Danielle Clode | Flinders University of South Australia (original) (raw)

Papers by Danielle Clode

The Medical journal of Australia, Jan 4, 2004

To identify patterns of mental health, prescription drug use and personal circumstances associate... more To identify patterns of mental health, prescription drug use and personal circumstances associated with heroin overdose in young people. Linkage of data on use of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription drugs with data from a self-report questionnaire. Inner metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. 163 young people, 15-30 years, using heroin. Personal circumstances, mental health (as measured by various scales), and PBS-listed prescription drug use. Young people using heroin reported high rates of feelings of hopelessness, depression, antisocial behaviour, self-harm and diagnosed mental illness. A prior history of overdose was associated with previous mental illness, which in turn was associated with being female, having poor social support, being dissatisfied with relationships, and living alone or in temporary accommodation. While feelings of hopelessness and antisocial behaviour were strongly associated with overdose history, the number of PBS prescription drugs used had a ve...

The Medical journal of Australia, 2004

To identify prescription drug-seeking behaviour patterns among young people who subsequently died... more To identify prescription drug-seeking behaviour patterns among young people who subsequently died of heroin-related overdose. Linkage of Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Coroner's Court records from Victoria. Two hundred and two 15-24-year-olds who died of heroin-related overdose between 6 January 1994 and 6 October 1999. Patterns of use of medical services and prescription drugs listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in the years before death, and use of all drugs just before death. Polydrug use was reported in 90% of toxicology reports, and prescription drugs were present in 80% of subjects. Subjects accessed medical services six times more frequently than the general population aged 14-24 years, and more than half of all prescribed drugs were those prone to misuse, such as benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics. A pattern of increasing drug-seeking behaviour in the years before death was identified, with doctor-visitation rates, number of different doctors...

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 1994

Brain and cognition

Nicholls et al. (1999, Proc. Royal Soc. B, 266, 1517-1522) demonstrated that models turn their le... more Nicholls et al. (1999, Proc. Royal Soc. B, 266, 1517-1522) demonstrated that models turn their left or right cheeks when expressing or concealing emotion, respectively. This study examined whether emotionally expressive individuals are more likely to turn their left cheek when posing for a photograph than less emotionally expressive individuals. One hundred twenty-four normal participants completed an Emotional Expressivity Scale (EES) and posed for a photograph. Females had a higher EES than males and there was a trend for left cheek posers to have a higher EES than right cheek posers. Females were more likely to turn their left cheek than were males. Results support our argument that emotionally expressive individuals turn their left cheek when posing. The higher incidence of leftward poses in females than males may reflect the higher EES for females. These results support the proposition that the leftward bias in painted portraits is related to a desire to capture the emotive qua...

PloS one, 2012

Physiological research suggests that social attitudes, such as political beliefs, may be partly h... more Physiological research suggests that social attitudes, such as political beliefs, may be partly hard-wired in the brain. Conservatives have heightened sensitivity for detecting emotional faces and use emotion more effectively when campaigning. As the left face displays emotion more prominently, we examined 1538 official photographs of conservative and liberal politicians from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States for an asymmetry in posing. Across nations, conservatives were more likely than liberals to display the left cheek. In contrast, liberals were more likely to face forward than were conservatives. Emotion is important in political campaigning and as portraits influence voting decisions, conservative politicians may intuitively display the left face to convey emotion to voters.

Drug and Alcohol Review, 1999

This study assessed the current attitudes, knowledge and practices of 26 inner metropolitan GPs t... more This study assessed the current attitudes, knowledge and practices of 26 inner metropolitan GPs training to work with drug-users. In comparison to nicotine, alcohol and benzodiazepine, illicit drugs (such as opiates and amphetamines) were associated with significantly lower GP confidence, self-reported effectiveness and general knowledge. GPs were also less likely to ask their patients about illicit drug-use than other types of drugs. Older GPs were more confident, believed themselves to be more effective but had less general knowledge about all drug types than GPs under 40. Female doctors also reported lower levels of confidence. Self-reported effectiveness and confidence did not show any association with accuracy of general knowledge about drugs. Although most GPs were very positive about their role in working with drug-users, GPs tended to associate wanting to work with drug-users with professional responsibility, rather than personal interest. These findings suggest that training programmes for GPs in the area of drug-use need to be tailored to account for differing knowledge bases, but also tackle the more difficult task of addressing attitudes and self-perceptions of the role GPs play in dealing with drug-use. [Jacka D, Clode D, Patterson S, Wyman K. Attitudes and practices of general practitioners training to work with drug-using patients. Drug Alcohol Rev 1999; 18: 287 291]

