Understanding and preserving Aboriginal Catholic church art in northern Australia. This project examines Aboriginal art produced in Catholic churches in northern Australia. This art represents ways in which Catholic doctrine and Indigenous belief systems built cross-cultural awareness that influenced contemporary thinking in universities, in Aboriginal communities and which has informed contemporary Aboriginal art practice.
Speaking Greek in diaspora: language contact, survival, and maintenance. Australia is a highly multilingual and multicultural country, speaking several hundred different indigenous and immigrant languages across the nation. Greek is the second largest language spoken in Australia (the second largest country of Greek diaspora in the world). A systematic investigation of the Greek language spoken in Australia by various generations, and its comparison with Greek as spoken in critical locations in ....Speaking Greek in diaspora: language contact, survival, and maintenance. Australia is a highly multilingual and multicultural country, speaking several hundred different indigenous and immigrant languages across the nation. Greek is the second largest language spoken in Australia (the second largest country of Greek diaspora in the world). A systematic investigation of the Greek language spoken in Australia by various generations, and its comparison with Greek as spoken in critical locations in South America, will enhance cross-cultural understanding and communication within Australia and world-wide. The project will fortify the scientific and economic links with the European community already established by the National Centre for Hellenic Studies and Research, in terms of social and economic benefit.Read moreRead less
Ethical, Social and Regulatory Issues in Advanced Prenatal Testing. This project aims to investigate the social, ethical and regulatory issues arising with the rapid advancement and increased use of genomic non-invasive prenatal testing in early pregnancy in Australia. It expects to generate new insight into key issues such as consumer information before and after testing, consent, and equitable access to genomic health technologies in human reproduction. Expected outcomes include recommendation ....Ethical, Social and Regulatory Issues in Advanced Prenatal Testing. This project aims to investigate the social, ethical and regulatory issues arising with the rapid advancement and increased use of genomic non-invasive prenatal testing in early pregnancy in Australia. It expects to generate new insight into key issues such as consumer information before and after testing, consent, and equitable access to genomic health technologies in human reproduction. Expected outcomes include recommendations for addressing these issues, supported by ground-breaking social research and ethical and regulatory analysis. The project is expected to have major benefits, addressing the gap between policy and practice that has emerged in prenatal testing in Australia and shaping the ethics and regulation of pregnancy care.
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AusAID at work: the design, delivery and impact of Australian aid to education in Asia and the Pacific. The project is designed to determine how Australian overseas aid can make more effective interventions in the education sector, at a time of significant budgetary increases. Australian overseas aid is officially regarded as a key means of promoting poverty reduction, economic growth, social cohesion, expanded trade and regional security. Each objective is significant for Australian futures. Ai ....AusAID at work: the design, delivery and impact of Australian aid to education in Asia and the Pacific. The project is designed to determine how Australian overseas aid can make more effective interventions in the education sector, at a time of significant budgetary increases. Australian overseas aid is officially regarded as a key means of promoting poverty reduction, economic growth, social cohesion, expanded trade and regional security. Each objective is significant for Australian futures. Aid to the education sector has been taking on increasing weight, given that well-performing education systems are known to impact positively in these areas. The project provides a platform for greater impact of Australian aid, including that provided in partnership with other donors.Read moreRead less
Investing and Cashing in Social Capital: Using denominational differences among Christian churches to identify the costs and benefits of different network patterns. How much do Christian churches contribute to strengthening Australia's social fabric? Do different denominations contribute in different ways, with some more concerned with relationships within the congregation while others are more concerned with reaching out to the wider community, crossing boundaries of age, class, gender, religi ....Investing and Cashing in Social Capital: Using denominational differences among Christian churches to identify the costs and benefits of different network patterns. How much do Christian churches contribute to strengthening Australia's social fabric? Do different denominations contribute in different ways, with some more concerned with relationships within the congregation while others are more concerned with reaching out to the wider community, crossing boundaries of age, class, gender, religious affiliation and ethnicity? This project utilises the large National Church Life Survey (NCLS) databases to assess the contribution to social capital of churches across Australia. NCLS Research is the world leader in surveys of church life and this project will form a new basis for international comparisons with the USA, England and New Zealand.Read moreRead less
