The extent to which use of fire by Aboriginal peoples shaped the landscapes and biota of Australia is a contentious issue. Equally contentious is the proposition that attempts should be made to support and re-establish customary practice. Some dismiss Aboriginal practice as little more than culturally endorsed pyromania, and consequences for land, vegetation and wildlife management as incidental and unintended outcomes. We argue that this view of Aboriginal practice is at odds with available evidence regarding motivations for use of fire, and detailed and sophisticated descriptions of the consequences of poor fire management for the maintenance of important resources. We suggest that misunderstanding arises, at least in part, from the contrasting views that (i) objectives of Aboriginal land managers and the values they seek to extract and maintain in savanna landscapes are or should be similar to those of non-Indigenous land managers; or (ii) the notion that their goals are inherently and entirely incompatible with those of non-indigenous interests. We illustrate our argument with examples that include assessments of ecological consequences of 'prescribed' Aboriginal practice, statements from Aboriginal people regarding their objectives in applying those prescriptions, and the level of active organisation required for their effective implementation. Finally, we propose mechanisms for wider application of Aboriginal prescriptions in tropical landscapes to meet a range of land management objectives.

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Depredation of artificial ground nests was examined in tropical savanna in northern Australia to assess potential predation pressures on nests of the partridge pigeon (Geophaps smithii), a declining tropical granivore. Predation rates were examined at two sites, Kakadu National Park (which supported a relatively high density of partridge pigeons) and Berry Springs (which had greater habitat fragmentation and comparatively low partridge pigeon density). The effects of distance from road, understorey structure, topography and nest-microsite concealment on nest predation rates were examined. Artificial-nest predation rates were greater at 150 m from roads than <1 m from the roadside. Predation rates did not vary with understorey structure, topography, or level of nest concealment. There was marked variation between sites, with predation levels at Kakadu more than double those recorded for Berry Springs. Discerning predator identity, or even the size of a predator, from marks left in clay eggs proved difficult and was possible for ~35% of predation events. Of these, 42% of predation events involved predators of a size we considered too small to take a natural partridge pigeon nest. We suggest that extrapolation from artificial to natural ground-nest predation rates be undertaken with caution for landscapes such as Australia’s tropical savanna, which supports a high diversity and abundance of small potential predators of artificial nests. There was no evidence of predation by birds, and the methodology proved inadequate for identifying predation by feral cats (Felis catus).

This article shares how the needs within a national pre-hospital mental health care programme were identified, and demonstrates how consensus over the content of a national course was achieved through the use of a modified Delphi approach. The Clinical Skills Managed Educational Network (CSMEN), Self-Harm Mitigation Training (STORM®) and BASICS, alongside RRHEAL, contributed to this development. Using blended learning techniques the resulting course encourages a contextual approach to user needs, specifically teaching generic mental health care skills to staff who are often working single-handed, and are required to respond appropriately, locally and safely as they work towards achieving National Mental Health crisis standards.

Rural criminological literature on lethal domestic violence and feminist historical research on the patriarchal judgment of women accused of killing male intimate partners (IPs) have developed a dystopic image of the past for nonurban women. This paper questions that impression by asking whether women were more likely than men to be convicted of IP murder, and whether rural women were treated more harshly than urban women. Through quantitative analysis of 221 IP murder trials in New South Wales, 1901–1955, plus four representative case studies, it reveals that women tried for IP murders in rural areas were treated more leniently than their urban counterparts and significantly less harshly than male perpetrators of IP homicide. This paper demonstrates how historical criminological analysis of illustrative qualitative evidence, grounded in quantitative data on locational distinctions, can expose significant variations over time and place in the fate of abused women prosecuted for IP homicide.