Conditional welfare: A comparative case study of income management policies. Using an innovative methodology that incorporates a cross-national comparison of policy design and practice, this project aims to explore the effects of income management policies. The research will provide new insights into compulsory income management in Australia, and its more recent introduction in New Zealand. The expected outcomes will provide benefits, such as a richer understanding of human agency, autonomy and ....Conditional welfare: A comparative case study of income management policies. Using an innovative methodology that incorporates a cross-national comparison of policy design and practice, this project aims to explore the effects of income management policies. The research will provide new insights into compulsory income management in Australia, and its more recent introduction in New Zealand. The expected outcomes will provide benefits, such as a richer understanding of human agency, autonomy and social identity in the context of social policy.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100675
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$443,486.00
Summary
Improving carer’s quality of life and quality of care. This project will improve the ability of Carers Australia and the Department of Social Services to evaluate and enhance the success of services they implement to support Australia’s 2.7 million unpaid carers. Currently little is known about which support and services most help improve quality of life for carers, and the quality of care they provide, despite strong evidence of a quality of life crisis amongst carers. By collecting cross secti ....Improving carer’s quality of life and quality of care. This project will improve the ability of Carers Australia and the Department of Social Services to evaluate and enhance the success of services they implement to support Australia’s 2.7 million unpaid carers. Currently little is known about which support and services most help improve quality of life for carers, and the quality of care they provide, despite strong evidence of a quality of life crisis amongst carers. By collecting cross sectional and longitudinal data to build on an existing data set, this project will enable evidence-based design and delivery of services that support carers socially, emotionally and financially while enabling them to provide high quality care.Read moreRead less
DIsrupting Child Exploitation - the DICE project. Child sexual exploitation is an insidious social problem which impacts the most vulnerable children and young people in Australia. The DICE project (Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation) aims to develop a multi-agency response which pivots the focus of intervention to the sexual exploitation predators who target vulnerable young people in statutory care. Previous interventions have prioritised protecting (and controlling) the young people, with l ....DIsrupting Child Exploitation - the DICE project. Child sexual exploitation is an insidious social problem which impacts the most vulnerable children and young people in Australia. The DICE project (Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation) aims to develop a multi-agency response which pivots the focus of intervention to the sexual exploitation predators who target vulnerable young people in statutory care. Previous interventions have prioritised protecting (and controlling) the young people, with limited success. Through a trauma informed approach which supports young people, combined with disruptive police strategies targeting perpetrators, and co-ordinated multiagency working, it is anticipated that there will be measurable changes to the protection of vulnerable young people. Read moreRead less
Understanding gender inequality in the post-pandemic future of work. This project examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis on the working futures of young women and men in three advanced market economies where the pandemic hit with varying degrees of severity. Young people have experienced the greatest upheaval of all workers, and the impact has been gendered. Recovery strategies will have lasting consequences for women’s and men’s working futures. The project will produc ....Understanding gender inequality in the post-pandemic future of work. This project examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis on the working futures of young women and men in three advanced market economies where the pandemic hit with varying degrees of severity. Young people have experienced the greatest upheaval of all workers, and the impact has been gendered. Recovery strategies will have lasting consequences for women’s and men’s working futures. The project will produce macro-level mapping of post-pandemic national work/care regimes, and micro-level survey data on young people’s experience of and attitudes to the future of work in Australia, the UK and Japan, to deliver insights on the gendered economic and social impact of the pandemic and inform a more inclusive global recovery.Read moreRead less
Status Of Australian Fish Stocks (SAFS) Reports 2020, And Further Development Of The SAFS Production And Dissemination System
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,383,901.12
Summary
