Academic literature on the topic 'Australian Overseas Aid Program'

The underlying framework adopted by the Committee to Review the Australian Overseas Aid Program demands that Australian aid helps to promote the economic development of the recipient less developed countries. If it does not, then the humanitarian, political and economic arguments for giving aid lose much of their cogency. This approach is evident in the treatment of overseas students. The Report recommends a vastly expanded scholarship program because it recognises the central role played by education in economic development. It recommends a different geographical and academic composition for the scholarship scheme because it supports the developmental thrust of Australia's aid program. It recommends also the development of education as an export industry because it believes Australia is competitive in this lucrative trade. It sees no conflict in having Australian educational expertise being used for aid and trade purposes, and does not recommend that trade is more important than aid. It should thus be clear that the current government policy on overseas students is not based solely on the reports of either this Committee or the Committee of Review of Private Overseas Student Policy. It is a compromise between the two and, as with most compromises, suffers from a number of inconsistencies.

Universities are providing short-term overseas study programs for healthcare students to increase their cultural competence (i.e., capacity to work effectively in cross-cultural situations). However, there is limited empirical research evaluating the effects of these programs using well-controlled research designs. In the present research study, undergraduate healthcare students in an Australian university were selected as participants. Group 1 (n = 32) participated in a short-term overseas study program in Asia (i.e., China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan), whereas Group 2 (n = 46) stayed in Australia to continue their university education as usual. All participants completed a self-developed demographic questionnaire, Cultural Intelligence Scale, and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire. Cultural competence was surveyed pre- and post-short-term overseas programs. After controlling for prior overseas experiences and the open-mindedness trait, an ANCOVA indicated that Group 1 had a significantly higher scores than Group 2 in cultural knowledge (p < 0.05), but not in cultural awareness, attitude, or skills. It is suggested that short-term overseas study programs may increase healthcare students’ cultural knowledge, a component of competence, and that more needs to be accomplished to improve other areas of cultural competence.

Accompanying an increasing emphasis on accepting skilled migrants into Australia is an increasing demand for recognition of overseas-gained qualifications and experience. Scant consideration has been given by the Australian early childhood profession into the possibilities and appropriateness of recognising and supporting skilled and experienced migrant early childhood professionals. This article explores one type of program which attempted such recognition and makes several key recommendations to the field on this issue.

In the post-Montara/Macondo world, the Australian petroleum industry has been actively represented on various working groups focused on the prevention, preparedness and response to significant oil spill incidents. Through the Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre (AMOSC) based in Geelong, Victoria, cooperation and coordination with other international associations has been occurring to ensure ‘reasonable steps’ are taken to develop preparedness and response arrangements commensurate with the risks associated with industry activities.Concurrently and here in Australia, a thorough review of the National Plan has allowed industry to work with government to develop or amend a range of initiatives aimed at ensuring that industry and government strategies are integrated for maximum efficiency in all circumstances. The scene has been set by a reviewed national risk assessment focusing on all activities of hydrocarbon movement around the Australian coastline. So what has Australian industry actually achieved post-Montara in prevention, preparedness and response to oil spills? This extended abstract shares and explains the practical outcomes of the industry initiatives of oil spills in Australia. The outcomes are planning requirements, equipment location, mutual aid arrangements, training programs and the extended services of industry oil spill response organisations in Australia and overseas.

The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) is a biosecurity initiative operated by the Australian federal government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE). It is unique worldwide because it deals specifically with the potential arrival via unregulated pathways of exotic threats from overseas in a vast and sparsely populated region. It aims to protect the nation’s animal- and plant-based production industries, as well as the environment, from incursions of organisms from countries that lie immediately to the north. These are diseases, pests, and weeds present in these countries that are currently either absent from, or under active containment in, Australia and may arrive by natural or human-assisted means. This review article focuses on the plant viruses and virus-like diseases that are most highly targeted by the NAQS program. It presents eight pathogen species/group entries in the NAQS A list of target pathogens, providing an overview of the historical and current situation, and collates some new data obtained from surveillance activities conducted in northern Australia and collaborative work overseas.

