Rethinking the public inquiry on science, technology and environmental change. The project aims to strengthen public inquiry as a policy tool in governance transitions about controversial science and technology. The adequacy of public inquiry in Australia as an authoritative ‘advisory mechanism’ on the promising benefits and (socio-) environmental effects of ‘big’ science and technology is a growing public policy problem. The project will review whether the public inquiry is too decoupled from g ....Rethinking the public inquiry on science, technology and environmental change. The project aims to strengthen public inquiry as a policy tool in governance transitions about controversial science and technology. The adequacy of public inquiry in Australia as an authoritative ‘advisory mechanism’ on the promising benefits and (socio-) environmental effects of ‘big’ science and technology is a growing public policy problem. The project will review whether the public inquiry is too decoupled from governance and environmental change. Through transdisciplinary participatory conduits, a deeper inquiry capacity is expected to address important national challenges of sustainability, economic and social prosperity, energy security, climate change and international competitiveness.Read moreRead less
The Kids in Communities Study: national investigation of community level effects on children's developmental outcomes. This project (a cross-disciplinary collaboration) will investigate community level factors influencing early childhood developmental outcomes using a mixed methods approach in up to 10 communities across Australia. This will result in a potential set of measures or indicators that reflect communities that are good for children.
Integrating measures of Indigenous land management effectiveness. Land management is the fastest growing Indigenous employment sector in Australia yet methods for assessing its effectiveness are poorly developed. This project will work with Indigenous land managers and their major environmental service delivery partners to develop and agree on measures of land management effectiveness to meet multiple objectives.
What Cost-effective Built Environment Interventions Would Create Healthy, Liveable And Equitable Communities In Australia, And What Would Facilitate These Being Translated Into Policy And Practice?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,658,832.00
Summary
This CRE involves collaboration between a multi-disciplinary research team across Australia working with policy-makers covering planning, urban design, transport planning and health. It will identify the most cost-effective built environment interventions required to create healthy, liveable, and equitable communities. Factors that influence research findings being translated into urban planning policy and practice will be examined and tools to assist changes to policy and practice developed.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101583
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
How social networks and power shape adaptive action. This project aims to determine how social networks affect adaptive action in response to the potential effects of climate change. The project will provide a longitudinal study that tracks individuals and a governance institution before and after a global coral bleaching event to explicitly demonstrate key factors that facilitate or inhibit adaptive action at multiple scales. This project will significantly improve our understanding of how adap ....How social networks and power shape adaptive action. This project aims to determine how social networks affect adaptive action in response to the potential effects of climate change. The project will provide a longitudinal study that tracks individuals and a governance institution before and after a global coral bleaching event to explicitly demonstrate key factors that facilitate or inhibit adaptive action at multiple scales. This project will significantly improve our understanding of how adaptive capacity translates into adaptive action, and the role of social networks and power in shaping adaptive responses. This project will contribute practical guidance on how to build adaptive capacity among both individuals and governance institutions.Read moreRead less
Do scientist and public preferences diverge? Analysing expert and public preferences for environmental and social outcomes for the Swan River. Expert judgements and public preferences may be quite different, so when can organisations rely on experts, how serious is the divergence, and when does it matter? In a case study of Perth's iconic Swan River, the project will explore this issue and its consequences for decision makers, to assist the Swan River Trust in their future decision making.
Climate change: adaptation and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Climate change poses a wide range of challenges to Australia's agricultural sector and for the management of natural ecosystems. These challenges are recognised in the National Research Priorities 1, An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, and 4, Safeguarding Australia. The potential economic costs of climate change to vital national assets such as the Murray-Darling Basin and the Great Barrier Reef, amount to billions of do ....Climate change: adaptation and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Climate change poses a wide range of challenges to Australia's agricultural sector and for the management of natural ecosystems. These challenges are recognised in the National Research Priorities 1, An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, and 4, Safeguarding Australia. The potential economic costs of climate change to vital national assets such as the Murray-Darling Basin and the Great Barrier Reef, amount to billions of dollars per year, and ecological costs are even more significant. Uncertainty about the rate at which climate change will take place and about effects in different regions is central to the problem. This project will explore adaptive management strategies that promote resilience in the face of uncertainty.
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Making better decisions about built assets: learning by doing. This research will assist the built environment professions and their clients to make better decisions about new developments through a novel 'learning by doing' approach. Used successfully in other fields such as natural resource management, this idea will capitalise on the large number of asset investments undertaken to benchmark original stakeholder intentions and aspirations against the reality of current performance. Decisions w ....Making better decisions about built assets: learning by doing. This research will assist the built environment professions and their clients to make better decisions about new developments through a novel 'learning by doing' approach. Used successfully in other fields such as natural resource management, this idea will capitalise on the large number of asset investments undertaken to benchmark original stakeholder intentions and aspirations against the reality of current performance. Decisions will be re-evaluated in the context of contemporary economic, social and environmental criteria to enable existing multi-criteria models to deliver more sustainable outcomes that are also feasible and in the national interest, and consequently minimise the industry's current exposure to future climate change.Read moreRead less
Strategic Assessment of Building Adaptive Reuse Opportunities. This research will review a large database of existing buildings, many of which have exceeded their useful life. An innovative model will be developed to enable Australia's building and property industries to identify the most viable opportunities for building adaptive reuse. The model will integrate financial, environmental and social sustainability, enabling community stakeholders to make informed decisions with widespread benefits ....Strategic Assessment of Building Adaptive Reuse Opportunities. This research will review a large database of existing buildings, many of which have exceeded their useful life. An innovative model will be developed to enable Australia's building and property industries to identify the most viable opportunities for building adaptive reuse. The model will integrate financial, environmental and social sustainability, enabling community stakeholders to make informed decisions with widespread benefits. The research is aligned with the national priority area: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia: Transforming Existing Industries. The expertise developed in this project will be regionally and internationally applicable, providing momentum for the growing adaptive design and conservation market.Read moreRead less
Technology Transforming Markets: Large-Scale Field Experiments in Electricity Use. Advances in information technology are transforming electricity markets. Victoria is rolling out ‘smart’ meters, which record half-hourly consumption data. Some retailers also provide web portals that facilitate customer access to this information. Together with an innovative start-up company, this project aims to use large-scale field experiments to evaluate the impact of these technologies on how consumers: use ....Technology Transforming Markets: Large-Scale Field Experiments in Electricity Use. Advances in information technology are transforming electricity markets. Victoria is rolling out ‘smart’ meters, which record half-hourly consumption data. Some retailers also provide web portals that facilitate customer access to this information. Together with an innovative start-up company, this project aims to use large-scale field experiments to evaluate the impact of these technologies on how consumers: use electricity; opt for new pricing plans; and switch retailers. The aims have important implications for environmental policies designed to conserve energy, for consumer choice and welfare, and for retail market competitiveness.Read moreRead less