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The Role of Resource Politics in China-US Relations

Research Event

16 January 2015 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Chatham House, London

Event participants

Dr David Zweig, Chair Professor, Division of Social Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Chair: Dr Michal Meidan, Associate Fellow, Asia Programme, Chatham House

China’s resource diplomacy transpires in a world still dominated by the United States. Drawing on extensive research on global energy politics, the speaker will argue that despite Chinese claims that the US is instrumentalizing energy to contain its rise, there is little evidence to suggest that the latter intends to use the ‘oil weapon’.

Department/project

Joshua Webb

+44 (0)20 7314 3678




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Governance in the DRC: Securing Resources for Development

Invitation Only Research Event

21 January 2015 - 10:30am to 11:30am

Chatham House, London

Event participants

Moïse Katumbi Chapwe, Governor, Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is immensely wealthy in minerals such as copper, uranium and gold, and is home to around fifty per cent of the world’s cobalt reserves. Rising outputs from the province’s copper and cobalt mines have contributed to the DRC’s average GDP growth of 8.5 per cent over the past two years. However, despite visible infrastructure developments in the province to service the industry, few Congolese are benefiting from the revenues and the economy is yet to diversify.

Moïse Katumbi Chapwe, the governor of Katanga Province, will discuss his approach to resource governance and will examine how regional governments can capitalise on resource revenues to improve livelihoods. 

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.




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The Marikana Killings and Labour Dispute Resolution in South Africa: Implications of an Inquiry

Research Event

4 August 2015 - 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Chatham House, London

Event participants

Toby Fisher, Barrister, Landmark Chambers; Representative of the South African Human Rights Commission, Marikana Commission of Inquiry
Gary White, Director of Operations, Ineqe Group; Expert Witness on Policing, Marikana Commission of Inquiry
Chair: Muzong Kodi, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme

The Marikana Commission of inquiry was appointed by South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma following more than 40 deaths (with many others left injured) after police opened fire on striking miners at Marikana in August 2012.

The massacre was reported as the worst use of lethal force by the South African Police Service since 1994, and brought issues of labour dispute resolution, public-order policing and accountability into stark relief.

Speakers will discuss the Commission's recently-published report and its potential impact on industrial stakeholders, as well as the wider consequences for South Africa.

Department/project

Christopher Vandome

Research Fellow, Africa Programme
+44 (0) 20 7314 3669




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The Resource Curse Revisited

4 August 2015

A new paper finds that while natural resources may provide low-income countries with a significant development opportunity, the prevailing extractives-led growth agenda is in urgent need of re-evaluation.

Professor Paul Stevens

Distinguished Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme

Glada Lahn

Senior Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme

Jaakko Kooroshy, Former Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House (2011–14)

20150804ResourceCurse2.jpg

Hoping to make a little money from Sudan's ocean of black gold, a woman sells tea to roughnecks at an oil rig near Bentiu, Sudan. Photo by Getty Images.

Summary

  • This paper challenges the view that the ‘resource curse’ – for which so many academics found evidence in previous decades – has now been laid to rest.
  • During the commodities boom of the past decade, a number of influential policy and corporate institutions have encouraged poor countries to capitalize on below-ground resources for economic growth and development. The key assumption is that improved management of the extractives sector will enable it to spearhead positive national development and avoid resource curse effects such as declining global competitiveness in the rest of the economy and a widening wealth gap. This assumption continues to influence governance advice and country investment choices.
  • The extractives-led growth agenda promoted by donors and international advisers in multilateral banks, consultancies and some development agencies has tended to reinforce domestic, government and investor pressures to pursue a ‘fast-track’ approach to extractives projects. This appears logical, given the obvious benefits of foreign-investment inflows and export revenues for countries suffering from poverty, lack of infrastructure and high levels of indebtedness.
  • However, there is an urgent need to re-evaluate whether the policy advice stemming from this agenda can serve as an antidote to the negative effects identified in the resource-curse literature. First, there is often a mismatch between governance advice given and the capacity of countries to follow it. Second, the global context has changed: exporters are suffering as a result of the current downturn in commodity prices, while reliance on the sale of high-carbon fuels is challenged by the global shift to lower-carbon technologies and energy efficiency.
  • Extractive revenues should not be viewed as income to be consumed, but as representing a reshuffling of the national portfolio of assets. Converting extractive resources below ground into cash above ground raises key questions about how this cash can be deployed to create productive assets for the future which do not rely on depletable resources.
  • Diversification of the economy away from the resource sector over an appropriate timeframe remains a key priority. In many cases, this will require slower development of projects to allow time for institutional capacity in government and the private sector to develop.
  • More economic and governance capacity needs to be in place before investment begins in a project, to enable investment and eventual revenues to generate real benefits to the rest of the economy, as well as appropriate, sustainable diversification.




