Waithood: The experience of being on the social housing waiting list. This project aims to investigate the circumstances of people on the social housing waiting-list and how they manage their everyday lives while waiting for a social housing property to become available. It also aims to conduct a review of how social housing waiting list assessments are done and profile the waiting list population. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the study expects to generate new knowledge on different groups o ....Waithood: The experience of being on the social housing waiting list. This project aims to investigate the circumstances of people on the social housing waiting-list and how they manage their everyday lives while waiting for a social housing property to become available. It also aims to conduct a review of how social housing waiting list assessments are done and profile the waiting list population. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the study expects to generate new knowledge on different groups of applicants. Expected outcomes include an enhanced understanding of the impacts of being on the waiting list for extended periods. This study will provide significant benefits as the high quality evidence produced should enhance policymakers’ understandings of applicants' circumstances and lead to better outcomes.Read moreRead less
Managing urban trees. Managing urban trees. This project aims to explore the effects of different urban tree types and plantings on people and wildlife in Melbourne, Moreland and Ballarat so they can better plan their future urban forests. Local governments spend millions of dollars planting and maintaining urban trees every year. Research provides little guidance to these land managers when making critical decisions in a rapidly changing social and physical environment. This project will combin ....Managing urban trees. Managing urban trees. This project aims to explore the effects of different urban tree types and plantings on people and wildlife in Melbourne, Moreland and Ballarat so they can better plan their future urban forests. Local governments spend millions of dollars planting and maintaining urban trees every year. Research provides little guidance to these land managers when making critical decisions in a rapidly changing social and physical environment. This project will combine tree inventory data with new information on the social and ecological effects of trees (e.g. human well-being, bird diversity). This research is expected to guide future tree management decisions that have better social and environmental outcomes for Australia’s cities.Read moreRead less
Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. This project aims to investigate how the Antarctic gateway cities of Hobart, Christchurch and Punta Arenas might reimagine and intensify their relations to the continent and each other. As pressures on Antarctica increase, five 'gateway cities'—Hobart, Cape Town, Christchurch, Punta Arenas and Ushuaia—will become critical to its future. This research is expected to ....Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. Antarctic cities and the global commons: Rethinking the gateways. This project aims to investigate how the Antarctic gateway cities of Hobart, Christchurch and Punta Arenas might reimagine and intensify their relations to the continent and each other. As pressures on Antarctica increase, five 'gateway cities'—Hobart, Cape Town, Christchurch, Punta Arenas and Ushuaia—will become critical to its future. This research is expected to create a robust custodial network of partner organisations that helps these cities care for Antarctica.Read moreRead less
Indicative impacts of population ageing on Australia's States, Territories and Local Communities. Population ageing and its associated shift to zero population growth and/or natural decline is occurring at substantially different rates across and within Australia's States and Territories. The trends, which are perhaps most marked in Tasmania - Australia's fastest ageing State - have significant implications for the economic growth and socio-economic composition of each region. This multi-level ....Indicative impacts of population ageing on Australia's States, Territories and Local Communities. Population ageing and its associated shift to zero population growth and/or natural decline is occurring at substantially different rates across and within Australia's States and Territories. The trends, which are perhaps most marked in Tasmania - Australia's fastest ageing State - have significant implications for the economic growth and socio-economic composition of each region. This multi-level study will project the impact of population ageing on economic welfare at State and Territory level; and on the socio-demographic profile of Local Government regions in Tasmania. The two analyses will then be bought together in developing policy responses.Read moreRead less
Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Tra ....Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Travel (AT). There is an opportunity to promote AT as part of an integrated transport strategy, and to develop tools for the robust evaluation of AT impacts to inform future investment strategies. This proposal will provide our partner organisation Transport for New South Wales (with the knowledge required to achieve this.
