A Just Climate Transition. Australia's climate transition will have to drastically cut our national emissions. Yet our transition also needs to be fair. This project will develop a social justice framework for the implementation of a zero net emissions climate transition for rural Victoria. This will be the first comprehensive incorporation of social justice framework with detailed mitigation strategies for rural Australia. The research will combine insights from leading Australian and internat ....A Just Climate Transition. Australia's climate transition will have to drastically cut our national emissions. Yet our transition also needs to be fair. This project will develop a social justice framework for the implementation of a zero net emissions climate transition for rural Victoria. This will be the first comprehensive incorporation of social justice framework with detailed mitigation strategies for rural Australia. The research will combine insights from leading Australian and international energy groups and current research to produce valuable inputs into a national just transitions strategy and provide benefits to Industry partners and the sector. The project will significantly contribute to our understanding of a just climate transition.Read moreRead less
The Future of Financial Regulation: Enhancing integrity through design. The global financial crisis and the attendant collapse of major financial institutions have called into question the efficacy of financial regulation and the standards of conduct of the key actors in the financial services sectors and financial markets. Ethical conduct is fundamental to the integrity of Australia's financial services sector and financial markets. This project will make a valuable and innovative contribution ....The Future of Financial Regulation: Enhancing integrity through design. The global financial crisis and the attendant collapse of major financial institutions have called into question the efficacy of financial regulation and the standards of conduct of the key actors in the financial services sectors and financial markets. Ethical conduct is fundamental to the integrity of Australia's financial services sector and financial markets. This project will make a valuable and innovative contribution to the national priority goal of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric by assisting market actors fulfil their professional roles in an ethical manner. By so doing it accords with the national priority goals of promoting an innovation culture and economy, and safeguarding Australia.Read moreRead less
Defining disease: Addressing the problem of overdiagnosis. This project will investigate and define the limits of physical disease, to answer questions about when a presentation is a disease, and when it is simply a risk factor or mild condition. The ensuing account of disease will make a practical contribution to growing international concern about asymptomatic people being diagnosed and treated for conditions that will not cause any health problems ("overdiagnosis"). The research will provide ....Defining disease: Addressing the problem of overdiagnosis. This project will investigate and define the limits of physical disease, to answer questions about when a presentation is a disease, and when it is simply a risk factor or mild condition. The ensuing account of disease will make a practical contribution to growing international concern about asymptomatic people being diagnosed and treated for conditions that will not cause any health problems ("overdiagnosis"). The research will provide normative grounds for evaluating disease claims. Results will reduce the harm caused by people receiving treatment that they do not require, make a practical contribution to debates about the scope of health care, and yield findings that can help to reduce the cost-burdens associated with overdiagnosis.Read moreRead less
The Ethics of Voluntary Assisted Dying: Promoting Constructive Debate. This project aims to analyze core concepts that play key roles in emerging debates about the ethics of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in Australia. The project expects to make constructive contributions to these debates, promoting respectful dialogue and reducing polarization. Expected outcomes include a new model for managing VAD in Australia which is ethically appropriate and consistent with community values. This model wil ....The Ethics of Voluntary Assisted Dying: Promoting Constructive Debate. This project aims to analyze core concepts that play key roles in emerging debates about the ethics of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) in Australia. The project expects to make constructive contributions to these debates, promoting respectful dialogue and reducing polarization. Expected outcomes include a new model for managing VAD in Australia which is ethically appropriate and consistent with community values. This model will also benefit other countries where the ethics of VAD is under consideration. The project will promote the dignity and autonomy of all and ensure that issues about the conscientious refusal of healthcare professionals to participate in the provision of VAD are handled in an ethically appropriate and effective manner.Read moreRead less
Constructing Building Integrity: Raising standards through professionalism. This project aims to investigate the role of professions in rebuilding trust in residential building construction in Australia. In the wake of expensive and life-threatening building defects, this project expects to generate new knowledge about the functioning of individual professionals, professionals employed in multi-profession organisations, and professionals’ interaction with their institutional environment. Expecte ....Constructing Building Integrity: Raising standards through professionalism. This project aims to investigate the role of professions in rebuilding trust in residential building construction in Australia. In the wake of expensive and life-threatening building defects, this project expects to generate new knowledge about the functioning of individual professionals, professionals employed in multi-profession organisations, and professionals’ interaction with their institutional environment. Expected outcomes include practical recommendations for improved professional standards, a rigorous building integrity system and a means for measuring change. Anticipated benefits include greater awareness by professions, trades and regulators of their role in in delivering the public goods of a trustworthy construction industry.Read moreRead less
Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerabili ....Involving children in social research: balancing the risks and benefits. There is a growing consensus that children's involvement in social research is important, but considerable uncertainty remains around children's inclusion in research on 'sensitive' issues, reflecting concerns about how to balance children's protection with their participation. Key to this are deeply embedded assumptions and beliefs about children and childhood, especially concerning notions of capacity, agency, vulnerability, dependency and the like. This project aims to better understand and address the tensions between the protection of children and their participation in research, and to explore how ethics committees, parents, other gatekeepers and children themselves manage and navigate these tensions.Read moreRead less
ARC Governance Research Network. Institutions and their governance are frequently part of our most pressing problems - not least in our national research priorities. Hence, institutions are invariably a key part of the solutions. GovNet unites three ARC Centres, two existing networks (RegNet, ANZSOG) and several other dynamic centres to create an interdisciplinary network of ethicists, lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians. It will tackle issues of institutional governance, fr ....ARC Governance Research Network. Institutions and their governance are frequently part of our most pressing problems - not least in our national research priorities. Hence, institutions are invariably a key part of the solutions. GovNet unites three ARC Centres, two existing networks (RegNet, ANZSOG) and several other dynamic centres to create an interdisciplinary network of ethicists, lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians. It will tackle issues of institutional governance, from small firms to global institutions - recognising both common governance issues and radically differing contexts. Together with APSEG and government agencies, it will apply cutting edge cross-disciplinary, theory-driven, evidence-based research to governance issues in the region.Read moreRead less
The limits of disclosure: private rights, public duties and the search for accountable governance. A reliance on technical considerations such as enhanced disclosure, literacy programs and attempts to bifurcate between sophisticated and unsophisticated investors has each proved sub-optimal in the search for greater, or more accurately, effective accountability both here in Australia and internationally. The acceptance by the corporate sector to process risk allocation, develop a mutually endors ....The limits of disclosure: private rights, public duties and the search for accountable governance. A reliance on technical considerations such as enhanced disclosure, literacy programs and attempts to bifurcate between sophisticated and unsophisticated investors has each proved sub-optimal in the search for greater, or more accurately, effective accountability both here in Australia and internationally. The acceptance by the corporate sector to process risk allocation, develop a mutually endorsed formal and informal regulatory framework, and agree on clear and transparent roles and responsibilities marks a significant step forward. It is both significant and innovative that the design and implementation of the proposed strategic plan will derive from an extended exercise in deliberative democracy.Read moreRead less
Support or sales? Medical device representatives in Australian hospitals. Medical device representatives provide crucial support to clinicians using complex medical equipment. However, their obligation to maximise sales conflicts with their support role. Increasing uptake of devices potentially impacts patient safety and healthcare costs, making it important to understand the involvement and influence of device representatives. The proposed research will investigate the ethical and legal impacts ....Support or sales? Medical device representatives in Australian hospitals. Medical device representatives provide crucial support to clinicians using complex medical equipment. However, their obligation to maximise sales conflicts with their support role. Increasing uptake of devices potentially impacts patient safety and healthcare costs, making it important to understand the involvement and influence of device representatives. The proposed research will investigate the ethical and legal impacts of device representatives in Australian hospitals, leading to new knowledge and innovative ethical and legal analyses of their activities. Benefits include a policy framework, new standards for managing device representatives’ interactions, and clarity about ethical and legal obligations of clinicians and institutions.Read moreRead less
Addiction, moral identity and moral agency: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches. By clarifying and evaluating scientific claims about the moral impacts of addiction on the judgment and practices of drug addicted persons and by investigating the perspectives of users and treatment professionals, our project will contribute to the development of ethical and effective public policy, treatment and education programs in the addictions area, thus helping to address the causes and reduce t ....Addiction, moral identity and moral agency: Integrating theoretical and empirical approaches. By clarifying and evaluating scientific claims about the moral impacts of addiction on the judgment and practices of drug addicted persons and by investigating the perspectives of users and treatment professionals, our project will contribute to the development of ethical and effective public policy, treatment and education programs in the addictions area, thus helping to address the causes and reduce the impact of biological, social and environmental factors which diminish life potential in drug addicted persons. The innovative features of this project will enhance Australia's international reputation in bioethics and moral psychology, extend the reach of experimental philosophy, and facilitate future interdisciplinary work.Read moreRead less