Reducing imprisonment rates in Australia: international experiences, marginal populations and a focus on the overrepresentation of Indigenous people. The purpose of this study is to test the validity of factors influencing imprisonment rates and initiatives that have been trialed in other jurisdictions to decrease prison numbers for the Australian situation. The expected outcome is to identify ways to reduce the prison population, most particularly the over-representation of Indigenous people.
Winners and losers: Examining tax justice in tax disputes in Australia. Little is known about the important process of tax dispute resolution in Australia. The project seeks to determine whether tax dispute resolution in Australian is effective, whether or not taxpayers with greater resources come out ahead in tax litigation, and whether or not alternative dispute resolution is a cost effective way for resolving tax disputes. The project also examines the costs and benefits of independent tax di ....Winners and losers: Examining tax justice in tax disputes in Australia. Little is known about the important process of tax dispute resolution in Australia. The project seeks to determine whether tax dispute resolution in Australian is effective, whether or not taxpayers with greater resources come out ahead in tax litigation, and whether or not alternative dispute resolution is a cost effective way for resolving tax disputes. The project also examines the costs and benefits of independent tax dispute resolution, and the legal and justice implications of accessibility to such dispute resolution. Through its analysis, the project aims to arrive at concrete policy recommendations to improve the functioning of the present system in terms of accessibility, operating costs and perceived procedural justice.Read moreRead less
Auditing the Victorian Charter: Australian and international perspectives on applied human rights. This project is a detailed legal, government and policy case study of the most important human rights initiative in recent Australian history. It will provide research and new knowledge in key areas of human rights: the operation of human rights Bills, links between human rights and social disadvantage, education and community attitudes, and strategic government implementation. The project will d ....Auditing the Victorian Charter: Australian and international perspectives on applied human rights. This project is a detailed legal, government and policy case study of the most important human rights initiative in recent Australian history. It will provide research and new knowledge in key areas of human rights: the operation of human rights Bills, links between human rights and social disadvantage, education and community attitudes, and strategic government implementation. The project will develop a new policy tool (a national Audit) to monitor, plan and strengthen human rights in government and the community, and contribute to better social wellbeing and stronger democracy in Australia.Read moreRead less
Corporate Governance in the Public Sector: An Evaluation of its Tensions, Gaps and Potential. This project aims to enhance corporate governance in Commonwealth public sector bodies (assets worth $125 billion), leading to better management of public resources and more effective public administration. It is a major theoretical and empirical analysis of corporate governance's impact on public administration from governance, management, and legal perspectives, drawing on private sector and internati ....Corporate Governance in the Public Sector: An Evaluation of its Tensions, Gaps and Potential. This project aims to enhance corporate governance in Commonwealth public sector bodies (assets worth $125 billion), leading to better management of public resources and more effective public administration. It is a major theoretical and empirical analysis of corporate governance's impact on public administration from governance, management, and legal perspectives, drawing on private sector and international comparisons. It will develop an integrated cross-government framework for corporate governance and customized guidance according to organisational type. The major outcome will be to advance knowledge of the multi-disciplinary basis of corporate governance in its applications within government, communicated through scholarly, governmental, and web-based resources.Read moreRead less
The Management of the Assets of Older People: Prevalence, practices, preferences and responses. Industry partners with the investigators, have identified the need for foundation knowledge about asset management by and on behalf of older people. The current environment of changing legislation and demography, and the extent of the assets held offer new challenges to older people, families, public and private asset managers and substitute decision makers. This study identifies the prevalence of ass ....The Management of the Assets of Older People: Prevalence, practices, preferences and responses. Industry partners with the investigators, have identified the need for foundation knowledge about asset management by and on behalf of older people. The current environment of changing legislation and demography, and the extent of the assets held offer new challenges to older people, families, public and private asset managers and substitute decision makers. This study identifies the prevalence of asset management; the experiences of older people and their asset managers; the nature and disposition of disputed matters; the operationalisation of public and private sector asset management policies. The results will be used to develop appropriate and targeted responses to promote good practice and prevent finanical abuse.Read moreRead less
