Confronting the devolution paradox: constitutional values, federal political culture and governance reform. Australia, like many countries, depends in part on devolutionary reform if its federal system of government is to adapt effectively to change. This project confronts a key barrier to reform; the ‘devolution paradox’, in which popular demands for decentralisation and diversity are confounded by conflicting political pressures for national policy uniformity and control. By mapping and compar ....Confronting the devolution paradox: constitutional values, federal political culture and governance reform. Australia, like many countries, depends in part on devolutionary reform if its federal system of government is to adapt effectively to change. This project confronts a key barrier to reform; the ‘devolution paradox’, in which popular demands for decentralisation and diversity are confounded by conflicting political pressures for national policy uniformity and control. By mapping and comparing the constitutional values and federal political culture of Australian citizens, citizens in Canada, USA and UK, and Australian reform policymakers, in more detail than ever before, it will give insights into how this key paradox might be resolved, helping unlock reform potential and restore adaptive capacity to our political system.Read moreRead less
The law of deliberative democracy: theory and reform. Deliberation is essential to the health of electoral and representative democracy. This project will evaluate and recommend the reform of the law underpinning democratic politics in Australia, to enhance its deliberative quality.
Intellectual Property requirements in Free Trade agreements: implications for development in Pacific Island Countries. This project investigates ways in which intellectual property laws can be used to promote development in the Pacific Island Countries. It will inform and support Australia's trade negotiations with the region in the context of Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus.
Fear and licensing in Australia: Investigating the social licence to operate of an emerging coal seam gas industry. Australia’s nascent coal seam gas (CSG) industry is the site of substantial social tension. For some the industry can transform and safeguard national energy sources and fuel booming Asian exports. For others it damages both the environment and communities. This tension is vividly expressed by local protests and regulatory bans. Communities, mining companies and government invoke a ....Fear and licensing in Australia: Investigating the social licence to operate of an emerging coal seam gas industry. Australia’s nascent coal seam gas (CSG) industry is the site of substantial social tension. For some the industry can transform and safeguard national energy sources and fuel booming Asian exports. For others it damages both the environment and communities. This tension is vividly expressed by local protests and regulatory bans. Communities, mining companies and government invoke a 'social licence to operate' as fundamental to industry viability. This landmark project explores the concept of a social licence to operate in Australia's CSG industry to tease apart the dynamic risks, opportunities and tensions at work between corporations, rural and regional Australian communities and government, and offers policy and practice recommendations. Read moreRead less
Regulating Australia's retail grocery sector - goals, actors and techniques. The major supermarket chains have a substantial economic and social impact on consumers, businesses and communities and are crucial to Australia's economic growth and productivity. Given their size and reach, regulation of the chains poses significant challenges. This interdisciplinary, empirical and theoretically driven project aims to interrogate the goals and processes of competition law as it applies in the retail g ....Regulating Australia's retail grocery sector - goals, actors and techniques. The major supermarket chains have a substantial economic and social impact on consumers, businesses and communities and are crucial to Australia's economic growth and productivity. Given their size and reach, regulation of the chains poses significant challenges. This interdisciplinary, empirical and theoretically driven project aims to interrogate the goals and processes of competition law as it applies in the retail grocery sector. In the first Australian research of its kind, it endeavours to explain how the chains' strategies and industry relationships influence regulatory action. The research is expected to produce recommendations on instruments and techniques to ensure that regulation of the sector is legally and practically efficient and effective.Read moreRead less
A legal analysis of Australia's future engagement with Asia-Pacific security institutions. The security landscape of the Asia-Pacific is rapidly changing with significant implications for Australia. This project examines Australia's engagement with regional institutions to address contemporary regional security challenges by engaging critical legal analysis and through collaboration with Asia-Pacific security analysts and policy-makers.
Effectiveness of tax base erosion and profit shifting countermeasures effective. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to combat tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. Estimates suggest that tax base erosion and profit shifting threaten up to 10 per cent of Australia’s corporate tax revenues. This project intends to establish benchmark indicators based on financial and tax data for Australian and foreign-owned companies, and test them on proposed policy changes up to 2 ....Effectiveness of tax base erosion and profit shifting countermeasures effective. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to combat tax avoidance by multinational enterprises. Estimates suggest that tax base erosion and profit shifting threaten up to 10 per cent of Australia’s corporate tax revenues. This project intends to establish benchmark indicators based on financial and tax data for Australian and foreign-owned companies, and test them on proposed policy changes up to 2018. The project aims to expand knowledge of tax behaviour of multinational firms while providing timely and critical information for policy makers on whether measures actually improve the integrity of corporate tax.Read moreRead less