Impaired jury decision-making: The impact of stereotypes in the Australian court room. There have been calls for reforms and overhauls of the jury system in Australia because of concerns about the ability of jurors to reach objective verdicts and concerns about the costs associated with the jury system; however the consequences of these proposed changes for jury functioning are not well understood. This research will provide a better understanding those factors that contribute to impaired jury d ....Impaired jury decision-making: The impact of stereotypes in the Australian court room. There have been calls for reforms and overhauls of the jury system in Australia because of concerns about the ability of jurors to reach objective verdicts and concerns about the costs associated with the jury system; however the consequences of these proposed changes for jury functioning are not well understood. This research will provide a better understanding those factors that contribute to impaired jury decision-making, helping to avoid the very real risk of any changes to the jury system resulting in profound and unpredictable changes to the functioning of the legal system. By doing so, the concerns of people calling for drastic reforms can be addressed without socially and economically expensive overhauls of the jury system.Read moreRead less
Non-Discrimination Laws and Religious Freedom: Current Conflicts and Future Directions. Achieving the right balance between adequately protecting religious freedom while staying true to principles of non-discrimination is far from easy. This project will advance understanding and analysis of religious freedom and equal treatment in Australia, in principle, in law and empirically. In the context of community tensions along ethno-religious lines, it will benefit Australia to have the issues at st ....Non-Discrimination Laws and Religious Freedom: Current Conflicts and Future Directions. Achieving the right balance between adequately protecting religious freedom while staying true to principles of non-discrimination is far from easy. This project will advance understanding and analysis of religious freedom and equal treatment in Australia, in principle, in law and empirically. In the context of community tensions along ethno-religious lines, it will benefit Australia to have the issues at stake described and clarified. The project will identify the relevant interests at stake and develop policy recommendations for their protection. The aim is to contribute to inter-religious (and inter-cultural) harmony, as an element of safeguarding Australia.Read moreRead less
The Management of the Assets of Older People: Prevalence, practices, preferences and responses. Industry partners with the investigators, have identified the need for foundation knowledge about asset management by and on behalf of older people. The current environment of changing legislation and demography, and the extent of the assets held offer new challenges to older people, families, public and private asset managers and substitute decision makers. This study identifies the prevalence of ass ....The Management of the Assets of Older People: Prevalence, practices, preferences and responses. Industry partners with the investigators, have identified the need for foundation knowledge about asset management by and on behalf of older people. The current environment of changing legislation and demography, and the extent of the assets held offer new challenges to older people, families, public and private asset managers and substitute decision makers. This study identifies the prevalence of asset management; the experiences of older people and their asset managers; the nature and disposition of disputed matters; the operationalisation of public and private sector asset management policies. The results will be used to develop appropriate and targeted responses to promote good practice and prevent finanical abuse.Read moreRead less
New Concepts in Legal Pluralism: A Theoretical and Practical Analysis. The central objective of this project is to make a substantial and original contribution to legal knowledge by developing a new concept of legal pluralism, and demonstrating its practical significance in the modern legal context. The traditional centralist model of law fails to recognise the co-existance of law with "quasi-legal" and informal normative systems, it deals inadequately with social and cultural difference, and it ....New Concepts in Legal Pluralism: A Theoretical and Practical Analysis. The central objective of this project is to make a substantial and original contribution to legal knowledge by developing a new concept of legal pluralism, and demonstrating its practical significance in the modern legal context. The traditional centralist model of law fails to recognise the co-existance of law with "quasi-legal" and informal normative systems, it deals inadequately with social and cultural difference, and it fails to recognise that state-based law is neither closed nor autonomous. This project will develop an innovative approach to legal pluralism, and strengthen pluralist thought within Australian law.Read moreRead less