Eutrophication is one of the major environmental issues facing Australia. Responses to this issue include short-term management strategies principally focusing on operational activities, and long-term strategies focusing on nutrient reduction, flow management, education, monitoring and research. Because nutrients were found to be largely derived from rural areas, community education and involvement of land holders formed a central element of the longer-term strategies. The voluntary and co-operative approach adopted was considered to be more effective than a regulatory or coercive approach in improving diffuse phosphorus source management. Research was particularly necessary because of a relatively poor Australian knowledge base, and the need to rely on overseas understandings and management experiences. Australia has a number of environmental characteristics - episodic rainfall and runoff, higher year-round temperatures, old shallow soils and higher river turbidity - to suggest that research into the causes and management of eutrophication under Australian conditions is necessary. Historical reports suggest that some of these factors may make Australian waters naturally susceptible to eutrophication. The National Eutrophication Management Program was established to fund, co-ordinate and communicate research activities. Preliminary research findings suggest that the accepted northern hemisphere eutrophication paradigm does not always fit.

James W. Lance was a clinical neurologist who created the first university-based department of neurology in Australia. He championed academic enquiry and the scientific basis of clinical practice, and his research had two major themes, motor control and headache. After his doctoral studies on the pyramidal tract of the cat, he became a pioneer of the new field of motor control studied in human subjects, making seminal contributions on the control of muscle tone, reflexes and movement in healthy subjects and the pathophysiology of movement disorders in patients. At the same time he developed a clinical research program into the mechanisms and management of headache, in particular migraine. These studies evolved into parallel experiments in human subjects, cats and monkeys, probing the control of the cerebral circulation and the mechanisms underlying craniofacial pain, for which he received international acclaim in both fields. He received international and Australian honours and was the first practising clinician to be elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. He is rightfully credited with leading the development of academic neurology in Australia and overseas.

The aim of the present case study was to evaluate the service-wide implementation of Australia’s first older adult-specific early intervention called Older Wiser Lifestyles (OWL). OWL was designed to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm among people identified as being at risk. OWL used the Australian Alcohol-Related Problems Survey (A-ARPS) to classify people’s drinking patterns as non-hazardous, hazardous or harmful. Participants of the present study were aged ≥60 years and consumed alcohol in the past month, although they did not require treatment for dependence. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C) was used as a composite measure of alcohol consumption. Data were collected before intervention and 3 and 6 months after intervention. In all, 140 clients were screened and attended at least one appointment (54% male; mean (± s.d.) age 72.8±7.6 years). Generalised estimating equation (GEE) examined the correlations between the intervention groups, time point and outcomes of interest. At 6 months, significant reductions were observed in A-ARPS classification (P=0.001) and AUDIT-C scores (P=0.001) among all clients, regardless of the number of sessions or intervention group. These preliminary findings warrant a randomised clinical trial of the intervention. Until this is completed, Australian health care providers should still consider the early intervention to reduce the risk of alcohol consumption among older adults. What is known about this topic? Older Australians are increasingly drinking alcohol at levels that place them at risk of experiencing harm. Although early interventions have been developed overseas that have been shown to reduce risky drinking among older adults, no such program has been implemented in Australia. What does this paper add? We developed an early intervention program (OWL) that drew from and extended intervention protocols developed overseas. In particular, we added harm reduction as a component of the intervention. Harm reduction interventions do not appear to have been evaluated among older adults. The OWL program was evaluated and found to be associated with decreased levels of alcohol-related harm. What are the implications for practitioners? Older adults have different needs when it comes to considering risk of alcohol-related harm. Many are taking medications that interact with alcohol or have comorbid conditions that can be exacerbated by alcohol or more difficult to treat. Yet, many such individuals are not considered to be at risk due to poor screening among this population. The program we developed takes into account these age-specific factors and has been manualised. As such, it could be implemented by a variety of healthcare workers in numerous settings. We hope that practitioners are interested in trialling the program and that a randomised controlled trial is conducted to establish the efficacy of the program.

