Intertidal wetland habitats in southeastern Australia have changed significantly during the past sixty years. Mangrove habitats have expanded both seawards and landwards, the latter being at the expense of saltmarsh habitats. This relatively common phenomenon is generally suggested to be an outcome of sea-level rise. Several factors potentially responsible for this change are examined, including changes in mean sealevel during the past 50 to 100 years, changes in climate, population growth, catchment landuse, and estuary type. A protocol for mapping estuarine habitats was developed and implemented, incorporating the application of geographic information systems. Spatial and temporal coastal wetland habitat changes at nine sites along the New South Wales coast are illustrated. These habitat dynamics were shown to not correlate between sites. The results demonstrate that sea-level rise in this region cannot solely account for the extent of change during the past sixty years. With the exception of one site (Careel Bay), there have been no correlations between contemporary mean sea-level rise and mangrove incursion of the saltmarsh habitats at the study sites, or with rainfall patterns, at the scale of observation in this study, which was largely decadal. The only correlations determined during this study have been between population growth and coastal wetland habitat dynamics in some sites. In spite of saltmarsh habitat loss being a regional phenomenon, local factors appear to have a profound bearing on the rates of change. Neither contemporary mean sea-level rise, rainfall patterns, estuary type, catchment landuse, catchment natural cover nor population pressure can account solely for the patterns in the spatial and temporal dynamics of the coastal wetlands of New South Wales. It seems apparent that regional factors create preconditions favourable for mangrove incursion, but that localised conditions have been responsible for the extent of these incursions from site to site. That is, despite higher sea-level and greater rainfall, the extent of change has been determined by the unique characteristics of each site. The results have important implications for current estuary management practices in the state of New South Wales. The lack of spatial and temporal trends in coastal wetland habitat dynamics point to the need for management to be conducted on a localised, rather than regional scale. Additionally, anthropogenic influences must be carefully managed, since the extent of mangrove habitat expansion into saltmarsh areas is unlikely to be a natural occurrence.

Integration has been the policy of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training since 1981. Regular classroom teachers are responsible for implementing this policy at the classroom level. In order to achieve this, teachers need to make informed decisions about aspects of the class program and practice that may need to be adapted or modified to provide opportunities for integrated students to participate meaningfully in regular classroom environments. The purpose of this study is twofold: to extend research into adaptations made by New South Wales teachers under a policy of integration by surveying teachers' perceptions on various adaptations/modifications and to explore factors related to teachers? implementation of these adaptations/modifications to programs and practices for students with mild disabilities and/or learning difficulties. Researchers have studied integration (variously named and interpreted) since the eighties and the current research is based on a body of research conducted over the last twenty-five years. The current research identified the frequency of different types of adaptations/modifications used by regular classroom teachers. An attempt is made to identify various barriers and isolate particular factors that may influence the use of these adaptations/modifications in regular classrooms. Results indicated that teachers reported using different adaptations and modifications to varying degrees. Teachers indicated that they held a preference for adaptations and modifications that could easily be implemented for all students in the class. Teachers reported that barriers such as: 'Lack of preparation and planning time'; 'Demands on instruction time'; and 'Inadequate staff ratios' have the greatest affect on their implementation of adaptations and modifications. The level of qualifications held by the teachers was the only factor that had a significant correspondence to the frequency of adaptations and modifications implemented for students with mild disabilities and learning difficulties. Further research is recommended to investigate across a larger area of population, the type and level of disabilities experienced by the students and the influence of teachers? choice on frequency of adaptations and modifications.

A prospective intervention study, using clinical practice improvement (CPI) methodology, was undertaken to reduce unnecessary x-ray examinations in the early management of patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). This was achieved through raising the awareness of medical and allied health staff to medical radiation by means of clinical education and implementing evidence based diagnostic imaging requisition. The main study was conducted in the ED of a public hospital located in the western Sydney, Australia. A second hospital within the area health service, with similar bed size, activity levels and demographics, was used as the control site. The first phase intervention raised the awareness of the health professionals to medical radiation. The second phase intervention used CPI methodology to attain efficient clinical practices so as to eliminate unnecessary examinations and requests. A multi-disciplinary CPI Project Team involved in the process of imaging examination requisition was empowered to improve the appropriateness of the requested examination utilisation. This it achieved mainly through the implementation of evidence based clinical decision rules and imaging guidelines. An additional method of validating the outcomes was provided through the simultaneous rollout of the interventions at another hospital within the same area health service. At the completion of the study, unnecessary examinations such as Skull, Ribs, Nasal Bone and Kidney Ureter Bladder (KUB) requests at the intervention Hospital site were significantly reduced by 92.6% (p (less than) 0.0001), whereas at the control site Hospital there was minimal reduction which was found to be not statistically significant (p=0.2110). Other frequently requested examinations such as Ankle, Knee and Spine requests were marginally though significantly reduced at the intervention Hospital by 22.7% (p (less than) 0.001), whereas at the control site Hospital the reduction was similarly found to be not significant (p=0.1055). Most importantly, the overall x-ray requisition for every 100 ED presentations at Hospital ‘B’ was reduced by 27%. The results of this study, demonstrated that Radiation Awareness educational programs, targeting medical and allied health staff, will reduce the unnecessary requisition of examinations found not to contribute to the process of the patient’s clinical management. The use of a CPI project approach was found to be important in the process of establishing, implementing and sustaining the achieved improvements, and in particular, the rules and guidelines of evidence based imaging requisition. Importantly, the study also confirmed that the CPI methodology that had been used for the main intervention was adaptable to other organisations when it was found to have been successfully rolled out at another hospital. This confirmed that the main outcomes of the investigation could be generalised to other health facilities. There was an immediate reduction in the requisition of unnecessary examination similar to the results at the main intervention hospital. The implementation and adoption of the CPI intervention across the health care system in general could significantly reduce unnecessary x-ray examinations, saving significant health care resources, and sparing patients from potential cancer risks associated with avoidable exposure to ionising medical radiation. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD (Health))

