Municipal Responses to COVID-19: the case of library closures in New South Wales local government / Respostas de municípios à COVID-19: o caso do fechamento das bibliotecas em Nova Gales do Sul / Respuestas municipales a la COVID-19: El caso del cierre de las bibliotecas de Nueva Gales del Sur

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New South Wales (NSW) government ordered the closure of all municipal libraries in order to limit the impact of the contagion. As a result, 372 public libraries in NSW ceased operation on the 23rd March 2020. While the closure of public libraries will undoubtedly contribute to restricting the spread of the coronavirus, given the pivotal role played by municipal libraries in local communities, as well as the special characteristics of library patrons, it will have other negative consequences. In this paper we consider the impact of the closure of municipal libraries in NSW from two perspectives: (a) its effect on the fiscal circumstances of local authorities and (b) its impact on the spread of the corona contagion as well as its broader effects on local community wellbeing. We conclude that rather than complete closure, partial constraints on library use should have been considered.

Resumo Em resposta à pandemia da COVID-19, o governo de Nova Gales do Sul (NGS), na Austrália, ordenou o fechamento de todas as bibliotecas municipais com o objetivo de limitar os impactos da contaminação. Como resultado, 372 bibliotecas públicas pararam suas atividades no dia 23 de março de 2020. Embora o fechamento de bibliotecas públicas certamente contribui para restringir a propagação do vírus, deve-se considerar as consequências negativas dessa medida, dado o papel central desempenhado pelas bibliotecas municipais nas comunidades locais e as características particulares dos usuários. Este artigo discute os impactos do encerramento das atividades das bibliotecas em NGS através de duas perspectivas: (a) a partir do efeito da medida na situação fiscal dos municípios; e (b) o seu impacto em relação a propagação do vírus e seus efeitos mais amplos no bem-estar das comunidades locais. O estudo conclui que restrições parciais no acesso aos serviços deveriam ter sido consideradas como alternativa ao fechamento total das bibliotecas.

Resumen En respuesta a la pandemia de COVID-19, el gobierno de Nueva Gales del Sur (NSW), Australia, ordenó el cierre de todas las bibliotecas municipales para limitar el impacto de la contaminación. Como resultado, 372 bibliotecas públicas de NSW cesaron sus operaciones el 23 de marzo del 2020. Aunque el cierre de las bibliotecas públicas indudablemente contribuirá a restringir la proliferación del coronavirus, se deben considerar las consecuencias negativas de dicha medida, dado el rol esencial de las bibliotecas municipales en las comunidades locales y las características particulares de sus usuarios. Este artículo discute los impactos del cese de actividades de las bibliotecas municipales de NSW desde dos perspectivas: (a) su efecto en la situación fiscal de los municipios y (b) su impacto en la proliferación del coronavirus, así como sus efectos más amplios en el bienestar de las comunidades locales. El estudio concluye que, en lugar de un cese total, se deberían haber considerado restricciones parciales al acceso las bibliotecas.

Is bigger better? An empirical analysis of waste management in New South Wales.

Across the world, rising demand for municipal solid waste services has seen an ongoing increase in the costs of providing these services. Moreover, municipal waste services have typically been provided through natural or legal monopolies, where few incentives exist to reduce costs. It is thus vital to examine empirically the cost structure of these services in order to develop effective public policies which can make these services more cost efficient. Accordingly, this paper considers economies of size and economies of output density in the municipal waste collection sector in the New South Wales (NSW) local government system in an effort to identify the optimal size of utilities from the perspective of cost efficiency. Our results show that - as presently constituted - NSW municipal waste services are not efficient in terms of costs, thereby demonstrating that 'bigger is not better.' The optimal size of waste utilities is estimated to fall in the range 12,000-20,000 inhabitants. However, significant economies of output density for unsorted (residual) municipal waste collection and recycling waste collection were found, which means it is advantageous to increase the amount of waste collected, but maintaining constant the number of customers and the intervention area.

Religion and BMI in Australia.

We estimated the relationship between religion and body mass index (BMI) for a general and representative sample of the Australia population. Data from the Household Income Labour Dynamics survey were analysed for 9,408 adults aged 18 and older. OLS regression analyses revealed that religious denomination was significantly related to higher BMI, after controlling for socio-demographic, health behaviours, and psychosocial variables. 'Baptist' men had, on average, a 1.3 higher BMI compared to those reporting no religious affiliation. Among women, 'Non-Christians' had, on average, a 1 unit lower BMI compared to those reporting no religious affiliation while 'Other Christian' women reported, on average, a 1 unit higher BMI. Our results also indicate that there was a negative relationship between religious importance and BMI among Australian women.

Association between body mass index and health-related quality of life among an Australian sample.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and changes in BMI over time with health-related quality-of-life data among a general and representative sample of the Australian population. METHODS: The sample consisted of respondents between the ages of 18 and 79 who completed the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey in 2007 and 2009. These respondents completed the SF-36 questionnaire and provided data on their height, weight, medical conditions, and sociodemographic characteristics. SF-36 questionnaire responses were converted into health state utility values using the SF-6D algorithm. Regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between BMI and utility, controlling for a range of obesity-related medical conditions and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Obese men (BMI value≥30) had, on average, a lower utility score (-0.0190, P < 0.001) than men within an "acceptable" BMI range (BMI 18.5 to <25). Obese women (BMI value ≥30) also had, on average, a lower utility score (-0.0338, P < 0.001) than women within an acceptable BMI range (18.5 to<25). Although BMI was not associated longitudinally with utility, there was a statistically significant negative longitudinal relationship between arthritis (-0.0153, P < 0.01) and depression/anxiety disorders (-0.0358, P < 0.001) and utility. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional results suggest that BMI is negatively associated with utility and that further investigation of the longitudinal relationship between BMI and utility is warranted.