Pittwater Online News

10/50 Review report recommendations announced

A review of the 10/50 scheme has been conducted by the NSW Rural Fire Service, Department of Planning and Environment, and the Office of Environment and Heritage. The review has now been completed and a copy of the final report is available here.

Thirty recommendations have been made. The NSW Government is now in the process of implementing these recommendations.

You can check here if you are in a 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement area. Checking your land is easy. 

For more information on the 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement have a read of our frequently asked questions.

Changes to eligibility area

In response to the review recommendations, the NSW RFS has made interim changes to the 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement area which come into effect immediately. Further changes will come into effect once legislation is finalised.

You should always re-confirm your eligibility to remove vegetation using the online tool before taking any action. For more information see our frequently asked questions.

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Us (now - we have Spotted Gums and Littoral Rainforest as our front and back yards): Your property is not in a 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement area. You cannot use the 10/50 exemption to clear vegetation on your property. Contact your local council or Local Land Services Office regarding any clearing authorisation required.

 IMPROVED 10/50 SCHEME OFFERS GREATER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

Wednesday, 12 August 2015: Media Release

Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott, Minister for the Environment Mark Speakman and NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers today announced a strengthened 10/50 scheme would provide better environmental protection and minimise tree clearing for views. 

A review of the 10/50 scheme by the NSW RFS, the Office of Environment and Heritage and the Department of Planning concluded that residents in bushfire-prone areas should retain the right to protect their homes from bushfire, and made 30 recommendations to tighten the scheme. 

The 10/50 scheme introduced after the devastating 2013 bushfires enables residents in bushfire-prone areas to remove trees within 10m and vegetation within 50m of their house without seeking approval. Mr Elliott said the NSW Government accepted all 30 recommendations and would introduce legislation to Parliament today to amend the Rural Fires Act 1997 and separately tighten the NSW RFS 10/50 Code of Practice. 

The amendments also include measures to protect firefighters and other people who are carrying out hazard reduction activities or clearing vegetation under the scheme. 

“This Government strongly believes that property owners should be empowered to protect their property, but it was clear that some people were clearing trees for reasons which had nothing to do with bushfire protection,” Mr Elliott said. 

It maintains the reduced entitlement area of 100m from higher risk vegetation (originally 350m), covering 85 per cent of properties historically destroyed in a bush fire. Mr Speakman said the strengthened scheme would introduce stronger environmental protections such as excluding koala habitats, littoral rainforests, Aboriginal places, and trees within 100m of the coastline and mapped estuaries. 

“The scheme will now also exclude critically endangered plants, critical habitats, all mangroves and saltmarshes and a range of critically endangered ecological communities,” Mr Speakman said. “About half of the 30 recommendations introduce greater environmental protections.” 

Deputy Commissioner Rogers said the review encourages councils to take greater responsibility of their bushfire prone land. The RFS can exclude low-risk pockets of bushland from the scheme if it is satisfied that council has appropriate mitigation strategies in place. 

“This review has not been an easy task but we think we have the balance right. We thank the more than 3,500 residents, councils, community groups and other stakeholders who took the time to make a submission,” he said. 

Residents can check their eligibility for the 10/50 scheme and view a copy of the report at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/1050.

 Research priorities for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science

August 11, 2015 – An initiative to better understand how melting ice sheets will contribute to sea-level rise, efforts to decode the genomes of organisms to understand evolutionary adaptations, and a next-generation cosmic microwave background experiment to address fundamental questions about the origin of the universe are the top research goals for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science recommended in a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The report, which offers a strategic vision to guide the U.S. Antarctic Program at the National Science Foundation over the next 10 years, also recommends that NSF continue to support a core program of investigator-driven research across a broad range of disciplines and strengthen logistic and infrastructure support for the priority research areas.

"The discoveries emerging from the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean advance our understanding of how our planet works and how our universe formed," said Robin Bell, professor of geology and geophysics at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University in New York and co-chair of the committee that conducted the study. "Continued Antarctic and Southern Ocean research will produce new insights that will be critical as society adapts to the global consequences of change in these remote regions."

