Family Law Amendment Act (No. 72 of 1983), 28 October 1983

This Act contains the following provision relating to the status of children born in Australia as the result of assisted reproduction: "Certain children deemed to be children of mother's husband. 5A. 1) A child born to a woman as a result of the carrying out, during the period in which the woman was married to a man, of a medical procedure in relation to that woman, being a child who is not biologically the child of that man, shall, for the purposes of section 5, be deemed to be a child of that man if (a) the medical procedure was carried out with the consent of that man; or (b) under an Act or under a law of a State or Territory the child is deemed to be the child of that man. 2) The provisions of this section apply in relation to a purported marriage that is void as if the purported marriage were a marriage and as if the parties to the purported marriage were husband and wife. 3) In this section, 'medical procedure' means artificial insemination or the implantation of an embryo in the body of a woman."

Income inequality in small regions: a study of Australian statistical divisions

This paper provides "empirical analysis of the nature of the relationship between economic development of regions and income inequality in Australian sub-state regions. It does so in the context of considering the validity of the 'augmented inverted U' hypothesis and the influence of factors such as the business cycle, political issues, and demographic trends, which are likely to cause income inequality to change over time." Data are from the Australian censuses for the years 1976 and 1981.

The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in a young, sexually-active population

A prospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis among 1000 sexually-active women at the Family Planning Association Clinic in Melbourne. This organism was isolated from the cervices of 5.1% of screened women. The women were surveyed about their sexual and gynaecological history, and symptoms of discharge or pain. It was found that women who gave positive results for the presence of Chlamydia were younger, and had commenced intercourse at an earlier age. Risk factors of multiple sexual partners, cervical ectopy and symptoms of urethritis were identified. We recommend that women who have more than one sexual partner should ask their partners to use condoms or, failing this, undergo annual screening for Chlamydia by immunofluorescent staining.

Isolated angiitis of the brain in a young female on the contraceptive pill

The case of a 15 year old girl with a rapidly progressing right sided hemiparesis is reported. The history and clinical manifestations were suggestive of either herpes simplex encephalitis or occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery. At necropsy an occlusive thrombosis of the left middle cerebral artery due to a segmental necrotizing granulomatous panarteritis was found. The cause was obscure. A plausible incriminating factor was the contraceptive pill.

Modelling the determinants of trans-Tasman migration after World War II

"This paper identifies the economic and demographic factors responsible for migration flows between Australia and New Zealand by means of a probabilistic model of emigration in both directions. The largely uncontrolled flows between the two countries have the same determinants as those commonly found in studies of internal migration. The cost of migration (proxied by the real cost of air travel), labour market conditions and the potential earnings differential play a role, although the results are modified by the incidence of return migration and age composition."

Recent trends in fertility and family formation

"Australia's fertility has declined significantly since the 1950s, and has remained below the long-term replacement level since 1976. The current trend appears to be towards a further decline. This paper describes the patterns of the fertility decline in terms of age and parity of the mother, and the effect on recent fertility decline of the postponement of marriage and family formation. The implications of the continued decline in fertility on completed family size are studied by reference to fertility patterns of marriage cohorts."

The implementation of a statewide gynaecology audit in Tasmania

A successful Statewide audit of Obstetric and Neonatal data has operated in Tasmania since 1974. The experience and goodwill gained from the conduct of the survey has been used to establish an audit of all hospital admissions in the State for gynaecological complaints. This paper outlines the methods used in setting up the survey, and some of the results of its first full year of operation to indicate the scope and potential of such a study.

