The global impact of Chinese martial arts films and their potential to use Australian technology. A study of martial arts film is of national benefit in several ways. First, it makes a scholarly contribution to film studies in our Asia Pacific region. Second, it enhances our understanding of issues arising from Chinese popular culture, such as soft power, cultural nationalism, regional rivalries, combat, and justice. Finally, Australian companies have been involved in the high-technology end of ....The global impact of Chinese martial arts films and their potential to use Australian technology. A study of martial arts film is of national benefit in several ways. First, it makes a scholarly contribution to film studies in our Asia Pacific region. Second, it enhances our understanding of issues arising from Chinese popular culture, such as soft power, cultural nationalism, regional rivalries, combat, and justice. Finally, Australian companies have been involved in the high-technology end of landmark Chinese martial arts films, which provides Australians with opportunities for developing business relationships, producing new creative content, and expanding innovative technologies with an important market in the global environment.Read moreRead less
Impediments to Security Sector Reform in Southeast Asia. This project investigates the impediments to security sector reform in Southeast Asia. It applies an original framework of analysis that identifies five types of impediment to security reform in four critically important regional case studies: Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Because effectively implemented security sector reform will enhance regional peace and security by creating armed forces that are democratically con ....Impediments to Security Sector Reform in Southeast Asia. This project investigates the impediments to security sector reform in Southeast Asia. It applies an original framework of analysis that identifies five types of impediment to security reform in four critically important regional case studies: Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Because effectively implemented security sector reform will enhance regional peace and security by creating armed forces that are democratically controlled, transparent and professional, understanding the impediments to reform has the potential to significantly enhance Australia's domestic and international security position. This research will provide the first theoretically informed empirical analysis of security sector reform in Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less
The Atacama and Australian mining companies: identity, intercultural communication and negotiation in northern Chile. The involvement by state administrations and global corporations in planning for social responsibility in mining and the resulting negotiations with citizens - especially groups identified as indigenous - brings a range of people into dialogue. However, these contexts are under-researched. The proposed project will contribute an independent study of relationships between Chilean ....The Atacama and Australian mining companies: identity, intercultural communication and negotiation in northern Chile. The involvement by state administrations and global corporations in planning for social responsibility in mining and the resulting negotiations with citizens - especially groups identified as indigenous - brings a range of people into dialogue. However, these contexts are under-researched. The proposed project will contribute an independent study of relationships between Chilean citizens, Australian mining companies and the state in northern Chile. It seeks to provide theoretical insights and offer practical information in academic and plain language for local negotiators, global business and state administration: a timely analysis given recently (2008) signed Free Trade Agreement with Chile.Read moreRead less
Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-prolifer ....Australia's Nuclear Choices. Australia's nuclear choices will be made in the context of a challenging and fluid international strategic environment characterised in Australia's immediate region by heightened global concerns regarding such transnational dilemmas as terrorism, energy security and nuclear proliferation. This project, through exploring the nature, evolution and consequences of contemporary strategic, military and civil nuclear developments impacting on the international non-proliferation regime will enable Australian policy-makers to better calibrate the costs and benefits of potential policy changes across these strategic, regime and market realms of Australia's nuclear interests.Read moreRead less
The Politics of Alliance Affinity. There is bipartisan consensus in Australia that the alliance with the US is the 'cornerstone' of Australia's security. However, many of the United States' alliances are increasingly being placed under strain by demographic and attitudinal changes, changing US force postures, and a shift in US policy on coalition military activities. Managing the alliance relationship with Washington will be a serious challenge for Australia's security policy makers. Australia a ....The Politics of Alliance Affinity. There is bipartisan consensus in Australia that the alliance with the US is the 'cornerstone' of Australia's security. However, many of the United States' alliances are increasingly being placed under strain by demographic and attitudinal changes, changing US force postures, and a shift in US policy on coalition military activities. Managing the alliance relationship with Washington will be a serious challenge for Australia's security policy makers. Australia also has significant security relationships with New Zealand and the UK. Understanding the domestic politics of their security policies will provide a much firmer basis for managing these aspects of Australia's international security.Read moreRead less
Making better decisions about built assets: learning by doing. This research will assist the built environment professions and their clients to make better decisions about new developments through a novel 'learning by doing' approach. Used successfully in other fields such as natural resource management, this idea will capitalise on the large number of asset investments undertaken to benchmark original stakeholder intentions and aspirations against the reality of current performance. Decisions w ....Making better decisions about built assets: learning by doing. This research will assist the built environment professions and their clients to make better decisions about new developments through a novel 'learning by doing' approach. Used successfully in other fields such as natural resource management, this idea will capitalise on the large number of asset investments undertaken to benchmark original stakeholder intentions and aspirations against the reality of current performance. Decisions will be re-evaluated in the context of contemporary economic, social and environmental criteria to enable existing multi-criteria models to deliver more sustainable outcomes that are also feasible and in the national interest, and consequently minimise the industry's current exposure to future climate change.Read moreRead less
Strategic Assessment of Building Adaptive Reuse Opportunities. This research will review a large database of existing buildings, many of which have exceeded their useful life. An innovative model will be developed to enable Australia's building and property industries to identify the most viable opportunities for building adaptive reuse. The model will integrate financial, environmental and social sustainability, enabling community stakeholders to make informed decisions with widespread benefits ....Strategic Assessment of Building Adaptive Reuse Opportunities. This research will review a large database of existing buildings, many of which have exceeded their useful life. An innovative model will be developed to enable Australia's building and property industries to identify the most viable opportunities for building adaptive reuse. The model will integrate financial, environmental and social sustainability, enabling community stakeholders to make informed decisions with widespread benefits. The research is aligned with the national priority area: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia: Transforming Existing Industries. The expertise developed in this project will be regionally and internationally applicable, providing momentum for the growing adaptive design and conservation market.Read moreRead less
Creating a Framework for the Environmental Brief. Briefing is a predesign documentation process for building design. At present this process ignores environmental issues. The research will examine the briefing process of innovative Environmentally Sustainable Design buildings to analyse and develope a frame work called an environmental brief.
This frame work can assist with the transformation of the building industry to Environmentally Sustainable Design practice.
A Paraconsistent Approach to Vagueness. This project will utilise logical techniques that have been developed largely by Australian logicians. This techniques will be brought to bear on the problem of vagueness, one of the most important problems in the philosophy of logic. The project will thus greatly enhance Australia's already strong international reputation in logic and philosophical logic.
Crustal fault system dynamics and earthquake prediction. The greatest challenge in earthquake science is prediction. Yet this possibility remains elusive. However, recent advances using an innovative numerical simulation model provided the first clear evidence for an underlying physical mechanism for earthquake forecasting, and observational studies have recently identified two independent precursors suggesting that this mechanism operates in the crust. The proposed project will use advanced sim ....Crustal fault system dynamics and earthquake prediction. The greatest challenge in earthquake science is prediction. Yet this possibility remains elusive. However, recent advances using an innovative numerical simulation model provided the first clear evidence for an underlying physical mechanism for earthquake forecasting, and observational studies have recently identified two independent precursors suggesting that this mechanism operates in the crust. The proposed project will use advanced simulation models and an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to obtain an improved understanding of crustal fault system dynamics with the aim of resolving the earthquake prediction question and progressing towards the scientific underpinning needed for intermediate-term earthquake forecasting.Read moreRead less