The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Government of New South Wales, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, was formed in 1856 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended from time to time. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, New South Wales has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Constitution of Australia regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth. Under the Australian Constitution, New South Wales, as with all states, ceded legislative and judicial supremacy to the Commonwealth, but retained powers in all matters not in conflict with the Commonwealth..
INTRODUCTION:Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death worldwide, including in Australia, where more than 15,000 cases were diagnosed in 2024. The Australian National Lung Cancer Screening Programme commenced in July 2025. Unique barriers to participation in existing cancer screening programmes exist for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Little Australian research has engaged these communities to gauge their acceptability and readiness for the implementation of lung cancer screening (LCS). The aims were to identify barriers and enablers to LCS implementation and determine views about LCS acceptability and feasibility. METHODS:Community-based participatory research principles were used to collaboratively engage CALD stakeholders. The research team worked with highly experienced programme managers, multicultural health workers and bilingual facilitators/translators ('leaders') who provide support and education to Arabic-speaking/Lebanese, Macedonian, Vietnamese and Italian communities. Leaders used culturally appropriate methods to recruit participants and deliver focus groups. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using a coding framework based on the Health Equity Implementation Framework. RESULTS:Seven focus groups were conducted either face to face (n = 5) or online (n = 2) with 57 participants across New South Wales, Australia. Six groups were delivered in community languages. LCS was generally perceived as acceptable across all focus groups. Key enablers towards engagement were understanding the importance of screening for early detection, provision of interpreters and easily accessible locations. Key barriers were financial and language barriers, poor experiences with other cancer screening programmes, concerns about tobacco-related eligibility criteria and cancer-related stigma. CONCLUSIONS:This qualitative study provides crucial foundational evidence from four culturally diverse Australian communities about barriers and enablers to inform Programme implementation. The findings are highly relevant to other jurisdictions that may be preparing for LCS implementation or need to modify programmes to engage culturally diverse populations to screen. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION:Members of the public were directly involved as participants in this research. Multicultural health workers and bilingual facilitators/interpreters who work with CALD communities were involved in all phases of the study design and implementation, including recruitment, development of semi-structured focus group guide, focus group facilitation and reviewing the manuscript.
Schools provide an ideal context for developing students' leadership skills; however, most leadership opportunities (e.g., serving as class president) are typically offered to students who already demonstrate leadership qualities. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based leadership program, implemented through a peer-led fundamental movement skills intervention, on the leadership abilities of student leaders (10-12 years) and the physical and psychological development of their younger peers (8-10 years). We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of the Learning to Lead program in 20 elementary schools in New South Wales, Australia (N = 1898 students). Leader outcomes included teacher-rated leadership effectiveness (the primary outcome), leadership ability, leadership self-efficacy, wellbeing, and observed time on-task in the classroom. Peer outcomes included school-based physical activity (accelerometers), object control motor competence (Test of Gross Motor Development-3), perceived motor competence, cardiorespiratory fitness (20-meter multi-stage fitness test), and muscular power (standing long jump). We observed statistically significant group-by-time effects for Leaders' leadership effectiveness, wellbeing, and time spent ontask in the classroom. Statistically significant improvements in Peers' perceived motor competence, school-based physical activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness were also found. Our study demonstrated that a school-based leadership intervention has extensive benefits for the students delivering the program and those they taught. In addition to improvements in students' leadership skills, the Learning to Lead program produced spillover effects on students' well-being and time on task in the classroom.
BACKGROUND:Mobile health (mHealth) is a novel model of care that may overcome barriers to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) access. This study determined if mHealth PR was equivalent to centre-based PR (CB-PR) in improving exercise capacity and health status in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHOD:Single-blinded, multicentre, randomised controlled equivalence trial using an intention-to-treat analysis. Participants completed 8 weeks of either mHealth PR, using the mobile PR (m-PR) application and supported by telephone calls, or CB-PR. Co-primary outcomes, measured at baseline and end-intervention, were change in 6 minute walk distance (6MWD) and COPD assessment test (CAT) score, with an equivalence margin of 30 m and 2 points, respectively. RESULTS:90 participants were randomised (mean (SD), m-PR n = 44: age 75 (7) years; forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 58 (15) % predicted; CB-PR n = 46: age 75 (6) years; FEV1 55 (14) % predicted) with 38 m-PR participants and 42 CB-PR participants completing at least one primary outcome. At end-intervention, there was no between-group difference in 6MWD (mean difference (MD) 13 m, 95% CI -6 to 31), indicating equivalence of m-PR to CB-PR. There was a significant between-group difference in CAT score (MD -4.9 points, 95% CI -7.2 to -2.6), with both limits of the CI exceeding the equivalence margin, indicating superiority of m-PR. CONCLUSION:An mHealth PR programme resulted in equivalent improvements in exercise capacity and superior improvements in health status when compared with CB-PR in people with COPD. mHealth PR could be effective as a management option for people with COPD with adequate digital literacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:ACTRN12619001253190.
Sesame is a valuable oilseed crop grown for culinary uses of whole seed, paste, and oil. Increasing demand, along with breeding of non-shattering (indehiscent) varieties allowing machine harvesting, has promoted interest in growing sesame in developed countries. When establishing new mechanised sesame industries, effective pest management will be essential. The most severe pest of sesame globally is Antigastra catalaunalis, however research on its management, including currently available economic thresholds, is very largely from less developed countries and traditional shattering varieties. We aimed to develop economic thresholds for non-shattering sesame infested with A. catalaunalis. We performed controlled inoculations with fixed numbers of pest larvae, using randomly assigned individual Sesamum indicum "S32" plants at 3 age stages: juvenile, pre-reproductive and early bloom. Damage caused by larval feeding was assessed using a novel damage assessment scale ranging from 0 (no damage) to 9 (complete defoliation). Juvenile plants (8 to 10 leaves) often exhibited severe damage and sometimes death from just 1 or 2 larvae. Pre-reproductive plants could survive and regenerate from damage of 1 to 3 larvae per plant, however seed yield declined with a linear slope of 28% yield loss per larva. Growth cabinet experiments with early bloom stage plants showed a substantial drop in dry weight with increased numbers of larvae. We suggest economic injury levels of one A. catalaunalis larva per 27.9 plants for juvenile plants, one larva per 14.3 plants at pre-flowering stage and one per 8.85 plants at early bloom stage.
