Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This projec ....Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This project aims to examine how police and prosecutors decide which cases proceed and why, and how they confer with each other as well as when and how they consult with complainants and their families. This project plans to also develop and test practice tools and principles for police and prosecutors with expected benefits for both them and the families involved.Read moreRead less
Bayesian estimation of flexible spatial models with applications in medical imaging and econometric modeling. This project aims to develop statistical methodology for estimating flexible highly parameterised Bayesian spatial models. The flexible models examined will include regression, choice and time series models for data that is spatially registered. Spatial smoothing of parameters in the models will involve application of hierarchical spatial prior distributions. The resulting methodology wi ....Bayesian estimation of flexible spatial models with applications in medical imaging and econometric modeling. This project aims to develop statistical methodology for estimating flexible highly parameterised Bayesian spatial models. The flexible models examined will include regression, choice and time series models for data that is spatially registered. Spatial smoothing of parameters in the models will involve application of hierarchical spatial prior distributions. The resulting methodology will be applied to the analysis of medical imaging data and to the estimation of spatial econometric models of residential real estate prices. The expected outcomes include developments in the frontier framework of Bayesian computational estimation methodology, improved methods for medical image processing and estimation of high resolution spatial models of residential real estate prices in Australian metropolitan centres.Read moreRead less
Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project ....Computational methods for population-size-dependent branching processes. Branching processes are the primary mathematical tool used to model populations that evolve randomly in time. Most key results in the theory are derived under the simplifying assumption that individuals reproduce and die independently of each other. However, this assumption fails in most real-life situations, in particular when the environment has limited resources or when the habitat has a restricted capacity. This project aims to develop novel and effective algorithmic techniques and statistical methods for a class of branching processes with dependences. We will use these results to study significant problems in the conservation of endangered island bird populations in Oceania, and to help inform their conservation management.Read moreRead less
Modern statistical methods for clustering community ecology data. This project will develop statistical methods and software for clustering community ecology data, and use them to analyse systematic survey and citizen science program data collected along the Great Barrier Reef. By doing so, the project will address the dearth of statistical classification techniques for high-dimensional, multi-response data with complex relationships. When the resultant clustering methods are used to construct b ....Modern statistical methods for clustering community ecology data. This project will develop statistical methods and software for clustering community ecology data, and use them to analyse systematic survey and citizen science program data collected along the Great Barrier Reef. By doing so, the project will address the dearth of statistical classification techniques for high-dimensional, multi-response data with complex relationships. When the resultant clustering methods are used to construct bioregions and characterise species’ environmental responses, they should significantly enhance evaluations of the impact of human activity and environmental change on coral diversity. Ultimately, these evaluations can underpin future decisions in the conservation and management of the Great Barrier Reef.Read moreRead less
Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
....Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
Expected outcomes of the project include law reform and policy recommendations to improve the practice of recording victim/witness statements and management of the use of such evidence in criminal proceedings.
Read moreRead less
Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time ....Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time, and confidence, suitable for application to computerized testing scenarios. The models and testing methods validated in the laboratory will be refined for application in eyewitness memory settings, facilitating better evaluation of identification evidence, and potentially reducing wrongful convictions.Read moreRead less
Countering misconceptions in child sexual assault cases with expert evidence and judicial directions. This project reduces miscarriages of justice by identifying topics about which jurors benefit from specialised knowledge by an expert witnesses and the best way to deliver that information so they are better equipped to appropriately assess the credibility of child victims and offenders and render verdicts in cases of child sexual assault.
Overseeing the internet: new paradigms of network measurement. Like the electricity network, the internet is a core infrastructure, and so must be reliable and efficient. A gap in bandwidth supply is like a blackout in terms of lost business and productivity. This project will provide the measurement breakthroughs to ensure that network behaviour can be accurately and comprehensively monitored.
Boundary Crossing Analysis for Random Processes with Applications to Risk Management. Effective management of environmental, financial and superannuation investment risks is vitally important for Australia. Results of the project will add to the theoretical foundations of risk management and provide new computational tools for specialists working in the areas of financial engineering, insurance, superannuation funds. These tools will assist in improving risk profile evaluation and developing new ....Boundary Crossing Analysis for Random Processes with Applications to Risk Management. Effective management of environmental, financial and superannuation investment risks is vitally important for Australia. Results of the project will add to the theoretical foundations of risk management and provide new computational tools for specialists working in the areas of financial engineering, insurance, superannuation funds. These tools will assist in improving risk profile evaluation and developing new statistical control charts for security monitoring of epidemics, networks intrusions and other potentially dangerous changes. The research will also give Australia a competitive advantage in the area of education related to stochastic processes, mathematical finance, control theory and their applications.Read moreRead less
Can green investors drive the transition to a low emissions economy? The project aims to develop a game-theoretical approach to model the impact of climate change on financial markets by studying the interactions between the government, companies and investors. Expected outcomes include novel solution concepts for stochastic games with heterogeneous beliefs, asymmetric information, and model uncertainty, as well as optimal investment and production strategies under climate driven economic transi ....Can green investors drive the transition to a low emissions economy? The project aims to develop a game-theoretical approach to model the impact of climate change on financial markets by studying the interactions between the government, companies and investors. Expected outcomes include novel solution concepts for stochastic games with heterogeneous beliefs, asymmetric information, and model uncertainty, as well as optimal investment and production strategies under climate driven economic transitions. Results will be used to validate and improve the recently launched Australian based climate transition index. The project should yield significant benefits for the financial industry and investors by providing novel insights into financial risks during the transition to a low emissions economy.Read moreRead less