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Migration is a complex experience that differs from one migrant group to the other. Migrants have often been mistakenly seen as one homogenous group with shared experience, overlooking the diversity that exists within their visa conditions, cultural backgrounds and gender category. The generalization of the migration experience among all migrant groups usually overlooks the very specific issues arising within different types of migration and within different migrant groups. Generally, research on migrant women often portrays a victim image of them and neglects their strength and resilience. This paper addresses some of the gaps in the literature concerned with generalization and concepts of resilience. Utilizing a qualitative feminist methodology, conversations were made with eight Iraqi sponsored women living in Adelaide who arrived in Australia holding a Temporary Spouse Visa (TSV), with no specified period of entry. Within the focus on Iraqi women, the paper explores two concepts: challenges of a TSV within marriage migration and patterns of resilience amongst Iraqi sponsored women. The core argument of this paper is that the Australian TSV category which facilitates marriage migration is politically discriminative against women and significantly contributes to women's vulnerability to abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exploration of the ethical implications of mining uranium in South Australia by weighing up the impact on future generations in social, economic and environmental terms. In South Australia, we have ‘a knot of problems’ in the sense used by Bateson that can be described in a case study that illustrates the complexities for planners and policy makers. The paper suggests that one of the greatest challenges for policy makers is to match the right kind of knowledge to an issue. This requires ‘phronesis’ or a process of matching based on dialogue (see Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics translated by Irwin). A score card needs to be developed to support ethical, sustainable governance. It is based on the assumption that we can create our own futures. This behooves us to develop sustainable approaches with future generations in mind. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to review issues related to early intervention in mental health among adolescent students, and to specifically evaluate a school-based, early intervention program, which sought to address issues of mental health among students in a rural community in southern Australia. The early intervention program began in 2004 as school counsellors and local health professionals sought to address the difficulties rural secondary school students encountered in accessing support services. The paper seeks to explore the effectiveness of this school-based, early intervention for students, in decreasing the level of crises among students or the seriousness of associated outcomes to mental health issues, including dis-engagement from formal education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understandings of culture and multiculture are broad and deeply embedded in every day talk and practices. In an increasingly globalised world, how we understand and work with these terms affects how parents and their families experience health care services and the support intended by health care professionals. This is particularly important for parents who are new to Australia. In this paper we report on findings from an ethnographic study undertaken across two community child and family health nursing sites in South Australia. Using examples, we explore how child and family health nurses appear to understand and use constructs of culture and multiculture during everyday, intercultural communication with parents who are new to Australia and Australian health services. By analysing these understandings through postcolonial and feminist theories we found pervading evidence that neo-colonial constructs of a white western monoculture shaped intercultural communication practice. We conclude by reflecting on how these constructs might be addressed to improve intercultural communication in child and family health settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a case study which examined mental health service users and carers, public housing tenants and non-government organisations' (NGO) participation and representation within policy processes. A particular focus was influence upon policies aimed at achieving housing outcomes for people with a psychiatric disability. The research was a case study of a period of mental health system reform in South Australia (2000–2005) and involved primarily qualitative research; interviews, focus groups and participant observation, as well as document analysis. Participants (n = 92) included service user and carer representatives, public servants from across the health, housing and disability sectors, and NGO professionals from across sectors. The study found that the community participation that existed during the reform period was largely an end in itself rather than a means for groups to shape policy processes, including housing policy. A number of barriers to service users and NGOs influencing policy agenda setting and implementation were determined and described. A range of strategies and processes to enhance community participation, representation and accountability in policy processes are recommended. These include cross-sectoral policy development and accountability mechanisms, advocacy coalitions across sectors for policy agenda setting, public forums involving both service users and professionals, and challenging ‘consumerist’ discourses on participation. Such strategies could facilitate policy debates on housing for people with a psychiatric disability, counter dominant professional interests within policy networks, and help to address community stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food security is an evolving concept with various definitions and associated meanings. The way food security is understood by policy-makers impacts on how it gets addressed in public policy. This research uses an interpretive approach to uncover how food security is represented by stakeholders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 stakeholders in South Australia between June and September 2010. The findings reveal four dominant representations for food security that locate responsibility for the issue across different stakeholders, namely individuals, governments, communities and private enterprise. These representations hold different underlying assumptions about the role of government in addressing the issue; the neo-liberal perspective supports a reduced role for government whereas the social determinants of health perspective calls for greater government intervention. Food security activists may need a greater awareness of how they represent the issue in order to change public policy action in this area. The approach taken in this research is relevant to other public policy problems and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ongoing need for an availability of informal carers is taking on greater relevance as the global burden of disease transitions from acute fatal diseases to long term morbidity. Growing evidence suggests that extra burden on family carers may further impact on their health and ability to provide care. Important as it is to monitor the prevalence of those conditions which influence the burden of disease, it is also important to monitor the prevalence and health profiles of those who provide the informal care. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the prevalence and demographics of adult carers aged 15 and over in the state of South Australia over 20 years between 1994 and 2014. Methods: Data from nine representative, cross-sectional population surveys, conducted in South Australia, Australia were used, (total N = 26,788 and n = 1,504 carers). The adjusted prevalence estimate of carers and their demographic characteristics were determined. So as to examine whether there were any generational effects on the prevalence of carers, an Age-Period Cohort (APC) analysis was undertaken. Results: The prevalence estimates of carers increased during the two decades from 3.7% in 1994 to 6.7% by 2014. Large increases in the proportion of retired carers, those aged 70 years and over, those carers employed, and those with higher educational qualifications were observed. There were also larger proportions of respondents with a country of birth other than Australia, UK, Ireland and European counties. The APC analysis illustrated an increasing prevalence rate over each decade for carers aged 20–80 years, especially for those over the age of 60 years. Conclusions: The results illustrate changing carer characteristics and carer prevalence estimates in South Australia as new generations of carers take on the caring role. There is a need to include questions regarding informal carers within ongoing mainstream population surveys, particularly at state levels, so as to plan for their future health care and home support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]