Sexual harassment in Australia: Contexts, outcomes and prevention. Sexual harassment remains a persistent workplace issue with significant social costs. The project will examine how to most effectively prevent sexual harassment and to reduce the impact of sexual harassment for individuals and organizations where it occurs. A comprehensive analysis will be undertaken, drawing on a longitudinal study of more than 100 'targets' of sexual harassment, interviews with a wide range of employers and ext ....Sexual harassment in Australia: Contexts, outcomes and prevention. Sexual harassment remains a persistent workplace issue with significant social costs. The project will examine how to most effectively prevent sexual harassment and to reduce the impact of sexual harassment for individuals and organizations where it occurs. A comprehensive analysis will be undertaken, drawing on a longitudinal study of more than 100 'targets' of sexual harassment, interviews with a wide range of employers and external complaint handling bodies, and an analysis of formal and informal reports. The project outcomes will contribute to improved policy and practice in workplaces and human rights and assist other bodies to prevent and more effectively respond to sexual harassment.Read moreRead less
Women and Legal Aid: Identifying Disadvantage. Gender bias in legal aid provision has been identified as a source of women's social inequality. Given restricted legal aid budgets, however, the focus of concerns about gender bias must become whether any particular groups of women are disadvantaged in access to legal aid. This project will determine the impact of current legal aid funding practices on rural and regional women, Indigenous women, and other groups of women, in order to identify unmet ....Women and Legal Aid: Identifying Disadvantage. Gender bias in legal aid provision has been identified as a source of women's social inequality. Given restricted legal aid budgets, however, the focus of concerns about gender bias must become whether any particular groups of women are disadvantaged in access to legal aid. This project will determine the impact of current legal aid funding practices on rural and regional women, Indigenous women, and other groups of women, in order to identify unmet needs, and assist in the better targeting of scarce resources. The results of the research will provide a valuable input into the future development of legal aid policy and services for the most disadvantaged women.Read moreRead less
Impaired jury decision-making: The impact of stereotypes in the Australian court room. There have been calls for reforms and overhauls of the jury system in Australia because of concerns about the ability of jurors to reach objective verdicts and concerns about the costs associated with the jury system; however the consequences of these proposed changes for jury functioning are not well understood. This research will provide a better understanding those factors that contribute to impaired jury d ....Impaired jury decision-making: The impact of stereotypes in the Australian court room. There have been calls for reforms and overhauls of the jury system in Australia because of concerns about the ability of jurors to reach objective verdicts and concerns about the costs associated with the jury system; however the consequences of these proposed changes for jury functioning are not well understood. This research will provide a better understanding those factors that contribute to impaired jury decision-making, helping to avoid the very real risk of any changes to the jury system resulting in profound and unpredictable changes to the functioning of the legal system. By doing so, the concerns of people calling for drastic reforms can be addressed without socially and economically expensive overhauls of the jury system.Read moreRead less
Contested Politics of the New Justice. Restorative justice (RJ) and Indigenous justice (IJ) are transforming responses to crime by emphasising informal processes and community-based decisions. With growth has come contestation over the potential benefits and pitfalls of these new justice forms. The project analyses evidence from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in two areas: debates among feminist and victim advocacy groups on using RJ for sexual and physical violence, and debates among Indi ....Contested Politics of the New Justice. Restorative justice (RJ) and Indigenous justice (IJ) are transforming responses to crime by emphasising informal processes and community-based decisions. With growth has come contestation over the potential benefits and pitfalls of these new justice forms. The project analyses evidence from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in two areas: debates among feminist and victim advocacy groups on using RJ for sexual and physical violence, and debates among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people on the merits of IJ. The project will show when RJ is appropriate, what IJ practices are meaningful, and where common ground exists for feminist and Indigenous social movements.Read moreRead less
Innovative Justice Responses to Sexual Violence: A Global Analysis. Aligned with United Nations initiatives to end violence against women, Australian governments have emphasised that gender violence is a crime. This is correct, but the practical problem is what to do next. The project will benefit Australia by identifying innovative ways of responding to sexual violence that are practical, effective, and meaningful for victims' justice needs and economically viable for government. In taking ....Innovative Justice Responses to Sexual Violence: A Global Analysis. Aligned with United Nations initiatives to end violence against women, Australian governments have emphasised that gender violence is a crime. This is correct, but the practical problem is what to do next. The project will benefit Australia by identifying innovative ways of responding to sexual violence that are practical, effective, and meaningful for victims' justice needs and economically viable for government. In taking a global perspective, more imaginative responses to violence in Australian Indigenous communities will be identified. In studying countries where Australia has a security and peacekeeping presence, the role of those forces in maintaining security for women and children can be enhanced. Read moreRead less