Political economy of distortions to global agricultural markets. Farmers, agribusiness and governments in Australia and other food-exporting nations have put enormous efforts into seeking reductions in agricultural protectionism, particularly in the past two decades via the Cairns Group in GATT/WTO negotiations but also in bilateral and regional integration initiatives. Yet levels of protection have fallen little for agriculture relative to manufacturing in high-income countries, and in some new ....Political economy of distortions to global agricultural markets. Farmers, agribusiness and governments in Australia and other food-exporting nations have put enormous efforts into seeking reductions in agricultural protectionism, particularly in the past two decades via the Cairns Group in GATT/WTO negotiations but also in bilateral and regional integration initiatives. Yet levels of protection have fallen little for agriculture relative to manufacturing in high-income countries, and in some newly industrializing countries that indicator has been rising. Improving our understanding as to why that is the case will ensure Australia gets a better return from its investment in that area of commercial diplomacy.Read moreRead less
Metabolite glucosylation during grape berry development. The research proposed contributes to building and transforming the Australian wine industry, and other horticultural industries, by developing expertise and knowledge in the area of grape berry metabolism. The synthesis and validation of a library of grape berry metabolites, annotation of part of the grapevine genome sequence dataset and development of the micro vine transformation system are innovative products of significant national and ....Metabolite glucosylation during grape berry development. The research proposed contributes to building and transforming the Australian wine industry, and other horticultural industries, by developing expertise and knowledge in the area of grape berry metabolism. The synthesis and validation of a library of grape berry metabolites, annotation of part of the grapevine genome sequence dataset and development of the micro vine transformation system are innovative products of significant national and international benefit. Two high-quality PhD students will be trained in a collaborative and high-quality research environment during the course of the proposed research.Read moreRead less
Burnt out and worn out or engaged and energised? Exploring the antecedents and consequences of burnout and engagement in drug-treatment specialists. This project will have significant social benefits in regard to the health and well being of workers in the health and human services sector. The results and outcomes of this project will contribute to the National Research Priority of "Promoting and Maintaining Good Health" by (1) contributing to the design of workplace interventions to facilitate ....Burnt out and worn out or engaged and energised? Exploring the antecedents and consequences of burnout and engagement in drug-treatment specialists. This project will have significant social benefits in regard to the health and well being of workers in the health and human services sector. The results and outcomes of this project will contribute to the National Research Priority of "Promoting and Maintaining Good Health" by (1) contributing to the design of workplace interventions to facilitate health and wellbeing in the workplace, (2) contributing to the policies designed to address problems with worker retention in the AOD workforce, and (3) contributing to the development of strategies and interventions which are likely to benefit a key disadvantage group - individuals with alcohol or other drug problems.Read moreRead less
Population ageing, labour mobility and sustainability of China's economic growth - a dynamic general equilibrium analysis. China is Australia's second largest trading partner. This project will enable Australian policymakers and business partners to gain better understanding of China's macroeconomic performance between 2008 and 2030. Secondly, China is the second largest source of immigrants to Australia. Given that Australia's population is ageing and labour shortages are expected, Australia ma ....Population ageing, labour mobility and sustainability of China's economic growth - a dynamic general equilibrium analysis. China is Australia's second largest trading partner. This project will enable Australian policymakers and business partners to gain better understanding of China's macroeconomic performance between 2008 and 2030. Secondly, China is the second largest source of immigrants to Australia. Given that Australia's population is ageing and labour shortages are expected, Australia may benefit increasingly from the flow of Chinese immigrants. The project will provide Australian policymakers with detailed labour supply forecasts in China disaggregated by age, sex, sector and region that will enable them to develop targeted immigration policies and effectively harness the flow of Chinese emigrants to Australia.Read moreRead less
Working wounded or engaged? Australian work conditions and consequences through the lens of the Job Demands- Resources Model. Australian researchers will participate in high quality theory driven longitudinal research of crucial practical importance nationally and of theoretical importance internationally. Specifically the study will assist in understanding workplace health and productivity in terms of job conditions, demands and resources. It will underscore costly consequences of stressful j ....Working wounded or engaged? Australian work conditions and consequences through the lens of the Job Demands- Resources Model. Australian researchers will participate in high quality theory driven longitudinal research of crucial practical importance nationally and of theoretical importance internationally. Specifically the study will assist in understanding workplace health and productivity in terms of job conditions, demands and resources. It will underscore costly consequences of stressful jobs e.g. depression related workplace productivity loss in dollar terms. Australian governments, unions, and OHS organisations will have access to high quality evidence to: design and evaluate OHS interventions; inform prevention campaigns, policies and practice; benchmark progress at national levels; monitor changing trends; and develop national standards.Read moreRead less
