Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,251.00
Summary
Cutting red tape around donations: A new model for deductible gifts. This project intends to simplify the categorisation of recipients of tax deductible gifts so that it is easy to give and receive gifts and so gifts go only to those organisations that are in keeping with public policy. Donations cost approximately $1.3 billion annually. It is therefore important that donation is a streamlined process that encourages social pluralism while ensuring there is a good use of public money. Research i ....Cutting red tape around donations: A new model for deductible gifts. This project intends to simplify the categorisation of recipients of tax deductible gifts so that it is easy to give and receive gifts and so gifts go only to those organisations that are in keeping with public policy. Donations cost approximately $1.3 billion annually. It is therefore important that donation is a streamlined process that encourages social pluralism while ensuring there is a good use of public money. Research indicates that the current approach to determining donation deductibility status is complex and out of step with government policy, public discourse and community needs. The proposed framework will be simple, take into account public policy and be adaptable to the community’s changing needs and values.Read moreRead less
Indonesia's Constitutional Court: safeguarding democratic transition? This project analyses the Indonesian Constitutional Court's decisions in election-related cases. It examines the Court's role in maintaining democracy and, ultimately, the national unity of Indonesia. By explaining how Indonesian democracy 'works', this project will enhance Australia's economic, political and cultural engagement with Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Courts: Making or Breaking Governance Reform? This project plans to help policy-makers and the community to understand Indonesia’s new regional anti-corruption courts. Indonesia has notoriously high levels of public-sector corruption which are undermining Indonesia’s post-Soeharto governance reforms, eroding support for democracy and decentralisation, and threatening stability. Regional anti-corruption courts were established from 2011, ostensibly to help curb corrupt ....Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Courts: Making or Breaking Governance Reform? This project plans to help policy-makers and the community to understand Indonesia’s new regional anti-corruption courts. Indonesia has notoriously high levels of public-sector corruption which are undermining Indonesia’s post-Soeharto governance reforms, eroding support for democracy and decentralisation, and threatening stability. Regional anti-corruption courts were established from 2011, ostensibly to help curb corruption. This project plans to examine how these courts operate and assess their effectiveness. Their performance is critical to the success of Indonesia’s broader governance reforms, including democratisation and decentralisation, which in turn help Indonesia sustain political stability and economic development, both of which affect the economic and security interests of Australia and the region.Read moreRead less
Protected Action Ballots and Protected Industrial Action under the Fair Work Act: The Impact of Ballot Procedures on Enterprise Bargaining Processes. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), lawful industrial action may be taken by employees in support of collective bargaining, provided that they have first authorised the action in a secret ballot. This research project explores the effect of the statutory process by which a bargaining representative of such employees seeks permission from the Fair W ....Protected Action Ballots and Protected Industrial Action under the Fair Work Act: The Impact of Ballot Procedures on Enterprise Bargaining Processes. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), lawful industrial action may be taken by employees in support of collective bargaining, provided that they have first authorised the action in a secret ballot. This research project explores the effect of the statutory process by which a bargaining representative of such employees seeks permission from the Fair Work Commission to conduct a ballot. It will examine the impact of the ballot requirement and statutory process on decision-making by bargaining representatives and subsequent employee access to industrial action in order to understand the effect of the regulatory scheme on enterprise bargaining behaviour. It is the first empirical study of strike ballots, analysing an important public policy area.Read moreRead less
1989 and the rule of law revolution. This project explores three elements of the post-1989 worldwide rule of law revolution: constitutionalism, 'dealing with the past', and rule of law promotion. Australia increasingly seeks to promote the rule of law internationally, but these efforts draw on an inadequate base of knowledge and theory. This project work will expand that base.
Open justice and open secrets: the cultural afterlife of criminal evidence. This project explores the consequences of using criminal evidence in the cultural field, after the conclusion of the trial. It investigates whether an appropriate regulatory or ethical framework can be developed in response to challenging or controversial re-deployments of this material by artists, curators, journalists, scholars and others.
Constitutional change in authoritarian regimes: the case of Myanmar. This project aims to understand how and why constitutions change in authoritarian regimes. After decades of authoritarian rule, there is lively public debate about formal amendment of the Myanmar constitution. Based on rigorous qualitative methods including archival research and in-depth interviews, this project expects to investigate why Myanmar's Constitution is both a constraint and an enabler of democratic reform. This time ....Constitutional change in authoritarian regimes: the case of Myanmar. This project aims to understand how and why constitutions change in authoritarian regimes. After decades of authoritarian rule, there is lively public debate about formal amendment of the Myanmar constitution. Based on rigorous qualitative methods including archival research and in-depth interviews, this project expects to investigate why Myanmar's Constitution is both a constraint and an enabler of democratic reform. This timely socio-legal project seeks to inform Australia’s political, economic and cultural engagement with Myanmar as a strategic neighbour in south-east Asia and a new market for foreign investment.Read moreRead less
Judges' work, place and psychological health - a national view. This project aims to address the human, juridical and financial costs of judicial officers’ work-related psychological harm. This harm is implicated in early retirement, sick leave and suicide. It threatens appropriate courtroom conduct, procedural fairness and impartial adjudication. The project seeks to generate new knowledge of the stress judicial officers experience and the individual and institutional mechanisms for managing st ....Judges' work, place and psychological health - a national view. This project aims to address the human, juridical and financial costs of judicial officers’ work-related psychological harm. This harm is implicated in early retirement, sick leave and suicide. It threatens appropriate courtroom conduct, procedural fairness and impartial adjudication. The project seeks to generate new knowledge of the stress judicial officers experience and the individual and institutional mechanisms for managing stressors, combining socio-legal and psychological approaches. Expected outcomes include evidence-based understandings to inform recruitment and retention strategies specific to this highly specialized workforce. This should provide significant benefits for judges’ work capacities and courts' delivery of justice.Read moreRead less
Copyright and Cartography: Understanding the past, shaping the future. This project investigates the history of copyright in maps. It aims to discover what is at stake when we seek to regulate the production and dissemination of geographic data, a field which sits at the highly contested intersection of private rights and public access. Making extensive use of historical archives and taking an interdisciplinary perspective, the project plans to produce a comprehensive history of copyright in ma ....Copyright and Cartography: Understanding the past, shaping the future. This project investigates the history of copyright in maps. It aims to discover what is at stake when we seek to regulate the production and dissemination of geographic data, a field which sits at the highly contested intersection of private rights and public access. Making extensive use of historical archives and taking an interdisciplinary perspective, the project plans to produce a comprehensive history of copyright in maps, charts and plans in Australia and the United Kingdom. It aims to highlight the ways in which copyright and the cultural field shape each other and the significance of this for geographic knowledge. The project is designed to engage with contemporary efforts to reform copyright law and policy relating to geographic data.Read moreRead less
Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
....Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
Expected outcomes of the project include law reform and policy recommendations to improve the practice of recording victim/witness statements and management of the use of such evidence in criminal proceedings.
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