Australian human rights complaints: Litigation, mediation or conciliation. This project will assess the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to resolve human rights complaints in Australia – conciliation, mediation and litigation. It will be the first project to evaluate the effectiveness of these mechanisms in a human rights context. Working with industry partners from the legal sector and four human rights commissions, this project will generate new knowledge on human rights complaints and on ....Australian human rights complaints: Litigation, mediation or conciliation. This project will assess the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to resolve human rights complaints in Australia – conciliation, mediation and litigation. It will be the first project to evaluate the effectiveness of these mechanisms in a human rights context. Working with industry partners from the legal sector and four human rights commissions, this project will generate new knowledge on human rights complaints and on the views of key stakeholders about the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to resolve human rights complaints. This new information will inform legal and policy reform throughout Australia. The expected outcomes include developing a robust evidence-based model for human rights dispute resolution in the Australian context.Read moreRead less
Gauging informed public opinion on sentencing sex offenders: a national study. Sex offences appear to attract the greatest community condemnation and desire to punish, particularly when involving predatory stranger rapists or when the victims are children. This national study aims to ascertain informed public opinion on sex offender sentencing by exploring the views of jurors in sex offence trials in all higher courts in Australia.
Asking the right questions: improving juror comprehension of judicial directions. Juror comprehension is fundamental to the role of juries in the criminal justice system. This project will comprehensively evaluate jurors' ability to comprehend both standard and modified judicial directions. Based on these results, 'model' processes for jury directions will be recommended, aimed at improving juror comprehension.
Learning from Preventable Deaths: A prospective evaluation of reforms to Coroners' recommendation powers in Victoria. Coroners in Australia investigate nearly 13,000 deaths each year and have a unique vantage point on health and safety risks. The public as a whole will benefit from information that helps translate those insights into system changes that work to prevent injuries and accidents from occurring. This project is designed to produce such information. It will also serve stakeholders ....Learning from Preventable Deaths: A prospective evaluation of reforms to Coroners' recommendation powers in Victoria. Coroners in Australia investigate nearly 13,000 deaths each year and have a unique vantage point on health and safety risks. The public as a whole will benefit from information that helps translate those insights into system changes that work to prevent injuries and accidents from occurring. This project is designed to produce such information. It will also serve stakeholders at several other levels. By illuminating circumstances in which coroners recommendations produce positive change, project findings will help coroners shape and disseminate their prevention messages for maximum effect. Also, for states interested in modifying or boosting coroners' recommendation powers, our findings will help guide reforms.Read moreRead less
Protecting economic, social and cultural Rights in the ACT: models, methods and impact. This project will generate new thinking on the protection of economic, social and cultural rights. It will develop impact assessment frameworks and protocols for the assessment of compliance with these rights. The project will benefit not only the ACT by informing consideration of the inclusion of economic, social and cultural rights in the ACT Human Rights Act, but also other Australian jurisdictions' deli ....Protecting economic, social and cultural Rights in the ACT: models, methods and impact. This project will generate new thinking on the protection of economic, social and cultural rights. It will develop impact assessment frameworks and protocols for the assessment of compliance with these rights. The project will benefit not only the ACT by informing consideration of the inclusion of economic, social and cultural rights in the ACT Human Rights Act, but also other Australian jurisdictions' deliberations over bills of rights, including consideration of a national bill. Other benefits include training students and informing Australia's engagement with the UN on an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.Read moreRead less
The Changing Role Of The Magistrates Court. Magistrates courts have far more contact with the community than any other court but have rarely been the subject of direct research. Recent changes include greater professional qualifications for magistrates and increased volume, complexity and seriousness of cases. This project will survey the changing social/demographic characteristics of magistrates; analyse their daily work, especially increased judicial functions; and examine roles played by s ....The Changing Role Of The Magistrates Court. Magistrates courts have far more contact with the community than any other court but have rarely been the subject of direct research. Recent changes include greater professional qualifications for magistrates and increased volume, complexity and seriousness of cases. This project will survey the changing social/demographic characteristics of magistrates; analyse their daily work, especially increased judicial functions; and examine roles played by social service providers. It will produce a better understanding of magistrates courts, emphasising ideas of judicial independence and accountability, essential to ensuring high standards for the Australian legal system and its relation to the community.Read moreRead less
