Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributi ....Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributions specifically and fiscal federalism more generally, the project aims to develop a reform blueprint for a sustainable and equitable fiscal federalism regime in Australia that best aligns with Australia’s current and long-term fiscal needs.Read moreRead less
The culture of implementing Freedom of Information in Australia. In partnership with three Australian Information Commissioners/Ombudsmen this project aims to map the culture of administering Freedom of Information (FOI) laws across a number of Australian jurisdictions. The study aspires to capture and analyse the attitudes among FOI practitioners, government agency managements and political leaders toward information access implementation. The project aims to provide the partner organisations w ....The culture of implementing Freedom of Information in Australia. In partnership with three Australian Information Commissioners/Ombudsmen this project aims to map the culture of administering Freedom of Information (FOI) laws across a number of Australian jurisdictions. The study aspires to capture and analyse the attitudes among FOI practitioners, government agency managements and political leaders toward information access implementation. The project aims to provide the partner organisations with an increased understanding of the culture of administering FOI to inform training/awareness programs and campaigns in order to increase the functionality of FOI. Well-functioning access to information systems is crucial both for good governance and Australia's participation in the digital economy.
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Inequality, Prosperity and the Australian Welfare State. This project aims to clarify contested understandings of Australian inequality and the role of economic and social policies in addressing policy challenges going forward. The objective of the project is to generate significantly improved knowledge of inequality in Australia using innovative approaches of data splicing, decomposition, simulation and backcasting to fill research gaps and resolve contested interpretations. We aim to provide a ....Inequality, Prosperity and the Australian Welfare State. This project aims to clarify contested understandings of Australian inequality and the role of economic and social policies in addressing policy challenges going forward. The objective of the project is to generate significantly improved knowledge of inequality in Australia using innovative approaches of data splicing, decomposition, simulation and backcasting to fill research gaps and resolve contested interpretations. We aim to provide a benchmark and robust framework against which policy development after the current crisis can be evaluated. This project aims to provide significant benefits, keeping Australia at the forefront of research on inequality and public policy, strengthening links between researchers and policy makers.
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Transforming tobacco policy to deliver societal benefits. This project aims to develop new regulatory options for tobacco to minimise the legal market while avoiding the adverse societal and economic impacts of transferring consumer demand to illegal tobacco products. It addresses a significant current concern about a growing illegal tobacco market and seeks to improve understanding of the impact of tobacco control policies on the illegal market, and the societal impacts. The project also seeks ....Transforming tobacco policy to deliver societal benefits. This project aims to develop new regulatory options for tobacco to minimise the legal market while avoiding the adverse societal and economic impacts of transferring consumer demand to illegal tobacco products. It addresses a significant current concern about a growing illegal tobacco market and seeks to improve understanding of the impact of tobacco control policies on the illegal market, and the societal impacts. The project also seeks to draw insights from illicit drug policy to understand potential consequences of greater restrictions on the legal tobacco market. The expected outcomes include an enhanced monitoring system for illicit tobacco and policy recommendations to achieve government goals of reducing smoking rates.Read moreRead less
Child poverty, labour markets and social transfers. This project aims to discover how earnings and social transfers determine the living standards of disadvantaged families with children, and the constraints that wage rates and employment patterns place on social transfer structures. This project will compare the family incomes of disadvantaged children and how the interaction of wage rates, employment and social policies affect them. It will compare Australian outcomes to those in OECD and midd ....Child poverty, labour markets and social transfers. This project aims to discover how earnings and social transfers determine the living standards of disadvantaged families with children, and the constraints that wage rates and employment patterns place on social transfer structures. This project will compare the family incomes of disadvantaged children and how the interaction of wage rates, employment and social policies affect them. It will compare Australian outcomes to those in OECD and middle income countries. This project expects to understand which labour market and social policies combine to lead to the best economic outcomes for disadvantaged families and children.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101131
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,039.00
Summary
