The utilisation of social science research in policy development and program review. This project will enhance the use of evidence in social policy and improve the relevance of applied social research. It will produce new insights into factors affecting the success of evidence-based decision-making by examining social research utilisation within various agencies at federal and state levels. National and community benefits centre on how to improve the policy uptake of social research. This will c ....The utilisation of social science research in policy development and program review. This project will enhance the use of evidence in social policy and improve the relevance of applied social research. It will produce new insights into factors affecting the success of evidence-based decision-making by examining social research utilisation within various agencies at federal and state levels. National and community benefits centre on how to improve the policy uptake of social research. This will contribute to the development of improved support systems to enhance the consideration of evidence-based policy. Outcomes will be applicable to governments, policy-makers and academics in Australia and abroad. Ways to improve research partnerships between academic social scientists and public sector agencies will be identified. Read moreRead less
Redistribution and Risk in Contracting Out Government Services. Governments across Australia spend billions of dollars per year on contracting out of their services, yet there is very knowledge of the costs and benefits of contracting out. The existing research on contracting out tends to focus narrowly on issues such as cost. This research will examine a much broader range of consequences associated with contracting out including changes in the distribution of resources, changes in political ....Redistribution and Risk in Contracting Out Government Services. Governments across Australia spend billions of dollars per year on contracting out of their services, yet there is very knowledge of the costs and benefits of contracting out. The existing research on contracting out tends to focus narrowly on issues such as cost. This research will examine a much broader range of consequences associated with contracting out including changes in the distribution of resources, changes in political power between groups and changes in the nature of service delivery. The research will have three outcomes: testing of a systematic framework for evaluating contracting out, new knowledge on the impacts of contracting out across a wider range of outcomes, and an analysis of the distributive relationships associated with contracting out.Read moreRead less
Resistance to pediculicides in head lice, Pediculus humanus var. capitis. The number of children with head lice in countries like Australia is increasing. One factor that promotes lice is resistance to pesticides. Yet until now resistance has not been studied in Australia. We propose a new approach to studying resistance: "field" tests by school nurses and other health workers. Existing tests require lice to be sent alive to labs in cities. Our test will, if successful, allow people in the ....Resistance to pediculicides in head lice, Pediculus humanus var. capitis. The number of children with head lice in countries like Australia is increasing. One factor that promotes lice is resistance to pesticides. Yet until now resistance has not been studied in Australia. We propose a new approach to studying resistance: "field" tests by school nurses and other health workers. Existing tests require lice to be sent alive to labs in cities. Our test will, if successful, allow people in the "field" to test lice. Expected outcomes are: (i) scientific information on resistance to pediculicides in head lice, and thus, improved control of head lice; (ii) reduced exposure of children to pesticides; and (iii) a strategic alliance between six organisations that should outlive the project.Read moreRead less
From postbox to policy powerhouse: The history and politics of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 1911-2010. Understanding our national government and its development is vital if we are to know the foundations on which we build. As more and more appears to be dragged towards the centre, because of the need to coordinate the big issues such as climate change, capacity constraints, terrorism and skills shortages, so the capacity of the centre becomes more important. This longitudinal ....From postbox to policy powerhouse: The history and politics of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 1911-2010. Understanding our national government and its development is vital if we are to know the foundations on which we build. As more and more appears to be dragged towards the centre, because of the need to coordinate the big issues such as climate change, capacity constraints, terrorism and skills shortages, so the capacity of the centre becomes more important. This longitudinal study of continuity and change in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet will provide insights into the way that governments can build for the next 100 years.Read moreRead less
Implementing teleauscultation for remote user health services in Australia: A case study with economic evaluation. By reducing the requirement for patients to travel to major centres for assessment, this project is expected to result in significant direct savings per individual patient. Indirect cost reductions will also result from the minimisation of travel for patients, with the potential for national savings in transport infrastructure costs, greenhouse gases emissions, and decreasing other ....Implementing teleauscultation for remote user health services in Australia: A case study with economic evaluation. By reducing the requirement for patients to travel to major centres for assessment, this project is expected to result in significant direct savings per individual patient. Indirect cost reductions will also result from the minimisation of travel for patients, with the potential for national savings in transport infrastructure costs, greenhouse gases emissions, and decreasing other undesirable consequences of either private or public transport travel for patients and/or specialist physicians. Further indirect benefits include incidental learning by staff working with patients in remote location through the remote link. Other advantages include happier patients as they will not need to leave their home and loved ones as often.Read moreRead less
