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Understanding Promises: Legal and Everyday Implications. This research will lead to a better understanding of the effects of keeping and breaking promises in different contexts. It will examine their potential beneficial function in peer relationships and their propensity to increase the quality of children's testimony. Keeping promises may be appropriate for fostering friendships but may have serious consequences when the information that is kept secret involves child abuse, for example. Inform ....Understanding Promises: Legal and Everyday Implications. This research will lead to a better understanding of the effects of keeping and breaking promises in different contexts. It will examine their potential beneficial function in peer relationships and their propensity to increase the quality of children's testimony. Keeping promises may be appropriate for fostering friendships but may have serious consequences when the information that is kept secret involves child abuse, for example. Information from this research is expected to contribute to more positive peer relationships and to children's honest disclosures of adult's (e.g. child abuse) and peer's (e.g. bullying) transgressive conduct.Read moreRead less
Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Biological Markers for Legal Assessment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder that is claimed in compensation claims in Australia. There are currently no reliable means to distinguish malingered from genuine PTSD. This project aims to develop the most accurate means of identifying malingered PTSD by using the most recent technology to index biological responses, including fMRI, in participants with PT ....Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Biological Markers for Legal Assessment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder that is claimed in compensation claims in Australia. There are currently no reliable means to distinguish malingered from genuine PTSD. This project aims to develop the most accurate means of identifying malingered PTSD by using the most recent technology to index biological responses, including fMRI, in participants with PTSD, without PTSD, and malingered PTSD. This study will lead to a biological assessment that can objectively index PTSD and be resistant to intentional feigning. These data will significantly enhance legal assessments of PTSD and facilitate compensation resolution.Read moreRead less
Testing theoretical propositions concerning the onset and progression of child-sex offending, and field testing a new sexual abuse prevention model. Child sexual abuse poses serious threats to the health and well-being of Australian children. Data from a variety of sources indicate that, for a variety of reasons, Indigenous children are exposed to a heightened risk of sexual abuse. The present project is expected to lead to new discoveries about the causes of sexual abuse and to new evidence-bas ....Testing theoretical propositions concerning the onset and progression of child-sex offending, and field testing a new sexual abuse prevention model. Child sexual abuse poses serious threats to the health and well-being of Australian children. Data from a variety of sources indicate that, for a variety of reasons, Indigenous children are exposed to a heightened risk of sexual abuse. The present project is expected to lead to new discoveries about the causes of sexual abuse and to new evidence-based prevention methods both within Indigenous communities and in the wider community. The project will therefore contribute at a national level, as well as at a local community level, to broader efforts to improve the life chances of Australian children.Read moreRead less
Cyber bullying: An evidence-based approach to the application and reform of law, policy and practice in schools. In better understanding the issue of cyber bullying and emerging jurisprudence, this study will guide schools on policies and practices that will assist and protect victims, educate all students and families towards electronic discourse and help schools avoid liability and keep them out of court. Outcomes could also inform teacher education programs and professional development progra ....Cyber bullying: An evidence-based approach to the application and reform of law, policy and practice in schools. In better understanding the issue of cyber bullying and emerging jurisprudence, this study will guide schools on policies and practices that will assist and protect victims, educate all students and families towards electronic discourse and help schools avoid liability and keep them out of court. Outcomes could also inform teacher education programs and professional development programs at the university level for educators. These understandings will inform the development of intervention and prevention strategies and potential reform of the existing laws and policies. The study will support the development of safe, ethical educational environments, both physical and virtual, where all students are free to learn.Read moreRead less
Establishing Guidelines for Coronial Best Practice Use of Internal Autopsy. Last year in Queensland 2700 Coronial internal autopsies were conducted at a cost of $5.3 million. In addition to the economic cost, other relevant concerns include few qualified personnel, public health risks, and cultural and religious sensitivities associated with internal autopsy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that for a number of these deaths, the internal autopsy was not necessary to establish cause or circumstance ....Establishing Guidelines for Coronial Best Practice Use of Internal Autopsy. Last year in Queensland 2700 Coronial internal autopsies were conducted at a cost of $5.3 million. In addition to the economic cost, other relevant concerns include few qualified personnel, public health risks, and cultural and religious sensitivities associated with internal autopsy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that for a number of these deaths, the internal autopsy was not necessary to establish cause or circumstance of death. The purpose of this research is to create guidelines to enable coroners to weight all sources of evidence before ordering internal autopsies The purpose is to decrease the number (and associated costs, risks and distress to families) of unnecessary internal autopsies being performed without compromising the finding as to cause and circumstance of death.Read moreRead less
