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Background: The present study is the foundational project of TeachABI-Australia , which aims to develop and implement an accessible, nation-wide digital resource for educators to address their unmet acquired brain injury (ABI)-related professional learning needs. The aim of the present study was to identify the adaptations required to improve the suitability and acceptability of the TeachABI professional development module within the Australian education system from the perspectives of Australian educators. Methods: The research design employed an integrated knowledge translation approach and followed the ADAPT Guidance for undertaking adaptability research. A purposive sample of eight educators eligible to teach primary school in Australia provided feedback on the module through a quantitative post-module feedback questionnaire and a qualitative semi-structured interview. Results: Participants rated the acceptability of the module as ' Completely Acceptable ' (Mdn = 5, IQR = 1), and reported ' only Minor' changes were required (Mdn = 2, IQR = 0.25) to improve the suitability to the Australian context. Qualitative analysis of transcripts revealed three broad categories: (1) the usefulness of TeachABI , (2) the local fit of TeachABI , and (3) pathways for implementing TeachABI in the local setting. Recommended adaptations to the module collated from participant feedback included changes to language, expansion of content, and inclusion of Australian resources, legislation, and videos. Conclusions: TeachABI is acceptable to Australian educators but requires modifications to tailor the resource to align with the unique schooling systems, needs, and culture of the local setting. The systematic methodological approach to adaptation outlined in this study will serve as a guide for future international iterations of TeachABI. This paper details the adaptation process for TeachABI -Australia, a nationwide digital resource for educators addressing acquired brain injury (ABI)-related learning needs. Australian educators found TeachABI acceptable but recommended modifications to improve cultural and environmental fit, highlighting the importance of tailoring professional development resources to local contexts. This article belongs to the Collection Clinical Implementation to Optimise Outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As carbon emissions continue to rise, the need to adapt to climate impacts has become increasingly urgent. Planning and implementing climate adaptation is often left to local authorities and is fraught with the challenge of negotiating with multiple stakeholders holding differing interpretations of climate change. In such a space, local media has a critical role in communicating these differing perspectives within communities. In this article we explore the central role of a local newspaper in shaping public debate over the implementation of a climate adaptation plan in a coastal region of Australia. Rather than providing an arena for public discussion and constructive debate, we find that the newspaper adopted a clear position rejecting the need for changes in planning for anticipated climate impacts. We use the case study to explore how media discourse contributes to (i) the construction of an antagonistic debate undermining climate science, and (ii) strengthening the hegemony of economic value and property rights. In response, we suggest shoring up political alliances for climate change, including in the local media, as a basis for social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of climate change on major Australian sport stadia, and organizational responses. Specifically, we explore how climate change impacts the water resources used at such stadia and implications for the organizations managing this critical sport infrastructure. We adopted a qualitative case study method focusing on organizations that own and/or manage major sport stadia. Data were collected primarily through semi-structured interviews with participants representing 12 of Australia's 14 major sport stadiums. Data were analyzed using an interpretive process, and themes were developed relating to geo-physical, commercial and regulatory impacts, and adaptive responses. The analysis identified six climate change issues pertaining to water resources: (a) reduced rainfall, (b) increased evaporation from playing surfaces (c) water supply restrictions and other regulation, (d) higher water supply costs, (e) capital costs for water management infrastructure, and (f) negative public perceptions of high water consumption. The three organizational water management strategies were: (a) water harvesting, (b) water storage, and (c) water recycling. These strategies are indicative of adaptation responses to climate impacts. Given the long-term nature of climate change, and the proliferation of water-related public policy activity in recent years, stadium organizations will likely benefit from including climate change and adaptation in their strategic thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being the most tangibly impacted by the first-order effects of a warming climate, much of Australia's agricultural regions have remained relatively conservative in their views on climate change and the need for adaptation. This paper aims to understand how the experience of an extreme climate event like the 2017–2020 drought might shift opinions and values on these issues within agricultural communities. Through in-depth interviews with 20 graziers across Northwest NSW during the worst days of the drought, we found that various psychological lock-ins, historical memories of resilience, and local cultural values appeared to be undermining the perception of their vulnerability, while enhancing perceptions of their ability to endure. Such discursive constructions appear to explain why a jarring climatic event like the 2017–2020 drought was failing to produce a noticeable shift in their views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely-grown crop in the Mediterranean semi-arid (150–400 mm) cropping zones of both southern Australia and the inland Pacific Northwest (PNW) of the United States of America (United States). Low precipitation, low winter temperatures and heat and drought conditions during late spring and summer limit wheat yields in both regions. Due to rising temperatures, reduced autumn rainfall and increased frost risk in southern Australia since 1990, cropping conditions in these two environments have grown increasingly similar. This presents the opportunity for southern Australian growers to learn from the experiences of their PNW counterparts. Wheat cultivars with an obligate vernalization requirement (winter wheat), are an integral part of semi-arid PNW cropping systems, but in Australia are most frequently grown in cool or cold temperate cropping zones that receive high rainfall (>500 mm p.a.). It has recently been shown that early-sown winter wheat cultivars can increase water-limited potential yield in semi-arid southern Australia, in the face of decreasing autumn rainfall. Despite this research, there has to date been little breeding effort invested in winter wheat for growers in semi-arid southern Australia, and agronomic research into the management of early-sown winter wheat has only occurred in recent years. This paper explores the current and emerging environmental constraints of cropping in semi-arid southern Australia and, using the genotype × management strategies developed over 120 years of winter wheat agronomy in the PNW, highlights the potential advantages early-sown winter wheat offers growers in low-rainfall environments. The increased biomass, stable flowering time and late-summer establishment opportunities offered by winter wheat genotypes ensure they achieve higher yields in the PNW compared to later-sown spring wheat. Traits that make winter wheat advantageous in the PNW may also contribute to increased yield when grown in semi-arid southern Australia. This paper investigates which specific traits present in winter wheat genotypes give them an advantage in semi-arid cropping environments, which management practices best exploit this advantage, and what potential improvements can be made to cultivars for semi-arid southern Australia based on the history of winter wheat crop growth in the semi-arid Pacific Northwest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2011, Brisbane, Australia, experienced its first significant flooding in almost four decades. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire conducted in four affected inner western suburbs 7 months after the flood. These locations were specifically chosen as the residents within these communities come from a range of demographic, social, and economic backgrounds. The research utilised a mixed methods approach involving a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interviews. This paper examines residents' experience of the flood, their thoughts on risk reduction and insurance, what factors helped or hindered response and adaptation to flood risk, and how to articulate shared responsibility for reducing flood risk. Assessing gender, age, income, and previous flood experience, it finds that those with previous flood experience were more likely to have flood insurance but less likely to have taken precautions to prepare for the flood. While almost three-quarters of respondents said they were aware of the flood risk when they moved to the area, they were nonetheless surprised by and largely unprepared for the 2011 flood. The implications of these findings for future flood risk reduction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Climate change and dynamic government policy is compounding pressure on water resources in farming landscapes creating water scarcity. Successful adaptation to a more sustainable farming system in the face of water scarcity is not a foregone conclusion and requires choosing between short-term incremental change or more transformational options. In this paper, we propose a framework 'unpacking' four pathways that farmers might use to achieve sustainability: absorb, exploit, adapt and transform. Each pathway has specific attributes that relate to the type of farming