Development of a validated tool to help manage the risk of human fatigue in the workplace. Our world has embraced many benefits of the 24-hour society. However, these benefits can not be delivered without the costs: one significant cost is human fatigue. A recent federal parliamentary inquiry recommended that a fatigue risk management approach be applied to the regulation of working hours within industry. A key requirement of such an approach, and the aim of the proposed project, is to develo ....Development of a validated tool to help manage the risk of human fatigue in the workplace. Our world has embraced many benefits of the 24-hour society. However, these benefits can not be delivered without the costs: one significant cost is human fatigue. A recent federal parliamentary inquiry recommended that a fatigue risk management approach be applied to the regulation of working hours within industry. A key requirement of such an approach, and the aim of the proposed project, is to develop a scientifically validated tool to help manage the work-related fatigue associated with hours-of-work. Ultimately, this will reduce the costs of our 24-hour society on employees, their families, organisations and the wider community.Read moreRead less
The relative impacts of sleep, wake and the internal body clock on human performance. The 24h society presents a number of challenges to the shiftworker. First, shiftworkers have to maintain a balance between the competing needs of work, family, leisure and social life. Second, shiftwork has been identified as a risk factor for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Third, shiftworkers have an increased risk of injury and death at work. This project will use an innovative research protocol to prov ....The relative impacts of sleep, wake and the internal body clock on human performance. The 24h society presents a number of challenges to the shiftworker. First, shiftworkers have to maintain a balance between the competing needs of work, family, leisure and social life. Second, shiftwork has been identified as a risk factor for obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Third, shiftworkers have an increased risk of injury and death at work. This project will use an innovative research protocol to provide critical information about the independent and combined effects of sleep loss and body clock disruption on human performance. Work schedules designed on the basis of a better understanding of sleep loss and circadian disruption will result in healthier employees, safer workplaces, and reduced costs to the community.Read moreRead less
The effects of child disability on carer's labour market outcomes in Australia. Increasing prevalence of children with disabilities in Australia accompanied by lack of research makes this study imperative. The innovative approach adopted in this project means there will be a number of national benefits resulting from this study.
- It will help governments in Australia make more informed policies toward providing assistance to affected families, which will reduce the burden on families caring ....The effects of child disability on carer's labour market outcomes in Australia. Increasing prevalence of children with disabilities in Australia accompanied by lack of research makes this study imperative. The innovative approach adopted in this project means there will be a number of national benefits resulting from this study.
- It will help governments in Australia make more informed policies toward providing assistance to affected families, which will reduce the burden on families caring for children with disabilities.
- More informed policy will improve the well-being of such children.
- It will advance knowledge in the fields of labour and health economics, and econometrics, and hence enhance Australian research reputation in the fields.Read moreRead less
Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupati ....Brief naps as a countermeasure to fatigue. The proposed research will be necessary in order to identify the best length of nap to reduce fatigue both in the afternoon and in the early morning hours. It may also discover that naps of certain lengths may impair performance and safety under some conditions. Thus the proposed research is crucial in order to develop a non-drug countermeasure for fatigue in conditions of impaired performance and safety. Therefore, it will play an important occupational health and safety role on the job in the afternoon day shift and the early morning during night shift work.. Furthermore, it will improve general quality and productivity of life in a culture of increasing fatigue.Read moreRead less
New estimation and testing issues in nonlinear time series econometrics. The outcomes of this project will not only complement but also enhance the existing strengths of Australian researchers in the field of econometrics. The outcomes are also expected to help stabilise the national financial market for more accurate forecasts. It is also expected that the outcomes will provide novel models to respond to climate change and variability and to provide accurate warming estimates for improving the ....New estimation and testing issues in nonlinear time series econometrics. The outcomes of this project will not only complement but also enhance the existing strengths of Australian researchers in the field of econometrics. The outcomes are also expected to help stabilise the national financial market for more accurate forecasts. It is also expected that the outcomes will provide novel models to respond to climate change and variability and to provide accurate warming estimates for improving the policy making process.Read moreRead less