Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residen ....Community variations in crime: A spatial and ecometric analysis. Collective Efficacy (CE) is a new theoretical construct (that has never been investigated in Australia). It is a task-specific process for mobilising social capital to tackle specific neighbourhood problems. Research in Chicago finds that communities with high levels of CE experience lower levels of violence regardless of poverty levels. We will conduct a spatial and ecometric analysis of CE and crime using a survey of 3000 residents in 50 Brisbane communities. We will compare similar data from Chicago and Stockholm to investigate the Australian contribution of CE to spatial crime patterns and its potential for future crime prevention programs.Read moreRead less
Managing subsoil constraints for increased productivity and water use efficiency. Subsoil constraints limit crop production in up to 60% of agricultural land. This project examines the impacts of organic matter incoporation, deep placement of nutrients, use of primer crops, calcium addition and their combination on amelioration of subsoil constraints and thereby on the improvement of root growth, water use and crop yield in high-rainfall region. The best-bet management strategy will be developed ....Managing subsoil constraints for increased productivity and water use efficiency. Subsoil constraints limit crop production in up to 60% of agricultural land. This project examines the impacts of organic matter incoporation, deep placement of nutrients, use of primer crops, calcium addition and their combination on amelioration of subsoil constraints and thereby on the improvement of root growth, water use and crop yield in high-rainfall region. The best-bet management strategy will be developed.Read moreRead less
Social, Environmental and Economic Sustainability in the Context of Melanesian Mining Projects. This is an interdisciplinary study of Melanesian understandings of socio-economic and environmental sustainability in the context of mining projects. It entails research into traditional ecological knowledge and assessment of ways that local understandings and expectations compromise programs based on Western scientific principles. It will examine local ideas about land use and food security, and the ....Social, Environmental and Economic Sustainability in the Context of Melanesian Mining Projects. This is an interdisciplinary study of Melanesian understandings of socio-economic and environmental sustainability in the context of mining projects. It entails research into traditional ecological knowledge and assessment of ways that local understandings and expectations compromise programs based on Western scientific principles. It will examine local ideas about land use and food security, and the social and cultural factors that determine responses to impacts of mining projects. The project will involve collaborative, interdisciplinary research, integrating social and cultural analysis and environmental and agrarian studies. It will contribute to current debates on environmentalism, mining impact and sustainable development.Read moreRead less
More than a Roof Overhead: Meeting the Need for a Sustainable Housing System in Remote Indigenous Communities. Many Indigenous Australians live in substandard and over-crowded accommodation, and experience poor health, education, family stability and child-safety outcomes as a result. The lack of improvement in this situation is largely due to levels of funding and approaches to construction and management inadequate to the scale of the problem. This situation is changing and new funding and po ....More than a Roof Overhead: Meeting the Need for a Sustainable Housing System in Remote Indigenous Communities. Many Indigenous Australians live in substandard and over-crowded accommodation, and experience poor health, education, family stability and child-safety outcomes as a result. The lack of improvement in this situation is largely due to levels of funding and approaches to construction and management inadequate to the scale of the problem. This situation is changing and new funding and policies are being established. The researchers will work alongside housing providers and selected Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Northern Territory to develop procurement, construction and housing management practices that will meet the critical need for more affordable, appropriate and sustainable housing.Read moreRead less
Early life nutrition to improve feed efficiency in commercial dairy goats. This project aims to improve the productivity and welfare and reduce resource waste in commercial dairy goat kids. The Australian dairy goat industry is expanding (~20% per annum) yet there is little research to overcome hurdles to improving milk and meat production. There is also increased societal pressure to improve sustainability, reduce waste and maintain animal welfare. By investigating nutritional methods to improv ....Early life nutrition to improve feed efficiency in commercial dairy goats. This project aims to improve the productivity and welfare and reduce resource waste in commercial dairy goat kids. The Australian dairy goat industry is expanding (~20% per annum) yet there is little research to overcome hurdles to improving milk and meat production. There is also increased societal pressure to improve sustainability, reduce waste and maintain animal welfare. By investigating nutritional methods to improve productivity of male (for meat) and female (for milk) kids, this project will generate new knowledge relevant to Australian and international goat production systems. This project will assist goat producers to make decisions that maximise animal productivity with flow on benefits to manufacturers of goat products. Read moreRead less
Use of Distichlis spicata for sustainable forage production on saline land to manage dryland salinity. Sustainable and productive use of salt-affected lands is a priority for many farmers. This project aims to develop management strategies that optimise yield, water use and nutritive value of Distichlis spicata (a salt-tolerant grass) forage on salinised lands, and to understand how this forage species affects the salt cycle, water use and fertility improvement of saline soils.
Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry ....Securing the next generation in farming and food careers. This project aims to investigate why and how young people (aged 15-35 years) enter, stay or leave jobs and careers in the agri-food sector, including farming, farm services and food processing. This project expects to generate new knowledge to improve youth career trajectories through using an innovative, interdisciplinary and engaged research design with young people. Expected outcomes include the co-design of youth-appropriate industry and education policy proposals, new models of youth engagement in agri-food and better career outcomes for young people. This should provide significant benefits to the sustainability and growth of the agri-food sector and to rural and regional communities and their economic prosperity. Read moreRead less
Building Capacity for a Sustainable Future. The concept of sustainability has been proposed as a practical and useful concept capable of providing solutions to social, environmental and economic problems. Global interest in the concept also stems from the advantages that organisational change for sustainability can impart, including improved efficiency and profitability. The project will develop sustainability capabilities of graduates entering a diverse range of industries, enhancing the nation ....Building Capacity for a Sustainable Future. The concept of sustainability has been proposed as a practical and useful concept capable of providing solutions to social, environmental and economic problems. Global interest in the concept also stems from the advantages that organisational change for sustainability can impart, including improved efficiency and profitability. The project will develop sustainability capabilities of graduates entering a diverse range of industries, enhancing the national skills base. The models and processes of institutional change developed in this project can be adopted by universities, governments and corporations throughout the world, enhancing Australia's reputation as a world leader in institutional and corporate sustainability.Read moreRead less
A Universal Approach to Sustainable Development: Economic, Environmental, and Social Indicators in Australia and Southeast Asia. Sustainable development has implications for all facets of society and yet is in real danger of becoming a hollow catch cry. A significant reason for this is the lack of operational and standard indicators across a broad spectrum of economic, environmental and social realms. The major innovation of this work will be the incorporation of social choice theory based on re ....A Universal Approach to Sustainable Development: Economic, Environmental, and Social Indicators in Australia and Southeast Asia. Sustainable development has implications for all facets of society and yet is in real danger of becoming a hollow catch cry. A significant reason for this is the lack of operational and standard indicators across a broad spectrum of economic, environmental and social realms. The major innovation of this work will be the incorporation of social choice theory based on revealed preferences into defining and measuring sustainable development in Australia and Southeast Asia. This project will benefit both state and national governments, as well as non government organisations, interested in sustainable development and future social welfare.Read moreRead less
How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of natu ....How to make antibiotics in pig feed redundant, naturally. Antimicrobial resistance has become a major issue in human and veterinary medicine being partially caused by the use of in-feed antimicrobials in farm animals. This project aims to completely eliminate antimicrobials from piglet feeds. The key differential approach is based on helping the physiology of the animal rather than testing interventions against bacteria. The project will consist of developing a novel nutritional strategy of naturally (through maternal conditioning) boosting the natural appetite and the capacity to digest in piglets early in life. The anticipated outcome is that the new peri-natal program will result in minimal bacterial proliferation and diarrhoea thus, negating the need for in-feed antimicrobials in piglets. Read moreRead less