Journal articles on the topic 'Genetic engineering Government policy Australia'

Objective. Health policy and law reform agencies lack a sound evidence base of the impacts of patents on innovation and access to healthcare to assist them in their deliberations. This paper reports the results of a survey of managers of Australian genetic testing laboratories that asked a series of questions relating to the tests they perform, whether they pay to access patented inventions and whether they have received notifications from patent holders about patents associated with particular tests. Results. Some diagnostics facilities are exposed to patent costs, but they are all located in the private sector. No public hospitals reported paying licence fees or royalties beyond those included in the price of commercial test kits. Some respondents reported having received enforcement notices from patent holders, but almost all related to the widely known breast cancer-associated patents. Respondents were also asked for their views on the most effective mechanisms to protect their ability to provide genetic tests now and in the future. Going to the media, paying licence fees, ignoring patent rights and relying on the government to take action were widely seen as most effective. Litigation and applications for compulsory licences were seen as some of the least effective mechanisms. Conclusion. These results provide an evidence base for development of health policy and law reform. What is known about the topic? The impact of patents on the delivery of genetic testing services remains unclear in Australia. What does this paper add? The survey reported in this paper suggests that, aside from well-known enforcement actions relating to the breast cancer associated patents, there is little evidence that providers of genetic testing services are being exposed to aggressive patent-enforcement practices. What are the implications for practitioners? Although patent-enforcement actions may increase in the future, a range of strategies are available to providers of testing services to protect them against adverse consequences of such actions. There are ongoing law reform activities aimed at improving these strategies.

AbstractResearch has shown that agricultural professionals are one of the major influences on farmer adoption of agricultural innovations. Genetic engineering and organic farming represent two vastly different innovations in agriculture, and both assert to have important sustainability outcomes. This paper presents the views from a telephone survey of agricultural scientists, extension officers and academics in Australia (n=185) on the barriers to further adoption of organic farming and agricultural genetic engineering, as well as exploring where they obtain their information about the two innovations. Many professionals believe that market issues (in terms of small market size and the extent that consumers are willing to pay premiums) will limit the size of farmer adoption of organics in Australia, while on-farm issues (in terms of production difficulties and pest and disease problems) are named as the second largest barrier to further adoption. On the other hand, professionals from the targeted sample, who were more knowledgeable about organic farming, named information needs and lack of government support as the major barrier facing further diffusion of organic farming. In contrast, public attitudes and negative media portrayal are named as the largest barrier facing further adoption of genetic engineering in Australia. The uncertainty surrounding the research into genetic engineering (and the lack of long-term research) is believed to be the second largest barrier facing further diffusion of genetic engineering while market problems are seen as the third largest barrier.

Municipal waste management has become a challenging issue with the rise in urban populations and changes in people’s habits, particularly in developing countries. Moreover, government policy plays an important role associated with municipal waste management. Thus, this research proposes the regional location routing problem (RLRP) model and multi-depot regional location routing problem (MRLRP) model, which are extensions of the location routing problem (LRP), to provide a better municipal waste collection process. The model is constructed to cover the minimum number of depot facilities’ policy requirements for each region due to government policy, i.e., the large-scale social restrictions in each region. The goal is to determine the depot locations in each region and the vehicles’ routes for collecting waste to fulfill inter-regional independent needs at a minimum total cost. This research conducts numerical examples with actual data to illustrate the model and implements a hybrid genetic algorithm and simulated annealing optimization to solve the problem. The results show that the proposed method efficiently solves the RLRP and MRLRP.

Integration means different things to different people and as a consequence appears to only partially deliver on promised outcomes. For effective integrated water cycle management these outcomes should include improved water use efficiency, less waste, environmental sustainability, and provide secure and reliable supply to meet social and economic needs. The objective of integration is the management and combination of all these outcomes as part of a whole, so as to provide better outcomes than would be expected by managing the parts independently. Integration is also a consequence of the Water Reforms embarked on by the NSW State Government in 1995. The key goals of the reforms are clean and healthy rivers and groundwaters, and the establishment of more secure water entitlements for users. They are also essential for meeting the Council of Australian Government (COAG) water management strategies. The policies and guidelines that formed the NSW Water Reforms were the basis of the Water Management Act 2000 (NSW) (WMA) which is the legislative framework for water management in NSW. The NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation has developed an approach to integrated water cycle management for rural centres in NSW based on a catchment and policy context. This approach includes consideration of catchment wide needs and issues, environmental sustainability, government policy and community objectives in the development of an integrated water cycle plan. The approach provides for a transparent assessment of priorities and how to deal with them, and while specific to urban centres, could easily be expanded for use in the management of the whole of the catchment water cycle. Integration of the water cycle is expected to offer benefits to the local environment, community and economy. For instance, any unused proportion of an urban centre's water entitlement, or an offset against this entitlement created through returned flows (such as via good quality sewage effluent discharge to a river), can provide a surplus which is available to be traded on an annual basis. Further, improved demand management within an urban centre can be expected to result in a reduction in abstraction against the licence entitlement. This may result in the increased availability of in-stream water for environmental or other purposes and is expected to increase the economic value of returned water. Improved water use efficiencies are also expected to result in reduced capital works (and their associated costs) as the efficiency of service delivery and resource use improves. In this paper an example of the application of this process is provided and the outcomes discussed.

Purpose: This study examined the relationship between corporate governance attributes and performance of state-owned enterprises through review of literature. The study specifically sought to establish the relationship between corporate governance attributes of accountability, transparency, transformational leadership and stakeholder engagement; and performance of state-owned enterprises with government policy objective as the mediating variable. The study was anchored on Agency, Signalling, Transformational Leadership and Stakeholder Theories to narrow the literature gap. Methodology: The study adopted desk research design through reviewing of relevant literature relating to corporate governance attributes and performance of state-owned enterprises. The study also summarized major contributions of significant studies on the relationship between corporate governance and performance. In addition, the study discussed the theoretical and methodological gaps in the reviewed literature on corporate governance and performance for further research. Findings: Reviewed primary and secondary literature sources showed that, more transparency allows for greater accountability and contributes to better performance by state-owned enterprises. Further, countries that have been able to improve their corporate governance standards and practices have also been able to improve the business environment for and performance of both private and state-owned companies. In addition, SOEs’ performance is influenced by adoption and implementation of corporate governance practices. However, the difference in financial performance of SOEs may be due to several factors including set government policy objectives that constrain the performance of the SOEs. Moreover, countries with ineffective governance and low accountability continue to experience weak SOE performance, poor delivery of public services, stifled competitiveness and growth including through the crowding-out of private companies and increased opportunities for political patronage and corruption. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that the principal objective of SOE reforms should be to improve SOEs’ accountability and efficiency by establishing and enforcing adequate reporting of their performance while holding them accountable for reaching or their targets. In addition, the state ownership policy should fully recognize SOE’s responsibilities towards stakeholders and request that SOEs report on their relations with stakeholders. Further, it should make clear any expectations the state has in respect of responsible business conduct by SOE.

Australian projects designed for the production, distribution and use of energy are generally governed by specific legislation within individual States, mostly for the promotion and regulation of resource development. These projects are also subject to environmental protection provisions in Commonwealth and State legislation, in particular environmental impact assessment legislation, which has a much longer history than in Europe. This paper examines the application of the Commonwealth and the South Australian environmental impact assessment legislation to South Australian energy related projects, focusing on the period from 1982–1993. The paper notes the importance of the State government and its instrumentalities in all major energy supply and energy use projects. The paper also notes that significant energy related projects are subject to public scrutiny through the environmental impact assessment process in South Australia but that key energy policy decisions which may also have significant impacts are not subject to the same public scrutiny. The paper concludes by canvassing strategic environmental assessment options as an alternative to project based assessment for energy related projects.

The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has received considerable attention in both the literature and government policy in the 21st century. The participation and graduation rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs have remained low and are becoming a particular focus in universities across Australia. This paper reflects on the life and contribution of David Unaipon, the enrolment data from a small sample of universities across Australia and the literature to discuss potential strategies for improving the access to, participation in and graduation from higher education STEM courses.

AbstractNanobiotechnology is an immensely potential invention, which is expected to bring about revolutionary changes in many aspects of essential human needs including medical treatments and foods. Although the technology has passed through its embryonic stage, its medical applications in preparing and delivering drugs to target cells of human bodies to cure incurable diseases are still under scientific scrutiny. A 2007 study suggests that Australia needs to have a review of its regulatory framework for nanotechnology by 2017. This article examines the current regulation of nanotechnology and its medical applications in Australia, and observes that it would be premature to impose any stringent regulation at this stage on medical experimentations. We are of the view that an excessively precautionary policy may hinder further research, which is critical to discovering the benefit and harm with certainty. Hence, in the greater interest of the facilitation of research and affirmation of benefits of this technology, we recommend that adopting a hybrid regulatory method composed of self-regulation and accommodating government regulation would be an appropriate policy approach to the regulation of nanobiotechnology. We also accept the need for a set of internationally harmonized policy principles to guide our actions in relation to this technology.

Despite progress in various areas of development, rates of food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty remain high. Additional environmental pressures such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation continue to disproportionately impact those who are most vulnerable. Inclusive models of co-operative action, as emphasised in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, are valued for their potential to solve development challenges, promote sustainable development outcomes, and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. International co-operation policy plays a crucial role in shaping how these international partnerships play out in practice. Over the several decades, the international development co-operation landscape has been shifting with a push for more ‘horizontal’ partnerships. Triangular co-operation is a potential model of partnership that embraces inclusivity and horizontality and is seen as a means to achieve the sustainable development agenda. In Australia, the election of a new federal government in May 2022 brought with it a renewed commitment to official development assistance and development co-operation policy and partnerships. The aim of this commentary is to take stock, pause, and reflect on how Australia currently ‘does development partnerships’ as well as looking to the future and the opportunities for change.

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy requires cooperation from all, including corporations, shareholders, and institutional investors. The purpose of this paper is to explore climate change litigation risks for Australian energy companies and investors from a policy and governance perspective. Companies are increasingly reporting their climate policies to satisfy their shareholders and investor demands. In addition, the government and judiciary are making laws and decisions to support the Paris Agreement. This paper explores whether company directors can and, in some cases, should be considering the impact of climate change litigation risks on their business, or else risk breaching their obligation to exercise care and diligence under the Corporation Act 2001 (Cth, Australia). The paper concludes that in addition to reducing climate change litigation risks, Australian energy companies and institutional investment bodies that invest in Australian energy companies can make informed climate risk decisions by aligning their investments with the goal of net-zero or reduced emissions.

