Can saying something make it so? Sedition, speech act theory and the status of freedom of speech in Australia. A good grasp of the conceptual underpinnings of sedition laws and conceptual clarity is an essential precursor to law reform in this area. By applying theories of the relation between speech and action drawn from philosophy of language to the assessment of sedition laws, the project will enhance Australia's research skills in political philosophy and clarify a grey and contested area of ....Can saying something make it so? Sedition, speech act theory and the status of freedom of speech in Australia. A good grasp of the conceptual underpinnings of sedition laws and conceptual clarity is an essential precursor to law reform in this area. By applying theories of the relation between speech and action drawn from philosophy of language to the assessment of sedition laws, the project will enhance Australia's research skills in political philosophy and clarify a grey and contested area of law. Any number of groups in Australian society, including writers, journalists, artists, academics, politicians and political activists, could be affected by these laws. Consequently, a clarification of this area is both urgent and vital for national interests.Read moreRead less
Policing Migration in Australia: an analysis of onshore migration policing networks. Recent events concerning the wrongful detention and deportation of Australian citizens have drawn attention to the significant impact of the enforcement of immigration controls within Australian communities. However, this dimension of law enforcement has received little or no attention from academic researchers. An improved understanding of the nature and dynamics of migration policing will provide social benefi ....Policing Migration in Australia: an analysis of onshore migration policing networks. Recent events concerning the wrongful detention and deportation of Australian citizens have drawn attention to the significant impact of the enforcement of immigration controls within Australian communities. However, this dimension of law enforcement has received little or no attention from academic researchers. An improved understanding of the nature and dynamics of migration policing will provide social benefits through the promotion of good relations with ethnic minority communities and the accountable exercise of statutory powers. This understanding is crucial if institutions of social regulation are to adapt to the challenges of policing a society which is not only multicultural but also increasingly globally interconnected.Read moreRead less
Risk, Urban Fire Protection and Security Networks. Urban fire prevention is a critical field for public security and economic development. As such, it has always been shaped by factors beyond those of simple technological growth. These include major unanticipated events and the responses to them by many state and non-state agencies with divergent interests and knowledge bases. By analysing the resulting 'technological politics', the project will examine the ways in which this strategic field ....Risk, Urban Fire Protection and Security Networks. Urban fire prevention is a critical field for public security and economic development. As such, it has always been shaped by factors beyond those of simple technological growth. These include major unanticipated events and the responses to them by many state and non-state agencies with divergent interests and knowledge bases. By analysing the resulting 'technological politics', the project will examine the ways in which this strategic field has taken on a risk-based preventative orientation. This will contribute new perspectives and considerations for the assessment and development of fire prevention and urban security in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Checking the validity of photographic identification documents: Enhancing the performance of security personnel through increased understanding of unfamiliar face processing. The ability to accurately establish the identity of an individual is central to the national security of Australia. Identity checking often relies on facial photographs contained on passports and other documents. Despite the introduction of automated systems, the decision whether a photograph is of a person rests with human ....Checking the validity of photographic identification documents: Enhancing the performance of security personnel through increased understanding of unfamiliar face processing. The ability to accurately establish the identity of an individual is central to the national security of Australia. Identity checking often relies on facial photographs contained on passports and other documents. Despite the introduction of automated systems, the decision whether a photograph is of a person rests with human operators. Research by CI has demonstrated that this task is difficult and error prone. The proposed research seeks to improve performance by developing a fuller understanding of the nature of the task and the limits of the operators' abilities and by testing possible training and selection procedures.Read moreRead less
Intellectual Property enforcement and awareness building in China, Thailand and Indonesia. As a country with a significant intellectual property industry, Australia has a strong interest in intellectual property protection and enforcement. Australia has also an interest in reducing the amount of infringing material that is brought into the country. Apart from border control mechanisms, an obvious way to achieve this is to strengthen enforcement in the originating countries of this material. The ....Intellectual Property enforcement and awareness building in China, Thailand and Indonesia. As a country with a significant intellectual property industry, Australia has a strong interest in intellectual property protection and enforcement. Australia has also an interest in reducing the amount of infringing material that is brought into the country. Apart from border control mechanisms, an obvious way to achieve this is to strengthen enforcement in the originating countries of this material. The project will inform the Australian government with regards to policy making for this area and facilitate the planning of effective cooperation programs with Asian countries. Read moreRead less