Understanding drivers and deterrents of Australia's illicit tobacco market. As Australia implements policies that reduce the availability and affordability of tobacco, demand for illicit tobacco is likely to grow. This research aims to generate new knowledge about the drivers and deterrents of demand for illicit tobacco through three inter-related projects. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing Australians’ demand for illicit tobacco, and expert-informed ....Understanding drivers and deterrents of Australia's illicit tobacco market. As Australia implements policies that reduce the availability and affordability of tobacco, demand for illicit tobacco is likely to grow. This research aims to generate new knowledge about the drivers and deterrents of demand for illicit tobacco through three inter-related projects. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing Australians’ demand for illicit tobacco, and expert-informed policy recommendations to reduce demand for and deter use of illicit tobacco. With no substantive Australian research on this topic for more than 15 years, this research will be essential to reduce the impacts of the illicit tobacco market, including substantial losses in tax revenue and the funding of organised crime.Read moreRead less
The politics of expertise during COVID-19. Experts play a crucial role during crises. This project aims to examine how four governments (Australia, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States) have incorporated public health expertise into their decision making during COVID-19. These countries have similar economic resources, liberal democratic institutions, health system capacities and pandemic preparedness. Yet, their governments responded differently to COVID-19. We will conduct a comparative st ....The politics of expertise during COVID-19. Experts play a crucial role during crises. This project aims to examine how four governments (Australia, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States) have incorporated public health expertise into their decision making during COVID-19. These countries have similar economic resources, liberal democratic institutions, health system capacities and pandemic preparedness. Yet, their governments responded differently to COVID-19. We will conduct a comparative study of how governments managed disagreements between experts and how they integrated diverse expert views into pandemic decision making processes. The research will advance our understanding of the role of experts during crises and help inform governments response to future pandemics. Read moreRead less
The new digital governance of welfare to work. This project aims to analyse the implementation of a 'digital first' employment services system, its effects on frontline services and governance, and its potential for policy learning. It expects to generate new knowledge on how digitalisation changes interactions between jobseekers, providers, employers and the government, by working with our industry partners in a collaborative innovation lab. Expected outcomes of this project include a theoretic ....The new digital governance of welfare to work. This project aims to analyse the implementation of a 'digital first' employment services system, its effects on frontline services and governance, and its potential for policy learning. It expects to generate new knowledge on how digitalisation changes interactions between jobseekers, providers, employers and the government, by working with our industry partners in a collaborative innovation lab. Expected outcomes of this project include a theoretically informed, and practically tested, model of how digitalisation can promote service design and policy innovation that benefits jobseekers and employers. This should provide significant benefits for welfare system design, service outcomes, and policy learning nationally and internationally. Read moreRead less
How do Changes in Institutional Memory Affect Public Policy Processes? . This project will analyse how changes in institutional memory inside government impact on the effectiveness of public policy processes. Institutional memory changes as ministers, public servants and public agencies come and go, but we don’t know what effect these changes have over the quality of public policy. This project will therefore analyse how changes to institutional memory have influenced public services and polici ....How do Changes in Institutional Memory Affect Public Policy Processes? . This project will analyse how changes in institutional memory inside government impact on the effectiveness of public policy processes. Institutional memory changes as ministers, public servants and public agencies come and go, but we don’t know what effect these changes have over the quality of public policy. This project will therefore analyse how changes to institutional memory have influenced public services and policies in Australia and the UK. Expected outcomes include best practice recommendations for government - about how to address memory loss to improve public policy - and novel academic findings about how institutional memory influences the character of public service delivery, lesson-learning and long-term reform.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100784
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,728.00
Summary
The nexus between organisational trust and collaboration in disasters . This project will use empirical investigation to develop a multidimensional model depicting the organisational practices that are vital for quickly establishing and maintaining trusting relationships in emergency management collaboration. Trust is the crucial but often neglected element that determines the success of collaboration. Expected outcomes include the creation of the first rigorously established knowledge base for ....The nexus between organisational trust and collaboration in disasters . This project will use empirical investigation to develop a multidimensional model depicting the organisational practices that are vital for quickly establishing and maintaining trusting relationships in emergency management collaboration. Trust is the crucial but often neglected element that determines the success of collaboration. Expected outcomes include the creation of the first rigorously established knowledge base for understanding what mechanisms are effective to overcome conflicting cultures in Australian emergency management arrangements and successfully build trusting relationships. This should provide significant benefits for all organisations when collaborating in the response to, and recovery from, disasters.Read moreRead less