The Wimmera River is central western Victoria's most important river, rising in the Grampians National Park, filling storages that supply the major water supply to the vast Wimmera and Mallee regions. It passes through the Little Desert National Park, an area of significant scenic, recreation, historical and conservation value and terminates in Victoria's largest inland freshwater lakes (Lakes Hindmarsh and Albacutya). The brittleness of the whole closed Wimmera River system, and the over committal of the water resources was brought to the public's attention when appeals were lodged against the proposal to licence a discharge of high standard secondary effluent from an extended aeration oxidation ditch and lagoon treatment facility at Horsham. Residents, user and community groups, Municipal Councils and Government Departments, aware of the deterioration of the Wimmera River had somewhere to focus their attention. Victoria's and possibly Australia's longest environmental appeal, lasting twenty-five days, and a State Environment Protection Policy, determined that all major point sources of nutrients should be removed from the River. More resources for clearing of unwanted emergent weeds, more facilities for protection of Crown Land and catchments generally, and the implementation of environmental summer flows as piping of the Wimmera-Mallee Stock and Domestic System proceeds, are all required. A River Management Board with strength, wealth, good public relations and a dedication to the task could make the Wimmera River an example for all Australia and a tourist attraction of immense value to the region.

Tourist destinations worldwide are periodically jeopardised by natural disaster events that threaten tourists’ safety; consequently, the tourism industry is impacted. Mass media has a role to communicate and warn the public about disaster. Media portrayal on disaster events is likely to contribute to the tourism industry recovery and resilience. However, media has played a role in sending a negative message to tourists, making them hesitate to visit the destination. Limited researches have focused on how the media frames disaster events, and how policy makers could intervene. Based on analysis of media coverage of the Surabaya terrorist attack in 2018 and Mt. Agung eruption in 2017, this paper looked at how media framed disaster events and its consequences to the tourism industry policy. A content analysis of mass media from both national and international newspapers of Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore were conducted. The research identified five different framings on the two disasters, including source of problems, impact, solution, responsibility, and adaptive versus maladaptive. Findings also highlights the limited policy response towards these potentially negative media portrayal. Based on these findings, partnership between media and the government should be fostered to encourage post-disaster recovery.

The climate of Australia is characterised by extremes. Record floods interrupt record droughts at irregular intervals so that water is unevenly distributed. The traditional way of managing water resources by dam storages is no longer acceptable. Community consultation in SE Queensland has shown that a majority of people object to the disposal of sewage effluent into our environmentally sensitive waterways and favour re-use. The concept of potable re-use has largely been community driven and is now being seriously considered. An on-going information and awareness program is being implemented. The Queensland State Government is forming a Water Re-use Strategy and a policy on potable re-use, the support for which is increasing.

Road safety is an ongoing challenge to sustainable mobility and transportation. The target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) suggests reframing the issue with a broader outlook and pragmatic system. Unlike previous road safety strategies and models that favour engineering solutions and legal instruments, there is an increasing need to consider local context and complexities. While such principles have been increasingly featured in higher-level policy frameworks in national or state-level strategies (e.g., Safe System or Vision Zero approach), an effort to translate them into implementable actions for local development areas is absent. To address this gap, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework to examine the nature and extent to which statewide principles are translated into local government policies. We outline a 4C Framework (consisting of clarity, capability, changing context, and community engagement) to evaluate local policy integration in Perth, Western Australia. A five-point indicative scale is applied to evaluate the selected policy instruments against this framework. The results show that only a little over a quarter (27%) demonstrated a highly satisfactory performance in capturing higher-level policy objectives. The low-scoring councils failed to demonstrate the ability to consider future changes and inclusive road design. Councils along the periphery having new residential development showed comparatively greater success in translating overarching strategies. Regional cooperation has been very effective in enabling local agencies to adopt a more sustainable pathway to road safety measures. The criteria proposed within the framework will play a pivotal role in effective policy integration and to achieve more context-sensitive outcomes that are beyond the scope of modern road safety strategies.

SUMMARYTrade in ornamental marine species in Australia, a country with relatively stringent import controls, was investigated using a telephone survey of wholesalers and retailers, and a desktop review of internet import databases and hobbyist trading websites. Information on the regulatory framework was obtained from government and other published or online sources, and from staff of regulatory agencies. Although the trade is small relative to that in the USA, Europe and parts of Asia, Australia imports significant numbers of marine fish each year for the aquarium trade. Many of the more than 200 species imported have the potential to become environmental and/or economic pests. Imported individuals of native species could act as vectors of disease or affect the genetic diversity of native populations if they were released into the wild. Regulatory measures include the use of lists of permitted species of plants and animals, a case-by-case risk assessment process for species not on these lists, and requirements for health certification and quarantining of imported stock. Once within Australia, however, translocation is less rigorously controlled, being managed by individual states and based largely on lists of prohibited species, though generally with scope for case-by-case assessment and refusal of permits for unwanted species, such as recognized pests. Wholesalers and retailers interviewed generally showed a responsible attitude to the disposal of dead or unwanted stock, but awareness and understanding of the potential pest risk of ornamental marine species was generally poor. The importance of raising public awareness of the pest potential of ornamental marine species is likely to increase with the growing importance of mail-order and internet trade.

The Australian construction industry is facing a mental health crisis; poor mental health indicators are significantly higher than the all-industry average. Despite a growing body of research into the mental health of the industry’s workforce, concerns have been raised about its alignment with regulatory developments in this area. This raises questions about the relevance of research to support mental health policy development in Australia and evidence-based research on mental health policy relating to the construction industry. However, there has been no research to explore the extent of this problem. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by reporting the results of a systematic review of peer-reviewed mental health research using the PRISMA scoping review methodology. The results reveal significant misalignment between existing research and Australian government regulation in this area. A particularly low level of research–policy alignment is found in the areas of: violence and traumatic events at work, financial concerns, poor organizational change management, workplace injustice, and social support. The paper concludes with recommendations for new avenues of mental health research to address these gaps, enabling closer alignment between mental health research and regulatory reform. It is concluded that this will facilitate more relevant research and improved evidence-based decision-making in this important field of research and policy development.

Similar to much of the world, the Australian Government has a vision for society to be engaged in and enriched by science which has, as its prime focus, building skills and capabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Simultaneously, the Government’s policies and projects, including in education, ignore intergovernmental environmental initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This article critically analyses the Australian Government’s STEM and climate change education policies and programs, including Citizen Science activities, through an ecological education lens and finds many, and growing, gaps and silences in these areas. It compares the Australian situation with STEM and ecological education-related developments in several other countries. In the context of significant global changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this article argues that it is time for the Australian education agenda to take the Government’s international responsibilities seriously, include meaningful engagement with climate change and biodiversity related topics through ecological education in the school curriculum, and discusses what a reimagined school science curriculum could look like.

This extended abstract identifies potential strengths in the resources sector supply chain, with particular reference to the oil and gas sector. It identifies areas of strength in the supply chain, particularly in fields such as geotechnical services, software, instrumentation, electrical engineering, project management, consultancy, and so on. It argues for a consistent policy approach across the many policy- and service-provision actors involved to maximise industry-development chances in the medium and long term. The economic benefits of the price, investment, and volume impacts of the present phase of mineral and resource development are well documented. They are expected to generate a continuing step increase in Australia's GDP, with benefits that will last for many years. Many actors are involved in shaping policy and providing research and other services across the commonwealth and state spheres. Relevant actors extend beyond government to agencies such as the CSIRO, the CRCs, industry associations, and research capabilities of universities and other institutions pertinent to the sector. The policy setting is complex, but there is an opportunity to build on and expand the industry and services base underpinning the resources-sector supply chain. In this regard, Australia can learn lessons from Norway where a deliberate policy strategy has helped established a vibrant offshore sector, admittedly in a considerably different institutional context. This extended abstract reviews the Norwegian experience against Australian developments and seeks to understand the role policy has played in this case. This experience is then transposed to the Australian situation.

Decentralised water supply systems are becoming increasingly affordable and commonplace in Australia and have the potential to alleviate urban water shortages and reduce pollution into natural receiving marine and freshwater streams. Learning processes are necessary to support the efficient implementation of decentralised systems. These processes reveal the complex socio-technical and institutional factors to be considered when developing an enabling environment supporting decentralised water and wastewater servicing solutions. Critical to the technological transition towards established decentralised systems is the ability to create strategic and adaptive capacity to promote learning and dialogue. Learning processes require institutional mechanisms to ensure the lessons are incorporated into the formulation of policy and regulation, through constructive involvement of key government institutions. Engagement of stakeholders is essential to the enabling environment. Collaborative learning environments using systems analysis with communities (social learning) and adaptive management techniques are useful in refining and applying scientists' and managers' knowledge (knowledge management).

Abstrak Beberapa tahun terakhir, pemenuhan permintaan daging sapi di Indonesia masih bergantung pada impor khususnya dari Australia. Impor daging sapi dapat menstabilkan harga daging sapi domestik, tetapi di lain sisi dapat menekan pendapatan peternak lokal. Implementasi dari IA-CEPA adalah penghapusan tarif impor dan TRQ (Tariff Rate Quota) untuk komoditas sapi hidup. Penghapusan tarif menyebabkan harga sapi yang masuk ke Indonesia menjadi lebih murah dan memperbesar peluang peningkatan volume impor sapi hidup. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis skenario terbaik untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan pelaku ekonomi dengan menggunakan model persamaan simultan 2SLS (two stage least square). Simulasi dilakukan untuk tiga skenario yaitu skenario penghapusan tarif, penetapan kuota, dan TRQ. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa skenario penghapusan tarif memberikan total peningkatan kesejahteraan pelaku ekonomi terbesar yaitu 115 miliar dengan rincian defisit 736 miliar bagi produsen, surplus 936 miliar bagi konsumen, dan defisit 85 miliar untuk penerimaan pemerintah. Oleh karena itu, skenario yang direkomendasikan adalah skenario penghapusan tarif pada impor sapi dari Australia. Kata Kunci: 2SLS, IA-CEPA, Pasar Daging Sapi Abstract Recently, demand fulfillment of beef in Indonesia depended on imports, especially from Australia. import can stabilize the domestic price of beef, but the other hand can suppress the income of local farmers. Implementation of IA-CEPA policies is the elimination of import tariff and TRQ (tariff rate quota) for live cattle commodities. Elimination of import tariff causes the price of cattle to enter Indonesia to be cheaper and increases the opportunity to increase the import volume of live cattle. The study aims to investigate the best scenario that can improve the welfare of economic actors using simultaneous equation model 2SLS (two-stage least squares). Three scenarios that simulated are eliminating tariff, setting quota, and TRQ. The result shows that eliminating tariffs gives the largest total welfare increase of economic actors that is 115 billion, with a 736 billion deficit for producers, 936 billion surplus for consumers, and 85 billion deficit for government revenue. Therefore, the policy recommendation is the scenario of eliminating tariffs on cattle imports from Australia. Keywords: 2SLS, IA-CEPA, Beef Market JEL Classification: C53, F12, F13

