Women and Legal Aid: Identifying Disadvantage. Gender bias in legal aid provision has been identified as a source of women's social inequality. Given restricted legal aid budgets, however, the focus of concerns about gender bias must become whether any particular groups of women are disadvantaged in access to legal aid. This project will determine the impact of current legal aid funding practices on rural and regional women, Indigenous women, and other groups of women, in order to identify unmet ....Women and Legal Aid: Identifying Disadvantage. Gender bias in legal aid provision has been identified as a source of women's social inequality. Given restricted legal aid budgets, however, the focus of concerns about gender bias must become whether any particular groups of women are disadvantaged in access to legal aid. This project will determine the impact of current legal aid funding practices on rural and regional women, Indigenous women, and other groups of women, in order to identify unmet needs, and assist in the better targeting of scarce resources. The results of the research will provide a valuable input into the future development of legal aid policy and services for the most disadvantaged women.Read moreRead less
A study of law reform and its responses to rapid social and community change. This research is designed to assist law reform agencies and other bodies charged with ensuring that the law responds to rapid social change to design and implement best practice modes of responding most effectively both to the changing nature of the legal problems that arise in the 21st century and to the changing constituencies that are affected by them. Through three cases studies: family law reform, laws governing ....A study of law reform and its responses to rapid social and community change. This research is designed to assist law reform agencies and other bodies charged with ensuring that the law responds to rapid social change to design and implement best practice modes of responding most effectively both to the changing nature of the legal problems that arise in the 21st century and to the changing constituencies that are affected by them. Through three cases studies: family law reform, laws governing defences to domestic homicide and tort law reform the project will assess the extent to which they are responsive to the concerns of those traditionally excluded from the legal mainstream.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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(Dis)abling Reports: Mapping uptake, progress and outcomes of police reports of sexual assault made by those with cognitive impairment. This project examines reporting outcomes of police reports of sexual assault by people with a cognitive impairment. This group are more vulnerable to sexual offences yet less likely to have the report progress completely through the investigative pathways of the police. There exist no studies identifying the decision making police use when determining the progr ....(Dis)abling Reports: Mapping uptake, progress and outcomes of police reports of sexual assault made by those with cognitive impairment. This project examines reporting outcomes of police reports of sexual assault by people with a cognitive impairment. This group are more vulnerable to sexual offences yet less likely to have the report progress completely through the investigative pathways of the police. There exist no studies identifying the decision making police use when determining the progress of reports. Decisions as to whether a report proceeds or exits the justice system are documented and contained in a restricted police data system. Analysing this data will generate a framework around the decision making applied and map the progress and exit stages of these reports.Read moreRead less
Impaired jury decision-making: The impact of stereotypes in the Australian court room. There have been calls for reforms and overhauls of the jury system in Australia because of concerns about the ability of jurors to reach objective verdicts and concerns about the costs associated with the jury system; however the consequences of these proposed changes for jury functioning are not well understood. This research will provide a better understanding those factors that contribute to impaired jury d ....Impaired jury decision-making: The impact of stereotypes in the Australian court room. There have been calls for reforms and overhauls of the jury system in Australia because of concerns about the ability of jurors to reach objective verdicts and concerns about the costs associated with the jury system; however the consequences of these proposed changes for jury functioning are not well understood. This research will provide a better understanding those factors that contribute to impaired jury decision-making, helping to avoid the very real risk of any changes to the jury system resulting in profound and unpredictable changes to the functioning of the legal system. By doing so, the concerns of people calling for drastic reforms can be addressed without socially and economically expensive overhauls of the jury system.Read moreRead less
