Regional Australia' skills shortages and high-skill refugees' employment . Regional Australia loses to cities thousands of professional and trade-related people whose skills cannot be replaced. Focusing on small and medium-size enterprises producing food and beverages, this project aims to determine whether refugee employment (i) is a strategic resource (ii) can alleviate these chronic regional skill shortages, and (iii) can be integrated in immigration policy. In doing so, it will for the firs ....Regional Australia' skills shortages and high-skill refugees' employment . Regional Australia loses to cities thousands of professional and trade-related people whose skills cannot be replaced. Focusing on small and medium-size enterprises producing food and beverages, this project aims to determine whether refugee employment (i) is a strategic resource (ii) can alleviate these chronic regional skill shortages, and (iii) can be integrated in immigration policy. In doing so, it will for the first time provide critical empirical evidence on the possible need to separate policy measures aimed at rural vs. urban employers. The outcomes will contribute to reducing the problem of critical skill shortages and wastage at once and do so with an eye to the needs to rural Australia – a key driver of the country’s exports. Read moreRead less
The impact of income support design on the outcomes of children and youth. This project aims to assess how children from low-income families are affected by welfare policy design in Australia – specifically, by policy intended to influence welfare payment receipt and workforce participation of their parent(s). Causal impacts of policy design on children will be identified and evaluated using unique administrative and survey data, and treating recent welfare reforms in Australia as natural experi ....The impact of income support design on the outcomes of children and youth. This project aims to assess how children from low-income families are affected by welfare policy design in Australia – specifically, by policy intended to influence welfare payment receipt and workforce participation of their parent(s). Causal impacts of policy design on children will be identified and evaluated using unique administrative and survey data, and treating recent welfare reforms in Australia as natural experiments.. This will be the first comprehensive Australian analysis of intergenerational impacts of welfare policy design.Read moreRead less
Rethinking diversity and inclusion practices in leadership roles. This project aims to study the lack of racial and gender diversity in management and leadership roles. The noticeable imbalances question the functioning of the meritocracy principle and may lead to organisational and social vulnerabilities. This project will apply large-scale field experiments with major organisations to investigate how workplace diversity and inclusion can be improved using as foundation economic theories of sig ....Rethinking diversity and inclusion practices in leadership roles. This project aims to study the lack of racial and gender diversity in management and leadership roles. The noticeable imbalances question the functioning of the meritocracy principle and may lead to organisational and social vulnerabilities. This project will apply large-scale field experiments with major organisations to investigate how workplace diversity and inclusion can be improved using as foundation economic theories of signaling, discrimination, fairness, and identity. The expected outcome is the identification of best diversity and inclusion practice in attraction, hiring, development and retention. This will provide significant benefit through an increase in workplace diversity.
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Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of fir ....Small firms' finances: effects on employment, wages and growth. The project aims to estimate how difficulties in accessing financial and credit markets affect small and medium enterprise (SME) decisions about employment, wages, entry and exit. Although the SME sector is Australia’s largest employer, the extent to which financial constraints affect these firms' market performance and their ability to create and sustain employment is unknown. The project plans to use an econometric analysis of firm level panel data to fill this gap. The intended outcome is micro-econometric findings tailored to improve targeted labour and financial policy. The expected benefit is to provide input to policy responses that support employment, productivity and wages in volatile market conditions.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. This Centre intends to generate crucial knowledge to inform social and economic responses to population ageing, one of the most important issues of the 21st century. Population ageing exerts unprecedented pressures on social norms and policy institutions, both in Australia and around the world. Leading researchers from a range of disciplines will undertake multidisciplinary research to help governments, businesses, and consumers prepare for ....ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. This Centre intends to generate crucial knowledge to inform social and economic responses to population ageing, one of the most important issues of the 21st century. Population ageing exerts unprecedented pressures on social norms and policy institutions, both in Australia and around the world. Leading researchers from a range of disciplines will undertake multidisciplinary research to help governments, businesses, and consumers prepare for and make better decisions for an ageing world, with consequent social and economic benefits for families and communities expected to flow to Australia, the Asian region and the world.Read moreRead less
Australia's Resilience to Recession. This project aims to study why Australia differs from its OECD peers in that it has not had a recession for 27 years. It intends to generate knowledge by using economic models to solve 3 puzzles relating to Australia’s success: (i) why did foreign financial market shocks not spill over to the economy?; (ii) how has the resource curse that affects economies with a booming resource sector been avoided?; and (iii) what makes Australia special? Expected outcomes ....Australia's Resilience to Recession. This project aims to study why Australia differs from its OECD peers in that it has not had a recession for 27 years. It intends to generate knowledge by using economic models to solve 3 puzzles relating to Australia’s success: (i) why did foreign financial market shocks not spill over to the economy?; (ii) how has the resource curse that affects economies with a booming resource sector been avoided?; and (iii) what makes Australia special? Expected outcomes include the development of theoretical and empirical models that reflect the unique features of the Australian economy. This should provide significant benefits, including guidance to Australian and international policymakers on macroeconomic policies for resource-rich countries.Read moreRead less
Inequality of health, wealth and education in China. This project aims to examine whether China’s recent increase in income inequality is associated with increased inequalities in other well-being related outcomes: health, education and wealth. It also aims to identify the factors associated with increases in inequalities. Significant increases in income and wealth inequality could have detrimental effects on economic and political stability. The expected outcomes from this project will help to ....Inequality of health, wealth and education in China. This project aims to examine whether China’s recent increase in income inequality is associated with increased inequalities in other well-being related outcomes: health, education and wealth. It also aims to identify the factors associated with increases in inequalities. Significant increases in income and wealth inequality could have detrimental effects on economic and political stability. The expected outcomes from this project will help to identify policies useful in addressing inequalities and enhancing stability within Australia's important trading partner.Read moreRead less
SeSAFE – Delivering Industry Safety Through Electronic Learning
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$434,706.31
Summary
The SeSAFE project has to date focused on raising safety awareness and the development/delivery of safety training modules. This is a response to current inadequacies in safety training in the fishing and aquaculture industry.
