Development of a heatwave definition using the health risk-based metrics. Climate change is increasingly recognised as this century's biggest global health threat, but the health consequences of climate change remain to be quantified. A typical example is health risks from heatwaves which kill more people than any other natural hazard in Australia, but few comprehensive datasets are available on what affects heatwaves can have on population health and well-being, and how such evidence can be tra ....Development of a heatwave definition using the health risk-based metrics. Climate change is increasingly recognised as this century's biggest global health threat, but the health consequences of climate change remain to be quantified. A typical example is health risks from heatwaves which kill more people than any other natural hazard in Australia, but few comprehensive datasets are available on what affects heatwaves can have on population health and well-being, and how such evidence can be translated into policy. This project aims to understand the health risks associated with heatwaves, to develop health risk-based metrics to define a heatwave across different areas, and to evaluate its implications for the development of social and health policies within an Australian context.Read moreRead less
International comparisons of retirement decisions and well-being of mature age populations: applied micro-economic analyses. Australia needs a pension reform to promote longer working lives of mature people in a health- and productivity-enhancing way, that is also financially sustainable. This study uses cutting-edge methodology and data to analyse decisions surrounding how mature people disengage from employment towards their eventual permanent retirement, and how these decisions relate to thei ....International comparisons of retirement decisions and well-being of mature age populations: applied micro-economic analyses. Australia needs a pension reform to promote longer working lives of mature people in a health- and productivity-enhancing way, that is also financially sustainable. This study uses cutting-edge methodology and data to analyse decisions surrounding how mature people disengage from employment towards their eventual permanent retirement, and how these decisions relate to their health and well-being. It compares and contrasts Australia with the UK, Germany and the US to derive lessons for developing evidence-based pension reform. International comparative research enables the identification of important policy, institutional and/or cultural differences and lessons that may well be missed by single country studies.Read moreRead less
Does Australian Corporate Taxation Matter? On a GDP-weighted basis the average OECD corporate rate has fallen from 44 percent in 1985 to 31 percent in 2004. Australia operates a flat thirty percent corporate tax rate and this compares well with the current OECD average. Yet, the Business Council of Australia argues that the Australian corporate tax rate is 'uncompetitive'. Certainly, the corporate tax burden (i.e. corporate tax revenue as a proportion of GDP) is very high in Australia, the thi ....Does Australian Corporate Taxation Matter? On a GDP-weighted basis the average OECD corporate rate has fallen from 44 percent in 1985 to 31 percent in 2004. Australia operates a flat thirty percent corporate tax rate and this compares well with the current OECD average. Yet, the Business Council of Australia argues that the Australian corporate tax rate is 'uncompetitive'. Certainly, the corporate tax burden (i.e. corporate tax revenue as a proportion of GDP) is very high in Australia, the third highest in the OECD, and the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. This project will evaluate the extent that the corporate tax burden is a hinderance to Australian firms and economic behaviour. Read moreRead less
Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension. This proposal's central question falls within the priority goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric'. Understanding the effects of alternative superannuation tax arrangements is crucial in view of concerns regarding aggregate private savings and labour force participation in an ageing economy. Low savings or participation could have implications for sustained ....Effects on Labour Supply, Savings and Welfare of the July 2007 Policy Changes to Superannuation and the Age Pension. This proposal's central question falls within the priority goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric'. Understanding the effects of alternative superannuation tax arrangements is crucial in view of concerns regarding aggregate private savings and labour force participation in an ageing economy. Low savings or participation could have implications for sustained economic growth. This project's outcomes will provide an indication of the potential effects of policies on labour supply and savings. After further modifications, the model developed in this project can also address other questions in the context of life-cycle decisions under uncertainty, such as labour supply, fertility or health.Read moreRead less
Space gravity: squeezing the last drop of hydrological information out of current and future missions. Australia needs space gravity measurements in order to estimate regional-scale total water storage changes on our continent. This project will deliver the analysis capability required to exploit all the measurements of the current Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission and to place Australia in a state of readiness for the 2017 GRACE Follow On mission.
