2011

The focus of this project was to identify the factors that contributed to the success of businesses in desert Australia. In particular, the study was designed to determine: • how successful these businesses had been over the last three years • what factors were used to measure such business success • what factors were considered importan ....

In the 2010/11 Financial Year, Central Victoria Solar City (CVSC) engaged over 2,000 households in our region in energy saving activities. We delivered 1780 Home Energy Assessments, engaged 810 participants in a retrofit package, 528 participants in residential solar PV and 242 participants in solar hot water. This financial year, Central Victori ....

Australian conservation scientists, managers and decision makers must come to grips with anthropogenic climate change, imposed upon an already variable regional climate system. Pre- and postinstrumental records and climate proxies indicate that Australia has experienced wet and dry cycles over intradecadal to millennial time scales ....

In 1999, the Nigerian government unveiled new policies aimed at revitalizing the mining, agricultural, tourism, financial services, and manufacturing sectors in a broader effort to diversify the national economy. While this was a response to the reality of underdevelopment in the country, it was also a response to research that has attr ....

This thesis is an investigation of the value of social learning as a process that facilitates collaborative ecosystem approaches to planning with the intent of reducing risk to human health. More specifically, it examines the value of social learning in a planning process designed to protect quality of drinking water sources. A case stu ....

Assesses the likely social, human, financial and economic implications of the proposals in the 'Guide to the proposed [Murray-Darling] Basin Plan' on local communities across the Basin's 19 regions. The primary objective was to understand the impacts on local, small-scale, human issues and costs during the short and medium term. Report Location ....

This paper seeks to make a link between the concepts of competitiveness and the ‘creative class’ at a place-based level. The paper explores the relationship between creativity and competitiveness at the local level across the UK using a rural – urban framework. A growing competitiveness divide between rural and urban areas is found. Also, t ....

This project was undertaken as a collaborative research venture between the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG), Local Government Association of South Australia (LGASA), and Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ). Each wanted to take a fresh look at the issue of consolidation in local government, free from any ....

Consumer e-health is rapidly becoming a fundamental component of healthcare. However, to date only provisional steps have been taken to increase our understanding of how consumers engage with e-health. This study, an interpretive review, assessed the evidence about consumer use of e-health and identified five categories that encomp ....

The aim of this research project is to examine the effectiveness of the structural funds in assisting the transition of the European Union (EU) toward sustainable development. Specifically, the study examines how cohesion policy has responded to the sustainable development imperative and to the requirement of environmental integration. ....

Issue addressed: This study investigated the application of an educational health promotion program, the Stanford Chronic Disease Self- Management Program (CDSM), within three Queensland Aboriginal (Murri) communities (rural, regional and urban). Methods: A participant-observation approach was used and qualitative data was collecte ....

This RIRDC paper reports on a study of 4,000 Australian farmers. It examines factors that are associated with decisions they may or may not make to adapt to risks posed by climate change. The report reveals that a majority of farmers are simply focusing on surviving in the short term in the face of a myriad of challenges which go well beyond cli ....

Most of the rivers of the Murray–Darling Basin can be considered ‘working rivers’. While the flows in some rivers, like the Paroo, remain mostly natural, for the majority of rivers, water is captured, extracted or diverted to support communities, agriculture and other industries. Communities also value healthy and functioning river and floo ....

This ALTC project is a collaborative endeavour between the four public universities involved in teacher education in Western Australia (Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia), focussed on improving the quality of preparation of pre-service teachers for rural, regional ....