Informed by extensive input from the scientific community, the committee selected the three large-scale research goals based on the criteria of compelling science, potential for societal impact, time sensitivity, readiness and feasibility, and key areas for U.S. and NSF leadership. Additional criteria included partnership opportunities, impacts on NSF program balance, and the potential to help bridge disciplinary divides.

The report proposes a major new effort called the Changing Antarctic Ice Sheets Initiative to investigate how much and how fast melting ice sheets will contribute to sea-level rise. The initiative's components include a multidisciplinary campaign to study the complex interactions among ice, ocean, atmosphere, and climate in key zones of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and a new generation of ice core and marine sediment core studies to better understand past episodes of rapid ice sheet collapse.

A second strategic research priority is to understand from a genetic standpoint how life adapts to the extreme Antarctic environment. For more than 30 million years, isolated Antarctic ecosystems have evolved to adapt to freezing conditions and dramatic environmental changes, and now must adapt to contemporary pressures such as climate change, ocean acidification, invasive species, and commercial fishing. Sequencing the genomes and transcriptomes of critical populations, ranging from microbes to marine mammals, would reveal the magnitude of their genetic diversity and capacity to adapt to change.

In addition to being a vast natural laboratory, Antarctica has a dry, stable atmosphere that offers an ideal setting for astrophysical observations. The report recommends a next-generation experimental program to observe cosmic microwave background radiation, the "fossil light" from the early universe. This would include an installation of a new set of telescopes at the South Pole, as part of a larger global array, which will allow highly sensitive measurements that could detect signatures of gravitational waves. Such observations might provide evidence that could confirm the theory of cosmic inflation and the quantum nature of gravity, as well as address other enduring questions about the nature of the universe.

"Although remote, the changes occurring in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica can directly influence the United States," said committee co-chair Robert Weller, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. "But these are challenging areas to do research, so there is a pressing need to prioritize the allocation of resources in order to assure reliable, safe support for critical observations and research campaigns."

The report recommends the following as key needs for supporting and implementing the priority research goals and other areas of Antarctic and Southern Ocean science:

• Expanded access to remote field sites, including a deep field camp and logistics hub, over-snow traverse capabilities, and improved all-weather access to research stations and field locations by air;

• Design and acquisition of a new heavy icebreaker ship and an ice-capable polar research vessel;

• Support for sustained observations through strategic augmentation and coordination of existing observational networks;

• Improved communications and information technology for data transmission; and

• Efforts to facilitate more open and coordinated data collection, sharing, and integration.

The report notes that the priority research initiatives all require some degree of collaboration among NSF divisions, with other U.S. agencies, and with other nations. In addition, NSF can play an important role in developing Antarctic-themed educational resources for K-12, undergraduate and graduate programs, and informal education institutions.

Report is here

 Get weed ready with NSW WeedWise app

04 Aug 2015

Following the successful launch of the NSW WeedWise app in March, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is encouraging land managers and farmers to put the technology to good use and plan their weed management strategies before spring.

DPI Manager Invasive Plants Programs Scott Charlton said the NSW WeedWise app is the first of its kind, combining profiles and control information for 300 high priority weeds for NSW.

"The app gives users a physical description of the weed, an image gallery and details about the weed's impacts, how it spreads, its preferred habitat and the herbicides registered for its control," Mr Charlton said.

"As well as finding out information, land managers and farmers can use the app to report high priority weeds to their local council.

"The app supports other significant investment across the state to limit the spread and impact of these high priority weeds."

Mr Charlton said feedback from land managers and farmers has been overwhelmingly positive.

"The app has been very popular, with over 2,200 downloads since it was launched in March this year," Mr Charlton said.

"User feedback has told us that the app is relevant, comprehensive and easy to navigate which will greatly benefit users."

Weeds impact significantly on agricultural production and the environment, so the new WeedWise app means everyone can take the driver's seat in managing weeds and preventing their spread in NSW.

The app was developed by DPI in conjunction with Reading Room Australia Pty Ltd.

