The Australian Government's Innovation Report

Pushing the heater bank used to run the hot
water drill onto the loading ramp of the aircraft.
Glaciologists examining a fresh ice core from the borehole.
Glaciologists preparing the hose winding cradle.
Photo credits: Mike Craven, Australian Government
Antarctic Division
During 2005-06, research continued with the completion of two further bore holes through the Amery Ice Shelf.
Both holes (722 and 603 metres deep respectively) were instrumented with thermistors and oceanographic sensors,
which revealed details of the ice shelf-ocean interaction and the crystal structure of reforming marine ice.
Samples from the sea floor underneath the ice were extracted for examination of past glacial events in
partnership with Geoscience Australia. Initial photographic analysis of the cavity beneath the ice revealed the
presence of Antarctic krill and other invertebrates. This was an unexpected observation given the holes were more
than 150 kilometres back from the front edge of the ice shelf and open water.
PRIORITY 2 – Promoting and maintaining good health
A healthy start to life
Keeping kids on track – developing the resilience of Aboriginal students: Indicators of both education
and health demonstrate that Indigenous children in Australia fare much worse than non-Indigenous children.
Keeping kids on track is a five-year Curtin University of Technology research project funded by the National
Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
The project aims to build Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s capacity to cope with life’s challenges
and promote resilience through social and emotional skill development, cognitive development, community
engagement and appropriate health provision.
The research project focuses on students in Years 6 and 7, and continues to monitor them until the end of
compulsory schooling (Year 10). During the transition period from primary to high school, many Indigenous
students lose the will to strive and drop out of school. High rates of substance abuse can become a serious
concern, and self-harming behaviours have become more common among Indigenous adolescents. Pregnancy
also often interrupts potential academic and work careers of Indigenous teenagers.
Keeping kids on track focuses on developing and promoting
resilience and well-being during childhood and adolescence by
addressing life change issues related to this period of transition.
The students participate in activities designed to enhance
cognitive development and social and emotional well-being,
and they have regular medical examinations to ensure sound
physical and mental health.
Researchers with Keeping Kids on Track project – L to R: Professor
Neil Thomson, Ms Sandra Rogers, Dr Ann Galloway and Professor
Gary Partington. Photo credits: NHMRC
Through quantitative and qualitative measures, the project
documents the educational, social and health outcomes
achieved by the children, and the principles and methodology
followed. This results in a robust evidence-based model
that can be implemented in other settings.
102 Backing Australia’s Ability