Understanding how cells in the olfactory nerve prevent brain infection. The project hypothesis is that the phagocytic activity of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) is the key factor that prevents bacteria from accessing the brain via the olfactory nerve, and allows continuous regeneration of the olfactory nervous system. This project aims to investigate how OECs phagocytose bacteria and debris from degenerating axons in vivo, and determine key molecular mechanisms in the process. Thus, we will ....Understanding how cells in the olfactory nerve prevent brain infection. The project hypothesis is that the phagocytic activity of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) is the key factor that prevents bacteria from accessing the brain via the olfactory nerve, and allows continuous regeneration of the olfactory nervous system. This project aims to investigate how OECs phagocytose bacteria and debris from degenerating axons in vivo, and determine key molecular mechanisms in the process. Thus, we will characterise an unknown aspect of OEC biology that is neglected in the field. Intended outcomes include a paradigm shift that glial cells, and not circulatory immune cells, are the main defense against microbial invasion of the olfactory nerve. This is relevant for new therapies targeting neural infection/injury and antibiotic usage.Read moreRead less
Mapping climate change vulnerability of older Australians to extreme heat. Exposure to extreme heat is associated with negative health outcomes and has been recognized as a global health challenge in the context of climate change, especially among older people. While the direct heat-related mortality for older people reached a record high of 345,000 deaths worldwide in 2019, which was 80.6% higher than the 2000–05 average, there has been no detailed study in Australia. This project is to have a ....Mapping climate change vulnerability of older Australians to extreme heat. Exposure to extreme heat is associated with negative health outcomes and has been recognized as a global health challenge in the context of climate change, especially among older people. While the direct heat-related mortality for older people reached a record high of 345,000 deaths worldwide in 2019, which was 80.6% higher than the 2000–05 average, there has been no detailed study in Australia. This project is to have a national picture of the impact of extreme heat on the health outcomes of older people and associated healthcare costs at Statistical Area level 3 (SA3), to inform the design and implementation of tailored interventions to minimize the health risk and costs from extreme heat to protect the health of this vulnerable group. Read moreRead less
Hydrological changes in Australia and the South Pacific. This project plans to use stalagmites from the South–West Pacific to generate continuous rainfall records for the last 2000 years. Stalagmites contain uncorrupted data that are not available in other archives, and provide unparalleled accurate chronologies. The spatial and temporal variations of the data may highlight the interplay of climate drivers, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation, and how they change the distribution of rainfall in ....Hydrological changes in Australia and the South Pacific. This project plans to use stalagmites from the South–West Pacific to generate continuous rainfall records for the last 2000 years. Stalagmites contain uncorrupted data that are not available in other archives, and provide unparalleled accurate chronologies. The spatial and temporal variations of the data may highlight the interplay of climate drivers, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation, and how they change the distribution of rainfall in the Pacific. This knowledge would increase our scientific understanding and enable better predictions of the recurrence of droughts and wet events in Australia.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing changes in atmospheric circulation over the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere during the past 3000 years. The climate of the mid-latitudes of the southern hemisphere is of global significance and yet past changes have proved difficult to reconstruct due to the dearth of records. Working across the Southern Ocean region using tree rings, lake sediments and ice cores, the project will produce the first comprehensive reconstruction spanning the last 3000 years.
Do marine heat waves cause pathogen outbreaks in Australian coastal waters? This project aims to identify links between increasingly frequent Marine Heat Wave (MHW) events and outbreaks of microbes that cause disease in marine animals, reduced aquaculture yields and human health hazards. Pathogenic bacteria from the Vibrio genus exhibit a preference for elevated seawater temperature and this project will test the hypothesis that episodic MHWs will trigger blooms of dangerous species. Using innov ....Do marine heat waves cause pathogen outbreaks in Australian coastal waters? This project aims to identify links between increasingly frequent Marine Heat Wave (MHW) events and outbreaks of microbes that cause disease in marine animals, reduced aquaculture yields and human health hazards. Pathogenic bacteria from the Vibrio genus exhibit a preference for elevated seawater temperature and this project will test the hypothesis that episodic MHWs will trigger blooms of dangerous species. Using innovative ecogenomic tools, this project will track the impact of MHWs on the dynamics of pathogenic Vibrio within coastal habitats, oyster farming facilities and coral reefs. The benefit of this project will be essential new knowledge on an emerging threat to Australia’s valuable marine estate, food security and public health.Read moreRead less