NSW WeedWise is available free of charge through the Apple App Store or for Android users on Google Play.

 Melting glaciers feed Antarctic food chain

August 11, 2015 - Nutrient-rich water from melting Antarctic glaciers nourishes the ocean food chain, creating feeding "hot spots" in large gaps in the sea ice, according to a new study.

New research finds that iron stored in the region's glaciers is being shuttled by melting water to open areas of the ocean, called polynyas, where it stimulates growth of phytoplankton, ocean algae that form the base of the marine food chain. Krill and fish thrive on phytoplankton, and these smaller animals support penguins, seals and whales that feed and breed in the polynyas that ring the Antarctic coast, according to new research.

Increased melting of Antarctic glaciers in the coming decades, which scientists say could occur as a result of climate change, could cause a spike in the amount of iron in the polynyas, according to the new study. The increased iron could boost phytoplankton in these open areas, potentially providing more food for the entire food chain, suggests the new study accepted for publication in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, an American Geophysical Union journal.

"These coastal polynyas are sensitive to inputs from adjacent glaciers, and these glaciers are probably going to accelerate their melting in the future, which is certainly going to have implications for these polynyas," said Kevin Arrigo, a biological oceanographer with the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University in California, and lead author of the new study.

"Coastal Antarctica is likely to become a more productive place in the future," Arrigo said.

Polynyas are created during the summer when winds whip off the Antarctic Ice Sheet, pushing floating sea ice away from the shore. These open areas of water, which range from the size of San Diego to an area equal to the Great Lakes, are hot spots for phytoplankton and, in turn, the entire ocean food chain, according to Arrigo.

"When you look at satellite images of ocean color, these areas just light up [green] compared to the [blue] waters around them," he said.

The new research by Arrigo and his team suggests that the amount of water leaving melting Antarctic glaciers is the largest driver behind the abundance of phytoplankton in the polynyas, not sunlight or temperature as scientists had previously thought. Larger amounts of water coming off the glaciers carry more iron into the polynyas, which should simulate more phytoplankton growth, according to the new study.

This new information about phytoplankton growth in polynyas, based on satellite data, gives scientists greater insight into how the Antarctic marine food web works and how it could be affected by climate change, according to the study's authors. Arrigo noted that although climate change could increase the amount of iron in the polynyas, any positive effects of the additional iron may be offset by other climate change-driven environmental shifts. He added that most marine organisms will be negatively affected by global increases in ocean temperatures and acidification that are expected to happen as a result of climate change.

The new research could also shed light on how carbon is stored in the ocean, Arrigo said. The new study suggests that phytoplankton in the polynyas could be responsible for pulling in large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. The polynyas could be acting as storage sites for carbon released into the atmosphere by fossil fuel burning, according to the new study.

"These polynyas appear to be disproportionately important, for their size, as sinks of carbon. And the reality is that they really are not included in anyone's carbon budget," said Arrigo.

Measuring polynyas, phytoplankton

The researchers used satellite images from 1997 to 2014 to calculate the amount of phytoplankton growing in 46 polynyas that ring the coast of Antarctica. They compared these numbers with data describing the size of the polynyas, the melt rate of nearby glaciers, and the width of the local seafloor in order to identify which environmental characteristics could be linked to phytoplankton growth.

The study found that phytoplankton were most abundant in polynyas near glaciers pumping out large amounts of water. The authors believe water from the glaciers acts as a food delivery system for the algae, bringing iron right to the phytoplankton's doorstep.

Phytoplankton need iron to grow, but the nutrient is scarce in many Antarctic coastal waters. Glaciers, however, accumulate iron from sediments they pick up as they grind across the land and from dust blown onto the ice. Water coming off the melting glaciers transports the iron into the ocean water, where it makes it way to the polynyas, according to the new research. Large amounts of glacial meltwater and iron mix into polynyas that have formed near glaciers. Polynyas far from glaciers receive less of the glacial meltwater and less iron, according to the new study.

