Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This projec ....Threshold Decisions in Determining Whether to Prosecute Child Sexual Abuse. The objective of this project is new knowledge about the way police and prosecutors make decisions about the prosecution of child sexual assault that could be used to influence policy and practice. Few cases of child sexual abuse reported to the police ever go to court but recent research in New South Wales for the Royal Commission indicates that the proportion has declined sharply over the last decade or so. This project aims to examine how police and prosecutors decide which cases proceed and why, and how they confer with each other as well as when and how they consult with complainants and their families. This project plans to also develop and test practice tools and principles for police and prosecutors with expected benefits for both them and the families involved.Read moreRead less
Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
....Body Worn Camera Evidence and Assessment of Witness Credibility. The aim of this project is to establish how the use of Body Worn Cameras to record statements in domestic and family violence cases affects assessment of a complainant’s credibility at trial. It will generate new knowledge about the influence of: (i) the physical environment in which recordings are made, (ii) the audio and visual quality of recordings, and (iii) fact-finders’ (judges and jurors) emotional responses to recordings.
Expected outcomes of the project include law reform and policy recommendations to improve the practice of recording victim/witness statements and management of the use of such evidence in criminal proceedings.
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Indigenous Justice Reports: new narratives and practices in sentencing. This project engages a participatory action research model to assess the impact of Indigenous Justice Reports in criminal sentencing on sentence practices and outcomes for Indigenous women. It introduces Indigenous Reports for Indigenous women in Victorian Koori Courts and expands their availability in Queensland Murri Courts. Its comparative research approach identifies how place-based factors influence the process and impa ....Indigenous Justice Reports: new narratives and practices in sentencing. This project engages a participatory action research model to assess the impact of Indigenous Justice Reports in criminal sentencing on sentence practices and outcomes for Indigenous women. It introduces Indigenous Reports for Indigenous women in Victorian Koori Courts and expands their availability in Queensland Murri Courts. Its comparative research approach identifies how place-based factors influence the process and impact of Indigenous Reports on sentencing. This project seeks to improve sentencing processes and outcomes for Indigenous defendants by providing courts with reports that address personal and community circumstances of Indigenous women, provide relevant sentencing options and are accompanied with appropriate supports.Read moreRead less
Analysing interactions within the criminal deportation system. This project aims to investigate the convergence of migration control and criminal justice by analysing pathways to criminal deportation. The project expects to generate new criminological understandings of deportation as a means of promoting community safety using interdisciplinary approaches that capture regional and metropolitan practice. Expected outcomes include knowledge of how information flows between migration control and cr ....Analysing interactions within the criminal deportation system. This project aims to investigate the convergence of migration control and criminal justice by analysing pathways to criminal deportation. The project expects to generate new criminological understandings of deportation as a means of promoting community safety using interdisciplinary approaches that capture regional and metropolitan practice. Expected outcomes include knowledge of how information flows between migration control and criminal justice agencies, and the implications for policing, courts, and prison administration. This should provide significant benefits for policy-makers and practitioners, by articulating emerging and unexplored practices that have major consequences for community safety, social cohesion and the rule-of-law.Read moreRead less
Preventing Water Theft in the Murray-Darling Basin. This Project aims to understand the complex interaction of socio-economic, legal and political factors that have enabled the theft of fresh water in the Murray-Darling Basin. By analysing the policies and regulations governing freshwater management, this project expects to generate new knowledge of the extent and types of water theft, offenders processed, penalties delivered, and the performance and operations of regulatory and enforcement agen ....Preventing Water Theft in the Murray-Darling Basin. This Project aims to understand the complex interaction of socio-economic, legal and political factors that have enabled the theft of fresh water in the Murray-Darling Basin. By analysing the policies and regulations governing freshwater management, this project expects to generate new knowledge of the extent and types of water theft, offenders processed, penalties delivered, and the performance and operations of regulatory and enforcement agencies. The expected outcomes include new research strategies for water theft prevention. This will benefit national security and community health by contributing to a sustainable and equitable supply of fresh water.Read moreRead less