Agricultural shows are community-based festivals that represent a majority of festivals staged in rural destinations within Australia. Recent anecdotal evidence indicates their survival is being threatened. Declines in the overall number of shows and visitor attendance have been widely reported, yet an analysis of the reason for these declines has not been investigated. Agricultural shows are managed by volunteers within not-for-profit show societies who are finding it difficult to survive in an increasingly competitive and challenging external environment. Little is understood about these show societies, their volunteer managers and the management effectiveness. This study has addressed these gaps by investigating show society management effectiveness by means of a marketing concept paradigm. A case study method employing qualitative in-depth interviews with key show society members and other stakeholders was conducted on one agricultural show. Findings reveal that this show society is managed by volunteers whose primary involvement motivation is based upon self-interest in one or more components of the show. The majority of these individuals do not have management skills and expertise required to manage a festival and whilst it is important to note their volunteering contribution, it is this lack of skills and knowledge that has prevented a systematic approach to management. There is no attempt at consumer research, strategic planning, organisational planning or volunteer recruitment. The show programs do not change to reflect the current needs of the community, rather what is affordable, who can organise it and what has always been done. As a result, the case study show society is not employing a marketing concept orientation but a product concept orientation. This study concludes that without this focus, the show society will be ill equipped to meet changing customer demands and stay abreast of competitors. To assist agricultural shows to manage future challenges and adopt a marketing concept, a theoretical model has been proposed that incorporates existing frameworks and this study’s findings. / M. Commerce (Hons.)

In response to concern that excessive macroalgal growth and accumulation was occurring in some inshore areas of Lake Macquarie, the distribution, abundance and seasonality of macroalgae was investigated in relation to nutrient input and power station cooling water. Macroalgal dry weight biomass was measured at ten sites on a monthly basis for two years, with an analysis of community structure conducted using Multi-Dimensional Scaling. The macroalgal community in Lake Macquarie was typical of those found in other New South Wales coastal lagoons, exhibiting considerable spatial and temporal variation. A close similarity was observed in macroalgal community structure at sites affected by urban nutrient input, these being characterised by a high biomass often attributable to only one or two species. These nuisance macroalgae were mostly green algae, which were almost entirely absent from other sites. Biomass at sites affected by urban nutrient input was generally within the range documented for eutrophic estuaries elsewhere. Analysis of macroalgal community structure showed no evidence of large-scale changes macroalgal communities attributable to the effects of power station cooling water except within 500m of the outfall. At sites affected by a 1-2??C temperature increase, community structure and the magnitude of the biomass were similar to sites deemed as being relatively free of human impact. A reduction in species diversity occurred only within the immediate discharge zone, where water temperatures were approximately 6??C above ambient temperatures. Excessive growth of nuisance macroalgal species was not observed at any of the sites influenced by power station cooling water. There were no distinct patterns in seasonality of macroalgal growth in this study, though the greatest biomass appeared to occur in spring. The irregular temporal variation in macroalgal growth suggests that the most significant factors affecting growth occur on a time scale of weeks to months. It is therefore likely nutrient input to the nearshore through surface runoff is an important influence on the distribution and abundance of macroalgae in Lake Macquarie. This emphasises the need to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus input from urban sources in Lake management.

