Genetic Identity Testing and the Family: the articulation between biotechnology and family relationships, politics and policy. Genetic identity testing cuts to the very nature of the family itself. For the first time in human history, it is possible to identify paternity - and misattributed paternity - with reasonable certainty. Parentage testing has become a vehicle for the fathers? rights movement, and is influencing the management of child support policy. Governments are currently developing ....Genetic Identity Testing and the Family: the articulation between biotechnology and family relationships, politics and policy. Genetic identity testing cuts to the very nature of the family itself. For the first time in human history, it is possible to identify paternity - and misattributed paternity - with reasonable certainty. Parentage testing has become a vehicle for the fathers? rights movement, and is influencing the management of child support policy. Governments are currently developing broad policy frameworks on this issue. Yet there is almost no social research on parentage testing. This study will provide scope for Australian leadership in an area of study that will become progressively more important with the rapid development of DNA chip technology. Read moreRead less
Sequencing and assembling microbial community metagenomes in real-time. This project aims to assemble metagenomes directly from environmental samples using nanopore sequencing. Short-read approaches to metagenomics cannot assemble mixed genomes from an environmental sample, so focus on describing which species and genes are present. Long-read nanopore sequencing enables the assembly of full genomes of multiple species in a sample. Assembling complete genomes in important resources such as water ....Sequencing and assembling microbial community metagenomes in real-time. This project aims to assemble metagenomes directly from environmental samples using nanopore sequencing. Short-read approaches to metagenomics cannot assemble mixed genomes from an environmental sample, so focus on describing which species and genes are present. Long-read nanopore sequencing enables the assembly of full genomes of multiple species in a sample. Assembling complete genomes in important resources such as water and soil should lead to deeper understanding of the dynamics, variation and transfer of genetic material within these resources’ microbial communities, strategies to manage microbial diversity, and improved productivity and long-term sustainability for these resources.Read moreRead less
Networks in Flux: Examining how sector relationships adapt to rapid change. This study aims to investigate why, when and how inter-organisational networks adapt or remain resistant to change. Responding to complex social problems and technological change requires inter-organisational networks to be adaptable. Through a combination of longitudinal network analysis, survey research and qualitative interviews, this project plans to study the Victorian HIV and hepatitis C sector as it responds to ma ....Networks in Flux: Examining how sector relationships adapt to rapid change. This study aims to investigate why, when and how inter-organisational networks adapt or remain resistant to change. Responding to complex social problems and technological change requires inter-organisational networks to be adaptable. Through a combination of longitudinal network analysis, survey research and qualitative interviews, this project plans to study the Victorian HIV and hepatitis C sector as it responds to major advances in prevention and treatment, requiring community, health, policy and research organisations to adapt their roles and relationships. This timely and novel study aims to improve our knowledge of how to enable inter-organisational networks to adapt and improve organisational responsiveness to complex issues.Read moreRead less
The impact of policy, demography and geography on work disability. This project aims to map the burden of work disability in Australia through geographic, socioeconomic, demographic and occupational factors. The project intends to determine the impact of state and territory workers' compensation practice on work disability and identify target groups for intervention. Expected outcomes include new insights which nation’s workers’ compensation systems can use in order to implement policy practices ....The impact of policy, demography and geography on work disability. This project aims to map the burden of work disability in Australia through geographic, socioeconomic, demographic and occupational factors. The project intends to determine the impact of state and territory workers' compensation practice on work disability and identify target groups for intervention. Expected outcomes include new insights which nation’s workers’ compensation systems can use in order to implement policy practices that will reduce the burden of work disability in Australia. This outcome would, in turn, improve national productivity and lead to flow-on benefits for the Australian economy and social protection systems such as social security and healthcare.Read moreRead less
Evaluation in health promotion: gathering evidence to improve effectiveness. Effective disease prevention and health promotion to address the public health challenges facing Australia requires a strong evidence base for policy and practice. Evaluation of programs in natural contexts is a vital source of this evidence, valuable for improving strategy design and delivery, building sustainability and guiding funding. The aim of this project is to determine the strengths and limitations of evaluatio ....Evaluation in health promotion: gathering evidence to improve effectiveness. Effective disease prevention and health promotion to address the public health challenges facing Australia requires a strong evidence base for policy and practice. Evaluation of programs in natural contexts is a vital source of this evidence, valuable for improving strategy design and delivery, building sustainability and guiding funding. The aim of this project is to determine the strengths and limitations of evaluation by health promotion agencies, and to identify the roles of individual, organisational and system-level factors in relation to evaluation practice and use. This knowledge is expected to guide efforts to build capacity for evaluation, improve systems for organisational learning, and enable evidence gathering to improve effectiveness.Read moreRead less