system change undertaken. The framework is applied to 28 irrigation farmers from southern Murry Darling Basin, Australia, all facing water scarcity from drought and water policy. Using semi-structured interviews, we test the attributes and found they help understand farmers' pathway choices. We show that farmers use all four pathways, either singularly or simultaneously, to achieve a range of sustainability outcomes when facing a water crisis, although some are maladapted, and result in less sustainable outcomes. The study adds to the literature on pathways to sustainability by illustrating the need to clarify attributes that describe what each pathway means to farmers' decision-making and to consider multiple pathways, not just one, e.g. transformation. Policy implications are clear: there are various pathways to, or away from, farm sustainability. Therefore, policy interventions must be 'fit for purpose' and appropriately consider the diversity of farmer capacities and contexts. A focus on a single pathway or single technological fix will fail to deliver farm sustainability. This paper starts to develop a more specific and nuanced understanding of pathways to farm sustainability that reflect real life farming experiences with insight for policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries, the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia have been confronted with major ecological, geological, and climate events, and had to adapt home shelters and settlements to seasonal variations. Many of these changes have been captured in the cultural traditions of the indigenous people of Australia reflecting a harsh coastal environment. Weather patterns and climate change phenomena were gauged by the occurrence of landscape changes and recurring weather events by the acknowledgement of six seasons. Community settlements were established and relocated to adapt to the patterns of nature. This paper investigates if this ancient knowledge can provide answers for adaptation of coastal settlements to a changing climate now and in the future. Drawing upon recent published literature on predicted coastal climate change impacts in the different regions of Australia, and the review of Indigenous knowledge on settlement planning according to a six season cycle, the author explores traditional knowledge as input to a potential Climate Change Adaptation Model that considers a proposed framework, for integrating indigenous knowledge into the contemporary climate change adaptation practice and discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper presents a study of atmospheric climate impacts on community-level sports clubs' (CLSC) in Australia and Canada, their vulnerability and resilience, and organisational responses. Design/Methods: A qualitative methodology was used with a multiple case research design. Data (interviews, documents) was collected from a sample of 23 CLSC organisations managing grass turf sport fields exposed to climatic extremes in temperate regions of both countries. Findings: CLSCs in both nations experienced vulnerability to climate impacts. Direct damage to playing fields resulted from extreme climate events. Indirect impacts include higher injury risks, interrupted and/or cancelled competitions, insurance risks, plus higher operating and capital costs. Adapted management was evident for water resources, playing turf, and organisational policies. Practical Implications: Provides insights into the changing practice of sport management at the community-level. Research Contribution: The results challenge the assumption that climate is a static and benign resource for sport. This study demonstrates impacts of climate extremes on sport in the northern and southern hemispheres, the potential for adapting sport management practices, and developing resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the reasons why many people are reticent about travelling in a COVID-adapted world. It reports on a study of residents of Southeast Queensland, Australia conducted in mid-2022, up to six months after borders reopened after a prolonged COVID-19 shutdown. About one quarter of respondents were less interested in travel in a COVID-adapted world than they were before the pandemic struck. They were a diverse group whose reasons for their reticence could be categorised into four broad risk groups of: ongoing anxiety; fear of catching the disease; satisfaction risk, and; travel risk as reflected by an overall loss of interest in travel. Each group displayed different COVID-adapted travel patterns that reflect the operationalisation of different risk categories. A follow-up survey conducted in August 2023 confirmed that up to one in four people still have less desire to travel as a result of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A dramatic decline in mental health of people worldwide in the early COVID-19 pandemic years has not recovered. In rural and remote Australia, access to appropriate and timely mental health services has been identified as a major barrier to people seeking help for mental ill-health. From 2020 to 2021 a care navigation model, Navicare, was co-designed with rural and remote communities in the Greater Whitsunday Region of Central Queensland in Australia. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment (EPIS) framework was used to design and guide multiple aspects of a multisite study, The Bridging Study, to evaluate the implementation of Navicare in Australia. Methods: A community-engaged hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design will focus on the tailored implementation of Navicare at three new sites as well as monitoring implementation at an existing site established since 2021. Study outcomes assessed will include sustained access as the co-primary outcome (measured using access to Navicare mental health referral services) and Proctor's Implementation Outcomes of feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, fidelity, implementation cost, and sustainability. Data collection for the implementation evaluation will include service usage data, community consultations, interviews, and workshops; analysed using mixed methods and guided by EPIS and other implementation frameworks. Pre-post effectiveness and cost-consequence study components are embedded in the implementation and sustainment phases, with comparison to pre-implementation data and value assessed for each EPIS phase using hospital, service, and resource allocation data. A scaling up strategy will be co-developed using a national roundtable forum in the final year of the study. Qualitative exploration of other aspects of the study (e.g., mechanisms of action and stakeholder engagement) will be conducted. Discussion: Our study will use tailoring to local sites and a community-engaged approach to drive implementation of a mental health care navigation service in rural and remote Australia, with expected benefits to mental healthcare access. This approach is consistent with policy recommendations nationally and internationally as building blocks for rural health including the World Health Organization Framework for Action on Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes. Trial registration: Prospectively registered on April 2, 2024, on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, no. ACTRN12624000382572. https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=386665&isReview=true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research that projects biophysical changes under climate change is more advanced than research that projects socio-economic changes. There is a need in adaptation planning for informed socio-economic projections as well as analysis of how these changes may exacerbate or reduce vulnerability. Our focus in this paper is on the delivery of time-sensitive socio-economic information that can better support anticipatory adaptation planning approaches. Using a ‘multiple lines of evidence’ approach based on Australian Bureau of Statistics’ data (2010/2011), we examine the socio-economic vulnerability of the grazing sector located on Australia’s east coast. We profile the east coast grazing sector through an overview of the composition of its workforce and the value of grazing commodities produced. We then assess the potential vulnerability of the grazing sector using spatial snapshots of five factors known to shape socio-economic vulnerability in New South Wales and Queensland: (1) reliance on agriculture, (2) geographic remoteness, (3) socio-economic disadvantage, (4) economic diversity and (5) age. Our assessment of the east coast grazing sector reveals six subregions characterised by high potential socio-economic vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. We find high percentages of labour forces employed in agriculture, geographic remoteness and age (high percentages of owner/managers and employees in younger age groups) to be drivers of vulnerability. Finally, we evaluate the ways in which these vulnerabilities may be exacerbated or reduced in light of emerging environmental, economic and social trends. This approach complements demographic projection methods to deliver time-sensitive socio-economic information to support anticipatory adaptation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local government organisations in coastal Australia have historically commissioned studies aimed at understanding risks in their locality to future sea level rise as a starting point for developing adaptation strategies to climate change. Therefore, the success of the overall adaptation activities of local government are strongly influenced by the way those initial risk studies are scoped and conducted, and how the outputs of those studies underpin subsequent adaptation planning activities within the organization. Mainstreaming of adaptation planning activities within local government is critical in terms of getting stakeholder support and required resources for its implementation. This paper analyses a sample of these coastal risk assessment studies across seven states and territories in Australia, with an aim to critically investigate the current state of practice among coastal local governments. First, we develop a typology of studies that have been undertaken by or for