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
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 Changing Role Of The Magistrates Court. Magistrates courts have far more contact with the community than any other court but have rarely been the subject of direct research. Recent changes include greater professional qualifications for magistrates and increased volume, complexity and seriousness of cases. This project will survey the changing social/demographic characteristics of magistrates; analyse their daily work, especially increased judicial functions; and examine roles played by s ....The Changing Role Of The Magistrates Court. Magistrates courts have far more contact with the community than any other court but have rarely been the subject of direct research. Recent changes include greater professional qualifications for magistrates and increased volume, complexity and seriousness of cases. This project will survey the changing social/demographic characteristics of magistrates; analyse their daily work, especially increased judicial functions; and examine roles played by social service providers. It will produce a better understanding of magistrates courts, emphasising ideas of judicial independence and accountability, essential to ensuring high standards for the Australian legal system and its relation to the community.Read moreRead less
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
The Australian Judiciary: A National Socio-Legal Analysis. Courts and judges constitute a key social and legal institution, with a distinctive obligation to maintain the rule of law. The knowledge produced by this research will benefit the judiciary, the courts, government and the public they serve. Research findings will be used by courts and government to shape policy in recruitment, selection and professional development. It will assist individual judicial officers to manage their workload ....The Australian Judiciary: A National Socio-Legal Analysis. Courts and judges constitute a key social and legal institution, with a distinctive obligation to maintain the rule of law. The knowledge produced by this research will benefit the judiciary, the courts, government and the public they serve. Research findings will be used by courts and government to shape policy in recruitment, selection and professional development. It will assist individual judicial officers to manage their workloads and provide valuable information for courts in managing independent professionals. This research will improve public and scholarly understanding of Australia's courts and will help sustain an institution essential for safeguarding Australia.
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Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Peace-keeping, Capacity-building, and Development in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Australia's involvement in policing offshore is growing rapidly. Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and shortly, Papua New Guinea, feature in these developments. The Australian Federal Police is now a key player in regional security and development. This study takes stock of this trend. Through three case studies, the project examines the grou ....Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Peace-keeping, Capacity-building, and Development in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Australia's involvement in policing offshore is growing rapidly. Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and shortly, Papua New Guinea, feature in these developments. The Australian Federal Police is now a key player in regional security and development. This study takes stock of this trend. Through three case studies, the project examines the grounds for providing assistance, the different cultural and political contexts in which assistance is taking place, the forms of that assistance, and the achievements and shortcomings of previous and current police assistance missions. It will also provide an analytical framework for future engagements of this nature.Read moreRead less
Judicial Officers and Workload Allocation. Courts and judges constitute a key social and legal institution with a distinctive obligation to maintain the rule of law. The knowledge produced by this research will benefit the judiciary, the courts, government and the public they serve. Research findings about the allocation of judicial work will be used by courts and government to shape policy in recruitment, selection and professional development. It will assist individual judicial officers to ....Judicial Officers and Workload Allocation. Courts and judges constitute a key social and legal institution with a distinctive obligation to maintain the rule of law. The knowledge produced by this research will benefit the judiciary, the courts, government and the public they serve. Research findings about the allocation of judicial work will be used by courts and government to shape policy in recruitment, selection and professional development. It will assist individual judicial officers to manage their workloads and provide valuable information for courts in managing independent professionals. This research will improve public and scholarly understanding of Australia's courts and will help sustain an institution essential for safeguarding Australia.Read moreRead less
New Concepts in Legal Pluralism: A Theoretical and Practical Analysis. The central objective of this project is to make a substantial and original contribution to legal knowledge by developing a new concept of legal pluralism, and demonstrating its practical significance in the modern legal context. The traditional centralist model of law fails to recognise the co-existance of law with "quasi-legal" and informal normative systems, it deals inadequately with social and cultural difference, and it ....New Concepts in Legal Pluralism: A Theoretical and Practical Analysis. The central objective of this project is to make a substantial and original contribution to legal knowledge by developing a new concept of legal pluralism, and demonstrating its practical significance in the modern legal context. The traditional centralist model of law fails to recognise the co-existance of law with "quasi-legal" and informal normative systems, it deals inadequately with social and cultural difference, and it fails to recognise that state-based law is neither closed nor autonomous. This project will develop an innovative approach to legal pluralism, and strengthen pluralist thought within Australian law.Read moreRead less
Legitimacy, Deservingness, and Entitlement: Studies in Social Justice. This research program aims to clarify the variables that affect whether authorities are seen to be legitimate or otherwise, and the conditions under which people are perceived to be entitled to benefits or to deserve either positive or negative treatment. We will also examine how personal and social values affect these kinds of judgments, and how judgments of legitimacy, deservingness and entitlement are related. The resear ....Legitimacy, Deservingness, and Entitlement: Studies in Social Justice. This research program aims to clarify the variables that affect whether authorities are seen to be legitimate or otherwise, and the conditions under which people are perceived to be entitled to benefits or to deserve either positive or negative treatment. We will also examine how personal and social values affect these kinds of judgments, and how judgments of legitimacy, deservingness and entitlement are related. The research program will advance theoretical understanding about social justice in a variety of contexts (eg., organizations, law, government, family). It will also have practical outcomes by suggesting ways of exercising authority that are seen as both effective and fair.Read moreRead less