Aim The purpose of the study was to formally identify trauma care delivery problems at the study institution, implement a solution in the form of trauma case management (TCM), and measure the effect of TCM on staff satisfaction, clinical coding accuracy and patient outcomes, using practice-specific outcome variables such as in-hospital complication rates, length of stay, resource use and allied health service intervention rates. This research also aimed to make a unique contribution to the international trauma literature by addressing the lack of any evidence specifically measuring the impact of trauma case management intervention. Methods St George Hospital is a 600 bed urban Teaching Hospital of the University of NSW. It is a designated Trauma Centre, seeing around 200 severely injured patients and around 2500 injury admissions per year. A series of focus groups and a staff satisfaction survey identified perceived problems associated with trauma care, and a trauma case management program was implemented. A preliminary study was conducted with positive results and funding was obtained to provide TCM seven days a week to all trauma patient admissions. A larger clinical trial was conducted and data from 754 patients were collected over fourteen months after TCM was introduced at the study hospital. These data were compared with 777 matched patients from the previous 14 months as a control group. An audit was conducted on trauma patient clinical coding using the daily progress record kept by the trauma case manager. The data were analysed with SPSS. The statistical tests used were Mann-Whitney U, chi-squared (2) logistic regression and generalised linear models. Results Focus groups and the staff satisfaction survey identified communication and coordination as the main problems associated with trauma care delivery. Following the initial implementation of the program, staff support for TCM was overwhelming. TCM greatly improved the rate of and time to Allied Health intervention (p&lt0.0001). Results demonstrated a decrease in the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis (p&lt0.038), coagulopathy (p=0.041) and respiratory failure. A reduced hospital length of stay (LOS), particularly in the paediatric (p&lt0.05) and 45 - 64 years age group was noted. There were 6621 fewer pathology tests performed (p&lt0.0001) and the total number of bed days was 483 days less than predicted from the control group. Many hospital clinical coding errors and omissions were highlighted by the TCM record comparison. The use of TCM records resulted in Twenty eight percent of recoded records having their Australian national diagnostic related group (AN-DRG) changed, which resulted in the identification over $39,000 in unidentified funding. Conclusion TCM improves staff satisfaction, communication and clinical coding accuracy. The introduction of TCM improved the efficiency and effectiveness of trauma patient care in our institution. This initiative demonstrates that TCM results in improvements to quality of care, trauma patient morbidity, financial performance and resource use. This research makes an important and original contribution to the international trauma literature by providing the results of a clinical trial formally measuring the impact of trauma nursing case management intervention.

The exercise of autonomy and self-regulation is seen in the literature as one of the basic criteria of professionalism. Since in modern states Medicine has generally been the occupational grouping which has most completely attained that status, it is seen as the model or archetype of professionalism. This study focuses on just one aspect of medical autonomy, that relating to the right of medical professionals to be accountable only to their fellow professionals as far as the maintenance of practice standards are concerned. In this thesis, the theory underlying this system of "peer review" is examined and then its application during the course of the 20th century is traced in one particular jurisdiction, that of the State of New South Wales in Australia. The reason for the focus on NSW is that in this jurisdiction, medical autonomy existed and was exercised in a particularly pure and powerful form after it was instituted in 1900. However, it was also in NSW that for the first time anywhere in the world, an institutional challenge to medical disciplinary autonomy emerged with the establishment in 1984 of the "Complaints Unit" of the Department for Health. The thesis of this study is that as a result of this development, which within a comparatively short space of time led to the emergence of a system of "co-regulation" of medical discipline, medical disciplinary autonomy and peer review had within a decade, been so severely challenged as to be almost extinct in this State. In the light of theoretical frameworks provided by Weber, Habermas and the American scholar Robert Alford, the study examines the long drawn out struggle to institute medical autonomy in NSW in the 19th century, its entrenchment by subsequent legislation over the next eight decades and the "counter-attack" staged by the emergent forces of consumerism, supported by the forces of the ideology of "Public Interest Law" in the last two decades of the century. The study concludes with a discussion of the implications for definitions of professionalism which might result from the loss by Medicine in NSW, of its right to exclusive control of medical discipline and the consequent disappearance of medical peer review.

