Understanding Land Use Conflict in Rural Australia: A Values Analytic Approach. This project will analyse rural land use conflicts in Australia in terms of sets of values, focussing on if and how one set, agrarianism, centred on belief in the primacy of agriculture, has changed with the ‘encroachment’ of activities such as mining, wind power generation and wildlife conservation into rural spaces. This study, based on a survey and content analyses, will be the most comprehensive study of agrarian ....Understanding Land Use Conflict in Rural Australia: A Values Analytic Approach. This project will analyse rural land use conflicts in Australia in terms of sets of values, focussing on if and how one set, agrarianism, centred on belief in the primacy of agriculture, has changed with the ‘encroachment’ of activities such as mining, wind power generation and wildlife conservation into rural spaces. This study, based on a survey and content analyses, will be the most comprehensive study of agrarianism in Australia and internationally innovative in considering so many other land uses and their associated social values. Outcomes will include attitudes data and conceptual frameworks that will help policy-makers and stakeholders understand and manage land use conflicts. Read moreRead less
Integrated governance of water and coal seam gas. This project aims to evaluate the governance of the water effects on unconventional gas, to develop legal and policy principles for the integration of these effects in an effective, efficient and legitimate manner, and to investigate problems posed for integrated and polycentric governance, more generally. Australia must meet its unconventional gas needs without harming its water resources. The project is expected to deliver effective and legitim ....Integrated governance of water and coal seam gas. This project aims to evaluate the governance of the water effects on unconventional gas, to develop legal and policy principles for the integration of these effects in an effective, efficient and legitimate manner, and to investigate problems posed for integrated and polycentric governance, more generally. Australia must meet its unconventional gas needs without harming its water resources. The project is expected to deliver effective and legitimate outcomes for water, energy and potentially other social and environmental issues, aiming to establish Australia as a leader in sustainable water management.Read moreRead less
Increasing inclusion in rural, generalist health services. The project aims to develop a 'toolkit' for health services to better serve minority groups. If health outcomes in Australia are to improve, health care must be provided to the poorest and sickest residents who need it most. However, these consumers will endure sickness rather than seek out services that are often exclusive and disrespectful. To provide accessible health care to disadvantaged residents, many of whom live rurally, all hea ....Increasing inclusion in rural, generalist health services. The project aims to develop a 'toolkit' for health services to better serve minority groups. If health outcomes in Australia are to improve, health care must be provided to the poorest and sickest residents who need it most. However, these consumers will endure sickness rather than seek out services that are often exclusive and disrespectful. To provide accessible health care to disadvantaged residents, many of whom live rurally, all health services need to be responsive to diverse cultures and identities. This project works with rural health services to implement service-wide changes and discover how health services can adapt to the needs of diverse consumers.Read moreRead less
High-value horticulture and global production networks in coastal Australia. High-value horticulture is booming in Australia’s north-eastern coastal strip, where a multifunctional landscape also provides various recreational, cultural and environmental services. This project aims analyses how incorporation within agricultural global production networks interacts with diverse drivers of landscape change to shape regional development outcomes. This will contribute to global production network theo ....High-value horticulture and global production networks in coastal Australia. High-value horticulture is booming in Australia’s north-eastern coastal strip, where a multifunctional landscape also provides various recreational, cultural and environmental services. This project aims analyses how incorporation within agricultural global production networks interacts with diverse drivers of landscape change to shape regional development outcomes. This will contribute to global production network theory by developing the territorial nexus of these networks. Expected outcomes include improved policy formulations capable of orchestrating a sustainable and equitable future for rural regions and livelihoods within Australia, with broader contributions to understanding rural development pathways elsewhere in the world.Read moreRead less
Developing interdisciplinary expertise in universities. This project aims to create a strong integrative research foundation to explain how university researchers and students develop the expertise needed to work in interdisciplinary teams and how this development can be enhanced. It combines three perspectives investigating: how research and innovation communities create interdisciplinary knowledge, how interdisciplinary teams learn to function effectively and the personal resourcefulness that ....Developing interdisciplinary expertise in universities. This project aims to create a strong integrative research foundation to explain how university researchers and students develop the expertise needed to work in interdisciplinary teams and how this development can be enhanced. It combines three perspectives investigating: how research and innovation communities create interdisciplinary knowledge, how interdisciplinary teams learn to function effectively and the personal resourcefulness that enables individuals to participate in interdisciplinary work. The outcomes will provide a much better understanding of the qualities that help individuals and groups to work productively across disciplinary boundaries. They will be used to create better strategies for supporting interdisciplinary learningRead moreRead less
The new farm owners: finance companies and the restructuring of Australian and global agriculture. Finance companies are increasingly investing in land and agriculture in both the developed and developing worlds. This project investigates how this new farm ownership is transforming both the domestic and global production of foods, forestry products and fuel crops and examines the social and environmental implications of these changes.