The weaving of fiction through the framework of history can be a challenging occupation. My inter... more The weaving of fiction through the framework of history can be a challenging occupation. My interest in writing maritime historical fiction or adventure stories inspired by the French voyages of discovery to the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries has led me to seek models for this process of adaptation. Jules Verne was renowned for his intertexual use of nonfiction source material in his novels. As part of an exegetical process for writing my own novel I embarked upon a research project with my co-author to study the way in which Verne had incorporated passages from the voyages of the French Pacific explorer Dumont d’Urville (1826-29 and 1837-40) into Twenty Thousand leagues under the Sea (1867) Verne draws upon this factual account, not only for accurate content, but also for narrative structure and literary devices. More interesting though, is the way in which he adapts and re-arranges factual material to suit the demands of an adventure story, in particular simplifying characters and exaggerating events for dramatic effect. The influence of these changes on character and plot reveal much about the demands of adventure stories, as well as Verne’s own socio-political framework.

The predominance of male characters in children’s literature has been well-established. Despite s... more The predominance of male characters in children’s literature has been well-established. Despite some improvements, children’s literature remains gender-stereotyped, with an assumption that boys prefer to read about male protagonists. Most literature analyzing gender bias has been grounded in psychology and gender research, but creative writing research has been less frequently used as an investigative tool. Here we use a creative writing methodology to develop a second-person choose-your-own-adventure story, exploring constructions of gender and character. We then extend this research using a traditional survey, comparing readers’ choices of ‘caring’, ‘cold’ or ‘curious’ actions with their own gender and the perceived gender of the protagonist. Our preliminary findings suggest that although both sexes were equally likely to describe the protagonist as either male or female, readers who considered the protagonist to be female were more likely to choose ‘caring’ rather than ‘non-caring’ actions. The traditional use of gender-specified texts may artificially promote dichotomous gender choice in readers. Further research using second-person interactive narratives may offer less proscribed constructions of gender than traditional methods. Creative writing research offers exciting possibilities for new approaches to gender studies in children’s literature, however, our preliminary study has also identified important limitations which will benefit future study design.

New Writing: The International Journal For The Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 2014

Scholarly research, even within creative writing, is often bound by the highly conservative liter... more Scholarly research, even within creative writing, is often bound by the highly conservative literary traditions of different disciplines. This essay employs the personal essay as a means of advancing a scholarly argument, through both form and content, that genre constraints within and between disciplines limit our recognition of scholarly and literary contributions which lie outside accepted disciplinary genres. For example, the origins of the personal essay are often framed within the history of traditional established forms, such as the literary, scholarly or the journalistic essay. Rather than having a single lineage, however, contemporary personal essays may have diverse literary origins including, in this example, that of the popular scientific essay. Recognising the multifaceted origins of personal essays encourages writers from diverse backgrounds to use the form for their own purposes, allowing disciplines which may lack a popular voice the capacity to reach a general audience and engage in broader social debates. This recognition also illuminates our understanding of the ways in which creative writing can provide a genuine means of advancing scholarly knowledge across a range of disciplines.

International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, 2014

Critical commentary of climate change fiction is often framed around its aesthetic function (is i... more Critical commentary of climate change fiction is often framed around its aesthetic function (is it good literature?) and/or its didactic function (does it change behaviour or attitudes?). We argue that an alternative approach instead might ask what fiction can tell us about the psychology of public knowledge, fear and imagination about a climate-changed future. In a review of the fictional literature we found that as climate change has moved from a primarily scientific concern to being a broader political and cultural issue, fictional representations have also moved from science fiction out into a broader array of fictional sub-genres. In addition to loosely reflecting contemporary science, fictional accounts are increasingly characterised by a sense of hopelessness and a lack of faith in authorities. These fictional trends suggest that while readers and writers are willing to explore and appraise the risk and severity of climate change, there is little evidence of the coping appraisal which is, psychologically, a necessary step in taking action to reduce risk.