Remote patient assessment using digital stethoscope for telehealth systems in Australia. The direct saving will be about $15 600 per individual patient. Indirect cost reductions will significantly minimise travel for patients, national savings in transport infrastructure costs, greenhouse gases emissions and all the other undesirable consequences of either private or public transport travel for patients and/or specialist physicians. Other indirect benefits include incidental learning by staff w ....Remote patient assessment using digital stethoscope for telehealth systems in Australia. The direct saving will be about $15 600 per individual patient. Indirect cost reductions will significantly minimise travel for patients, national savings in transport infrastructure costs, greenhouse gases emissions and all the other undesirable consequences of either private or public transport travel for patients and/or specialist physicians. Other indirect benefits include incidental learning by staff working with patients in the remote location through the remote link. Other advantages include happier patients as they will not need to leave their home and loved ones as often. This can be translated into national benefits through reduction in anxiety and less stressful patients.Read moreRead less
Understanding engagement to regulate the commercial determinants of health. This project aims to generate new knowledge on how government and non-government organisations can prevent
poor health via their effective regulation of harmful commodity industries, specifically alcohol and highly-processed
food. The significance of this project is its innovative approach to regulation, with a focus on engagement
processes between state and non-state actors for the management of harmful commodities. Exp ....Understanding engagement to regulate the commercial determinants of health. This project aims to generate new knowledge on how government and non-government organisations can prevent
poor health via their effective regulation of harmful commodity industries, specifically alcohol and highly-processed
food. The significance of this project is its innovative approach to regulation, with a focus on engagement
processes between state and non-state actors for the management of harmful commodities. Expected outcomes
include improved methodologies in the field of health governance, and enhanced capacity among Partner
organisations to engage effectively with different industries. These outcomes should benefit health policy
prevention goals.Read moreRead less
A Balanced Accountability Framework for Nonprofit Organizations. Government's increasing reliance on nonprofit organisations to deliver $7.8 billion in community services (40% increase over five years) has outstripped its current accountability frameworks. These frameworks emphasise nonprofit organisations' financial compliance with service agreements, rather than assess the quality of service provided, or ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources. This project will reconceptual ....A Balanced Accountability Framework for Nonprofit Organizations. Government's increasing reliance on nonprofit organisations to deliver $7.8 billion in community services (40% increase over five years) has outstripped its current accountability frameworks. These frameworks emphasise nonprofit organisations' financial compliance with service agreements, rather than assess the quality of service provided, or ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources. This project will reconceptualise and operationalise accountability in the context of those organisations which deliver community services on behalf of government, to enable more effective partnerships between government and nonprofit organisations in the delivery of community services.Read moreRead less
Exploding the Myth of Change Resistance in Public Service Organisations: New Models of the Determinants of Successful Organisational Transformation. Large scale organisational change is costly as 80% of change efforts fail due to institutional stability, organisational resistance and cultural inflexibility. In the public sector change resistance has become particularly problematic as governments have demanded radical and rapid structural and cultural changes within public organisations. This pro ....Exploding the Myth of Change Resistance in Public Service Organisations: New Models of the Determinants of Successful Organisational Transformation. Large scale organisational change is costly as 80% of change efforts fail due to institutional stability, organisational resistance and cultural inflexibility. In the public sector change resistance has become particularly problematic as governments have demanded radical and rapid structural and cultural changes within public organisations. This project will develop models of change to extend theory and practice regarding the institutional, organisational and cultural environment necessary for public organisations to undergo large scale change and thus assist public organisations in facilitating successful large-scale change. An innovative approach is used to incorporate geographically dispersed, multi-functional and stratified workforces.Read moreRead less
Developing new methods for building health policy capacity in Australia. This project will contribute to improving the capacity for policy analysis, development and evaluation in the health policy workforce and state health jurisdictions in this country. Building health policy capacity will enable the Australian health system to more effectively address current and emerging challenges including an ageing population, increasing incidence of chronic disease, pressures for cost containment, continu ....Developing new methods for building health policy capacity in Australia. This project will contribute to improving the capacity for policy analysis, development and evaluation in the health policy workforce and state health jurisdictions in this country. Building health policy capacity will enable the Australian health system to more effectively address current and emerging challenges including an ageing population, increasing incidence of chronic disease, pressures for cost containment, continuing poor Aboriginal health and emerging threats to Australia's public health, health security and National Health Strategy.Read moreRead less