Identification of at-risk transition cows: Use of exosomal biomarkers. This project aims to improve the early diagnosis of cows at risk of infectious disease and debilitating metabolic syndromes. Animal health and longevity are pillars of the dairy industry. The risk of death is up to 6 times greater during the transition from pregnancy to lactation, making this ‘transition period’ the time for detection and intervention. If successful, this project will permit the focus of resources on high ris ....Identification of at-risk transition cows: Use of exosomal biomarkers. This project aims to improve the early diagnosis of cows at risk of infectious disease and debilitating metabolic syndromes. Animal health and longevity are pillars of the dairy industry. The risk of death is up to 6 times greater during the transition from pregnancy to lactation, making this ‘transition period’ the time for detection and intervention. If successful, this project will permit the focus of resources on high risk cows and reduce poor outcomes: lower milk production, involuntary culling and increased cow maintenance costs. Within this overall objective, a cost-effective project design will leverage partner facilities and existing networks to translate findings to farm use, thereby clearly delivering economic value.Read moreRead less
Food, Farming and Financialisation: Agri-food Transformations in Australia. Through interviews and document analysis, this project aims to examine the ways financialisation is transforming agri-food industries in Australia. Financialisation – the growing presence of financial firms in contemporary economic relations – is an increasingly important, yet poorly understood, concept. Its application to food and farming industries is very recent. By investigating which countries and foreign firms are ....Food, Farming and Financialisation: Agri-food Transformations in Australia. Through interviews and document analysis, this project aims to examine the ways financialisation is transforming agri-food industries in Australia. Financialisation – the growing presence of financial firms in contemporary economic relations – is an increasingly important, yet poorly understood, concept. Its application to food and farming industries is very recent. By investigating which countries and foreign firms are purchasing food companies and farmlands, for what purposes, and with what outcomes, the project intends to ascertain the place of financialisation in the emergence of a third food regime and to clarify issues of ownership and control of Australia’s agri-food resources. This would provide policy-makers and the public with accurate information with which to assess whether agri-food investments strengthen national food security, provide positive benefits to rural communities, and comply with national investment guidelines.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Health Workforce Migration to Australia and Canada. The project aims to define skilled migration trends in relation to the key fields (medicine, nursing and dentistry). Australia is one of very few countries with an explicit policy to import migrant health professionals. The project plans to assess if the goal of domestic self-sufficiency is likely to be met by 2025 and examine the risk of a ‘two tier’ health workforce developing (with conditionally registered migrants servicing pa ....Strengthening Health Workforce Migration to Australia and Canada. The project aims to define skilled migration trends in relation to the key fields (medicine, nursing and dentistry). Australia is one of very few countries with an explicit policy to import migrant health professionals. The project plans to assess if the goal of domestic self-sufficiency is likely to be met by 2025 and examine the risk of a ‘two tier’ health workforce developing (with conditionally registered migrants servicing patients in undersupplied sectors and sites). It then aims to propose changes to make the migration and health policy systems more effective and ethical in future compared to Canada (Australia’s key global competitor for skilled migrants), through evidence-based policy reform.Read moreRead less
Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined these systems and limited prospect for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a ....Novel compounds as natural herbicides for weed management. The development by weeds of herbicide resistance has undermined these systems and limited prospect for development of new chemicals with different modes of actions through traditional methods. Such methods of searching for new herbicides are yielding diminishing returns and the associated costs are becoming prohibitive.
This project aims to develop herbicides by evaluating, isolating and identifying novel natural compounds present in a range of weeds and crop plants.
The outcomes will be reduced herbicide inputs, and the development of a new group of natural herbicides to counteract the threat imposed by the development of herbicide resistance.
Read moreRead less