Measuring individual and group performance in collaborative problem solving. This project aims to develop performance measures of individuals and groups completing collaborative problem-solving tasks. The project plans to draw on new research in online assessment of collaborative problem solving across curricular domains. Outcomes may include new psychometric models taking into account differences in student ability within groups and the effect on student and group performance of the curriculum ....Measuring individual and group performance in collaborative problem solving. This project aims to develop performance measures of individuals and groups completing collaborative problem-solving tasks. The project plans to draw on new research in online assessment of collaborative problem solving across curricular domains. Outcomes may include new psychometric models taking into account differences in student ability within groups and the effect on student and group performance of the curriculum domain in which the task is embedded. The benefits include a better understanding of the measurement and improvement of group work. Policy extensions beyond the classroom may lead to a workforce better equipped to solve problems collaboratively.Read moreRead less
A model of sex offender registration, monitoring, and risk management. This research will investigate the ways in which sexual offenders are managed in the community and identify the most effective means of preventing further offending, thereby promoting community safety.
Food and beverage price promotions: An untapped policy target . We aim to generate evidence on the influence of price promotions on foods and beverages considered to be of concern for human and planetary health. We further aim to identify if, and how, policies can be designed to reduce these types of price promotions and understand the feasibility and acceptability of doing so, from a range of perspectives.The significance of this project is substantial - unhealthy diets are the leading cause of ....Food and beverage price promotions: An untapped policy target . We aim to generate evidence on the influence of price promotions on foods and beverages considered to be of concern for human and planetary health. We further aim to identify if, and how, policies can be designed to reduce these types of price promotions and understand the feasibility and acceptability of doing so, from a range of perspectives.The significance of this project is substantial - unhealthy diets are the leading cause of disease and death and unhealthy foods account for >30% of the food-related environmental footprint. By understanding if, and how, this novel policy target can be designed to improve population food choices, this project will ultimately deliver benefits for human and planetary through improved dietary choices.Read moreRead less
Modelling health: Reporting behaviour and misclassification using survey data. Empirical models based on large scale survey data sets are used by health economists to inform policymakers. However, in the case of sensitive topics, a potential for survey misreporting may lead to inaccurate estimates of aberrant behaviours. To date, little work has been done analysing the extent and consequences of inaccurate reporting, especially within health economics. By addressing areas where potential for mis ....Modelling health: Reporting behaviour and misclassification using survey data. Empirical models based on large scale survey data sets are used by health economists to inform policymakers. However, in the case of sensitive topics, a potential for survey misreporting may lead to inaccurate estimates of aberrant behaviours. To date, little work has been done analysing the extent and consequences of inaccurate reporting, especially within health economics. By addressing areas where potential for misinformation is high, the overall quality of results will be enhanced. This research will be submitted to highly ranked health economics and econometrics journals to be made available to relevant policymakers intent on ensuring a healthy society.Read moreRead less
Microeconometric Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequity in Mental Healthcare. The project aims to describe the extent of socioeconomic inequity in Australian mental healthcare use, identify the causal pathways that drive inequities, and conduct economic evaluations of programs aimed at increasing healthcare access. Microeconometric methods will be used to analyse large, longitudinal datasets that have not previously been used for this purpose. The project expects to provide a greater understanding o ....Microeconometric Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequity in Mental Healthcare. The project aims to describe the extent of socioeconomic inequity in Australian mental healthcare use, identify the causal pathways that drive inequities, and conduct economic evaluations of programs aimed at increasing healthcare access. Microeconometric methods will be used to analyse large, longitudinal datasets that have not previously been used for this purpose. The project expects to provide a greater understanding of the barriers that people face in accessing treatment and how to overcome them. Such understanding is currently missing from academic literatures and policy inquiries. Ultimately, the research should aid in the design of cost-effective policies that improve health outcomes and that reduce inequities in treatment access.Read moreRead less