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Moral Panics and the Law in Eighteenth-Century England. This project will reveal the origins of a phenomenon that is ubiquitous in modern western society. By doing so it will attract international attention from academic historians and sociologists. It will also contribute to Australia's reputation for producing high-quality intellectual products, and further enhance its standing as a leading centre for the study of Britain in the eighteenth century. Because of its contemporary relevance the stu ....Moral Panics and the Law in Eighteenth-Century England. This project will reveal the origins of a phenomenon that is ubiquitous in modern western society. By doing so it will attract international attention from academic historians and sociologists. It will also contribute to Australia's reputation for producing high-quality intellectual products, and further enhance its standing as a leading centre for the study of Britain in the eighteenth century. Because of its contemporary relevance the study will provide a critical perspective on modern politics, especially the perception that governments legitimise their authority by helping to constitute popular anxiety about threats to moral and personal security.Read moreRead less
Civilizing Divorce: Social Change, Law and the Transformation of Parenthood. The project will leave policy-makers, professionals, law reformers, and parents and their children themselves, better equipped to navigate their way through a major process of transformation in the way our intimate lives are structured. It will help take some of the 'heat' out of the child custody debate, to see current changes as an integral part of a broader process of change in our emotional relationships, and to br ....Civilizing Divorce: Social Change, Law and the Transformation of Parenthood. The project will leave policy-makers, professionals, law reformers, and parents and their children themselves, better equipped to navigate their way through a major process of transformation in the way our intimate lives are structured. It will help take some of the 'heat' out of the child custody debate, to see current changes as an integral part of a broader process of change in our emotional relationships, and to broaden the conceptual resources available to policy-making and law reform concerning post-separation child custody.Read moreRead less
The rule of law in history and memory: Australian and Canadian settler frontiers. This study is inspired by current 'History Wars' debates in Australia and Canada, which in raising questions about 'what happened' in the colonial past have demonstrated that the shape of the nation's historical memory is of vital present day importance. These debates have shown that more detailed historical research is required into how the frontiers of European settlement evolved in practice, and how Indigenous p ....The rule of law in history and memory: Australian and Canadian settler frontiers. This study is inspired by current 'History Wars' debates in Australia and Canada, which in raising questions about 'what happened' in the colonial past have demonstrated that the shape of the nation's historical memory is of vital present day importance. These debates have shown that more detailed historical research is required into how the frontiers of European settlement evolved in practice, and how Indigenous populations were made subject to colonial legal authority. As a project of comparative history, the study is of international as well as national significance. It has the potential to generate improved understanding of current conditions by highlighting differences and similarities between Australian and Canadian experiences.Read moreRead less
The Origins of Homosexual Politics in the British World: A Transnational Study. This project's findings will be of national and community benefit in three ways. Addressing the origins and early development of one of the most important social movements of modern times, it will contribute to the understanding of the ways in which social inequality has been so successfully tackled in Australia over the past fifty years. By attending to the international context of this history it will expand knowle ....The Origins of Homosexual Politics in the British World: A Transnational Study. This project's findings will be of national and community benefit in three ways. Addressing the origins and early development of one of the most important social movements of modern times, it will contribute to the understanding of the ways in which social inequality has been so successfully tackled in Australia over the past fifty years. By attending to the international context of this history it will expand knowledge of the nature, extent and longevity of Australia's connections to global political cultures. Finally, it will strengthen Australian scholarship's already well-established claim to world-class research in gay and lesbian and queer studies.Read moreRead less
Beyond the pale: Sovereignty, Law and Indigenous peoples. The project contributes to understanding inequality in law and practice. It expands knowledge of the colonial dimensions of sovereignty, demonstrating how excluding Indigenous peoples from the ordinary operations of both international and domestic law helped constitute and transform sovereignty and produce racialised identities in settler societies. The research provides a new, more comprehensive conceptual framework for analysing front ....Beyond the pale: Sovereignty, Law and Indigenous peoples. The project contributes to understanding inequality in law and practice. It expands knowledge of the colonial dimensions of sovereignty, demonstrating how excluding Indigenous peoples from the ordinary operations of both international and domestic law helped constitute and transform sovereignty and produce racialised identities in settler societies. The research provides a new, more comprehensive conceptual framework for analysing frontier practices, ameliorating the polarising effects of recent debates surrounding this historiography. As the war on terrorism has again seen the suspension of the law in certain circumstances, investigations into the strengths and limits of the rule of law are opportune and timely.Read moreRead less
