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Implicit (i.e. unconscious) racial biases held by health professionals negatively affect patient–practitioner communication and health outcomes. Implicit biases are typically assessed through implicit association tests (IATs). We extracted cross‐sectional IAT data originating in Australia from two large publicly available data sets hosted by Project Implicit. In total, IATs were available from 1956 healthcare workers (1249 of European ethnicity; 829 professionals/technicians as opposed to support workers). All had participated between 2006 and 2022. Levels of implicit skin tone bias were found to be moderate according to Project Implicit guidelines and substantially greater than zero (d = 0.87). Participants of European ethnicity and older age scored higher, but there were no differences across occupation types (professional vs. support worker) or over years. Consistent with findings around the world, the findings highlight a need for interventions that could reduce implicit bias and thereby improve the healthcare experiences of people from minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IMS Learning Design specification provides a potential means for capturing units of instruction in a machine-readable, consistent way. However, in order for the IMS Learning Design specification to be used widely by educators and instructional designers for whom it is intended, we will need effective ways for users to contribute to, access and adapt the repositories where reusable learning designs are collected and stored. This paper describes a project conducted to develop and test a prototype search model for learning design repositories. We argue for development of a controlled vocabulary to describe and label learning designs. In this way, designs can be accessed according to a variety of pedagogical, as well as topical criteria specific to the instructional purposes and perspectives of the user.

As genetic testing becomes increasingly utilized in health care, consumer awareness and understanding is critical. Both are reported to be low in Australia, though there are limited studies to date. A consumer survey assessed perceived knowledge, awareness and attitudes toward genetic medicine, prior to consumers' genomics forums in Queensland in 2018 and 2019. Data was analyzed using t -test and Mann-Whitney U tests analysis to detect any associations between sociodemographic factors and familiarity or attitudes. This highly educated and experienced health consumer cohort reported they were significantly more familiar with the healthcare system generally than genetic medicine specifically (p < 0.0001). Consumers perceived that genetic testing would be significantly more important in the future than it is currently (p < 0.00001). Consumers agreed that genetic testing should be promoted (91.4%), made available (100%), better funded (94.2%), and offered to all pregnant women (81.6%). The preferred learning modality about genetics was internet sites (62.7%) followed by talks/presentations (30.8%). Benefits of genetic testing, reported in qualitative responses, included the potential for additional information to promote personal control and improve healthcare. Perceived concerns included ethical implications (including privacy and discrimination), and current limitations of science, knowledge and/or practice. This study demonstrates that even knowledgeable consumers have little familiarity with genetic medicine but are optimistic about its potential benefits. Ethical concerns, particularly concerns regarding genetic discrimination should inform legislation and policy. Consumers are supportive of online resources in increasing genomic literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salmonella enterica serovar Hvittingfoss is an important foodborne serotype of Salmonella, being detected in many countries where surveillance is conducted. Outbreaks can occur, and there was a recent multistate foodborne outbreak in Australia. S. Hvittingfoss can be found in animal populations, though a definitive animal host has not been established. Six species of birds were sampled at Roebuck Bay, a designated Ramsar site in northwestern Australia, resulting in 326 cloacal swabs for bacterial culture. Among a single flock of 63 bar-tailed godwits (Limosa lapponica menzbieri) caught at Wader Spit, Roebuck Bay, in 2018, 17 (27%) were culture positive for Salmonella. All other birds were negative for Salmonella. The isolates were identified as Salmonella enterica serovar Hvittingfoss. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between isolates collected from godwits and the S. Hvittingfoss strain responsible for a 2016 multistate foodborne outbreak originating from tainted cantaloupes (rock melons) in Australia. While it is not possible to determine how this strain of S. Hvittingfoss was introduced into the bar-tailed godwits, these findings show that wild Australian birds are capable of carrying Salmonella strains of public health importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: Keratinocyte cancers are exceedingly common in high-risk populations, but accurate measures of incidence are seldom derived because the burden of manually reviewing pathology reports to extract relevant diagnostic information is excessive. Thus, we sought to develop supervised learning algorithms for classifying basal and squamous cell carcinomas and other diagnoses, as well as disease site, and incorporate these into a Web application capable of processing large numbers of pathology reports. METHODS: Participants in the QSkin study were recruited in 2011 and comprised men and women age 40-69 years at baseline (N = 43,794) who were randomly selected from a population register in Queensland, Australia. Histologic data were manually extracted from free-text pathology reports for participants with histologically confirmed keratinocyte cancers for