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Page last updated: 01 January 2009

Copyright

This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.

Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction rights should be directed to the Communications Branch, Department of Health via:

Email: copyright@health.gov.au

Post:
GPO Box 9848
Canberra
ACT 2601

Linking to this Site

You may link to this website at your full expense and responsibility. You must not:
  1. alter any of this site's contents; or
  2. frame or reformat the files, pages, images, information and materials from this site on any other site.
The Commonwealth of Australia as represented by the Department of Health through its Population Health Division reserves the right to prevent linking by giving notice.

Accessibility

We are continually making improvements to the accessibility of our website and web content. If you need help accessing information published on the MSAC webpages please contact us. Alternatively, you can visit MSAC Archive for previously published versions of the website.

Disclaimer

All the material published on theis website is for information purposes only. The information contained on this site is not a substitute for, and is not intended to replace, independent professional advice. Users should consider the need to obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their own particular circumstances.

The material contained on this site may include the views or recommendations of third parties, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commonwealth of Australia, or indicate a commitment to a particular course of action.

This site may contain references to other sites and these are provided for convenience only and should not be construed as an endorsement by the Commonwealth of Australia; conversely omissions should not be construed as non endorsement.

The Commonwealth of Australia does not warrant or represent that the information contained on this site is accurate, current or complete. Users should exercise their own independent skill or judgement or seek professional advice before relying on it. The Commonwealth of Australia does not accept any legal liability or responsibility for any injury, loss or damage incurred by the use of, or reliance on, or interpretation of, the information contained on this site.

Privacy

Information logged When you visit this website, our server makes a record of your visit and logs the following information for statistical purposes or systems administration purposes:
  • your server address
  • your top level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc)
  • the date and time of your visit to the site
  • the pages you accessed and documents downloaded
  • the previous site you have visited
  • the type of browser you are using.
  • No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities, except in the unlikely event of an investigation where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant to inspect the logs.

Electronic mail addresses

We will only record your e-mail address if you send us a message. Your e-mail address will only be used or disclosed for the purpose for which you have provided it and it will not be added to a mailing list or used or disclosed for any other purpose without your consent.

You should note that there are inherent risks associated with using the Internet as a transmission medium in that when you send information over the Internet it might be possible for other people to see what you are sending. If this is of concern to you, then you should use other methods of communication.

Cookies

Please note that this website does not use cookies. A cookie is a piece of information that an Internet web site sends to your browser when you access information at that site.

Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics collect information about visitors. Google Analytics uses first-party cookies and JavaScript code to help analyze how users use the site. It anonymously tracks how our visitors interact with this website, including where they came from, what they did on the site including such things as newsletter registration. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser.


What is RSS?

An RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication feed), is a delivery mechanism for online content. By subscribing to RSS feeds, users are automatically informed, via the use of an RSS feed reader/aggregator, of website updates. It negates the need for users to search for content updates on websites.

How Does RSS Work?

When a new article is published or a change made to a web page, the associated RSS feed keeps track of the changes and delivers them to you through your RSS reader. RSS feeds are most often attached to text, images, and pod casts, but they can be used with any document that has content changes.

How Do I Use RSS?

To view RSS feeds, you need an RSS reader (also called an aggregator), which continually checks the RSS feed(s) that you have subscribed to. Readers and aggregators are usually easy to use, offering users the facility to read, email, save or clip content with a click of the mouse. RSS readers and aggregators can be software-based or browser-based. All compile and update feeds allowing anonymous access from any computer with Internet access.

What is a Feed?

A feed is similar to a bookmark in a web browser. If you subscribe to the Latest News RSS feed, for instance, you will see the Latest News items appear in your reader as soon as they are published to the website.

How Do I "Subscribe" to a Feed?

There are various ways to subscribe to RSS feeds. You may see the RSS symbol on web pages, which represents the RSS feed or a page of feeds. Depending on which reader/aggregator you use you may either click the link to subscribe or copy the URL (web address) of the feed and paste it into your reader.

Where can I access an RSS reader?

There are many free RSS readers available on the Internet. Most newer Internet browsers also integrate the handling of RSS feeds.