Understanding forms of violence and their regulation in Australian history. In contemporary Australia inter-personal violence (such as domestic violence, the abuse of children, Aboriginal deaths in custody, the Cronulla riots) occupies intense media and public interest. Governmental responses to violence (through policing or the courts) themselves rest on the exercise of authorised and regulated control which itself may be considered a form of violence. In examining the historical changes in vio ....Understanding forms of violence and their regulation in Australian history. In contemporary Australia inter-personal violence (such as domestic violence, the abuse of children, Aboriginal deaths in custody, the Cronulla riots) occupies intense media and public interest. Governmental responses to violence (through policing or the courts) themselves rest on the exercise of authorised and regulated control which itself may be considered a form of violence. In examining the historical changes in violence, its social impact and media resonances, and the public policy responses to it, this research seeks to contribute to contemporary understanding of these important questions on the basis of a greater appreciation of the specifically Australian history of these phenomena.Read moreRead less
Risk, Urban Fire Protection and Security Networks. Urban fire prevention is a critical field for public security and economic development. As such, it has always been shaped by factors beyond those of simple technological growth. These include major unanticipated events and the responses to them by many state and non-state agencies with divergent interests and knowledge bases. By analysing the resulting 'technological politics', the project will examine the ways in which this strategic field ....Risk, Urban Fire Protection and Security Networks. Urban fire prevention is a critical field for public security and economic development. As such, it has always been shaped by factors beyond those of simple technological growth. These include major unanticipated events and the responses to them by many state and non-state agencies with divergent interests and knowledge bases. By analysing the resulting 'technological politics', the project will examine the ways in which this strategic field has taken on a risk-based preventative orientation. This will contribute new perspectives and considerations for the assessment and development of fire prevention and urban security in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
John Vincent Barry: law, social reform and institutional innovation in mid-twentieth century Australia. The capacity of governing institutions to adapt to changing social conditions was a critical component of Australian post-war history. As jurist, social reformer, sponsor and mentor of an emerging Australian criminology, criminal justice practitioner, intellectual and internationalist, John Barry was an exemplar of an activist in this cause. This study explores the dimensions of this activity ....John Vincent Barry: law, social reform and institutional innovation in mid-twentieth century Australia. The capacity of governing institutions to adapt to changing social conditions was a critical component of Australian post-war history. As jurist, social reformer, sponsor and mentor of an emerging Australian criminology, criminal justice practitioner, intellectual and internationalist, John Barry was an exemplar of an activist in this cause. This study explores the dimensions of this activity of institution-building and intellectual engagement through the record of Barry's life in its political and social context. Outcomes will include a published biography and articles dealing with the conditions of intellectual and political engagement in social reform in post-war Australia.Read moreRead less
The Impact of Hate Speech Laws on Public Discourse in Australia. 2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the first Australian laws (NSW) directed at the regulation of hate speech. Although hate speech laws are now firmly embedded in Australia's legal landscape, and have been extended in some jurisdictions to vilification based on religious and sexual orientation, they remain a controversial instrument for supporting Australia's policies on multiculturalism, religious tolerance an ....The Impact of Hate Speech Laws on Public Discourse in Australia. 2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the first Australian laws (NSW) directed at the regulation of hate speech. Although hate speech laws are now firmly embedded in Australia's legal landscape, and have been extended in some jurisdictions to vilification based on religious and sexual orientation, they remain a controversial instrument for supporting Australia's policies on multiculturalism, religious tolerance and respect for difference. An examination of the effects of hate speech laws on public discourse - both intended and unintended - will offer valuable insights about the capacity of law to deliver social cohesion in 21st century Australia.Read moreRead less
The prospects for justice in the legal reform of police administrative detention powers in China. Australia's security and economic well-being is becoming increasingly closely tied to China. Australia has a strong interest in China's continued economic well-being, as well as promoting the rule of law and valuing the protection of human rights. The effective legal protection of human rights is of vital concern to our relationship, to China's long term stability and to China's increasing participa ....The prospects for justice in the legal reform of police administrative detention powers in China. Australia's security and economic well-being is becoming increasingly closely tied to China. Australia has a strong interest in China's continued economic well-being, as well as promoting the rule of law and valuing the protection of human rights. The effective legal protection of human rights is of vital concern to our relationship, to China's long term stability and to China's increasing participation in international human rights fora. This project will enhance our understanding of struggles to effect legal reform of contentious police powers and to improve protection of citizens' rights through reforming law enforcement practices. It will contribute to ongoing Sino-Australian cooperation to promote human rights protection.Read moreRead less