Andrea Walton

A conceptual framework for investigating community wellbeing and resilience

Abstract This article presents the conceptual basis for empirically testing the relationship between community wellbeing and resilience. Previous research has argued that rural communities facing rapid economic, social and environmental change need to be resilient to maintain or enhance their community wellbeing. However, it is often not clear what is meant by community wellbeing or resilience, and how they differ. Both concepts are often imprecise and seldom clearly distinguished from each other when placed in a theoretical context. Further, wellbeing and resilience are often assumed to be positively associated but this may not necessarily be the case (Amundsen, 2012; Armitage, Béné, Charles, Johnson, & Allison, 2012; Coulthard, 2012). The present analysis suggests that community resilience is best conceptualised as a type of functioning or process whereby community resources are mobilised in strategic ways by community agents in adaptive responses to change (e.g., Norris, Stevens, Pfefferbaum, Wyche, & Pfefferbaum, 2008) and community wellbeing is best conceptualised as a state, which is hopefully enhanced as a result of community resilience. Rather than a direct correlation, the relationship might be iterative whereby poor wellbeing triggers a mobilising of resilience which in turn leads to future wellbeing. The article outlines the main dimensions of community wellbeing and resilience that require valid and reliable measurement to test the relationship. The implication of such a relationship is that communities might need to focus on resilience rather than current wellbeing to achieve future wellbeing.

Community Perspectives of Coal Seam Gas Development during Two Phases of Industry Activity: Construction and Post-Construction

This research investigates a rural community’s perceptions of their future at two time-points during a major onshore gas project in the Surat Basin, Australia. The study site is a region in southern Queensland economically centred on agriculture. Using qualitative methods, the research found that the construction phase was dominated by residents’ concerns about the future and uncertainty about how community well-being might be affected. By the end of the construction phase, there were emerging signs of adjustment and adaptation to change. Factors such as a developing sense of collective efficacy, previous experience with the resources sector, a return to prior levels of acquaintanceship density and recognition of social and economic benefits may have contributed to this adjustment, although landowners remained concerned about water and the future of their farms.

Using the Concept of Common Pool Resources to Understand Community Perceptions of Diverse Water Sources in Adelaide, South Australia

Diversification and integration of water supply systems is occurring to advance both water security and environmental sustainability, but research into community perceptions of these changes is in its infancy. In this paper, water user group discussions of the advantages and disadvantages of the diverse water sources used in Adelaide, Australia, are analyzed in terms of the urban water system as a common pool resource: one competitively accessed by numerous users that put it at risk of depletion. The research method was a water planning activity, in which visual cues were utilised to help water users reflect on conditions that they perceived would enable acceptance of seven water source options and one water efficiency option. The key results were that water sources were perceived to be in two categories: bounded sources associated with eco-systems and viewed as common pool resources vulnerable to depletion. Unbounded sources such as rainwater in tanks, stormwater, and wastewater were seen as under-utilised sources to be further exploited if any risks to health could be mitigated. Finally, keys to acceptance were authority to govern, prevention of waste, and community engagement.

Community acceptance of policy options for managing the maintenance of rainwater tanks

This research examined community acceptance of policy instruments that could be used to promote ongoing maintenance of domestic rainwater tank systems. Using an online survey of 533 tank owners in South East Queensland, Australia, the research investigated four sets of factors that influence policy acceptance: features of the policy, judgements of policy fairness and effectiveness, contextual framing, and individual attitudes and motivations towards tank maintenance. An experimental design incorporating choice modelling was employed. Results demonstrated that perceptions of policy fairness and effectiveness are important to acceptance. Policies that include enabling features associate with increased perceptions of effectiveness, and policies that use incentives are linked to increased perceptions of both fairness and effectiveness. Individual attitudes and motivations regarding tank maintenance were significant predictors of policy support. Perceptions of a persons own ability to undertake tank maintenance tasks were negative predictors of policy intervention, suggesting that people who believe they can carry out maintenance themselves may not see the need for a policy that encourages tank maintenance to exist. The findings are discussed in relation to issues of policy design.

Accepting managed aquifer recharge of urban storm water reuse: The role of policy‐related factors

A between-groups experimental design examined public acceptance for managed aquifer recharge of storm water for indirect potable and nonpotable reuse; acceptance was based on five policy-related variables (fairness, effectiveness, trust, importance of safety assurances, and importance of communication activities). Results showed that public acceptance (N = 408) for managed aquifer recharge of storm water was higher for nonpotable applications, as was the importance of safety assurances. Analyses of variance also showed that perceptions of fairness and effectiveness were higher for a nonpotable scheme, but not trust. A three-step hierarchical regression (Step 1: age, gender, education, and income; Step 2: type of use; Step 3: fairness, effectiveness, trust, safety assurance, and communication activities) demonstrated that type of storm water use and the policy-related factors accounted for 73% of the variance in acceptance of storm water (R2 = 0.74, adjusted R2 = 0.74, F (10, 397) = 113.919, p < 0.001). Age, type of use, and three of the five policy-related factors were also significant individual predictors of acceptance. The most important predictors were perceptions of trust in water authorities, perceptions of effectiveness, and perceptions of fairness. Interestingly, while safety assurance was important in attitudinal acceptance of managed aquifer recharge based on type of use, safety assurance was not found to be significant predictor of acceptance. This research suggests that policy-makers should look to address matters of greater public importance and drive such as fairness, trust, and effectiveness of storm water programs and advocate these at the forefront of their policies, rather than solely on education campaigns.

Science into policy; improving uptake and adoption of research: outcomes and conclusions

Paul De Barro • Stephen Goldson • Detlef Bartsch • Mikael Hirsch • Martyn Jeggo • John W. Lowenthal • Philip Macdonald • Ryan R. J. McAllister • Rod McCrea • Fiona McFarlane • Cathy Robinson • Kim Ritman • Joe Smith • Rieks Van Klinken • Iain Walker • Juliana Ribeiro Alexandre • Simon Barry • Camilla Beech • Craig Cormick • Peter Kearns • Qu Liang • Aditi Mankad • Sally McCammon • Sylvie Mestdagh • Sorada Tapsuwan • Andrea Walton

Household rainwater tanks: mediating changing relations with water?

Domestic rainwater tanks have become commonplace in Australias urban landscape, and have become the physical embodiment of the changing relations between householders, water, and water authorities. The aim of our research was to understand these changing relations by examining how domestic rainwater tanks are inscribed with meanings and assumptions and thus mediate a relationship between households and government. In particular, we considered how domestic rainwater tanks are implicated in various understandings of entitlements to water collected or used in private domains. We examined how tanks can render visible the contestation over rights and obligations of state and citizen as to what is considered private and public water collection, management, and use at the scale of the household. Our exploration of these issues was conducted through a case study of changing water relations in South East Queensland, Australia, where there has been recent widespread installation of domestic rainwater tanks.

Queensland survey reveals lukewarm view of coal seam gas

Credit: Jeremy Buckingham under CC BY 4. More than two-thirds of locals described themselves as ‘tolerating’ or ‘accepting’ CSG, while only 22 per cent had openly positive attitudes. However, just 9 per cent of survey respondents rejected the industry outright. Around half of the surveyed residents felt that their community was struggling to adapt to changes. Residents were also less optimistic about the future, with many predicting a decline in community wellbeing over the coming years.