Lactation and reproduction in Western Australian women

There has been an increase in the incidence of breast-feeding in industrial areas, particularly in Western Australia, where one in four infants is breast-fed into the second year of life. Most of this increase in the incidence of breast-feeding is found in the higher socio-economic groups, pointing to a need to collect data on milk yield in such women. The levels of milk yield in women with infants between 1 and 6 months ranged from a mean of 1.13-1.24 kg/24 h. This is a higher level of milk production than the generally accepted range of 0.7-0.9 kg/24 h. However, this difference is due, in part, to a failure of previous test weighing methods to correct for the evaporative water losses in either the infant or mother. There was no relationship between the introduction of solids and a return to fertility in 38 women breast-feeding on demand. The return of the ovulatory menstrual cycle in women resulted in two acute changes in milk composition. These changes were characterized by a rise in the concentration of sodium and chloride and a fall in the concentration of potassium, glucose and lactose in breast milk. The first change occurred five to six days before ovulation, and the second occurred six to seven days after it. Following the cessation of breast-feeding, the concentration of lactose in breast milk gradually declined, but the concentrations of anti-bacterial proteins (IgA and lactoferrin) gradually increased to high levels over a period of 30-40 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Identification of segmentation criteria for the improvement of population forecasts

"It is often stated that the single most important influence on the quality of forecasts of behaviour is the set of predetermined exogenous variables (typically sociodemographic) that categorise the population. These variables are used to carry the sampled population into the future as a representation of the composition of future populations.... It is argued that a desired segmentation set should be linked to preference stability, and that a suitable procedure for establishing such a link is via preference data derived from a controlled experimental design. From the empirical study it is illustrated how preference data can be combined with socioeconomic data to seek out the role of the 'current' set and the 'new' set of socioeconomic variables in a particular forecasting context. Since the selection of variables must be application specific, the main emphasis of this paper is on the methodology. The reported empirical findings [for Australia] are of illustrative use only."

Birth order in Australian vital statistics

The author examines factors contributing to the poor quality of Australian vital statistics on birth order. Among these are the lack of standardization of birth registration procedures, census respondents' reluctance to provide information concerning illegitimate births, and problems associated with differences in instructions to parents registering births. Instructions for Australian birth registration forms are suggested. The author stresses that "information needs to be gathered on previous issue in respect of all births registered, not just marital births; and it needs to be gathered in respect of all children born alive to the mother, not just those of the current marriage or relationship."

Immigration in Canada and Australia: some recent parallels

"Canada and Australia share many similar post-war demographic characteristics. Both countries have experienced declining rates of natural population growth and adopted increasingly restrictive attitudes towards immigration during the 1970s in the face of rising unemployment. However, both countries have accepted relatively large numbers of political refugees, particularly from south-east Asia, and both have signalled that they intend to raise their migrant intake quotas despite continuing high levels of unemployment."

The demographic effects of immigration

"This paper seeks to contribute to an understanding of the demographic consequences of immigration. The impact of immigration on population growth, population composition--by birthplace, age, sex, and marital status, and population distribution are briefly analysed. It is shown that the composition as well as the size of the intake is important. Five series of projections are presented to demonstrate the sensitivites of demographic trends to immigration policy changes." The data are for Australia for the period from the 1940s through the mid-1980s.

Ethnic origin in the Australian census

"This article discusses the Australian statistics of ethnic origin, collected under the headings of race and ancestry in the Australian census, with particular reference to conceptual precision and neutrality and to validity of results. It deals with European and non-European groups, but not with the special problems of counting the Australian aboriginal population."

Pulmonary hypertension, systemic lupus erythematosus, and the contraceptive pill: another report

I report the case of a woman with systemic lupus erythematosus who had pulmonary hypertension unassociated with chronic interstitial lung disease or pulmonary emboli. She had started taking the contraceptive pill seven months previously.

Aspects of occupational mobility and attainment among immigrants in Australia

The occupational distributions of the native-born and foreign-born in the Australian labor market differ greatly. The disparity between the occupational distributions is greatest among the middle age-bracket, and among immigrants from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean region. Analysis of occupational attainment using unit record data from the 1981 Census shows that as duration of residence in Australia lengthens, the occupational distribution of the overseas-born converges toward that of the Australian-born. Moreover, birthplace groups differ in the degree of upward mobility associated with length of residence in Australia: immigrants from non-English-speaking countries tend to make greater occupational advances than their counterpart from English-speaking countries. This suggests a higher degree of international transferability of human capital skills among immigrants from English-speaking countries. The analysis also highlights the concentration of immigrants from non-English speaking countries in low-ranked occupations, and the relatively minor influence of education on the occupational attainment of immigrants from these birth place regions.