Project and program alliances have been an accepted form of project procurement for public infrastructure engineering projects in Australia and New Zealand (Australasia). Alliancing often provides best value and superior value for money when compared to traditional approaches such as Design and Construct, however considerable debate continues about its success and applicability. This paper reports on three studies of completed construction project alliance performance in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Consolidated findings are presented on 61 project alliances, data is analysed and emerging trends discussed. Recent government policy changes in Australia at Federal and State level have led to a decline in the number of project alliances, however, while the volume of alliance activity is declining it still represents billions of dollars of infrastructure construction work being undertaken. Results also revealed that communication and trust between the executive leadership and operational management teams was a major factor contributing to the functioning of the alliance. Furthermore, the research identifies several key factors that were necessary preconditions for successful alliances.Paper Type: Research article

A range of energy sources are used by households across the globe, including electricity, gas, solar, and wood. While there is a large body of international research aimed at understanding household energy use in general, very few studies have focused on the specific topic of residential firewood consumption. In Australia, empirical research to investigate and quantify residential firewood consumption is scarce and outdated, despite the importance of such research for better understanding overall household energy costs and carbon emissions. Unlike other power sources, such as electricity, gas and solar, firewood consumption is not systematically monitored or measured in an objective way, thereby making it difficult to obtain accurate data on the amount of firewood consumed in the residential sector. To address this data gap, the current study used survey data from a sample of 4844 households (including 1168 firewood users) to explore what socio-demographic, dwelling-related and behavioural factors were important for predicting the amount of firewood consumed by Australian households. The results revealed that a range of variables—including geographical location, dwelling type, the number of wood-fired appliances per household, and behavioural factors such as the purpose, timing, frequency, and duration of firewood use—were key determinants of residential firewood consumption in Australia, as self-reported by households. Together, these findings underscore the value of measuring not only geographical and location-based factors in household surveys, but also a range of socio-demographic, dwelling-related, and behavioural variables. By doing so, self-report data collected through surveys is likely to better predict the amount of residential firewood consumption reported (or estimated) by households. Overall, this study makes an important and timely contribution to the literature by demonstrating how social science methods such as household surveys can help improve current estimates of residential firewood consumption used to inform government policy, planning, and decision-making for the future.

Impacts from urban stormwater runoff on receiving environments have been well documented, particularly through specific regional scientific studies. Using various local government planning and management elements, urban developments in Brisbane City are now able to address stormwater management in an increasingly holistic context. One key initiative includes facilitating Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) components within an Integrated Water Management Strategy that looks at policy formation, planning strategies, design option, community marketing and acceptance, maintenance programs and finally evaluation of various WSUD approaches. These can include the use of Natural Channel Designs, grassed swales, bio-filtration systems, porous pavements and roofwater tanks in several economic combinations. By linking with the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, Brisbane City Council has influenced the design of WSUD planning tools and benefited the city with academic inputs into extensive evaluation programs. As well, it has also contributed to the Cooperative Research Centre's research outcomes. These evaluation programs are increasingly providing better understanding of various stormwater quality best management practices throughout Australia. As part of the overall implementation process, active involvement by a range of stakeholders has been crucial. These stakeholders have included internal planning, development assessment and design staff, external consultants, developers, and other local and state government agencies. The latter two groups are assisting in the important task of “regionalisation” of Brisbane City Council's policies and guidelines. Implementation of WSUD initiatives and stormwater re-use strategies under Council's new “Integrated Water Management” agenda are showing some excellent results, suggesting that sustainable urban development is no longer like the search for the Holy Grail.

Purpose University students are the future driving forces in and leaders of the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry advancement. Although BIM pedagogical studies have been performed in different institutions, there has not been sufficient research providing a global perspective of BIM education and students’ perceptions toward BIM practice and application following their learning progress. The purpose of this paper is to adopt student samples from Swinburne University of Technology (SUT, Australia), Wenzhou University (WZU, China) and University of Brighton (UK) as three case studies to investigate the BIM practice and application-related perceptions and motivations. Design/methodology/approach Based on the thorough understanding of the BIM pedagogical delivery including teaching contents and assessment methods among the three institutions, a questionnaire survey approach was adopted to collect AEC students’ perceptions of BIM. Within each selected case, statistical analysis was conducted to investigate both the overall sample and subgroup differences regarding students’ opinions on BIM’s functions (e.g. as a 3D visualization tool) and BIM usefulness in various industry professions, their motivation in BIM-related jobs and their perceptions of challenges encountered in BIM practice and application. Multiple factors influencing BIM learners’ perceptions were discussed, such as pedagogical assessment approach, and individual factors (e.g. disciplines). Findings The results showed that students were able to discern the latest industry practices and critical thinking in BIM movements. For example, SUT students perceived more challenges from the government legislation or incentive policies, which was consistent with Australia’s BIM policy movement. WZU students tended to have less positive views on BIM usefulness. The results also indicated fewer differences regarding perceived challenges among students from these three institutions. Originality/value This study contributed to the body of knowledge in managerial BIM by focusing on learners’ perceptions from the perspective of students’ understanding, motivation and individual views of BIM, which were insightful to both BIM educators and employers. By initiating the framework of BIM learning process and its influence factors, the current study serves as a point of reference to continue the future work in strengthening the connection between institutional BIM education and industry practical needs worldwide.

This research outlines the fluctuation in confirmed active cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as related to the changes in the Victoria state government’s rules and restrictions. Further, this study examines the impact of government restrictions on the performance of construction in Victoria, Australia. The data analyses in this paper identify the specific effects on industrial production, during the different lockdown stages, in three local construction companies. Companies were selected from different points along the supply chain. Company A is a supplier involved in the manufacturing of structural steel. Company B conducts logistics and procurement. Company C is a construction engineering business specializing in foundations. After reviewing relevant case studies and theories, data analyses were developed in collaboration with these companies. The results revealed that the impact of restrictions on the workers on individual construction projects was not significant. Stage 4 restrictions (Victoria’s highest lockdown level) significantly impacted overall income by limiting construction to only servicing essential infrastructure or essential businesses. The novel contribution of this study is the data analysis outcome for Victoria, where a high level of restrictions were experienced, such as curfew and enforced isolation at home, relative to other countries. In 2021 and 2022 (omicron variant dominated), Victoria was again at the brink of an infection wave, which showed a similar pattern to July 2020, and endured the world’s longest COVID-19 lockdown. The research findings contribute to the body of knowledge by providing empirical data analysis of each company, representing the economic impact of ordinary small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in construction.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1988 to provide an authoritative assessment of the state of knowledge of climate change science and impacts and to develop realistic strategies for management of the climate change issue. Following the establishment of a separate United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a Framework Convention on Climate Change and the subsequent signing and entry into force of the Convention, the IPCC reverted to the role of providing policy-neutral but policy-relevant assessments of the contemporary state of knowledge, as contained in the published literature, of the science, impacts and response options for climate change. Australian Government representatives and Australian climate scientists played a major part in the establishment of the IPCC and its operation over the past twenty years including key roles in the preparation of virtually all of its reports. Australia chaired the committee which proposed the structure and membership of the initial IPCC Working Groups, served as Vice-Chair of the Impacts Working Group for the IPCC's First Assessment Report, engaged more national experts in the review of its first assessment of the science of climate change than any other country except the US, has provided almost one hundred Lead Authors and several hundred reviewers for its four major assessments and has served continuously on its coordinating Bureau since its inception. Australian delegations have participated in every formal intergovernmental session of the Panel and its Working Groups and have made a significant contribution to the scientific integrity of the IPCC assessment process.

Studying the impact of green and high-quality development is of great significance to the healthy growth and sustainable development of enterprises. This paper discusses the influencing factors of the green and high-quality development of enterprises from the perspective of ownership structure and innovation ability, aiming to clarify the impact mechanism of these influencing factors on the green development of enterprises, and combined with emerging machine learning technologies, to propose a novel and effective corporate green high-quality development using a regression prediction model for quality development. Linear regression and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the influence of each variable on the green and high-quality development of the enterprise, and the weight proportions of each influencing factor under the linear model were obtained. Two machine learning models based on the random forest (RF) algorithm and support vector machine algorithm were established, and the random parameters in the two machine learning algorithms were optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA). The reliability and accuracy of machine learning models and multivariate linear models were compared. The results show that the GA–RF model has superior regression performance compared with other prediction models. This paper provides a convenient machine learning model, which can quickly and effectively predict the green and high-quality development of enterprises, and provide help for enterprise decision-making and government policy formulation.