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Navigating the New Normal: China and Global Resource Governance

28 January 2016

How China responds to the challenges of resource security and sustainability, working with others, will help define its reputation as a responsible actor on the world stage in the next decade, according to a new paper.

Felix Preston

Former Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resources

Rob Bailey

Former Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resources

Siân Bradley

Research Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme

Dr Wei Jigang, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Industrial Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC)
Dr Zhao Changwen, Director, Department of Industrial Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC)

2016-01-27-china-resource-governance-2.jpg

Qingdao, China. Photo: Getty Images.
  • It is time to upgrade global resource governance
  • Meaningful progress cannot be achieved without China
  • China will need to be both innovative and pragmatic in its approach
  • New modes of cooperation are needed
  • Changes in China’s economy present opportunities and risks

Executive summary

China’s new role in the global governance of natural resources is coming to the fore against a backdrop of profound uncertainty, driven by the convergence of three interlinked trends. At home, China’s leaders are navigating the structural shift to slower but higher-quality growth, a phase of development referred to as the ‘new normal’, while facing considerable environmental and resource security challenges. Globally, the slowdown in China’s economy has sent reverberations through commodity markets, pulling the plug on the decade-long commodities ‘super cycle’. Meanwhile, China is taking on a growing role in global governance, from the G20 and multilateral development banks, to its regional partnerships in Latin America and Africa.

During the resources boom of the last decade, policy-makers and businesses in consumer countries were focused on high and volatile resource prices. The risks posed by resource nationalism in producer countries were seen in the proliferation of export restrictions and the increase in investment disputes. Today, the tables have turned, leaving producer countries facing economic pressure from falling revenues and investments. Many organizations have called on governments to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels and other natural resources while prices are low. The international policy debate is shifting to the immediate challenges presented by a massive oversupply of many energy and mineral commodities, and the longer-term risk of ‘stranded assets’.

These new resource realities will provide the context for China’s growing global role, as well as setting the tenor of its relations with producer countries. Over the past decade, narratives around China often focused on its real or perceived impacts from resource production overseas and consumption at home. In the next, China’s approach to resource security and sustainability will help define its reputation, and whether it is perceived as a responsible actor on the world stage and as a development partner. The collection of international narratives, norms, rules and organizations that currently guides resource production, trade and consumption – what we call ‘global resource governance' in this report – will provide the framework.

Much political leadership will be required to overcome the barriers to China assuming a more active role in global resource governance. On the one hand, there has been slow progress in expanding China’s role in organizations from the World Bank to the International Energy Agency (IEA). On the other, new instruments or processes initiated by China can be seen as a challenge to the existing rules-based order, as the US reaction to the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) demonstrated. Yet developments such as the US–China Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change in September 2015, ahead of the Paris Climate Conference, show that it is possible to forge cooperation and boost the prospects for progress on public goods at the multilateral level, even in politically fraught areas.

China’s international role on natural resources is also closely tied to ongoing reforms at home. The introduction of ‘ecological civilization’ as a guiding principle for China’s development at the Communist Party’s 17th Congress in 2007 marked a recognition of the need not only to address China’s domestic challenges such as air quality and water scarcity but also shift to an environmentally sustainable model of economic development. In 2015 China’s leaders set out the key incentives, accountability and mechanisms to deliver the ecological civilization in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. Central elements of this vision, such as building sustainable cities, pursuing environmentally-friendly economic growth and developing the circular economy will have major impacts on China’s future resource consumption and import needs.

Globally, the speed and scale of the economic realignments have taken most experts and policy-makers by surprise – in many respects, China’s new normal is the world’s new normal. The greatest challenge that China’s government faces is managing a shift to slower but higher-quality growth. It is clear that the ramifications of this reach far beyond the confines of the Chinese economy or global commodity markets; yet the situation remains fluid and the nature of a new equilibrium is difficult to predict. This only makes it more urgent to consider the strategic and practical options available to policy-makers, both in China and around the world.