practitioners to understand coastal climate change risks, and discuss the applicability of the studies within the policy-making context of local government. Second, we identify a set of sample studies from the ‘grey literature’ through a systematic process and investigate to what extent they adhere to best practice risk management guidelines and principles, such as ISO31000. Third, we interview stakeholders from top performing studies to identify how/if the risk studies helped their organization in progressing their adaptation planning. We find that there is a significant inconsistency among terminologies in the coastal climate change risk assessment unpublished literature as studies use “risk”, vulnerability” and “hazard” concepts interchangeably despite their separate objectives and aims. Most studies perform poorly in evaluating risk against broader organizational criteria. Subsequently, it is difficult to integrate the findings of such studies into a broader organizational risk register, limiting opportunities for identified coastal climate change risks to be integrated into councils’ long-term strategic decision making. Conversely, the follow up interviews of studies that performed well in scoping and consultation in our assessment demonstrate that these aspects were beneficial to stakeholders in terms of informing adaptation planning. Importantly, the findings presented in this paper confirm the need for a consistent risk assessment approach for local councils in the coastal zone to underpin successful adaptation planning. This is a critical issue, not only for Australia, but for local government organisations globally given that sea level rise is a projected threat for all populated coastal regions worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pride in Australia's extreme climate has long been a part of Australia's national identity. Today, climate continues to be enrolled in a range of nationalistic projects, including the (re)development of climate science and other responses to climate change. In this paper, we outline some of the contours of the 'Australian national climate', claims to know it, and four idealised responses to it: bounce back, dismissal, endurance, and migration. We argue that the deeply cultural framing of climate in Australia-in particular, Australians' emphasis on the climate's inherent variability and unknowability, and their own historical adaptability-is being exploited by the federal government and hampering climate change mitigation nationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policy response to drought can have both positive and negative effects by either promoting adaptation to greater variability or setting in train processes that ultimately make water users less adaptable. Also, on the one hand the 'crisis' of drought can encourage policy reforms that may have stalled and on the other hand the desire to be seen to be 'doing something' can lead to political expediency that might be counter to the goal of adaptation. In this paper we focus on recent Australian water policy in an effort to gain insights to the direction of contemporary interventions and identify what can be done better. In order to answer questions about the current preparedness for drought we consider strengths and weaknesses that emerged in response to the so-called millennium drought that began in Australia in the mid-1990s and concluded in 2009-2010. We also briefly scrutinise subsequent policy changes, legislation and management practices against wider reform objectives. The aim is to encourage other jurisdictions to recognise the pitfalls and avoid costly mistakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite there being considerable research and knowledge surrounding the risks of climate change on agricultural productivity, fewer studies have examined risks from a whole-of-chain perspective (i.e. from producer to consumer) and the perceptions of consumers about the climate adaptation strategies of food businesses. This paper presents the findings of a survey of 1532 Australian consumers and how they might respond to a food company's climate adaptation strategy. Three respondent archetypes, ' Eco-warriors' ( n = 557), ' Undecideds' ( n = 600) and ' Abdicators' ( n = 375), were identified based on their perceptions of risks associated with climate change and their attitudes towards climate adaptation. Further analysis was carried out to understand how each group of respondents would respond to adaptation strategies employed by food companies. Based on the findings of this study, two main challenges are presented for food value chains: (1) translating consumer needs and preferences to niche opportunities arising from adaptation and (2) understanding how best to communicate adaptation benefits based on varying attitudes and information needs. By addressing these challenges, synergies between adaptation goals and competitive strategies in food value chains may be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation pathways are increasingly being used as a foresight tool to help guide the implementation of climate change adaptation and deliberate transformation. This paper applies a pathways lens as a hindsight tool to provide new understanding about past change and adaptation relevant for improving future adaptation pathways approaches. Four case studies of past adaptations to change are examined: Solomon Islands Communities, Canadian forest-dependent communities, a Transylvanian village, and responses to climate adaptation policies in Australia. The results highlight that responses to change in these diverse case studies involve complex transitions that gradually create new conditions and trajectories; manifest as multiple but inter-related pathways of change and response at different social or spatial scales (e.g. different paths for different households or communities); have legacies and continuities across time that affect future pathways of change; are affected by power in complex ways; and can create further change and need for adaptation. Analyses also highlight that when working with prospective adaptation approaches as a response to climate change there is a need to consider: (1) underlying assumptions, values and principles associated with the future; (2) the existence of inter-connected multiple pathways and their implications for reinforcing existing social inequalities; and (3) how understanding past change provides inspiration for new and transformative futures. Overall, the paper concludes that shifts towards analyses for change rather than simply about change, such as adaptation pathways, will require more careful consideration of underlying ontological assumptions about the relationships between past, present and future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper uses a qualitative, case study approach to critically examine the role of community involvement in learning to adapt and develop resilience in the face of disaster. Within a decade, the already disadvantaged, small, Australian rural community of 'Bellbird' faced three catastrophic, human induced disasters: the Millennial Drought (1996 to 2010), a March 2013 bushfire and the COVID-19 epidemic of 2020. Our interviews were conducted during late 2019 and early 2020 with men and women shedders as well as their significant others in the usually vibrant and unusually gender inclusive 'Bellbird Men's Shed'. For at least six months following the interviews, the Bellbird Men's Shed was shut as a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdowns. We opportunistically reflect on the data from our interviews and emerging literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to critically interrogate the role local community learning plays in responding to and developing resilience in the face of locally experienced global disasters. We conclude that Bellbird is a good example of a small, rural community where formal, top down decision making approaches to adult and community education in 2020 in Australia are sometimes impossible or inappropriate. Bellbird in effect exercised agency to create its unique, place and needs-based form of lifelong and lifewide learning 'bottom up' at its atypical community Men's Shed. The practices and commitments the Shed adopted have provided the community with opportunities for developing personal and collective wellbeing and the necessary resilience for adapting to likely future shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We present a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach for developing a regional scale climate adaptation plan with the health and wellbeing sector. • This includes an innovative engagement and policy mapping strategy. • We demonstrate the application of this approach for developing climate change adaptation plan for health and wellbeing sector in Queensland, Australia. • We find that direct engagement between various key stakeholders is a critical element of translating scientific evidence of climate change impacts on human health into a regional adaptation policy for the health and wellbeing sector. The science of climate change and its impacts on health makes it clear that human health and wellbeing will be increasingly negatively impacted as a result of climate change. The health and wellbeing sector must respond to these growing pressures in order to continue to provide safe, quality care. Adaptation and mitigation policies need to be developed at different scales, including at a regional government level. Numerous challenges exist; for example, the necessity for collaboration between multiple agencies across scales, the tailoring of policies to the health issues specific to regions, and constraints on existing regional and local resources and adaptive capacities, to name a few. This paper presents a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach used to develop a regional scale climate adaptation plan with the health sector. Starting from a scientific understanding of climate change impact on the health sector in Queensland, Australia, the approach used an innovative engagement strategy to a) better understand awareness of relevant stakeholders about current and future climate change impact on the health of the population and on service