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Context: Australia is renowned for its climate variation, featuring years with drought and years with floods, which result in significant production and profit variability. Accordingly, to maximise profitability, dryland farming systems need to be dynamically managed in response to unfolding weather conditions. Aims: The aim of this study is to identify and quantify optimal tactical livestock management for different weather-years. Methods: This study employed a whole-farm optimisation model to analyse a representative mixed enterprise farm located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Using this model, we investigated the economic significance of five key livestock management tactics. These included timing of sheep sales, pasture-area adjustments, rotational grazing, crop grazing and sheep nutrition adjustments. Key results: The results showed that, on the modelled dryland mixed-enterprise farm in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, short-term adjustments to the overall farm strategy in response to unfolding weather conditions increased expected profit by approximately 16%. Each tactic boosted profit by between A$7704 and A$53,171. However, we outline several complexities that farmers must consider when implementing tactics. Conclusions: The financial gains from short-term tactical management highlighted their importance and farmers' need to develop and apply those skills. The tactical skills promote business resilience and adaptability in the face of climate uncertainties. Implications: The study highlighted the economic value of dynamic livestock management in response to climate variations, offering farmers in the Great Southern region the means to underpin profitable and sustainable farm practices. Under Australia's renowned climate variation, it is profitable for farmer to implement short-term tactical management adjustments in response to the unfolding weather conditions. This paper has identified and quantified optimal tactical livestock management for different weather-years for a mixed-farming system in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millennia of evolutionary ecology have seen Australia become one of the driest and flattest continents on Earth—and in the process, home to more than 700 species of Eucalyptus. Colonial scientists named them using a binomial system, thereby overwriting local vernaculars that had persisted for tens of thousands of years. This paper traces the man commemorated in the Albany Blackbutt, Eucalyptus staeri , a tree unique to the Great Southern region of Western Australia, traditionally the land of the Menang Noongar people. Using a biographical lens, the paper examines the intersection of Western science and commerce in plant collection and naming, and the ways in which these processes exclude or discount Indigenous knowledge. The paper argues that a more holistic and inclusive historical interpretation of herbarium specimens of E. staeri is achieved by correcting and re-analysing information about the German settler after whom it is named, John Staer, while at the same time acknowledging the Noongar people's deep knowledge (kartijin) of plants that has been passed down over many thousands of years. Australia is home to more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, named by Colonial scientists with a binomial system that displaced local Aboriginal vernaculars. Using a biographical lens, this paper traces the man commemorated in the Albany Blackbutt, Eucalyptus staeri , a tree unique to the Great Southern region of Western Australia, traditionally the land of the Menang Noongar people. In doing so, it suggests corrections and additions to public documents that speak to a need to Indigenise and decolonise written sources in herbaria the world over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Burden of disease studies measure the impact of disease at the population level;however, methods and data sources for estimates of prevalence vary. Using a selection of cardiovascular diseases, we aimed to describe the implications of using different disease models and linked administrative data on prevalence estimation within three Australian burden of disease studies. Methods: Three different methods (A = 2011 Australian Burden of Disease Study; B = 2015 Australian Burden of Disease Study; C = 2015 Western Australian Burden of Disease Study), which used linked data, were used to compare prevalence estimates of stroke, aortic aneurysm, rheumatic valvular heart disease (VHD) and non-rheumatic VHD. We applied these methods to 2015 Western Australian data, and calculated crude overall and age-specific prevalence for each condition. Results: Overall, Method C produced estimates of cardiovascular prevalence that were lower than the other methods, excluding non-rheumatic VHD. Prevalence of acute and chronic stroke was up to one-third higher in Method A and B compared to Method C. Aortic aneurysms had the largest change in prevalence, with Method A producing an eight-fold higher estimate compared to Method C, but Method B was 10–20% lower. Estimates of VHD varied dramatically, with an up to six-fold change in prevalence in Method C due to substantial changes to disease models and the use of linked data. Conclusions: Prevalence estimates require the best available data sources, updated disease models and constant review to inform government policy and health reform. Availability of nation-wide linked data will markedly improve future burden