A Place to Call Home: expediting repatriation and ending the practice of warehousing refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Half of the world's 12 million refugees and 25 million IDPs have been living in camps for five to ten years (and longer). The proposed model for refugee and IDP repatriation and reintegration will: significantly increase their human security; alleviate the economic burden on host countries; contribute to the development goals of the countries of origin; facilitat ....A Place to Call Home: expediting repatriation and ending the practice of warehousing refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Half of the world's 12 million refugees and 25 million IDPs have been living in camps for five to ten years (and longer). The proposed model for refugee and IDP repatriation and reintegration will: significantly increase their human security; alleviate the economic burden on host countries; contribute to the development goals of the countries of origin; facilitate the targeting of humanitarian assistance for resolving protracted refugee and IDP situations; and reduce the threats to regional stability. The research will also enhance both Australia's reputation in this humanitarian sector and its institutional capacity to successfully repatriate and reintegrate refugees and IDPs.Read moreRead less
Creating Accountability: Improving Responses to Forced Displacement Crimes. This project aims to investigate how the United Nations and individual states can respond to forced displacement crimes through seven emerging accountability mechanisms at the domestic, regional, and international levels. The growth of conflict-induced forced migration is at unprecedented levels, driven in part by states that deliberately displace their own populations in contravention of international law. This project ....Creating Accountability: Improving Responses to Forced Displacement Crimes. This project aims to investigate how the United Nations and individual states can respond to forced displacement crimes through seven emerging accountability mechanisms at the domestic, regional, and international levels. The growth of conflict-induced forced migration is at unprecedented levels, driven in part by states that deliberately displace their own populations in contravention of international law. This project will use a comparative and focused approach to examine the effectiveness of the range of current efforts to hold state and individual perpetrators accountable. In so doing, it will directly inform the Australian and international policy-making response to such crimes with the goal of averting future forced migrant movements.Read moreRead less
Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expandi ....Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expanding Australian expertise in border studies. This project will provide the intellectual environment and collaborative networks necessary to establish the first dedicated Centre for Border Studies in Australia.Read moreRead less
From Migrant to Worker: New Transnational Responses to Temporary Labour Migration in East and Southeast Asia. This project compares the nature and impact of civil society initiatives concerning temporary labour migration in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It provides a model for understanding NGO-union cooperation on migrant labour issues, useful not only in East and Southeast Asia, where foreign workers - and foreign workers' rights - are already matters of serious concern, bu ....From Migrant to Worker: New Transnational Responses to Temporary Labour Migration in East and Southeast Asia. This project compares the nature and impact of civil society initiatives concerning temporary labour migration in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It provides a model for understanding NGO-union cooperation on migrant labour issues, useful not only in East and Southeast Asia, where foreign workers - and foreign workers' rights - are already matters of serious concern, but in countries like Australia, where skills shortages and ageing populations are increasing pressure on governments to allow large-scale temporary foreign labour. The project's findings will assist government agencies and local and transnational civil society groups to respond more effectively to temporary labour migration.Read moreRead less
The Overseas Chinese Water Frontier of Southeast Asia, 1700-1900. This project proposes to view the South China Sea/Gulf of Thailand rim as a single economic region, a "water frontier" that endured for two centuries. Focusing on the Mekong delta and adjacent coasts, it will examine the major roles the Chinese played in the establishment of the Siamese and Vietnamese states. Despite the frontier's marginalisation in the nineteenth century, the populations supplied the manpower and expertise that ....The Overseas Chinese Water Frontier of Southeast Asia, 1700-1900. This project proposes to view the South China Sea/Gulf of Thailand rim as a single economic region, a "water frontier" that endured for two centuries. Focusing on the Mekong delta and adjacent coasts, it will examine the major roles the Chinese played in the establishment of the Siamese and Vietnamese states. Despite the frontier's marginalisation in the nineteenth century, the populations supplied the manpower and expertise that fueled the national and colonial economies which later developed around Saigon, Bangkok and Singapore. Our aim is to restore the "lost" history of this region and its peoples and to set new agendas for future research.Read moreRead less
