Reconceptualising industry sector development within the contemporary Australian city: The case of the information technology sector. This project will aim to uncover the reasons why Australia's Information Technology industry is ranked low among OECD countries by evaluating the impact of global and urban geography of the sector on the sector's performance. It will show how policies to achieve more advanced IT sector development need to consider Australia's distinctive position in the global eco ....Reconceptualising industry sector development within the contemporary Australian city: The case of the information technology sector. This project will aim to uncover the reasons why Australia's Information Technology industry is ranked low among OECD countries by evaluating the impact of global and urban geography of the sector on the sector's performance. It will show how policies to achieve more advanced IT sector development need to consider Australia's distinctive position in the global economy and particular factors in the Sydney and Melbourne IT clusters that both help, and hinder, development in ways not considered in present policy models.Read moreRead less
Contested Landscapes and Divided Communities. The Struggle for Place and Belonging in Papua New Guinea. PNG, as Australia's nearest neighbour and major recipient of Australian foreign aid, is facing major challenges including a weakening state capacity to govern, a breakdown in civil society and escalating law and order problems. These processes, which led to civil conflict in Fiji and Solomon Islands, for example, remain largely misunderstood. Nevertheless, such events have major implications f ....Contested Landscapes and Divided Communities. The Struggle for Place and Belonging in Papua New Guinea. PNG, as Australia's nearest neighbour and major recipient of Australian foreign aid, is facing major challenges including a weakening state capacity to govern, a breakdown in civil society and escalating law and order problems. These processes, which led to civil conflict in Fiji and Solomon Islands, for example, remain largely misunderstood. Nevertheless, such events have major implications for our region's political and economic security. By generating a greater understanding of the contexts and factors contributing to these tensions the project will contribute to better informed policy making by the Australian government, especially in the area of international assistance.Read moreRead less
The geography of labour market dynamics: Competition between new migrants and laid-off workers in China's urban labour markets. The project proposes contributions: 1 To our knowledge of our region, especially of sources of conflict within China, and how Chinese labour markets operate (and are different in different places). 2 To understanding Australian society, by contributing to knowledge about the effects of categories of citizenship on labour market performance. 3 To Australia's place in int ....The geography of labour market dynamics: Competition between new migrants and laid-off workers in China's urban labour markets. The project proposes contributions: 1 To our knowledge of our region, especially of sources of conflict within China, and how Chinese labour markets operate (and are different in different places). 2 To understanding Australian society, by contributing to knowledge about the effects of categories of citizenship on labour market performance. 3 To Australia's place in international social science, by linking western debates about migration and labour markets to the conditions of societies in transition. 4 To closer cultural ties between Australia and China, by collaborative research with scholars in China. 5 To the training of future generations of scholars of China.Read moreRead less
Advancing spatial research by reconstructing Australia's economic geography. Significant National Benefits will arise: (a) Innovative and demanded spatial data based on the new economic geographies created will value-add to a current ARC LIEF project; (b) A newly created socio-economic atlas will enhance our understandings of regional Australia; (c) An understanding of the 'new regional geography of winners and losers' through new analyses of new spatial data; (d) Racilitating the development of ....Advancing spatial research by reconstructing Australia's economic geography. Significant National Benefits will arise: (a) Innovative and demanded spatial data based on the new economic geographies created will value-add to a current ARC LIEF project; (b) A newly created socio-economic atlas will enhance our understandings of regional Australia; (c) An understanding of the 'new regional geography of winners and losers' through new analyses of new spatial data; (d) Racilitating the development of spatially informed policies to enhance the capacity of citizens to participate in the socio-economic life of their communities; (e) Capacity building through skill transfers within the social science research community focused on spatial research and policy.Read moreRead less
The Amenity Principle: The causes, incidence and landuse planning implications of amenity-led rural settlement in Australia. This project will produce an 'amenity index' - a composite measure of a community's relative attractiveness to in-migrants for a substantial portion of the nation's ecumene. This index will aid in the development of more targetted approaches to rural planning and place marketing. Through the multi-state and multi-region nature of the fieldwork, the project will also draw t ....The Amenity Principle: The causes, incidence and landuse planning implications of amenity-led rural settlement in Australia. This project will produce an 'amenity index' - a composite measure of a community's relative attractiveness to in-migrants for a substantial portion of the nation's ecumene. This index will aid in the development of more targetted approaches to rural planning and place marketing. Through the multi-state and multi-region nature of the fieldwork, the project will also draw together a range of approaches used in managing the complex and often competing demands of amenity-inspired in-migration, thus making it a resource for innovative approaches to land use planning and management. Read moreRead less