estimates. What is known about the topic? Accurate prevalence and subsequent burden estimates that reflect population-level disease burden are an important resource and are necessary for informing health policy decisions and resource distribution. What does this paper add? For cardiovascular disease, the comparison between direct use of linked data and other population-wide data sources highlighted the significant differences in the methods between Australia-wide and Western Australian-based studies in calculating prevalence estimates. What are the implications for practitioners? Continued, effective collaboration for improved disease models and subsequent burden estimates are necessary for appropriately informed decisions about health and resource distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe patterns of use of the available Government-subsidised mental health services among people living in Australian residential aged care facilities. Methods: A retrospective population-based trend analysis was conducted, including all non-Indigenous people living in an Australian facility between 2012 and 2017. Adjusted incidence proportions and trends were estimated for four groups of mental health services. Results: The use of Medicare-subsidised mental health services was very low overall. The proportion of residents who accessed primary care mental health services increased from 1.3% in 2012/2013 to 2.4% in 2016/2017, while psychiatry service use increased from 1.9 to 2.3%. Claims for clinical psychology increased from 0.18 to 0.26%, and claims for a registered psychologist, occupational therapist or social worker rose from 0.45 to 1.2%. People with dementia were less likely than people without dementia to access all services aside from psychiatry services. Conclusions: Less than 3% of residents accessed funding subsidies for mental health services and people with dementia experienced pronounced barriers to service access. Mental health care is a pillar of the publicly-funded health system in Australia, and low use of these services among aged care residents indicates a need for organisational and policy changes to improve access. What is known about the topic? People living in residential aged care facilities report very high rates of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. What does this paper add? We demonstrate very low use (<3%) of Government-funded mental health services among people living in residential aged care facilities in Australia, with only small increases in use over time. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners should routinely assess the mental health needs of people living in residential aged care and refer for in-reach mental health services where needed, noting that facility staff are usually not trained for this role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep stocking rate influences farm profit significantly; however determining the optimal stocking rate is a difficult task. In this paper, we address this challenge through three main steps. First, we review the definition of stocking rate; second, we examine prior research relevant to the review topic and highlight the factors that need to be considered when determining the optimal stocking rate; and third, we make recommendations for improvements in research on establishing the optimal sheep stocking rate. Inconsistency in the definition of stocking rate can lead to miscommunication among researchers, advisers and farmers. If 10 dry sheep equivalents (DSE)/ha is optimal for one flock, it may not be optimal for another flock because the DSE measure does not fully capture the nuances of different patterns of nutritional requirements among sheep classes and feed availabilities and their respective prices and costs. The optimal stocking rate occurs when the marginal economic benefit of an additional animal equals its marginal cost. Determining this point requires an understanding of the quantity and quality of feed available throughout the year, the optimal liveweight profile throughout the year, the impact of seasonal variation, the impact of labour availability, the cost of alternative feeds, prices of livestock and livestock products, the risk preferences of the farmer, and any emission policies relating to greenhouse gases. Farmers tend to use their own judgement to set their stocking rates, with the aim of maximising utility. However, the complexities listed make it a challenging task. Thus, researchers have used various simulation and programming models to aid decision-making over optimal stocking rates, but most farmers continue to rely on their own personal judgement. Moreover, often a focus of this modelling is for sheep systems in eastern Australia. Generalising this research across Australia is difficult due to differences in climatic conditions and markets across Australia. Often farmers are unaware of the profits they are foregoing when choosing either an overly conservative or excessive stocking rate. Our research has shown that foregone income of up to AUD50 per hectare can occur when a stocking rate 30% below or above the optimum is selected. Thus, despite the complexities that underpin the stocking rate decision, we believe that there are potential rewards from further research on the optimisation of stocking rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carnaby's cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus latirostris , is endemic to south-western Australia. It has undergone a major decline in range and abundance as a result