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 Responsibilities of the Affluent to Address Global Poverty. Australia is a wealthy country surrounded by less developed countries. This project will serve as a guide to a morally defensible Australian foreign policy and in particular as an aid for policy makers working on foreign assistance, international trade, and environmental policy. It is important to observe that in order to safeguard Australian national security it is prudent to address the issue of global poverty. Although terrorists ....The Responsibilities of the Affluent to Address Global Poverty. Australia is a wealthy country surrounded by less developed countries. This project will serve as a guide to a morally defensible Australian foreign policy and in particular as an aid for policy makers working on foreign assistance, international trade, and environmental policy. It is important to observe that in order to safeguard Australian national security it is prudent to address the issue of global poverty. Although terrorists and other threats seem seldom to be motivated by considerations of fairness, sympathy with and support for their actions seems often rooted in the perception that they are acting on behalf of the poor and impoverished.Read moreRead less
Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Agriculture: Social and ethical issues. This project aims to investigate the social and ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. By combining social science research methods and philosophical analysis, the project aims to generate new knowledge in bioethics and applied ethics. Expected outcomes of this project include an account of the social and ethical issues farmers, rural communities, and consumers anticipat ....Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Agriculture: Social and ethical issues. This project aims to investigate the social and ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. By combining social science research methods and philosophical analysis, the project aims to generate new knowledge in bioethics and applied ethics. Expected outcomes of this project include an account of the social and ethical issues farmers, rural communities, and consumers anticipate arising from these technologies, improved understanding of these issues, and an account of how these groups would like to see these issues addressed. This should help Australia benefit from the responsible use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture.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
On the cutting edge: promoting best practice in surgical innovation. Surgical innovation leads to beneficial healthcare outcomes, but frequently at an ethical, legal and regulatory cost. This project aims to address these challenges by developing conceptual tools and regulatory mechanisms which promote patient safety and support those who practice, manage and govern surgery.
Religion, pluralism, and healthcare practice: a philosophical assessment. This project aims to develop a systematic approach to accommodating religious values and practices in healthcare. Current approaches are ad hoc and discriminatory, and in an increasingly religiously diverse contemporary Australia, a systematic approach is needed. This project will consider and provide policy advice on how healthcare could be reformed so that the issue of accommodation of religious values and practices is t ....Religion, pluralism, and healthcare practice: a philosophical assessment. This project aims to develop a systematic approach to accommodating religious values and practices in healthcare. Current approaches are ad hoc and discriminatory, and in an increasingly religiously diverse contemporary Australia, a systematic approach is needed. This project will consider and provide policy advice on how healthcare could be reformed so that the issue of accommodation of religious values and practices is treated in a consistent and ethical manner. The benefit of the project will be a better, cost effective, model for healthcare management that reduces disparities for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.Read moreRead less
Reproductive Autonomy in the Genomic Age. This project aims to provide a better way to help people to think and reflect about new genetic tests in pregnancy. These tests are on the rise. Yet they are occurring in a setting that is overly individualistic and underplays problems that can come from increased information and choice. This project will involve an interdisciplinary team to generate new theoretical and practical knowledge to re-frame the concept of 'reproductive autonomy'. Expected outc ....Reproductive Autonomy in the Genomic Age. This project aims to provide a better way to help people to think and reflect about new genetic tests in pregnancy. These tests are on the rise. Yet they are occurring in a setting that is overly individualistic and underplays problems that can come from increased information and choice. This project will involve an interdisciplinary team to generate new theoretical and practical knowledge to re-frame the concept of 'reproductive autonomy'. Expected outcomes include new bioethics knowledge, innovations in research methodologies, new data and recommendations for practice. The project will provide benefits by generating the first analysis of how reproductive autonomy needs to change to ensure new tests in pregnancy are offered and used well.Read moreRead less
The Response of Australian Family law to Islamic community processes. The question of whether the Australian legal system should recognise Islamic family law processes has attracted increasing debate in recent years, reflecting similar developments in other countries. Underpinning opposition to legal recognition are concerns that such processes disadvantage Muslim women. Despite these claims, little is presently known about the impact of these processes or about the experiences of Muslim women w ....The Response of Australian Family law to Islamic community processes. The question of whether the Australian legal system should recognise Islamic family law processes has attracted increasing debate in recent years, reflecting similar developments in other countries. Underpinning opposition to legal recognition are concerns that such processes disadvantage Muslim women. Despite these claims, little is presently known about the impact of these processes or about the experiences of Muslim women who use them. This project, which combines expertise in law and religion and family law, aims to provide the first detailed empirical and normative examination of this question in Australia, offering a unique evidence base to inform future policy developments.Read moreRead less
A new ethics for the development and application of genetic technologies in a pluralist society. New technologies for prenatal testing and preimplantation genetic diagnosis will soon grant us an unprecedented power to choose our children's genes. This project will develop an ethical framework to govern the development and use of these technologies and thus help ensure that future Australians enjoy a healthy start to life.
Moral conservatism, human enhancement and the 'Affective Revolution' in moral psychology. Debates between moral conservatives and liberals, about whether enhancing human mental and physical abilities above normal limits is ethically acceptable, have been intractable. Recent developments in moral psychology can be used to transform understandings of these debates and enable us to develop just policies to regulate enhancement technologies.