This thesis is based on experiences with innovative agriculture curricula during the 1980's and 1990's. Predictions at the time of the research indicated a need for different instructional roles and educational settings within university undergarduate curricula. The ideas for a New University in the USA and a need for improved agriculture curricula in Australia were compatible with the approach of the Hawkesbury experiential agriculture curricula developed in 1978. The research demonstrated the key competency development aspects of the original experiential curriculum could be maintained in the 1995 university curriculum, within fragmented subjects. There was some evidence the curriculum outcomes were narrower in terms of career awareness. Personality type influenced student perceptions of the difficulty and value of the experiential components of their curriculum. The correlation between experiential curricula and personality type suggets that new curricula content should include the concept of personality and also should be used in designing curricula. New courses in Human Resource Development in Rural Communities were suggested. Other opportunities for using experiential curricula including personality typology were University of Western Sydney majors, summer schools for international students and in-service training courses for governemnt organisations and private enterprises. Several research opportunities were identified. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The study area extends from west of the Great Divide to the Broken Hill and Tibooburra regions of far western New South Wales, encompassing several important mining districts that not only include the famous Broken Hill lodes (Pb-Zn-Ag), but also Parkes (Cu-Au), Peak Hill (Au), Cobar (Cu-Au-Zn) and White Cliffs (opal). The area is generally semi-arid to arid undulating to flat terrain covered by sparse vegetation. ¶ During the Cretaceous, an extensive sea retreated across vast plains, with rivers draining from the south and east. After the uplift of the Great Divide associated with opening of the Tasman Sea in the Late Cretaceous, drainage swung to the west, cutting across the Darling River Lineament. The Murray-Darling Basin depression developed as a depocentre during the Paleogene. Climates also underwent dramatic change during the Cenozoic, from warm-humid to cooler, more seasonal climates, to the arid conditions prevalent today. Up until now, there has been very little temporal constraint on the development of this landscape over this time period. This study seeks to address the timing of various weathering and landscape evolution events in northwestern New South Wales. ¶ The application of various regolith dating methods was undertaken. Palaeomagnetic dating, clay δ18O dating, (U+Th)/He and U-Pb dating were all investigated. Palaeomagnetic and clay dating methods have been well established in Australian regolith studies for the last 30 years. More recently, (U+Th)/He dating has been successfully trialled both overseas and in Australia. U-Pb dating of regolith materials has not been undertaken. Each method dates different regolith forming processes and materials. Palaeomagnetic and clay dating were both successfully carried out for sites across northwestern New South Wales, providing a multi-technique approach to resolving the timing of weathering events. Although (U+Th)/He dating was unsuccessful, there is scope for further refinement of the technique, and its application to regolith dating. U-Pb dating was also unsuccessfully applied to late-stage anatase, which is a cement in many Australian silcretes. ¶ Results from this study indicate that the landscape evolution and weathering history of northwestern New South Wales dates back at least 60 million years, probably 100 million years, and perhaps even as far back as 180 million years. The results imply that northwestern New South Wales was continuously sub-aerially exposed for the last 100 Ma, indicating that marine sedimentation in the Murray-Darling and Eromanga-Surat Basins was separated by this exposed region. The ages also provide further evidence for episodic deep chemical weathering under certain climatic conditions across the region, and add to the data from across Australia for similar events. In particular, the palaeomagnetic ages, which cluster at ~60 ± 10 Ma and 15 ± 10 Ma, are recorded in other palaeomagnetic dating studies of Australian regolith. The clay ages are more continuous across the field area, but show older clays in the Eromanga Basin sediments at White Cliffs and Lightning Ridge, Eocene clays in the Cobar region, and Oligocene – Miocene clays in the Broken Hill region, indicating progressively younger clay formation from east to west across northwestern New South Wales, in broad agreement with previously published clay weathering ages from around Australia. ¶ These weathering ages can be reconciled with reconstructions of Australian climates from previously published work, which show a cooling trend over the last 40 Ma, following an extended period of high mean annual temperatures in the Paleocene and Eocene. In conjunction with this cooling, total precipitation decreased, and rainfall became more seasonal. The weathering ages fall within periods of wetness (clay formation), the onset of seasonal climate (clay formation and palaeomagnetic weathering ages) and the initiation of aridity in the late Miocene (palaeomagnetic weathering ages). ¶ This study provides initial weathering ages for northwestern New South Wales, and, a broad geochronology for the development of the landscape of the region. Building on the results of this study, there is much scope for further geochronological work in the region.

In mid-1987, the existing workers’ compensation system in New South Wales was replaced by a new Scheme, called ‘WorkCover’. While WorkCover solved a number of the financial problems that had plagued its predecessor, its enactment created other issues. Furthermore, WorkCover has failed to deal with a number of gaps in providing compensation for occupational injuries, most notably those suffered by independent contractors. By combining a study of aspects of industrial law and industrial relations, this thesis will examine some of those problems and gaps, in particular: (a) Should WorkCover be amended to enable independent contractors to come within its ambit? (b) Should there be additional insurance cover available (known as ‘top-up’ insurance) to insure those parts of workers’ wages presently left unprotected by WorkCover? (c) Should workers be permitted to take out another form of ‘top-up’ insurance to increase the quantum of death cover presently provided by the Scheme? (d) Should independent contractors who arc permitted to enter WorkCover also be permitted to obtain the extended cover set out in (b) and (c) above? Where appropriate, the thesis compares WorkCover to the workers’ compensation schemes in other Australian jurisdictions. It develops each of the matters referred to above by referring to the results of the writer’s survey of members of the Institution of Engineers (NSW Branch) which was conducted in May and June 1991.