Sexual harassment in Australia: Contexts, outcomes and prevention. Sexual harassment remains a persistent workplace issue with significant social costs. The project will examine how to most effectively prevent sexual harassment and to reduce the impact of sexual harassment for individuals and organizations where it occurs. A comprehensive analysis will be undertaken, drawing on a longitudinal study of more than 100 'targets' of sexual harassment, interviews with a wide range of employers and ext ....Sexual harassment in Australia: Contexts, outcomes and prevention. Sexual harassment remains a persistent workplace issue with significant social costs. The project will examine how to most effectively prevent sexual harassment and to reduce the impact of sexual harassment for individuals and organizations where it occurs. A comprehensive analysis will be undertaken, drawing on a longitudinal study of more than 100 'targets' of sexual harassment, interviews with a wide range of employers and external complaint handling bodies, and an analysis of formal and informal reports. The project outcomes will contribute to improved policy and practice in workplaces and human rights and assist other bodies to prevent and more effectively respond to sexual harassment.Read moreRead less
Gender Inequities in Health Research: Towards a New Regulatory Framework. This project will benefit Australian women by identifying better and fairer ways for the legal system to ensure that health research performed in Australia provides meaningful information about the significance of new health treatments for Australian women. The research undertaken in this project will make recommendations for the development of Australian laws and policies that will promote and maintain good health by enco ....Gender Inequities in Health Research: Towards a New Regulatory Framework. This project will benefit Australian women by identifying better and fairer ways for the legal system to ensure that health research performed in Australia provides meaningful information about the significance of new health treatments for Australian women. The research undertaken in this project will make recommendations for the development of Australian laws and policies that will promote and maintain good health by encouraging equal participation of men and women in health research and analysis by gender of research results. This is particularly important given the ageing of the Australian population and the greater longevity of women compared to men.Read moreRead less
Contested Politics of the New Justice. Restorative justice (RJ) and Indigenous justice (IJ) are transforming responses to crime by emphasising informal processes and community-based decisions. With growth has come contestation over the potential benefits and pitfalls of these new justice forms. The project analyses evidence from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in two areas: debates among feminist and victim advocacy groups on using RJ for sexual and physical violence, and debates among Indi ....Contested Politics of the New Justice. Restorative justice (RJ) and Indigenous justice (IJ) are transforming responses to crime by emphasising informal processes and community-based decisions. With growth has come contestation over the potential benefits and pitfalls of these new justice forms. The project analyses evidence from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in two areas: debates among feminist and victim advocacy groups on using RJ for sexual and physical violence, and debates among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people on the merits of IJ. The project will show when RJ is appropriate, what IJ practices are meaningful, and where common ground exists for feminist and Indigenous social movements.Read moreRead less
Innovative Justice Responses to Sexual Violence: A Global Analysis. Aligned with United Nations initiatives to end violence against women, Australian governments have emphasised that gender violence is a crime. This is correct, but the practical problem is what to do next. The project will benefit Australia by identifying innovative ways of responding to sexual violence that are practical, effective, and meaningful for victims' justice needs and economically viable for government. In taking ....Innovative Justice Responses to Sexual Violence: A Global Analysis. Aligned with United Nations initiatives to end violence against women, Australian governments have emphasised that gender violence is a crime. This is correct, but the practical problem is what to do next. The project will benefit Australia by identifying innovative ways of responding to sexual violence that are practical, effective, and meaningful for victims' justice needs and economically viable for government. In taking a global perspective, more imaginative responses to violence in Australian Indigenous communities will be identified. In studying countries where Australia has a security and peacekeeping presence, the role of those forces in maintaining security for women and children can be enhanced. Read moreRead less
Understandings of Women's Disadvantage at Work: Discourses of Discrimination in the Workplace. In analysing the persistence of women's disadvantage in the workplace, research has focused on the inadequacy of anti-discrimination law and both government and corporate EEO policies. Less attention has been paid to the myriad ways in which these proscriptions of discrimination are understood and implemented in the workplace. This project will examine workplace discourses around sex discrimination in ....Understandings of Women's Disadvantage at Work: Discourses of Discrimination in the Workplace. In analysing the persistence of women's disadvantage in the workplace, research has focused on the inadequacy of anti-discrimination law and both government and corporate EEO policies. Less attention has been paid to the myriad ways in which these proscriptions of discrimination are understood and implemented in the workplace. This project will examine workplace discourses around sex discrimination in a range of industry case studies. It will contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the ways in which women's workplace disadvantage is constructed and negotiated within specific organisational contexts and cultures and also provide practical guidance for human rights agencies.Read moreRead less