Undocumented Migrants- Unearthing Knowledge on a Key Source of Farm Labour. The Australian horticulture industry has endemic labour challenges, both in terms of labour supply challenges and a systemic problem of non-compliance with labour standards. A core component of both problems is the entrenched reliance on undocumented migrants. Given complex supply chains transiting fresh fruit and vegetables from the farm to the consumer, undocumented workers are largely invisible. There is very little ....Undocumented Migrants- Unearthing Knowledge on a Key Source of Farm Labour. The Australian horticulture industry has endemic labour challenges, both in terms of labour supply challenges and a systemic problem of non-compliance with labour standards. A core component of both problems is the entrenched reliance on undocumented migrants. Given complex supply chains transiting fresh fruit and vegetables from the farm to the consumer, undocumented workers are largely invisible. There is very little research on undocumented workers on farms. Addressing this critical Australian and international knowledge gap, this project is the first study to comprehensively analyse the role of undocumented migrants in the horticulture industry from a multi-stakeholder approach, involving government, employers and workers.Read moreRead less
Managing an ageing population for income adequacy and fiscal sustainability. This project aims to improve understanding of the impacts of existing key reforms intended to ease fiscal pressures associated with population ageing. The right mix of retirement income policies is vital to Australia's fiscal sustainability, however the effectiveness of existing policies is unknown. The project expects to identify impacts of key reforms on employment, re-training, income, savings and future retirement i ....Managing an ageing population for income adequacy and fiscal sustainability. This project aims to improve understanding of the impacts of existing key reforms intended to ease fiscal pressures associated with population ageing. The right mix of retirement income policies is vital to Australia's fiscal sustainability, however the effectiveness of existing policies is unknown. The project expects to identify impacts of key reforms on employment, re-training, income, savings and future retirement income and public pension receipt. The project will develop a new tax records-based dataset to facilitate future research on tax and welfare systems.Read moreRead less
Regional Australia' skills shortages and high-skill refugees' employment . Regional Australia loses to cities thousands of professional and trade-related people whose skills cannot be replaced. Focusing on small and medium-size enterprises producing food and beverages, this project aims to determine whether refugee employment (i) is a strategic resource (ii) can alleviate these chronic regional skill shortages, and (iii) can be integrated in immigration policy. In doing so, it will for the firs ....Regional Australia' skills shortages and high-skill refugees' employment . Regional Australia loses to cities thousands of professional and trade-related people whose skills cannot be replaced. Focusing on small and medium-size enterprises producing food and beverages, this project aims to determine whether refugee employment (i) is a strategic resource (ii) can alleviate these chronic regional skill shortages, and (iii) can be integrated in immigration policy. In doing so, it will for the first time provide critical empirical evidence on the possible need to separate policy measures aimed at rural vs. urban employers. The outcomes will contribute to reducing the problem of critical skill shortages and wastage at once and do so with an eye to the needs to rural Australia – a key driver of the country’s exports. Read moreRead less
Insecure Work and the Mental Health of Workers and their Families. This project aims to explore the relationship between insecure work and mental health by applying advanced econometric methods to large survey and administrative datasets, and newly collected survey data. This project expects to provide causal policy-relevant estimates of how insecure work is affecting the wellbeing of workers and their families, and for whom the effects are most harmful. It also expects to inform on how poor men ....Insecure Work and the Mental Health of Workers and their Families. This project aims to explore the relationship between insecure work and mental health by applying advanced econometric methods to large survey and administrative datasets, and newly collected survey data. This project expects to provide causal policy-relevant estimates of how insecure work is affecting the wellbeing of workers and their families, and for whom the effects are most harmful. It also expects to inform on how poor mental health influences the types of jobs that people enter into. This should provide significant benefits, including evidence needed to improve existing workplace and employment programs, and evidence ensuring that assistance is efficiently targeted to those workers and industries with the greatest need.Read moreRead less
Analysis of the impact and regulation of harmful financial products. Analysis of the impact and regulation of harmful financial products. This project will investigate financial products that can harm disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers. It will use empirical research (surveys, interviews and focus groups) to explore how these products perpetuate financial hardship, poor health and social disadvantage. In doing so, it expects to contribute to consumer law scholarship and studies of financial ....Analysis of the impact and regulation of harmful financial products. Analysis of the impact and regulation of harmful financial products. This project will investigate financial products that can harm disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers. It will use empirical research (surveys, interviews and focus groups) to explore how these products perpetuate financial hardship, poor health and social disadvantage. In doing so, it expects to contribute to consumer law scholarship and studies of financial exclusion, and provide practical assistance to policymakers, regulators and the partner organisations. The project will also assess the need for law reform, and, if appropriate, recommend detailed law reforms. The research is expected to help policymakers address damage caused by harmful and predatory financial products and promote the financial and social wellbeing of vulnerable, disadvantaged consumers.Read moreRead less