Migration and mortality: the experience of birthplace groups in Australia

"Wide diversity exists in the mortality experience of different birthplace groups in Australia, and this also occurs with respect to their cause of death profiles. Most migrant groups experience lower mortality in Australia than in their country of origin, and most experience lower mortality than the Australian-born population. In the latter case the main [groups] are the Scots, Irish, Poles, South Pacific Islanders, Scandinavian men and North American women. Exceptionally high levels of survival occur among Greeks and Italians in Australia. The lower risk of mortality from heart disease is a principal reason for the deficit between observed and expected deaths of most migrant groups in Australia." The analysis is based on deaths of those aged 15-74 by birthplace, as recorded by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in the years 1980, 1981, and 1982.

Sources of immigrants' language proficiency: Australian results with comparisons to the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States of America

Recent research on immigrants in the Federal Republic of Germany and the US suggests that their amount of education, the country in which they attained it, and their labor force experience both before and after migrating all have important effects on their skills in the language of the host country. This paper explores those influences on the English language proficiency of 4 groups of immigrants to Australia: 1) those from Northwestern Europe, 2) Eastern Europe, 3) the Mediterranean basin, and 4) the Third World. The data are drawn from the 1% public use sample of the 1981 Australian census. The models are flexible ordinary least squares specifications that permit a variety of curvilinear na interaction effects. The results generally parallel those for the Federal Republic of Germany and the US. 1 important difference from the US is that the harmful effect of foreign labor experience is greater than the beneficial effect of labor force experience in the host country.

Population problems in Austronesia

The author examines population issues facing countries in Oceania and Southeastern Asia. "Analysis is based on recently released population projections from the United Nations Population Division. There are great differences among the countries.... There are nonetheless important areas of commonality: all nations are facing the problem of raising levels of schooling in line with parents' aspirations and economic needs, all face problems of caring for a rising proportion of aged, and all have difficulties with the monitoring and control of international migration. Also, since minority groups in many countries are majority polities in neighbouring states, there is potential for establishing international dialogues aimed at relieving internal tensions." Consideration is given to the role of Australia in promoting international cooperation to deal with these issues.

Differential mortality of birthplace groups in Australia during 1980-82

"At the 1981 Census, just over one-fifth of Australia's population was born overseas, and this paper examines the mortality experience during 1980-82 of some of the larger birthplace groups with respect to age, duration of residence in Australia and cause of death. One of the main findings is the low mortality of those from Southern Europe, both with respect to total mortality and from many of the major causes of death. In contrast the Australian-born have relatively high mortality from heart disease, respiratory diseases, and from diseases of the genito-urinary system. Mortality differences are generally greatest at the middle adult ages, with convergence at the older ages."

Congenital limb reduction deformities and use of oral contraceptives

A study of congenital limb deficiencies in two Australian states indicated that use of an oral contraceptive during pregnancy by the mother was associated with an increased risk of limb defect in the child. The study included mothers of 155 children born with absence or reduction of the major long bones during a 12-year period from 1970 onward; 274 mothers with births of normal infants, matched for date of birth and area of residence, made up the control group. Compared with control infants, the case infants were more likely to have been conceived while the mother was using an oral contraceptive, especially when the deformity was a transverse or amputation type. It is too early in our state of knowledge of teratogenic mechanisms to exclude the possible existence of a biologic mechanism that would explain this statistical association.

The social demography of shared housing

"Despite the prevalence of shared housing in Australia, almost one-third of all households, little is known about who are the people who share accommodation, and why they do so. Using a sample of 4,560 households, this paper presents a demographic profile of shared dwellings and tests some of the prevailing assumptions about why certain groups may have a propensity to share. Some of the implications of the findings for existing housing policies are pointed out and directions for future research are suggested."

