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Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related death in Australia. Survival outcomes remain disappointing with less than a quarter of patients (22%) alive five years after diagnosis. Strategies to improve lung cancer care have focused on more rapid diagnosis and treatment from initial symptom presentation; a greater use of combined modalities of therapy; novel approaches using molecular-based diagnostics, targeted therapies, and immunotherapies; as well as a greater use of supportive and palliative care. The Embedding Research (and Evidence) in Cancer Healthcare (EnRICH) Program has explored patterns of care and clinical outcomes in a cohort of 2000 real-world patients presenting to six major specialist cancer centres in NSW with a first diagnosis between September 2016 and October 2021. This report provides valuable information on the natural history of patients following their initial diagnosis and maps out the use of evidence-based care, as well as identifying important factors defining overall prognosis. The report identifies that tumour stage at diagnosis remains one of the most important prognostic factors for both non-small cell (NSCLC) and small cell (SCLC) lung cancer. In NSCLC, stage, age, sex, performance status, co-morbid illness, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, haemoglobin levels, non-English speaking background, and mutation status are each independent factors predicting survival outcomes. Stage, performance status, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio are also predictive of survival in SCLC lung cancer. Overall, patients at major specialist cancer centres in NSW have done relatively well compared with other Australian cohorts such as those included in the Victorian Lung Cancer Registry and the Queensland Lung Cancer Quality Index, but it is important to note that the EnRICH cohort only includes those seen at least once at a major specialist cancer centre and does not represent all patients with lung cancer in these regions – a topic being further investigated in a subsequent report. Several quality indicators of cancer care are being captured and fed back to NSW practitioners and health administrators to inform practice and service development. While these indicators are comparable with other regions, there remain areas for improvement - a focus of ongoing work. Reassuringly, quality of care and outcomes for patients in the EnRICH cohort were not adversely affected by health service disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this effort we hope to better document current outcomes of patients with lung cancer and the care they receive with the aim of improving current evidence-based care and accelerating the uptake of new emerging evidence.

The legal profession has undergone profound transformation over the past two decades, driven by new technologies and forms of legal service delivery that are upending the traditional organisation of legal work. These changes are disrupting career pathways and requiring lawyers to rethink the skills that will be required for future success. The COVID-19 pandemic spurred further integration of new technologies, and challenged long-held norms in relation to how and where lawyers should work. Collectively, these changes are occurring against a backdrop of persistent gendered inequality. It should be noted that there have been substantial improvements in women's numerical representation in the legal profession. Under current NSWLS leadership, a 20-year trend toward convergence in men's and women's participation in the Australian legal profession has been realised. For example, women now outnumber men in the legal profession in all states and territories across Australia, and in New South Wales, female solicitors have outnumbered male solicitors for a sixth consecutive year. While women remain under-represented in senior leadership roles including as partners, principals, barristers, and judicial members, over one third (35%) of private practice partners/principals in New South Wales are now women. In corporate and government legal roles, there is now an even split between women and men in senior roles. Numerical dominance aside, issues of gendered discrimination, disrespect, and harassment remain stubbornly entrenched in the profession.

The aim of this report is to provide stakeholders in the public, private and community sectors with key insights into patterns of rural land ownership in the Northern Transect based on analysis of land titles data from January 2004 to January 2020, supplemented by a series of focus group discussions and interviews with regional decision-makers in November 2020, January 2021, and July 2022. Three separate visits to the transect region were required because of delays and interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen LGAs (Moree Plains, Gwydir, Inverell, Glen Innes Severn, Tenterfield, Kyogle, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Richmond Valley, Ballina, Lismore, Byron, and Tweed) representing a continuous 480km stretch from the coast to New South Wales’s northwest, were selected for analysis. These LGAs represent a large diversity of rural landscapes. Unlike the other regional reports in this series (Hunter, Riverina and the Central West), this report is therefore not framed around a discrete biophysical and social region. It goes without saying that Byron Bay is very different from Boomi (in Moree Plains). For this reason, parts of the text here discuss the transect not as a single region but divide it into ‘Coastal’, ‘Hinterland’, and ‘Inland’.

‘Living’ clinical practice guidelines provide an innovative approach to guideline development which ensures evidence is frequently identified and rapidly incorporated into living recommendations. The Australian Living Evidence Consortium (ALEC) hosts several living guidelines in COVID-19, stroke, diabetes, musculoskeletal health, and kidney disease. These projects are all at varying stages of development and adoption of a living approach. The ALEC Methods and Working Processes Group compiled their experiences across these living guidelines projects to develop a living guidelines' handbook (https://livingevidence.org.au/key-publications ), which provides guidance to developers who are considering starting a new living guideline. ALEC also collaborated with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the US GRADE Network, to produce a series of articles on ‘Methods for Living Guidelines: Early Guidance based on Practical Experience’ (https://www.jclinepi.com/content/living-guidelines).