The current application is to produce the SAFS reports in 2020 and address strategic issues outlined above. In order to ensure the continuation of SAFS beyond 2020, it is essential for jurisdictions to develop ownership of the reports and to embed SAFS processes in core business, and for efficiencies in production and report management to continue to progress. A parallel project to develop jurisdictional reporting services is also underway to assist jurisdiction develop their jurisdictional chap ....The current application is to produce the SAFS reports in 2020 and address strategic issues outlined above. In order to ensure the continuation of SAFS beyond 2020, it is essential for jurisdictions to develop ownership of the reports and to embed SAFS processes in core business, and for efficiencies in production and report management to continue to progress. A parallel project to develop jurisdictional reporting services is also underway to assist jurisdiction develop their jurisdictional chapters. As documented in the independent audit of SAFS 2016 (FRDC project 2016-143), the process of compiling SAFS on a co-operative basis between FRDC, Australian government agencies and all fisheries jurisdictions has led to greater joint collaboration, as well as transfers of methodologies and processes, to deliver higher quality and more credible stock status reporting which can be accessed nationally and internationally, as well as assisting in policy decisions regarding changes to particular fisheries management arrangements and in research priorities. Primary drivers for National reporting of the SAFS include: (i) the State of the Environment Report 2011, i.e., ‘lack of a nationally integrated approach inhibits effective marine management’; (ii) a recommendation of the House of Representatives Inquiry into the Role of Science for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Netting the Benefits Report 2012), i.e., ‘producing national status report regularly’; (iii) the Australian Fisheries Management Forum national statement of intent, i.e. a key outcome of ‘Goal 1’ is the National Status of Australian Fish Stocks Report; (iv) the National Fishing and Aquaculture Strategy 2015–20, i.e., ‘Goal 1’ of this strategy will be partially measured by an increased number of fisheries assessed as environmentally sustainable in the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports (this includes reducing the number of stocks assessed as uncertain); (v) the FRDC RD&E Plan 2015–20, i.e., key targets for deliverables against National Priority One include (i) “Increase the number of species to 200 in the national Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports” and (ii) “Reduce the number of species classified as ‘undefined’ from the current figure of approximately Objectives: 1. Continue to develop a set of robust and consistent national stock status reports and a strong sense of report ownership by jurisdictions 2. To produce a fifth edition of the SAFS reports in 2020 3. Increase the number of species in SAFS to provide a comprehensive coverage of species of interest to stakeholder groups that will refer to the reports for information on sustainability and management success. 4. Reduction in the number (percentage) of species classified as 'undefined' where possible using data-poor assessment methodology Read moreRead less
Developing a national rural volunteering roadmap. This project aims to investigate the challenges affecting rural volunteering in Australia. Conducting a national analysis of volunteering demand and supply, this project expects to generate new interdisciplinary knowledge of the structural, demographic, organisational and personal factors affecting the sustainability of rural volunteering. Expected outcomes of this project include a world-first index of volunteering vulnerabilities and a spatial ....Developing a national rural volunteering roadmap. This project aims to investigate the challenges affecting rural volunteering in Australia. Conducting a national analysis of volunteering demand and supply, this project expects to generate new interdisciplinary knowledge of the structural, demographic, organisational and personal factors affecting the sustainability of rural volunteering. Expected outcomes of this project include a world-first index of volunteering vulnerabilities and a spatial map of volunteering unevenness, leading to the development of an evidence-based National Rural Volunteering Roadmap (2025-2035), which will guide our volunteering peak body partners, governments and rural communities to plan for and support rural volunteering over the longer-term.Read moreRead less
Examining The Relationship Between Fishery Recruitment, Essential Benthic Habitats And Environmental Drivers In Exmouth Gulf
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$514,056.00
Summary
Stock status in the EGPMF is assessed by monitoring fishery-independent and fishery-dependent catch rates (used as indices of recruitment and spawning stock levels) relative to specified reference points. However, in recent years factors other than the spawning stock index appear to be responsible for low levels of prawn recruitment. Given recent indications that the distribution and abundance of seagrass habitats may influence prawn recruitment there is a need to better understand the rela .... Stock status in the EGPMF is assessed by monitoring fishery-independent and fishery-dependent catch rates (used as indices of recruitment and spawning stock levels) relative to specified reference points. However, in recent years factors other than the spawning stock index appear to be responsible for low levels of prawn recruitment. Given recent indications that the distribution and abundance of seagrass habitats may influence prawn recruitment there is a need to better understand the relationship between prawn recruitment, environmental conditions and habitats. Understanding these relationships is required to clarify the uncertainty around stock fluctuations and improve stock assessments. The information is also required so that management can be more cognisant of the impacts of environmental conditions on annual recruitment variability and implement adaptive management strategies, such as altering seasonal arrangements, to prevent overfishing.
