investment opportunities in the UK electricity sector

This paper examines how actors in the UK electricity sector are attempting to deliver investment in low carbon generation. Low carbon technologies, because of their relative immaturity, capital intensity and low operational costs, do not readily fit with existing electricity markets and investment templates which were designed for fossil fuel based energy. We analyse key electricity market and infrastructure policies in the UK and highlight how these are aimed at making low carbon technologies ‘investable’ by reducing uncertainty, managing investment risks and repositioning actors within the electricity socio-technical ‘regime’. We argue that our study can inform contemporary debates on the politics and governance of sustainability transitions by empirically investigating the agency of incumbent regime actors in the face of uncertainty and by offering critical insights on the role of markets and finance in shaping socio-technical change