Cancelling neighbouring voices for enhanced audio-visual collaboration. Cancelling neighbouring voices for enhanced audio-visual collaboration. This project aims to improve voice communication in immersive video conference technology for distance-based learning, using classrooms of students. research new theoretical approaches and develop new technology to transform the voice communication experience for co-located immersive video conferencing participants. When participants are co-located, two ....Cancelling neighbouring voices for enhanced audio-visual collaboration. Cancelling neighbouring voices for enhanced audio-visual collaboration. This project aims to improve voice communication in immersive video conference technology for distance-based learning, using classrooms of students. research new theoretical approaches and develop new technology to transform the voice communication experience for co-located immersive video conferencing participants. When participants are co-located, two major audio issues—significant acoustic echo and instability—can arise; these are barriers to the wider adoption of this mode of education delivery. The expected outcome is an immersive video conferencing application deployed by the partner organisation. A key benefit will be a significantly enhanced product that provides a commercial advantage as well as a solution to remote learning for Australian students and educators.Read moreRead less
Planning and operational models for food rescue and delivery to the poor. This project aims to develop an innovative holistic mathematical model of the vehicle routing problem for a charity-based food rescue and distribution system. Such a model would aim to maximise societal benefits while constraining costs, and would need to take into account the demand profile for donors and receivers, and the equitable distribution of food. The model developed is designed to mathematically represent the sys ....Planning and operational models for food rescue and delivery to the poor. This project aims to develop an innovative holistic mathematical model of the vehicle routing problem for a charity-based food rescue and distribution system. Such a model would aim to maximise societal benefits while constraining costs, and would need to take into account the demand profile for donors and receivers, and the equitable distribution of food. The model developed is designed to mathematically represent the system in a consistent framework so as to develop optimisation models and techniques. The project also seeks to understand the factors that influence the demand to donate to food rescue by organisations and individuals and the demand to request food by welfare agencies.Read moreRead less
Assessing Readiness for Treatment in Violent Offenders. In recent years criminal justice systems have increasingly identified violent offenders as a key target group for rehabilitation programs and anger management programs have now been widely implemented in most jurisdictions. However, recent research evaluating the outcomes of these anger management programs suggests that only some participants are likely to benefit. The aim of this research is to develop a method of identifying the individua ....Assessing Readiness for Treatment in Violent Offenders. In recent years criminal justice systems have increasingly identified violent offenders as a key target group for rehabilitation programs and anger management programs have now been widely implemented in most jurisdictions. However, recent research evaluating the outcomes of these anger management programs suggests that only some participants are likely to benefit. The aim of this research is to develop a method of identifying the individual characteristics of those who are likely to benefit, so that resources and interventions can be targeted. The research will help to improve the effectiveness of program delivery thereby contributing to the reduction of violent crime.Read moreRead less
An Evaluation of Suspended Sentences of Imprisonment. A suspended sentence is a fixed term of imprisonment, the execution of which has been suspended in whole or in part. It is widely used in most Australian jurisdictions. A conflict between public and legal perceptions about the severity of this sanction contributes to a lack of public confidence in the criminal justice system and makes abolition or restrictions on the use of suspended sentences a real possibility when governments feel pressure ....An Evaluation of Suspended Sentences of Imprisonment. A suspended sentence is a fixed term of imprisonment, the execution of which has been suspended in whole or in part. It is widely used in most Australian jurisdictions. A conflict between public and legal perceptions about the severity of this sanction contributes to a lack of public confidence in the criminal justice system and makes abolition or restrictions on the use of suspended sentences a real possibility when governments feel pressured to be tough on crime. This project aims to explore the use of the suspended sentence and to evaluate its efficacy as an alternative to imprisonment.
