Changes to National Outdoor Leadership Registration Scheme (NOLRS)
General News
The Board of the Outdoor Council of Australia (OCA) has recently undertaken a review of the National Outdoor Leadership Registration Scheme (NOLRS). Whilst the value of the scheme was recognised, it was also identified that any future progress would […]
OCA COVID 19 Management Plan Template
General News
The Outdoor Council of Australia (OCA) has produced a template to assist outdoor organisations to undertake safety/risk management planning regarding issues posed by COVID-19 – “COVID-19 Management Plan Template for Group Based Outdoor Activities”. The template draws on the work […]
OCA Framework for Rebooting Outdoor Activities in a COVID-19 Environment
General News
The Outdoor Council of Australia Board has formed up a comprehensive document, which is a framework for conducting Outdoor Recreation activities in a COVID-19 environment. It has been compiled in very tight timeframes through the sustained efforts by volunteers of Outdoors […]
Australia’s outdoors is still OPEN – Monday 30 March 2020
General News
Outdoor sector leaders are urging the public to exercise outdoors while practicing good social distancing The Outdoor Council of Australia, national peak body for outdoor activities, is reminding members of the public that the outdoors is still open and […]
Camps and Outdoor Providers Recommended Contract Cancellation Process – Position Statement Update 27/03/2020
General News
This statement supersedes the previous Position Statement dated 17/03/2020 The OCA is closely connected with the five state Outdoors Peak bodies, the Australian Camps Association, Scouts Australia and several other related sector peaks. The OCA Board met today 27/03/2020 to […]
Have Your Say On The Participation and Benefits of Mountain Biking
General News
MTBA is currently undertaking an economic and participation analysis of mountain biking in Australia. The objective of this study is to estimate participation rates of mountain biking, as well as measure and assess the range of benefits associated with mountain […]
Bushfire Recovery for the Australian Outdoor Sector
General News
What’s Next? Bushfire Recovery for the Australian Outdoor Sector Attention Outdoor Sector! You are invited to participate with our counter parts from other states in a webinar focused at supporting the outdoor sector in this trying time. The key questions […]
The economic contribution of Australia’s nature-based outdoor recreation sector
Research
SkillsIQ commissioned Marsden Jacob Associates to conduct a study to better understand the impact of the nature-based outdoor recreation sector on Australia’s economy. It was designed to establish a picture of this sector, covering both participation across activities as well […]
National Outdoor Leadership Registration Scheme
General News
The Outdoor Council of Australia is conducting a user review of the National Outdoor Leadership Registration Scheme (NOLRS). NOLRS was established in 2003 to provide a transparent, national benchmark of individual currency in outdoor activity leadership skills. NOLRS is a scheme for […]
Climbing Accidents in Australia
Research
“This paper looks at accidents in Australian climbing, in all its forms, over the past fifty years. An analysis of some of the data is provided. The seriousness of easier climbs is scrutinised and the issue of helmet wearing commended. […]
Australian Outdoor Adventure Activity Benefits Catalogue
Research
Outdoor activities are hugely valuable to personal health and wellbeing, and evidence based research of this continues to grow exponentially. Follow this link to read further about the positive contributions of outdoor activities, with research drawn from education, recreation, leisure, tourism, […]
Research update: Outdoor education fatalities in Australia, Dr. Andrew Brookes
Research
Click here to read about the on-going project examining outdoor education related deaths in Australia since the 60’s. Eleven incidents, which had not previously been included in the series, are reviewed in this paper. From an incident of suicide reportedly following […]
Survey Of The Field
General News
AABAT have released their ‘survey of the field’ and the response so far has been terrific! The survey is for anyone with an interest in bush adventure therapy or nature based interventions in Australia. The survey is designed to map the […]
Outdoor Youth Programs Research Alliance
General News
A new study by the Outdoor Youth Programs Research Alliance (OYPRA) developed and conducted over nine years has shown camps and outdoor education programs can lead to improved mental health and wellbeing in young people. Click here to read more!
Affective Abilities and Outdoor Leaders
Oppurtunity
As a young outdoor leader fairly new to the industry, i’ve definitely experienced some difficult behaviors here and there. A survey is being conducted on what effective abilities, previously known as soft skills, are used by leaders and educators in […]
Australian AAAS information webinar invitation
General News
Next week, a free information webinar will be provided on the Australian Adventure Activity Standards (AAAS) and Good Practice Guides (GPGs). This is a great way for anyone interested in AAAS or GPGs to get more information. The 1 hour […]
Australian Adventure Activity Standard and Good Practice Guides pre-release
General News
The Australian Adventure Activity Standard (AAAS) and the completed activity Good Practice Guide’s (GPG’s) have been published, prior to the official launch in September 2019. The pre-released documents are available from the australianaas.org.au website home page. http://australianaas.org.au/ Why pre-release? The outdoor […]
The UPLOADS Project
General News
UPLOADS (Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accidents Data System) is now a cloud based web app that can be accessed from any computer, smartphone or tablet to enter incident reports, even when in the field where internet or phone reception […]
Canyoning Activity Good Practice Guide released for public comment
General News
The Australian AAS draft Canyoning Good Practice Guide, containing all of the activity specific content for this adventure activity has just been released for public comment. Submissions close the 12 November 2018 (9.00am AEDT). To read, download the draft or […]
Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) advice on Award coverage for outdoor leaders
General News
Members of the Outdoor Council Australia, Outdoors Victoria, Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation, Outdoors WA Inc, Outdoors NSW, Australian Camps Association, Outdoors SA, Christian Venues Association Scouts Australia have been involved in discussions throughout the year with Fairwork Australia to paint a picture regarding the broad variance of employment […]
UPLOADS App Live Now!
General News
The UPLOADS App is up and running! The New UPLOADS App is a web-based application used to record incident reports, led outdoor activity participation data, and action plans to address identified problems. Following the official launch on Friday 14 September, the […]
Australian AAS September Update
General News
There has been many new developments for current Australian Adventure Activity Standard (Australia AAS) projects this month. Including the extension of the project until September 2019! This extension is thanks to the support of the Sport and Recreation Departments from […]
UPLOADS Launch and Webinar
General News
Please join us at the upcoming launch of the NEW UPLOADS app on 14th September at 2pm (AEST). Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accidents Data System (UPLOADS) is a sector-wide incident reporting system that was developed to address the lack […]
Annual General Meeting
General News
The AGM for the Outdoor Council of Australia has been successfully held and we’d like to take this opportunity to share the results. Please click on the link to view the OCA Annual Report. We would also like to take this […]
Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning
General News
Congratulations to Associate Professor Tonia Gray and Professor Denise Mitten on the release of the Palgrave International Handbook of Women and Outdoor Learning This handbook celebrates the richness of knowledge and practices of women practitioners in outdoor learning environments. […]