Courts, the Judiciary and Social Change. While few Australians have direct experience of courts, nearly all agree that courts are important to the community, though public confidence is low. Social changes and the ambiguous position of courts in relation to change are part of this tension. This project will undertake a concrete examination of one aspect of social change and the courts: the increasing number of women in the judiciary. The focus on how gender interacts with judicial work and th ....Courts, the Judiciary and Social Change. While few Australians have direct experience of courts, nearly all agree that courts are important to the community, though public confidence is low. Social changes and the ambiguous position of courts in relation to change are part of this tension. This project will undertake a concrete examination of one aspect of social change and the courts: the increasing number of women in the judiciary. The focus on how gender interacts with judicial work and the wider roles of courts will produce new and valuable understandings of gender and judging, gender and work, and courts and social change. Better knowledge about these complex relationships will strengthen Australian society and its legal integrity.Read moreRead less
Rethinking higher education persistence. This project aims to address the issue of early departure from university. Many students leave higher education and disproportionate numbers are from educationally disadvantaged groups, including first-in-family learners. Too often, the individual learner is 'blamed' for this departure and perceived as deficit in necessary knowledge. This project extends previous research into how first-in-family students manage and engage with higher education. Expected ....Rethinking higher education persistence. This project aims to address the issue of early departure from university. Many students leave higher education and disproportionate numbers are from educationally disadvantaged groups, including first-in-family learners. Too often, the individual learner is 'blamed' for this departure and perceived as deficit in necessary knowledge. This project extends previous research into how first-in-family students manage and engage with higher education. Expected outcomes include knowledge about university persistence behaviours and a capabilities informed framework to design and implement future retention strategies.Read moreRead less
Just truth? An empirical study of expert evidence. Though a ubiquitous feature of contemporary legal and regulatory practice, expert evidence continues to create administrative and socio-economic problems. Expert evidence can add to the length, cost and complexity of litigation and has been linked to the failure of tort law, the withdrawal of insurance coverage, legal mistakes and notorious miscarriages of justice. This project will examine how expert knowledge is developed and used in and aroun ....Just truth? An empirical study of expert evidence. Though a ubiquitous feature of contemporary legal and regulatory practice, expert evidence continues to create administrative and socio-economic problems. Expert evidence can add to the length, cost and complexity of litigation and has been linked to the failure of tort law, the withdrawal of insurance coverage, legal mistakes and notorious miscarriages of justice. This project will examine how expert knowledge is developed and used in and around legal settings. It will identify means of improving the provision and evaluation of expert advice in order to enhance the social legitimacy of our legal institutions and facilitate commercial innovation and productivity.Read moreRead less
Social auditing for positive change and indigenous life-world experiences in the resource rich Pilbara. Roebourne is an impoverished Indigenous community in the heart of the booming resource industries of the Pilbara. The town symbolises the challenges and opportunities for contemporary Australia. This project has been initiated by the Ngarluma and Yjindibarndi Peoples and will be co-funded and directed by these Peoples. The Project will adapt and extend approaches developed by Indigenous commun ....Social auditing for positive change and indigenous life-world experiences in the resource rich Pilbara. Roebourne is an impoverished Indigenous community in the heart of the booming resource industries of the Pilbara. The town symbolises the challenges and opportunities for contemporary Australia. This project has been initiated by the Ngarluma and Yjindibarndi Peoples and will be co-funded and directed by these Peoples. The Project will adapt and extend approaches developed by Indigenous communities in Canada to record the needs, hopes and ambitions of the people of the Roebourne region and in doing so document their solutions to real and significant problems. The project does not just enable consultation with an Indigenous community rather it helps create a platform for that community, if it chooses, to make decisions for the future.Read moreRead less
Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is ....Reducing youth unemployment through social procurement in construction. This project aims to produce new conceptual insights into effective cross-sector collaboration in construction, in order to provide solutions to address youth unemployment. Youth unemployment is a significant economic, social and health problem. Yet Australia’s largest youth employer, the construction industry, faces skills shortages to deliver an unprecedented construction and infrastructure pipeline. Social procurement is a potential solution to both these challenges but requires new approaches to cross sector collaborations. This project aims to develop new insights, practical knowledge and practical tools for effective social procurement.Read moreRead less
Getting a job: vocationalism, identity formation and schooling in communities at disadvantage. This research will use young people's stories to investigate the barriers and obstacles to getting a job, and from their vantage point, identify the educational, policy and practice contexts that need to be created and more widely sustained in order to assist their career aspirations and life chances.