provision, b) identify on-ground barriers to effective adaptation faced by the sector stakeholders, c) identify opportunities and benefits which would arise from adaptation, and d) identify what conditions or support stakeholders required to overcome those barriers, take advantage of opportunities, and achieve benefits from adaptation. Analysis of these findings guided the development of specific policy directions for the sector. We found direct engagement between various key stakeholders such as health service providers (e.g. hospitals), critical infrastructure providers, academics, local government authorities, and sub-sectors such as aged care and early childhood care facilities, was a critical element of translating scientific evidence of climate change impacts on human health into a regional adaptation policy for the health and wellbeing sector. The resulting policy, grounded in the reality and experience of health and wellbeing sector stakeholders, reflects their insights and concerns, and served to develop a level of sectoral 'ownership' (not 'top-down' imposition) which will be important for its successful ongoing development and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, water resource policy in the Murray–Darling Basin (Basin) has taken a pro-farmer orientation leaving the environment to become the residual claimant. Around 1990, the attention was focused on minimisingoveruse that led to on-farm productivity losses and developing a market for water to help define opportunity costs of water in irrigation. More recently, the scope has been extended to include explicit allocations for the environment. However, the failure to agree on policies for recovering water for the environment in the implementation of the Basin Plan has extended avenues for rent seeking and cost shifting, thereby raising the total costs of reform. A focus on water use per se , rather than system productivity, and sidelining of market-based approaches in preference for government investment in water recovery and water use efficiency has complicated risk assignment amongst different users. Recurring droughts and resultant scarcity of water has made negotiations further complicated and controversial, broadening the gulf between environmentalists seeking public good outcomes and irrigators seeking private profit. Despite these, the MDB system as a whole, including dryland and irrigated farming, environmental uses and other industries, has adjusted to chanding conditions, drawing on new knowledge and technology and emerging market opportunities. Irrigators have shown an ability to diversify into new commodities with better prospects for managing risks. However, declining farm numbers, a changing demography and accelerating climate change point to general failure risks if the reform process were to halt and governments disregarded the gains through a rebalancing of consumption possibilities from the full complement of Basin's resources — not just irrigation. This paper, examines the sources of social costs in water resource allocation, including pros and cons of water trading with respect to agricultural production and externalities. The aim is to canvass possible reform alternatives which might help governments to become a catalyst in fostering collaboration for efficient adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Research examining the construction industry demonstrates that it is the source of a large percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions, subject to future climate change risks, and that there is limited evidence of adaptation. This paper explores the preparedness of the Australian construction industry to adapt to climate change risks, through twenty-one key stakeholder interviews. The interviews addressed participants' perceptions of the industry's: climate change risk awareness, analytical capacity to address climate change risk, and current actions to address these risks. The main risk participants identified was extreme weather during construction (e.g. heat and wind) with impacts for occupational health and safety, supply chain reliability, project delivery delays, and profit. The impact of these risks was somewhat down played. While a high level of perceived analytical capacity to respond to climate change was observed, real action was limited by systemic, outdated regulations, lack of client motivation, and perceived costs. The climate change actions which were undertaken were predominantly climate change mitigation activities, largely focussing on organisational processes, rather than adaptations to built form. The results indicate that if Australia's built form is to be well adapted to climate change, greater preparedness to facilitate tangible and systemic actions to address climate change risk in the Australian construction industry is needed. Specifically, interviewees responses imply that increased awareness of the impacts of climate change, better translation of existing solutions into practice, and regulatory reform are needed. Highlights • Climate change preparedness of the Australian construction industry was investigated. • Main risks identified - extreme weather impacts to: worker safety, supply chain reliability, project delays, profit. • High level of perceived analytical capacity to respond to climate change observed. • Action limited due to: outdated regulations, lack of client motivation, perceived costs. • Greater climate change preparedness is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing environmental disasters are creating significant uncertainty for farm families and their communities across the world. One site critically affected is the Murray-Darling Basin area of Australia, an area known as the food bowl of Australia. Following a lengthy drought at the turn of the century concerns were raised about water quality and river health. This led successive governments to introduce policies to systematically reduce water available for irrigated agriculture. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was developed by the Commonwealth government and is designed to secure water savings from irrigators and to direct those water savings to the stressed natural environment. This paper focuses on the impact of these changes on irrigation dairy families and their communities in northern Victoria. Using a model designed to test the limits to adaptation, we draw out the constraints, limits and barriers to adaptation for dairy families and their communities coping with reduced water access. This model highlights the types of socially just and fair interventions necessary to assist adaptation and focuses attention on thresholds and traps that may prevent adaptation. The model is relevant to other areas where climate changes and environmental disasters are shaping inevitable change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although planning and policy instruments are important for climate change adaptation, the implementation of these measures is critical for success. This paper studies different climate change adaptation strategies by analysing the measures adopted by stakeholders in charge of government policy development and implementation to minimise the impacts of climate change in the northern tropical region of Queensland, Australia. Local government organisations are responsible for taking a leading role in climate change adaptation. State and commonwealth government agencies are primarily responsible for developing climate transition policies and guidelines, as well as providing limited financial aid to help support the local government. Interviews were conducted with local government practitioners identified from different local government authorities in the study region. Although all the government bodies made some progress in developing better climate change adaptation policies, the interview participants identified that a lot more needs to be done, especially in implementation, including devising and the application of relevant action plans, economic assessments, stakeholder participations and engagement. From a local government practitioners' viewpoint, both the water sector and local economy will face the highest immediate impacts if climate change adaptation actions are not adequately implemented at local government level in the study region. There are currently no notable legal bindings to address climate change risks in the region. In addition, financial liability assessments due to climate risks and cost-share mechanisms among different levels of stakeholders and government authorities to face and prepare for climate change impacts hardly exist. Although the interview respondents recognise their high importance. As there are uncertainties in the achievements of climate change adaptation plans, from a local government practitioners' standpoint, the local authorities should take appropriate actions to integrate adaptation and mitigation works to face and prepare for climate risks rather than focusing only on adaptation. The respondents informed that some work has been done to identify flood prone areas and a few policy documents exist that accommodate sea level rise in planning practice, but these are done in fragments with no holistic implementation, monitoring or evaluation plans put in place. • Climate change adaptation actions are urgently needed. • The priorities and perceptions of government professionals are key to success. • Stakeholders needs to be engaged to formulate adaptation strategies. • Holistic implementation, monitoring or evaluation plans are important for success. • Climate change adaptation and mitigation measures are suggested to be integrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish national prevalence of child maltreatment, reliable, valid and contextually appropriate measurement is needed. This paper outlines the refinement, adaptation and testing of child maltreatment sections of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ)-R2 for use in the Australian context. Three phases were undertaken: 1) Conceptual analysis of the five forms of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, and experience of domestic violence), item mapping and review, item development, and independent expert review; 2) Cognitive testing with members of the general