whom a pathology report was available (n = 25,786 reports). This provided a training data set for the development of algorithms capable of deriving diagnosis and site from free-text pathology reports. We calculated agreement statistics between algorithm-derived classifications and 3 independent validation data sets of manually abstracted pathology reports. RESULTS: The agreement for classifications of basal cell carcinoma (κ = 0.97 and κ = 0.96) and squamous cell carcinoma (κ = 0.93 for both) was almost perfect in 2 validation data sets but was slightly lower for a third (κ = 0.82 and κ = 0.90, respectively). Agreement for total counts of specific diagnoses was also high (κ > 0.8). Similar levels of agreement between algorithm-derived and manually extracted data were observed for classifications of keratoacanthoma and intraepidermal carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Supervised learning methods were used to develop a Web application capable of accurately and rapidly classifying large numbers of pathology reports for keratinocyte cancers and related diagnoses. Such tools may provide the means to accurately measure subtype-specific skin cancer incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birds can spread microorganisms through their movement; however, it is still not fully understood how wild birds acquire and disperse antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria. We sampled wild Australian birds from three geographically distinct locations for the presence of AMR strains of two clinically important species of bacteria, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. A total of 121 birds were sampled, representing 15 different species. Thirty E. coli and 54 Enterococcus isolates were tested for resistance to 12 and 8 different antibiotics, respectively. Resistance to at least one antibiotic was common, being detected in 96% of Enterococcus and 60% of E. coli isolates. The vancomycin-resistance genes vanA and vanD were detected in 22% of enterococci (13% vanA, 9% vanD), while 9% displayed phenotypic resistance with no associated gene. Wild birds are a carrier of AMR bacteria in Australia, and are capable of harbouring a more diverse range of vancomycin-resistance genes than is typically seen among Australian clinical isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The external validity, or generalizability, of trials and guidelines has been considered poor in the context of multiple morbidity. How multiple morbidity might affect the magnitude of benefit of a given treatment, and thereby external validity, has had little study. Objective: To provide a method of decision analysis to quantify the effects of age and comorbidity on the probability of deriving a given magnitude of treatment benefit. Design: We developed a method to calculate probabilistically the effect of all of a patient's comorbidities on their underlying utility, or well-being, at a future time point. From this, we derived a distribution of possible magnitudes of treatment benefit at that future time point. We then expressed this distribution as the probability of deriving at least a given magnitude of treatment benefit. To demonstrate the applicability of this method of decision analysis, we applied it to the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia in a geriatric population of 50 individuals. We highlighted the results of four of these individuals. Results: This method of analysis provided individualized quantifications of the effect of age and comorbidity on the probability of treatment benefit. The average probability of deriving a benefit, of at least 50% of the magnitude of benefit available to an individual without comorbidity, was only 0.8%. Conclusion: The effects of age and comorbidity on the probability of deriving significant treatment benefits can be quantified for any individual. Even without consideration of other factors affecting external validity, these effects may be sufficient to guide decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public bicycle-sharing programs (PBSP) are short-term bicycle hire systems. In recent years their popularity has soared. This study examined Brisbane’s CityCycle scheme, the largest PBSP in Australia, and investigated the role of (natural and built) environmental features on usage. The study addressed four research questions: (1) What are the dynamics of PBSP use in terms of travel time, speed, and distance? (2) What is the relationship between PBSP participation and cycling infrastructure? (3) How does land-use affect PBSP usage? (4) How does topography affect PBSP usage? To answer these four questions, the authors analysed large existing datasets on CityCycle usage, land-use, topography, and cycling infrastructure, which were each obtained through multiple sources. Correlation and regression analysis were employed to establish significant relationships amongst variables. It was found that: most users take short trips within the free initial period provided under the CityCycle scheme and do not incur any charges other than for membership; PBSP use is strongly correlated with the length of off-road bikeways near each CityCycle station; CityCycle is more frequently used on weekends for recreational purposes; loop journeys, which are also associated with leisure trips, are popular in Brisbane, especially on weekends; leisure trips are taken at a relatively slower pace than utilitarian trips; during weekdays, a trimodal peak is clearly evident, with PBSP commute trips in the morning and evening peaks and a smaller but significant peak around lunchtime; and users avoid returning CityCycle bicycles to stations located on hilltops. These findings can collectively enhance both the siting and design of PBSP, thereby optimizing investments in sustainable mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the 2013 Australian federal election to test two competing models of vote choice: spatial politics and valence issues. Using data from the 2013 Australian Election Study, the analysis finds that spatial politics (measured by party identification and self-placement on the left–right spectrum) and valence issues both have significant effects on vote choice. Spatial measures are more important than valence issues in explaining vote choice, however, in contrast with recent studies from Britain, Canada and the USA. Explanations for these differences are speculative, but may relate to Australia's stable party and electoral system, including compulsory voting and the frequency of elections. The consequently high information burden faced by Australian voters may lead to a greater reliance on spatial heuristics than is found elsewhere. 