Improving International Law Regulation of Maritime Autonomous Vessels . The use of maritime autonomous vessels (MAVs) is creating regulatory and enforcement opportunities and challenges under international law. The aim of this project is to fill a critical gap in current responses in international law in focusing on the challenges posed by MAVs to international maritime security law. MAVs are increasingly useful for states in peacetime military operations, in response to transnational crime, mar ....Improving International Law Regulation of Maritime Autonomous Vessels . The use of maritime autonomous vessels (MAVs) is creating regulatory and enforcement opportunities and challenges under international law. The aim of this project is to fill a critical gap in current responses in international law in focusing on the challenges posed by MAVs to international maritime security law. MAVs are increasingly useful for states in peacetime military operations, in response to transnational crime, maritime cybersecurity, and in promoting broader national security goals, but non-state actors may also use them for terrorist and transnational criminal activity. International law has not kept up with this technology so this project will redress that problem and propose law reform to enhance global maritime security.Read moreRead less
Working the gig economy: The organisation of digital platform work. This project aims to reveal the characteristics, motivations and relationships between the three central entities which comprise digital platform work: companies which organise work of different skill and scale in the gig economy; end-user individuals and enterprises; and digital platform workers themselves. This project investigates the organisation of platform work from the perspective of both workers and the intermediaries th ....Working the gig economy: The organisation of digital platform work. This project aims to reveal the characteristics, motivations and relationships between the three central entities which comprise digital platform work: companies which organise work of different skill and scale in the gig economy; end-user individuals and enterprises; and digital platform workers themselves. This project investigates the organisation of platform work from the perspective of both workers and the intermediaries they use to find work. Expected outcomes will contribute g to knowledge of workforce transitions and shifting work/home boundaries This has the potential to informeffective policy responses to platform work with respect to labour law, superannuation regulation, organisational policy and social welfare regimes.Read moreRead less
Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws . Criminal laws have been radically transformed to keep Australians safe from violence. This project aims to complete the first national study of how and why criminal laws have proliferated and diversified so significantly. It will employ novel conceptual tools for investigating the 'drivers', ‘processes’ and ‘modalities’ of criminalisation, and complete socio-legal studies of sexual and domestic violence, homicide, alcohol ....Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws . Criminal laws have been radically transformed to keep Australians safe from violence. This project aims to complete the first national study of how and why criminal laws have proliferated and diversified so significantly. It will employ novel conceptual tools for investigating the 'drivers', ‘processes’ and ‘modalities’ of criminalisation, and complete socio-legal studies of sexual and domestic violence, homicide, alcohol-related violence, public disorder and the activities of criminal groups. The intended outcome is new knowledge about the causes and effects of innovation in criminal law-making. This research can benefit future public debate, policy development and law reform decisions about the role of criminalisation in enhancing safety.Read moreRead less
Mapping & Harnessing Public Mistrust: Constitutional Values Survey 2023-27. Declining public trust is well recognised as a problem of democratic government, including in Australia. However solutions are more elusive, confounded by the reality that mistrust and distrust play not just negative, but positive roles in our existing political and constitutional traditions. This project aims to be the first to comprehensively map the positive values of mistrust in citizen political attitudes and experi ....Mapping & Harnessing Public Mistrust: Constitutional Values Survey 2023-27. Declining public trust is well recognised as a problem of democratic government, including in Australia. However solutions are more elusive, confounded by the reality that mistrust and distrust play not just negative, but positive roles in our existing political and constitutional traditions. This project aims to be the first to comprehensively map the positive values of mistrust in citizen political attitudes and experience, building on previous Constitutional Values Surveys (2008-21) to test new measures of the content of trust including a first-ever longitudinal study of changing trust over time. The results will inform concrete solutions to three key policy reform dilemmas, providing better answers for sustaining public trust overall.
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A legal framework for managing mangrove ecosystem services. This project aims to examine legal and policy challenges, together with expert opinion, to generate a legal framework that recognises and protects the multiple ecosystem services provided by mangroves. Global rates of mangrove loss are of great concern because of the significant ecosystem services they provide in coastal environments. In the Australian context it is important that national and state legal frameworks operate efficiently ....A legal framework for managing mangrove ecosystem services. This project aims to examine legal and policy challenges, together with expert opinion, to generate a legal framework that recognises and protects the multiple ecosystem services provided by mangroves. Global rates of mangrove loss are of great concern because of the significant ecosystem services they provide in coastal environments. In the Australian context it is important that national and state legal frameworks operate efficiently to manage and protect these valuable resources. The framework developed in this project will be adaptable to provide significant benefits to other fragile ecosystems in Australia.Read moreRead less
Using Conservation Covenants for Ecosystem Restoration & Climate Adaptation. This project aims to investigate the role of conservation covenants in facilitating ecological restoration and adaptation to climate change. In light of international experience, the project examines Australia's legal experience with conservation covenants, with case studies in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria. The project expects to generate new theoretical insights and practical knowledge about the obstacles an ....Using Conservation Covenants for Ecosystem Restoration & Climate Adaptation. This project aims to investigate the role of conservation covenants in facilitating ecological restoration and adaptation to climate change. In light of international experience, the project examines Australia's legal experience with conservation covenants, with case studies in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria. The project expects to generate new theoretical insights and practical knowledge about the obstacles and opportunities for enabling covenants to play a more ambitious role in meeting biodiversity conservation and recovery goals. This should generate significant benefits to Australia in meeting its international environmental obligations, and improving collaboration between governments and community and landholder stakeholders.Read moreRead less
Unlocking digital innovation: Intellectual Property and the Right to Repair. This project aims to investigate the role that Intellectual Property (IP) plays in the rights and capacities of Australians to repair their smart goods. This project will generate new knowledge with regards to how IP can contribute to emerging regulatory approaches to the 'Right to Repair', which has consequences for a more efficient and sustainable use of Australia's resources. Expected outcomes include advanced knowle ....Unlocking digital innovation: Intellectual Property and the Right to Repair. This project aims to investigate the role that Intellectual Property (IP) plays in the rights and capacities of Australians to repair their smart goods. This project will generate new knowledge with regards to how IP can contribute to emerging regulatory approaches to the 'Right to Repair', which has consequences for a more efficient and sustainable use of Australia's resources. Expected outcomes include advanced knowledge and understanding of IP and the role it can play in rebalancing manufacturer and consumer relationships in digital consumables and in Australia's future environmental sustainability. This will enhance Australia's economy and society through legal, economic, and environmental regulatory reform.Read moreRead less
Regulating and countering structural inequality on digital platforms. This project aims to find legal, ethical, technical, and commercial opportunities to counter inequality online. It uses machine learning and custom data collection tools to create new knowledge about how digital platforms—including search engines, social media, peer economy, and news platforms—can help to tackle misogyny, racism, and other forms of structural discrimination. It uses this knowledge to investigate the extent to ....Regulating and countering structural inequality on digital platforms. This project aims to find legal, ethical, technical, and commercial opportunities to counter inequality online. It uses machine learning and custom data collection tools to create new knowledge about how digital platforms—including search engines, social media, peer economy, and news platforms—can help to tackle misogyny, racism, and other forms of structural discrimination. It uses this knowledge to investigate the extent to which private sector digital platforms can be expected to monitor and regulate the actions of their users, what responsibilities they have to avoid contributing to discrimination, hatred, intolerance and abuse, and how the law should develop to ensure that our digital environment is more equal and fair. Read moreRead less