This report is the result of two years of joint research between Chatham House and the Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), including six expert workshops in China and conversations with international organizations. It discusses key policy areas in global resource governance as they relate to China – in light of recent falls in commodity prices, China’s shifting economic situation, and its growing global role in the ‘new normal’. The scope of the research is limited to non-renewable energy, metals and mineral resources; throughout this report, the term ‘resources’ refers to these commodities. Other traded commodities such as agricultural goods are not included, and land, water and air are discussed only in the context of their important linkages with energy and metals. 

The report considers the costs and benefits of a more active role for China in global resources governance. It recognizes that different commodities face different challenges and require different governance frameworks, and that different regions require context-specific responses. The report also considers the risks of more limited engagement of China and other new actors, which could mean declining relevance for existing processes and institutions that govern resource production, trade and consumption, and a diminished capacity to tackle longer-term challenges like climate change.




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Resources, Sovereignty and Geopolitics

Invitation Only Research Event

26 May 2016 - 2:00pm to 27 May 2016 - 4:30pm

Harbour Grand Kowloon Hotel, Hong Kong

This workshop will bring together experts from across Asia to discuss the challenges around natural resources that cause them to become drivers of conflict in the region, particularly in the context of territorial disputes, geopolitical competition and concerns over national sovereignty.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

Event attributes

External event




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Prognosis of unrecognised myocardial infarction determined by electrocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: systematic review and meta-analysis




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Immigration Data Matters: How to Find the Most Accurate Resources

With immigration increasingly visible in the news and the political space in the United States and internationally, getting access to accurate, high-quality data is essential to understand immigration’s demographic effects and impacts on the economy, education and labor systems, and communities. This event marks the release of the Immigration Data Matters guide.




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Immigration Data Matters: How to Find the Most Accurate Resources

At this release of an updated version of the popular Immigration Data Matters guide, presenters discuss how to navigate and access the increasing number of data sources on immigration and immigrants in the United States and internationally. 




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Within-Trial Evaluation of Medical Resources, Costs, and Quality of Life Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Participating in the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL)

OBJECTIVE

To compare medical resource use, costs, and health utilities for 14,752 patients with type 2 diabetes who were randomized to once-weekly exenatide (EQW) or placebo in addition to usual diabetes care in the Exenatide Study of Cardiovascular Event Lowering (EXSCEL).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Medical resource use data and responses to the EuroQol 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) instrument were collected at baseline and throughout the trial. Medical resources and medications were assigned values by using U.S. Medicare payments and wholesale acquisition costs, respectively. Secondary analyses used English costs.

RESULTS

Patients were followed for an average of 3.3 years, during which time those randomized to EQW experienced 0.41 fewer inpatient days (7.05 vs. 7.46 days; relative rate ratio 0.91; P = 0.05). Rates of outpatient medical visits were similar, as were total inpatient and outpatient costs. Mean costs for nonstudy diabetes medications over the study period were ~$1,600 lower with EQW than with placebo (P = 0.01). Total within-study costs, excluding study medication, were lower in the EQW arm than in the placebo arm ($28,907 vs. $30,914; P ≤ 0.01). When including the estimated cost of EQW, total mean costs were significantly higher in the EQW group than in the placebo group ($42,697 vs. $30,914; P < 0.01). With English costs applied, mean total costs, including exenatide costs, were £1,670 higher in the EQW group than the placebo group (£10,874 vs. £9,204; P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in EQ-5D health utilities between arms over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical costs were lower in the EQW arm than the placebo arm, but total costs were significantly higher once the cost of branded exenatide was incorporated.




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Watch: Bear makes late-night visit to Minnesota mall

A security guard at a Minnesota mall that's currently closed to the COVID-19 pandemic captured photos and video of his encounter with a bear that went window-shopping for pasta.




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New ADA resource supports expectant dentists

The ADA’s Council on Dental Practice, in collaboration with the New Dentist Committee and several external dental consultants, has developed the new Guidelines for Practice Success module on Managing Pregnancy, a resource that combines best practices with practical information to guide new dentists through the process of managing a new chapter in the lives and careers.




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ADA adds frequently asked questions from dentists to coronavirus resources

With the coronavirus disease now deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization, the American Dental Association updated its webpage on the disease March 11 to include a link to frequently asked questions from member dentists covering topics such as personal protective equipment and patient communications.




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Association provides coronavirus infection control resources for dentists

The ADA is sharing with members the CDC guidelines on the use of personal protective equipment on its website dedicated to COVID-19.




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ADA offers free e-book resources on management, regulatory issues

Beginning March 25, the ADA is offering members two free e-books a week. Until March 31, members can access “Managing the Regulatory Environment: Best Practices” and “A Dentist’s Guide to the Law: 228 Things Every Dentist Should Know” free of charge.