Markets for Australian beef throughout the 20th century have been moulded by world wars, economic depressions, droughts, transport technology, cattle breeding, trade barriers, global competition, livestock disease eradication, human health risks, food safety, Australian Government policy, consumerism and beef quality. Major ‘shocks’ to beef marketing include the development of successful shipments of chilled carcases to Britain in the 1930s, the widespread trade disruption caused by World War II, expansion (early 1950s) and then a reduction in beef exports to Britain (1956), the introduction and then proliferation of Bos indicus derived cattle in northern Australia (1960s), licensing and upgrading of Australian abattoirs to export to USA and the consequential brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign leading to record export tonnages of Australian processing beef to USA (1960–70). In 1980, increased beef trade to Japan began, leading in the late 1980s to expansion of high-quality grain finished products into that market. By 1993, beef exports to Japan (280.5 kt) exceeded those to USA (274.4 kt), signalling the significant shift in beef exports to Asia. Commencing in about 1986, the USA recognised the value of beef exports to Asian markets pioneered by Australia. Australia’s share of the Japanese and South Korean markets has been under intense competition since that time. Another major influence on Australia’s beef market in the early 1990s was growth in live cattle exports to Asian markets in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Live exports accounted for 152000 heads in 1992 and 858000 heads in 1996. Improved management systems (e.g. fences) and consequent regulation of cattle supply even in the wet season, a by-product of the brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign, were indirect drivers of the growth in live exports. Throughout the period 1940–2000, domestic consumption of beef and veal declined from 68 to 33.3 kg/head.year, reflecting competition from other foods, perceptions of health risks, price of beef, periodic food safety scares, vegetarianism, changes in lifestyle and eating habits and lack of consistency of eating quality of beef. Despite this decline, the domestic Australian beef market still consumes a significant component (37%) of total Australian beef production. In 1984–85, the reform of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation set in train a major directional change (‘New Direction’) of the beef sector in response to beef market trends. Under Dick Austen’s leadership, the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation changed the industry’s culture from being ‘production-driven’ to being ‘consumer-driven’. Market research began in Australia, Japan and Korea to establish consumer preferences and attitudes to price, beef appearance and eating quality. Definite consumer requirements were identified under headings of consistency and reliability. The AusMeat carcass descriptors were introduced and a decade later traits like tenderness, meat colour, fat colour, meat texture, taste, smell, and muscle size were addressed. These historical ‘shocks’ that shaped the Australian beef markets have all been accompanied by modification to production systems, breeding programs, herd structure, processing procedures, advertising and promotion, meat retailing and end-use. The increasing importance of the food service sector and the ‘Asian merge’ influence on beef cuts usage in restaurant meals and take-away products are the most recognisable changes in the Australian food landscape. The Cooperative Research Centre¿s research portfolio was built around the changing forces influencing beef markets in the early 1990s. Australia needed to better understand the genetic and non-genetic factors affecting beef quality. One example was the poor success rate of cattle being grain-fed for the Japanese premium markets. Another was the relative contribution of pre- and post-slaughter factors to ultimate eating quality of beef. The Meat Standards Australia scheme was launched in 1997 to address this problem in more detail. The Cooperative Research Centre contributed significantly to this initiative. In the year 2001, Australia, with only 2.5% of world cattle numbers retains the position of world number one beef trader. We trade to 110 countries worldwide. The Australian beef sector is worth A$6 billion annually. The diversity of Australian environments, cattle genotypes and production systems provides us with the ability to meet diverse specifications for beef products. A new set of market forces is now emerging. Strict accreditation rules apply to Australian producers seeking access to the lucrative European Union market. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies like bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie are a continuing food safety concern in Europe. This and the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Britain early in 2001 have potentially significant indirect effects on markets for Australian beef. And the sleeping giant, foot and mouth disease-free status of Latin American countries Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina continues to emerge as a major threat to Australian beef markets in Canada and Taiwan. As in the past, science and technology will play a significant role in Australia¿s response to these market forces.

Markets for Australian beef throughout the 20th century have been moulded by world wars, economic depressions, droughts, transport technology, cattle breeding, trade barriers, global competition, livestock disease eradication, human health risks, food safety, Australian Government policy, consumerism and beef quality. Major ‘shocks’ to beef marketing include the development of successful shipments of chilled carcases to Britain in the 1930s, the widespread trade disruption caused by World War II, expansion (early 1950s) and then a reduction in beef exports to Britain (1956), the introduction and then proliferation of Bos indicus derived cattle in northern Australia (1960s), licensing and upgrading of Australian abattoirs to export to USA and the consequential brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign leading to record export tonnages of Australian processing beef to USA (1960–70). In 1980, increased beef trade to Japan began, leading in the late 1980s to expansion of high-quality grain finished products into that market. By 1993, beef exports to Japan (280.5 kt) exceeded those to USA (274.4 kt), signalling the significant shift in beef exports to Asia. Commencing in about 1986, the USA recognised the value of beef exports to Asian markets pioneered by Australia. Australia’s share of the Japanese and South Korean markets has been under intense competition since that time. Another major influence on Australia’s beef market in the early 1990s was growth in live cattle exports to Asian markets in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Live exports accounted for 152000 heads in 1992 and 858000 heads in 1996. Improved management systems (e.g. fences) and consequent regulation of cattle supply even in the wet season, a by-product of the brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication campaign, were indirect drivers of the growth in live exports. Throughout the period 1940–2000, domestic consumption of beef and veal declined from 68 to 33.3 kg/head.year, reflecting competition from other foods, perceptions of health risks, price of beef, periodic food safety scares, vegetarianism, changes in lifestyle and eating habits and lack of consistency of eating quality of beef. Despite this decline, the domestic Australian beef market still consumes a significant component (37%) of total Australian beef production. In 1984–85, the reform of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation set in train a major directional change (‘New Direction’) of the beef sector in response to beef market trends. Under Dick Austen’s leadership, the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation changed the industry’s culture from being ‘production-driven’ to being ‘consumer-driven’. Market research began in Australia, Japan and Korea to establish consumer preferences and attitudes to price, beef appearance and eating quality. Definite consumer requirements were identified under headings of consistency and reliability. The AusMeat carcass descriptors were introduced and a decade later traits like tenderness, meat colour, fat colour, meat texture, taste, smell, and muscle size were addressed. These historical ‘shocks’ that shaped the Australian beef markets have all been accompanied by modification to production systems, breeding programs, herd structure, processing procedures, advertising and promotion, meat retailing and end-use. The increasing importance of the food service sector and the ‘Asian merge’ influence on beef cuts usage in restaurant meals and take-away products are the most recognisable changes in the Australian food landscape. The Cooperative Research Centre¿s research portfolio was built around the changing forces influencing beef markets in the early 1990s. Australia needed to better understand the genetic and non-genetic factors affecting beef quality. One example was the poor success rate of cattle being grain-fed for the Japanese premium markets. Another was the relative contribution of pre- and post-slaughter factors to ultimate eating quality of beef. The Meat Standards Australia scheme was launched in 1997 to address this problem in more detail. The Cooperative Research Centre contributed significantly to this initiative. In the year 2001, Australia, with only 2.5% of world cattle numbers retains the position of world number one beef trader. We trade to 110 countries worldwide. The Australian beef sector is worth A$6 billion annually. The diversity of Australian environments, cattle genotypes and production systems provides us with the ability to meet diverse specifications for beef products. A new set of market forces is now emerging. Strict accreditation rules apply to Australian producers seeking access to the lucrative European Union market. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies like bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie are a continuing food safety concern in Europe. This and the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Britain early in 2001 have potentially significant indirect effects on markets for Australian beef. And the sleeping giant, foot and mouth disease-free status of Latin American countries Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina continues to emerge as a major threat to Australian beef markets in Canada and Taiwan. As in the past, science and technology will play a significant role in Australia¿s response to these market forces.

Genetic transformation has emerged as an important tool for the genetic improvement of valuable plants by incorporating new genes with desirable traits. These strategies are useful especially in crops to increase yields, disease resistance, tolerance to environmental stress (cold, heat, drought, salinity, herbicides, and insects) and increase biomass and medicinal values of plants. The production of healthy plants with more desirable products and yields can contribute to sustainable development goals. The introduction of genetically modified food into the market has raised potential risks. A proper assessment of their impact on the environment and biosafety is an important step before their commercialization. In this paper, we summarize and discuss the risks and benefits of genetically modified plants and products, human health hazards by genetically transformed plants, environmental effects, Biosafety regulations of GMO foods and products, and improvement of medicinal values of plants by the genetic transformation process. The mechanisms of action of those products, their sources, and their applications to the healthcare challenges are presented. The present studies pointed out the existence of several controversies in the use of GMOs, mainly related to the human health, nutritions, environmental issues. Willingness to accept genetically modified (GM) products and the adoption of biosafety regulations varies from country to country. Knowledge about the gene engineering technology, debate between the government agencies, scientist, environmentalist and related NGOs on the GM products are the major factors for low adoptions of biosafety regulation. Therefore, the genetic transformation will help in the advancement of plant species in the future; however, more research and detailed studies are required.

In Canada, microbial pest control products and agents are regulated under the Pest Control Products Act, administered by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for the Minister of Health. A microbial includes bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa, viruses, mycoplasmae or rickettsiae and related organisms. Microbial pest control products and agents can include those derived through genetic engineering. When the PMRA was established in 1995, specific directions were given by government to facilitate access to alternatives to traditional chemical products; to support environmental sustainability; and to pursue international cooperation to accelerate registration. Currently in Canada, there are 8 active ingredients and 34 products registered. In 1998, there were 19 research permits and notifications for active ingredients, an increase from 1997. Data requirements are set out in guidelines (Pro98-01 Regulatory Proposal: Guidelines for the registration of microbial pest control agents and products), rather than in regulation. General categories for data requirements for Tier 1 ( the set of information which is typically sufficient to allow regulators to determine that a product presents an acceptably low level of risk) include information or data on characterization, health toxicity, environmental toxicity, and efficacy. Pre-submission consultations between registrants and PMRA are encouraged. The main objectives of these consultations are to determine the appropriate study protocols and the subset of data requirements from the guidelines that may be required for the registration of a particular proposed product as well as the type of information required to support data waivers. Key issues, questions and challenges regarding registration 1. Characterization of the microbial active ingredient is seen as critical and fundamental to the determination of the other data requirements both in environment and in health. The key components are: • identification of the microorganism • relationship to mammalian or other pathogens • toxin producing potential • manufacturing process, including potential for contaminants • physical/technical properties, including storage stability. 2. Building on good information on characterization, for environmental risk assessment, information on host/target range, geographical distribution of host/target, and the geographical distribution of the microbial are key questions. 4. With respect to publicly-funded research groups, there is a need for links with commercial partners at an appropriate stage in order to love their products into the regulatory System and onto the marketplace. PMRA is working to support the registration and use of microbial products through developing data requirements appropriate to microbiais, working with growers and other stakeholders to support the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies that include the use of microbials, harmonizing data requirements with both the US and other OECD countries, and ensuring the development of regulations and policies to encourage registration of these products.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine green building legislation requirements and practices in the construction project execution stage within the context of the South African construction industry. The rationale for this examination rests with the perception that the implementation of green practices (per se) has been recognised as being “behind” the legislation enacted to control the design and construction of green buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The research process consisted of a literature review to identify existing green building legislation and practices applicable to the project execution phase. This was supported by a sequential mixed-method research approach, which involved a survey of contracting companies based in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to undertake focused interviews with management staff and site operatives. Findings – Research findings established a number of issues, not least: a gap between green building practices and legislation requirements; a high degree of unawareness of green building legislation/practices by construction company stakeholders; selective implementation of health and safety legislative requirements; that management staff had a more “positive” attitude to green building practices than site-based staff who tended to be less motivated and open to such practices. Research limitations/implications – Results from this study are considered generalisable with the sample frame only. Research inference and projections should therefore only be made within this set, and not to the wider population of South African contractors (as this study was limited to the Western Cape Province). Practical implications – Implications from this research are applicable to construction company stakeholders within the population set. Practical considerations include the need to acknowledge a formal commitment to developing a sustainable built environment – especially cognisant of the gap between practices on site and green building legislation requirements. Moreover, this lack of awareness in respect of green building practices and legislation requirements impinges upon several wider areas, not least: construction company stakeholders’ positioning, health and safety practices; managerial and operational staff perceptions, and stakeholders’ willingness and motivation to proactively address these gaps. Social implications – Government bodies and allied professionals in charge of construction industry development are encouraged to consider the implementation of green building legislation requirements on construction sites. This reflection should encourage engagement through formative legislative provision and transparent awareness campaigns. Originality/value – This work is original insofar as it directly addresses the alignment of legislation to current practices within the context of the South African construction industry. However, similar exercises have been undertaken on green building legislation in other countries such as USA, UK and Australia.

