Partnerships at Work: The Interaction Between Employment Systems, Corporate Governance and Ownership Structure. This project examines the interaction of key factors seen to be of paramount importance in the creation and sustainability of 'Partnerships at Work'. These include particular employment systems, forms of corporate governance and ownership structures of enterprises. The circumstances in which partnership models arise, the pressures faced in maintaining them, and the role of the regulato ....Partnerships at Work: The Interaction Between Employment Systems, Corporate Governance and Ownership Structure. This project examines the interaction of key factors seen to be of paramount importance in the creation and sustainability of 'Partnerships at Work'. These include particular employment systems, forms of corporate governance and ownership structures of enterprises. The circumstances in which partnership models arise, the pressures faced in maintaining them, and the role of the regulatory environment will be examined through case studies and the construction of a database. It involves collaboration between senior scholars in corporate law and labour law. The project will enhance the capacity of governments, enterprises and stakeholders to review employment practices, governance structures and regulatory models.Read moreRead less
From margins to mainstream: gender equality and employment regulation. Progress towards gender equality in employment has stalled, despite anti-discrimination laws. This investigation of alternative regulatory strategies will build Australian expertise and contribute to knowledge about the relationships between gender equality and employment regulation, generating policy options for employment and human rights bodies.
Prospects for quality work and gender equality in frontline care work. Despite policy concerns about unmet demand for paid care, frontline care workers generally have poorer conditions than workers in other feminised sectors. This project will investigate the regulatory options to improve the quality of care work to build Australian expertise and knowledge about the links between job quality and quality of care services.
How Much is it Worth? Legal Discourses and Everyday Understandings of Families, Work and Property. This project will analyse the extent of congruence between the legal discourses and everyday understandings of the contributions made by partners in married and unmarried relationships that form the basis for property division when relationships end. Its claim to innovation lies in its interdisciplinary approach, positioning such understandings within their wider historical and cultural contexts. T ....How Much is it Worth? Legal Discourses and Everyday Understandings of Families, Work and Property. This project will analyse the extent of congruence between the legal discourses and everyday understandings of the contributions made by partners in married and unmarried relationships that form the basis for property division when relationships end. Its claim to innovation lies in its interdisciplinary approach, positioning such understandings within their wider historical and cultural contexts. The project's findings will inform the ongoing and divisive debates between the court, the media and consumers about the justice of such distributions in Australia, providing a basis for design of laws that better meet the needs of the diverse range of Australian families. Read moreRead less
...and by opposing, end them: A Comparative Examination of Opposition Processes in Patent Law. Patent law is central to the key Australian economic aim of encouraging an innovative culture. One aspect of patent law, the opposition process, is directly linked to two important issues currently facing our patent system: improving patent quality, and minimising predatory behaviour by powerful firms. This project will assess the operation of the opposition process here, and the practice of equivalent .......and by opposing, end them: A Comparative Examination of Opposition Processes in Patent Law. Patent law is central to the key Australian economic aim of encouraging an innovative culture. One aspect of patent law, the opposition process, is directly linked to two important issues currently facing our patent system: improving patent quality, and minimising predatory behaviour by powerful firms. This project will assess the operation of the opposition process here, and the practice of equivalent international procedures in other jurisdictions, in order to inform Australian policy in current and ongoing negotiations towards global harmonisation. Material from this project will lead directly to proposals for improving the Australian patent system, and ensuring that it promotes, and does not retard, innovation. Read moreRead less
Precariousness in law and labour markets: the case of temporary migrant workers. This project examines the situation of temporary migrant workers in Australia, focusing on the nature and extent of their precariousness both in law and in labour market practice. It offers a major contribution to current research and policy debates on the implications of temporary migrant labour.
New Initiatives in Enforcing Employment Standards: Assessing the Effectiveness of Federal Government Compliance Strategies. The well-being of more than eight million Australian employees is underpinned by statutory workplace entitlements. For the large majority of those employees, these are set by federal legislation. The statutory entitlements are meaningful only in so far as they are complied with, and improving the effectiveness of the federal enforcement agency, the Workplace Ombudsman, is t ....New Initiatives in Enforcing Employment Standards: Assessing the Effectiveness of Federal Government Compliance Strategies. The well-being of more than eight million Australian employees is underpinned by statutory workplace entitlements. For the large majority of those employees, these are set by federal legislation. The statutory entitlements are meaningful only in so far as they are complied with, and improving the effectiveness of the federal enforcement agency, the Workplace Ombudsman, is therefore of crucial public importance. This project provides the first comprehensive scholarly empirical evaluation of the Workplace Ombudsman. Its findings will identify multiple ways in which enforcement practices can be improved, not only for the Workplace Ombudsman, but also for comparable compliance agencies domestically and overseas.Read moreRead less
The Neo-Liberal Legal Academy. Profound changes are occurring in the character of Australian public universities, particularly in respect of the commodification of education, of which no study has yet been undertaken. Using the discipline of law as a case study, this project proposes to study the ramifications of change with particular regard to legal academics, legal education and the constitution of legal knowledge. While the main focus will be directed to the Australian legal academy, compari ....The Neo-Liberal Legal Academy. Profound changes are occurring in the character of Australian public universities, particularly in respect of the commodification of education, of which no study has yet been undertaken. Using the discipline of law as a case study, this project proposes to study the ramifications of change with particular regard to legal academics, legal education and the constitution of legal knowledge. While the main focus will be directed to the Australian legal academy, comparisons will be effected with New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom which evince similar trends. The study is expected to remedy a lacuna in knowledge and to inform higher education policy.Read moreRead less
Professions, Professional Standards and Capital Markets in the 21st Century: Regulatory Engagement, Design and Strategies. This project aims to advance academic knowledge of professional obligation within capital markets. The objective is to develop practical mechanisms to test and validate oversight programs designed to advance professional standards within the established professions of law and audit and those who aspire to that status (financial advisers and broker/dealers). The research uses ....Professions, Professional Standards and Capital Markets in the 21st Century: Regulatory Engagement, Design and Strategies. This project aims to advance academic knowledge of professional obligation within capital markets. The objective is to develop practical mechanisms to test and validate oversight programs designed to advance professional standards within the established professions of law and audit and those who aspire to that status (financial advisers and broker/dealers). The research uses an innovative conceptual framework that delineates rights, duties and responsibilities and measures capacity to deliver stated commitment to market integrity, thereby attending to the specific and pressing problems faced by the partner organisations. The project aims to provide warranted trust in the commitment of the professions to higher standards, thereby restoring market confidence.Read moreRead less
Making children's needs knowable to law. This project addresses the growing concerns that the family law system is not adequately safeguarding children's wellbeing in parenting cases. Its development of an evidence-based framework for decision-making will facilitate the production of outcomes that will better support the wellbeing of families affected by relationship breakdown.