本文研究了2013年澳大利亚联邦选举，以检验两种竞争的投票选择：空间政治和共价议题。作者使用了2013年澳大利亚选举数据进行分析，发现空间政治（用政党认同和左右光谱自定位来测量）和共价议题都对选举的选择有重要影响。不过，空间测量比共价议题更能解释投票的选择，这和英国、加拿大及美国近年的研究形成对照。对这些差异的解释是推理性的，但跟澳大利亚稳定的政党及选举制度有关，包括义务投票、选举频率之类。澳大利亚选民面临着沉重的信息负担，由此而导致了对空间启发的依赖要大于其他地方。 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The impact of voters’ gender on leader evaluations in parliamentary systems has been largely unexplored, while the impact of female leaders on voter attitudes and preferences remains to be fully established. This paper uses Julia Gillard’s historic candidacy in the 2010 Australian federal election to explore how voters evaluated Australia’s first female prime minister, and to test the impact of their assessments on vote choice. The authors also examine whether Gillard’s high-profile candidacy affected women’s levels of political interest, awareness and engagement in what had been largely a ‘man’s game’. Their findings confirm that Gillard enjoyed a gender-affinity effect in 2010 in terms of both leader evaluations and vote choice, and women’s political engagement was significantly affected by the Gillard candidacy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Leadership change formed the backdrop to the 2010 Australian federal election, with the replacement of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister by Julia Gillard, the country's first female Prime Minister. This article uses the 2010 Australian Election Study to examine patterns of voter defection between the 2007 and 2010 elections. The results show that the predominant influence on defection was how voters rated the leaders. Julia Gillard was popular among female voters and her overall impact on the vote was slightly greater than that of Tony Abbott. Defectors from Labor to the Greens disapproved of Kevin Rudd's dismissal from office. Policy issues were second in importance after leadership, particularly for those moving from the Coalition to Labor, who were concerned about health and unemployment. Overall, the results point to the enduring importance of leaders as the predominant influence on how voters cast their ballot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers patterns of political participation in Australia in the early 21st century, using recent data from the Australian Election Study. The paper reassesses how Australia fits within broader patterns of political participation and investigates major predictors of participation in Australia to see how these have or have not changed in a globalised era that has brought new challenges. Factors considered include socio-demographic variables, such as education, age, gender, birthplace and place of residence and also attitudinal orientations towards politics, such as political interest, efficacy and trust. The paper pays particular attention to those who have moved to Australia from other countries. One of the most important findings is that immigrants show little or no sign of any participatory disadvantage and indeed tend to participate more than the Australian-born in some modes of participation, such as campaign activities. The analysis also identifies a clear participatory divide within a number of socio-demographic groups in use of the internet for gaining election information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia is one of the highest per capita emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, therefore improving energy conservation efforts is important to Australia's economic, social, and environmental well-being. In such an environment, long-term policy changes to energy conservation are likely to be contentious, complex, and costly. In this context the use of a complementary social marketing segmentation framework to guide the intervention process could provide additional leverage for policy makers to facilitate short-term improvements, which are aligned with their longer-term goals. This article focuses on the application of market segmentation techniques as potential motivators to electricity conservation efforts in the existing context of residential users of electricity in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It investigates the impact of a range of hypothetical consequence incentive packages (i.e., financial reward and feedback frequency) on attitudes toward energy conservation using a cross-sectional survey of 188 respondents from metropolitan NSW residents. It is proposed that incentive packages for energy conservation campaigns will be most effective when targeted specifically to each of the environmental attitudes and beliefs segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the internet in Australian election campaigns, examining its use as a source of campaign information and a means of electoral communication. Using survey data from the Australian Election Study (AES), the article looks at the number of voters who have used the internet to get news during Federal election years between 1998 and 2010. The article discusses how the use of the internet could change political participation, examining how voters can limit the information they access, the socio-demographics of voters who use the internet, and democratic engagement.