Single women, voluntary childlessness and perceptions about life and marriage

Forty-two single women who want to be childless, eighteen who desire a one child family, and 42 who want two children responded to questions about the quality of their present lives, and nature of future marriages. The groups of women were closely matched for age and education, and on current quality of life there were few differences. They had similar levels of positive and negative affect, and described life as enjoyable, interesting and contented. Those wanting to be childless, however, rated life as less optimistic and less loving, and also as currently somewhat less satisfying, but life satisfaction was still quite high. These early deciders of childlessness, and those wanting only one child, wanted to be financially and socially more independent in future marriage-type relationships than women wanting at least two children. They also expected to follow interests and careers to their fullest, wanted more role innovative partners, and were somewhat less concerned about home ownership, living to a budget, and keeping contact with family and friends. All women placed considerable importance on the need for trust, self-disclosure and open communication in a relationship, although the voluntarily childless rated more highly the need for intellectual stimulation and for each partner to be happy about the success of their mate. Compared to women wanting two children, those wanting to be childless expected a partner to perform a wide range of non-traditional roles in the home.

Return migration from Australia: a case study

"The study investigates the departure from Australia of former settlers who arrived during the 1980 calendar year. The 1980 settler arrival cohort [consists] of 75,167 visaed migrants.... The study has three main aims: (i) to analyse departures from Australia of the 1980 settler arrival cohort with a view to gauging the success of Australia's immigration program in retaining settlers; (ii) to examine the retention rates of settlers with respect to characteristics...including age, sex, marital status, country of last residence, and settler eligibility category; and (iii) to consider implications of the findings." Australia's present immigration policy is discussed, previous research on return migration from Australia is summarized, and a detailed analysis of the departure data is presented. "This study found that by August 1984, 12.4 per cent of non-refugee settlers who arrived in Australia during 1980 had departed permanently but that only 0.6 per cent of the 1980 refugee cohort had done so." These figures represent a decline in immigrant departure rates since the 1960s and early 1970s. Small differences in departure rates by place of birth, age, and marital status, which may have demographic consequences if sustained over time, are noted. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)

Clinical aspects of induced abortion in South Australia from 1970-1984

Clinical changes, and their implication, in medically induced abortion within South Australia from 1970-1984 were assessed by analysis of legally required reports provided by operating practitioners. In the past 15 years vacuum aspiration has largely replaced dilatation and curettage for early abortions, and intrauterine chemical methods have greatly decreased the use of hysterotomy for late abortions. A marked improvement in gestational pattern has also occurred, and recorded complication rates have been halved for all gestational ages. Sterilization rates at the time of abortions increased with increasing age and with increasing gravidity, but the total rates, adjusted for age and gravidity of patients, have changed little in the past 15 years.

Reproductive patterns and thalassaemia major

A study of families affected by thalassaemia major demonstrated that before antenatal diagnosis became an option, premature curtailment of reproduction was the most common parental response to their understanding of the genetic implications of the diagnosis. Subsequently parents of younger patients used antenatal diagnosis to meet or almost meet their birth expectations. There was no evidence that antenatal diagnosis contributed to any process of ‘compensating’ for existing affected offspring.

Birthplace differentials in the age-specific fertility of Australian women

The author examines differentials in age-specific fertility by place of birth among Australian women. The data are from one percent public-use samples of both persons and households files of the 1981 census. "This paper reports estimates of the general fertility rates, completed family sizes and age-specific fertility rates for a selection of birthplace and regional groups." It is determined that, to a large extent, the fertility patterns of the 1970s apply for the 1980s

Ethnic differences in Australian fertility

Historically, immigration has played an important role in the demographic evolution of the modern Australian society. In order to measure the demographic impact of immigration, it is necessary to study the fertility behaviour of various immigrant groups in Australia. In this paper, ethnic differences in Australian fertility have been analysed, using country of birth as a surrogate variable for ethnicity. Main sources of data used are the population censuses and the birth registers. Most of the data presented refer to 1981, as analysis of data pertaining to 1971 and 1976 was reported in earlier papers. The study has shown that fertility of most of the European immigrants (except the Dutch and the Maltese), has been converging towards the Australian norm. The non-European immigrants have lower fertility, with the exception of the newly arrived refugee groups from Asia and the Middle East.