Diaspora Humanitarians: How Australia-based migrants help in crises abroad. This project aims to map the extensive humanitarian activities and contributions of Australia-based migrants to crises abroad. Australia is home to large diasporas who are connected to communities in many humanitarian crisis hotspots, including the project's focus areas: Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Pacific Islands. By generating much-needed knowledge on how and why migrants engage ....Diaspora Humanitarians: How Australia-based migrants help in crises abroad. This project aims to map the extensive humanitarian activities and contributions of Australia-based migrants to crises abroad. Australia is home to large diasporas who are connected to communities in many humanitarian crisis hotspots, including the project's focus areas: Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Pacific Islands. By generating much-needed knowledge on how and why migrants engage in humanitarian responses, the project expects to support and improve the work of diasporas themselves, the Australian Civil-Military Centre and other humanitarian organisations, who are partners in the project. This will benefit Australia by highlighting our innovative leadership role in humanitarian and migration issues.Read moreRead less
Pacific Labour and Australian Horticulture. This 18-month research project will investigate the costs and benefits of increasing labour mobility between the Pacific and Australia, including the feasibility of a seasonal labour program to employ agricultural workers from Pacific Island nations in the Swan Hill/Mildura region during periods of peak labour demand. It will forge a ground-breaking collaboration between an international development agency and local government to investigate how such a ....Pacific Labour and Australian Horticulture. This 18-month research project will investigate the costs and benefits of increasing labour mobility between the Pacific and Australia, including the feasibility of a seasonal labour program to employ agricultural workers from Pacific Island nations in the Swan Hill/Mildura region during periods of peak labour demand. It will forge a ground-breaking collaboration between an international development agency and local government to investigate how such a scheme might contribute simultaneously to economic and social development in Pacific Island nations (through remittances and skills transfers) and in regional Australia (by improving the labour supply to key horticultural industries).Read moreRead less
Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by r ....Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by researchers in Timor-Leste and elsewhere to evaluate the development impacts of such migration schemes. The data will inform evidence-based policies to improve temporary labour migration schemes, meet urgent development priorities in Timor-Leste, and maximise the benefits of Australian aid funded labour migration schemes.Read moreRead less
Leveraging Remittances with Microfinance: A Cross-country Study. This study recognises the high and growing significance of overseas migrant remittances as contributors to GDP and household livelihoods in many countries. It responds to current policy interest in remittances as a development resource, as well as security concerns related to informal funds transfers. This groundbreaking study will work with microfinance providers in six Asia-Pacific countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, S ....Leveraging Remittances with Microfinance: A Cross-country Study. This study recognises the high and growing significance of overseas migrant remittances as contributors to GDP and household livelihoods in many countries. It responds to current policy interest in remittances as a development resource, as well as security concerns related to informal funds transfers. This groundbreaking study will work with microfinance providers in six Asia-Pacific countries (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga) to investigate the impacts of remittance-linked financial services on household well-being and economic development. The study will identify how existing and new services can best promote development and poverty reduction in migrant-sending areas.Read moreRead less
Australian diasporas and brain gain: exploring current and potential transnational linkages. The research will investigate current and potential future roles of diasporas in both Australia and overseas in facilitating trade and investment. The study will examine their political, cultural and kinship ties with homelands and map the geography of seven diasporas in Australia. This will provide new data that describes the character, motivations and movements of diasporas in Australia. Data analysis ....Australian diasporas and brain gain: exploring current and potential transnational linkages. The research will investigate current and potential future roles of diasporas in both Australia and overseas in facilitating trade and investment. The study will examine their political, cultural and kinship ties with homelands and map the geography of seven diasporas in Australia. This will provide new data that describes the character, motivations and movements of diasporas in Australia. Data analysis will determine the current and potential role diaspora play in adding value to Australian society through 'brain gain' and 'circulation' versus 'brain drain'. Findings will inform migration and social policy aimed at maximising benefits of migration.Read moreRead less