The role of community sponsorship for refugee resettlement in Australia . This Project aims to conduct the first large-scale comparative study of community or private sponsorship of refugee resettlement in Australia and other jurisdictions. It will generate ground-breaking insights into Australia’s role historically in community sponsorship of refugee resettlement and identify the legal and policy background of current successful community sponsorship programs. Expected outcomes include clarity ....The role of community sponsorship for refugee resettlement in Australia . This Project aims to conduct the first large-scale comparative study of community or private sponsorship of refugee resettlement in Australia and other jurisdictions. It will generate ground-breaking insights into Australia’s role historically in community sponsorship of refugee resettlement and identify the legal and policy background of current successful community sponsorship programs. Expected outcomes include clarity and policy guidance about how community or private sponsorship is understood, conceived and implemented globally; and better knowledge about the motives of community sponsors. This Project will position Australia as a world leader in practice and research on community or private sponsorship for refugee resettlement. Read moreRead less
Building an intellectual property system: The Indonesian experience. This project aims to provide an independent assessment of the development of the Indonesian intellectual property system over the past 30 years. Economic theory suggests pathways to innovation and ‘tipping points’ in intellectual property (IP) development. This project plans to explore the introduction and operation of IP in Indonesia as a typical example for middle-income developing countries. It plans to analyse hundreds of c ....Building an intellectual property system: The Indonesian experience. This project aims to provide an independent assessment of the development of the Indonesian intellectual property system over the past 30 years. Economic theory suggests pathways to innovation and ‘tipping points’ in intellectual property (IP) development. This project plans to explore the introduction and operation of IP in Indonesia as a typical example for middle-income developing countries. It plans to analyse hundreds of court decisions that have recently become available, as well as the implementing laws and institutions supporting IP. It aims to show the bargaining processes about the future of the system between the government and foreign investors as well as citizens and between different institutions, thereby providing valuable information to Australian businesses and the government.Read moreRead less
Obstacles to Contract Enforcement in Indonesia. The Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership (IA-CEPA) came into force in 2020 but foreign investment in Indonesia has consistently failed to meet targets, largely due to concerns about the lack of reliable and just judicial contract enforcement. This project aims to investigate why predictable and fair contract enforcement in Indonesia is so inaccessible, particularly for foreign investors, and, through doctrinal and empirical resear ....Obstacles to Contract Enforcement in Indonesia. The Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership (IA-CEPA) came into force in 2020 but foreign investment in Indonesia has consistently failed to meet targets, largely due to concerns about the lack of reliable and just judicial contract enforcement. This project aims to investigate why predictable and fair contract enforcement in Indonesia is so inaccessible, particularly for foreign investors, and, through doctrinal and empirical research, explain the causes of this situation. In partnership with Indonesian courts and lawyers, it also aims to support the development of legal and policy reform proposals that can help resolve Indonesia’s commercial contract enforcement problems and encourage Australian investment there.Read moreRead less
Post-separation co-parenting apps: Can they help families avoid conflict? This project aims to examine the role and effectiveness of smartphone apps in supporting families to respond to the many challenges of post-separation co-parenting. In an increasingly digital landscape where poor app choices can have serious consequences for families, this knowledge is urgently needed by parents and family law practitioners. This project expects to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and ....Post-separation co-parenting apps: Can they help families avoid conflict? This project aims to examine the role and effectiveness of smartphone apps in supporting families to respond to the many challenges of post-separation co-parenting. In an increasingly digital landscape where poor app choices can have serious consequences for families, this knowledge is urgently needed by parents and family law practitioners. This project expects to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and risks of digital divorce apps. Expected outcomes include the first web-based decision-making tool to help separated parents make important decisions about managing post-separation communication. This should provide significant benefits, including a reduced risk of parental conflict and better outcomes for children.Read moreRead less
Food security and the governance of local knowledge in India and Indonesia. This project aims to discover how local farming communities’ practical knowledge can improve food security. 795 million undernourished people rely on small farmers for food. To protect these farmers from multinational agribusiness and climate change, this project will examine how small farmers turn useful plant material into cultivated crops through plant selection and breeding under conditions of climate change; identif ....Food security and the governance of local knowledge in India and Indonesia. This project aims to discover how local farming communities’ practical knowledge can improve food security. 795 million undernourished people rely on small farmers for food. To protect these farmers from multinational agribusiness and climate change, this project will examine how small farmers turn useful plant material into cultivated crops through plant selection and breeding under conditions of climate change; identify how regulatory structures in India and Indonesia help or hinder this process; and identify opportunities to apply local knowledge and its regulatory framework in Australia. Better understanding local conditions should benefit regulators, NGOs, businesses and aid agencies.Read moreRead less