Remote presence for guidance on physical tasks. This project aims to transform remote collaboration on physical tasks. Current systems for remote collaboration on physical tasks are not as effective as working face-to-face. This could be overcome by sharing non-verbal cues, designing systems to account for cultural issues, and using a new model of communication. This project will develop theories and interaction methods for remote guidance based on natural non-verbal communication cues and cultu ....Remote presence for guidance on physical tasks. This project aims to transform remote collaboration on physical tasks. Current systems for remote collaboration on physical tasks are not as effective as working face-to-face. This could be overcome by sharing non-verbal cues, designing systems to account for cultural issues, and using a new model of communication. This project will develop theories and interaction methods for remote guidance based on natural non-verbal communication cues and cultural issues. This project is expected to benefit industries with widely distributed multi-cultural workforces such as mining, defence and medicine.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100784
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,728.00
Summary
The nexus between organisational trust and collaboration in disasters . This project will use empirical investigation to develop a multidimensional model depicting the organisational practices that are vital for quickly establishing and maintaining trusting relationships in emergency management collaboration. Trust is the crucial but often neglected element that determines the success of collaboration. Expected outcomes include the creation of the first rigorously established knowledge base for ....The nexus between organisational trust and collaboration in disasters . This project will use empirical investigation to develop a multidimensional model depicting the organisational practices that are vital for quickly establishing and maintaining trusting relationships in emergency management collaboration. Trust is the crucial but often neglected element that determines the success of collaboration. Expected outcomes include the creation of the first rigorously established knowledge base for understanding what mechanisms are effective to overcome conflicting cultures in Australian emergency management arrangements and successfully build trusting relationships. This should provide significant benefits for all organisations when collaborating in the response to, and recovery from, disasters.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101182
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,945.00
Summary
Problem families in the 21st century: policy, practice, outcomes. The project aims to investigate intractable intergenerational disadvantage by critically examining policy and practice in relation to so-called problem families. It expects to generate new knowledge for social work, policy and welfare by documenting how problem families are understood and managed through the key areas of data linkage, priority investment, income management and family support, and how these areas might be shaped by ....Problem families in the 21st century: policy, practice, outcomes. The project aims to investigate intractable intergenerational disadvantage by critically examining policy and practice in relation to so-called problem families. It expects to generate new knowledge for social work, policy and welfare by documenting how problem families are understood and managed through the key areas of data linkage, priority investment, income management and family support, and how these areas might be shaped by emerging fields including data analytics and epigenetics. Expected outcomes include greater practitioner capacity to engage with the implications of intergenerational disadvantage and dysfunction. This should provide significant benefits including more effective interventions and a richer evidence base for policy.Read moreRead less
Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributi ....Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributions specifically and fiscal federalism more generally, the project aims to develop a reform blueprint for a sustainable and equitable fiscal federalism regime in Australia that best aligns with Australia’s current and long-term fiscal needs.Read moreRead less
How do Changes in Institutional Memory Affect Public Policy Processes? . This project will analyse how changes in institutional memory inside government impact on the effectiveness of public policy processes. Institutional memory changes as ministers, public servants and public agencies come and go, but we don’t know what effect these changes have over the quality of public policy. This project will therefore analyse how changes to institutional memory have influenced public services and polici ....How do Changes in Institutional Memory Affect Public Policy Processes? . This project will analyse how changes in institutional memory inside government impact on the effectiveness of public policy processes. Institutional memory changes as ministers, public servants and public agencies come and go, but we don’t know what effect these changes have over the quality of public policy. This project will therefore analyse how changes to institutional memory have influenced public services and policies in Australia and the UK. Expected outcomes include best practice recommendations for government - about how to address memory loss to improve public policy - and novel academic findings about how institutional memory influences the character of public service delivery, lesson-learning and long-term reform.Read moreRead less