Abstract Background The use of genetic test results in risk-rated insurance is a significant concern internationally, with many countries banning or restricting the use of genetic test results in underwriting. In Australia, life insurers’ use of genetic test results is legal and self-regulated by the insurance industry (Financial Services Council (FSC)). In 2018, an Australian Parliamentary Inquiry recommended that insurers’ use of genetic test results in underwriting should be prohibited. In 2019, the FSC introduced an industry self-regulated moratorium on the use of genetic test results. In the absence of government oversight, it is critical that the impact, effectiveness and appropriateness of the moratorium is monitored. Here we describe the protocol of our government-funded research project, which will serve that critical function between 2020 and 2023. Methods A realist evaluation framework was developed for the project, using a context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) approach, to systematically assess the impact of the moratorium for a range of stakeholders. Outcomes which need to be achieved for the moratorium to accomplish its intended aims were identified, and specific data collection measures methods were developed to gather the evidence from relevant stakeholder groups (consumers, health professionals, financial industry and genetic research community) to determine if aims are achieved. Results from each arm of the study will be analysed and published in peer-reviewed journals as they become available. Discussion The A-GLIMMER project will provide essential monitoring of the impact and effectiveness of the self-regulated insurance moratorium. On completion of the study (3 years) a Stakeholder Report will be compiled. The Stakeholder Report will synthesise the evidence gathered in each arm of the study and use the CMO framework to evaluate the extent to which each of the outcomes have been achieved, and make evidence-based recommendations to the Australian federal government, life insurance industry and other stakeholders.

AbstractThe Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) is an independent non-statutory committee established by the Australian government to provide recommendations on public reimbursement of technologies and services, other than pharmaceuticals. MSAC has established approaches for undertaking health technology assessment (HTA) of investigative services and codependent technologies. In 2016, MSAC published its clinical utility card (CUC) Proforma, an additional tool to guide assessments of genetic testing for heritable conditions. We undertook a review and narrative synthesis of information extracted from all MSAC assessments of genetic testing for heritable conditions completed since 2016, regardless of the HTA approach taken. Ten assessments met our inclusion criteria, covering a range of testing methods (from gene panels to whole-exome sequencing) and purposes (including molecular diagnosis, genetic risk assessment, identification of congenital anomaly syndromes, and carrier screening). This analysis identified a range of methodological and policy challenges such as how to incorporate patient and societal preferences for the health and non-health outcomes of genomic testing, how best to capture the concept of co-production of utility, and how to engage clinicians as referrers for genomics tests whilst at the same time ensuring equity of access to a geographically dispersed population. A further challenge related to how qualitative assessments of patient and community needs influenced the evidence thresholds against which decisions were made. These concepts should be considered for incorporation within the value assessment frameworks used by HTA agencies around the world.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that research on policy diffusion mechanism of Government Procurement of Public Services (GPPS) is beneficial to improve the efficiency of policy formulation and implementation.Design/methodology/approachIn view of the four dimensions which are internal demand, external pressure, policy innovation environment and service characteristic, a system of factors affecting policy diffusion is established. On this basis, a Multilayer Fuzzy Cognitive Map (MFCM) model for policy diffusion of GPPS is constructed. Nonlinear Hebbian Learning algorithm and genetic algorithm are applied to optimize the two components of the MFCM model, which are relationship between nodes at the same layer and influence weights between nodes at different layers, respectively. Taking Nanjing municipal government purchasing elderly-care services in China as the empirical object, simulation of policy diffusion based on the MFCM model is carried out, aiming to obtain the key factors influencing policy diffusion and the dynamic diffusion mechanism of GPPS policy.FindingsResearch results show that, compared with monolayer Fuzzy Cognitive Map, the MFCM model converges faster. In addition, simulation results of policy diffusion indicate that economic development level of jurisdiction, superior pressure, administrative level and operability of services are key influencing factors which are under four dimensions correspondingly. And the dynamic influencing mechanism of key factors has also been learned.Originality/valueThis paper constructs the MFCM model, which is a new approach based on several monolayer FCMs, to study the policy diffusion mechanism.

This article reviews the terms in which the Australian Cultural Fields project engaged with the concepts of fields, capitals, and habitus. It also places these concepts in the context of their longer histories of use and interpretation in Bourdieusian sociology, and identifies the new inflections acquired in bringing them to bear on the relations between culture and inequality in Australia. It involves a discussion of some of the key dynamics that have characterised the relations across and between the six cultural fields selected for study in the Australian Cultural Fields project – the art, literary, sport, television, heritage, and music fields – since the landmark 1994 Creative Nation cultural policy statement of the Keating Labor government. This analytical elaboration is followed by a summary of the main findings of both the survey and interview components of the project that are reported in Fields, Capitals, Habitus: Australian Culture, Inequalities and Social Divisions.

PurposeThe literature shows that the current Australian waste management framework does not meet industry and government expectations. This study, therefore, seeks the key construction and demolition (C&D) stakeholders' insights on various issues identified. It aims to understand the main barriers to effective C&D waste management, examining the role of the federal government and exploring perceptions around waste regulations, policies and schemes.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted in 2019 to capture stakeholder perceptions. One hundred and thirty-two participants from various industries and government agencies representing Australian jurisdictions took part in the survey. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected.FindingsThe results show that the main barriers are “overregulation, tough acceptance criteria and increased testing requirements”, “lack of local market” and “culture, poor education and low acceptance”. The main areas of improvement include “providing a guideline that determines the accepted level of contamination for reusing C&D waste”, “preparation of guidelines on requirements of using recycled C&D materials in different industries” and “setting a target for reduction, reusing and recycling C&D waste”.Research limitations/implicationsSome research findings may not be generalisable beyond Australia, but there are interesting insights for an international audience. The results inform policy development within the Australian states and territories context, to support the design and implementation of a circular economy model in the construction industry. The findings are evidence for a broader discussion to solve prevailing issues in C&D waste management, notably in the context of construction materials' end of life management.Practical implicationsThe study highlights that policy development needs to be further expanded to include new/current waste management schemes including manufacturer's shared responsibility of waste generation, subsidies for C&D waste recycled materials and the proximity principle.Originality/valueThis paper provides a clear insight into C&D waste management stakeholders' perceptions towards the current waste management system in Australia.

Thailand's National Biotechnology Policy Framework 2004–2009 acts as a catalyst to enhance industrial productivity and sustainability. Six goals are identified in the national policy framework, of which two are given priority: ‘Kitchen of the World’ and ‘Healthcare Centre of Asia’. The Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) is creating a positive environment for local and international industries. BOI provides maximum benefit privileges to biotechnology-related investments. Currently, there are 50 new emerging biotechnology companies in Thailand. More than 80 existing businesses have incorporated biotechnology R&D in their work processes. Government agencies and universities provide supporting services to stimulate biotechnology businesses. R&D infrastructures such as Biopark in the expansion phase of Thailand Science Park will be operational in 2010. The National Science and Technology Development Agency, the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences, and the BOI under the direction of the Ministry of Industry are major agencies committed to strengthening Thailand's competitiveness in biotechnology.

In the beginning, the editors were brought together by science fiction, the popular cultural form most devoted to thinking about the future. The world though is too complex to produce a straight line from academic work on science fiction to editing a journal issue on the future, so the sf we started with was science fiction about the past. It's taken us a while to get to the future, but here, to a certain extent, we are. Thinking about the future is never easy, never really free of fiction, and the only strong chance is that you'll get it wrong (as innumerable prognostications from space ships with punch cards driving them to Government transport planning can testify). It became apparent as we worked through the submissions that there was a strange inhibition at work. Even though contributors knew that the publication date for the issue was 2000, not one had been able to project themselves into such a significant future time. Piece after piece talked of here in 1999 and what it would be like in the 21st century without actually trying to be there. Was it those millennial fears that stopped people writing 'here in 2000' or daring 'this century' for the 21st? Actually we don't think we've found many references anywhere at all to 'this century' yet; perhaps we're still recovering from the surprise at the uneventfulness of our entering it. Although we had been saying there was nothing special about the shift from one lot of numbers to another and that the fuss was a lot of marketing hype, actually believing it seems to have been more difficult. It became apparent as we worked through the submissions that there was a strange inhibition at work. Even though contributors knew that the publication date for the issue was 2000, not one had been able to project themselves into such a significant future time. Piece after piece talked of here in 1999 and what it would be like in the 21st century without actually trying to be there. Was it those millennial fears that stopped people writing 'here in 2000' or daring 'this century' for the 21st? Actually we don't think we've found many references anywhere at all to 'this century' yet; perhaps we're still recovering from the surprise at the uneventfulness of our entering it. Although we had been saying there was nothing special about the shift from one lot of numbers to another and that the fuss was a lot of marketing hype, actually believing it seems to have been more difficult. Daniel Palmer discusses the ways that one of the most interesting and provocative science fiction films of the last few years, Luc Besson's The Fifth Element, represents its future and what this can say about historicity. Given how very much the recent prognostication pieces in popular print media drew on stills from this film in preference to alternative images, we think his choice is a wise one. He doesn't mention the differential reception of the film inside and outside the US, but its role in displaying the ability of non-US film-makers to do big-budget sf as well as the thoughtful kind is worth noting. Andrew M. Butler continues the sf line with a light-hearted bid for power in the world of terminology in narrative theory. We move from Butler's parody to one of the most serious of the areas where attempts are made to regulate the future - welfare policy. Lisa Gunders specifically talks of the Australian situation but raises issues of global currency. Jacki Apple's contribution steers clear of parody in her consideration of what be the case in fifty years time in the light of recent developments in fields like nano-technology and genetic engineering. Our final contributor, Jason Ensor, takes us to religious prophecy -- for many the antithesis of where we began with science fiction. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Frances Bonner, Paul Starr. "Editorial: 'Future'." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2.9 (2000). [your date of access] <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/0001/edit.php>. Chicago style: Frances Bonner, Paul Starr, "Editorial: 'Future'," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2, no. 9 (2000), <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/0001/edit.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Frances Bonner, Paul Starr. (2000) Editorial: 'future'. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 2(9). <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/0001/edit.php> ([your date of access]).