of extensive removal of breeding and foraging habitat. It is now classified as endangered by the State of Western Australia, the Australian government, and internationally. In order to plan effective conservation management for the species it is important to assess the success of breeding populations throughout its range. In this paper we examine the efficacy of using the relationship between growth in the length of a nestling's folded left wing and body mass to assess nestling condition, and examine known breeding failure in relation to nestling condition in two breeding populations: one at Coomallo Creek (studied from 1970–2017), and the other at Manmanning (1969–76). Results demonstrated that the lighter the nestlings, the higher the rate of breeding failure. Data from the Coomallo Creek population were used to prepare a table of nestling folded left wing length and body mass as a benchmark for assessing nestling condition in 10 other breeding populations, based on data collected from 1970 to the present. Following extensive clearing that removed foraging and breeding habitat, two of the 10 populations produced nestlings that were significantly lighter than the benchmark, and both populations subsequently declined to extinction. The commencement of egg-laying each season at Coomallo Creek was strongly influenced by total rainfall in the first half of autumn. The length of the egg-laying period between 1970–76 and 2009–17 increased by 5.2 weeks (40%). This increase was related to changes in rainfall and temperature over more than four decades. Despite the lengthening of the egg-laying period, nestling condition was unaffected, suggesting that, at least in the short term, the Carnaby's cockatoo population at Coomallo Creek is coping with the effects of climate change. This paper examines the efficacy of using the relationship between growth in the length of nestling folded left wing and body mass of Carnaby's cockatoo Calyptorhynchus latirostris to assess nestling condition, and assesses nestling condition in 11 breeding populations throughout the species' range. The lighter the nestling, the higher the rate of breeding failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perennial pastures are the dominant feedbase in many regions of the world, and offer several advantages when compared with an annual pasture system. In Western Australia (WA) there has been a concerted effort over seven decades to develop new perennial pasture options and expand the adoption of suitable species. The agricultural region of WA (i.e. south-western Australia) is characterised by a Mediterranean climate where the 5–7 month summer drought has proved a considerable challenge with only a small number of the many promising species being adopted commercially. Research, development, and extension have covered a wide range of herbaceous perennial legumes, leguminous and native shrubs, herbs, and temperate and warm season grasses. This paper reviews the literature to determine whether a perennial pasture must satisfy the following criteria to be successful and widely adopted in south-western Australia: (i) sourced from a similar Mediterranean environment and adapted to the target soils; (ii) have a relative advantage over the annual-based system it replaces; (iii) a robust management package; and (iv) a viable seed supply. The findings of this review highlight that perennial pastures must indeed satisfy multiple criteria to be commercially successful. Notably, the requirement for the source of the germplasm to have a good match between climate and soils is less clear because some of the commercially successful species come from diverse environments. We conclude with some key learnings for future perennial pasture development as climate change intensifies the research challenge and the drive for producers to adapt. In Western Australia, there has been a concerted effort to develop new perennial pasture options. Research, development, and extension have covered a range of herbaceous perennial legumes, leguminous and native shrubs, herbs and temperate and warm season grasses. Overall, this search has proved to be a considerable challenge in a Mediterranean environment with many promising species having little or no commercial impact, and only a small number of species have had widespread commercial adoption. This review explores the key requirements for perennial species to become more than a niche pasture in a Mediterranean climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation has increased the occurrence of species being introduced outside of their natural range. The African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), is one such species. P. repetititum was first recorded in Australia in 2000 in Queensland (north-east Australia), and rapidly spread down the east coast of Australia, and by 2015 was reported to be a common component of bee assemblages in urban community gardens in Victoria (southern Australia). Here, I report the first occurrences of this species in Western Australia, on the other side of the continent, representing a major expansion of the distribution of the species. Thus far there are three confirmed and one unconfirmed localities where this species has been seen, all localised to the Mandurah region in residential areas of Western Australia. Female specimens were collected from a garden in Halls Head, where it was observed to be abundant. Other bees, both native and the introduced European honeybee, were foraging alongside it. The occurrence of P. repetitum