Society and Natural Resources, 2014

Wildfires cause enormous damage worldwide, particularly in the Victorian state of Australia, and ... more Wildfires cause enormous damage worldwide, particularly in the Victorian state of Australia, and populations at risk continue to increase with development in fire-prone ecosystems. Broadscale prescribed burning is an established, yet controversial, means of reducing wildfire impact and a key policy for Victorian wildfire management. Does broadscale prescribed burning reduce the damage done by wildfires? The answer depends on how we measure damage. We propose that different perceptions about the efficacy of broadscale prescribed burning may derive from different disciplinary measures of fire damage (e.g. biodiversity, area burnt or loss of life). Although broadscale prescribed burning reduces the size of subsequent wildfires, there is little evidence that it saves human lives and homes. Recent evidence suggests that smallscale fuel reduction may be more effective at saving lives than broadscale prescribed burning. The prescribed burning debate would benefit from moving beyond general issues of "efficacy" towards precise measures of what damage we are seeking to limit, and which metrics are most effective at limiting this damage. In this context, the current policy focus on broadscale prescribed burning targets may distract efforts away from measures that are more effective at saving lives.

Australian Journal of French Studies, 2013

The Victorian Naturalist, 2005

The value of an organisation like the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is immediately ap... more The value of an organisation like the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is immediately apparent to its members. As a social organisation it provides an opportunity for like-minded people to gather together and share their passions and interests. It also operates as a special interest group to represent and promote the values of its members within state and local circles of government. Unlike purely social and interest groups, however, the operations of the FNCV also intersect with one of society's primary mechanism for knowledge generation-scientific research.

Drug and Alcohol Review, 2003

Temazepam capsules have become a popular choice for benzodiazepine injection by injecting drug us... more Temazepam capsules have become a popular choice for benzodiazepine injection by injecting drug users, and serious vascular and tissue damage leading to ulcers and gangrene can result. We compared the self-reported benzodiazepine injecting behaviour of 91 heroin users with their Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) records for the preceding 5 years. We found that individuals prescribed PBS temazepam capsules were more likely to report injecting benzodiazepines than individuals who had either not been prescribed PBS temazepam capsules or had been prescribed PBS temazepam tablets. These results provide empirical support for the argument to limit the prescription and supply of temazepam capsules in Australia. [Dobbin M, Martyres RF, Clode D, Champion de Crespigny FE. Association of benzodiazepine injection with the prescription of temazepam capsules. Drug Alcohol Rev 2003;22:153 -157]

Conservation Biology, 2001

Extinction rates may appear generally higher on island than mainland populations, but the reason ... more Extinction rates may appear generally higher on island than mainland populations, but the reason for this difference is controversial (e.g., . Characteristically, small island populations are susceptible to demographic and environmental stochasticity (e.g., Pimm 1991), but genetic factors such as inbreeding and lack of genetic variation may also decrease their viability (e.g., Frankham 1995). For example, there is compelling evidence that inbreeding depresses individual reproductive success in typically out-breeding domestic plants and animals (e.g., Wright 1977; and captive populations of vertebrate wildlife (e.g., . But drawing general conclusions from individual species requires quantitative comparative analyses, rather than appeals to particular studies.

Neuropsychologia, 1996

The proposition that visual field asymmetries can be produced through priming the left hemisphere... more The proposition that visual field asymmetries can be produced through priming the left hemisphere with verbal material was investigated. In the first experiment a two-choice neutral detection task was established to measure biases of attention between the visual fields. In the second experiment, a priming effect was achieved by superimposing each trial with a verbal recognition task. Reaction time and error measures showed no sign of a right visual field advantage. In the third experiment, the neutral detection trials were intermixed with trials associated with a word recognition task. A significant right visual field advantage was found for the word recognition task. However, this pattern of asymmetry was not found for the neutral detection task. In the fourth experiment the level of difficulty associated with neutral detection task was increased. The effect of expectancy was investigated by manipulating the proportion of neutral and verbal stimuli. Despite these manipulations, the pattern of results was essentially the same as those observed in the previous experiment. These experiments demonstrate that verbal priming does not affect the distribution of spatial attention.