This article explores attitudes of stakeholders involved in biotechnology towards the Responsible Innovation (RI) framework. As a framework for governance, RI has received increasing scholarly attention but has yet to be successfully integrated into U.S. research and innovation policy. Using a mixed methods approach, we analyzed the attitudes of different biotechnology stakeholders, particularly those working in areas related to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture and the environment, towards the principles and practices of RI. Homogenous focus groups (organized by stakeholder affiliation) and pre- and post-focus group surveys were used to measure attitudes towards RI. We designed the survey questions according to the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) and examined the agreement of stakeholders with policy core beliefs (general principles of RI) and secondary beliefs (implementation practices of RI). Although all stakeholder groups had neutral to positive attitudes towards RI general principles, we found significant differences in their reactions to the scholarly definitions of RI and in their attitudes towards practices to implement RI. In comparison to government and advocacy groups, stakeholders promoting biotechnology innovations–industry, trade organizations, and academics–had more negative reactions to social science definitions of RI and to RI practices that relinquish control to people outside of technology development pipelines. Qualitative analysis of focus-groups revealed barriers for implementing RI practices. For example, innovators were cynical about including external voices in innovation pathways due to inflexible funding programs and were concerned about potential delays to innovation given the highly competitive environments for financing and patents. In order to help address these tensions, we call for the co-design of RI practices between biotechnology innovators and other stakeholders. The opening-up of biotechnology innovation to RI practices of anticipation, inclusion, responsiveness and reflexivity will likely be important for future, public legitimacy of emerging genetic engineering applications such as gene editing and gene drives.

AbstractThe COVID-19 crisis has brought unprecedented challenges to many sectors, including the built environment. The construction and demolition (C&D) waste management and recovery industry is an essential service provider to this sector. Like other industries, this industry has been affected by the pandemic in many ways. However, in Australia, this impact has not been thoroughly investigated. This study, therefore, explores COVID-19 impacts on the Australian C&D waste recovery and construction industry as the major waste consumer and generator. To achieve this aim, a literature review and a series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 participants representing five stakeholder groups (government, construction, waste recovery, material supplying and consultancy) across five Australian states. The research findings established that there is a critical need for leveraging digital technologies, developing business contingency plans, creating coalitions between government and industry, and diversifying supply chains to reduce supply chain risks. This study also uncovered a range of targeted responses and recommendations to manage pandemic-induced disruptions and improve the circular economy in the industry. Our findings can immediately assist industrial practitioners and government decision-makers in managing the impacts of COVID-19 on the waste recovery activities in C&D waste and other waste streams. Graphical abstract

Abstract Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people do not enjoy equal access to specialist health services that adequately meet their needs. Clinical genetics services are at the vanguard of realising the health benefits of genomic medicine. As the field continues to expand in clinical utility and implementation, it is critical that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are able to participate and benefit equally to avoid further widening of the existing health gap. This is the first study to explore barriers to accessing clinical genetics services among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which has been acknowledged as a key strategic priority in Australian genomic health policy. Methods A participatory design process engaged a majority-Aboriginal Project Reference Group and Aboriginal End-User Group. 63 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people who had accessed the government-funded clinical genetics service in Western Australia, Queensland or the Northern Territory between 2014 and 2018. The sample included patients, parents and carers. Participants were asked to recount their ‘patient journey’, from referral through to post-appointment and reflect on their perceptions of genetics and its implications for the health of themselves and their families. Analysis tracked chronological service engagement, followed by an inductive thematic approach. Results Barriers to access and engagement were present at each stage of the patient journey. These included challenges in obtaining a referral, long waiting periods, limited genetic literacy, absence of Aboriginal support services, communication challenges and lack of adequate psychosocial support and follow-up after attendance. Participants’ overall experiences of attending a genetic health service were varied, with positive perceptions tied closely to a diagnosis being achieved. The experience of (and expectation for) recognition of cultural identity and provision of culturally safe care was low among participants. Unaddressed concerns continued to cause significant distress in some people years after their appointment took place. Conclusions There is significant scope for improving the care provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at clinical genetics services. Immediate attention to minimising logistical barriers, developing relationships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services and providing practical and specific cultural safety training for practitioners is required at the service-level. Our findings strongly support the development of guidelines or policies recognising the collective cultural needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in relation to genomic health care.

Abstract STUDY QUESTION What are patients’ reasoning and decisional needs in relation to the transfer of mosaic embryos following preimplantation genetic testing (PGT)? SUMMARY ANSWER This study identified four themes, which were patients’ reasoning behind decision-making, their decisional needs, the influence of the mosaic embryos on the decision-making, and the role of health professionals. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY To date, no study has investigated the reasoning of patients behind their decision-making and the influence of mosaic embryos. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a cross-sectional study using qualitative approach. Twenty participants were interviewed, and recruitment was ceased when no new information was identified in the data analysis. It ensured a sufficient sample size for a qualitative study. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Participants were females with mosaic embryos. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted via telephone. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Four themes were identified: reasoning behind decision-making, decisional needs, influence of mosaic embryos on decision-making, and the role of health professionals. Potential risks of transferring mosaic embryos and prioritisation of euploid embryos were the main reasons for not transferring mosaic embryos. A lack of alternatives, perceived benefits and risk tolerance were main reasons for transferring mosaic embryos. Patients reported that information on mosaic embryos, amniocentesis and termination were important to support their decision-making. Unmet needs relating to health care services and social support were reported. Additionally, having mosaic embryos affected the patients’ emotional and behavioural responses, discussions about prenatal testing, attitudes to termination and further in-vitro fertilization cycles, and attitudes towards PGT. Health professionals were found to influence the patients’ decision-making. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Participants were recruited through one clinic, which may limit the transferability of results. Also, patients’ experiences in relation to financial aspects of PGT may not be relevant to other jurisdictions due to different health care policies. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The results may inform how clinicians provide health care services based on factors influencing patients’ decision-making. Health professionals should be aware of the influence their attitudes can have on patients’ decision-making and should present information accordingly. Also, providing all relevant information may help to facilitate informed decision-making. Provision of psychological support from professionals and support groups is also critical during the process of testing and transfer. Patients have educational needs regarding mosaic embryos, and educational resources including decision aids in plain language are needed. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) Bettina Meiser was funded through a Senior Research Fellowship Level B (ID 1078523) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. L.C. was supported by a University International Postgraduate Award under the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. No other funding was received for this study. The authors report no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable.

These proceedings describe research, educational and policing program implementation and policy and management strategies related to all aspects of road safety and especially related to the conference theme of Towards Zero: A Fresh Approach. The 2021 conference covers a comprehensive range of topics including speed, infrastructure and road design, education, licensing, vehicle design, impairment due to alcohol, drugs and mobile phones. The conference also presents innovative symposium sessions including interdisciplinary approaches combining safety, the law and design and showcasing successful programs involving at-risk youth, older drivers and safety approaches for non-occupants, specifically when we walk and ride a bicycle. Around 600 delegates from 28 countries attended the on-line virtual conference, held in this format because of COVID 19 restrictions. Authors of accepted Extended Abstracts and Full Papers represented international and local institutions from all aspects of their respective communities including research centres, private companies, government agencies and community groups. The Extended Abstracts and links to Full Papers presented in these Proceedings provide an indication of the important work being done in Australia, New Zealand and internationally as part of the United Nations, One UN Vision for Road Safety to reduce the number of crashes roads by 50 percent by 2030.

This was the 7th Congress since BCPC decided to return to Brighton for an autumnal discussion on regulatory affairs. The focus was to be very much on the impact of Brexit that had been promised, but not yet delivered. Whatever happens in the future regarding the UK's relationship with the EU, many changes in UK agriculture are expected as the government empathises on the environment rather than production, with farmers having to contend with fewer pesticides registered for use, increasing problems of insects, diseases and weeds resistant to pesticides and the impact of climate change. Farmers will still have to produce high quality food at a low cost to the consumer as the EU policy is to adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as part of the strategy for the sustainable use of pesticides. New technology with genetic engineering, which is increasing the possibility to improve crop varieties more resistant to pests and diseases as well as drought conditions, has to be embraced alongside new ways of applying pesticides and automation in a digital era.

AbstractThe application of gene drives to achieve public health goals, such as the suppression of Anopheles gambiae populations, or altering their ability to sustain Plasmodium spp. infections, has received much attention from researchers. If successful, this genetic tool can contribute greatly to the wellbeing of people in regions severely affected by malaria. However, engineered gene drives are a product of genetic engineering, and the experience to date, gained through the deployment of genetically engineered (GE) crops, is that GE technology has had difficulty receiving public acceptance in Africa, a key region for the deployment of gene drives. The history of GE crop deployment in this region provides good lessons for the deployment of gene drives as well. GE crops have been in commercial production for 24 years, since the planting of the first GE soybean crop in 1996. During this time, regulatory approvals and farmer adoption of these crops has grown rapidly in the Americas, and to a lesser extent in Asia. Their safety has been recognized by numerous scientific organizations. Economic and health benefits have been well documented in the countries that have grown them. However, only one transgenic crop event is being grown in Europe, and only in two countries in that region. Europe has been extremely opposed to GE crops, due in large part to the public view of agriculture that opposes “industrial” farming. This attitude is reflected in a highly precautionary regulatory and policy environment, which has highly influenced how African countries have dealt with GE technology and are likely to be applied to future genetic technologies, including gene drives. Furthermore, a mistrust of government regulatory agencies, the publication of scientific reports claiming adverse effects of GE crops, the involvement of corporations as the first GE crop developers, the lack of identifiable consumer benefit, and low public understanding of the technology further contributed to the lack of acceptance. Coupled with more emotionally impactful messaging to the public by opposition groups and the general tendency of negative messages to be more credible than positive ones, GE crops failed to gain a place in European agriculture, thus influencing African acceptance and government policy. From this experience, the following lessons have been learned that would apply to the deployment of gene drives, in Africa:It will be important to establish trust in those who are developing the technology, as well as in those who are making regulatory decisions. Engagement of the community, where those who are involved are able to make genuine contributions to the decision-making process, are necessary to achieve that trust. The use of tools to facilitate participatory modeling could be considered in order to enhance current community engagement efforts.Trusted, accurate information on gene drives should be made available to the general public, journalists, and scientists who are not connected with the field. Those sources of information should also be able to summarize and analyze important scientific results and emerging issues in the field in order to place those developments in the proper context. Engagement should involve more opportunities for participation of stakeholders in conceptualizing, planning, and decision-making.Diversifying the source of funding for gene drive research and development, particularly by participation of countries and regional bodies, would show that country or regional interests are represented.Efforts by developers and neutral groups to provide the public and decisionmakers with a more thorough understanding of the benefits and risks of this technology, especially to local communities, would help them reach more informed decisions.A better understanding of gene drive technology can be fostered by governments, as part of established biosafety policy in several African countries. Developers and neutral groups could also be helpful in increasing public understanding of the technology of genetic engineering, including gene drives.Effective messaging to balance the messaging of groups opposed to gene drives is needed. These messages should be not only factual but also have emotional and intuitive appeal.