While iron-rich water from melting glaciers controls the majority of the phytoplankton growth in polynyas, the study also shows phytoplankton numbers increased in polynyas located over wide, shallow seafloors. Seafloor sediments contain iron from both sunken, dead organisms and dirt from the land. Local water currents moving into shallow waters can stir up iron-rich sediments and carry iron from the shallow seafloors up to the surface, but it is harder for currents to resurrect sediments on deep seafloors, the study suggests.

Higher temperatures also enhanced phytoplankton growth but not nearly as much as Arrigo originally believed. The algae evolved to thrive at low temperatures, and the small differences in temperature between polynyas -- from 1 degree to 2 degrees Celsius (34 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit) -- does not make a large difference in the amount of phytoplankton, said Arrigo.

The new study helps scientists understand productivity in polynyas, said Peter Sedwick, a chemical oceanographer with Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, who was not associated with the study.

Field measurements are needed to prove the connection between phytoplankton growth in polynyas and iron coming from melting glaciers, he said. This could help shed further light on how phytoplankton productivity -- and food for fish, penguins and seals -- could change as a result of climate change, Sedwick added.

Kevin. R. Arrigo, Gert L. van Dijken, Aaron Strong. Environmental controls of marine productivity hot spots around Antarctica.Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2015; DOI:10.1002/2015JC010888

 Proposed threatened species listings: Have your say on proposed threatened species listings

What's this about?

The Fisheries Scientific Committee (FSC), established under Part 7A of the Fisheries Management Act 1994, proposes to list the following animals found in NSW as threatened species:

• Stocky Galaxias (Galaxias tantangara) – Critically Endangered Species 

• Hanley’s River Snail (Notopala hanleyi) – Critically Endangered Species

• Darling River Snail (Notopala sublineata) – omit as an Endangered species and insert as a Critically Endangered Species

The FSC reviewed information and found that the three species are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in NSW in the immediate future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2010.

The proposed determinations can be viewed at DPI Fisheries Head Office, District Fisheries Offices and on the Fisheries Scientific Committee website.

Have your say

The public are invited to view the proposals and submit written feedback via email fsc@dpi.nsw.gov.au or by post:

Fisheries Scientific Committee - c/- NSW DPI, PO Box 1305, Crows Nest NSW 1585

Formal Submission: Date: Aug. 5 - Sep. 16, 2015, Time: 9:00am — 5:00pm

See: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/species-protection/fsc

 Catastrophic invertebrate extinction in Hawai'i, and globally

August 10, 2015 - Hawai'i has been called the "extinction capital of the world." But, with the exception of the islands' birds, there has until now been no accurate assessment of the true level of this catastrophic loss. Invertebrates (insects, snails, spiders, etc.) constitute the vast majority of the species that make up Hawai'i's formerly spectacularly diverse and unique biota. A team of researchers, including scientists from the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Howard University in Washington DC, and the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris, recently published the first rigorous assessment of extinction of invertebrates in Hawai`i.

The team focused on the most diverse group of Hawaiian land snails, known as the family Amastridae, of which 325 species have been recognized -- all known only from Hawai'i. The researchers determined that only 15 of these species could still be found alive, and estimated that the rate of extinction may have been as high as 14 percent of the fauna per decade.

In a companion study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, members of the team, in collaboration with mathematics and bioinformatics specialists at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, addressed invertebrate extinction globally.

Since the 1980s, many biologists have concluded that Earth is in the midst of a massive biodiversity extinction crisis caused by human activities. Yet only around 800 of the planet's 1.9 million known species are officially recorded as extinct by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) "Red List." Skeptics have therefore asked, "Is there really a crisis?"

"We showed, based on extrapolation from a random sample of land snail species from all over the world, and via two independent approaches, that we may already have lost 7 percent (130,000 extinctions) of all the animal species on Earth," said Robert Cowie, research professor at PBRC and co-author of the two studies.

This loss far exceeds the number reported as extinct on the IUCN Red List. The IUCN's number is based primarily on assessments of birds and mammals and essentially excludes invertebrates, even though invertebrates constitute roughly 99 percent of known biodiversity.