population, and individuals who have experienced maltreatment; and 3) Pilot testing and quantitative psychometric assessment with a random sample of Australians aged 16–65+ years. The final measure included a total of 17 child maltreatment screener items, assessing Physical Abuse (2 items), Sexual abuse (5 items (including 2 non-contact items and 3 contact items), Emotional Abuse (3 items), Neglect (3 items), and Experience of Domestic Violence (4 items). Screener items were also included on corporal punishment (1 item), and internet sexual victimization (2 items). The final 17-item revised JVQ had high face and conceptual validity and good internal reliability (α = 0.86 and Ω = 0.87). Test re-test reliability was moderate to high for individual screeners ranging from k = 0.45 to 0.89. Results indicate the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (Australian Child Maltreatment Study) is a suitable instrument for assessing population-wide prevalence of maltreatment. It is congruent with conceptual models of maltreatment and shows good reliability and validity in this Australian sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Men residing in rural areas are less likely to participate in weight management interventions than women, and few men-specific programs target rural areas. Aussie-Fans in Training (Aussie-FIT) is an evidence-based weight management intervention that uses professional Australian Football club affiliations and settings as a 'hook' to engage urban-residing men. The aim of this study is to report on how findings from rural stakeholder focus groups were used to inform the adaptation of Aussie-FIT for implementation in rural areas. Methods: Seven focus groups with stakeholders (n = 24) in three rural towns explored existing weight management and physical activity provisions, barriers and facilitators to engaging men, and considerations for adapting Aussie-FIT for implementation in rural contexts. Qualitative data were analysed using the framework approach. Adaptations made to the Aussie-FIT program and strategies to implement the program in rural contexts were reported using a structured framework. Results: Themes generated from our analysis include limited appealing services for men, Australian Football as a 'common language', the influence of the 'smaller fishpond'(population), considerations for program inclusivity, and the importance of local partner organisations for sustainability. We adapted the recruitment and marketing strategies, delivery settings, football program theme and partnerships for rural implementation. Stakeholders advised that an Australian Football program theme without specific local club affiliations would be important to avoid alienating men with differing club allegiances or non-sporting backgrounds. A multi-component recruitment strategy utilising local trusted sources, and program marketing that aligns with masculine ideals were considered important by stakeholders in small communities where 'people talk'. Conclusions: Rural areas were described as 'a different ball game' due to limited local services and resources in comparison to metropolitan areas. Study findings have synergies with previous studies undertaken in rural contexts including in relation to the power of word of mouth, the importance of trust, and local partner organisations. Findings have implications for engaging rural men in health interventions in rural contexts where professional sporting contexts are not available. Assessing the extent to which the adapted Aussie-FIT program can reach and engage men in rural Australia, and exploring the barriers and facilitators to delivering the program in rural contexts is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lentil production in arable, Mediterranean-type climates is limited by acute high temperature (HT) commonly occurring during the reproductive stage. With changing climate and greater weather extremes, there is a need to increase the HT tolerance of lentil to sustain production, and global germplasm provides adaptation opportunities. The current study assessed 81 genotypes for HT tolerance from a range of global climatic zones. Field screening of germplasm was undertaken over two consecutive years (2014 and 2015), in southern Australia, using a late-sowing approach, which included a subset of 22 genotypes that were screened in both years. Partially shaded temperature treatments within a split-plot arrangement were used to generate two different HT profiles. Stress indices, i.e., the yield stability index (YSI), the stress tolerance index (STI), and a third proposed high-temperature tolerance index (HTTI), were applied to rank the HT tolerance of germplasm. In 2014, under field conditions associated with natural temperature ranges that were favorable for screening, the following five landraces with increased temperature tolerance were identified: AGG 73838, AGG 70118, AGG 70951, AGG 70156, and AGG 70549. Among the 10 commercial varieties tested, one variety (i.e., cv. Nipper) was observed to have HT tolerance. For the YSI, which had the greatest amount of consistency in response across the 2 years (11 of the 22 genotypes), there were two genotypes (AGG 71457 and Nipper) which maintained their yield stability. These results demonstrate the opportunity that germplasm provides to improve the adaptation of lentil to HT. Ultimately, the late-sowing approach is one possible methodology to integrate into contemporary breeding programs for improving adaptation of lentil within Mediterranean-type environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented global effect on teaching and education. This review discusses research, education and diagnostics from the perspectives of four academic clinicians and researchers across different facilities in Australia. Materials and methods: The study adopted a literature review and an Australian researcher's perspective on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health education, research and diagnostics. Results: At the start of the pandemic, medical facilities had to adhere urgently to major work restrictions, including social distancing, mask-wearing rules and/or the closure of facilities to protect staff, students and patients from the risk of COVID-19 infection. Telemedicine and telehealth services were rapidly implemented and adapted to meet the needs of medical education, the teaching of students, trainee doctors, nursing and allied health staff and became a widely accepted norm. The impact on clinical research and education saw the closure of clinical trials and the implementation of new methods in the conducting of trials, including electronic consents, remote patient assessments and the ability to commence fully virtual clinical trials. Academic teaching adapted augmented reality and competency-based teaching to become important new modes of education delivery. Diagnostic services also required new policies and procedures to ensure the safety of personnel. Conclusions: As a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional, face-to-face learning and clinical research were converted into online formats. An hybrid environment of traditional methods and novel technological tools has emerged in readiness for future pandemics that allows for virtual learning with concurrent recognition of the need to provide for interpersonal interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant number of university students are leaving their institutions before completing their degrees. The present research project applied embeddedness theory, from organizational research, to understand student retention in a tertiary student population, and develop a quantitative instrument that measured university student embeddedness. In Study One, a mixed-methods approach was employed to determine whether the Fit (similarity between the student and the university), Links (count of relationships at university), and Sacrifice (losses upon leaving university) dimensions of embeddedness related to students' self-reported reasons for remaining enrolled at their university. Qualitative results from 15 undergraduate students indicated that intent to remain could be understood within the embeddedness dimensions of Fit, Links, and Sacrifice. These themes were employed to build the University Student Embeddedness (USE) scale. The measure was examined against Rasch measurement model assumptions for each of its subscales using data collected from 299 Australian tertiary students. Study Two sought to examine exploratory evidence of the concurrent validity of the scores from this developed measure. Responses from a separate sample of 196 Australian tertiary students showed only the Fit scale significantly related to student intentions to stay at university. All USE scales correlated with academic-related skills and motivations. These results suggest that the Fit scale may be valuable in identifying students at risk of dropout. Early identification of "at risk" students may lead to the development of targeted retention interventions. However, the USE's role in detection requires further validation and the development of consistent findings within other student cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, areas of high-quality wildlife habitat of significant environmental value are at risk of permanent damage from climate change. These areas represent social-ecological systems that will require increasing management intervention to maintain their biological and socio-cultural values. Managers of protected areas have begun to recognize the inevitability of ecosystem change and the need to embrace dynamic approaches to intervention. However, significant uncertainty remains about the onset and severity of some impacts, which makes planning difficult. For Indigenous communities, there are intrinsic links between cultural heritage and the conservation of place and biodiversity that need to be better integrated in protected area planning and management. In New South Wales, Australia, management of public conservation reserves and national parks is the responsibility of a State government agency, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). This paper describes the outcomes of a participatory planning process with NPWS staff to, firstly, identify