This study contributes to the understanding of the contribution of financial reserves to sustaining nonprofit organisations. Recognising the limited recent Australian research in the area of nonprofit financial vulnerability, it specifically examines financial reserves held by signatories to the Code of Conduct of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) for the years 2006 to 2010. As this period includes the Global Financial Crisis, it presents a unique opportunity to observe the role of savings in a period of heightened financial threats to sustainability. The need for nonprofit entities to maintain reserves, while appearing intuitively evident, is neither unanimously accepted nor supported by established theoretic constructs. Some early frameworks attempt to explain the savings behaviour of nonprofit organisations and its role in organisational sustainability. Where researchers have considered the issue, its treatment has usually been either purely descriptive or alternatively, peripheral to a broader attempt to predict financial vulnerability. Given the importance of nonprofit entities to civil society, the sustainability of these organisations during times of economic contraction, such as the recent Global Financial Crisis, is a significant issue. Widespread failure of nonprofits, or even the perception of failure, will directly affect, not only those individuals who access their public goods and services, but would also have impacts on public confidence in both government and the sectors’ ability to manage and achieve their purpose. This study attempts to ‘shine a light’ on the paradox inherent in considering nonprofit savings. On the one hand, a public prevailing view is that nonprofit organisations should not hoard and indeed, should spend all of their funds on the direct achievement of their purposes. Against this, is the commonsense need for a financial buffer if only to allow for the day to day contingencies of pay rises and cost increases. At the entity level, the extent of reserves accumulated (or not) is an important consideration for Management Boards. The general public are also interested in knowing the level of funds held by nonprofits as a measure of both their commitment to purpose and as an indicator of their effectiveness. There is a need to communicate the level and prevalence of reserve holdings, balancing the prudent hedging of uncertainty against a sense of resource hoarding in the mind of donors. Finally, funders (especially governments) are interested in knowing the appropriate level of reserves to facilitate the ongoing sustainability of the sector. This is particularly so where organisations are involved in the provision of essential public goods and services. At a scholarly level, the study seeks to provide a rationale for this behaviour within the context of appropriate theory. At a practical level, the study seeks to give an indication of the drivers for savings, the actual levels of reserves held within the sector studied, as well as an indication as to whether the presence of reserves did mitigate the effects of financial turmoil during the Global Financial Crisis. The argument is not whether there is a need to ensure sustainability of nonprofits, but rather how it is to be done and whether the holding of reserves (net assets) is an essential element is achieving this. While the study offers no simple answers, it does appear that the organisations studied present as two groups, the ‘savers’ who build reserves and keep ‘money in the bank’ and ‘spender-delivers’ who put their resources ‘on the ground’. To progress an understanding of this dichotomy, the study suggests a need to move from its current approach to one which needs to more closely explore accounts based empirical donor attitude and nonprofit Management Board strategy.

This study examines the impact of conditionality on the outcomes of Australian Government block grants for construction at three schools in Aceh. The study examines the impact of conditions designed to increase transparency, building quality, and also conditions aimed at protecting the environment; namely the condition excluding the use of unsustainably harvested timber.

A case study methodology was used to examine how conditionally affected outcomes across ten indicators of project success. This involved conducting face to face interviews in Aceh, Indonesia, with school heads, block grant committee heads, parent teacher committee heads, government officials, and Australian development practitioners. This primary data was analysed in conjunction with secondary data to draw conclusions about the impact on conditionality of block grant programs in schools.

Several conclusions are made which have implications for aid programs and individual development practitioners which are implementing community based construction methodologies. Recommendations are generated from the research findings which will improve the delivery of block grants for construction in schools in Aceh in the future.

It is recommended that:

1. Onerous conditions can be applied to block grant programs in the future, where they benefit Australian interests. However, strong engagement of government stakeholders is critical to maintaining a good relationship.

2. More effort be made by AusAID to explain onerous conditions, such as the condition not to use any non-sustainably harvested timber.

3. AusAID assesses the advantages and disadvantages of policies, such as that against the use of unsustainably harvested timber, before such policies are implemented.

4. School communities be engaged in consultation over building materials before projects begin. AusAID should decide on building materials in consultation with school communities, taking into account local capacity to maintain the selected materials.

5. Where possible, schools should be provided with as much freedom as possible over the choice of building materials.

6. In cases where AusAID deems that freedom over the choice of building materials is not possible, AusAID should take control of the building design, and the supply of building materials.

7. AusAID engages school communities on the strategies for maintenance during the design stage of infrastructure projects.

8. School communities should be required to demonstrate a capacity and a willingness to maintain infrastructure before projects are approved.

9. AusAID obtains a commitment from the Indonesian government to maintain schools as a condition of future projects.

10.More school infrastructure projects should use block grants for community based approaches to construction.

11. Schools have full financial control of their infrastructure projects.

12.Strict financial reporting requirements be continued in block grant programs.

13. Future block grant programs include the requirement of joint accounts between the school heads and the president of the school committee.

14.The condition of displaying financial reports on the school noticeboard be abolished.

15.The practice of issuing staggered payments be continued.

16.Tranche payments should be linked to satisfactory financial reporting by the school committee.

17.The practice of including a financial reporting format in the block grant agreement should also be continued.

18.The practice of transferring funds directly to the school committee be continued.