Based on their findings, the researchers show that the biodiversity crisis is real and stressed the need to include assessments of invertebrates in order to obtain a more realistic picture of the current situation, known widely as the "sixth mass extinction."

Journal References:

1. Claire Régnier, Guillaume Achaz, Amaury Lambert, Robert H. Cowie, Philippe Bouchet, Benoît Fontaine. Mass extinction in poorly known taxa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015; 112 (25): 7761 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502350112 

2. Claire Régnier, Philippe Bouchet, Kenneth A. Hayes, Norine W. Yeung, Carl C. Christensen, Daniel J. D. Chung, Benoît Fontaine, Robert H. Cowie. Extinction in a hyperdiverse endemic Hawaiian land snail family and implications for the underestimation of invertebrate extinction. Conservation Biology, 2015; DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12565 

 Have your say critically endangered fish and snails

07 Aug 2015 - People are being encouraged to provide feedback on a proposal to list a newly described species of fish and two species of river snail as critically endangered species in NSW.

The independent NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee (FSC) has reviewed information on the Stocky Galaxias, Darling River Snail and Hanley's River Snail, and found each are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future.

FSC Chairperson, Associate Professor Mark Lintermans said the Stocky Galaxias is a newly described species that is thought to only be present in about a four kilometre stretch of a single stream in Kosciusko National Park.

"Very little is known about this small fish species and it is currently threatened due to its small distribution and many environmental factors putting this species at a very high risk of extinction," Associate Professor Lintermans said.

The Darling River Snail was once common and widespread in the Darling River system whilst the Hanley's River Snail was also common and widely distributed in the Murray River catchment.

The Darling River Snail has been listed as an endangered species in NSW since 2001, however the species has continued to decline and the Committee is proposing to upgrade the listing to critically endangered.

"The populations of both the snail species has rapidly declined over the last few decades and through its reviews, the Committee found that they should both be listed as critically endangered in NSW," Associate Professor Lintermans said.

"It is believed that the Darling River Snail and Hanley's River Snail population has reduced to a handful of locations, principally in irrigation pipelines, because of activities associated with river flow management and predation by common carp."

Should the three species be listed as critically endangered, they would become totally protected in NSW and anyone found harming, buying, selling or possessing them could face fines of up to $220,000 and two years' imprisonment.

Anyone wanting to comment on the proposed determinations should do so by visiting, www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au by 16th September 2015.

August 11, 2015 - New research from Monash University shows that children are being exposed to thousands of alcohol adverts when watching sport TV, questioning the effectiveness of advertising regulations designed to protect children.

The study, published in the international journal PLOS ONE, found that 87 per cent of all alcohol adverts during the daytime were in sport TV when hundreds of thousands of children were watching. A clause in Australia's advertising regulations allowing alcohol advertising in live sport programming during the day when children are watching appears to be responsible for children's exposure to thousands of alcohol adverts each year.

The research is the first to examine the extent of alcohol advertising in sport vs. non-sport TV, and match times when alcohol advertising was present on TV with the times when children and young adults where known to be watching. There were 6049 alcohol adverts on free-to-air sport TV in 2012, with significantly more alcohol adverts per hour in sport than non-sport TV. Most of the alcohol advertising coincided with children and adolescent's peak viewing times.

"Taking into account the amount of programming time for sport vs. non-sport TV there's four alcohol adverts in sport for every one in non-sport TV. Australian children love watching sport but unfortunately they are going to have to watch a lot of alcohol ads as well," study lead, Associate Professor, Kerry O'Brien said.

International research shows that greater exposure to alcohol advertising in children and adolescents is associated with earlier alcohol initiation and more problematic drinking in later life. Several European nations already have bans on alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport and Russia implemented a ban in 2013 to fix its problematic drinking culture. Stronger restrictions on alcohol advertising and sponsorship in sport are also being considered in Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and the UK.

"Watching sport with your kids is great family entertainment, but if culture is what you see around you, then it's pretty clear from these results that what children see when they watch sport is a drinking culture," study co-author, Dr Sherilene Carr, said.