the options available, the available 'tool kit', to manage biodiversity and cultural heritage in protected areas; secondly, explore how the selection of management actions from the 'tool kit' is associated with the level of climate risk to biodiversity or cultural heritage assets; and thirdly, to understand how the form of individual management actions might adapt to changes in climate risk. Combining these three elements into a series of risk-based, adaptive pathways for conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage is a novel approach that is currently supporting place-based planning for public conservation areas. Incorporation of the trade-offs and synergies in seeking to effectively manage these discrete but related types of values and the implications for conservation practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia, and particularly the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), has the most mature and adopted water markets globally. Water trading is an important policy tool to deal with water scarcity issues, demonstrating allocative, dynamic and productive efficiency benefits. At the same time, water markets have been controversial in Australia. Markets have been blamed for a range of issues, including claims of unsustainability, inequity, farm bankruptcy, farmer distress and farm exit. This study reviews the MDB water trade literature and finds little evidence to support such myths. Arguably, the biggest misconception is that critics do not separate water markets from the meta‐governance institutional structures that define them. Perceived water market failures are often due to governance issues – not water trade per se. This is not to say that market failure does not exist, it does, and indeed, there are also serious distributional issues that need addressing (e.g., water property entitlements for indigenous stakeholders). As such, water market design and governance need to adapt and evolve as problems arise and the market matures. However, in an era of increasing water scarcity, enabling water trade remains one of the most important instruments available to assist in water sharing, reallocation and farm adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinoa is being evaluated in cropping systems in many countries outside of its natural range of South America. Very few attempts have been made by farmers or researchers to grow or evaluate quinoa under Australian environments. Given the growing popularity of quinoa with consumers, new commercial opportunities for farmers and international interest in the crop, it was timely to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of quinoa in Australia. Two advanced selections and nine germplasm lines (six of Chilean and three of Bolivian origin) identified in an earlier project were tested in 23 field trials at 14 locations on mainland Australia. Targets included irrigated sites in tropical, Mediterranean, semi-arid and desert climates, and rain-fed sites of south-western Australia with a Mediterranean climate. The field experiments were either a randomised complete block design (RBCD) or a split plot/factorial design with 2–4 replicates, and a linear mixed model was used to compare the treatment lines. Seed yield of quinoa was highest when grown in winter and spring under rain-fed conditions in Geraldton, in spring and summer under irrigation at Bool Lagoon, and summer, autumn and winter under irrigation at Leeton. The highest seed yield achieved was 3 t/ha for a germplasm line from Chile, while the highest yield for a germplasm line from Bolivia was 2.6 t/ha. Advanced selections from Australia yielded well in comparison at most trial sites. Declining seed yield was associated with mean daily temperatures during seed development increasing above 17 °C, mean daily temperatures during flowering declining below 15 °C, and rainfall during seed development under rain-fed conditions falling below 50 mm. Seed produced at Bool Lagoon was the closest in colour to white quinoa imported from Peru; however, it was more than noticeably different. Seed produced at Geraldton and Leeton was significantly larger than from other field sites; however, none were larger than 2 mm in diameter as found in Royal white quinoa from Bolivia. Superior seed colour and seed size were associated with dry conditions at maturity and cool conditions during seed development, respectively. We conclude that quinoa can become a potential crop option for Australian agriculture by exploiting genetic diversity and supplementing with suitable management practices matched to agro-climatic environments. There are reasonable prospects to raise the seed yield potential in areas in all states, especially in the regions where quinoa grew well in our experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine-oriented nature-based tourism plays an important socio-economic role, and provides an incentive for conservation in many coastal regions. However, accelerating global change, and the associated socio-economic and political change may have severe consequences for marine tourism at the local level. Thus, understanding the ability of sectors within marine tourism to cope with, and adapt to, change is paramount. Private sector enterprises are key players in marine tourism and their capacity to adapt to change will vary across socio-economic and governance contexts. Thus, the resilience of these enterprises (their ability to adapt to, and continue to function under changing pressures and circumstances) is critical for the future of the marine tourism sector more broadly. This paper examines how socioeconomic and governance contexts influence the resilience of coral reef tourism enterprises in three settings: the formal and informal sector in Phuket, Thailand and enterprises on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Although there are differences between the three groups of enterprises, lifestyle factors, human capital, perceived reef condition, and government support are associated with the resilience of enterprises across all three groups. These findings suggest that policy-makers should consider enterprise lifestyle benefits, and that a nuanced understanding of marine tourism enterprises is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic pain is associated with significant costs to individuals directly affected by this condition, their families, the healthcare system, and the society as a whole. This paper investigates the relationship between chronic pain and life satisfaction using a sample of around 90,000 observations from the first ten waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia Survey (HILDA), which is a representative survey of the Australian population that started in 2000. We estimate the negative impact on life satisfaction and examine the persistence of the effect over multiple years. Chronic pain is associated with poor health conditions, disability, decreased participation in the labour market and lower quality of life. We calculate the compensating income variation of chronic pain, based on the measurement of chronic pain, the life satisfaction of individuals and the income of households. Panel data models with random and fixed effects are used to control for characteristics of individuals that do not vary over time. Further, we investigate whether individuals who experience chronic pain exhibit adaptation and recovery in life satisfaction after 3 years. Overall, we find that chronic pain has a large negative association with life satisfaction, and that the compensating income variation is substantial (around 640 US$ per day). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate stroke survivors' activity participation 3-months after stroke, reasons for activity participation and the change in reason for activity participation. Thirty stroke survivors were administered the Activity Card Sort-Australia concurrent with a semi-structured interview about their activity participation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and spiral content analysis. Participants had returned, in part, to 96% of their previous leisure, social/educational and household activities 3-months after-stroke; retaining more sedentary and home-based activities but fewer physically demanding and community-based activities. Thirteen participants described a change in their reasons for their activity participation. Personal, environmental and temporal dimensions explained these reasons for activity participation, as well as the changes in reason for activity participation. Full activity participation involved participants' orchestrating a dynamic mix of fulfilling their personal desires according to their current physical, mental and emotional capacity; their social, organizational and physical environmental demands and obligations; and their routines, available time and future plans. Qualitative interviews extend our understanding of the process of returning to participation in life activities and occupations following stroke to reveal that it involves the stroke survivor in a dynamic adaptation process of synchronizing personal, environmental and temporal dimensions in their daily lives. Rehabilitation professionals need to recognize the unique knowledge and ability stroke survivors have to manage their capacities, activities, occupations and environments. Client-centered practice involving true collaborative partnerships are needed to ensure stroke survivors return more satisfactorily to their activities and occupations. Rehabilitation professionals need to continually consider the ongoing changing relationships that occur between the person, their capacities, social, organizational and physical environments, and the person's activity/occupational participation during recovery from stroke. Returning to full activity/occupational participation after stroke is a dynamic and continuous process. Rehabilitation needs to be provided in different forms at different stages beyond the immediate post-stroke time so that stroke survivors benefit from the "right rehabilitation" at the "right time" throughout their recovery journey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass fish kills and widespread drought in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) have