19. Schools should be required to produce evidence of land ownership as a prerequisite of the approval process.

20.The requirement of a detailed technical and financial proposal be continued in the future.

21.The condition ,requiring school committees to use separate committees for ordering and purchasing materials, should be abolished.

22. More schools be provided with the opportunity to estimate the timeframe of the implementation of their own infrastructure through block grants.

This thesis focuses on the emerging problem of education and training interventions in the overseas aid context, and focuses particularly on the current effectiveness of development assistance from the perspective of aid recipients. In particular, whilst significant efforts to measure and evaluate these training interventions have occurred in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, they have met with mixed success, and this is causing some concern in that local needs appear to be overlooked. In this investigation, a careful evaluation of existing training approaches, methodologies and evaluation frameworks has been made, through the eyes of respondents who are intimately concerned with overseas aid programs, in an attempt to suggest explicit improvements that could have significant impacts on training interventions in terms of sustainable skills development in recipient countries, and for improved donor engagement and benefit. Perspectives on vocational education and training, together with insights regarding the engagement of international agencies and advisors on systems development, have been accessed. To assist this work, an interpretivist approach was used in order to examine the cultural nuances at play, and to uncover the ‘stories’ around this engagement as told by the seventeen Indonesian and seventeen Timor-Leste respondents, who largely consisted of senior managers, trainers and administrators of development programs. The respondents were between the ages of 25-70, with a reasonable balance of women (1/3) and men (2/3). By taking a semiotic approach to the examination of the elements of development assistance, it was possible to take the stance of asking ‘its not what is included but what is not included’, which, it is asserted, has revealed more about the interventions and approaches than through more conventional evaluation approaches. The intent of this study was to more clearly inform practitioners of a range of meaningful approaches and policy directions for training program design and for monitoring and evaluation techniques, and in this respect the results have indicated that encouraging recipient country ownership ensures engagement and this can be achieved through piloting training interventions which have ‘shared ownership models’ of delivery. Providing information on, and sharing information around, evaluation practice and conducting evaluations based upon designed intent would improve development practice. In addition, the study has designed and presented a ‘model of meaningful intervention practice’, intended to guide future practice, which includes suggestions and approaches to give voice to the recipients of aid, and to avoid the growing charge of ‘outsider’ perceptions which are proving to be of questionable. The findings of this study would provide valuable insights for policy makers, administrators, and trainers in both donor and recipient countries.

This paper looks at the development of Electronic Commerce specialisations in an MBA program, and particularly at a recent specialisation developed at Victoria University, Australia for its local and overseas MBA students. These MBA specialisations are very popular in Australia, and half of the MBA programs with specialisations have one in an e-Commerce related field. An examination of some of these specialisations highlighted in the literature, or in Australian universities, shows that the two most popular topics in them are e-Marketing, the management of e-Commerce in business and e-Commerce business models. Victoria University has recently introduced an e-Commerce specialisation that targets these areas, as well as other popular uses of Internet technologies in business and the development of e-Commerce web sites. This specialisation is explained in the paper, along with the different modes ol the specialisation delivered at Victoria University campuses in Melbourne, Singapore and Beijing.

Aim/Purpose: [This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2018 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 15] The aim of this study was to concept test a novel instructional aid called Virtual Pathology Learning Resource (VPLR), which was used as a vehicle to communicate information, and enhance teaching and learning of basic sciences (Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology) to allied health science students at a South Australian university. Background: Pathology was traditionally taught using potted specimens to independently review macroscopic features of disease. However, this approach alone was found inadequate and ineffective. For one, the potted specimens were not easily accessible for all students. VPLR is a new teaching platform comprising of digitised human normal and human pathology specimens (histology, histopathology), patient case studies, short answer and critical thinking questions, and self-assessment quizzes. Using authentic learning theory as an educational approach, this learning resource was developed to enhance the teaching and learning of Pathology. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was used. A survey, administered at the conclusion of the course, gathered qualitative and quantitative data concerning the perceptions and experiences of the students about VPLR. The online tool SurveyMonkey was utilised so that students could respond anonymously to a web link that displayed the questionnaire. The effectiveness of the program and its perceived impact on students was assessed using a 18-item questionnaire seeking agreement or disagreement with statements about VPLR, and open-ended questions querying the best things about VPLR, benefits to be derived, and areas for improvement. Descriptive and frequency analyses were performed. Contribution: The VPLR approach involved rich learning situations, contextualised content, and facilitated greater understanding of disease concepts and problems. Findings: In a sample of 103 Medical Radiation students, 42% of students (N=43) responded to the post-intervention survey. The majority of students reported highly positive effects for each component of the VPLR. The overall results indicated that this tool was an effective strategy in teaching Pathology as it assisted students' gaining knowledge and developing professional imaging skills. Recommendations for Practitioners: As students found VLPR to be beneficial, it is recommended that the same approach be applied for teaching of Pathology to other allied health students, such as Nursing. Other universities might consider adopting this innovation for their courses. Recommendation for Researchers: Applying VPLR to other allied health science students will be undertaken next. This innovation will be appropriate for other health science students with particular emphasis on case-based or problem-based learning, and combined with clinical experiences. Impact on Society: In reshaping the way of teaching a science course, students are benefited by a greater depth of understanding of content, and increase motivation with study. These are important to keep students engaged and prepared for practice. VPLR may impact on education and technology trends so that continuous exploration and possibilities of initiatives are ongoing to help students be successful learners. Other impacts are the new forms of learning discovered, and the renewed focus on group work and collaboration and the use of technology in innovation. Future Research: Future directions of this research would be to conduct a follow-up of this cohort of students to determine if the impacts of the innovation were durable, that means the change in perceptions and behaviour are sustained over time.