Enhanced agency response strategies through modelling geo-temporal characteristics of emergency services calls. Understanding the timing and geographic distribution of emergency calls to agencies such as Fire, Police and Ambulance, is critical to improving emergency response and developing effective preventive strategies. In turn, improved response and prevention strategies can help save lives and minimise economic costs. This project uses advanced geographic and statistical methods to analyse f ....Enhanced agency response strategies through modelling geo-temporal characteristics of emergency services calls. Understanding the timing and geographic distribution of emergency calls to agencies such as Fire, Police and Ambulance, is critical to improving emergency response and developing effective preventive strategies. In turn, improved response and prevention strategies can help save lives and minimise economic costs. This project uses advanced geographic and statistical methods to analyse fire incidents and develop the evidence base necessary to inform effective response and prevention strategies. The project will critically assist emergency fire response, but will also provide a case study that can be adapted for other kinds of emergency response.Read moreRead less
Circular Mobility in Australia: Types, Measures, Patterns and Impacts. The rapid growth of circular mobility (temporary overnight absences from home) for work and leisure reflects newly emerging spatial relationships that trigger massive flux in local populations. This project will: develop new measures that capture the unique dimensions of this movement (frequency, duration and seasonality); show how circulation in Australia varies over time and space; develop model profiles; quantify local imp ....Circular Mobility in Australia: Types, Measures, Patterns and Impacts. The rapid growth of circular mobility (temporary overnight absences from home) for work and leisure reflects newly emerging spatial relationships that trigger massive flux in local populations. This project will: develop new measures that capture the unique dimensions of this movement (frequency, duration and seasonality); show how circulation in Australia varies over time and space; develop model profiles; quantify local impacts; and propose means to accurately estimate service populations. The results will have direct practical application to local authority planning, place the study of circulation on a rigorous analytical footing and enhance international understanding in a field largely neglected hitherto.Read moreRead less
Home and away?: Defining and conceptualising rural youth migration in Australia. The project addresses the Priority Goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic health' in seeking a more precise understanding of the causes and actual migration pathways of Australian rural youth, and the extent to which these migrants return to their home regions. This understanding is critical for future key service delivery planning (e.g. health, including aged care), for labour force development plan ....Home and away?: Defining and conceptualising rural youth migration in Australia. The project addresses the Priority Goal of 'Strengthening Australia's social and economic health' in seeking a more precise understanding of the causes and actual migration pathways of Australian rural youth, and the extent to which these migrants return to their home regions. This understanding is critical for future key service delivery planning (e.g. health, including aged care), for labour force development planning (e.g. likely local demand for TAFE places). Relatedly, the project's findings should enable more reliable regional population projections and estimates and facilitate the development of locally-specific strategies to both retain rural youth and attract ex-migrants back.Read moreRead less
The enigma of arrival: Movements of the mimosa bush and the baobab across the Indian Ocean into pre-British Australia. This project will provide new insights into northern Australia's historical place in Indian Ocean networks of trade, cultural, and biological exchanges. By seeking to solve the enigmas of arrival of the mimosa bush and baobab our project will create new knowledge about the pre-British environmental history of Australia. Its integrative approach will generate significant public ....The enigma of arrival: Movements of the mimosa bush and the baobab across the Indian Ocean into pre-British Australia. This project will provide new insights into northern Australia's historical place in Indian Ocean networks of trade, cultural, and biological exchanges. By seeking to solve the enigmas of arrival of the mimosa bush and baobab our project will create new knowledge about the pre-British environmental history of Australia. Its integrative approach will generate significant public interest and richer discussion on the question of native versus introduced plants, helping environmental practitioners make informed decisions about alien plants and develop a more balanced perspective on biodiversity management. Finally, it will increase international collaboration across the Indian Ocean and train two postgraduate students. Read moreRead less
Regional Economic Development and Performance: Roles of Leadership and Institutional Factors in Endogenous Growth. Contemporary regional economic development theory emphasises endogenous factors as key determinants of difference in regional economic performance. Leadership and institutional issues require special attention for analysis and in strategy formulation and implementation of regional development plans. This project develops model frameworks for analysing the impact of those endogenous ....Regional Economic Development and Performance: Roles of Leadership and Institutional Factors in Endogenous Growth. Contemporary regional economic development theory emphasises endogenous factors as key determinants of difference in regional economic performance. Leadership and institutional issues require special attention for analysis and in strategy formulation and implementation of regional development plans. This project develops model frameworks for analysing the impact of those endogenous factors on regional economic performance and develops methodologies for their incorporation into regional development strategy, using illustrative case studies. A major book on this topic will result. The collaboration is between researchers at the University of Queensland and George Mason University.Read moreRead less