Setting Australia’s post-2020 target for greenhouse gas emissions: issues paper

The Australian Government will announce Australia’s post-2020 emissions reduction target in mid-2015. This paper presents the factors that will be considered when deciding the target, and invites submissions from the public. Abstract Climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution. The Australian Government has committed to review Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and settings this year. This review is in the context of negotiations for a new global climate agreement to be concluded at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties in Paris in late 2015 (30 November to 11 December). All countries have agreed to propose a post-2020 emissions reduction target well in advance of the Paris conference. Australia will announce a post-2020 emissions reduction target in mid‑2015.   You can make a submission here. Submissions close 3pm AEST on Friday 24 April 2015

Australian Government commits to action on domestic violence

An infographic explaining the actions the Australian Government will take on domestic violence. From the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Every woman in Australia has the right to feel safe and live without fear. Yet, one in six Australian women has experienced violence from a current or former partner, and 63 women have been killed so far this year. For Indigenous women the situation is even worse – they are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence. Today the Government announced a $100 million package of practical measures to help keep women safe, deliver better frontline support and services, and provide resources to help parents, teachers and students change young people’s attitudes to violence – into the next generation.$21 million has been committed to specific measures that will help Indigenous women and communities. The package responds to the advice of COAG’s Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence against Women and their Children – chaired by Ken Lay and deputy-chaired by Rosie Batty and Heather Nancarrow. This is part of the Government’s longer term response to domestic and family violence and the COAG Advisory Panel’s final report, due in early 2016, will advise on what further measures could be introduced

Reform of the Federation: discussion paper 2015

This discussion paper, to prepare for the Reform of the Federation Green Paper, was published online after several chapters were leaked to the media. The Green Paper is yet to be finalised and is intended to be released later in 2015 after further discussions with the States and Territories. Introduction Australia’s Federation has worked well since 1901. Since that time, Australian governments have worked together to help deliver a standard of living that makes us the envy of much of the world. Australia today, though, is very different from the country it was back then—the world in which Australians live has changed enormously, and continues to change at a rapid rate. So, the question needs to be asked—is our Federation still fit for purpose? Does it provide the system of national governance that Australians need right now, and will it help or hinder efforts to adapt and thrive in the vastly different economic, political and social realities of the 21st century? There are many opportunities and challenges facing the Australian economy. Asia’s economic strength continues to increase and the global economy is becoming more integrated. There is no room for complacency, otherwise Australia risks being left behind on the world stage—meaning fewer jobs, lower economic growth, and lower living standards. This challenge should not be underestimated. Technological change is disrupting and making obsolete traditional models of business and government. It is also empowering individuals and local communities with new knowledge and opportunities. Is Australia ready for this

Martin Place siege: joint Commonwealth-New South Wales review

This review analysed the events that led up to the Martin Place siege and the range of interactions the gunman had with agencies including the criminal justice system, beginning with his arrival in Australia. Abstract At around 8.33 am on 15 December 2014, Man Haron Monis walked into the Lindt Café, on the corner of Martin Place and Phillip Street, in the heart of Sydney’s commercial district. Shortly thereafter, he produced a gun and ordered that the customers and staff be locked inside as hostages. After a standoff lasting around 17 hours, the siege ended in gunfire. Three people died: two hostages and Monis. Several of the other hostages sustained injuries.  The Martin Place siege has deeply affected the community. The Review analysed the events that led up to the siege and the range of interactions Monis had with agencies including the criminal justice system, beginning with his arrival in Australia. It asked: were the decisions of government agencies in respect of Monis reasonable given the laws and policies in place when the decisions were made?  should decision-makers have had other information before them when making their decisions? This Review, jointly commissioned by the Prime Minister of Australia and the Premier of New South Wales the day following the end of the siege, is the first official government review of the incident.  The Review has been completed in six weeks, drawing on the records and advice of agencies in the Commonwealth, New South Wales and other States and Territories.  Other more detailed inquiries and proceedings into matters concerning the siege and Monis will follow, notably the report of the NSW Coroner who is inquiring into the circumstances of the deaths arising from the siege. The Review has been careful not to prejudice the work of the Coroner, who will be undertaking detailed investigations including interviewing a large number of witnesses before making his findings

Collaboration and interconnectivity: Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services and higher education institutions in Nottingham

This paper will describe the developing relationship between Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services and the two Higher Education Institutions in Nottingham. It will chronicle how a very traditional relationship has been transformed, initially by a simple consultancy project, into a much closer working relationship characterised by a much richer variety of collaborative projects. It demonstrates the potential mutual benefits that greater trust and reciprocity between the institutions can bring to both academia and to practice and the impact it has already had on curriculum development, teaching and learning in Nottingham

New housing association development and its potential to reduce concentrations of deprivation: An English case study

