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Hepatitis C (HCV) reinfection studies have not focused on primary healthcare services in Australia, where priority populations including people who inject drugs (PWID) typically engage in healthcare. We aimed to describe the incidence of HCV reinfection and associated risk factors in a cohort of people most at risk of reinfection in a real-world community setting. We conducted a secondary analysis of routinely collected HCV testing and treatment data from treatment episodes initiated with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy between October 2015 and June 2021. The overall proportion of clients (N = 413) reinfected was 9% (N = 37), and the overall incidence rate of HCV reinfection was 9.5/100PY (95% CI: 6.3–14.3). Reinfection incidence rates varied by sub-group and were highest for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people (20.4/100PY; 95% CI: 12.1–34.4). Among PWID (N= 321), only Aboriginality was significantly associated with reinfection (AOR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.33–5.60, p = 0.006). High rates of HCV reinfection in populations with multiple vulnerabilities and continued drug use, especially among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, highlight the need for ongoing regular HCV testing and retreatment in order to achieve HCV elimination. A priority is resourcing testing and treatment for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Our findings support the need for novel and holistic healthcare strategies for PWID and the upscaling of Indigenous cultural approaches and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a rapid and extensive decline of our marine biodiversity due to human impacts. However, our ability to understand the extent of these effects is hindered by our lack of knowledge of the occurrence and ecology of some species groups. One such group of understudied organisms are marine flatworms of the order Polycladida, a conspicuous component of southeastern Australia's marine ecosystems that has received little attention over the years. Intertidal boulder beaches support a diverse range of polyclad flatworms in other countries, but the role of these environments in maintaining biodiversity is not well understood. In this study, we identified hotspots of flatworm occurrence by assessing the diversity and overall abundance of flatworms at boulder beaches along the southeast Australian coast. Bottle and Glass, Sydney Harbour, was found to be the most diverse site for flatworms. We also identified a higher occurrence of flatworms under large boulders and less exposed beaches and noted an increased presence of flatworms at higher latitudes. Probable influences on these patterns such as the requirement for shelter and protection are discussed. This study contributes to our knowledge of Australia's coastal biodiversity and can be used to assist in the management and conservation of our marine environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this qualitative study, 28 young adults (18-29-year-olds) living in Sydney define 'safe sex', report on their experiences of sex education, and reflect on the relationship between the sex education received in school and the reality of sexual activity. Participants had a broadly neoliberal understanding of health and risk as something individuals should manage through an ideal of rational decision-making. Yet regardless of how comprehensive or limited their sex education experiences, most noted a wide gulf between safe sex as taught in the classroom and the reality of actual sexual encounters, arguing that sexual decision-making was rarely rational, and shaped by age and experience, drug use, sexual desire, and complicated interpersonal dynamics. Sex education that aims to empower by presenting individuals as sole decision-makers when it comes to prophylactic use fails to acknowledge the social contexts of sex described by participants. Significantly, young people defined 'safe sex' not only in biomedical terms such as disease transmission and pregnancy, but also in terms of the social and psychological consequences of sexual encounters, with an emphasis on consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater analysis offers objective and complementary information to illicit drug agencies by monitoring patterns of illicit drug consumption. In this study, wastewater samples from three different wastewater treatment plants in Sydney, Australia were collected in March 2016. Ten targeted drugs were analysed and temporal and geographical analyses were performed to obtain a better understanding of the type and amount of illicit drugs consumed in Sydney in comparison with similar studies conducted around Australia and in Europe. Among the targeted drugs, methamphetamine was consumed the most, followed by cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Weekly patterns were observed where a peak during the weekend was present. The geographical analysis showed differences between the regions targeted. This observation may be related to socio-demographic aspects. The comparison of our study to other data sources from Australia showed a high consumption of methamphetamine in Sydney and Western Australia. The comparison between Sydney and different European cities revealed a difference in consumption, which is in line with traditional market indicators. The information obtained through wastewater analysis provides complementary information regarding illicit drug consumption, the size, and the evolution of the illicit drug market. This, ultimately, will assist authorities in making informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Seismic design provisions of national building codes aim to save lives and reduce losses from future earthquakes. The provisions need to be based on reliable seismic hazard maps, the generation of which is a challenge in low-seismicity regions such as eastern Canada and Australia, and which contain inherently-large uncertainties. A process is needed to incorporate the hazard values into design provisions, and this is best done through continual code improvements occurring within an on-going national code committee. Building codes need to balance the benefi ts against the costs, and so the improvements are aided by crude risk assessments (to focus the effort where the risk is greatest) together with crude cost-benefi t analyses. Most codes become more stringent to match evolving societal goals, and while the cost of increased code requirements may be strongly resisted by some groups, they may also be economically justifi ed (present cost versus future loss). The seismic provisions of national building codes tend to focus on new, engineered "large" buildings but may not provide comparable benefi ts to new "small" buildings and are unlikely to reduce risk in existing buildings, even though damage to these may represent the major loss in moderate-magnitude urban earthquakes like the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. Additional and different strategies are therefore needed to complement existing code activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For much of its history in the twentieth century, television was conceived mostly in national terms. American television, British television, Australian television and so on were thought of as distinct systems, even if they frequently displayed significant degrees of overlap. Such a notion has always been a convenient simplification. Television exists at a series of different spatial levels and the nationwide tier is only one of these. Recent interest in the notion of media capital draws attention to the role played by broadcasting hubs in larger television formations, not only in the industrial sense of resource accumulation and density but also in terms of colonizing larger media environments. This paper addresses this matter in terms of the role that a Sydney metropolitan television service has played in the life of the Australian nation. It surveys the material and ideological dimension of this service as a means of further problematizing the connection of television and nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]