Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Peace-keeping, Capacity-building, and Development in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Australia's involvement in policing offshore is growing rapidly. Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and shortly, Papua New Guinea, feature in these developments. The Australian Federal Police is now a key player in regional security and development. This study takes stock of this trend. Through three case studies, the project examines the grou ....Policing the Neighbourhood: Australian Police Peace-keeping, Capacity-building, and Development in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Australia's involvement in policing offshore is growing rapidly. Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands, and shortly, Papua New Guinea, feature in these developments. The Australian Federal Police is now a key player in regional security and development. This study takes stock of this trend. Through three case studies, the project examines the grounds for providing assistance, the different cultural and political contexts in which assistance is taking place, the forms of that assistance, and the achievements and shortcomings of previous and current police assistance missions. It will also provide an analytical framework for future engagements of this nature.Read moreRead less
Private Security and Public Interest: Exploring Private Security Trends and Directions for Reform in the New Era of Plural Policing. This study will provide the first ever comprehensive assessment of private security and what it can and cannot offer society in terms of fair and effective order maintenance, crime prevention and law enforcement in Australia. Stemming from problems incurred by the sector, the research will address how governments should regulate the growing range of policing functi ....Private Security and Public Interest: Exploring Private Security Trends and Directions for Reform in the New Era of Plural Policing. This study will provide the first ever comprehensive assessment of private security and what it can and cannot offer society in terms of fair and effective order maintenance, crime prevention and law enforcement in Australia. Stemming from problems incurred by the sector, the research will address how governments should regulate the growing range of policing functions undertaken by private providers. It will also address the issue of how private police can best satisfy legal and justice criteria, meet the demands of accountability and develop mutually beneficial models of cooperation with the public sector. The research will recommend to policy-makers preferred 'plural' policing models for the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Optimal Resourcing: A longitudinal study of work demands, resourcing, and psychological well-being in Australian frontline police officers. Expanding the Job Demands-Resources model of job stress to include upstream pressures on the organisational system, this research will provide important insights into the relationships between psychosocial risks (current resources and demands) and police wellbeing. Using 3 wave longitudinal designs, and 'objective' measures of demands and resources, the rese ....Optimal Resourcing: A longitudinal study of work demands, resourcing, and psychological well-being in Australian frontline police officers. Expanding the Job Demands-Resources model of job stress to include upstream pressures on the organisational system, this research will provide important insights into the relationships between psychosocial risks (current resources and demands) and police wellbeing. Using 3 wave longitudinal designs, and 'objective' measures of demands and resources, the research will extend the stress development literature by exploring exposure (cross-sectional, 1 year) and time lag (2 year) causal pathways. The findings will make a significant contribution to contemporary job demand/resource theories of occupational stress and assist in the development of policies to enhance the occupational health and safety of frontline police officers.Read moreRead less
Designing for sustainability using a transformative repair model. The project will generate new knowledge in design-based repair and reuse of consumer products to develop a new community of craft and design practitioners, audience and clientele, in collaboration with leading Australian design and craft organisations. It responds to the pressing cultural and environmental burden of product obsolescence and consumer waste through innovation in transformative repair – a designed reworking of broken ....Designing for sustainability using a transformative repair model. The project will generate new knowledge in design-based repair and reuse of consumer products to develop a new community of craft and design practitioners, audience and clientele, in collaboration with leading Australian design and craft organisations. It responds to the pressing cultural and environmental burden of product obsolescence and consumer waste through innovation in transformative repair – a designed reworking of broken or discarded consumer objects that transforms their aesthetic appeal and cultural value. It applies transition design theory to develop localised progressions of the transformative repair model to foster knowledge exchange between partner organisation while contributing to a sustainable design economy in AustraliaRead moreRead less
Evaluation of a Training Program for Staff to Recognize Depression Among Aged People Living in Residential and Community Care. Depression is a significant problem among older people, and is likely to increase in prevalence with the aging of the population. A large percentage of depressed older people fail to receive treatment because their depression is not diagnosed. This illness leads to high economic and social costs if it is not diagnosed and treated. This project will evaluate the effective ....Evaluation of a Training Program for Staff to Recognize Depression Among Aged People Living in Residential and Community Care. Depression is a significant problem among older people, and is likely to increase in prevalence with the aging of the population. A large percentage of depressed older people fail to receive treatment because their depression is not diagnosed. This illness leads to high economic and social costs if it is not diagnosed and treated. This project will evaluate the effectiveness of a training program to assist carers to detect depression, and so refer older people for treatment of this condition. Read moreRead less
Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of ....Intergenerational transmission of dietary behaviour. The health of future generations depends largely on the health of current generations. Bad eating habits associated with obesity and other chronic diseases are often passed from parents to children. This study will provide insight into the ways in which these habits are perpetuated within families of various cultural backgrounds. It will establish how assessing family health history can be used as a tool to help identify and modify the risk of chronic, life-threatening disease in families and individuals. If proven effective, this tool can be rolled out nationwide to help promote and maintain healthier diets in Australian families and reduce the economic burden on the government.Read moreRead less
Towards a cost-effective therapy for osteoporosis using Australian indigenous emu oil. Emu oil has a potent anti-inflammatory property. This project aims to show in rodents whether its use can overcome the inflammatory condition and osteoporosis caused by aging, menopause and cancer chemotherapy. This research could lead to development of an emu oil-based therapy for major health problems and have immense social and economic implications.
Strengthening community partnerships to promote adolescent school engagement and prevent problems such as alcohol misuse and violence. The project will reduce community rates of adolescent school non-attendance, adolescent alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. Adolescent school exclusion, alcohol use and antisocial behaviour are highly prevalent in Australia, and can be reduced using a variety of strategies that are coordinated at the school and community level. The project will decrease adol ....Strengthening community partnerships to promote adolescent school engagement and prevent problems such as alcohol misuse and violence. The project will reduce community rates of adolescent school non-attendance, adolescent alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour. Adolescent school exclusion, alcohol use and antisocial behaviour are highly prevalent in Australia, and can be reduced using a variety of strategies that are coordinated at the school and community level. The project will decrease adolescent problems through community improvements in child and adolescent protective influences and reductions in risk influences. Furthermore, the project will equip communities with the capacity to learn how to identify and implement strategies to address the major influences that have the potential to reduce adolescent behaviour problems.Read moreRead less
Why are people with eating disorders reluctant to engage with treatment services? In seeking to understand why many people with eating disorders do not seek or are reluctant to seek help, this project will make an important contribution to new developments in the prevention of, and intervention into, eating disorders in the Australian community.
Day-to-day life of adults after age 85: the interplay of mood, engagement, cognition and health in the context of prior functioning. The research will offer considerable social benefits to the Australian community by providing a rare insight into how people over the age of 85 can continue to contribute actively to, and remain engaged with, society. It will improve knowledge and understanding of productive ageing by examining how everyday cognition and mood vary depending on different situational ....Day-to-day life of adults after age 85: the interplay of mood, engagement, cognition and health in the context of prior functioning. The research will offer considerable social benefits to the Australian community by providing a rare insight into how people over the age of 85 can continue to contribute actively to, and remain engaged with, society. It will improve knowledge and understanding of productive ageing by examining how everyday cognition and mood vary depending on different situational contexts and daily activities. It will offer information on the challenges and opportunities experienced by this group of older adults, and reveal the inter-relatedness of social networks, isolation, independence and health for this group of very old adults.Read moreRead less