Face-space: linking three-dimensional shape and human perception across changing viewing conditions. People, and increasingly machines, use faces to identify and interact with people. One source of information available for this is the three-dimensional (3D) shape of the face. This information, unlike a photograph, does not change with lighting and viewpoint. This project will link measurements of face shape to the perceived similarities and differences between faces we use to make decisions. ....Face-space: linking three-dimensional shape and human perception across changing viewing conditions. People, and increasingly machines, use faces to identify and interact with people. One source of information available for this is the three-dimensional (3D) shape of the face. This information, unlike a photograph, does not change with lighting and viewpoint. This project will link measurements of face shape to the perceived similarities and differences between faces we use to make decisions. This will facilitate the use of 3D databases in diverse applications including establishing identity, making facial reconstructions of victims of crime or disaster, making databases searchable, computer animation, archaeology, and plastic surgery. In particular the work will make physical databases relevant to human perception. Read moreRead less
High-Bandwidth Control and Advanced Dynamic Modelling for Unmanned Helicopters. Advanced control theory will be applied to enable precise control of unmanned helicopters in the presence of disturbances. This is critical for: operating unmanned helicopters among the buildings of urban environments, reconnaissance, investigating dangerous areas, pursuit of targets, and many other desirable capabilities for law enforcement and military purposes. The ability of a small RUAV to launch and recover to ....High-Bandwidth Control and Advanced Dynamic Modelling for Unmanned Helicopters. Advanced control theory will be applied to enable precise control of unmanned helicopters in the presence of disturbances. This is critical for: operating unmanned helicopters among the buildings of urban environments, reconnaissance, investigating dangerous areas, pursuit of targets, and many other desirable capabilities for law enforcement and military purposes. The ability of a small RUAV to launch and recover to a moving vessel would significantly enhance operational possibilities for border protection tasks and the Australian Defence Force. The research has direct application to other mechanical systems such as underwater vehicles, mobile robots, and precision control of agricultural vehicles, overhead cranes, and mining equipment.Read moreRead less
The Nexus between Corruption and Money Laundering: Typologies and Policy Responses. Australia has sought to take a major role in fighting corruption and money laundering, an aspiration that requires a thorough knowledge of each problem as well as the links between them. Corruption has contributed to political instability, state failure and economic underdevelopment in our region. The fight against international money laundering is a central part of safeguarding Australia from transnational crime ....The Nexus between Corruption and Money Laundering: Typologies and Policy Responses. Australia has sought to take a major role in fighting corruption and money laundering, an aspiration that requires a thorough knowledge of each problem as well as the links between them. Corruption has contributed to political instability, state failure and economic underdevelopment in our region. The fight against international money laundering is a central part of safeguarding Australia from transnational crime. Our findings on the links between corruption and money laundering, and our suite of typologies, will assist Australian federal and state governments as well as businesses, to prevent and combat both types of crime.Read moreRead less
Police Culture and Professionalism: A Follow-up Study of Recruits. This is a follow-up study of a longitudinal (1995-1997) research on police culture. The original research, based on a cohort of 150 police recruits, analysed the socialisation process and the development of concepts of police professionalism. The proposed study will track the careers of the cohort and examine any changes in attitudes to policing and professionalism since the original study. It will be the first study of its kind ....Police Culture and Professionalism: A Follow-up Study of Recruits. This is a follow-up study of a longitudinal (1995-1997) research on police culture. The original research, based on a cohort of 150 police recruits, analysed the socialisation process and the development of concepts of police professionalism. The proposed study will track the careers of the cohort and examine any changes in attitudes to policing and professionalism since the original study. It will be the first study of its kind in Australia and is expected to further the researcher's already recognised theoretical and practical contribution to the understanding of police culture and its relationship with the socio-political conditions of policing.Read moreRead less
Achieving Gender Justice: national implementation of the gender provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. As only one of 15 states internationally to recognise gender-based crimes of the International Criminal Court Australia has an important leadership role to play globally in encouraging non-compliant states to implement and enforce their ICC gender commitments. This project will assist in advancing Australia's leadership in the field of women's rights by establishin ....Achieving Gender Justice: national implementation of the gender provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. As only one of 15 states internationally to recognise gender-based crimes of the International Criminal Court Australia has an important leadership role to play globally in encouraging non-compliant states to implement and enforce their ICC gender commitments. This project will assist in advancing Australia's leadership in the field of women's rights by establishing Australian scholarship at the forefront of knowledge about the diffusion of international gender justice norms. This research project will enhance Australia's reputation as a defender of international rights and as a good global citizen.
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