This paper examines voter attitudes and behaviour at the 2007 Australian federal election, using data from the Australian Election Study. It considers socio-demographic factors as well as the role of policy issues and voter evaluations of the party leaders. The paper concludes that issues, such as the government's WorkChoices policy, as well as health and leadership contributed to Labor's victory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Satellite tracking was used to follow the movements of a problematic top-order carnivore, the wild dog (Canis lupus dingo, C. lupus familiaris and their hybrids), in contiguous forested landscapes in south-eastern mainland Australia. Home range sizes of wild dogs were much larger than previously determined using conventional telemetry methods, averaging 10,000ha with a maximum size of 59,000ha over approximate 3-month periods. Wild dogs at sites with high abundance of kangaroos, wallabies and rabbits had smaller areas of occupancy than did dogs at sites with low availability of these preys. Despite mostly large home ranges, tracked animals were loyal to publicly-owned tenure and there were few instances where individuals moved large distances on to adjacent private tenure. Instead, movement behaviours of most tracked animals were characterised by repeated short distance forays, often at acute angles from previous locations. Consequently, home ranges were stable and otherwise well defined. Analysis of DNA from our study animals indicated that most individuals were of ‘dingo’ ancestry, but otherwise considered hybrids because of the presence of domestic dog genes. Only two of 24 animals could be considered as ‘pure’ dingo. Contemporary wild dog management demarcates lands where control is or is not undertaken, with the latter notionally acting to ‘conserve’ dingoes. Due to the large scale of movement of animals, existing control efforts likely impact over a greater area than previously suspected. Furthermore, our genetic findings suggest that conservation of dingoes in south-eastern mainland Australia is difficult to achieve. A modified approach to wild dog management is needed, taking account of the extent of range of individual animals and the existing genetic characteristics of populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Strata of Jurassic age occur extensively across onshore Australia, but they are predominantly of non-marine origin. Marine Jurassic strata have only limited onshore exposure in northwestern and central-western Australia, with thick marine sequences lying offshore on the North West Shelf. The richest petroleum province in Australia is located at the shelf's southern end, where the Dingo Claystone represents an important source rock for oil and gas. By and large, non-marine deposits, including economic coals, are distributed in the eastern states. Jurassic stage boundaries, in the main, are poorly constrained with respect to the Australian sedimentary succession. New work on microfossils, plants, fish, and zircon dating is providing a basis for improved correlation across Australian basins, with overseas successions, and recent international IUGS geologic timescales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the widely accepted consequences of globalization is the development of individual outlooks, behaviours and feelings that transcend local and national boundaries. This has encouraged a re-assessment of important assumptions about the nature of community, personal attachment and belonging in the face of unprecedented opportunities for culture, identities and politics to shape, and be shaped by, global events and processes. Recently, the upsurge of interest in the concept of cosmopolitanism has provided a promising new framework for understanding the nexus between cosmopolitan dispositions and global interconnectedness across cultural, political and economic realms. Using data from a representative social survey of Australians this paper investigates the negotiation of belonging under the conditions of globalization. The data tap into attitudes and behaviours associated with a broad gamut of cosmopolitan traits in the domains of culture, consumption, human rights, citizenship, and international governance. They show how cosmopolitan outlooks are shaped by social structural factors, and how forms of identification with humanity and the globe are fractured by boundaries of self and others, threats and opportunities, and the value of things global and local. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the patterns of television news coverage of the political parties, their leaders and the issues they raised during the 2001 Australian federal election campaign. By focusing on some issues, parties and leaders, television has long been argued to constrain voters' evaluations. We find that television news coverage in the 2001 Australian election campaign focused primarily on international issues, especially terrorism and asylum seekers, and on the two major parties - virtually to the exclusion of coverage of the minor parties and their leaders. Within the major party 'two-horse race', television gave substantially more coverage to the leaders than to the parties themselves, thereby sustaining what some have called a 'presidential'-style political contest. John Howard emerged as the winner in the leaders' stakes, garnering more coverage than Labor's Kim Beazley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination of Floras and related literature from various countries of the world has revealed a wide range of interpretations and concepts for indigenous plants. Nevertheless, an indigenous plant species has been universally defined as one that was not deliberately or accidentally introduced by man. An important recent addendum to the ?indigenous'' definition is that it must disperse from an area where it is considered native. Particularly problematic are the so-called ?pantropical'' or ?cosmopolitan'' plants. These species are usually invasive and abundant, but most could not have crossed major barriers without the assistance of humans, and hence should be regarded as non-native species throughout much of their range. The accurate assessment of the alien or indigenous status of these and other taxa has been hampered by a lack of knowledge about their geographic origins and dispersal ability. Australian botanists have frequently adhered to a concept of indigenous plants being any that were thought to be present before European settlement in their region of interest ? 