This report critically examines, for the first time, the capacity of Canada’s water sector with respect to meeting and helping other countries meet the water-related targets of the UN’s global sustainable development agenda. Several components of this capacity are examined, including water education and research, investment in water projects that Canada makes internally and externally, and experiences in water technology and governance. Analysis of the water education system suggests that there is a broad capability in institutions of higher learning in Canada to offer training in the diverse subject areas important in water. In most cases, however, this has not led to the establishment of specific water study programmes. Only a few universities provide integrated water education. There is a need for a comprehensive listing of water-related educational activities in universities and colleges — a useful resource for potential students and employers. A review of recent Canadian water research directions and highlights reveals strong and diverse water research capacity and placed the country among global leaders in this field. Canada appears to be within the top 10 countries in terms of water research productivity (publications) and research impact (citations). Research capacity has been traditionally strong in the restoration and protection of the lakes, prediction of changes in climate, water and cryosphere (areas where water is in solid forms such as ice and snow), prediction and management of floods and droughts. There is also a range of other strong water research directions. Canada is not among the top 10 global water aid donors in absolute dollar numbers; the forerunners are, as a rule, the countries with higher GDP per capita. Canadian investments in Africa water development were consistently higher over the years than investments in other regions of the global South. The contributions dropped significantly in recent years overall, also with a decline in aid flow to Africa. Given government support for the right business model and access to resources, there is significant capacity within the Canadian water sector to deliver water technology projects with effective sustainable outcomes for the developing world. The report recommends several potential avenues to elevate Canada’s role on the global water stage, i.e. innovative, diverse and specific approaches such as developing a national inventory of available water professional capacity, and ranking Universities on the strength of their water programmes coordinating national contributions to global sustainability processes around the largest ever university-led water research programme in the world – the 7-year Global Water Futures program targeting specific developmental or regional challenges through overseas development aid to achieve quick wins that may require only modest investments resolving such chronic internal water challenges as water supply and sanitation of First Nations, and illustrating how this can be achieved within a limited period with good will strengthening and expanding links with UN-Water and other UN organisations involved in global water policy work To improve water management at home, and to promote water Canadian competence abroad, the diverse efforts of the country’s water sector need better coordination. There is a significant role for government at all levels, but especially federally, in this process.