It is now timely for SeSAFE to address other inadequacies in safety training by:
• Filling the gap that allows new crew to step foot on a dangerous work platform before receiving any safety training • Providing consistent safety training content to ....The SeSAFE project has to date focused on raising safety awareness and the development/delivery of safety training modules. This is a response to current inadequacies in safety training in the fishing and aquaculture industry.
It is now timely for SeSAFE to address other inadequacies in safety training by:
• Filling the gap that allows new crew to step foot on a dangerous work platform before receiving any safety training • Providing consistent safety training content to all fishers nationwide • Promoting SeSAFE as the industry benchmark in pre-sea safety training, that also serves to demonstrate achievement towards duty-of-care requirements • Developing a standard of achievement and certificate of completion, for use as a recognised industry standard and potential requirement for employment at sea • Overcoming jurisdictional inconsistencies and inadequacies in safety training • Developing fishery-specific modules for multiple fisheries, to complement onboard safety inductions • Extending SeSAFE training to seafood processors, fishery observers, and others • Establishing a secure funding base to ensure persistent, long-term delivery of SeSAFE training as well as a permanent hosting organisation, e.g. Seafood Industry Australia.
There is also a need to continue existing SeSAFE activities because:
• Many fishers and others are anticipating recurrent safety training • SeSAFE is one of the few sources of fishery-specific safety training, such as safe handling of fishing gear • It will leverage progress and momentum toward improved safety performance, which may otherwise be foregone • Several agencies, e.g. the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, are poised to use SeSAFE to provide safety training • SeSAFE training means individuals can avoid group training sessions and reduce the risk of Covid 19 infection.
SeSAFE training responds to Objective 3 of FRDC’s National RD&E Seafood Industry Safety Initiative Strategic Plan 2019/21, 'Increase uptake by industry of workplace safety and safety training programs and education tools', by serving the education component of the Strategic Plan.
Objectives: 1. INFORM, via an independent review, the design and application of user-pay funding models in Australian primary industries, the potential for a similar model to be introduced by SeSAFE in the fishing and aquaculture industry, and steps recommended to realise this outcome. 2. TRANSITION to a user-pays funding model to perpetuate the cost-effective delivery of SeSAFE training, based on the outcome of the independent review, and to Seafood Industry Australia or other party hosting the SeSAFE program at the conclusion of this project. 3. RETAIN delivery of SeSAFE training to existing users in the Australian fishing and aquaculture industry. 4. EXPAND the number of industry bodies, fishing and aquaculture companies, independent fishers and aquaculture workers, processors, observers, researchers, and others utilising SeSAFE training on a recurrent basis. 5. EXPAND the number of fishery-specific modules beyond those already developed for the ACPF, including completion of fishery-specific modules for the Western Rock Lobster Council and weather forecasting modules for the Bureau of Meteorology. 6. PROMOTE SeSAFE as the industry benchmark in pre-sea safety training to meet duty of care requirements. 7. INCENTIVISE the use of SeSAFE training, including through formal recognition of SeSAFE training by AMSA and others, certification, and potential rebate by insurance agencies. Read moreRead less
Mobility Shocks: Understanding disruptions to Australian migration. This Fellowship aims to generate new knowledge about the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on human migration and mobility, in order to advance understanding of major disruptive changes to population movement more broadly. Fellowship outcomes will include designing innovative geospatial research methods, linking and analysing cutting-edge datasets, and building cross-sector collaborations, in order to develop a new theory of ‘Mob ....Mobility Shocks: Understanding disruptions to Australian migration. This Fellowship aims to generate new knowledge about the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on human migration and mobility, in order to advance understanding of major disruptive changes to population movement more broadly. Fellowship outcomes will include designing innovative geospatial research methods, linking and analysing cutting-edge datasets, and building cross-sector collaborations, in order to develop a new theory of ‘Mobility Shocks’. This will benefit Australia and its migration partners with new ideas, tools, evidence and expertise to help scholars, policy makers and practitioners to understand, anticipate, and manage future disruptive changes to human migration and mobility in the Australian context and beyond.Read moreRead less