1788 for the Sydney area, and as late as the 1850s for northern Australia. This definition is unrealistic and unworkable, especially when considering the ?pantropical'' species. The transport of plants by maritime traders and explorers into the Indonesian and west Pacific areas has occurred for at least the past 3000 years. European colonisation in those areas from the 16th century accelerated plant introductions. Some of those plant species undoubtedly made their way to Australia before European settlement. This paper presents explicit definitions for indigenous (native) or alien (exotic, introduced, non-indigenous) plant species in Australia. A system of assessment using a combination of ecological, phytogeographical and historical criteria (the EPH system) allows the determination of ?origin status'' for individual species. As a case study, data are presented for 40 plant species of disputed origin status. These species are assessed against the criteria, and a recommended origin status given for Australian occurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the 2001 “border security” election, it was assumed that the 2004 federal election would revert to the traditional campaign battleground of socio-economic issues. This prediction proved to be only partly true, and while economic and social issues did figure in the election campaign, much more important were popular perceptions of the leaders. Indirectly, the Iraq War also had some impact, mediated through evaluations of John Howard. Analysis of leader effects suggests that Mark Latham was not the electoral liability for Labor that many have subsequently claimed. Ultimately, the Coalition won the election because they had a highly popular leader who had presided over a period of sustained economic growth. The election emphasizes the central role that the party leaders play in modern election campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While it is now well established that Australian party leaders at the national level influence political choice in federal elections, little systematic study has been undertaken of the equivalent role that State Premiers and Opposition Leaders might play. In the 2001 Australian Election Study (n = 2010), questions were asked of a national probability sample of voters about respondent feelings towards their State Premier and State Opposition Leader, in addition to equivalent questions about Prime Minister John Howard, Opposition Leader Kim Beazley and other major political figures in federal politics. The data generated by this survey thus provide an opportunity to investigate the impact that contemporary State political leaders have on electoral choice. The analysis produces mixed results, but the findings show that State leaders generally do have an impact on voting behavior in State elections, although in some cases this influence is eliminated when account is taken of voter attitudes towards the federal leaders. The analysis also affords an opportunity to test the extent of crossover between State and federal politics, in terms of how much State leaders influence federal voting and vice versa. While the results are somewhat uneven, they do indicate that some State leaders influence federal voting and that the federal leaders do influence voting in some States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates the influence of political personalities on voting in the context of the 1999 Australian Constitutional referendum. With the major political parties taking no formal stance on the referendum question, Australians were placed in the intriguing position of having to respond to campaign messages delivered by two people, external to mainstream politics and who had not been elected through any form of popular vote. Research has shown that major party leaders have consistently influenced voter attitudes on the question of whether Australia should become a republic throughout the 1990s. The ratings of both leaders of the major Australian political parties were considerably more positive than the ratings of the two referendum campaign leaders. By combining the regression coefficients with the relative popularity of the campaign leaders, one can make some hypothetical calculations as to their role in the defeat of the referendum proposal. The article concludes that the personal qualities of a political leader inevitably make a difference to the political choices one makes.

Quite apart from the constitutional debate over whether Australia should become a republic, republican political theory has recently experienced something of a revival in the Australian context through the work of Philip Pettit in the Reshaping Australian Institutions Project at the Australian National University. This article outlines the fundamental assumptions of this version of republican theory and then proceeds to test them empirically with sample survey data which explore citizen attitudes, beliefs and practices on these questions. The results indicate that the tenets of republication theory are widely accepted by the Australian public, but that this endorsement does not translate strongly into behavioural outcomes. The article concludes with a discussion of why this might be the case and of the wider implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like many other advanced industrial democracies, Australia has experienced major and ongoing economic reform over the last two decades, the pace of which has, if anything, increased since the election of the Liberal–National government in 1996. These developments have led to a growing sense of economic insecurity among many voters. Many of these concerns were focused on the 1998 election, when the Liberal–National Coalition advocated the introduction of a goods and services tax. This paper uses the 1998 Australian Election Study (AES) survey to examine the impact of economic evaluations, economic insecurity and economic issues on voting in the election. The results demonstrate the existence of widespread economic concerns across the electorate, but that the Coalition gained a marginal electoral advantage on the tax reform issue. Economic issues were also a cause of defection to the new One Nation Party, although further analysis reveals that its support was motivated more by race and ethnic concerns than by economic discontent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which examined the role of religion in modern Australian electoral politics. Changing distribution of religious denominations in Australia from 1966 to 1991; Church attendance and party support by denomination in 1967; Electoral impact of religion since 1967.