The role of a national human rights inquiry: impact on attitudes, research, policy and community development. This project will investigate the social impact of a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry in Australia: The Inquiry into Remote and Rural Education. It will seek to identify the processes and mechanisms through which such inquiries mediate between rural, state, national and international community expectations and demands and the extent to which they contribute to social ....The role of a national human rights inquiry: impact on attitudes, research, policy and community development. This project will investigate the social impact of a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry in Australia: The Inquiry into Remote and Rural Education. It will seek to identify the processes and mechanisms through which such inquiries mediate between rural, state, national and international community expectations and demands and the extent to which they contribute to social change. This is an innovative project that is attempting for the first time to evaluate whether and how such inquiries have been able to influence subsequent research in the area and contribute to changes in policy at national, state and local levels.Read moreRead less
Using Law To Improve Population Health and the Quality of Health Care Services. There are huge gaps in our understanding of how legal rules and processes impact population health and the quality of health care services in Australia. This research program will begin to fill those gaps by addressing topical issues such as medical negligence litigation, the coroner's role in injury prevention, and the use of medical science in the courtroom. The findings will be useful to government policymakers, ....Using Law To Improve Population Health and the Quality of Health Care Services. There are huge gaps in our understanding of how legal rules and processes impact population health and the quality of health care services in Australia. This research program will begin to fill those gaps by addressing topical issues such as medical negligence litigation, the coroner's role in injury prevention, and the use of medical science in the courtroom. The findings will be useful to government policymakers, regulators, and judges, as well as professionals working in both the legal and health care fields. But most importantly, the findings will serve patients by helping to shape strategies and reforms that enable Australia's health care system to deliver services that are safer, of higher quality, fairer, and more efficient.Read moreRead less
Resourcing Public Law Enforcement Agencies in the 21st Century; Coercion, Sale and Gift. This project will analyse three basic means of enhancing the resources of public law enforcement agencies: circumstances wherein police command cooperation from private institutions; those where police buy and sell services; and those where police are the beneficiaries of private sponsorship. The potentials and limits of these three forms of exchange will be studied in each Australian State and Territory, in ....Resourcing Public Law Enforcement Agencies in the 21st Century; Coercion, Sale and Gift. This project will analyse three basic means of enhancing the resources of public law enforcement agencies: circumstances wherein police command cooperation from private institutions; those where police buy and sell services; and those where police are the beneficiaries of private sponsorship. The potentials and limits of these three forms of exchange will be studied in each Australian State and Territory, in light of global developments. The project will aim to assist governments in coping with the growing demand for police services in a climate of enduring fiscal restraint. Products will include books, articles, workshops and a major conference.Read moreRead less
New Police Management - From Command and Control to Collaborative Governance: An assessment of organisational change at Victoria Police. Changes in governance will be assessed and refined in order to assist Victoria Police to become more proactive and collaborative in achieving its strategic aims of intelligent, confident, community and partnership policing and thereby to make a difference to community safety over the next five years. Proactive collaboration at all levels will help Victoria Po ....New Police Management - From Command and Control to Collaborative Governance: An assessment of organisational change at Victoria Police. Changes in governance will be assessed and refined in order to assist Victoria Police to become more proactive and collaborative in achieving its strategic aims of intelligent, confident, community and partnership policing and thereby to make a difference to community safety over the next five years. Proactive collaboration at all levels will help Victoria Police to protect communities from terrorism and crime in contemporary conditions and will assist in the safeguarding of Australia. More generally, the results of the project will assist the accumulation of research-based evidence to inform policy making based on the claimed benefits of decentralisation in police forces around the world.Read moreRead less
Futile treatment at the end of life: legal, policy, sociological and economic perspectives. This project explores why and how often doctors provide treatment they believe will not benefit a patient. The project will help us to avoid harm to patients and their families caused by burdensome and unnecessary treatment, and ensure that limited community health resources are spent wisely.