'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. Th ....'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. The information provided by this project has the potential to contribute significantly to giving children 'a healthy start to life' in their early years. Read moreRead less
Enforcing labour standards in supply chains through voluntary frameworks. This project aims to investigate the potential of multi-stakeholder initiatives to ensure the enforcement of labour standards in supply chains by examining the cleaning accountability framework - an initiative comprised of diverse representatives in the commercial cleaning supply chain in Australia. It is expected that this will result in the development of new regulatory methods/technology to improve compliance. This is e ....Enforcing labour standards in supply chains through voluntary frameworks. This project aims to investigate the potential of multi-stakeholder initiatives to ensure the enforcement of labour standards in supply chains by examining the cleaning accountability framework - an initiative comprised of diverse representatives in the commercial cleaning supply chain in Australia. It is expected that this will result in the development of new regulatory methods/technology to improve compliance. This is expected to improve the quality of life of vulnerable workers in supply chains and the mitigation of reputational risk for business.
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Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and socia ....Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and social equity) and expert scientists in work, health, social equality and policy process intends to reveal the diversity of older workers’ work-health dilemmas and effective ways for national policies to solve them. The policy suite will promote financial independence and meet social goals of equity and healthy ageing.Read moreRead less
Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. ....Understanding low skilled men's access to jobs: An occupational case-study approach. The withdrawal of low skilled men from the labour force has been substantial over recent decades. As many as 40% of men without post-school qualifications do not have full-time jobs. This development has many negative social consequences. It damages the affected men's wellbeing, and that of their families. It reduces labour supply at a time of labour shortages. It increases dependency on the welfare system. This project will develop new understandings of the barriers low skill men face when they seek jobs in areas of rising employment, such as the service sector. It will provide an assessment of the possibilities of overcoming these barriers, and develop ideas about how best to enhance low skilled men's access to good jobs. Read moreRead less
Work, life and sustainable living: how work, household and community life interact to affect environmental behaviours and outcomes. The project addresses the research priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. It examines how the circumstances and interaction of work, home and community affect capacities to reduce negative environmental impacts especially workplace and household transport, waste, energy and water use practices. The project brings the changing configuration of work to ....Work, life and sustainable living: how work, household and community life interact to affect environmental behaviours and outcomes. The project addresses the research priority of an environmentally sustainable Australia. It examines how the circumstances and interaction of work, home and community affect capacities to reduce negative environmental impacts especially workplace and household transport, waste, energy and water use practices. The project brings the changing configuration of work to the fore, addressing a gap in current research. It examines the implications for environmental change of the temporal and spatial organisation of 'work-life', including analysis of socio-economic and gender differences, informing practice and theory about how workers, workplaces and households can change for the better, in the interests of a sustainable, socially inclusive society.Read moreRead less
Managing at the Margins: Women Making it Work in Precarious Times. This project aims to investigate the economic, social and emotional impacts of precarious work on women. Focusing on the challenges that arise from juggling precarious work with care responsibilities and/or demands from the social support system, the project identifies the strategies women have to manage these demands, and the impacts these demands have on everyday lives across different life stages. By combining otherwise separa ....Managing at the Margins: Women Making it Work in Precarious Times. This project aims to investigate the economic, social and emotional impacts of precarious work on women. Focusing on the challenges that arise from juggling precarious work with care responsibilities and/or demands from the social support system, the project identifies the strategies women have to manage these demands, and the impacts these demands have on everyday lives across different life stages. By combining otherwise separate bodies of literature with innovative quantitative and qualitative data, the project seeks to generate new knowledge about the impacts of precarious work on women and families. This knowledge is expected to inform policies and services to improve women’s lives and promote economic inclusion and social cohesion.Read moreRead less
A study of flexibilities that enable workforce participation and skill development and use, and their implications for work-life outcomes in Australia. This project will examine how improved flexibility can assist the reconciliation of work and caring responsibilities, higher levels of employment participation and increasing skill development and utilisation across the Australian workforce, underpinning a more productive economy and improved well-being for Australian workers and their families.
Improving Indigenous health and wellbeing over the family life course. Improving Indigenous health and wellbeing over the family life course. This project aims to reduce Indigenous health inequalities, a major social and economic problem, by improving the policy relevant evidence base on the determinants of Indigenous health and wellbeing. This project will compare the impact of the family life course on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers and children. It will use ....Improving Indigenous health and wellbeing over the family life course. Improving Indigenous health and wellbeing over the family life course. This project aims to reduce Indigenous health inequalities, a major social and economic problem, by improving the policy relevant evidence base on the determinants of Indigenous health and wellbeing. This project will compare the impact of the family life course on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous and non-Indigenous mothers and children. It will use survey data that follows them over time to: 1) identify family structures that enhance or harm health and wellbeing, and; 2) track changes in health and wellbeing before, during and after family transitions (i.e. births, relationship changes). Anticipated results are better targeted policy interventions to reduce Indigenous health inequalities.Read moreRead less
Diaspora Humanitarians: How Australia-based migrants help in crises abroad. This project aims to map the extensive humanitarian activities and contributions of Australia-based migrants to crises abroad. Australia is home to large diasporas who are connected to communities in many humanitarian crisis hotspots, including the project's focus areas: Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Pacific Islands. By generating much-needed knowledge on how and why migrants engage ....Diaspora Humanitarians: How Australia-based migrants help in crises abroad. This project aims to map the extensive humanitarian activities and contributions of Australia-based migrants to crises abroad. Australia is home to large diasporas who are connected to communities in many humanitarian crisis hotspots, including the project's focus areas: Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Pacific Islands. By generating much-needed knowledge on how and why migrants engage in humanitarian responses, the project expects to support and improve the work of diasporas themselves, the Australian Civil-Military Centre and other humanitarian organisations, who are partners in the project. This will benefit Australia by highlighting our innovative leadership role in humanitarian and migration issues.Read moreRead less
Social inclusion through community embedded, socially supported university education. Through the collaboration of community agencies and tertiary institutions this research project identifies key impacts of community embedded socially supported higher education upon enhancing the social inclusion of disadvantaged Australians. It identifies the educational and social support factors which contribute to the effectiveness of this strategy and the cost and benefits of this innovative educational pa ....Social inclusion through community embedded, socially supported university education. Through the collaboration of community agencies and tertiary institutions this research project identifies key impacts of community embedded socially supported higher education upon enhancing the social inclusion of disadvantaged Australians. It identifies the educational and social support factors which contribute to the effectiveness of this strategy and the cost and benefits of this innovative educational pathway to social inclusion for governments and the community. Read moreRead less