Neuroreport, 1999

PRENATAL exposure to testosterone is proposed to promote development of the right hemisphere and ... more PRENATAL exposure to testosterone is proposed to promote development of the right hemisphere and increase the incidence of sinistrality. This proposition was tested by comparing the hand preference of 59 opposite-sex and 61 same-sex dizygotic twins. Because testosterone is thought to pass between twins in utero, it was predicted that females with a male twin would show a high incidence of sinistrality compared to females with a female twin. Similarly, it was predicted that males with a male twin would be more likely to be sinistral than males with a female twin. Measures of the strength of hand preference and the incidence of sinistrality revealed no difference between the opposite and same-sex twins for either sex. The data also failed to con®rm reports that ®rst-born twins are more likely to be sinistral than second-born twins. These data add to a growing body of research which is critical of the testosterone hypothesis.

Neuropsychologia, 2002

Research, using composite facial photographs has demonstrated that left-left composites are more ... more Research, using composite facial photographs has demonstrated that left-left composites are more emotionally expressive than are right-right composites. The present study investigated whether hemifacial asymmetries in expression are apparent in photographs, that feature one side of the face more than the other. Photographs were taken of the models who turned their heads: (a) 15 • to the left, (b) 15 • to the right or (c) faced directly towards the camera. It was predicted that left hemiface and midline photographs would be judged as more emotionally expressive than right hemiface photographs, where the left hemiface is less prominent. Three hundred and eighty-four participants viewed photographs of the three posing conditions, and rated each photograph along an emotional expressivity scale. Midline and left hemiface portraits were rated as more emotionally expressive than were right hemiface portraits. To investigate whether this effect was caused by observer's aesthetic/perceptual biases, mirror-reversed versions of the three posing conditions were included. Left hemiface and midline portraits were rated as more emotionally expressive, irrespective of whether they were mirror-reversed. It was concluded that head turns of just 15 • can bring about significant changes in the perceived emotionality. The relevance of these findings to painted portraits, which feature the left hemiface more than the right, is discussed.

Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 1999

Portraits, both photographic and painted, are often produced with more of one side of the face sh... more Portraits, both photographic and painted, are often produced with more of one side of the face showing than the other. Typically, the left side of the face is overrepresented, with the head turned slightly to the sitter's right. This leftward bias is weaker for painted male portraits and non-existent for portraits of scientists from the Royal Society. What mechanism might account for this bias? Examination of portraits painted by left-and right-handers and of self-portraits suggests that the bias is not determined by a mechanical preference of the artist or by the viewer's aesthetics. The leftward bias seems to be determined by the sitters and their desire to display the left side of their face, which is controlled by the emotive, right cerebral hemisphere. When we asked people to portray as much emotion as possible when posing for a family portrait, they tended to present the left side of their face. When asked to pose as scientists and avoid portraying emotion, participants tended to present their right side. The motivation to portray emotion, or conceal it, might explain why portraits of males show a reduced leftward bias, and also why portraits of scientists from the Royal Society show no leftward bias.

The Medical journal of Australia, Jan 4, 2004

The Medical journal of Australia, 2004

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 1994

Brain and cognition

PloS one, 2012

Drug and Alcohol Review, 1999

New Writing: The International Journal For The Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 2014

International Journal of Climate Change: Impacts and Responses, 2014

Society and Natural Resources, 2014

Australian Journal of French Studies, 2013

The Victorian Naturalist, 2005

Drug and Alcohol Review, 2003

Conservation Biology, 2001

Neuropsychologia, 1996

Neuroreport, 1999

Neuropsychologia, 2002

Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 1999

Step back to a time when Australia's red centre was flooded by a vast shallow ocean, the Eromanga... more Step back to a time when Australia's red centre was flooded by a vast shallow ocean, the Eromanga Sea. While dinosaurs stalked the scattered islands that made up the Australian continent, giant marine reptiles rule teh waves. Plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs swam in an inland sea filled with schools of ammonites, pterosaurs flew overhead and giant carnivorous amphibians lurked in the rivers. 'Prehistoric Marine', the third in the Museum Victoria Nature series, is a guide to the fauna of the Eromanga Sea and its coasts during the Cretaceous period. This richly illustrated book brings to life yet another aspect of the fascinating world of Australia's prehistoric past.
Copies available from https://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-blog/sep-2015/prehistoric-marine-life-in-australias-inland-sea/

In the backrooms of museums around Australia, millions of specimens lie waiting to be discovered ... more In the backrooms of museums around Australia, millions of specimens lie waiting to be discovered – bones, fossils, skins, eggs, rocks, plants and artefacts. Each one has a story to tell, a place in the history of our continent.

