Mapping the Political Ecology of the Edible Birds’ Nests Trade in Indonesia. This study examines the origins and impacts of the rapidly emerging edible birds’ nests (EBN) trade for rural livelihoods and ecologies in Southeast Asia. A high-value Chinese delicacy, the EBN trade has surged across rural Indonesia and beyond. In partnership with the WWF and Tropenbos, our pioneering study investigates how rural producers negotiate the uneven social, economic and environmental influences of the EBN co ....Mapping the Political Ecology of the Edible Birds’ Nests Trade in Indonesia. This study examines the origins and impacts of the rapidly emerging edible birds’ nests (EBN) trade for rural livelihoods and ecologies in Southeast Asia. A high-value Chinese delicacy, the EBN trade has surged across rural Indonesia and beyond. In partnership with the WWF and Tropenbos, our pioneering study investigates how rural producers negotiate the uneven social, economic and environmental influences of the EBN commodity chain in the threatened Heart of Borneo, Indonesia, and the major urban trading centres of Jakarta, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The project offers novel insights into the trade’s sustainability across rural and urban regions of Asia and informs policy for poverty reduction and environmental management in the region.Read moreRead less
Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by r ....Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by researchers in Timor-Leste and elsewhere to evaluate the development impacts of such migration schemes. The data will inform evidence-based policies to improve temporary labour migration schemes, meet urgent development priorities in Timor-Leste, and maximise the benefits of Australian aid funded labour migration schemes.Read moreRead less
Solar E-Waste in Africa: facilitating the right to repair. This project aims to investigate the issue of solar e-waste in Sub Saharan Africa – an outcome of the global transition to renewable energy – and emergent local repair geographies equipped to address this challenge. This project is designed to generate new knowledge regarding solar e-waste using interdisciplinary approaches to critically map the issue and assess the viability and justice implications of possible product repair solutions. ....Solar E-Waste in Africa: facilitating the right to repair. This project aims to investigate the issue of solar e-waste in Sub Saharan Africa – an outcome of the global transition to renewable energy – and emergent local repair geographies equipped to address this challenge. This project is designed to generate new knowledge regarding solar e-waste using interdisciplinary approaches to critically map the issue and assess the viability and justice implications of possible product repair solutions. Expected outcomes of this project include a detailed understanding of the solar e-waste problem in Global South settings, and an assessment of local repair approaches. This will provide significant benefits for actors in Sub Saharan and similar Global South contexts grappling with solar e-waste.Read moreRead less
Gambling-related harm in Northern Australia: A Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based spatiotemporal analysis of venue catchments. There is growing national concern about the impact of electronic gaming (poker) machines yet little is known about the effects of this gambling in rural and remote areas of Australia. We will develop a database to define the geographic distribution of gambling impacts, the nature of high-risk venues, and the characteristics, both spatial and social, of vulnerable ....Gambling-related harm in Northern Australia: A Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based spatiotemporal analysis of venue catchments. There is growing national concern about the impact of electronic gaming (poker) machines yet little is known about the effects of this gambling in rural and remote areas of Australia. We will develop a database to define the geographic distribution of gambling impacts, the nature of high-risk venues, and the characteristics, both spatial and social, of vulnerable communities. This will enable the design of much needed harm minimisation strategies and will provide regulatory bodies with insights into the capacity of local communities to absorb the impact of electronic gaming machine venues.Read moreRead less
Settling well in regional Australia: Experiences of people from refugee backgrounds. Regional humanitarian settlement is a key priority across all levels of government in Australia. This study aims to provide the first longitudinal assessment of the impacts of regional settlement for humanitarian migrants and destination communities. Its innovative, mixed-method and multi-sited approach will generate new knowledge of the opportunities and challenges for sustainable regional settlement. Expected ....Settling well in regional Australia: Experiences of people from refugee backgrounds. Regional humanitarian settlement is a key priority across all levels of government in Australia. This study aims to provide the first longitudinal assessment of the impacts of regional settlement for humanitarian migrants and destination communities. Its innovative, mixed-method and multi-sited approach will generate new knowledge of the opportunities and challenges for sustainable regional settlement. Expected outcomes include enhanced community, organisational and government decision-making capacity. By guiding end-users’ current and future actions, the study has strong potential to support the wellbeing of humanitarian migrants and to contribute to healthy and resilient regional communities.Read moreRead less
