Fear and licensing in Australia: Investigating the social licence to operate of an emerging coal seam gas industry. Australia’s nascent coal seam gas (CSG) industry is the site of substantial social tension. For some the industry can transform and safeguard national energy sources and fuel booming Asian exports. For others it damages both the environment and communities. This tension is vividly expressed by local protests and regulatory bans. Communities, mining companies and government invoke a ....Fear and licensing in Australia: Investigating the social licence to operate of an emerging coal seam gas industry. Australia’s nascent coal seam gas (CSG) industry is the site of substantial social tension. For some the industry can transform and safeguard national energy sources and fuel booming Asian exports. For others it damages both the environment and communities. This tension is vividly expressed by local protests and regulatory bans. Communities, mining companies and government invoke a 'social licence to operate' as fundamental to industry viability. This landmark project explores the concept of a social licence to operate in Australia's CSG industry to tease apart the dynamic risks, opportunities and tensions at work between corporations, rural and regional Australian communities and government, and offers policy and practice recommendations. Read moreRead less
Learned Academies Special Projects - Grant ID: LA170100011
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
The use of big data for social policy: benefits and risks. This project aims to investigate the benefits and risks of using ‘big data’ and analytics for social policy. Drawing on documentary sources and interviews with experts and stakeholders, the project will use five case studies to examine the capability, underlying assumptions and possible impacts of such techniques. The project will bring together a multi-disciplinary team of social and data scientists to identify the infrastructural, tech ....The use of big data for social policy: benefits and risks. This project aims to investigate the benefits and risks of using ‘big data’ and analytics for social policy. Drawing on documentary sources and interviews with experts and stakeholders, the project will use five case studies to examine the capability, underlying assumptions and possible impacts of such techniques. The project will bring together a multi-disciplinary team of social and data scientists to identify the infrastructural, technical, and social, ethical and legal issues that need to be addressed. The project will define key issues for future research, promote collaboration between the social sciences and big data disciplines, while creating opportunities for building capability for researchers in the social sciences. Read moreRead less
Are the kids alright? Understanding the wellbeing of Australian children in their middle years. This project will produce the first comprehensive national stock-take of wellbeing among Australian children in their middle years, with a special focus on children who experience disadvantage. Findings will reflect children's views and experiences, have direct policy relevance and lay the groundwork for comparing and monitoring of child wellbeing.
Social isolation and volunteering of older Chinese immigrants in Australia. This co-designed and collaborative research addresses an acute challenge since COVID-19: how to make volunteering activities more accessible to CALD immigrants who suffer from serious social isolation. The researchers will work with 5 partner organisations (POs) to study Chinese immigrants (60+) in NSW as an example. It will analyse census and GSS datasets, conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups in the settings of ....Social isolation and volunteering of older Chinese immigrants in Australia. This co-designed and collaborative research addresses an acute challenge since COVID-19: how to make volunteering activities more accessible to CALD immigrants who suffer from serious social isolation. The researchers will work with 5 partner organisations (POs) to study Chinese immigrants (60+) in NSW as an example. It will analyse census and GSS datasets, conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups in the settings of old-age care, service navigation and elderly learning. This research will produce new evidence and test the effect of peer education, and support services and policy advocacy of the POs. This research will benefit CALD older immigrants, enhance service capacity and contribute to greater social cohesion in Australia.Read moreRead less
Welfare reform and welfare stigma : scroungers, slackers and bludgers? This project aims to build an evidence base of the prevalence, causes and consequences of welfare stigma in Australia. Welfare policies and proposed reforms aim to reduce welfare expenditure, increase workforce participation, and promote personal and family wellbeing. However, stigmatising attitudes and discrimination towards those receiving welfare benefits may undermine these policy goals: reducing employment opportunities ....Welfare reform and welfare stigma : scroungers, slackers and bludgers? This project aims to build an evidence base of the prevalence, causes and consequences of welfare stigma in Australia. Welfare policies and proposed reforms aim to reduce welfare expenditure, increase workforce participation, and promote personal and family wellbeing. However, stigmatising attitudes and discrimination towards those receiving welfare benefits may undermine these policy goals: reducing employment opportunities and causing poorer health and wellbeing. Through innovative experimental studies, the project plans to identify ways in which welfare policy can minimise stigma and promote employment. Project outcomes may provide an evidence base for the design of more effective welfare policy.Read moreRead less
