Sustainable Urban Water Governance: Institutional Development and Organisational Change. The research will provide governance and policy advice for advancing integrated urban water management across multiple organisations and sectors in Australian cities. The benefits of the proposed research include: a) prioritisation of current institutional impediments; b) scoping of key institutional reform initiatives; c) improved institutional capacity to lead and innovate; and d) advancement of the nation ....Sustainable Urban Water Governance: Institutional Development and Organisational Change. The research will provide governance and policy advice for advancing integrated urban water management across multiple organisations and sectors in Australian cities. The benefits of the proposed research include: a) prioritisation of current institutional impediments; b) scoping of key institutional reform initiatives; c) improved institutional capacity to lead and innovate; and d) advancement of the national priority goal of facilitating sustainable water management practices. This will also address the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Heritage inquiry report Sustainable Cities (2005) advocating the need for research programs directed towards facilitating major institutional and policy changes.
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Change agents and sustainability transformations in the water sector. The pursuit of sustainable development is a major challenge for Australian communities. System transformations are urgently needed, not just incremental change. While we know much about how to incubate local innovation, how innovation can be scaled to transform systems is not well understood. This project aims to understand how change agents can influence system transformations and how their actions can be enabled and constrai ....Change agents and sustainability transformations in the water sector. The pursuit of sustainable development is a major challenge for Australian communities. System transformations are urgently needed, not just incremental change. While we know much about how to incubate local innovation, how innovation can be scaled to transform systems is not well understood. This project aims to understand how change agents can influence system transformations and how their actions can be enabled and constrained by local conditions and governance arrangements. Its focus is on change agents working to promote urban water innovations and system change. We hope to develop new knowledge on the capabilities and resources that local governments and other actors must deploy to achieve sustainability transformations in Australia.Read moreRead less
The role of science in the policy process: responding to drought in Australia and the USA. Recent research has predicted more frequent and increasingly severe drought events for Australia in the future. Effective management of drought risk requires timely and relevant scientific information, placing scientific advice at the heart of a successful national drought management strategy. There is considerable potential for mutual policy learning as a result of a comparison of the role of scientists i ....The role of science in the policy process: responding to drought in Australia and the USA. Recent research has predicted more frequent and increasingly severe drought events for Australia in the future. Effective management of drought risk requires timely and relevant scientific information, placing scientific advice at the heart of a successful national drought management strategy. There is considerable potential for mutual policy learning as a result of a comparison of the role of scientists in drought policy in the US and Australia. This research project will also strengthen existing ties with top international drought researchers and promote opportunities for further international collaboration in the field of drought research and also in the consideration of the role of scientific advice in the policy process. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200200186
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,583.00
Summary
Water resources management: past transformations for future sustainability. This project aims to develop a more systemic understanding of how culture, technology and institutional regulations have together transformed water resources management in Australia since the 1850s. Water resources in Australia have suffered multiple environmental and socio-economic crises. This project will identify the cultural and technological factors that have historically influenced allocations and access to water ....Water resources management: past transformations for future sustainability. This project aims to develop a more systemic understanding of how culture, technology and institutional regulations have together transformed water resources management in Australia since the 1850s. Water resources in Australia have suffered multiple environmental and socio-economic crises. This project will identify the cultural and technological factors that have historically influenced allocations and access to water resources for economic development, and the institutional regulations needed for tackling contemporary water crises. A deeper understanding of how public attitudes, institutions and socio-economic drivers redefined water resources management will help shape Australia’s capacity to prepare for a sustainable future. Read moreRead less
How to manage on-farm surface water storage for sustainable and safe catchments. Unsafe on-farm storage of runoff is a potential but silent problem ready to strike downstream communities. Unfair storage already occurs at the expense of farmers, communities and environment. Stakeholders will gain understanding of these two inter-related problems and the factors that drive them. The national benefit will be empirical evidence and policy guidance about the drivers of on-farm dam storage which ensur ....How to manage on-farm surface water storage for sustainable and safe catchments. Unsafe on-farm storage of runoff is a potential but silent problem ready to strike downstream communities. Unfair storage already occurs at the expense of farmers, communities and environment. Stakeholders will gain understanding of these two inter-related problems and the factors that drive them. The national benefit will be empirical evidence and policy guidance about the drivers of on-farm dam storage which ensures fairness and safety in surface water sharing systems by (1)providing certainty of water entitlements and encouraging farming investment in safe dams, (2)minimising hardship to farmers and communities not benefiting from their full entitlement and to those that suffer from dam failures, and (3)maximising environment's share.Read moreRead less
Child safety in cars: an international collaboration. Car crashes are the leading cause of child death in Australia. While child restraints offer good protection, their benefits are significantly diminished if used incorrectly. This project will examine children’s out-of-position during car trips and injury implications and will reduce injury through improved engineering and education solutions.
Resettling Visible Migrants & Refugees in Regional and Rural Victoria. Increasing numbers of visible migrants and refugees are settling in rural and regional Australia. Critical knowledge of how this is working is of national significance as it can improve cohesiveness, sustainability and quality of diverse communities and intergovernmental policies. By working directly with our industry partners in local and state government in Victoria, this project will provide concrete examples of good pract ....Resettling Visible Migrants & Refugees in Regional and Rural Victoria. Increasing numbers of visible migrants and refugees are settling in rural and regional Australia. Critical knowledge of how this is working is of national significance as it can improve cohesiveness, sustainability and quality of diverse communities and intergovernmental policies. By working directly with our industry partners in local and state government in Victoria, this project will provide concrete examples of good practice which will also be of benefit nationally. The project findings will have far-reaching implications for our understanding of migrant and refugee resettlement in Australia; and will consolidate Australia as an important site of international expertise.Read moreRead less
Multiculturalism and governance: evaluating arts policies and engaging cultural citizenship. This project examines the capacity of multicultural arts to promote a sense of belonging within culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Through its study of arts policy, production, and consumption at three levels of government it will generate a new framework for evaluating the significance of multiculturalism.
Economic and social rights of asylum seekers in Australia: Challenges for Community Associations. This project will investigate the contribution of a community association providing humanitarian assistance to newly-arrived refugees holding Temporary Protection Visas (TPV). The project will assess the capacity of non-government organizations (NGOs) in delivering basic social services and identifying areas of immediate concern. The anticipated outcomes of the project are: (a) the establishment of ....Economic and social rights of asylum seekers in Australia: Challenges for Community Associations. This project will investigate the contribution of a community association providing humanitarian assistance to newly-arrived refugees holding Temporary Protection Visas (TPV). The project will assess the capacity of non-government organizations (NGOs) in delivering basic social services and identifying areas of immediate concern. The anticipated outcomes of the project are: (a) the establishment of effective models of best practice in the delivery of social services by a NGO, (b) the potential for partnership between such an organization and the State in developing social policy, and (c) the contribution to theoretical examination of the role of civil society in the new Globalisation era.Read moreRead less
Are the kids alright? Understanding the wellbeing of Australian children in their middle years. This project will produce the first comprehensive national stock-take of wellbeing among Australian children in their middle years, with a special focus on children who experience disadvantage. Findings will reflect children's views and experiences, have direct policy relevance and lay the groundwork for comparing and monitoring of child wellbeing.