The results of the study show that children's exposure to alcohol advertising could be halved if the clause in regulations allowing alcohol advertising in sport during the daytime was removed, and alcohol adverting was not allowed before 9.30pm.

The research, funded by VicHealth, the Australian Research Council, and Australian National Preventative Health Agency, comes at a time when proposed changes to the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice (CTICP) would see alcohol advertising permitted at 7.30pm rather than 8.30pm, and a potential doubling of alcohol advertising in sport TV during children's peak viewing times.

When asked about the proposed changes to the code, Associate Professor O'Brien said, "The research data would suggest you'd have a large increase in children's exposure to alcohol advertising. I can understand that advertisers and alcohol companies want to make money for shareholders, but it shouldn't be at the expense of young peoples' health."

Kerry S. O’Brien, Sherilene Carr, Jason Ferris, Robin Room, Peter Miller, Michael Livingston, Kypros Kypri, Dermot Lynott. Alcohol Advertising in Sport and Non-Sport TV in Australia, during Children’s Viewing Times. PLOS ONE, 2015; 10 (8): e0134889 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0134889

 Medical researchers a step closer to developing anti-obesity pill

13 August 2015 - A weight loss pill could soon be possible thanks to the work of Deakin University medical researchers.

A team of researchers with Deakin Medical School's Metabolic Research Unit have taken the unique approach of combining two unusual pharmaceuticals – extracted from cannabis and vitamin A – with the ultimate aim of developing a drug to treat obesity.

"The results of our study show, for the first time, that particular compounds in cannabis and vitamin A can work together to reduce the deposit of lipids (fats)," said Dr Yann Gibert, the Head of the Metabolic Genetic Diseases Research Laboratory.

"This finding opens up exciting opportunities to potentially treat obesity without the need for invasive surgery."

The researchers used zebrafish and human cells to test the effect of the Endocannabinoid system (an active compound of cannabis which plays a role in appetite regulation and fat formation) and the Retinoic Acid Pathway (an active component of vitamin A) on reducing the deposit of fat.

"The complementary actions of the Endocannabinoid system and Retinoic Acid Pathway in reducing fat deposits have the potential to treat obesity in a safer and more effective way than if they were used independently," Dr Gibert said.

"This approach only focusses on fat, and avoids effects on the brain, which has been a concern in previous research involving cannabis."

Dr Gibert said that it is well known that the cannabis system regulates appetite, but, previously, adverse effects have prevented use of the drug in humans for medical purposes. His research has found a way to potentially remove these side effects by using the two systems in combination, and at a lower dosage.

While this study has demonstrated that these two pathways can work together during fat accumulation, the way this happens is unclear.

Dr Gibert said that the next step for the team will be to test the drug's effectiveness further, and identify any side effects.

"If there are no side effects, new therapeutics could be ready for human use within five years," he said.

The results of the research are published in the prestigious international journal Endocrinology

 How mobile phones could save us from obesity

13 August 2015 - Mobile phones could be the golden ticket to halting weight gain and improving health in young Australians, according to new research from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.

Researchers designed a world-first mobile phone intervention for young people at risk of obesity which used text messages, a mobile phone app, emails, diet resources and personalised coaching calls. Participants in the program lost weight, increased physical activity, ate more vegetables and drank fewer sugary drinks.

“Young adults are gaining more weight than any other group, with the average BMI of 18- to 24-year-olds now in the overweight range,” said lead researcher Professor Margaret Allman-Farinelli from the University’s Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Science.

“Young people are our lowest consumers of fruit and vegetables and our highest consumers of sugary drinks. They are also more likely to eat takeaway food.

“We know that weight gained in young adulthood often persists throughout later life, vastly increasing the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Intervening early could therefore have an enormous impact on the global obesity crisis.

“Despite all of this, there are almost no prevention strategies specifically designed for young people,” Professor Allman-Farinelli said.

The intervention, TXT2BFiT, is believed to be the first in the world to target young people using mobile technology and a program specifically designed for them, not for older adults. The research waspublished in JMIR mhealth and uhealth. 