From a passion for collecting curiosities, the sciences of natural history have emerged. And no continent provided more curiosities than Australia. Continent of Curiosities follows the thread of these stories from the collections of one of Australia’s oldest museums, Museum Victoria. Together, these stories weave a history of the development of biological science from an Australian perspective, with insights into the people and places that influence the way we see and understand the natural world around us.

When Bill Borthwick, Minister for Lands, welcomed the newly formed Land Conservation Council in 1... more When Bill Borthwick, Minister for Lands, welcomed the newly formed Land Conservation Council in 1971, he advised them to make their recommendations on public land use for Victoria ‘as if for a thousand years’. And with that he left them to it.
The Land Conservation Council was to provide a unique framework free from political intervention, where experts could debate public land use issues and recommend fair and balanced public land use, enshrining a representative reserve system for Victoria’s remaining natural heritage. This is the story of t how the Council developed into a leading model for community consultation, surviving dramatic changes to the political and environmental landscape but, despite name changes, remaining a stable and conciliatory force in the battle over public land in Victoria.

Voyages to the South Seas brings to life the courageous and often tragic voyages of Australia’s F... more Voyages to the South Seas brings to life the courageous and often tragic voyages of Australia’s French explorers – Bougainville, Lapérouse, D’Entrecasteaux, Baudin, Freycinet, d’Urville and others.

It is the story of noble men impoverished by their passion, and unknowns who made their names through physical courage and intellectual achievement. It is the story of the young men who risked their lives for adventure and excitement but, above all, in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

Step back to a time when giant goannas and marsupial lions stalked the Australian bush. Imagine h... more Step back to a time when giant goannas and marsupial lions stalked the Australian bush. Imagine herds of two-tonne Diprotodon roaming the plains, and flocks of flightless ducks bigger than emus strode around vast inland lakes.

Prehistoric Giants is a guide to the Australian megafauna of the Pleistocene—a time when humans shared the land with giants. Richly illustrated and brought to life by the art of Peter Trusler and others, Prehistoric Giants will reveal an Australia you’ve never seen before.

For a century, the killer whales of Twofold Bay herded baleen whales towards the harpoons of loca... more For a century, the killer whales of Twofold Bay herded baleen whales towards the harpoons of local whalers, helping them hunt and sharing the rewards. It was a life of industry, adventure and strange and unique partnership between whale and man.
As fewer baleen whales frequented the Australian east coast, the killer whales and the whaling industry they supported slowly disappeared. The body of the last killer whale, Old Tom, was retrieved in 1930 – marking the end of an era in Australian history. Killers in Eden explores how this relationship between whaler and killer whale developed, using our modern knowledge of killer whales to untangle fact from myth. The new and updated edition identifies new Eden killer whales not previously recognised, and provides the latest research in whale evolution and killer whale behaviour.

Why is Australia so prone to fires? Have we made things better or worse? Is it possible to live i... more Why is Australia so prone to fires? Have we made things better or worse? Is it possible to live in the Australian bush and be safe from fire?
No other continent on Earth is as susceptible to bushfires, over such a large area, as Australia. Fires are an ongoing part of our history, ecology and culture. Yet, despite repeated disasters across all states throughout the last two centuries, we seem to be no better at surviving bushfires today than we were when fires burnt though the first European settlements. A Future in Flames is a personal journey to find out what we have learnt from the lessons of the past and to understand why, after so many years, people are still dying in bushfires.