In order to revitalize Indian education system, the Government of India has recently approved National Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020) and proposed sweeping changes including opening up of Indian higher education to foreign universities, dismantling of the UGC and the AICTE, introduction of a 4-year multidisciplinary undergraduate program with multiple exit options, and discontinuation of the M Phil program. It aims at making ‘India a global knowledge superpower’. In the light of National Education Policy-2020, agricultural education system needs to be redefined in India as it increases knowledge or information and farmer’s capacity to learn. As the level of agricultural education increases, farmers will become more and more self-reliant and will depend more on their self-studies dealing with farming. It is suggested that reorientation of agricultural higher education in context of globalization, food security, diversification, sustainability of ecosystems, and agribusiness is necessary. The curriculum of agricultural higher education needs to be made more broad based and manpower has to be trained scientifically in topics such as biotechnology, genetic engineering, agro-meteorology, environmental science, agro-ecology, computer application, information technology, conservation of natural and human resources, specialized job-oriented courses, and trade and export in agribusiness. Finally, adequate emphasis should be placed on practical skills and entrepreneurial capabilities among the students to achieve excellence. To properly address the challenges faced by today’s Indian agriculture, competent human resource in sufficiently large numbers would be required in the near future. There is a vast scope for young graduates to undertake agriculture as their profession which is directly or indirectly contributing to the economic and social development of the country.

The Specify Collections Consortium ("SCC") is a member-funded organization currently comprised of 70 biodiversity collection institutions--universities, research centers, and government agencies from around the globe. In 2018, the SCC was created as a follow-on to the Specify Software Project that had a 20-year history as a US NSF grant funded biological collections software engineering and technical support project. Founding members of the Consortium include the National Natural History Museum of Denmark, and in the United States, the Universities of Florida, Michigan, and Kansas. The SCC plans to build on its open-source collections computing platforms to bring research analysis and integration to the collections curation environment. The inclusion and integration of genetic data standards, Nagoya Protocol business rules, and biogeographical analysis in Specify platforms will extend museum digitization and cataloging to engage collections in broader computational communities, for increased research, educational, and policy impact. Significant investments by the South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Natural History Museum of Geneva, and regional collections in additional countries are contributing to the Consortium's growth and financial sustainability. Code contributions from Consortium members have supplemented their financial commitments to produce capabilities that immediately benefit all members. We will present an update on the Specify Consortium's progress during its first 1.5 years, and outline its near- and long-term priorities for collections community engagement and technological innovation.