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Association offers resources on handling stress during a pandemic

Noting that we’re living through a time of uncertainty and it’s normal to feel stressed and anxious, the Center for Professional Success today posted free resources on stress management to help dentists navigate this time of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic.




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University of Minnesota dental school appoints Dr. Keith A. Mays as interim dean

The University of Minnesota School of Dentistry announced March 19 that it named Dr. Keith A. Mays, Ph.D, as its interim dean for two years beginning May 15.




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Combination of HIV, hepatitis C, MS drugs might resolve COVID-19 infection

Combination therapy with interferon beta-1b plus lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin appears to improve symptoms and shorten hospital stays for people with mild to moderate COVID-19.




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Check out this Awesome Special Education Infographic by USC Rossier





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Resources for Medical Students and Professionals

The mission of Medip Academy Resources site is to provide teaching and learning materials to medical students (UG and PG) and medical professionals. Medip Academy Resources is a platform for sharing University Examination Papers, Medical Educational Materials, Practical Guides, MCQs, Problem solving etc. The resources available on this site are easily searchable and free to download. URL: http://www.medipacademy.com/resources Email: resources@medipacademy.com How to add a resource? Please share your useful resource by email to resources@medipacademy.com Happy Sharing! Dr. Bhaven Kataria Department of Pharmacology, GMERS Medical College, Sola Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India




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Ask Ariely: On Simple Savings, Better Bonuses, and Revised Resolutions

Here’s my Q&A column from the WSJ this week — and if you have any questions for me, you can tweet them to @danariely with the hashtag #askariely, post a comment on my Ask Ariely Facebook page, or email them to AskAriely@wsj.com. ___________________________________________________ Dear Dan, My partner and I are students,...




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Along With Grief, 9/11 Survivors Find Resolve

John Duffy lost 67 of his colleagues at the firm of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods six years ago during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Among the dead was Duffy's son Christopher. The investment banking firm, located in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, was among the companies hit hardes...




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Minnesota’s Superdiverse and Growing Dual Language Learner Child Population

Dual Language Learners (DLLs) are a growing segment of the Minnesota young child population, and a particularly "superdiverse" one with myriad origins, cultures, and languages—a new reality other states and communities will face. Drawing on interviews with policymakers and service providers, as well as analysis of census data, this report examines what this incredible diversity means for the state’s early childhood policies and programs.




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New Data Resources Can Help Improve Targeting of State Early Childhood and Parent-Focused Programs

As states work to build high-quality early childhood systems and implement the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), having detailed knowledge of the characteristics of immigrant parents can help maximize the effectiveness of programs that seek to improve child and family outcomes, as this commentary explains.




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Get Top Statistics on Immigrants in the U.S and Changing Immigration Trends; MPI Updates its Interactive Data Tools, Maps &amp; One-Stop Resource for Key Stats

WASHINGTON — The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) today published the annual update to its data-rich article, Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States, offering readers a wealth of information that can help inform understanding about an issue that is the subject of much conversation.




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As U.S. Health Care System Sags under Strain of Pandemic, Immigrants and Refugees with Degrees in Health Care Could Serve as an Important Resource

WASHINGTON – Even as 1.5 million immigrants and refugees are already employed in the U.S. health care system as doctors, registered nurses and pharmacists, another 263,000 foreign-born health care graduates are on the sidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic—many of them because of difficulties getting their credentials accepted by employers and licensing bodies.




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As U.S. Health-Care System Buckles under Pandemic, Immigrant &amp; Refugee Professionals Could Represent a Critical Resource

In a time of critical shortages of U.S. health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, retired doctors are being called back to work and medical students are graduating on a fast track. There is another important pool that could be tapped: Immigrants and refugees who have college degrees in health fields but are working in low-skilled jobs or out of work. MPI estimates 263,000 immigrants are experiencing skill underutilization and could be a valuable resource.




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School Resource Officer Activates Taser to Awaken Sleeping Student in Ohio

Police in northeast Ohio have placed a school resource officer on unpaid leave for activating a Taser to wake up a sleeping student.




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States Dependent on Natural Resources Face Tricky Path on K-12 Revenue

Governors in several natural resource-dependent states said recently they will have to continue to cut public education funding because prices for oil and coal have not rebounded.




