Income management legislation in Australia takes various forms, including the ‘place-based income management’ (PBIM) trial covering five locations including Bankstown, NSW. One of the stated purposes of the PBIM trials is to improve food security. A variable percentage of the social security income of people on PBIM is delivered via an EFT ‘BasicsCard’ rather than as a cash transfer; benefits on a BasicsCard cannot be exchanged for prohibited items or in retail outlets other than those licensed to accept the card. This paper reports on research conducted in Bankstown to investigate whether the operation of the PBIM legislation in Bankstown is conducive to improving food security for recipient households. The methodology for this research is a legal geography exploration of the interactions between law (the PBIM legislation), people (those in receipt of social security benefits via PBIM) and a particular place, Bankstown. Fieldwork data indicated that the least expensive food retail outlets in Bankstown, both for a basket of basic grocery staples and for fresh produce, were stores not licensed to accept the BasicsCard – adversely affecting food security. People on PBIM are also excluded from full access to and participation in local food culture, social interactions and public life.

Background: Self-selection into residential neighbourhoods and related bias is a widely acknowledged but under-studied phenomenon in research investigating neighbourhood influences on health. Our aim was to identify methods used to account for self-selection, and to identify possible approaches for future research. Methods: In this scoping review, articles in PubMed which used the terms “neighbo(u)rhood” and “self-selection” were identified to determine methods used to address neighbourhood self-selection. Results: Sixty-one articles were identified; 31 (50.8%) accounted for self-selection in neighbourhood and health associations. Approaches used to address neighbourhood self-selection varied but most studies adjusted for neighbourhood preference items. Common approaches were model adjustment for multiple variables using principal components or factor analysis (22.6%), or propensity scores (9.7%). One study used instrumental variables. In longitudinal research, fixed effects models were used to account for time-invariant self-selection. Conculsions: Methods used thus far to account for self-selection assume that the factors underlying neighbourhood self-selection have been assessed and accurately measured. Fixed effects models, while useful for longitudinal research, do not adjust for time-varying self-selection. Instrumental variables may provide a promising avenue for future work. This approach, however, requires identifying a candidate variable that predicts the health outcome through the particular neighbourhood exposure of interest.

Background: The 20-minute neighbourhood (20-MN) concept suggests neighbourhoods should contain services and places that support the everyday, non-work-related, activities within a 20-minute walk, cycle, or public transport trip from home. Whilst the concept of a 20-MN is now firmly embedded into many Melbourne planning documents, it has not been formally operationalised. The aim of this study is operationalise a working definition of a 20-MN which will be directly translatable to urban planners. Methods: The concept of what constitutes a 20-MN has changed across the various iterations of the major planning strategy for Melbourne: “Plan Melbourne”. The latest iteration, will be prioritised in the process of operationalising this measure, however our definition will also be informed by earlier versions of Plan Melbourne. Results: Numerous data sources have been obtained to allow us to determine the location of services and places that make up a 20-MN. Indicators of quality are also being investigated to assess whether these can form part of the definition. Conclusions: The operationalisation of a working definition shifts the 20-MN from a concept in planning documents to something that can be measured and assessed. Our measure will be utilised in future studies assessing the health benefits of a 20-MN.