Science, Litigation and the Public Accountability of Vertically Integrated Expertise. The impetus for this research derives from concerns with tort law reform; the loss of public trust in science and legal process when expertise is perceived to be biased; the opportunity cost of inappropriate regulation from misunderstood expertise in litigation; and issues of social justice when regulators and courts disregard plaintiffs' legitimate claims because of a refusal to consider various forms of exper ....Science, Litigation and the Public Accountability of Vertically Integrated Expertise. The impetus for this research derives from concerns with tort law reform; the loss of public trust in science and legal process when expertise is perceived to be biased; the opportunity cost of inappropriate regulation from misunderstood expertise in litigation; and issues of social justice when regulators and courts disregard plaintiffs' legitimate claims because of a refusal to consider various forms of expertise. By offering a conceptually fresh look at science/law relations, the project will enrich public understanding of the management of controversial scientific issues by the legal system, and assist in the clearer framing of law reform and science policy.Read moreRead less
Hopes and Aspirations of Australian Muslims. Promoting harmony and increasing security are critical national issues. This project will provide reliable information on the socio-political outlook of Australian Muslims - a growing community in Australia which has attracted extensive public scrutiny in recent years. By testing the hopes and aspirations of Australian Muslims, the findings of this project will (a) offer tangible guidelines for Commonwealth and state policy makers, (b) contribute to a ....Hopes and Aspirations of Australian Muslims. Promoting harmony and increasing security are critical national issues. This project will provide reliable information on the socio-political outlook of Australian Muslims - a growing community in Australia which has attracted extensive public scrutiny in recent years. By testing the hopes and aspirations of Australian Muslims, the findings of this project will (a) offer tangible guidelines for Commonwealth and state policy makers, (b) contribute to an informed public discourse on the place of Islam in Australia, and (c) enrich inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue and social harmonyRead moreRead less
The Political Sociology of the Australian Jewish Community. This project will examine the internal dynamics of the Australian Jewish community, its institutional structure, and responses to internal and external pressures, including terrorism. The study will analyse the interaction of the Jewish community with the broader Australian society, including relations between the internalised norms of the community and the demands made by participation in a pluralist society. Primarily sociological a ....The Political Sociology of the Australian Jewish Community. This project will examine the internal dynamics of the Australian Jewish community, its institutional structure, and responses to internal and external pressures, including terrorism. The study will analyse the interaction of the Jewish community with the broader Australian society, including relations between the internalised norms of the community and the demands made by participation in a pluralist society. Primarily sociological and political in approach, the study will also explore previously unexamined archives. The project will develop an improved model for Jewish community leadership which may also be useful for other communities.Read moreRead less
Constructing regionally appropriate anti-racism strategies for Australia. Racism is an international social scourge, and Australia is not immune from its injurious effects. The experience of racism degrades senses of belonging and generates disaffection, leads to ill-health and restrictions of mobility, as well as other social and individual pathologies. Reducing racism will strengthen Australia's social fabric. This project tests the utility of anti-racism templates and does so in rural as well ....Constructing regionally appropriate anti-racism strategies for Australia. Racism is an international social scourge, and Australia is not immune from its injurious effects. The experience of racism degrades senses of belonging and generates disaffection, leads to ill-health and restrictions of mobility, as well as other social and individual pathologies. Reducing racism will strengthen Australia's social fabric. This project tests the utility of anti-racism templates and does so in rural as well as urban Australia. The templates will be usable by local authorities and NGOs in framing their anti-racism efforts.Read moreRead less