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Education Issues Resonate in Governors' Races

This year's November elections—a preview to next year's nationwide showdowns—cast their own spotlight on education, a dynamic that played out most prominently in the Kentucky governor's race, where teachers organized to unseat a combative incumbent who'd sparred with them.




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Minnesota bans large-scale high school graduation ceremonies




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Connecticut Provides Resources to Ease Transition to Kindergarten

These tools encourage school administrators to gather as much information as possible about the students who will be entering kindergarten and the early-learning offerings in their communities.




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Knowledge sharing for the development of learning resources : theory, method, process and application for schools, communities and the workplace : a UNESCO-PNIEVE resource / by John E. Harrington, Professor Emeritis.

The Knowledge Sharing for the Development of Learning Resources tutorial provides a professional step forward, a learning experience that leads to recognition that your leadership is well founded as well as ensuring that participants in the development of learning resources recognize they are contributing to an exceptional achievement.




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Orange-bellied parrot habitat restoration and management project : draft final report / prepared by Lauren Barrow (King Island Natural Resource Management Group Inc.).

"This report is the final report for the Orange-bellied Parrot Habitat Management and Restoration Project carried out on King Island. The report relates to the activity period starting 30th of June 2007 and finishing on the 25th of May 2008."--Introduction.




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Source Murray Model - method for determining permitted take in the Victorian Murray, Kiewa and Ovens SDL resource units.




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Recommendation on the accreditation of the proposed Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Water Resource Plan.




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Water resource plan assessment report : proposed Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Water Resource Plan.




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Recommendation on the accreditation of the proposed South Australian River Murray Water Resource Plan.




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Water resource plan assessment report : proposed South Australian River Murray Water Resource Plan.




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Alternative Dispute Resolution (Family and Commercial).




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Litigation/dispute resolution : back to the future / Stephen Walsh, QC..




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Minister's performance assessment report Water plan (Mary Basin) 2006 / compiled by Water Policy and Water Services (South Region) - Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.

This report provides an overview of the implementation of the Water plan (Mary Basin) 2006 and summarises the findings of the assessments undertaken for the last five years. The plan supports urban water supply and a variety of industries including significant agricultural production, a growing tourism industry and fisheries.




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Understanding the Stolen Generations through their stories : from the inaugural Stolen Generation Summit Elder Abuse Prevention and Positive Aging Summit : a resource for the aged care workforce / ARAS.

Two Aboriginal Elders, one of whom had been removed from her family as a child, and the other who was affected by siblings and other family members being removed, provided consent to share their personal stories specifically for this resource, with the vision that people would be better informed and communication improved when delivering care. To respect their privacy, their stories have been de-identified.




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Exploring & affirming my life : a course in spiritual reminiscence / Don Jamieson.

Exploring and Affirming My Life is designed to v help the reader undertake a personal exploration of his or her own life. Often important life issues get overlooked in the bustle of modern living and a guided encouragement to find issues that need to be celebrated or need to be reconciled helps as we grow older. Reminiscence can be a natural process of life but on its own it doesn't always bring out those things we need to focus upon. This book encourages the reader to look at spiritual issues particularly, and to find the joy and the forgiveness which comes when our lives are in tune with the wonderful God who loves us so deeply.




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Regional recycling transport assistance package : program guidelines / prepared by: Waste Avoidance and Recovery Programs, Office of Resource Recovery, Department of Environment and Science.

The Regional Recycling Transport Assistance Package provides funding to support resource recovery and recycling in regional Queensland, helping fund the costs of transporting recyclable material from regional Queensland to facilities where it can be recovered or processed and turned into new products. Details regarding eligible applicants, projects and costs are provided in these guidelines.




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Utilisation of carp biomass : final report / Dr Janet Howieson, Andrew Tilley, Ewan Colquhoun, Elise O'Keefe, Steven Nash, Declan McDonald, Tony Evans, Gerry Gillespie, David Hardwick, Dr Sarah Beavis, Charles Francina, Daniel McCorey, Luke Wheat.




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The Wooleen way : renewing an Australian resource / David Pollock.

Pollock, David.




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Updated resources for PDHPE students and teachers

To help students meet the outcomes of the new Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) syllabus, t




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Descriptive Biochemie : mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der chemischen Arbeitsmethoden / von Sigmund Fränkel.

Wiesbaden : J.F. Bergmann, 1907.




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Diätetisches Koch-Buch : mit besonderer Rücksicht auf den Tisch für Magenkranke / von Josef Wiel.

Freiburg i. Br. : Fr. Wagner, 1876.