Water for Australia's future - reducing fears and increasing acceptance of alternative water sources through public information. Australia is in the midst of a water crisis. Available water sources are dwindling. Alternative water sources are key to Australia's sustainable water future. National and international experiences show that while alternative water treatment technologies are available, public acceptance is the most important factor to determining the successful implementation of altern ....Water for Australia's future - reducing fears and increasing acceptance of alternative water sources through public information. Australia is in the midst of a water crisis. Available water sources are dwindling. Alternative water sources are key to Australia's sustainable water future. National and international experiences show that while alternative water treatment technologies are available, public acceptance is the most important factor to determining the successful implementation of alternative water schemes. This project will study public acceptance of a range of alternative water schemes in Australia. It will identify barriers to adoption of these alternatives and highlight preferred options by the community. The information needs of Australians will be identified and optimal communication strategies developed.Read moreRead less
Developing demand-side strategies for sustainable futures at the business and consumer levels. Australia is facing a world in which the material demands of developing nations are putting pressure on global resources, at the same time as effects of economic activity on the earth's climate are leading to questions about the planet's sustainability. Efforts to mandate changes in consumption patterns are likely to be politically unpopular and lead to a loss of social welfare. This research will in ....Developing demand-side strategies for sustainable futures at the business and consumer levels. Australia is facing a world in which the material demands of developing nations are putting pressure on global resources, at the same time as effects of economic activity on the earth's climate are leading to questions about the planet's sustainability. Efforts to mandate changes in consumption patterns are likely to be politically unpopular and lead to a loss of social welfare. This research will investigate ways in which choices between current and future consumption can be framed to maximize voluntary consumer choices for sustainable futures. It will allow the demand side of negative environmental trends to be addressed, reducing the pressure on the supply side without the loss of consumer sovereignty.Read moreRead less
Evidence-based community standards for ethics in advertising. The primary social benefit of this project is the development of evidence-based standards representing community views on acceptable practices in advertising, providing a basis on which to lobby for improvements in regulation. Such improvements will contribute to the ability of consumers to make informed choices about product purchase and behaviour change. This project also has economic benefit for commercial and social advertisers in ....Evidence-based community standards for ethics in advertising. The primary social benefit of this project is the development of evidence-based standards representing community views on acceptable practices in advertising, providing a basis on which to lobby for improvements in regulation. Such improvements will contribute to the ability of consumers to make informed choices about product purchase and behaviour change. This project also has economic benefit for commercial and social advertisers in Australia, enabling them to: pre-test potential advertisements to ensure that they comply with community standards; develop advertisements which are better suited to their target audience(s); better forecast the effects of appeals on advertising outcomes; and reduce complaints to the ASB and other bodies.Read moreRead less
Reducing irresponsible gambling: Changing a justification to an avoidance strategy. The results will aid policy makers in their assessment of harm minimisation strategies such as voluntary self-exclusion. Discovering when 'flawed' thinking about previous gambling episodes can be used to justify potentially irresponsible gambling decisions will assist in the design of new prevention measures for irresponsible gamblers and those at risk. The strategies developed here will be useful for gamblers to ....Reducing irresponsible gambling: Changing a justification to an avoidance strategy. The results will aid policy makers in their assessment of harm minimisation strategies such as voluntary self-exclusion. Discovering when 'flawed' thinking about previous gambling episodes can be used to justify potentially irresponsible gambling decisions will assist in the design of new prevention measures for irresponsible gamblers and those at risk. The strategies developed here will be useful for gamblers to empower themselves and avoid behaviour they will regret later. Australia will benefit from insights into how and why irresponsible episodes occur and how to prevent them. Read moreRead less
Investigating the Indirect Effects of Child-Targeted Food Promotion on Children's Diets. Obesity is forecast to cost the Australian community more than $58 billion in 2008. The prevention and reduction of obesity thus has the potential to create significant savings in terms of obesity-related treatment costs and impairments. Children have been identified as a population requiring particular attention in efforts to combat obesity. The proposed study will provide an enhanced understanding of the r ....Investigating the Indirect Effects of Child-Targeted Food Promotion on Children's Diets. Obesity is forecast to cost the Australian community more than $58 billion in 2008. The prevention and reduction of obesity thus has the potential to create significant savings in terms of obesity-related treatment costs and impairments. Children have been identified as a population requiring particular attention in efforts to combat obesity. The proposed study will provide an enhanced understanding of the role that food promotion plays in sub-optimal food choices made by children and their parents. The results of the study will be translated into specific public policy recommendations to assist governments and health agencies in determining appropriate courses of action to promote healthy diets among children and their families.Read moreRead less
From economic benefit to social cost: Antecedents of irresponsible gambling. The social impact of gambling is a challenge for policy-makers. Australia's gambling expenditure in 2001 contributed $4.4 billion in tax revenue. This economic benefit however, is offset by significant social costs ($1.8 to $5.6 billion). We will identify when and how distorted memory for previous gambling outcomes and gaming machine accessibility can cause irresponsible gambling. The results can be used to make informe ....From economic benefit to social cost: Antecedents of irresponsible gambling. The social impact of gambling is a challenge for policy-makers. Australia's gambling expenditure in 2001 contributed $4.4 billion in tax revenue. This economic benefit however, is offset by significant social costs ($1.8 to $5.6 billion). We will identify when and how distorted memory for previous gambling outcomes and gaming machine accessibility can cause irresponsible gambling. The results can be used to make informed assessments of the social impact of increasing the accessibility of gambling opportunities on local communities. The results can also be used to understand how gambling that contributes to the economy of a community becomes a social cost.Read moreRead less