Strengthening the Human Rights Focus of Anti-Discrimination Law and Practice. Australian anti-discrimination legislation aims to promote and protect human rights, but its impact has been limited by reliance on private, individualised complaint-handling processes, and by the limited capacity of anti-discrimination agencies to engage in broader inquiries or litigation strategies. This project will determine how to maximise awareness and protection of human rights through the discrimination complai ....Strengthening the Human Rights Focus of Anti-Discrimination Law and Practice. Australian anti-discrimination legislation aims to promote and protect human rights, but its impact has been limited by reliance on private, individualised complaint-handling processes, and by the limited capacity of anti-discrimination agencies to engage in broader inquiries or litigation strategies. This project will determine how to maximise awareness and protection of human rights through the discrimination complaint-handling process, the management of anti-discrimination litigation, and/or the use of other agency functions and powers. By incorporating both the conciliation and litigation aspects of anti-discrimination procedures, systematically examining international models, and involving one of the anti-discrimination agencies as industry partner, the project is designed to contribute significantly to the implementation of human rights in Australia.Read moreRead less
Australia's first bill of rights: Assessing the impact of the Australian Capital Territory's Human Rights Act. The ACT is about to adopt Australia's first bill of rights, the ACT Human Rights Act. This project will document and analyse the implementation of this historic law through its effect on executive and legislative policy and its interpretation by the judicial system. It will also develop a framework for assessing the regulatory impact of bills of rights generally. The project will gen ....Australia's first bill of rights: Assessing the impact of the Australian Capital Territory's Human Rights Act. The ACT is about to adopt Australia's first bill of rights, the ACT Human Rights Act. This project will document and analyse the implementation of this historic law through its effect on executive and legislative policy and its interpretation by the judicial system. It will also develop a framework for assessing the regulatory impact of bills of rights generally. The project will generate monitoring information for the Industry Partner, publicly accessible information for researchers and policy makers and contribute to the scholarly debate about the significance of bills of rights.Read moreRead less
Characteristics and causes of indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system: A Victorian case-study. Addressing Indigenous disadvantage was identified as a national priority by the Council of Australian Governments in 2002. Our research builds on this initiative by examining important policy questions that are central to Indigenous disadvantage within the justice system. This research adds substantial value to the existing national investment in the collection of data on Indige ....Characteristics and causes of indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system: A Victorian case-study. Addressing Indigenous disadvantage was identified as a national priority by the Council of Australian Governments in 2002. Our research builds on this initiative by examining important policy questions that are central to Indigenous disadvantage within the justice system. This research adds substantial value to the existing national investment in the collection of data on Indigenous involvement in justice processes, and will assist in the development and implementation of programs to address what has previously been an intractable problem. A key element in the project is establishing strong links with Indigenous community representatives so that the results of the research are made available to those most directly concerned with them.Read moreRead less
Improving court processing of protection applications for young children in the Children's Court of Victoria. The project applies collaborative expertise to improve "healthy starts" (National Research Priority Goal) for vulnerable children with child protection applications in their first 3 years. They need the courts to decide on means of protection and stability. For rural as well as urban areas, the project will identify factors that support or delay provision of stable environments for child ....Improving court processing of protection applications for young children in the Children's Court of Victoria. The project applies collaborative expertise to improve "healthy starts" (National Research Priority Goal) for vulnerable children with child protection applications in their first 3 years. They need the courts to decide on means of protection and stability. For rural as well as urban areas, the project will identify factors that support or delay provision of stable environments for children needing security in their early years. The project provides an evidence base for analyses and case flow management. By analysing court processes, it contributes data on protection cases that are lacking in Australia. This will be a lasting system for the Children's Court that can be generalised to other age groups and jurisdictions. Read moreRead less