The 12-week program included daily motivational text messages, five personalised coaching calls, weekly emails and password-protected access to mobile phone apps to provide education and enable self-monitoring. A separate control group was provided with a two-page handout, a phone call to introduce the program, four text messages in 12 weeks and access to a website with basic information about the study.

At the end of the program, the intervention group was 2.2kg lighter than the control group, and consumed more vegetables, fewer sugary soft drinks, and fewer energy-dense takeaway meals. They also increased their total physical activity.

The 250 18- to 35-year-old overweight participants were chosen for their high risk of weight gain, and were randomised to the intervention or control groups.

“The results of the study show the effectiveness and importance of designing interventions specifically for young people, rather than relying on a one size fits all model,” Professor Allman-Farinelli said.

“With the cost of health care in Australia set to hit $8 billion by 2032, mainly due to obesity, it’s also critical that we find ways to prevent the condition before it becomes intractable, and brings with it devastating chronic diseases and associated conditions.”

Researchers are now analysing follow-up data to find out whether the results were maintained six months after the study, and are investigating how such programs could be implemented in the wider community.  

 Experts unite to support new approach to suicide prevention

10 AUG 2015 -  DAN WHEELAHAN UNSW

Australia could see a 20% drop in suicide attempts and deaths if governments took nine immediate steps, a UNSW mental health expert will tell a national summit today. Every year, suicide claims the lives of around 2500 Australians. A further 60,000 people make an attempt. Despite increased government investment, the Australian suicide rate has not declined, with an alarming increase in some communities.

UNSW Scientia Professor of Mental Health and Black Dog Institute Director Helen Christensen said until now Australia has not been able to agree on the best way to address this significant public health concern.

“Based on strong evidence from here and overseas, we have developed a new evidence-based, method of suicide prevention,” Professor Christensen said.

The new approach involves the implementation of nine strategies in a community setting. Considerable interest has been received from stakeholders, including the NSW Government.

“Many of these activities are already in place, but for them to be most effective they need to be implemented simultaneously with the adequate support of communities, local health centres and government,” Professor Christensen said.

“This approach will not only save the lives of people who are in crisis, it will actively reduce the number of people on their way to feeling that suicide is their only option.”

Launched today by the Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley, the historic summit sees international and local suicide experts joined by state and national mental health commissioners, clinicians, emergency services, representatives from high risk communities such as Indigenous and Torres Strait islanders, the LGBTI Community and workforces such as mining and construction.

The nine strategies are:

1. Reducing access to lethal means;

2. Responsible reporting of suicide by the media;

3. Promotion of national suicide awareness programs;

4. School-based peer support and mental health literacy;

5. Gatekeeper training for those like to be in contact with high risk individuals (eg teachers, clergy, community social workers);

6. Regular suicide prevention training for emergency services;

7. Training GPs to assess risk and start conversations;

8. Adequate access to tailored evidence-based therapies such as CBT to high risk groups; and

9. Targeted support for people who have made a previous attempt or are in current crisis through phone and online counselling, training for emergency room staff and out-patient support.

Professor Christensen, who is also Chief Investigator of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Suicide Prevention (CRESP), is calling on State and Federal governments to show leadership and provide the support needed to implement the new approach.

“Should this occur, we expect to see a 20% drop in suicide deaths and attempts in the first year, a significant result in comparison to other national programs developed for other public health issues such as skin cancer or motor vehicle safety,” Professor Christensen said.

Read more about the National Suicide Prevention Summit here

 STUDENTS’ CHANCE TO COMPETE IN NEW $7,000 NATIONAL DEMENTIA ESSAY COMPETITION

12/08/2015 - Australia’s first National Dementia Essay Competition will be launched in September during Dementia Awareness Month, with more than $7,000 in prizes on offer, to encourage more university students to consider dementia care as a career choice. 

The competition is being run by Australia’s Dementia Training Study Centres, with support from Alzheimer’s Australia and the Australian Journal of Dementia Care. UOW leads the dementia training study centres in NSW/ACT.  