The impact of income support design on the outcomes of children and youth. This project aims to assess how children from low-income families are affected by welfare policy design in Australia – specifically, by policy intended to influence welfare payment receipt and workforce participation of their parent(s). Causal impacts of policy design on children will be identified and evaluated using unique administrative and survey data, and treating recent welfare reforms in Australia as natural experi ....The impact of income support design on the outcomes of children and youth. This project aims to assess how children from low-income families are affected by welfare policy design in Australia – specifically, by policy intended to influence welfare payment receipt and workforce participation of their parent(s). Causal impacts of policy design on children will be identified and evaluated using unique administrative and survey data, and treating recent welfare reforms in Australia as natural experiments.. This will be the first comprehensive Australian analysis of intergenerational impacts of welfare policy design.Read moreRead less
Post-separation co-parenting apps: Can they help families avoid conflict? This project aims to examine the role and effectiveness of smartphone apps in supporting families to respond to the many challenges of post-separation co-parenting. In an increasingly digital landscape where poor app choices can have serious consequences for families, this knowledge is urgently needed by parents and family law practitioners. This project expects to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and ....Post-separation co-parenting apps: Can they help families avoid conflict? This project aims to examine the role and effectiveness of smartphone apps in supporting families to respond to the many challenges of post-separation co-parenting. In an increasingly digital landscape where poor app choices can have serious consequences for families, this knowledge is urgently needed by parents and family law practitioners. This project expects to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and risks of digital divorce apps. Expected outcomes include the first web-based decision-making tool to help separated parents make important decisions about managing post-separation communication. This should provide significant benefits, including a reduced risk of parental conflict and better outcomes for children.Read moreRead less
Preventing and addressing environmental harm through restorative justice. This project aims to develop a knowledge base on how Restorative Justice (RJ) principles and practices can prevent and address environmental harm. Research has demonstrated that RJ is a powerful response to a wide variety of governance challenges and could provide a useful alternative paradigm for environmental regulation. This project aims to apply the processes and values of RJ to environmental regulation with a focus on ....Preventing and addressing environmental harm through restorative justice. This project aims to develop a knowledge base on how Restorative Justice (RJ) principles and practices can prevent and address environmental harm. Research has demonstrated that RJ is a powerful response to a wide variety of governance challenges and could provide a useful alternative paradigm for environmental regulation. This project aims to apply the processes and values of RJ to environmental regulation with a focus on harm prevention, advancing theory into a new domain of application. This should lead to immediate and long-term benefits, including better prevention of environmental harm, better relationships with communities, and stronger commitments by those who have caused harm to rehabilitate, repair and reform.Read moreRead less
Geographical Indications for Wine in Australia’s Free Trade Agreements. This project aims to clarify the appropriate basis for protecting geographical indications for wines in trade agreements and domestic legal systems. The project expects to generate new knowledge concerning the criteria, evidence and procedure that should be required to establish a geographical indication. Existing law risks misuse of this mechanism to unjustifiably protect domestic markets; the European Union is seeking prot ....Geographical Indications for Wine in Australia’s Free Trade Agreements. This project aims to clarify the appropriate basis for protecting geographical indications for wines in trade agreements and domestic legal systems. The project expects to generate new knowledge concerning the criteria, evidence and procedure that should be required to establish a geographical indication. Existing law risks misuse of this mechanism to unjustifiably protect domestic markets; the European Union is seeking protection for what appear to be grape varieties rather than geographical indications. Expected outcomes include evidence-based recommendations to government and industry. Project outcomes should benefit Australian economic interests by enhancing Australia’s ability to resist spurious geographical indication claims.Read moreRead less
Optimising Digital Compliance Processes in the Financial Services Sector. This project aims to develop a new approach to optimise digital compliance processes in Australian financial services firms. Effective digital compliance is needed to reduce growing regulatory burden and improve compliance with increasingly complex laws. This project expects to deliver new ways to optimise digital compliance that drive innovation and reduce the societal risks of non-compliance for end-users. Expected outco ....Optimising Digital Compliance Processes in the Financial Services Sector. This project aims to develop a new approach to optimise digital compliance processes in Australian financial services firms. Effective digital compliance is needed to reduce growing regulatory burden and improve compliance with increasingly complex laws. This project expects to deliver new ways to optimise digital compliance that drive innovation and reduce the societal risks of non-compliance for end-users. Expected outcomes include industry guidance strategies and innovative digital tools that capture the complexity of digital compliance and inform practical solutions. This will provide significant cost reduction benefits for firms and ensure that new digital compliance processes promote the public interest goals of law and regulation. Read moreRead less