demonstrated the importance of leaving enough water in rivers for river ecosystems, a challenge that is set to intensify under climate change. Water governance must grapple with these 'systemic' climate risks and prepare communities for the wideranging and significant changes that will occur. But addressing climate risks will require governments and water regulators to move beyond existing practices and take into account non-stationarity as well as stochastic and non-linear changes in the future climate. Governance systems will need to be structured to engage more directly and intensively with the many perspectives on how much water can be consumed now and in the future. This article evaluates the legal content of the governance regime for climate risks in the MDB, drawing conclusions on who, or what, bears the risk of climate change. It will then use theories of risk governance and deliberative democracy to demonstrate how the systematic adoption of a deliberative approach through statutory evaluation and review processes could improve the MDB regime's problem-solving capabilities, as well as its ability to reduce polarisation in a hotter, drier climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider time-critical supply chains (SCs) in the Australia dairy industry and recovery policies in the presence of the ripple effect. Ripple effect is the impact of a disruption on SC economic performance and disruption-based scope of changes needed in the supply structures and parameters to preserve the resilience. First, we describe the ripple effect in general and one example of the ripple effect in the dairy SC in Australia. Second, we present a model for reactive recovery policies in the dairy SC under conditions of the ripple effect and exemplify them on a simulation example. The results of this study can be used in future for comparing proactive and reactive approaches in tackling the ripple effect from resilience and flexibility views. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article considers the way in which elite swimming in Australia constitutes a system of identity to frame the privileging of heterosexuality, able-bodiedness and hypermasculinity in Christos Tsiolkas's novel Barracuda (2013) and its television adaptation (2016). It argues that the two versions of the story offer very different sporting narratives: a migrant, working-class, gay body in the novel, the complexity of which is never fully realised on screen. The article shows how the television adaptation of Barracuda reshapes the novel's atemporal structure into a linear progression of rise, fall and redemption, and that under these narrative conditions Daniel Kelly's body becomes simply object, rather than embracing the subjecthood he is permitted in the novel. The effect is one of compulsory normalisation and erasure: of Danny's queer body, of Dennis's and Martin's damaged bodies, and of the consequences of Danny's criminal act. This process parallels similar attitudes towards Australia's most elite athletes and the public ownership of their body narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-purpose Artificial Reefs (MPARs) are structures that may provide aesthetically acceptable coastal protection and improve recreational outcomes. Twenty years after construction of the first MPAR, Narrowneck Reef on the Gold Coast of Australia, most of the available literature is still focused on the planning, design and construction of such structures and peer-reviewed publications on their post-construction monitoring, interaction with sediment transport and impacts on coastal morphology are lacking. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how does Narrowneck Reef influence the sediment transport, and morphological changes around the anthropogenic structure, two decades after construction. To do so, a combination of ten high spatial resolution topo-bathymetric surveys from the top of the dune to the 10 m depth captured over 21 months and a series of 60 simulations using a calibrated numerical model were used. Our results demonstrate that: although not expected during design or reported in similar structures, sand can bypass the MPAR around its offshore end; under oblique waves, the longshore currents are deflected as they pass the reef, resulting in a shadow zone on the downdrift side where sand deposits; the bar crest tends to be higher on the reef's updrift side compared to downdrift, indicating that the MPAR can act as a store for sediments, as initially designed. Furthermore, the MPAR can act to stabilise the bar as it moves onshore with a downdrift offset of the inner bar as a result of low oblique wave incidence. The results presented here demonstrate that the short-term response to the MPAR twenty years after construction is more closely related to the updrift build up of sand and the deflection of longshore currents as they encounter the reef than to the dissipation of wave energy. This is because MPARs are designed to dissipate just enough wave energy so that they can achieve their recreational goal (surfing). • Beach morphodynamic state and tide level influence sediment transport pathways. • Sand bypassing occurs mainly inshore of the structure. • Under large oblique waves, sand bypass can occur offshore of the structure. • Deflection of longshore currents influence morphological response to the reef. • Bar crest is usually higher on the reef's updrift side compared to downdrift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing climate change risks requires collaboration and engagement across all sectors of society. In particular, effective partnerships are needed between research scientists producing new knowledge, policy‐makers and practitioners who apply conservation actions on the ground. We describe the implementation of a model for increasing the application and useability of biodiversity research in climate adaptation policy and practice. The focus of the program was to increase the ability of a state government agency and natural resource practitioners in Australia to manage and protect biodiversity in a changing climate. The model comprised a five‐stage process for enhancing impact (i) initiation of research projects that addressed priority conservation policy and management issues; (ii) co‐design of the research using a collaborative approach involving multiple stakeholders; (iii) implementation of the research and design of decision tools and web‐based resources; (iv) collaborative dissemination of the tools and resources via government and community working groups; and (v) evaluation of research impact. We report on the model development and implementation, and critically reflect on the model's impact. We share the lessons learnt from the challenges of operating within a stakeholder group with diverse objectives and criteria for success, and provide a template for creating an environmental research program with real world impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is a tropical invasive species that has established and spread throughout several temperate regions around the world. In some invasive species, rapid thermal acclimation (thermal hardening) may contribute to their success in occupying a wide range of climates. In this study, we investigated whether invasive house geckos from southeastern Australia show differing thermal hardening responses than individuals from the native range in Thailand. In the laboratory, we measured the basal heat tolerance (CTmax) of the geckos and their heat hardening response after being subjected to the second thermal stress after 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 h. When geckos had recovered, we measured their basal cold tolerance (CTmin) and cold hardening response over the same time intervals. We then explored whether hardening responses differed between populations or among time intervals. We found that basal heat tolerances did not differ between populations, but geckos from Australia had lower cold tolerance than geckos from Thailand. The magnitude of the heat hardening was similar between populations, but the introduced geckos had a higher magnitude of cold hardening. The native geckos could maximize their cold tolerance capacity for only 0.6 °C, versus 0.9 °C for the introduced geckos. Also, geckos from Australia exhibited faster responses to thermal stress than did geckos from Thailand. Maximum thermal tolerances as a result of hardening responses peaked within three hours after thermal stress in Australian geckos (adjusted means = 44.0 °C for CTmax and 9.9 °C for CTmin) and at five hours after thermal stress in Thailand geckos (adjusted means = 44.2 °C and 10.2 °C, respectively). The plasticity in the thermal hardening of the invasive gecko should enable it to survive rapid temperature fluctuations, especially winter cold snaps that occur in temperate regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the polarisation of climate politics feeds into 'post-truth' politics, one response has been a call for the reassertion of a previously agreed upon 'reality'. However, it is important to recognise that knowledge has always been contested and contingent. This is particularly salient concerning climate change, where multiple truth claims compete in the media, politics, and social movements. One means of addressing this is through deliberation, where it is argued that emotional interpretations of information and lack of trust in authority can be alleviated through transparent democratic processes. Investigating a case study of climate change adaptation in a regional Australian community, we argue that while deliberation may be the preferred method of building community support, emotions can also be employed to undermine scientific authority and build a shared truth among those who see themselves as victims of the process. To this end, we suggest that more radically democratic models are needed to address climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little recognition in policy of existing adaptive capacities and experiments with alternate water systems in the Global North. Households that are self-sufficient for water present a space in which alternative relationships between water, comfort and convenience manifest. This article presents insights from a survey