Emergency Relief (ER) is a Department of Social Services (DSS) funded program, delivered by 197 community organisations (ER Providers) across Australia, to assist people facing a financial crisis with financial/material aid and referrals to other support programs. ER has been playing this important role in Australian communities since 1979. Without ER, more people living in Australia who experience a financial crisis might face further harm such as crippling debt or homelessness. The Emergency Relief National Coordination Group (NCG) was established in April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to advise the Minister for Families and Social Services on the implementation of ER. To inform its advice to the Minister, the NCG partnered with the Institute for Governance at the University of Canberra to conduct research to understand the issues and challenges faced by ER Providers and Service Users in local contexts across Australia. The research involved a desktop review of the existing literature on ER service provision, a large survey which all Commonwealth ER Providers were invited to participate in (and 122 responses were received), interviews with a purposive sample of 18 ER Providers, and the development of a program logic and theory of change for the Commonwealth ER program to assess progress. The surveys and interviews focussed on ER Provider perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses, future challenges, and areas of improvement for current ER provision. The trend of increasing case complexity, the effectiveness of ER service delivery models in achieving outcomes for Service Users, and the significance of volunteering in the sector were investigated. Separately, an evaluation of the performance of the NCG was conducted and a summary of the evaluation is provided as an appendix to this report. Several themes emerged from the review of the existing literature such as service delivery shortcomings in dealing with case complexity, the effectiveness of case management, and repeat requests for service. Interviews with ER workers and Service Users found that an uplift in workforce capability was required to deal with increasing case complexity, leading to recommendations for more training and service standards. Several service evaluations found that ER delivered with case management led to high Service User satisfaction, played an integral role in transforming the lives of people with complex needs, and lowered repeat requests for service. A large longitudinal quantitative study revealed that more time spent with participants substantially decreased the number of repeat requests for service; and, given that repeat requests for service can be an indicator of entrenched poverty, not accessing further services is likely to suggest improvement. The interviews identified the main strengths of ER to be the rapid response and flexible use of funds to stabilise crisis situations and connect people to other supports through strong local networks. Service Users trusted the system because of these strengths, and ER was often an access point to holistic support. There were three main weaknesses identified. First, funding contracts were too short and did not cover the full costs of the program—in particular, case management for complex cases. Second, many Service Users were dependent on ER which was inconsistent with the definition and intent of the program. Third, there was inconsistency in the level of service received by Service Users in different geographic locations. These weaknesses can be improved upon with a joined-up approach featuring co-design and collaborative governance, leading to the successful commissioning of social services. The survey confirmed that volunteers were significant for ER, making up 92% of all workers and 51% of all hours worked in respondent ER programs. Of the 122 respondents, volunteers amounted to 554 full-time equivalents, a contribution valued at $39.4 million. In total there were 8,316 volunteers working in the 122 respondent ER programs. The sector can support and upskill these volunteers (and employees in addition) by developing scalable training solutions such as online training modules, updating ER service standards, and engaging in collaborative learning arrangements where large and small ER Providers share resources. More engagement with peak bodies such as Volunteering Australia might also assist the sector to improve the focus on volunteer engagement. Integrated services achieve better outcomes for complex ER cases—97% of survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed this was the case. The research identified the dimensions of service integration most relevant to ER Providers to be case management, referrals, the breadth of services offered internally, co-location with interrelated service providers, an established network of support, workforce capability, and Service User engagement. Providers can individually focus on increasing the level of service integration for their ER program to improve their ability to deal with complex cases, which are clearly on the rise. At the system level, a more joined-up approach can also improve service integration across Australia. The key dimensions of this finding are discussed next in more detail. Case management is key for achieving Service User outcomes for complex cases—89% of survey respondents either agreed or strongly agreed this was the case. Interviewees most frequently said they would provide more case management if they could change their service model. Case management allows for more time spent with the Service User, follow up with referral partners, and a higher level of expertise in service delivery to support complex cases. Of course, it is a costly model and not currently funded for all Service Users through ER. Where case management is not available as part of ER, it might be available through a related service that is part of a network of support. Where possible, ER Providers should facilitate access to case management for Service Users who would benefit. At a system level, ER models with a greater component of case management could be implemented as test cases. Referral systems are also key for achieving Service User outcomes, which is reflected in the ER Program Logic presented on page 31. The survey and interview data show that referrals within an integrated service (internal) or in a service hub (co-located) are most effective. Where this is not possible, warm referrals within a trusted network of support are more effective than cold referrals leading to higher take-up and beneficial Service User outcomes. However, cold referrals are most common, pointing to a weakness in ER referral systems. This is because ER Providers do not operate or co-locate with interrelated services in many cases, nor do they have the case management capacity to provide warm referrals in many other cases. For mental illness support, which interviewees identified as one of the most difficult issues to deal with, ER Providers offer an integrated service only 23% of the time, warm referrals 34% of the time, and cold referrals 43% of the time. A focus on referral systems at the individual ER Provider level, and system level through a joined-up approach, might lead to better outcomes for Service Users. The program logic and theory of change for ER have been documented with input from the research findings and included in Section 4.3 on page 31. These show that ER helps people facing a financial crisis to meet their immediate needs, avoid further harm, and access a path to recovery. The research demonstrates that ER is fundamental to supporting vulnerable people in Australia and should therefore continue to be funded by government.