Social housing across Western Europe has become significantly more residualised as governments concentrate on helping vulnerable households. Many countries are trying to reduce the concentrations of deprivation by building for a wider range of households and tenures. In England this policy has two main strands: (i) including other tenures when regenerating areas originally built as mono-tenure social housing estates and (ii) introducing social rented and low cost homeownership into new private market developments through planning obligations. By examining where new social housing and low cost home ownership homes have been built and who moves into them, this paper examines whether these policies achieve social mix and reduce spatial concentrations of deprivation. The evidence suggests that new housing association development has enabled some vulnerable households to live in areas which are not deprived, while some better off households have moved into more deprived areas. But these trends have not been sufficient to stem increases in deprivation in the most deprived areas

Harnessing Social Enterprise for Local Public Services

The government’s public service reform policy emphasises the collaboration of local authorities with a network of other agencies in the locality, either through contracts or through partnership arrangements. Strong encouragement is currently being given to the involvement of ‘third sector’ organizations (including social enterprises) in such partnering arrangements. This environment has opened up new opportunities for social enterprises. However, as the DTI has asserted in relation to social enterprise, ‘rhetoric rather than a robust evidence base continues to inform many arguments for its growth and support’ (DTI, 2003a: 49). This paper examines one of the most widespread examples of social enterprise in the provision of public services: ‘new leisure trusts’. It asks whether the combination of entrepreneurial skills and social purpose in social enterprises such as new leisure trusts provides a useful model upon which public service partnerships could be based. Findings show that these social enterprises can work to create synergy through improved input/output ratios, commitment to meeting social objectives and wider stakeholder involvement. However, there are issues of incentivisation and relative autonomy that must be resolved within such partnerships, and more work to be done in some cases to build genuine social inclusion

Anaemia in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women of Far North Queensland: a retrospective cohort study

Aim: Anaemia during pregnancy is common worldwide. In Australia between 7.1% and 11% of mothers have been reported to have anaemia in pregnancy. Higher rates are reported for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (Townsville: 34.2%, remote Northern Territory: 50%). The present study describes anaemia in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women of Far North Queensland. Methods: Health service information was analysed for 2076 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who gave birth between 2006 and 2010. The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy, characteristics of the mothers and pregnancy outcomes were described. Logistic regression for bivariate analyses and multivariable linear modelling with and without imputed data were used to compare those mothers who had anaemia in pregnancy with those who did not. Results: More than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (54.5% (95% CI: 52.4%, 56.7%)) had anaemia in pregnancy. For mothers who gave birth in 2009 and 2010 (n = 1796) with more complete data, those who were iron deficient during pregnancy were more likely to be anaemic (RR: 1.40, P = <0.001). Mothers (29.0%) from localities of relative socioeconomic advantage had lower risk of anaemia in pregnancy (RR: 0.86, P = 0.003), as did mothers (31.9%) who were obese (RR: 0.87, P = 0.013). Conclusions: The prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women of Far North Queensland is high. Prevention and treatment of anaemia will improve the health of these mothers, and possibly the health and early development of their children

Community hospitals and their services in the NHS: identifying transferable learning from international developments - scoping review, systematic review, country reports and case studies

Background: The notion of a community hospital in England is evolving from the traditional model of a local hospital staffed by general practitioners and nurses and serving mainly rural populations. Along with the diversification of models, there is a renewed policy interest in community hospitals and their potential to deliver integrated care. However, there is a need to better understand the role of different models of community hospitals within the wider health economy and an opportunity to learn from experiences of other countries to inform this potential. Objectives This study sought to (1) define the nature and scope of service provision models that fit under the umbrella term ‘community hospital’ in the UK and other high-income countries, (2) analyse evidence of their effectiveness and efficiency, (3) explore the wider role and impact of community engagement in community hospitals, (4) understand how models in other countries operate and asses their role within the wider health-care system, and (5) identify the potential for community hospitals to perform an integrative role in the delivery of health and social care. Methods A multimethod study including a scoping review of community hospital models, a linked systematic review of their effectiveness and efficiency, an analysis of experiences in Australia, Finland, Italy, Norway and Scotland, and case studies of four community hospitals in Finland, Italy and Scotland. Results The evidence reviews found that community hospitals provide a diverse range of services, spanning primary, secondary and long-term care in geographical and health system contexts. They can offer an effective and efficient alternative to acute hospitals. Patient experience was frequently reported to be better at community hospitals, and the cost-effectiveness of some models was found to be similar to that of general hospitals, although evidence was limited. Evidence from other countries showed that community hospitals provide a wide spectrum of health services that lie on a continuum between serving a ‘geographic purpose’ and having a specific population focus, mainly older people. Structures continue to evolve as countries embark on major reforms to integrate health and social care. Case studies highlighted that it is important to consider local and national contexts when looking at how to transfer models across settings, how to overcome barriers to integration beyond location and how the community should be best represented. Limitations The use of a restricted definition may have excluded some relevant community hospital models, and the small number of countries and case studies included for comparison may limit the transferability of findings for England. Although this research provides detailed insights into community hospitals in five countries, it was not in its scope to include the perspective of patients in any depth. Conclusions At a time when emphasis is being placed on integrated and community-based care, community hospitals have the potential to assume a more strategic role in health-care delivery locally, providing care closer to people’s homes. There is a need for more research into the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of community hospitals, the role of the community and optimal staff profile(s). Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme