Creative Victoria

2020 is the year of wildfire records. California experienced its three largest fires early in its fire season. The Pantanal, the largest wetland on the planet, burned over 20% of its surface. More than 18 million hectares of forest and bushland burned during the 2019-2020 fire season in Australia, killing 33 people, destroying nearly 2500 homes, and endangering many endemic species. The direct cost of damages is being counted in dozens of billion dollars, but the indirect costs on water-related ecosystem services and benefits could be equally expensive, with impacts lasting for decades. In Australia, the extreme precipitation ("200 mm day -1 in several location") that interrupted the catastrophic wildfire season triggered a series of watershed effects from headwaters to areas downstream. The increased runoff and erosion from burned areas disrupted water supplies in several locations. These post-fire watershed hazards via source water contamination, flash floods, and mudslides can represent substantial, systemic long-term risks to drinking water production, aquatic life, and socio-economic activity. Scenarios similar to the recent event in Australia are now predicted to unfold in the Western USA. This is a new reality that societies will have to live with as uncharted fire activity, water crises, and widespread human footprint collide all-around of the world. Therefore, we advocate for a more proactive approach to wildfire-watershed risk governance in an effort to advance and protect water security. We also argue that there is no easy solution to reducing this risk and that investments in both green (i.e., natural) and grey (i.e., built) infrastructure will be necessary. Further, we propose strategies to combine modern data analytics with existing tools for use by water and land managers worldwide to leverage several decades worth of data and knowledge on post-fire hydrology.

This article seeks to disrupt contemporary cultural imaginations about children and childhood; we offer some provocations to think differently about the regulation and governance of gender by taking a step back to consider children and childhoods more expansively and generatively, as becomings. Underpinning these concerns is the principal objective to explore ways in which posthumanist theorizing can be translated into posthumanist methodology through arts-based practice. In an attempt to illustrate how we have approached this we revisit several core onto-epistemological dilemmas posed by Lather (1993) when she asks: what counts as valid knowledge? Which then leads us onto ask what counts as data? What does data do? And what do we do with what the data does? By experimenting with a range of mediums (photography, artwork and poetry) ‘in a game of cat’s cradle’ (Haraway, 1994) we explore the potential that posthumanist approaches offer to extend and stretch the parameters that have come to shape established ways of knowing and becoming in early childhood.

Abstract Environmental and sustainability professionals (or E&SPs) seek funding for projects, programs, and initiatives (PP&Is) in support of their organizations’ sustainable development agendas. It is a rare organization where these PP&Is get support in their own right without a business case. As is often the case, these PP&Is never get to see the light of day, with many of them being perceived by the businesses’ executives as part of an environmental or sustainability “agenda.” In the author's experience, the reason for this is that the E&SPs are usually the sustainability champions for these same organizations, and their focus is not necessarily on ensuring the establishment of the underlying business case or ensuring close alignments of PP&Is to the business. One of the most important skills that these professionals can gain is that of asking a focused line of questions that can uncover the business needs of the organizations they work for and how their own role or proposed PP&Is fit within the business's strategy. This article sets context through the author's experience in infrastructure sustainability construction, and provides a checklist for E&SPs to use as they conceive, develop, discuss, propose, and seek funding for sustainability and environmental PP&Is.

Abstract Aim Fires can severely impact aquatic fauna, especially when attributes of soil, topography, fire severity and post‐fire rainfall interact to cause substantial sedimentation. Such events can cause immediate mortality and longer‐term changes in food resources and habitat structure. Approaches for estimating fire impacts on terrestrial species (e.g. intersecting fire extent with species distributions) are inappropriate for aquatic species as sedimentation can carry well downstream of the fire extent, and occur long after fire. Here, we develop an approach for estimating the spatial extent of fire impacts for aquatic systems, across multiple catchments. Location Southern Australian bioregions affected by the fires in 2019–2020 that burned >10 million ha of temperate and subtropical forests. Methods We integrated an existing soil erosion model with fire severity mapping and rainfall data to estimate the spatial extent of post‐fire sedimentation threat in waterways and in basins and the potential exposure of aquatic species to this threat. We validated the model against field observations of sedimentation events after the 2019–20 fires. Results While fires overlapped with ~27,643 km of waterways, post‐fire sedimentation events potentially occurred across ~40,449 km. In total, 55% ( n = 85) of 154 basins in the study region may have experienced substantial post‐fire sedimentation. Ten species—including six Critically Endangered—were threatened by post‐fire sedimentation events across 100% of their range. The model increased the estimates for potential impact, compared to considering fire extent alone, for >80% of aquatic species. Some species had distributions that did not overlap with the fire extent, but that were entirely exposed to post‐fire sedimentation threat. Conclusions Compared with estimating the overlap of fire extent with species' ranges, our model improves estimates of fire‐related threats to aquatic fauna by capturing the complexities of fire impacts on hydrological systems. The model provides a method for quickly estimating post‐fire sedimentation threat after future fires in any fire‐prone region, thus potentially improving conservation assessments and informing emergency management interventions.

Experiments with artificial diets demonstrated that black field cricket (Teleogryllus commodus (Walker)) and Lepidogryllus sp. were highly responsive to presence of lolines in their diet-quantities of diet consumed declined exponentially with increasing loline concentration. Amount consumed by black field cricket and Lepidogryllus sp. on diet containing 5,600 µg/g lolines was only 8 and 2% relative to those on loline-free diet, respectively. Additional experiments with Festulolium seeds demonstrated that both cricket species predated heavily on endophyte-free seed but largely avoided Epichloë uncinata-infected seed. By 12 h, black field cricket had destroyed 98.8% of endophyte-free but only 24.8% of E. uncinata-infected, loline-containing seed. By 36 h, Lepidogryllus sp. crickets had destroyed 40% of endophyte-free but had not fed on E. uncinata-infected, loline-containing seed. Glasshouse experiments demonstrated this aversion to lolines greatly reduces the damage potential of black field cricket in E. uncinata-infected Festulolium. When microswards were sown with E. uncinata-infected Festulolium, seedling numbers were reduced 25-26%, and yields 29-40%, by black field crickets relative to microswards sown without insect infestation. This contrasts with 70-78% reduction in seedling numbers and 67-80% reduction in yields in microswards sown to either endophyte-free Festulolium, endophyte-free perennial ryegrass, or Epichloë festucae var. lolii-infected Festulolium. Yields of mature E. uncinata-infected Festulolium plants were not adversely affected by black field crickets, irrespective of the presence of the endophyte-free standard Festulolium sown as a companion. In contrast, yields of endophyte-free Festulolium, endophyte-free perennial ryegrass, and E. festucae var. lolii-infected Festulolium plants were reduced by 56-61% by crickets.

Abstract Wildfire can induce an increase in infiltration excess overland flow, which varies from barely detectible to extreme. Soil properties are an important contributor to this variability. Several studies found that a landscape's aridity (the balance of energy and water) is strongly correlated with an increased quantity of post‐wildfire overland flow, with burnt forests of higher aridity producing higher peak flow compared to wetter forests. Related process‐based studies suggested that this relationship can be explained by an interaction between inherent soil macroporosity (varies inversely with aridity) and fire induced water repellency; soils of higher macro‐porosity maintain high infiltration rates despite fire‐enhanced water repellence. Although the observed post‐wildfire runoff/aridity relationship has proven useful in mapping hydrological risk, its transferability is potentially limited for areas where other soil formation factors have greater influence. Here we propose that measurements related to landscape productivity may provide a mappable landscape metric that is based on soil formation processes that influence post‐fire infiltration capacity and may provide a more robust and transferable proxy of fire induced hydrologic change. To test this hypothesis, post‐wildfire runoff data from three new experimental sites with a coastal climate influence were combined with previously published data collected inland across a gradient of aridity. The results showed that post‐wildfire runoff was better correlated with measures of productivity than with aridity, supporting the hypothesis. It is therefore proposed that long‐term average productivity may be a more robust and transferable proxy in estimating the magnitude of increase in overland flow after fire than aridity. This most likely results from a stronger causal link between productivity and soil macroporosity, though this was not measured in this study. As with aridity, this proxy is mappable at high resolution using climate and remotely sensed data, enabling the application of landscape productivity metrics when predicting post‐wildfire hydrologic risk.

Currently, no systematic review exists on dance therapy studies for treatment resistant depression. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effects of dance therapy on the primary symptom clusters of treatment resistant depression, that is, co-morbid stress and depression PROSPERO(CRD42022309685), and identify common dance therapy practices in this population. We searched six databases between January 2001 and March 2024 using the primary key terms: 'dance therapy', 'stress', 'depression', 'study', 'treatment resistance', and 'adults'. Reference list checks and citation tracking were conducted. The Downs and Black checklist was used to assess risk of bias. Our search yielded 68 records. Five articles were included (N = 613, 91.2% female), and dosage varied between 15 and 24 h over 3–12 weeks. Results indicated an increase in management strategies rather than symptom reduction. Meta-analyses revealed no statistically significant results for stress and depression. Common dance therapy practices were improvisation, shared rhythm, and structured movement.

OBJECTIVE: This mixed-studies systematic review examined how self-administered music interventions (SAMIs) influenced psychological wellbeing for people with chronic health conditions. METHODS: We searched 7 databases and performed citation and reference checks to find studies that implemented SAMIs for psychological outcomes in adults with chronic health conditions published between January 1990 and March 2023. Risk of bias was assessed using Downs and Black's quality assessment checklist criteria. Data were synthesised using meta-analysis and narrative summary. RESULTS: We included 21 articles (934 participants). Meta-analyses demonstrated significant effects of SAMIs on outcomes measuring post-test (SMD = 0.72) and long-term depression (SMD = 0.51), post-test generic (SMD = 0.55) and disease-specific (SMD = 0.56) psychological quality of life, and post-test mood disturbance (SMD = 0.64). A small effect suggested that SAMIs with multiple in-person sessions guided by a music therapist may reduce anxiety (SMD = 0.37) CONCLUSION: SAMIs may improve psychological wellbeing in people with chronic health conditions. Long-term benefits of SAMIs have been recognised for the depression outcome. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Encouraging people with chronic health conditions to self-administer music interventions may provide benefits to their psychological wellbeing.

The Sunshine Coast (unless otherwise specified, Sunshine Coast refers to the region which includes both Sunshine Coast and Noosa council areas) is a classic regional hotspot. In many respects, the Sunshine Coast has assets that make it the “Goldilocks” of Queensland hotspots: “the agility of the region and our collaborative nature is facilitated by the fact that we're not too big, not too small - 330,000 people” (Paddenburg, 2019); “We are in that perfect little bubble of just right of about everything” (Erbacher 2019). The Sunshine Coast has one of the fastest-growing economies in Australia. Its population is booming and its local governments are working together to establish world-class communications, transport and health infrastructure, while maintaining the integrity of the region’s much-lauded environment and lifestyle. As a result, the Sunshine Coast Council is regarded as a pioneer on smart city initiatives, while Noosa Shire Council has built a reputation for prioritising sustainable development. The region’s creative economy is growing at a faster rate that of the rest of the economy—in terms of job growth, earnings, incomes and business registrations. These gains, however, are not spread uniformly. Creative Services (that is, the advertising and marketing, architecture and design, and software and digital content sectors) are flourishing, while Cultural Production (music and performing arts, publishing and visual arts) is variable, with visual and performing arts growing while film, television and radio and publishing have low or no growth. The spirit of entrepreneurialism amongst many creatives in the Sunshine Coast was similar to what we witnessed in other hotspots: a spirit of not necessarily relying on institutions, seeking out alternative income sources, and leveraging networks. How public agencies can better harness that energy and entrepreneurialism could be a focus for ongoing strategy. There does seem to be a lower level of arts and culture funding going into the Sunshine Coast from governments than its population base and cultural and creative energy might suggest. Federal and state arts funding programs are under-delivering to the Sunshine Coast.

This paper presents a hardware/software co-simulation framework for power converter embedded software design. The methodology models all important power converter electronic circuitry in fine detail, and then uses the actual firmware source code of the physical digital signal processor to create a near-to-real simulation framework. Averaged model representations of the converter's switching processes are then integrated into the system to minimise the simulation run time for extended time domain simulation runs. The approach is currently being used for the firmware development of a commercial single-phase grid-connected solar inverter. Matching simulation and experimental results are included to verify the effectiveness of the approach.

In 2020, a new Closing the Gap Agreement and an associated Joint Communications Strategy committed the Australian Government and state and territory governments to working with First Nations media to advance Closing the Gap aims, after lobbying by First Nations Media Australia. The new attention to First Nations media occurs after two decades of government disregard. We observe how First Nations media organisations have consistently advocated for a form of self-determination through First Nations-controlled communications, laying the groundwork for this shift. In doing so, they strategically adopt a political discourse to critique and promote reform of policy frameworks in their interests, highlighting tensions around the conceptualisation and practice of self-determination. We consider what may be required for a revised (re)adoption of self-determination as a policy to shift state-led governance, and to overcome the significant failures and limitations of policy processes.

Groundbreaking neuroplasticity research demonstrates how interactive technologies can be used to leverage and increase our brain's capacity to learn. Importantly, unless specific physical pathologies are being addressed, this research remains screen-based, overlooking the rich multi-modal capacities of the human body. Embodied interaction affords multi-sensory experiences and heightened engagement. It allows for a broad palette of activities, as well as powerful leverage of the indelible intertwining of body and brain. This paper argues that embodied interaction, in particular poetic-kinaesthetic engagement in artistic activities, may powerfully compliment existing techniques for stimulating neuroplastic change.

This article joins the call to protect academic freedom and freedom of expression in scholarly work. In our commentary, we reflect on how Digital Journalism has long provided a space for scholarship that examines and challenges authoritarian pressure and political controls on journalistic and democratic institutions. We outline what is lost when academic inquiry is curtailed in the face of political pressure and efforts at authoritarian control, and underscore the importance of preserving and defending academic freedom and inquiry as a democratic imperative. In doing so, we echo calls to defend our colleagues’ research and our field from undue political pressure, wherever it occurs. While we advocate for a robust defense of this tradition in light of current political circumstances, we also pause to acknowledge our own shortcomings as a group of digital journalism scholars by highlighting the anti-democratic trends we might have missed in recent years, in the hopes we can avoid such blindspots in the future.

A new species of Hakea Schrad. & J.C.Wendl. with a restricted known distribution in the Alpine National Park, East Gippsland, Victoria, H. asperma Molyneux & Forrester sp. nov. is described and illustrated. Its relationships with H. lissosperma R.Br and H. microcarpa R.Br are discussed and critical differences noted. The new species, while flowering freely, has not been observed to set fruit and apparently relies on ramet production for its persistence.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate how young people's experiences of recognition in learning influence their wellbeing and to identify practical strategies for a more holistic and equitable educational approach that values diverse competencies beyond traditional academic measures. DESIGN: The project used a youth co-research and participatory design. Young people with recent experience of secondary education led the study alongside university and industry-based researchers. SETTING: Data were collected between 13 May and 27 June 2024, through five participatory workshops and 10 in-depth interviews, conducted online and in person. Workshops were conducted across four contexts: two school settings (one mainstream school, one flexible learning school), one university setting (with students admitted through non-Australian Tertiary Admission Rank pathways), and one online context. PARTICIPANTS: 60 young people aged 15-29 years from Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjective and qualitative expression of knowledge and skills, wellbeing, and social connection. RESULTS: Young people reported that the current education system values conformity over creativity and forces them to follow prescribed pathways through learning, rather than pursue interests, curiosities and passions. This contributes considerably to poor sense of self, heightened anxiety and stress. Comparatively, when young people experience broader forms of recognition, they have greater understanding of themselves, feel safe, are engaged, can identify knowledge and skills they have acquired, have developed social connections and have a sense of subjective wellbeing. Forms of broader recognition that acknowledge non-formal learning, adopt alternative assessment and credentialing, foster supportive relationships and assert a commitment to overcoming disadvantage are essential to educational experiences that promote wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: Broader recognition of learning, through non-formal learning, trusted relationships, supportive environments and learner agency, strengthens wellbeing across three dimensions: knowledge and skills, subjective wellbeing, and social connection. Redefining success in education to include recognition of broader learning - shaped by learners and their contexts - can enhance engagement, improve outcomes, disrupt disadvantage, and support more equitable systems that promote wellbeing and lifelong learning.

Purpose This paper describes the development of a digital role play game (RPG) designed to help construction apprentices to better communicate with their supervisors about issues with the potential to impact on their physical and psychological health and safety. Design/methodology/approach A participatory approach was adopted to utilise the knowledge and insights of the target users to inform the digital RPG development. Apprentices and supervisors were interviewed to identify characteristics of effective supervisor-apprentice communication, which became the RPG’s learning objectives. The scenarios constructed in the RPG were drawn from lived experiences shared by the apprentices in the interviews. During the development process, consultations were conducted with an advisory committee comprising of apprentices and supervisors to improve the realism of the RPG scenarios. Findings Three scenarios were developed for the RPG. In each scenario, players are asked to make decisions at various interaction points about how the characters should respond to the unfolding and challenging situations. Scripts were developed for the game, which were acted out and motion captured to animate digital MetaHuman characters embedded in a virtual construction site. Two example situations are introduced in this paper to illustrate the development process. Originality/value To our knowledge, the RPG introduced is one of the first applications of digital game-based training in the construction industry. The adoption of a participatory design approach ensures that the game content relates to real-world experiences. The digital RPG is highly interactive and engaging in nature and presents a novel approach to developing “soft” skills in construction.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of fatigue detection technology (FDT) cabin alarms in reducing fatigue events in rural truck drivers, assess the accuracy in detecting fatigue events alarms, and examine whether drivers habituate to alarms over time. METHODS: This is longitudinal naturalistic study of fatigue events before and after alarm activation in 12 rural commercial trucks. RESULTS: The rate showed fatigue events were significantly higher when alarms were off (0.06), compared to when alarms were activated (0.03) (rate ratio = 0.5 [0.4, 0.7], P < 0.001). Fatigue events increased as the alarm phase continued, indicating habituation. The device classified fatigue events with 49% precision, 32% were false positives, and 18% reclassified as distraction when human verified. CONCLUSIONS: In-cabin fatigue, alarms significantly reduced the rate of fatigue events initially but increased again overtime.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how redesigning learner recognition systems can value First Nations students' diverse knowledges and skills, facilitating systemic educational reform aligned with Indigenous definitions of success, wellbeing, and sense of belonging. DESIGN: Social lab methods employing iterative co-design, guided by First Nations-led frameworks aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ensuring community accountability and Indigenous self-determination. SETTING: This study was part of the Learner's Journey Social Lab facilitated by Learning Creates Australia, which was conducted from 1 October 2020 to 31 October 2021. The First Nations team was co-convened in partnership with the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two participants from First Nations communities, including students and young people (aged 14-25 years), educators, community representatives, allied health professionals, policy makers, and academics. PROCESS: Development of an Indigenous Nation-led learning charter model, informed by thematic analysis of interviews and a focus group exploring First Nations students' learning journeys, ambitions, and social and cultural determinants of wellbeing. VALUES: Recognition and validation of Indigenous learning journeys; alignment of educational practices with cultural determinants of social and emotional wellbeing through the development of an Indigenous Nation-led learning charter; and enhanced agency, belonging and First Nations-defined success in educational environments. RESULTS: The Indigenous Nation-led learning charter was developed to support student sense of belonging; facilitate wellbeing-centred relationships and partnerships between schools, communities, and custodians; and increase student engagement and agency through recognition of cultural, community, and identity-related learning. The charter model is supported and implemented through a place-based community of practice and learner wellbeing recognition tool. CONCLUSION: Centring Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination and wellbeing necessitates significant shifts in educational practice and relationships, ultimately supporting holistic learner success and community wellbeing.

Deep Listening is at the heart of effective leadership, fostering trust, understanding and connection. Rooted in respect, reciprocity and community, this ancient practice is particularly relevant in addressing contemporary environmental and social challenges. First Nations wisdom, passed down for generations, provides valuable insights into leadership and sustainability. Through collaborative work with Aboriginal artists and cultural leaders such as Lisa Kennedy and Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir, the significance of deep listening is explored as a means of strengthening community, embracing multiple ways of knowing and cultivating a deep sense of care for people and the environment. Listening to Country is an invitation to attune to the interconnectedness of all life and recognise the responsibility that comes with this awareness. By integrating Deep Listening into leadership, individuals can develop a more holistic and inclusive approach, ensuring that leadership decisions honour both ancestral knowledge and the future of our planet.

La asociación entre el tejido adiposo visceral y la enfermedad cardiovascular ha sido claramente establecida. Asimismo, se ha determinado que la adiposidad ectópica se asocia con un mayor riesgo cardiovascular en comparación a la adiposidad subcutánea. En este contexto, múltiples investigaciones han evaluado el rol del tejido adiposo epicárdico (TAE) en la enfermedad cardiovascular. El TAE se localiza entre la superficie miocárdica y la hoja visceral del pericardio, y puede cuantificarse mediante técnicas no invasivas como ser el ecocardiograma, la tomografía computada o la resonancia nuclear magnética. El TAE no es simplemente un órgano de depósito. Actualmente, se considera que es un tejido metabólicamente activo capaz de secretar múltiples adipoquinas que actúan mediante diferentes vías de señalización parácrina, endócrina, vasócrina y/o autócrina. La evidencia actual sugiere que el TAE puede ser un factor contribuyente en la patogénesis de la enfermedad coronaria, asociándose además con su gravedad y progresión. En ese sentido, algunos autores han postulado al TAE como un nuevo factor de riesgo cardiovascular y como un potencial blanco terapéutico. El objetivo de esta revisión es analizar la relación del TAE con la enfermedad cardiovascular, principalmente con la enfermedad coronaria.