represents a major expansion in its distribution. It remains rare and localised; however, given known negative impacts of introduced species on native fauna and flora, especially in Australia, vigilance is required to monitor this species. The African carder bee, Pseudoanthidium (Immanthidium) repetitum (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), is an introduced species in Australia. It was first reported in 2000 and rapidly spread across the east coast. This paper reports the first observations of P. repetitum on the other side of the continent in Western Australia, representing a major range expansion. Potential impacts on native fauna and flora of this species are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mirid subfamily Orthotylinae is hyperdiverse in Australia but poorly described; this work is part of a series of papers on the documentation of this fauna. Two new species of the Australian endemic plant bug genus Myrtlemiris Cheng, Mututantri & Cassis (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae: Orthotylini) are described as new to science: Myrtlemiris kararensis , sp. nov., and M. lochada , sp. nov. The new Australian genus and species Neomyrtlemiris picta gen. nov. et sp. nov. are also described. Myrtlemiris is analysed phylogenetically using 32 morphology-based characters, as well as molecular alignments (COI , 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA ; including 1958 base pairs) with the genus found to be monophyletic based on molecular, morphological and combined analyses. Neomyrtlemiris is the sister to Myrtlemiris. Host plant association analysis demonstrated constraints to the myrtaceous tribe Chamelaucieae, with Malleostemon and Calytrix recovered as ancestral host plants. Ancestral state reconstructions were carried out on male genitalic structures, demonstrating the phylogenetic value of endosomal spicules. This work demonstrates that the Orthotylinae are a rich component of Australia's biodiversity, particularly in the south-west of Western Australia. This work continues documentation of the Australian mirid tribe Orthotylinae, a fauna that was virtually undescribed 20 years ago. Two new species of the genus of Myrtlemiris from Western Australia, and a new genus and new species (Neomyrtlemiris picta), all of which were collected during the Bush Blitz program, are described. This work also includes a combined molecular and morphological phylogeny confirming the monophyly of Myrtlemiris , as well as ancestral state reconstruction of male genitalic characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This study examined postgraduate work after an undergraduate clinical year spent in the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia (RCSWA), compared with 6 weeks Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination (RUSC)-funded rural experience in a 6-year undergraduate medical course. Rural background, sex and Rural Australian Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS)-holding were taken into account. Methods. University of Western Australia undergraduate data were linked by hand with postgraduate placements to provide a comprehensive dataset on the rural exposure history of junior medical practitioners working in Western Australia between 2004 and 2007. Results. Participation in the RCSWA program was associated with significantly more postgraduate year one rural work than RUSC placement alone (OR=1.5, CI 0.97-2.38). The RCSWA workforce effect increased at postgraduate year two (OR=3.0, CI 1.6484 to 5.5935 relative to RUSC). Rural-origin practitioners who chose the RCSWA program were more likely than other rural-origin practitioners to take rural rotations in both postgraduate years. RAMUS holders' choice in relation to the RCSWA program predicted later rural work. There were no effects of sex. Conclusions. Rural initiatives, in particular the Rural Clinical School program, are associated with postgraduate rural choices. The real impact of these data rely on the translation of early postgraduate choices into long-term work commitments. What is known about the topic? Specific training of rural graduates is strongly related to subsequent rural workforce. In addition, rural educational placements affect medical students' intentions to practise rurally. Retrospective data from rural relative to urban general practitioners link rural background, rural undergraduate experience and rural postgraduate experience with rural work. What does this paper add? Much of the Australian prospective outcomes research has looked at workforce intentions of graduates, or the workforce outcomes of small graduate cohorts of Rural Clinical Schools. This paper followed nearly 500 graduates by name through to their PGY1 and PGY2 workforce decisions. As this cohort comprised 80% of three completely graduated MBBS years, these data validly represent the outcome of a medical school which is comparable to all Australian medical schools in its RUSC, Rural Clinical School and RAMUS recipients. The paper provides the first peer-reviewed outcomes data for the RAMUS scholarship program. What are the implications for practitioners? Rural supervision of medical students is an effective way to recruit new workforce. The longer students are supervised in rural settings, the better. But undergraduate programs need to be linked with postgraduate initiatives that take graduates of medical student initiatives into vocational programs able to deliver a trained rural workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]