Introduction Sydney, Australia has experienced a sustained period of building and infrastructure development. There are hundreds of kilometres of bitumen and rail currently being laid. There are significant building projects in large central sites such as Darling Harbour and Barangaroo on the famous Harbour foreshore. The period of development has offered an unprecedented opportunity for the New South Wales (NSW) State Government to arrest the attention of the Sydney public through kilometres of construction hoarding. This opportunity has not been missed, with the public display of a new logo, complete with pithy slogan, on and around all manner of government projects and activities since September 2015. NSW is “making it happen” according to the logo being displayed. At first glance it is a proactive, simple and concise slogan that, according to the NSW Government brand guidelines, has a wide remit to be used for projects that relate to construction, economic growth, improved services, and major events. However, when viewed through the lens of public, expert, and media research into Sydney infrastructure development it can also be read as a message derived from reactive politics. This paper elucidates turning points in the history of the last decade of infrastructure building in NSW through qualitative primary research into media, public, and practice led discourse. Ultimately, through the prism of Colin Hay’s investigation into political disengagement, I question whether the current build-at-any-cost mentality and its mantra “making it happen” is in the long-term interest of the NSW constituency or the short-term interest of a political party or whether, more broadly, it reflects a crisis of identity for today’s political class. The Non-Launch of the New Logo Image 1: An ABC Sydney Tweet. Image credit: ABC Sydney. There is scant evidence of a specific launch of the logo. Michael Koziol states that to call it an unveiling, “might be a misnomer, given the stealth with which the design has started to make appearances on banners, barriers [see: Image 1, above] and briefing papers” (online). The logo has a wide range of applications. The NSW Government brand guidelines specify that the logo be used “on all projects, programs and announcements that focus on economic growth and confidence in investing in NSW” as well as “infrastructure for the future and smarter services” (30). The section of the guidelines relating to the “making it happen” logo begins with a full-colour, full-page photograph of the Barangaroo building development on Sydney Harbour—complete with nine towering cranes clearly visible across the project/page. The guidelines specifically mention infrastructure, housing projects, and major developments upfront in the section denoted to appropriate logo applications (31). This is a logo that the government clearly intends to use around its major projects to highlight the amount of building currently underway in NSW.In the first week of the logo’s release journalist Elle Hunt asks an unnamed government spokesperson for a definition of “it” in “making it happen.” The spokesperson states, “just a buzz around the state in terms of economic growth and infrastructure […] the premier [the now retired Mike Baird] has used the phrase several times this week in media conferences and it feels like we are making it happen.” Words like “buzz,” “feels like” and the ubiquitous “it” echo the infamous courtroom scene summation of Dennis Denuto from the 1997 Australian film The Castle that have deeply penetrated the Australian psyche and lexicon. Denuto (played by actor Tiriel Mora) is acting as a solicitor for Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) in fighting the compulsory acquisition of the Kerrigan family property. In concluding an address to the court, Denuto states, “In summing up, it’s the constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law, it’s the Vibe and, no that’s it, it’s the vibe. I rest my case.” All fun and irony (the reason for the house acquisition that inspired Denuto’s now famous speech was an airport infrastructure expansion project) aside, we can assume from the brand guidelines as well as the Hunt article that the intended meaning of “making it happen” is fluid and diffuse rather than fixed and specific. With this article I question why the government would choose to express this diffuse message to the public?Purpose, Scope, Method and ResearchTo explore this question I intertwine empirical research with a close critique of Colin Hay’s thesis on the problematisation of political decision-making—specifically the proliferation of certain tenets of public choice theory. My empirical research is a study of news media, public, and expert discourse and its impact on the success or otherwise of major rail infrastructure projects in Sydney. One case study project, initially announced as the North West Rail Line (NWR) and recently rebadged as the Sydney Metro Northwest (see: http://www.sydneymetro.info/northwest/project-overview), is at the forefront of the infrastructure building that the government is looking to highlight with “making it happen.” A comparison case study is the failed Sydney City Metro (SCM) project that preceded the NWR as the major Sydney rail infrastructure endeavour. I have written in greater detail on the scope of this research elsewhere (see: Richardson, “Curatorial”; “Upheaval”; “Hinterland”). In short, my empirical secondary research involved a study of print news media from 2010 to 2016 spanning Sydney’s two daily papers the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) and the Daily Telegraph (TELE). My qualitative research was conducted in 2013. The public qualitative research consisted of a survey, interviews, and focus groups involving 149 participants from across Sydney. The primary expert research consisted of 30 qualitative interviews with experts from politics, the news media and communications practice, as well as project delivery professions such as architecture and planning, project management, engineering, project finance and legal. Respondents were drawn from both the public and private sectors. My analysis of this research is undertaken in a manner similar to what Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke term a “thematic discourse analysis” (81). The intention is to examine “the ways in which events, realities, meanings and experiences and so on are the effects of a range of discourses operating within society.” A “theme” captures “something important about the data in relation to the research question,” and represents, “some level of patterned response or meaning within the data set.” Thematic analysis therefore, “involves the searching across a data set—be that a number of interviews or focus groups, or a range of texts—to find repeated patterns of meaning” (80-86).Governing Sydney: A Legacy of Inability, Broken Promises, and Failure The SCM was abandoned in February 2010. The project’s abandonment had long been foreshadowed in the news media (Anonymous, Future). In the days preceding and following the announcement, news media articles focussed almost exclusively on the ineptitude and wastefulness of a government that would again fail to deliver transport it had promised and invested in (Cratchley; Teutsch & Benns; Anonymous, Taxation). Immediately following the decision, the peak industry body, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, asserted, “this decision shreds the credibility of the government in delivering projects and will likely make it much harder to attract investment and skills to deliver new infrastructure” (Anonymous, Taxation). The reported ineptitude of the then Labor Government of NSW and the industry fallout surrounding the decision were clearly established as the main news media angles. My print media research found coverage to be overwhelmingly and consistently negative. 70% of the articles studied were negatively inclined. Furthermore, approximately one-quarter featured statements pertaining directly to government paralysis and inability to deliver infrastructure.My public, expert, and media research revealed a number of “repeated patterns of meaning,” which Braun and Clarke describe as themes (86). There are three themes that are particularly pertinent to my investigation here. To describe the first theme I have used the statement, an inability of government to successfully deliver projects. The theme is closely tied to the two other interrelated themes—for one I use the statement, a legacy of failure to implement projects successfully—for the other I use a cycle of broken promises to describe the mounting number of announcements on projects that government then fails to deliver. Some of the more relevant comments, on this matter, collected throughout my research appear below.A former Sydney radio announcer, now a major project community consultation advisor, asserts that a “legacy issue” exists with regards to the poor performance of government over time. Through the SCM failure, which she asserts was “a perfectly sound idea,” the NSW Government came to represent “lost opportunities” resulting in a “massive erosion of public trust.” This sentiment was broadly mirrored across the public and industry expert research I conducted. For example, a public respondent states, “repeated public transport failures through the past 20 years has lowered my belief in future projects being successful.” And, a former director general of NSW planning asserts that because of the repeated project failures culminating in the demise of the SCM, “everybody is now so cynical”.Today under the “making it happen” banner, the major Sydney rail transport project investment is to the northwest of Sydney. There was a change of government in 2011 and the NWR was a key election promise for the incoming Premier at the time, Barry O’Farrell. The NWR project, (now renamed Sydney Metro Northwest as well as extended with new stages through the city to Sydney’s Southwest) remains ongoing and in many respects it appears that Sydney may have turned a corner with major infrastructure construction finally underway. Paradoxically though, the NWR project received far less support than the SCM from the majority of the 30 experts I interviewed. The most common theme from expert respondents (including a number working on the project) is that it is not the most urgent transport priority for Sydney but was instead a political decision. As a communications manager for a large Australian infrastructure provider states: “The NWR was an election promise, it wasn’t a decision based on whether the public wanted that rail link or not”. And, the aforementioned former director general of NSW planning mirrors this sentiment when she contends that the NWR is not a priority and “totally political”.My research findings strongly indicate that the failure of the SCM is in fact a vitally important catalyst for the implementation of the NWR. In other words, I assert that the formulation of the NWR has been influenced by the dominant themes that portray the abilities of government in a negative light—themes strengthened and amplified due to the failure of the SCM. Therefore, I assert that the NWR symbolises a desperate government determined to reverse these themes even if it means adopting a build at any cost mentality. As a respondent who specialises in infrastructure finance for one of Australia’s largest banks, states: “I think in politics there are certain promises that people attempt to keep and I think Barry O’Farrell has made it very clear that he is going to make sure those [NWR] tunnel boring machines are on the ground. So that’s going to happen rain, hail or shine”. Hating Politics My empirical research clearly elucidates the three themes I term an inability of government to successfully deliver projects, a legacy of failure and a cycle of broken promises. These intertwining themes are firmly embedded and strengthening. They also portray government in a negative light. I assert that the NWR, as a determined attempt to reverse these themes (irrespective of the cost), indicates a government at best reactive in its decision making and at worst desperate to reverse public and media perception.The negativity facing the NSW government seems extreme. However, in the context of Colin Hay’s work, the situation is perhaps more inevitable than surprising. In Why We Hate Politics (2007), Hay charts the history of public disengagement with western politics. He does this largely by arguing the considerable influence of problematic key tenets of public choice theory that permeate the discourse of most western democracies, including Australia. They are tenets that normalise depoliticisation and cast a lengthy shadow over the behaviour and motivations of politicians and bureaucrats. Public choice can be defined as the economic study of nonmarket decision-making, or, simply the application of economics to political science. The basic behavioral postulate of public choice, as for economics, is that man is an egoistic, rational, utility maximizer. (Mueller 395)Originating from rational choice theory generally and spurred by Kenneth Arrow’s investigations into rational choice and social policy more specifically, the basic premise of public choice is a privileging of individual values above rational collective choice in social policy development (Arrow; Dunleavy; Hauptman; Mueller). Hay asserts that public choice evolved as a theory throughout the 1960s and 70s in order to conceptualise a more market-orientated alternative to the influential theory of welfare economics. Both were formulated in response to a need for intervention and regulation of markets to correct their “natural tendency to failure” (95). In many ways public choice was a reaction to the “idealized depiction of the state” that welfare economics was seen to be propagating. Instead a “more sanguine and realistic view of the […] imperfect state, it was argued, would lead to a rather safer set of inferences about the need for state intervention” (96). Hay asserts that in effect by challenging the motivations of elected officials and public servants, public choice theory “assumed the worst”, branding all parties self-interested and declaring the state inefficient and ineffective in the delivery of public goods (96). Although, as Hay admits, public choice advocates perhaps provided “a healthy cynicism about both the motivations and the capabilities of politicians and public officials,” the theory was overly simplistic, overstated and unproven. Furthermore, when market woes became real rather than theoretical with crippling stagflation in the 1970s, public choice readily identify “villains” at the heart of the problem and the media and public leapt on it (Hay 109). An academic theory was thrust into mainstream discourse. Two results key to the investigations of this paper were 1) a perception of politics “synonymous with the blind pursuit of individual self interest” and 2) the demystification of the “public service ethos” (Hay 108-12). Hay concludes that instead the long-term result has been a conception of politicians and the bureaucracy that is “increasingly synonymous with duplicity, greed, corruption, interference and inefficiency” (160).Deciphering “Making It Happen” More than three decades on, echoes of public choice theory abound in my empirical research into NSW infrastructure building. In particular they are clearly evident in the three themes I term an inability of government to successfully deliver projects, a legacy of failure and a cycle of broken promises. Within this context, what then can we decipher from the pithy, ubiquitous slogan on a government logo? Of course, in one sense “making it happen” could be interpreted as a further attempt to reverse these three themes. The brand guidelines provide the following description of the logo: “the tone is confident, progressive, friendly, trustworthy, active, consistent, getting on with the job, achieving deadlines—“making it happen” (30). Indeed, this description seems the antithesis of perceptions of government identified in my primary research as well as the dogma of public choice theory. There is certainly expert evidence that one of the centrepieces of the government’s push to demonstrate that it is “making it happen”, the NWR, is a flawed project that represents a political decision. Therefore, it is hard not to be cynical and consider the government self-interested and shortsighted in its approach to building and development. If we were to adopt this view then it would be tempting to dismiss the new logo as political, reactive, and entirely self-serving. Further, with the worrying evidence of a ‘build at any cost’ mentality that may lead to wasted taxpayer funds and developments that future generations may judge harshly. As the principal of an national architectural practice states:politicians feel they have to get something done and getting something done is more important than the quality of what might be done because producing something of quality takes time […] it needs to have the support of a lot of people—it needs to be well thought through […] if you want to leap into some trite solution for something just to get something done, at the end of the day you’ll probably end up with something that doesn’t suit the taxpayers very well at all but that’s just the way politics is.In this context, the logo and its mantra could come to represent irreparable long-term damage to Sydney. That said, what if the cynics (this author included) tried to silence the public choice rhetoric that has become so ingrained? What if we reflect for a moment on the effects of our criticism – namely, the further perpetuation and deeper embedding of the cycle of broken promises, the legacy of failure and ineptitude? As Hay states, “if we look hard enough, we are likely to find plenty of behaviour consistent with such pessimistic assumptions. Moreover, the more we look the more we will reinforce that increasingly intuitive tendency” (160). What if we instead consider that by continuing to adopt the mantra of a political cynic, we are in effect perpetuating an overly simplistic, unsubstantiated theory that has cleverly affected us so profoundly? When confronted by the hundreds of kilometres of construction hoarding across Sydney, I am struck by the flippancy of “making it happen.” The vast expanse of hoarding itself symbolises that things are evidently “happening.” However, my research suggests these things could be other things with potential to deliver better public benefits. There is a conundrum here though—publicly expressing pessimism weakens further the utility of politicians and the bureaucracy and exacerbates the problems. Such is the self-fulfilling nature of public choice. ConclusionHay argues that rather than expecting politics and politicians to change, it is our expectations of what government can achieve that we need to modify. Hay asserts that although there is overwhelming evidence that we hate politics more now than at any stage in the past, he does not believe that, “today’s breed of politicians are any more sinful than their predecessors.” Instead he contends that it is more likely that “we have simply got into the habit of viewing them, and their conduct, in such terms” (160). The ramifications of such thinking ultimately, according to Hay, means a breakdown in “trust” that greatly hampers the “co-operation,” so important to politics (161). He implores us to remember “that politics can be more than the pursuit of individual utility, and that the depiction of politics in such terms is both a distortion and a denial of the capacity for public deliberation and the provision of collective goods” (162). What then if we give the NSW Government the benefit of the doubt and believe that the current building boom (including the decision to build the NWR) was not entirely self-serving but a line drawn in the sand with the determination to tackle a problem that is far greater than just that of Sydney’s transport or any other single policy or project problem—the ongoing issue of the spiralling reputation and identity of government decision-makers and perhaps even democracy generally as public choice ideals proliferate in western democracies like that of Australia’s most populous state. As a partner in a national architectural and planning practice states: I think in NSW in particular there has been such an under investment in infrastructure and so few of the promises have been kept […]. Who cares if NWR is right or not? If they actually build it they’ll be the first government in 25 years to do anything.ReferencesABC Sydney. “Confirmed. This is the new logo and phrase for #NSW getting its first outing. What do you think of it?” Twitter. 1 Sep. 2015. 19 Jan. 2017 <https://twitter.com/abcsydney/status/638909482697777152>.Arrow, Kenneth, J. Social Choice and Individual Values. New York: Wiley, 1951.Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2006): 77-101. The Castle. Dir. Rob Sitch. Working Dog, 1997.Cratchley, Drew. “Builders Want Compo If Sydney Metro Axed.” Sydney Morning Herald 12 Feb. 2010. 17 Apr. 2012 <http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/builders-want-compo-if-sydney-metro-axed-20100212-nwn2.html>.Dunleavy, Patrick. Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Choice. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1991. Hauptmann, Emily. Putting Choice before Democracy: A Critique of Rational Choice Theory. Albany, New York: State U of New York P, 1996.Hay, Colin. Why We Hate Politics. Cambridge: Polity, 2007.Hunt, Elle. “New South Wales’ New Logo and Slogan Slips By Unnoticed – Almost.” The Guardian Australian Edition 10 Sep. 2015. 19 Jan. 2017 <https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/blog/2015/sep/10/new-south-wales-new-logo-and-slogan-slips-by-unnoticed-almost>.Koziol, Michael. “‘Making It Happen’: NSW Gets a New Logo. 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The 2nd International Conference on Innovation in Technology and Management for Sustainable Agroindustry (ITaMSA 2021) is a platform for academics, business actors, policy makers, and other practitioners who are engaged and have a vision to develop sustainable agroindustry. The 2nd ITaMSA is organized by the Department of Agro-industrial Technology, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia in collaboration with the Indonesian Agroindustry Association (AGRIN), Indonesia. The mission of AGRIN is to promote agro-industry as a driver of economic growth and equity in the era of globalization, through active participation as mediators, facilitators, and accelerators of sustainable agro-industry development in Indonesia. In line with this mission, AGRIN together with the Department of Agroindustrial Technology of IPB University held the 2nd ITaMSA. The 2nd ITaMSA was held online from 25-26 October 2021. This event was attended by 341 participants and speakers from various countries, namely Indonesia, Australia, The United States, France, and Japan, from academia, government, business, and communities. At the 2nd ITaMSA, there were 69 papers titles presented in plenary and parallel sessions. Topics of the papers related to innovative sustainable agro-industrial products, green technology, including process technology and packaging and storage as well as innovative and sustainable agro-industrial business models. Appreciation and thanks are conveyed to the committee from members of AGRIN, faculty members, and educational staff of the Department of Agroindustrial Technology, IPB University for their hard work and contributions to the 2nd ITaMSA. Our appreciation and thanks are also conveyed to all participants, peer reviewers, and speakers for their support and contribution in the 2nd ITaMSA. Our special thanks go to the Directorate of International Programs of IPB University as sponsor of the 2nd ITaMSA 2021. List of Conference Logo, International Program Committee, Organizing Committee and Photographs are available in this Pdf.