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

Establishing pastoralist monitoring sites in the grasslands: a guide for pastoralists

This guide is for lessees and station managers who wish to establish rangeland condition monitoring programs for their pastoral leases. The guide outlines the main principles to consider for establishing monitoring sites, and the collecting and recording data to monitor changes over time of rangeland condition within a grassland environment. Identifying and ongoing monitoring of representative sites can be used to objectively assess the effect of livestock numbers, fire and seasonal conditions on the health of the perennial vegetation and soil. Importantly, monitoring can assist lessees demonstrate whether their current land management practices are appropriate for achieving acceptable rangeland condition

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

Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021

The Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021 showcases the breadth and depth of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s research and development activities over the past several years. Stories featured in Research Highlights 2021 stem from about 60 (of 140) current and recently-completed projects undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) 1100 scientists, technical experts and economists throughout the State. Explore our Research Highlights 2021. The publication demonstrates the innovative and applicable research that DPIRD and its collaborators and investment partners deliver to Western Australia. Download the Research Highlights 2021 here. Alternatively, a copy is available from DPIRD offices on request.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/books/1021/thumbnail.jp

Octopus resource of Western Australia harvest strategy 2018-2022. Version 1.0

Harvest strategies for aquatic resources managed by the Western Australian (WA) Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) are formal documents that are prepared based on a formal policy (Department of Fisheries 2015) to support the decision-making processes and ensure consistency with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD; Fletcher 2002) and Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM; Fletcher et al. 2010). The objectives of ESD are reflected in the objects of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA), Section 3, and the Aquatic Resources Management Act (ARMA) 2016, Clause 9, which will replace the FRMA once enacted

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

Raising irrigation productivity and releasing water for intersectoral needs (RIPARWIN): RIPARWIN final technical report

River basinsHydrologyRiver basin managementRiver basin developmentDevelopment projectsWater allocationIrrigation waterProductivityIrrigation managementRiceTanzaniaGreat Ruaha River BasinUsangu River Basin

The geographies of access to enterprise finance: the case of the West Midlands, UK

The geographies of access to enterprise finance: the case of the West Midlands, UK, Regional Studies. Whilst there is a long history of credit rationing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, the financial crisis has seen banks retreat further from lending to viable SMEs due to a reassessment of risk and lack of available capital. In so doing, the credit crunch is thought to be creating new geographies of financial exclusion. This paper explores the financial inclusion of enterprise through community development finance institutions (CDFIs) which provide loan finance to firms at the commercial margins in the West Midlands, UK. The paper concludes that CDFIs could partially address the financial exclusion of enterprise as an additional, alternative source of finance to that of mainstream banks