A case-control study of breast cancer in relation to the use of steroid contraceptive agents

In a case-control study of 141 cases of breast cancer and 279 control patients from the Royal Prince Alfred and Westmead Hospitals during 1980-1982, we found similar risk factors to those reported for other populations. There was no statistically significant evidence of an increased risk of cancer from the use of oral contraceptive agents; the crude estimate of relative risk for patients who had used oral contraceptive agents at some time was 1.3 with 95% confidence limits of 0.8 and 1.9. After adjustment for other risk factors (age at first live birth, age at menarche, number of pregnancies, menopausal status, bilateral oophorectomy and years of education), the estimate of the relative risk of ever having used an oral contraceptive agent was 0.9 with 95% confidence limits of 0.6 and 1.5. Further analysis in terms of duration of use and dosage also provided no evidence of an increased risk.

Sporting hero launches Australian "Men Too" campaign

Top Australian rugby league captain Wally Lewis last month launched a "Men Too" campaign for the Family Planning Association (FPA) in Queensland, Australia. The campaign has been based very closely on Britain's, using a great deal of material from the United Kingdom FPA. Several radio spots have also been produced, and are currently being broadcast on all the commercial stations in community service spots. Future plans include a 30-second television commercial, and the use of the Brisbane Bullets, a popular basketball team, to promote the "male involvement" theme.

Fertility, infertility and generation replacement

Throughout most of human history 'natural fertility' and life expectations of about 35 years kept population numbers reasonably balanced; but the achievement of life expectations of 75 or more years destroyed this 'natural' system. As longevity increased amongst Western peoples, explosive growth rates were only prevented by increasingly efficient checks on fertility. Today, these checks are so universal and so efficient in Australia and in many other Western countries that 'intrinsic' levels of fertility are below generation replacement level. Changes in fecundity were not a significant factor in this demographic revolution; at least 10-12% of couples remain without issue, but the prime cause of the change is the evolution of the two-child family, a process which now involves only about a sixth of a couple's fecund married life. For the rest of their years most couples are now voluntarily infertile. Correction of involuntary sterility is important to individual couples but has little significance in terms of generation replacement.

Birth-weight patterns in aboriginal and non-aboriginal singleton adolescent births in Western Australia, 1979-83

Births to Aborigines and teenagers are known to be at a higher risk of low birth-weight (LBW) than those to non-Aboriginal and older women. Data on singleton birth-weight and gestational age by maternal age and race were analysed from the West Australian Midwives Notification of Birth system for 1979-1983. The main aim of the analysis was to describe the patterns of preterm birth (PTB) and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) in these births. Aboriginal teenage fertility was much higher than that for non-Aborigines and seemed to be rising. Many more young teenagers giving birth were Aboriginal than Caucasian. Contrary to expectation, the majority of the LBW births in both racial groups were due to PTB not IUGR. There was an increasing trend to PTB with decreasing maternal age in both Aborigines and non-Aborigines. These data should be considered preliminary due to the difficulties of estimating gestational age and in categorizing IUGR. They may have implications in terms of further research into the aetiological pathways and prevention of LBW in Australia.

An experimental manipulation of the intensity of interspecific competition: effects on a small marsupial

An investigation was made of the effects of reducing and enhancing the intensity of competition on a small marsupial, Antechinus stuartii, from a larger and competitively dominant congener, A. swainsonii. Populations of these species were monitored in two study areas (one control, one experimental) in forest near Canberra, Australia, between February and July in 1980 and 1981. In the experimental study area in 1980 I reduced the numbers of A. swainsonii relative to A. stuartii (thus reducing the intensity of interspecific competition), but in 1981 I augmented the numbers of A. swainsonii (thus increasing the intensity of competition). No manipulations were made in the control study area, and the numbers of both species remained similar there in both years. When the intensity of interspecific competition was reduced, the A. stuartii population increased in size. Increases occurred also in individual movements, home range areas, diurnal activity and in the proportion of large terrestrial prey (larvae, Amphipoda) in the diet. An increase in use of structurally complex forest floor habitats also coincided with decreased arboreal activity. In contrast, when the intensity of competition was enhanced, most of these population and resource shifts were reversed. These findings suggest that reduction in the intensity of interspecific competition allows A. stuartii access to terrestrial sources of food favoured by A. swainsonii, whereas enhancement leads to exclusion of A. stuartii from the forest floor. Competition occurs by interference. This may result in fixed per capita competitive effects of A. swainsonii on A. stuartii, and account for the observed changes in a very broad range of population and resource parameters.