Embargoed for Thursday May 28 - SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS HOW LIBRARIES COMBAT LONELINESS AMID COVID-19 LOCKDOWN The first 500 responses to a nationwide survey of library users has shown that, after book borrowing, social interaction has been the biggest loss felt by the community during the COVID-19 lockdown of public libraries. Sue McKerracher, CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association, explained, ‘Even before the pandemic, governments were concerned about the mental health problems linked to loneliness. These concerns have been heightened over the last three months during the lockdown. Libraries clearly have an important part to play in promoting a greater sense of belonging.’ |
| AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC - SIZE MATTERS - KEEPING AUSTRALIA IN BALANCE & IN CHECK It’s something we take for granted, but how do you know if you’re really getting a litre of milk in the carton, or a litre of petrol in your tank? Apart from the price factor, our world would go seriously wrong if the measurements we rely upon - for everything from food and fuel, to electricity and aeroplanes - suddenly failed to add up. Enter, Australia’s National Measurement Institute. |
GREAT BARRIER REEF AMBASSADORS – KEEPING THE ‘FRONT LINE’ INFORMED There have been plenty of horror headlines on the Great Barrier Reef in recent years, but sweeping statements don’t always paint the full picture or generate the best outcomes for a complex interconnected coral system that stretches an extraordinary 2,300 kilometres. An innovative training program for tourist operators and other frontline workers on the Great Barrier Reef could be crucial to the survival of the World Heritage treasure. |
| AIHW REPORT: LOWER RATE OF YOUNG INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN YOUTH JUSTICE SYSTEM The rate of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people under youth justice supervision has fallen over the past five years, a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has shown. The report, Youth justice in Australia 2018–19, presents information on young people aged between 10 and 17 years under youth justice supervision both in the community and in detention.
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