In keeping with the theme of this year’s Alzheimer’s Australia’s Dementia Awareness Month – ‘Creating a Dementia-Friendly Nation’ – entrants will be invited to submit an essay explaining how their discipline can contribute to creating a dementia-friendly nation. The goal of this year’s Dementia Awareness Month is to encourage Australians to become dementia-aware, have a better understanding of what it is like for a person to live with dementia, and ultimately be encouraged to create communities where people with dementia are supported to live a high-quality  life with meaning, purpose and value.  

“The aim is to attract interest from students from a wide range of disciplines, as almost every profession has a role to play in creating dementia-friendly communities,” according to NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre Director and AJDC Executive Editor Professor Richard Fleming from UOW. 

CEO of Alzheimer’s Australia, Carol Bennett, said: “It is great to see organisations and individuals placing an importance on being dementia friendly. We are incredibly excited to be involved in this project, and hope that it sparks conversations on the practical and simple things people can do in their communities to be inclusive of people living with dementia and their families and carers.” 

Professor Fleming said the competition was part of a wider strategy by Australia’s five Dementia Training Study Centres designed to encourage more young professionals to choose dementia care as a career. 

“We need to attract more high-calibre professionals to work in aged care generally and the care of people with dementia in particular,” Professor Fleming said. 

“Many just don’t consider dementia care as a dynamic career. However, those of us who work in this field know that, despite the frustrations, it can be deeply satisfying and provides challenges that take all our professional expertise to solve. 

“One of the reasons so few professionals are choosing the care of people with dementia as a career is that there are limited opportunities for them to become aware of, and think about, the opportunities during their undergraduate years. 

“We need more bright young minds grappling with the issues surrounding the care of people with dementia. The first step is to get their attention. The DTSCs’ Australian National Dementia Essay Competition is one way to do this,” Professor Fleming said. 

The National Dementia Essay Competition will be open to all second and third year undergraduate students enrolled in an Australian university, including those working in health or aged care. Entry details are available at www.dtsc.com.au/dementia-essay/

Entries will be accepted from 1 September to 30 September 2015, with the winners announced in the February/March 2016 issue of the Australian Journal of Dementia Care  and on the Dementia Training Study Centres’ website at www.dtsc.com.au 

Major prizes of $2,000 (first prize), $1,000 (second) and $500 (third) will be awarded to three second-year students and three third-year students. The first 100 people to submit an essay will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to the Australian Journal of Dementia Care and the Schools of the winning students will receive a one-year subscription to the journal. 

Specialist prizes will also be awarded. Organisations or individuals interested in sponsoring one of the specialist prizes can email dementia-essay@uow.edu.au for more information. 

The competition builds on the existing successful NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centres essay competition for second-year undergraduate students from selected Australian universities, which asks students to explore how they, or their profession, can contribute to the care of people with dementia. 

This essay prize and the new national competition are part of the NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centres’ Scaffolding Project, which began four years ago. 

“The Scaffolding Project is a deliberate attempt to provide undergraduates in health-related disciplines with experiences in the field of dementia care that will encourage them to consider not only what they can offer, but what they can gain, by working in this area,” Professor Fleming said. 

In addition to the essay competitions, the project includes work placements for third year students in a dementia care setting, scholarships for honours degree students intending to research a dementia-related topic, and support for undergraduate architecture and design students to create a building or object that will aid the care or well-being of people with dementia. 

The Dementia Training Study Centres are funded by the Australian Government to strengthen the capacity of the health and aged care sectors to provide appropriate evidence-based prevention and early intervention, assessment, treatment and care for people with dementia. The five centres develop and deliver dementia-specific training resources, events, services and activities in all states, across all care sectors and to all health care disciplines. The centres are in NSW/ACT, led by UOW; Queensland, led by Queensland University of Technology; SA/NT, led by Alzheimer’s Australia SA; Victoria/Tasmania, led by La Trobe University; and WA, led by Curtin University. 

More than 342,000 people have dementia in Australia. This number is projected to reach more than half a million by 2030.

By Bernie Goldie UOW

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