completed by 209 households that are self-sufficient for water in the Eurobodalla Shire, in regional New South Wales, Australia. The survey sought to understand practices, experiences, and perceptions of people who take responsibility for managing the capture, storage, consumption, and disposal of water at home. We found that most respondents rely on household-collected rainwater for all domestic purposes. Most drink rainwater, and many drink rainwater untreated. Respondents identified challenges of self-sufficiency, including running out of water, and infrastructure maintenance and failure. Notwithstanding these challenges, most respondents indicated that they enjoy living in a water self-sufficient home and would do so again in future. Most respondents moved to their non-mains water home for reasons other than being in control of water; adapting to water self-sufficiency was therefore a necessity rather than a choice. The results of this survey are significant as the water sector looks to diversify sources of domestic water to better adapt to uncertain futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large component of the anthropogenic biodiversity crisis is the loss of animal species. In response, there has been significant investment in reintroductions of species to their historical ranges. Predation by native and exotic predators, however, remains a barrier to success. Over the past 200 years, Australia has seen the highest rate of mammal extinction on earth, with mammals within a critical weight range (CWR: 35 g–5.5 kg) most affected due to predation by exotic predators. Populations of some threatened species now exist only in Tasmania, offshore islands, or predator-proof sanctuaries. The next critical step is to return native populations outside of predator-free areas, 'beyond-the-fence', on the continental mainland. Given our current inability to completely remove exotic predators from mainland ecosystems, how can we achieve successful mammal reintroductions? A potential solution is to drive adaptation of reintroduced animals towards predator-resistance by exposing them to low levels of predation. We propose the concept of a 'Goldilocks Zone'—the 'just right' levels of predation needed to drive selection for predator-resistant native species, while ensuring population viability. We experimentally reintroduced a mammal, the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), to mainland Australia, 100 years after its local extinction. Using an intense baiting regime, we reduced the population density of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), the main factor behind the eastern bettong's extirpation from the continent. Reducing bait take to 15% of previous levels allowed differential survival among bettongs; some surviving under 100 days and others over 450 (~ 4 times longer than some similar trials with related species). Surviving individuals were generally larger at release than those that died earlier, implying selection for larger bettongs. Our results suggest that reducing predation could establish a Goldilocks Zone that could drive selection for bettongs with predator-resistant traits. Our work contributes to a growing body of literature that explores a shift towards harnessing evolutionary principles to combat the challenges posed by animal management and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the context, challenges and responses to COVID-19 public health measures for medical education in psychiatry, with an emphasis on sharing strategies for ongoing COVID-19 challenges. Conclusion: The rapidity of COVID-19 public health measures instituted in Australia required swift action for medical education to address lockdowns of student clinical placements. The responses included a transition to interim online learning followed by a return to truncated clinical placements renegotiated to conform to public health measures. Adjustment of formative and summative assessment has been necessary. However, further contingencies may emerge depending upon the overall progress of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As is common in biological invasions, the rate at which cane toads (Rhinella marina) have spread across tropical Australia has accelerated through time. Individuals at the invasion front travel further than range-core conspecifics and exhibit distinctive morphologies that may facilitate rapid dispersal. However, the links between these morphological changes and locomotor performance have not been clearly documented. We used raceway trials and high-speed videography to document locomotor traits (e.g. hop distances, heights, velocities, and angles of take-off and landing) of toads from range-core and invasion-front populations. Locomotor performance varied geographically, and this variation in performance was linked to morphological features that have evolved during the toads' Australian invasion. Geographical variation in morphology and locomotor ability was evident not only in wild-caught animals, but also in individuals that had been raised under standardized conditions in captivity. Our data thus support the hypothesis that the cane toad's invasion across Australia has generated rapid evolutionary shifts in dispersal-relevant performance traits, and that these differences in performance are linked to concurrent shifts in morphological traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed crop-livestock farming systems provide food for over half of the global population. However, some important food exporting countries, like Australia, are predicted to be vulnerable to climate change and may require transformative adaptations if they are to continue their role in food exportation. This paper assesses the potential impacts of projected climate change by 2030 (0.4–1.6° increase in mean temperature) on Australian mixed crop-livestock systems and examines the consequences of shifts in land allocations to cropping and grazing, in these systems, as an adaptation option. Farm bio-economic simulation models were developed for these mixed enterprise systems in several regions of Australia. These models were based on biophysically coupled crop, pasture, and livestock simulation models that in turn drew on site-based downscaled climate projection datasets. The farm models calculated farm profitability and risk measures. A range of land use changes was investigated. At drier locations facing adverse climate change, results showed a transition towards a greater emphasis on livestock production could be beneficial when assessed against multiple criteria of farm profit, downside financial risk, and environmental damage. We highlight some industry and government actions and policies that could facilitate these preferred adaptation strategies at such locations. • Temperature increase of 0.4–1.6° affect mixed crop-livestock systems in Australia. • Transition towards a greater emphasis on livestock production is often desirable. • Financially optimal land allocations vary between historical and future climate. • Increase in the land devoted to pasture is a strategy to manage future climate risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change poses a significant threat to natural communities around the world, with many plant species showing signs of climate stress. Grassland ecosystems are not an exception, with climate change compounding contemporary pressures such as habitat loss and fragmentation. In this study, we assess the climate resilience of Themeda triandra, a foundational species and the most widespread plant in Australia, by assessing the relative contributions of spatial, environmental and ploidy factors to contemporary genomic variation. Reduced‐representation genome sequencing on 472 samples from 52 locations was used to test how the distribution of genomic variation, including ploidy polymorphism, supports adaptation to hotter and drier climates. We explicitly quantified isolation by distance (IBD) and isolation by environment (IBE) and predicted genomic vulnerability of populations to future climates based on expected deviation from current genomic composition. We found that a majority (54%) of genomic variation could be attributed to IBD, while an additional 22% (27% when including ploidy information) could be explained by two temperature and two precipitation climate variables demonstrating IBE. Ploidy polymorphisms were common within populations (31/52 populations), indicating that ploidy mixing is characteristic of T. triandra populations. Genomic vulnerabilities were found to be heterogeneously distributed throughout the landscape, and our analysis suggested that ploidy polymorphism, along with other factors linked to polyploidy, reduced vulnerability to future climates by 60% (0.25–0.10). Our data suggests that polyploidy may facilitate adaptation to hotter climates and highlight the importance of incorporating ploidy in adaptive management strategies to promote the resilience of this and other foundation species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies focus on Chinese-speaking international students' adaptation issues inside and outside educational settings in the West. A strong emphasis has been placed on identifying Chinese-speaking international students' problems and solving them through educational programs, pedagogies, and curricula. This emphasis potentially categorizes these students as a cohort that, in particular, have issues learning and living in Western societies, a categorization that ignores identity as complex and context-dependent. Drawing on a Bourdieuian poststructuralist perspective, this 18-month-long study documented the experiences of nine Taiwanese international students at different Australian universities before, during, and after their 1-year postgraduate education in Australia. This study compared their experiences and highlighted the complexity of identity movements. The findings present habitus modification and habitus improvisation, two notions developed from a Bourdieuian perspective. In conclusion, this study encourages reassessment of the standard notions of adaptation and prompts further exploration of how international students use their overseas experiences in the home context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]