City of Maribrynong n view of the rise of racist rhetoric in Australian public life in recent years, this paper reviews psychological research onI racism and prejudice as they are expressed at every level of society from government policy to the intrapersonal sphere. It draws on evidence arising from social, developmental, clinical, and community psychology. The mental health system is used as an exemplar to analyse the operation of institutionalised racism, and some observations are made about the past, present, and potential future roles of psychological research and practice in relation to race and racism. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations about ways to reduce racism and prejudice at all levels of society. Executive SummaryThis position paper is written in the context of current social and political debates about native title, reconciliation with Aboriginal people, multiculturalism, and immigration, and is intended to achieve several ends. By summarising psychological theory, research, and practice in relation to racism and prejudice, we hope it will increase understanding of these phenomena among psychologists, policy makers, and the public. We have spelled out some of the policy and practical implications of this review in a series of recommendations (see below). The current context also makes it timely for psychology to critically examine its contributions to this potentially very divisive social issue, and the pervasive effects of institutionalised racism within institutions, disciplines, and professions. We hope the paper will contribute to increased awareness of these issues and to repositioning psychology to work collaboratively with minority groups.

The United Nations International Year of Older Persons (IYOP) in 1999 prompted the Australian Psychological Society (APS) to review its responsibilities and to consider the contribution of psychological research and practice to the wellbeing of older Australians. This article reports a series of recommendations for public policy, research, training and psychological practice, drawn from a larger Position Paper that addressed a spectrum of issues. The aim is to encourage psychologists to turn a critical gaze on themselves and to examine ways in which psychology can be used to promote successful ageing. The article begins with a definition of “successful ageing”. This is followed by an examination of ageism and how this affects community expectations of older people and the quality of aged care services. Attention also is given to the low visibility of psychologists in service planning and delivery and to the overemphasis of much psychological research and practice on deficits and decline in later years. The International Year of Older Persons has come and gone, but the true test of its effectiveness will lie in evidence of longer‐term changes in attitudes, policies and practices. Psychologists have much to contribute to these changes and to enhancing the wellbeing of older Australians.

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Most women use family planning services during their reproductive lifetime, but many lack ready access to such services, particularly in a rural area. The aim of this study was to document and thus develop an understanding of the facilitators and barriers to accessing three types of family planning services (emergency contraception, termination of pregnancy, and options counselling) within a particular rural area of Victoria, Australia, and how these might affect women's psychosocial health and their ability to make timely decisions about continuation of a pregnancy. A feminist framework was adopted throughout the study, and qualitative methods were employed in the design. Eleven professionals whose current employment was connected to family planning service provision participated in semistructured interviews that focussed on their perceptions and experiences of women's access to family planning services in the Grampians Region of Victoria. Findings from a thematic analysis confirmed that rural women face many barriers identified in past Australian and international research, including lack of local services, distance from metropolitan services, anonymity and confidentiality issues, and judgemental service providers. Further issues raised included the legal status of pregnancy termination, rural culture, gender relations, and family planning myths and misinformation. Women confronting these barriers were seen to experience negative psychosocial effects which can compromise timely decision-making.This study highlights the complexity of women's reproductive "choices", and includes recommendations for the design of plausible interventions and reproductive health promotion strategies to address the barriers identified and facilitate women's access to family planning services as a human right.

his brief overview of psychological research with Indigenous people of Australia attempts to apprehend T the broad, underlying narratives of previous research in terms of its sociopolitical aims. It then considers the debate about whether the moral precept of social responsibility is compatible with scientific values that underpin psychological research, and argues that a socially responsible psychology is one that engages in self-reflection on its biases and prejudices, methodologies, and systems of ethics. Each of these self-reflective goals is analysed in turn, with a view to establishing dialogue between non-Indigenous researchers and practitioners and Indigenous people about the role a socially responsible psychology might have in contemporary Indigenous society.