Read moreRead less
Automated Sensors for a ‘wetland in a box’. Globally, and particularly in Australia, water supply and water pollution is one of the most critical constraints to our health and growth. This project seeks to validate a new portable remediation system suitable for deployment at regional locations through the integration and development of advanced sensors. We aim to develop the world’s first completely integrated platform for monitoring both water chemistry and microbiology to provide near-real-tim ....Automated Sensors for a ‘wetland in a box’. Globally, and particularly in Australia, water supply and water pollution is one of the most critical constraints to our health and growth. This project seeks to validate a new portable remediation system suitable for deployment at regional locations through the integration and development of advanced sensors. We aim to develop the world’s first completely integrated platform for monitoring both water chemistry and microbiology to provide near-real-time information regarding the quality of the remediated water. We expect this to improve the availability of regional water resources by providing a low-cost remediation solution with integrated monitoring to provide assurances of meeting the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (2006).Read moreRead less
Fluorinated surfactants and hydrocarbons at coastal airports. Fluorinated surfactants and hydrocarbons at coastal airports. This project aims to develop a model and parameters that describe transport and co-transport of fluoro-surfactants and hydrocarbons, priority pollutants with a wide range of physico-chemical properties, at coastal airports. Sixty percent of Australian airports are in the coastal plain, and all are affected by contamination from internationally banned fluoro-surfactants and ....Fluorinated surfactants and hydrocarbons at coastal airports. Fluorinated surfactants and hydrocarbons at coastal airports. This project aims to develop a model and parameters that describe transport and co-transport of fluoro-surfactants and hydrocarbons, priority pollutants with a wide range of physico-chemical properties, at coastal airports. Sixty percent of Australian airports are in the coastal plain, and all are affected by contamination from internationally banned fluoro-surfactants and hydrocarbons. Their extensive past use at firefighting training grounds resulted in costly remediation worldwide. Understanding the fate of persistent fluoro-surfactants from point sources, and their role in transporting non-polar chemicals such as hydrocarbons, will improve risk-based decision making. This research is expected to form the basis for effective risk management and intervention strategies.Read moreRead less
A Roadmap for Greening Existing Australian Housing. The project will minimise the impact of the Greenhouse Pollution Reduction Scheme and anticipated rises in water costs on the householders. It will assist the consumers and the building industry in evaluating the environmental and economic costs and benefits of specific retrofitting actions for building envelope and major fixed appliances (thermal insulation, glazing, air infiltration, hot water, heating/cooling, lighting, low water flow and wa ....A Roadmap for Greening Existing Australian Housing. The project will minimise the impact of the Greenhouse Pollution Reduction Scheme and anticipated rises in water costs on the householders. It will assist the consumers and the building industry in evaluating the environmental and economic costs and benefits of specific retrofitting actions for building envelope and major fixed appliances (thermal insulation, glazing, air infiltration, hot water, heating/cooling, lighting, low water flow and water reuse appliances, and solar photovoltaic systems). In addition to assisting a burgeoning renovation industry, the project will enable accurate assessment of the impacts of the Green Loans Program and guide future national and local energy and water reduction policies. Read moreRead less
Tectonic geography of the world's oldest petroleum play, the McArthur Basin. This projects aims to develop a 4D tectonic geography framework to support the effective exploration of the McArthur Basin. This project will construct this by a) investigating the evolving tectonic setting, b) examining intra-basin correlations and trace the source to sink sediment provenance, c) unraveling the depositional geography using novel isotopic proxies, and, d) constructing the subsequent thermal history of ....Tectonic geography of the world's oldest petroleum play, the McArthur Basin. This projects aims to develop a 4D tectonic geography framework to support the effective exploration of the McArthur Basin. This project will construct this by a) investigating the evolving tectonic setting, b) examining intra-basin correlations and trace the source to sink sediment provenance, c) unraveling the depositional geography using novel isotopic proxies, and, d) constructing the subsequent thermal history of the basin. The techniques developed through this project will de-risk the exploration for petroleum in this basin, and be applicable in opening up Proterozoic petroleum elsewhere in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Hybrid Remote Area Power Systems with Hydrogen Energy Storage for Isolated and Regional Communities. The distances and difficulties of transporting diesel to remote areas substantially add to the cost of electricity - making it many times the cost of supplies available from the grid. Consistency of electricity supply is dependent on reliable transport access and substantial storage for fuel on site. This project will reduce emissions in energy generation and provide the opportunity for mainly ....Hybrid Remote Area Power Systems with Hydrogen Energy Storage for Isolated and Regional Communities. The distances and difficulties of transporting diesel to remote areas substantially add to the cost of electricity - making it many times the cost of supplies available from the grid. Consistency of electricity supply is dependent on reliable transport access and substantial storage for fuel on site. This project will reduce emissions in energy generation and provide the opportunity for mainly renewable, high-quality electricity supplies at reduced cost for remote and isolated communities. This will make communities more self-sufficient, enhance the quality of life and provide opportunities for initiatives, including economic and employment generating activities, to benefit the communities.Read moreRead less