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Strategic Service Innovation: The Role of Heterogeneity in Substantive and Dynamic Capabilities. This project will provide Australian companies with the tools to conduct a services capabilities audit. This tool will allow them to identify substantive and dynamic service capabilities that they must strengthen or acquire, in order to remain competitive in domestic and global markets, where consumers increasingly differentiate between organisations by value-adding services that they offer. Austral ....Strategic Service Innovation: The Role of Heterogeneity in Substantive and Dynamic Capabilities. This project will provide Australian companies with the tools to conduct a services capabilities audit. This tool will allow them to identify substantive and dynamic service capabilities that they must strengthen or acquire, in order to remain competitive in domestic and global markets, where consumers increasingly differentiate between organisations by value-adding services that they offer. Australia imports over $40Bn worth of services each year. This project has the potential to increase the domestic and international competitiveness of Australian manufacturers and service industries and contribute to the economy by reducing dependence on service imports, and assuring ongoing employment for Australian workers. Read moreRead less
Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place. This project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations. The significance lies in the development of new knowledge with this group of young people about their needs and of factors shaping effective responses to them. Expected outcomes include the generation of policies and practices to reduce the drivers of young people leaving a ....Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place. This project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations. The significance lies in the development of new knowledge with this group of young people about their needs and of factors shaping effective responses to them. Expected outcomes include the generation of policies and practices to reduce the drivers of young people leaving approved placements and to address the support and protective needs of young people when staying in unapproved locations. The benefits include improved social and economic inclusion of young people in out-of-home care and reduced socio-economic burdens on health and justice systems associated with placement breakdown. Read moreRead less
Applying Human Rights Legislation In Closed Environments: A Strategic Framework For Managing Compliance. The project will be a principal source of knowledge about the application of human rights in secure settings in Australia. It will improve the delivery and quality of services to people held in closed environments, such as prisons, detention centres, and settings accommodating the aged and persons with disabilities. It will assist both human rights monitoring bodies, and staff and management ....Applying Human Rights Legislation In Closed Environments: A Strategic Framework For Managing Compliance. The project will be a principal source of knowledge about the application of human rights in secure settings in Australia. It will improve the delivery and quality of services to people held in closed environments, such as prisons, detention centres, and settings accommodating the aged and persons with disabilities. It will assist both human rights monitoring bodies, and staff and management of closed settings to implement human rights obligations in everyday operations, and will heighten awareness in the community of the rights of people in these settings.Read moreRead less
Farming 4 Care: Using nature to cultivate resilience in young people. This project aims to explore how passive and active engagement with nature might influence outcomes for young people who have experienced trauma, maltreatment and disrupted families. These people are extremely vulnerable, but often slip through the system. As they rarely engage in traditional therapy, non-traditional interventions may offer a viable alternative that should be explored and harnessed for this population. In addi ....Farming 4 Care: Using nature to cultivate resilience in young people. This project aims to explore how passive and active engagement with nature might influence outcomes for young people who have experienced trauma, maltreatment and disrupted families. These people are extremely vulnerable, but often slip through the system. As they rarely engage in traditional therapy, non-traditional interventions may offer a viable alternative that should be explored and harnessed for this population. In addition, traditional interventions are delivered at enormous cost and with minimal success for this group. Using an innovative multidisciplinary design, the project plans to test four hypotheses about nature engagement to contribute to the growing field of nature-based interventions. Our approach offers an alternative that draws on existing community resources and benefits local organisations, young people and farmers.Read moreRead less
Women's access to welfare after prison. This project aims to examine the nature of welfare services available to women after they leave Victorian prisons, how the women access these services and the extent to which the services meet their needs and contribute to their rehabilitation. Although female ex-offenders are likely to have a high need for welfare services, and the evidence suggests that these services can make a difference to their successful re-integration, little is known about whether ....Women's access to welfare after prison. This project aims to examine the nature of welfare services available to women after they leave Victorian prisons, how the women access these services and the extent to which the services meet their needs and contribute to their rehabilitation. Although female ex-offenders are likely to have a high need for welfare services, and the evidence suggests that these services can make a difference to their successful re-integration, little is known about whether and how women access services or benefit from them. The results of the project will inform the development of welfare services by the industry partner and elsewhere.
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Managing risk in community services. A preliminary study of the impacts of risk management on Victorian services and clients. Most older people and those with a disability or a mental illness now live in the community. They receive help from a vast range of community services, which are also expected to keep them safe, and their workers and the wider community safe. Risk management is now an important part of the work of all services and businesses involved in community care. This project will s ....Managing risk in community services. A preliminary study of the impacts of risk management on Victorian services and clients. Most older people and those with a disability or a mental illness now live in the community. They receive help from a vast range of community services, which are also expected to keep them safe, and their workers and the wider community safe. Risk management is now an important part of the work of all services and businesses involved in community care. This project will study the unforeseen impacts and costs of the new risk management, identify the problems, and explore the ways risk management can achieve its goals without reducing services and limiting the lives of the clients.Read moreRead less