The Netball NSW membership study was conducted in 2022 to gain a comprehensive understanding of involvement in Netball from the current and past members. Netball NSW partnered with researchers at the University of Sydney for this study. The study involved sending an online survey to Netball NSW members and in-depth analysis of survey responses. Responses were received from 8,461 Netball NSW members (response rate 5.3%). The following key insights were identified from the survey responses to inform how Netball NSW could strategically increase involvement in Netball. • Netball was the sport of choice for 66% of children, and 77% of adult members. • Members rated their involvement in Netball highly. The overall experience of playing Netball was rated 8.4 out of 10, and non-players rated their experience 8 out of 10. The experience in 2022 was better than the past two years, which were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. • There were substantial increases in the proportion of members involved in social activities and attending presentation nights in 2022. • The main reason people played Netball was for Fun/Enjoyment. Additional drivers for participation were related to social connection and improving health and fitness. Playing competitively was rated as less critical among both adults and children. • Netball provided members with about half of their annual structured physical activity participation (50% for children, and 63% for adults). • Players reported Netball had positive impacts on their lives. The most positive influences were related to social connection, and improvements in strength, coordination, and fitness. • Players who stopped playing Netball in 2022 reported that it was not fun or enjoyable, did not feel welcome in the Netball community, or had a bad experience with a coach/official. Interpersonal relationships between players within a team, across teams, and between players, and non-players should be fostered. • Although registration cost was not a major barrier to participation, reducing the costs of registration and uniforms was a primary recommendation to increase participation. • A quarter of adult players reported playing Netball at fitness centres not affiliated with Netball NSW, and played more games here than through their club/association. • About one third of Netball players reported they were also involved in non-players roles such as umpiring, coaching, and various duties. On average, people spent 3 hours per week involved in non-player roles. • The main reason people were involved in non-players roles was to be part of the Netball community – to give back. Family involvement was a stronger driver of involvement in non-player roles than athlete development. • Being involved in non-player roles had a neutral impact on people’s lives. The strongest influences from non-player roles were increased social connection and physical activity levels. • Completion of education and training for non-player roles declined compared to previous years. This may be due to many people upskilling during the lock-down and having less time to complete training during 2022. Further analysis of regional differences and qualitative responses from participants will help identify local priorities to be addressed by Netball NSW to increase involvement in Netball.

Dress code is standard in the Australian public sector, with smart business casual the norm. However, over the last two years, as many workers relocated to the home office, bedroom or kitchen table during the COVID-19 pandemic , work attire has taken on new meaning. A key but under-researched advantage of remote working has been the relaxing in many professions dress codes, with ‘COVID casual’ becoming the norm for many workers. This report highlights the role of dress codes, appearance, and aesthetics in the Australian public sector and the refashioning of professional attire in the age of remote work.

Data files related to the manuscript Perspectives and experiences of Covid-19: Two Irish studies of families in disadvantaged communities. The manuscript includes two studies. The following materials are shared below. Study 1: - Qualitative data (Microsoft Office Excel file) - Codebook for coding the qualitative data developed through content analysis (pdf file) Study 2: - Qualitative data (Microsoft Office Excel file) Data are named using the following naming convention: Project acronym_Date (YYYYMMDD)_Study_Type of data_Type of participant_Version number of the file. Both studies in the manuscript were developed by the Childhood Development Initiative (CDI), Dublin, Ireland. Study 1 was conducted within the project PEAR_EC, that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 890925. Study 2 was conducted within the Child Poverty research project, funded by Tusla under the Area Based Childhood funding and the Child and Youth Participation Initiatives grant.

Topsy Turvy: Covid – Making Meaning Through Art “A world turned topsy turvy"… "A time to remember rather than to forget"… "The acid test of 21st century health systems"… These are some of the insights offered by health leaders reflecting on their experience of COVID-19. These leaders collaborated with researchers and artists at Maridulu Budyari Gumal (Sydney Partnership for Health, Education, Research and Enterprise (SPHERE)) to produce Topsy Turvy an interactive art exhibition which represents and reflects the bewildering, anxious, caring and sometimes surreal experience of living through, and with, the COVID-19 crisis. The exhibition features artworks created by health leaders, and members of the public who participated in the project. Visitors are invited to contribute to the exhibition by creating a visual collage to represent their own experiences of life during the pandemic, or to leave a message of hope or reflection on the wishing wall. Artists and researchers from the project will be present at the exhibition each day, to facilitate visitor art making and chat about their experiences of creating the work.