Rethinking multiculturalism/reassessing multicultural education. No study has systematically explored the links between multicultural policy and educational practice within the context of a thorough understanding of the cultural complexity of contemporary Australia and the conceptual framework of multicultural discourse. This project offers significant national and community benefits in its interrogation of the goals of multiculturalism and the nature of educational programs. Its informed approa ....Rethinking multiculturalism/reassessing multicultural education. No study has systematically explored the links between multicultural policy and educational practice within the context of a thorough understanding of the cultural complexity of contemporary Australia and the conceptual framework of multicultural discourse. This project offers significant national and community benefits in its interrogation of the goals of multiculturalism and the nature of educational programs. Its informed approach to action research will assist in the development of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in diverse communities in urban and rural settings. The resultant enhancement of teacher quality will improve the educational outcomes of all students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.Read moreRead less
Empowering Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Girls, Changing Communities. This project applies Indigenous knowledges to develop new understandings and insights in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls’ education. Expected outcomes of the project include: the development of a national framework that supports the education of girls and acknowledges the importance of self-determination, culture, gender and place in creating life changing educational opportunities; addressing Clo ....Empowering Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Girls, Changing Communities. This project applies Indigenous knowledges to develop new understandings and insights in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls’ education. Expected outcomes of the project include: the development of a national framework that supports the education of girls and acknowledges the importance of self-determination, culture, gender and place in creating life changing educational opportunities; addressing Close the Gap targets; and creating broader long lasting positive changes regarding access, participation and success for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The outcomes of this project can provide significant benefits to the broad Australian schooling system.Read moreRead less
Using museums to counter racism and increase acceptance of diversity among young people. Although little is known about the topic, racism is a significant issue for young Australians. This project will reveal how high school students and their teachers understand racism, diversity and identity. It will also determine how museum programs can reduce racism and increase acceptance of diversity among high school students and their teachers.
Developing the Framework for Locally Based Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue. This project will: strengthen Australia's multicultural fabric and social cohesion; enhance Australia's international reputation as an effective multicultural society able to develop programmes for locally based interfaith and intercultural dialogue; boost the prospects for a successful Fifth Parliament of World Religions; provide governments guidelines for multicultural and interreligious community based dialogue ....Developing the Framework for Locally Based Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue. This project will: strengthen Australia's multicultural fabric and social cohesion; enhance Australia's international reputation as an effective multicultural society able to develop programmes for locally based interfaith and intercultural dialogue; boost the prospects for a successful Fifth Parliament of World Religions; provide governments guidelines for multicultural and interreligious community based dialogue initiatives; endow faith communities with a greater capacity to help defuse potential tensions within Australian society and support at-risk communities; establish a solid framework for future research on the role of religion and culture in society.Read moreRead less
Improving the growth rate and flesh quality of cultured Barramundi: Investigating the effects of temperature, diet, and population. Barramundi fillet is one of the premier seafoods available in Australia and the decline of wild fisheries has increased the demand for the cultured product. Accordingly, there has been a rapid growth of the barramundi farming industry, but competition from cheaper overseas imports has cut the sale price and profit margins of local growers. By developing methods to i ....Improving the growth rate and flesh quality of cultured Barramundi: Investigating the effects of temperature, diet, and population. Barramundi fillet is one of the premier seafoods available in Australia and the decline of wild fisheries has increased the demand for the cultured product. Accordingly, there has been a rapid growth of the barramundi farming industry, but competition from cheaper overseas imports has cut the sale price and profit margins of local growers. By developing methods to increase growth rates, this research has the potential to substantially increase profit margins by reducing production costs and increasing turnover. Improvement of flesh quality will also increase the attractiveness of barramundi fillet. Increasing the viability of barramundi culture in Australia will attract more growers and increase employment opportunities.Read moreRead less