Equalizing population denominators for australian metropolitan areas

Most population data are collected and tabulated in an aggregate form by censuses around the world in which political and economic considerations determine the geographic unit of the aggregation. Large spatial variation in population size among, units can limit comparative analysis among different subregions. Census population counts are often used as the denominator in rate calculations. This paper proposes the design of new districts for Australian metropolitan areas that will decrease the absolute range in population among districts. The transport algorithm is used for aggregation of Collection Districts in order to achieve this goal. The transport algorithm proved efficient in assigning CDs to a more equitable alignment of population in the selected Statistical Divisions. This method affords the spatial comparison of city settlement and socio-economic variables as well as deriving a stable denominator for these comparisons. The results demonstrate the advantages of equalized population denominators over those associated with the current statistical districts.     

The forecast accuracy of Australian Bureau of Statistics national population projections

This paper examines the forecast accuracy of Australian Bureau of Statistics national population projections produced from the 1960s to the early 2000s. As well as total populations, the accuracy of the following is assessed: age-sex-specific populations, the Total Fertility Rate, life expectancy at birth and net international migration. It is shown that forecasts of the 1960s and 70s were the most inaccurate; forecasts of the 1980s and later proved to be much more reliable. The paper goes on to take an alternative perspective on population forecast error through the use of an adapted percentage error measure which accounts for offsetting errors in births, deaths, net migration and the jump-off population. This measure also permits an assessment of the relative contributions of the components of demographic change to overall inaccuracy. It is shown that errors in forecasting net international migration have generally contributed most to inaccuracy followed by births and then deaths and jump-off error. ABS projections of total population are also compared to those produced using a simple naïve model. The paper concludes by arguing that the new error measure could prove valuable in other studies of population forecast accuracy.     

The health expectancies of older Australians

Health expectancies of the states ‘Disability-free’ and ‘Disabled’ are estimated for Australian females and males aged 60 and over, both by cohort from 1980 and current for survey years 1981, 1988, 1993 and 1998. Modifications of recently developed logistic regression techniques are used rather than the standard 1971 method due to Sullivan. Results from the three later surveys are broadly similar and differ in important respects from those of the 1981 survey. Based on the last three surveys our estimates support the view that, depending on age, two-thirds or more of the increase in female life expectancy over the decade 1988–1998 is spent in the Disabled state. The situation is worse for elderly men, for whom all of the increased years of expected life are estimated to be spent in the Disabled state. The findings do not support rectangularization of the survival curve or Disability-free survival curve.     

Do cows belong in nature? The cultural basis of agriculture in Sweden and Australia

Within the now extensive recent literature on cultures of nature, agriculture has received less attention than might have been expected given its threshold role in transforming human relations with the earth and with plants and animals. The concept and practice of agriculture can be understood as central to the emergence and maintenance of the culture/nature dichotomy within Western thought and practice. In this paper we use the comparative cases of Sweden and Australia to examine the differential and contingent positioning of agriculture with respect to that which is understood as nature. Broadly speaking, some parts of agriculture are understood to belong to nature in Sweden through a long history. This is not the case in Australia, where the short agricultural history is positioned in contrast to nature. This affects the way in which biodiversity and environmental protection takes place - in Sweden as part of farming, - in Australia in spite of it. We argue that these cultural differences have been more important than generally recognised in debates over multifunctional agriculture. We discuss the environmental management implications of the two different models in a context made more dynamic by climate change.     

我国澳大利亚法律研究三十年评述

本文对1980年至2010年30年来我国澳大利亚法律研究进行全面分析和评述。本文发现我国澳大利亚法律研究呈现出如下规律和特点:1980—1989为起步阶段,研究数量少,涉及领域有限;1990—1999为发展阶段,数量增多,研究呈现出多元化趋势;2000—2010为繁荣阶段,研究领域全面铺开,一些方向研究深入,取得突破性进展:宪法方面的研究更加深入,澳大利亚法律史研究有了新的突破,中澳比较法学研究取得阶段性成果。     

论鲍勃·霍克时期的多元文化政策

澳大利亚的多元文化政策始于戈夫·威特拉姆时期,至鲍勃·霍克时期已基本成型.霍克政府在继承前两届政府政治遗产的基础上,将多元文化社会的建设纳入制度化轨道.这一时期,旨在推进多元文化建设的管理、服务或咨询机构的建立与完善,使得多元文化政策的制定与落实有了一个制度上的保障;<澳大利亚多元文化的国家议程>的出台,将多元文化建设提到前所未有的政治高度;倡导与土著人的讲和政策则从一个方面诠释了澳大利亚多元文化建设的丰富内涵.     

Lesbian and Gay Parents: Their Experiences of Children's Health Care in Australia

This study investigates the experiences of lesbian and gay parents seeking health care for their children within the Australian medical system. Previously unavailable demographic data was collected on lesbian and gay families, and qualitative information was sought from parents about positive or problematic health care experiences related to sexual orientation and family constellation. Ninety-two lesbian or gay parents responded to a national postal and Web-based survey. Eighty-nine percent of respondents reported a high level of satisfaction with the health care received by their children. Despite overall satisfaction, however, 49 percent of parents identified fear of disclosure of sexual orientation, and 27 percent reported negative or problematic experiences with their children's health care related to sexual orientation or family constellation. This study indicates that fear of discrimination and homophobic attitudes towards lesbian and gay families remain a factor within the Australian health care system.     

Room for climate advocates in a coal‐focused economy? NGO influence on Australian climate policy

Many Australian environmental non‐government organisations (NGOs) have campaigned for greater political action and community awareness on human‐induced climate change for almost two decades. Australian emissions are the highest per person in the world, yet the Government's response is heavily influenced by the economically‐significant fossil fuel industry. NGO campaigners are sceptical of their campaigns' effectiveness. This paper presents three methods for evaluating the effectiveness of NGO climate change campaigns: Moyer's Movement Action Plan, Schumaker's Assessment of Political Effectiveness, and a document analysis of the influence of NGO submissions to climate policy processes. Evaluation is critical for NGO campaigns to improve their effectiveness, and evaluation criteria and methods should ideally be designed in parallel with the campaign strategy. Using these evaluation methods, it is evident that Australian NGO campaigns on climate change have been effective.     

21世纪澳大利亚职前教师教育质量保障措施探析

21世纪以来，澳大利亚政府就职前教师教育的培养采取了一系列质量保障措施。从政策保障、机构建立、入学人员选拔、合作伙伴关系下的专业实践、教师专业标准以及职前教师教育研究等方面入手，对澳大利亚政府所采取的职前教师教育质量保障措施进行分析，总结出澳大利亚职前教师教育质量保障措施呈现的四个取向，即新管理主义取向、全程专业标准化取向、专业实践取向和实证主义取向。     

A new variant of dual-record population estimation with an application in remote indigenous communities

Dual-record system methods are commonly used as a basis for population estimation. A basic assumption is that the units sampled are drawn only from the population to be estimated. This assumption cannot be met for remote Indigenous communities in Australia. A new variant of dual-record population estimation is presented, which relies on the availability of specific additional information to relax the assumption of perfect frame specification. This variant is applied to two remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory of Australia, using locally available data sources. Further theoretical exploration of this method is presented along with possible applications in estimating area-enumerated populations and census coverage.