Integrated Futures for the use of Motorised Mobility Devices. People using Motorised Mobility Devices (MMDs) face increased regulation. A pessimism exists about the future of MMDs because of the lack of evidence and explanation of MMD use in transport decision making. This project aims to fundamentally change knowledge about the everyday meanings and experiences of MMDs. The project seeks to provide comparative, trustworthy and in-depth baseline empirical data about how people who are reliant u ....Integrated Futures for the use of Motorised Mobility Devices. People using Motorised Mobility Devices (MMDs) face increased regulation. A pessimism exists about the future of MMDs because of the lack of evidence and explanation of MMD use in transport decision making. This project aims to fundamentally change knowledge about the everyday meanings and experiences of MMDs. The project seeks to provide comparative, trustworthy and in-depth baseline empirical data about how people who are reliant upon MMDs negotiate the current transport infrastructure. Expected outcomes with our Partner Organisation, Assistive Technology Services Australia, include a database of deliberative strategies. This project will benefit Australia’s urban and regional communities through a better understanding of transport. Read moreRead less
Adding value to natural advantage through business clustering:Winners and losers along the Murray River. In terms of river-based business activity, the success of cities located on the Murray River, such as Albury/Wodonga, Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura varies. We shall identify how some towns along the river have added value to the natural advantage of the river through business clustering while others have not. Processes by which successful communities have gained and retain advantage will be ....Adding value to natural advantage through business clustering:Winners and losers along the Murray River. In terms of river-based business activity, the success of cities located on the Murray River, such as Albury/Wodonga, Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura varies. We shall identify how some towns along the river have added value to the natural advantage of the river through business clustering while others have not. Processes by which successful communities have gained and retain advantage will be compared with strategies applied by less successful towns. The concept of business clustering not only permits regional diversity to be more readily understood, but points to future initiatives for less successful regions.Read moreRead less
Rip currents: an evidence based approach to managing the greatest beach hazard. For the first time, an understanding of the action of swimmers caught in rip currents will be linked through interviews with rip current survivors and measurements of swimmer response and rip flow. This project will provide information that will improve existing rip current education and assist in reducing the unacceptably high drowning toll on Australian beaches.
Articulating value in housing cooperatives. Australia has a persistent shortage of affordable, quality housing. Housing cooperatives are member-based organisations providing rental and owner-occupied homes to members. They are associated with benefits for member-residents, including improved housing, improved senses of belonging and community, and employment and education outcomes. However, evidence for those benefits has gaps, so this study aims to develop a framework for assessing housing coop ....Articulating value in housing cooperatives. Australia has a persistent shortage of affordable, quality housing. Housing cooperatives are member-based organisations providing rental and owner-occupied homes to members. They are associated with benefits for member-residents, including improved housing, improved senses of belonging and community, and employment and education outcomes. However, evidence for those benefits has gaps, so this study aims to develop a framework for assessing housing cooperative benefits and to develop a typology to identify the factors shaping those benefits. The project outcome will be an evidence base of what works in cooperative housing, which can benefit the country by providing a rationale for growth of and policy support for socially beneficial housing.Read moreRead less
Enabling inter-agency data sharing to support the spatial analysis of social vulnerability in a transforming region. This project's resolution of constraints to government agency data sharing will enable modernisation of public sector information management, creating a secure environment for joined-up use of agency data and enabling major resource savings. It will produce more geographically sensitive indicators of social vulnerability, marking a major advance in its understanding and assessment ....Enabling inter-agency data sharing to support the spatial analysis of social vulnerability in a transforming region. This project's resolution of constraints to government agency data sharing will enable modernisation of public sector information management, creating a secure environment for joined-up use of agency data and enabling major resource savings. It will produce more geographically sensitive indicators of social vulnerability, marking a major advance in its understanding and assessment. The project will significantly broaden agency's capability for research and analysis. It will generate major social benefits nationally, enabling the development of research-based policy enhancements that better align human service delivery with community needs. Lastly, it will contribute significantly to the strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less