Australian Book Review, pp22-23, 2014

A review of David Knight, 'Voyaging in Strange Seas: the Great Revolution in Science'

Historical Records of Australian Science, 22 (1) p186, 2011

Historical Records of Australian Science, 22 (2) 308-9, 2011

Historical Records of Australian Science

Historical Records of Australian Science, 22 (1) p186, 2011

Historical Records of Australian Science

Review of "The Best of Australian Science Writing 2013" by Jane McCredie and Natasha Mi... more Review of "The Best of Australian Science Writing 2013" by Jane McCredie and Natasha Mitchell

Environment and History, 2007

Laterality

. A left-hand turn around the world: Chasing the mystery and meaning of all things southpaw. Camb... more . A left-hand turn around the world: Chasing the mystery and meaning of all things southpaw. Cambridge: De Capo Press, 236pp. Price US$23.95. ISBN 978-0-306-81415-0 (hbk). As a science-writer myself, I know how difficult it is for the non-expert to write a popular account of scientific research-especially when they chose to tackle a topic as

Transnational Literature, 2013

Australian Journal of Ecology, 2000

Australian Book Review, Apr 15, 2015

Copyright Agency has developed Reading Australia to make significant Australian literary works mo... more Copyright Agency has developed Reading Australia to make significant Australian literary works more readily available for teaching in schools and universities. These works are being supplemented with online teacher resources and essays by popular authors about the enduring relevance of the works. The list of titles has been selected by the Australian Society of Authors’ (ASA) Council. The ASA’s Council were asked to select works they thought students and others should encounter, to give a view of Australia’s rich cultural identity: works that would tell Australia’s history and also how we are currently developing as a nation. The ASA Council are adamant that this list should be merely the beginning, and it should be built upon with other works that have already been published, as well as the great new works that continue to be published in Australia.

Australian Book Review, Nov 2014

Transnational Literature, 2012

This short story was inspired by a newspaper report about George Davidson's solo effort to hunt a... more This short story was inspired by a newspaper report about George Davidson's solo effort to hunt a whale at the age of 70. This occurred a little while after the death of Old Tom and the departure of the last of the Eden killer whales, but in this story I have moved the two events closer together, to explore the themes of aging and hunting in men and whales.

Faunal and Floral Migrations and Evolution in SE Asia- …, 2001

ABSTRACT The significance of Wallace's Line is often misrepresented in modem scientific l... more ABSTRACT The significance of Wallace's Line is often misrepresented in modem scientific literature. Many assume that it was a demarcation between Australian and Asian faunas. However, Wallace drew his line to illustrate that the distribution of animals reflects underlying geological history. Arguments over biogeographic boundaries are rarely relevant to Wallace's hypothesis. His work is also often assumed to lack empirical support. We reassess Wallace's Line using 2,517 bird specimens he collected from the Malay Archipelago, as well as modem avifaunal lists, We classified families as Asian, Australian or cosmopolitan and calculated the proportion of Asian to Australian species for each island. The islands fall into three groups, separated by Wallace's Line and Lydekker's Line. Our results suggest that Wallace's Line is supported by the data collected and that it demarcates a major faunal break for birds, concordant with modem geological evidence on the origin of the region.

Psychological preparedness is an underlying state of mind that helps people to physically prepare... more Psychological preparedness is an underlying state of mind that helps people to physically prepare for a fire, to respond appropriately in the event of a fire, and to recover after a fire. Pro-action: Psychological preparedness in pro-action allows an accurate assessment of fire risk to be taken into account when choosing where to live, work or visit. Prevention: Psychological preparedness in prevention ensures adherence to fire restrictions, and adoption of strategies to prevent fires on properties (such as fuel reduction, building design, site location). Preparation: Psychological preparedness in preparation includes making a commitment to having a survival plan for fire should it occur, and making the necessary preparations to enact that plan and reduce the impact of fire on loss of life or property. Response: Psychological preparedness in response to a fire involves recognising the unique physiological and psychological reactions we have to extreme stress, and developing and impl...

With the aging of Australia’s population, the demand for aged care accommodation continues to gro... more With the aging of Australia’s population, the demand for aged care accommodation continues to grow. Additionally, the need for high-level care is increasing, with a corresponding focus on improvements in clinical standards. A review was undertaken to explore issues identified by general practitioners within Melbourne Division of General Practice around clinical standards in residential aged care facilities, and the role of accreditation in promoting and ensuring clinical excellence. The demands and pressures on residential aged care facilities, and on GPs who provide care to residents, are well documented. This paper supports the findings of similar investigations in the field. It is noted that a range of initiatives, including the Aged Care GP Panels Initiative, have been undertaken to strengthen existing systems and develop collaborative relationships between GPs and residential aged care facilities. In this report, recommendations have been made for the consideration of governmen...