Revolutionary changes have occurred in the conduct of monetary policy in New Zealand and Great Britain over the last decade; Australian arrangements, too, have changed, albeit in an evolutionary fashion. In all three countries the description of the central bank's objectives is effectively in two parts: an Act of Parliament that sets out the constitutional and legal basis for the central bank and spells out general objectives; and an agreement or remit that gives more precise content to those objectives. In both Australia and Great Britain operational decisions on interest rates are taken by a nine-member committee, whereas in New Zealand the burden of decision making rests entirely on the Governor. Holding the central bank to account is not as straightforward as it looks. Given the fact that all three have numerical inflation targets, it would seem that all that is required is to look at inflation outturns and evaluate whether the targets have been achieved. Ex post accountability also needs to be complemented by ex ante accountability in which the central bank's view of the economic situation is compared with that of independent outsiders.

Although there has been little reliable evidence to date, the ‘personal vote’ for local Members of Parliament in Australian elections is generally thought to be negligible by political scientists. This article analyses new data from the 1987 Australian National Social Science Survey which demonstrate that the personal vote is a significant factor in federal lower house elections even when numerous other variables known to influence voting behaviour are controlled for. The data allow a calculation of the potential electoral effect of the personal vote which shows that it could be worth at least 3 per cent in some circumstances. The analysis tests for varying levels of personal voting in safe and marginal seats. Labor and coalition seats, urban and rural seats and according to the length of time the incumbent has been in office. Lastly, the electoral effects of the social background of local members are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political party leaders are an increasingly influential electoral force in contemporary liberal democracies. We test the hypothesis that their appeal is idiosyncratic, that is, that their electoral effect is a function of the leadership qualities voters perceive individual candidates as possessing. Thus, the less similar their personality profiles, the more the characteristics influencing the vote should differ from one leader to another. A comparison of Australia and Britain finds the opposite to be the case. Despite the divergent profiles of party leaders, the precise characteristics influencing the vote are remarkably similar in the two countries. This does not mean, however, that variation in the distribution of these characteristics is unimportant. It can affect the balance of the party vote and may even have been the difference between victory and defeat for the Australian Labor party in the closely fought 1987 election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the political attitudes of married Australian women, and on the degree to which the social background characteristics of married women determine both their own political attitudes and the political attitudes of their husbands. Relationship of the social characteristics to the level of political attitudes.

Assesses the attitude of voters towards environment. Issue of environment in the 1990 Australian elections; Research on the subject of environment and elections; Statistics related to the research.

The article examines the influence of spousal background characteristics on the formation of political attitudes and behavior in Australia. To assess the impact of both husbands' and wives' characteristics on these political attitudes, eight social background characteristics of each spouse are included namely, religious denomination, church attendance, size of community of origin, trade union membership, education, past or current occupation, subjective social class and current conjugal work status. Multiple regression analysis is used to measure husbands' and wives' attitudes separately to allow an investigation of the impact of male and female characteristics not only on their own political attitudes but also on those of their spouses. Regardless of whether a married person's characteristics are considered alone or together with those of their spouse, an individual's own trade union membership and middle-class identification are prime factors in predicting his or her political partisanship. The result reveals that spouses' social background characteristics are important factors in predicting the political attitudes of Australian married men and women.

This article presents new evidence both of the degree and the sources of resistance to any attempts to challenge statutory intervention and government spending in the area of social policy. The data come from the 1985-86 and 1990 International Social Survey Program (ISSP) role of government surveys. The focus is on those countries from which the assumptions are normally derived. The 1985-86 ISSP survey included six countries, all of which form part of this group. However, Austria did not participate in 1990. Although the 1990 survey included a number of additional countries, only Norway is suitable for the purposes, as well as having the full range of data available. The 1990 sample of countries is thus Australia, the United States, the Great Britain, West Germany and Italy, all of which were also surveyed in 1985, plus Norway. Whereas the analysis of the 1985 data lacked a social democratic Scandinavian country with a highly decommodified structure, the 1990 sample compensates for this with the inclusion of Norway. Still, much of the analysis in this paper concentrates on assessing change between 1985 and 1990 and on how far the results of the 1990 survey confirm or lead us to question the earlier findings.