Community Capacity Building in Child Protection Through Responsive Regulation. Neglect and abuse of children is a critical issue in this country. The number of cases reported to state authorities is increasing. Recent estimates show that a child is abused every 2 minutes in Australia. This research develops an innovative approach that protects children while promoting greater support for families. By harnessing and building community capacity this approach has the potential to make more efficien ....Community Capacity Building in Child Protection Through Responsive Regulation. Neglect and abuse of children is a critical issue in this country. The number of cases reported to state authorities is increasing. Recent estimates show that a child is abused every 2 minutes in Australia. This research develops an innovative approach that protects children while promoting greater support for families. By harnessing and building community capacity this approach has the potential to make more efficient use of existing resources through earlier intervention and improved cooperation with families. This project aims to reduce the incidents and harm caused by child abuse and neglect in ways that strengthen communities, while enhancing the integrity of child protection agencies.Read moreRead less
A cross-disciplinary investigation of creative arts as intervention activity for young people at risk in urban and rural Victoria. The research project will investigate whether the involvement of "at risk" teenagers in creative arts activities can act as effective diversions from harmful risk taking behaviour. The project will set up, document and analyse creative arts projects in three urban and rural Victorian localities where there is a high proportion of marginalised youth. This research wil ....A cross-disciplinary investigation of creative arts as intervention activity for young people at risk in urban and rural Victoria. The research project will investigate whether the involvement of "at risk" teenagers in creative arts activities can act as effective diversions from harmful risk taking behaviour. The project will set up, document and analyse creative arts projects in three urban and rural Victorian localities where there is a high proportion of marginalised youth. This research will explore how involvement in creative expression results in increased self-esteem, an improved sense of goal setting and achievement together with community commitment. It will provide justice and social agencies with a model for effective youth program planning which will facilitate re-education and work opportunitiesRead moreRead less
A study of work stress, workplace culture and wellbeing programs for lawyers and support staff. Work stress and mental health issues are now recognised as a serious problem among Australian lawyers. This project examines the drivers of work stress in a large public sector legal service organisation and identifies the most effective workplace interventions for promoting mental health and wellbeing among legal service providers.
Reform of the Personal Liability of Directors for Unpaid Employee Entitlements. The financing of business and the provision of labour services to the corporate sector are central to the nation's economic health. Loss of employment, employee entitlements and the fallout of business collapse impact on every aspect of social and economic life. The ability of employees to recover lost entitlements has emerged as an issue critical to a sustainable, efficient and equitable economy. Presently, the burd ....Reform of the Personal Liability of Directors for Unpaid Employee Entitlements. The financing of business and the provision of labour services to the corporate sector are central to the nation's economic health. Loss of employment, employee entitlements and the fallout of business collapse impact on every aspect of social and economic life. The ability of employees to recover lost entitlements has emerged as an issue critical to a sustainable, efficient and equitable economy. Presently, the burden of compensating unpaid employee entitlements is carried by the taxpayer through the General Employment Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme. Director liability provisions which make placing failing companies into voluntary administration an attractive option could relieve that burden. Read moreRead less
Diplomatic Knowledge, Disasters and the Future of International Legal Order. Gaps and divergences in diplomatic understanding of global social, economic, and environmental conditions make coordinated international action difficult, especially in response to natural disasters. This project aims to shed light on how diplomatic and consular personnel come to know what they know about global conditions, how the information infrastructure with which diplomats work may inform (or impede) coordinated i ....Diplomatic Knowledge, Disasters and the Future of International Legal Order. Gaps and divergences in diplomatic understanding of global social, economic, and environmental conditions make coordinated international action difficult, especially in response to natural disasters. This project aims to shed light on how diplomatic and consular personnel come to know what they know about global conditions, how the information infrastructure with which diplomats work may inform (or impede) coordinated international legal action, and what could be done to make that information infrastructure more robust and less prone to blindspots. Expected outcomes include practical suggestions for diplomats, helping to strengthen Australia’s capabilities in diplomacy, especially capacity to lead coordinated response to natural disasters.Read moreRead less
Lawyers, Civil Society and the State in Post-colonial Malaysia. This study investigates how Malaysian lawyers have mobilized to defend core legal values in response to key political events in Malaysian history. It will contribute to Australian understanding of civil society and the rule of law in our regional neighbour and build bridges between Malaysian and Australian lawyers and scholars. The development of deeper respect for the rule of law in this region plays an important role in increasing ....Lawyers, Civil Society and the State in Post-colonial Malaysia. This study investigates how Malaysian lawyers have mobilized to defend core legal values in response to key political events in Malaysian history. It will contribute to Australian understanding of civil society and the rule of law in our regional neighbour and build bridges between Malaysian and Australian lawyers and scholars. The development of deeper respect for the rule of law in this region plays an important role in increasing regional stability and creating a safe and more predictable environment. Understanding the role that lawyers play in this process is a vital component of regional security.Read moreRead less
Between social enterprise and social movement: responses to environmental change at the intersection of rights and regulation. This socio-legal project will illuminate the diverse ways in which formal law blocks or encourages the efforts of ordinary citizens to respond to the challenges of reducing our carbon footprint. It will significantly develop the foundations for designing effective governance structures to support ethically-motivated citizen initiatives.