Cabinet Government in comparative perspective. This project explores how cabinet government is, or is not, able to develop a collective will. Cabinets lie at the heart of parliamentary systems, but public and academic analyses question whether they work effectively. Using examples of majoritarian and consensus democratic regimes, this project plans to examine how cabinets work and identify the different functions cabinet plays in developing collective views of policy or political situations. The ....Cabinet Government in comparative perspective. This project explores how cabinet government is, or is not, able to develop a collective will. Cabinets lie at the heart of parliamentary systems, but public and academic analyses question whether they work effectively. Using examples of majoritarian and consensus democratic regimes, this project plans to examine how cabinets work and identify the different functions cabinet plays in developing collective views of policy or political situations. The project expects to illustrates how the different appreciations of cabinet, whether seen as constitutional or operational, or in terms of policy analysis or political contests, help define the values of cabinet and can allow us to understand in what circumstances cabinet government is important in terms of stability and sensible policy. It asks if collective cabinets like Australia's can survive in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100265
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$417,000.00
Summary
A closed-loop human–agent learning framework to enhance decision making. This project aims to design a foundational human–agent learning framework to augment the decision making process, using reinforcement and closed-loop mechanisms to enable symbiosis between a human and an artificial-intelligence agent. It envisages significant new technologies to promote controllability and efficient and safe exploration of an environment for decision actions – drastically boosting learning effectiveness and ....A closed-loop human–agent learning framework to enhance decision making. This project aims to design a foundational human–agent learning framework to augment the decision making process, using reinforcement and closed-loop mechanisms to enable symbiosis between a human and an artificial-intelligence agent. It envisages significant new technologies to promote controllability and efficient and safe exploration of an environment for decision actions – drastically boosting learning effectiveness and interpretability in decision making. Expected outcomes will benefit national cybersecurity by improving our understanding of vulnerabilities and threats involving decision actions, and by ensuring that human feedback and evaluations can help prevent catastrophic events in explorations of dynamic and complex environments.Read moreRead less
Sibling influence on development of children with autism spectrum disorder. This project aims to investigate how typically-developing siblings affect the development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD involves difficulties with language, executive functions and social understanding. For typically-developing children, growing up with siblings gives an advantage in these cognitive functions. Yet little is known about how having siblings’ impacts on cognitive development of childr ....Sibling influence on development of children with autism spectrum disorder. This project aims to investigate how typically-developing siblings affect the development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD involves difficulties with language, executive functions and social understanding. For typically-developing children, growing up with siblings gives an advantage in these cognitive functions. Yet little is known about how having siblings’ impacts on cognitive development of children with ASD. The project intends to longitudinally explore the mechanisms of sibling impact in families with and without a child with ASD. The outcomes will deepen understanding of child development, providing an evidence base for effective interventions to increase child competence and aiming ultimately to reduce the social costs of ASD.Read moreRead less
Making Crime Pay: Manufacturing Heritage Experiences in a Digital Age. This project aims to create digital tools to allow visitors to experience Australian convict sites and historical big data in new and novel ways. The project expects to forge a synergistic long-term relationship between archives, historical sites and research programs through pioneering thematic digital storytelling techniques, allowing audiences to access research data not previously curated for public consumption. Expected ....Making Crime Pay: Manufacturing Heritage Experiences in a Digital Age. This project aims to create digital tools to allow visitors to experience Australian convict sites and historical big data in new and novel ways. The project expects to forge a synergistic long-term relationship between archives, historical sites and research programs through pioneering thematic digital storytelling techniques, allowing audiences to access research data not previously curated for public consumption. Expected outcomes include enhanced international and disciplinary collaborations, generating standards for curating digital site, archival and collection data, and new means of communicating research results to a wider public, especially descendants. This should provide significant benefits to heritage site operators. Read moreRead less
Seamless journeys to work for young adults with physical disabilities. This project seeks to explore the transition to work of young people with a disability and, in particular, the role that digital technologies can play in improving self-determination and employment. Promoting self-determination, workforce participation and job retention are key planks in Australia’s policy reforms in the field of disability services. In 2013, Australia invested $750 million to support access to employment for ....Seamless journeys to work for young adults with physical disabilities. This project seeks to explore the transition to work of young people with a disability and, in particular, the role that digital technologies can play in improving self-determination and employment. Promoting self-determination, workforce participation and job retention are key planks in Australia’s policy reforms in the field of disability services. In 2013, Australia invested $750 million to support access to employment for people with disabilities. However, 70 per cent of this group did not keep their jobs beyond the initial six months. The project aims to provide new knowledge for policy and service delivery and deliver a web-based platform to facilitate self-determination for young people with a disability.Read moreRead less