Similarly, the recent MSC assessment of the EGPMF fishery has highlighted the need to clarify the uncertainty in fishery independent surveys and stock assessments including the influence of environmental factors on indices, and collect environmental and habitat data to detect changes in risk to habitat due to fishing including ongoing monitoring of critical habitat types.
Therefore, the development of broad scale fishery specific, cost effective monitoring techniques is essential to assess and monitor the association between critical fish habitats, environmental drivers and prawn recruitment. These techniques need to be developed at appropriate temporal and spatial scales to allow for early intervention of appropriate management measures, such as adjusting spatial and temporal closures, to ensure the long term sustainability of stocks and maintain MSC certification. Given that recruitment in a number of the State’s other invertebrate fisheries appears to be influenced by environmental drivers developing techniques to understand these relationships is a critical component of ensuring the management of WA’s fisheries resources is based on robust science.
Objectives: 1. Collate and review historical, satellite, habitat and environmental data for the Exmouth Gulf and Shark Bay ecosystems to identify factors that may influence recruitment. 2. Assess the ability of different techniques, at various spatial and temporal scales, to identify, assess and monitor critical fish habitat and environmental conditions which may affect recruitment patterns of prawns into the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery 3. Collect local environmental and productivity data to assess the feasibility of collecting broad scale data remotely. 4. Develop a cost effective monitoring program for critical fish habitat and environmental drivers which allows the development of mitigation measures to assist in alleviating poor recruitment events. Read moreRead less
Developing A Cost-efficient Stock Assessment Program For Southern Calamari Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$496,827.00
Summary
Southern Calamari are important to multiple commercial and community fishery sectors in SA. Southern Calamari are now managed using a TACC for the commercial MSF and have specified resource allocations for recreational, Aboriginal/Traditional, Charter Boat, GSV prawn and SG prawn fisheries. However, the current assessment program does not capture the importance of this species and cannot support the level of management required. The primary outcome of this project will be to develop an assessmen ....Southern Calamari are important to multiple commercial and community fishery sectors in SA. Southern Calamari are now managed using a TACC for the commercial MSF and have specified resource allocations for recreational, Aboriginal/Traditional, Charter Boat, GSV prawn and SG prawn fisheries. However, the current assessment program does not capture the importance of this species and cannot support the level of management required. The primary outcome of this project will be to develop an assessment program for Southern Calamari in SA that can be used to assign stock status and provide TACC setting advice to fisheries management.
Like many cephalopod assessments, the current SA Southern Calamari assessment is basic as scientific advances have not occurred at the same rate as advances for finfish or crustacean assessment methods. Therefore, the successful development of an assessment program for Southern Calamari in SA would provide a valuable scientific contribution to several other Australian squid fisheries as they often encounter similar assessment difficulties
Overcoming key knowledge gaps and incorporating information on environmental drivers will be a key focus of this project, in order to develop an assessment that accounts for the full complexity of cephalopod population dynamics. However, there are limited resources to undertake an assessment in SA as the commercial MSF has a low gross value product (GVP) but has high assessment needs across several species. Therefore, a cost-effective assessment program must be developed to allow for its regular application, which is necessary for short lived species such as Southern Calamari.
The proposed project will address two FRDC strategic plan outcomes (Growth for enduring prosperity, and best practices and production systems) by developing a best practice assessment program that can be applied for Southern Calamari in SA and be extended for use in other fishery jurisdictions. An assessment program that provides confident management advice, such as TACC setting, will maximise resource use across all sectors by establishing a robust stock assessment that increases certainty in stock abundance and allows sustainable fishing strategies to be developed.
Objectives: 1. Review global cephalopod assessments to identify potential assessment methods for Southern Calamari and how environmental variables could be incorporated. 2. Evaluate the suitability of available fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data from the SG and GSV prawn fisheries to develop recruitment indices. 3. Develop Southern Calamari growth models for SG and GSV and evaluate the influence of environment on seasonal growth rates. 4. Outline the most suitable and cost-effective assessment program option for Southern Calamari in SG and GSV Read moreRead less