Government web portals as government actors. This project aims to examine the architectures, rationales, effectiveness and power effects of government web portals, which are conceptualised as spaces of administrative, policy and power contestation. They are the formal public face of online government, but their effectiveness and contribution to government is largely unknown. The project uses digital research methods (hyperlink network analysis and web experiments) to comparatively assess 10 hi-t ....Government web portals as government actors. This project aims to examine the architectures, rationales, effectiveness and power effects of government web portals, which are conceptualised as spaces of administrative, policy and power contestation. They are the formal public face of online government, but their effectiveness and contribution to government is largely unknown. The project uses digital research methods (hyperlink network analysis and web experiments) to comparatively assess 10 hi-tech countries. It expects to contribute to understanding the structure and governance of the state in the 21st century, and provide foundational knowledge to underpin the next generation of government online service strategy.Read moreRead less
Implementing the remote jobs and communities program: how is policy working in Indigenous communities? The purpose of this project is to document and assess the implementation of a new government program in the area of Indigenous employment and remote communities. The outcome of this project will be a greater understanding of the potential for such programs to be collaborative with Indigenous communities and integrated across government, while also promoting employment.
Learned Academies Special Projects - Grant ID: LA170100019
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,467.00
Summary
The future humanities workforce. This project aims to provide an account of Australia’s humanities academic workforce and plan for its future knowledge and skills requirements. The project will investigate the sustainability of the workforce in the face of demographic challenges and risks, and identify the skills and knowledge priorities for both future research and training environments and graduate outcomes, including digital literacy. It will develop a distinctive set of workforce strategies ....The future humanities workforce. This project aims to provide an account of Australia’s humanities academic workforce and plan for its future knowledge and skills requirements. The project will investigate the sustainability of the workforce in the face of demographic challenges and risks, and identify the skills and knowledge priorities for both future research and training environments and graduate outcomes, including digital literacy. It will develop a distinctive set of workforce strategies at the discipline, institutional and national level to ensure the sector is best placed to contribute to Australia’s future, enabling effective responses to global opportunities and challenges, and to changing national research and training needs.Read moreRead less
Strategic assessment of research performance indicators. The use of quantitative measures of research performance in higher education sends powerful messages to those being evaluated, because the choice of measures signals what is considered most important. However, little critical assessment has been undertaken on the use of performance indicators or their impact on research practice. This project will create a knowledge base on performance measures - their validity, fairness, transparency and ....Strategic assessment of research performance indicators. The use of quantitative measures of research performance in higher education sends powerful messages to those being evaluated, because the choice of measures signals what is considered most important. However, little critical assessment has been undertaken on the use of performance indicators or their impact on research practice. This project will create a knowledge base on performance measures - their validity, fairness, transparency and impact on research, and the cost of implementation. By assessing an extensive range of measures, it will provide Australian science management and science policy makers with rigorous information on which to base informed judgements on their utilisation.Read moreRead less
Auditing the Victorian Charter: Australian and international perspectives on applied human rights. This project is a detailed legal, government and policy case study of the most important human rights initiative in recent Australian history. It will provide research and new knowledge in key areas of human rights: the operation of human rights Bills, links between human rights and social disadvantage, education and community attitudes, and strategic government implementation. The project will d ....Auditing the Victorian Charter: Australian and international perspectives on applied human rights. This project is a detailed legal, government and policy case study of the most important human rights initiative in recent Australian history. It will provide research and new knowledge in key areas of human rights: the operation of human rights Bills, links between human rights and social disadvantage, education and community attitudes, and strategic government implementation. The project will develop a new policy tool (a national Audit) to monitor, plan and strengthen human rights in government and the community, and contribute to better social wellbeing and stronger democracy in Australia.Read moreRead less