Local responses to missing persons and post-conflict peacebuilding . This project aims to fundamentally reshape dominant thinking on the problem of missing persons in post-conflict peacebuilding. Through the first large-scale comparative ethnography of Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, the research will bring local community approaches, needs and practices around the missing in from the margins to the centre of scholarly analysis and practice. Outcomes include new knowledge about local agency and commu ....Local responses to missing persons and post-conflict peacebuilding . This project aims to fundamentally reshape dominant thinking on the problem of missing persons in post-conflict peacebuilding. Through the first large-scale comparative ethnography of Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, the research will bring local community approaches, needs and practices around the missing in from the margins to the centre of scholarly analysis and practice. Outcomes include new knowledge about local agency and community understandings of the missing that are relevant to peacebuilding, and enhanced collaborations with scholars and policymakers. Expected benefits include improved international, state and NGO responses to missing persons to meet the needs of families and communities and facilitate sustainable peace after conflict.Read moreRead less
Fair Procedures for Refugee Status Determinations. Australia, and other Western countries are experiencing an upsurge in the number of persons seeking refugee status. This project will answer the call of a recent Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for an urgent independent review to determine which procedures will best achieve accurate outcomes for refugee (asylum) applicants. The study will compare procedures and standards in Australia, Canada, the UK, USA, Germany and France a ....Fair Procedures for Refugee Status Determinations. Australia, and other Western countries are experiencing an upsurge in the number of persons seeking refugee status. This project will answer the call of a recent Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for an urgent independent review to determine which procedures will best achieve accurate outcomes for refugee (asylum) applicants. The study will compare procedures and standards in Australia, Canada, the UK, USA, Germany and France and propose acceptable benchmarks and standards for cost effective and socially cohesive procedures within Australia and internationally. As a result of this research Australia is anticipated to play a leading role in the implementation of global solutions to this issue.Read moreRead less
Family Lawyers and Child-Focused Dispute Resolution: Managing Inter-Professional Relationships in the Family Law System. This multi-disciplinary project involving law, psychology, and social work, will shed light on the facilitators and inhibitors of effective collaboration between legal and social science professionals in the family law system. It will do this by exploring the knowledge base, attitudes, norms, and beliefs that underpin practice for both groups, as well as contextual factors aff ....Family Lawyers and Child-Focused Dispute Resolution: Managing Inter-Professional Relationships in the Family Law System. This multi-disciplinary project involving law, psychology, and social work, will shed light on the facilitators and inhibitors of effective collaboration between legal and social science professionals in the family law system. It will do this by exploring the knowledge base, attitudes, norms, and beliefs that underpin practice for both groups, as well as contextual factors affecting collaboration. The study is a response to government proposals to increase reliance on non-legal dispute management methods and mediation professionals to resolve post-separation parenting disputes. It aims to inform the design of better integrated professional services for separated parents in the family law system.Read moreRead less