Teachers Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Towards Evidence-based Reform of Law, Policy and Practice. Every year, thousands of Australian children are sexually abused. This causes lifelong psychological, social and economic cost to victims. It also undermines Australia's social fabric, and costs the nation hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Early intervention promotes enhanced health and life outcomes for abused children, and teachers are well-placed to contribute to early reporting of child ....Teachers Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Towards Evidence-based Reform of Law, Policy and Practice. Every year, thousands of Australian children are sexually abused. This causes lifelong psychological, social and economic cost to victims. It also undermines Australia's social fabric, and costs the nation hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Early intervention promotes enhanced health and life outcomes for abused children, and teachers are well-placed to contribute to early reporting of child sexual abuse. This research promotes children's healthy start to life by being the first inquiry to identify the most effective legal and practical strategies for requiring and enabling teachers to accurately report child sexual abuse. It adds further economic and social benefit by finding ways to reduce inaccurate reports of child sexual abuse.Read moreRead less
Unlocking IP - Expanding public rights and the public domain in Australian copyright. This research investigates how Australia's digital commons, comprising both the public domain and public rights created by open content and open software licensing, can be expanded and protected. It focuses on 'self help' actions within the existing statutory context, in Australia's distinct legal and cultural context, and on comprehensiveness. Its significance is that healthy commons-based production of inform ....Unlocking IP - Expanding public rights and the public domain in Australian copyright. This research investigates how Australia's digital commons, comprising both the public domain and public rights created by open content and open software licensing, can be expanded and protected. It focuses on 'self help' actions within the existing statutory context, in Australia's distinct legal and cultural context, and on comprehensiveness. Its significance is that healthy commons-based production of information is essential to Australia as an innovative country and a democracy. The principal outcomes will be better understood and more efficient public rights licences, incentives to copyright owners to create them, and technical aids to allow users to find commons content.Read moreRead less
The Future of Oceans Governance in Polar Areas. Australia has a compelling national interest in maintaining its sovereignty and security in the Antarctic. Australian government goals include maintaining the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS); enhancing Australia's influence within the system; protecting the Antarctic environment; understanding the role of Antarctica in the global climate system; and undertaking scientific work of practical, economic and national significance. This project directly ad ....The Future of Oceans Governance in Polar Areas. Australia has a compelling national interest in maintaining its sovereignty and security in the Antarctic. Australian government goals include maintaining the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS); enhancing Australia's influence within the system; protecting the Antarctic environment; understanding the role of Antarctica in the global climate system; and undertaking scientific work of practical, economic and national significance. This project directly addresses national research priorities through analysis of oceans governance issues that centre on Australian interests. This project will also contribute to national benefit by focusing on issues central to the International Polar Year.Read moreRead less
Rethinking Mental Health Laws: An Integrated Approach. Mental health is one of the Commonwealth Government's national health priority areas. This research program will ensure the best possible outcomes for the Government's five-year action plan for better mental health services by developing model legal frameworks that will help shape the way in which individuals with mental illnesses can access the highest attainable standard of mental health care. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and th ....Rethinking Mental Health Laws: An Integrated Approach. Mental health is one of the Commonwealth Government's national health priority areas. This research program will ensure the best possible outcomes for the Government's five-year action plan for better mental health services by developing model legal frameworks that will help shape the way in which individuals with mental illnesses can access the highest attainable standard of mental health care. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and through developing model frameworks for both civil commitment and sentencing laws, this program will enable Australia to set the international agenda as to how countries can best respond to the mental health needs of their citizens.Read moreRead less
Preventive Detention of High Risk Offenders: The Search for Effective and Legitimate Parameters. This Project will provide Australian policymakers with proposals for the management and treatment of high risk offenders that adopt international best practice standards and which are constitutionally valid and consistent with Australia's international legal obligations. It seeks to help safeguard the community from offenders considered at high risk of causing harm.