Evaluating communication for development: supporting adaptive and accountable development. Australia spends $5.2 billion a year on overseas aid and is increasingly interested in the role of communication in sustainable development. This project will help to create a more effective means of understanding the impact of communication for development and improving its effectiveness in contributing to sustained, positive development outcomes.
Soft Infrastructure, New Media and Creative Clusters: Developing Capacity in China and Australia. The project will position Australia at the forefront of the creative industries internationally and enhance national capacities in the rejuvenation and design of creative urban precincts. A greater appreciation of, and strong links with China, particularly its design and urban sectors, will result. Australian firms will benefit through greater trade opportunities as a result.
A hand up: Disrupting the communication of intergenerational welfare dependency. Some families rely permanently on welfare support and communicate this dependency to the next generation. Children growing up in these families find it difficult to break out of poverty. With the help of twelve families and members of the St Vincent de Paul Society (Western Australia), this project aims to create ethnographies which illuminate turning points and opportunities for change. It will look to use creative ....A hand up: Disrupting the communication of intergenerational welfare dependency. Some families rely permanently on welfare support and communicate this dependency to the next generation. Children growing up in these families find it difficult to break out of poverty. With the help of twelve families and members of the St Vincent de Paul Society (Western Australia), this project aims to create ethnographies which illuminate turning points and opportunities for change. It will look to use creative and educational interventions to explore new ways of delivering services and disrupting the communication of welfare dependency. Ending inherited poverty is a significant step in helping individuals reach their potential and frees resources for people facing sudden hardship.Read moreRead less
The uses of romance for new demographics and multimedia platforms: A model of media innovation in international women's fiction publishing. The national benefit of this project is both economic and socio-cultural. Economically, it investigates new ways to produce and distribute Australian creative content for local and export markets. It identifies how branch offices of global firms can be creative offices. Culturally, it develops scenarios for maximizing the acceptance, uptake and use of digita ....The uses of romance for new demographics and multimedia platforms: A model of media innovation in international women's fiction publishing. The national benefit of this project is both economic and socio-cultural. Economically, it investigates new ways to produce and distribute Australian creative content for local and export markets. It identifies how branch offices of global firms can be creative offices. Culturally, it develops scenarios for maximizing the acceptance, uptake and use of digital technologies by both large-scale publishers and young Australians. It investigates agents along the length of the creative value chain - from authors to audiences - to determine the uses of creative fiction, identifying the features that attract / repel users of published fiction in these genres. Finally it extends the capabilities of users to create their own romance content.Read moreRead less
Social media in times of crisis: learning from recent natural disasters to improve future strategies. This project will analyse and evaluate how social media was used by emergency authorities, media organisations and citizens during recent natural disasters, including the January 2011 Queensland floods and Tropical Cyclone Yasi. The project will develop a framework for longer-term strategies for public communication during emergencies.
An ethnographic investigation into the everyday work and communication cultures of public transport transit guards: reducing risk and injury. This research improves the safety of public transport for workers and passengers with flow-on benefits at local and national levels. The main health and safety risk transit guards face is attacks upon them, or injury incurred while intervening in assaults they witness. Conventional initiatives have not impacted greatly on injury rates but culture and commu ....An ethnographic investigation into the everyday work and communication cultures of public transport transit guards: reducing risk and injury. This research improves the safety of public transport for workers and passengers with flow-on benefits at local and national levels. The main health and safety risk transit guards face is attacks upon them, or injury incurred while intervening in assaults they witness. Conventional initiatives have not impacted greatly on injury rates but culture and communication change strategies offer potential ways forward. Strategies that reduce incidents confer clear community benefits and competitive advantage. Effective management of such challenges assists with the recruitment and retention of appropriate staff, improving profitability. Benefits include reduced costs of public transport, increased passenger load, and positive environmental impacts.Read moreRead less
Mobilising media for sustainable outcomes in the Pacific region. Almost 25 per cent of Australia's total aid budget will be spent in Pacific Island countries this year. In collaboration with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the project will research the use of media and communication for development in the Pacific to increase our understanding of the region and inform practices that will improve the development outcomes from Australia's aid funding.
Swarms in Urban Villages: New Media Design to Augment Social Networks of Residents in Inner-City Developments. This study will develop advanced knowledge of how urban neighbourhood communities can be assisted to grow in healthy ways by the use of new media and ICTs. By careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. This will lead to greater social inclusion, fair access to and smart use of informatio ....Swarms in Urban Villages: New Media Design to Augment Social Networks of Residents in Inner-City Developments. This study will develop advanced knowledge of how urban neighbourhood communities can be assisted to grow in healthy ways by the use of new media and ICTs. By careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. This will lead to greater social inclusion, fair access to and smart use of information and services, urban sustainability and healthier local economies. Understanding the opportunities afforded by digital augmentation of social networks will help Australians negotiate the complex web of daily choices, access a greater social safety net and participate in the socio-cultural and socio-economic life of their neighbourhood and city.Read moreRead less
Young People, Technology, and Wellbeing Research Facility. Large numbers of initiatives now mobilise technology to support the wellbeing of young Australians. However, amongst communities undertaking this work, there is currently significant duplication and insufficient sharing of research and best practice models. A Research Facility that consolidates existing research, and guides new research and initiatives will improve service delivery to young Australians by: reducing duplication between or ....Young People, Technology, and Wellbeing Research Facility. Large numbers of initiatives now mobilise technology to support the wellbeing of young Australians. However, amongst communities undertaking this work, there is currently significant duplication and insufficient sharing of research and best practice models. A Research Facility that consolidates existing research, and guides new research and initiatives will improve service delivery to young Australians by: reducing duplication between organizations working with young people; providing an accessible interface with research that can help address the community’s concerns about the role of technology in young people’s lives, and inform future policy and programs; and model effective cross-sector knowledge brokering to Australian industry. Read moreRead less
Assessing the impact of new communication technologies in developing countries and disadvantaged communities. This research will enhance understanding of the role of new technologies in communication with, and education of, disadvantaged groups as well as exploring the social changes they bring. Australia is committed to reducing poverty, to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and measuring the impact of development. Understanding how communication interventions may be better understood i ....Assessing the impact of new communication technologies in developing countries and disadvantaged communities. This research will enhance understanding of the role of new technologies in communication with, and education of, disadvantaged groups as well as exploring the social changes they bring. Australia is committed to reducing poverty, to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and measuring the impact of development. Understanding how communication interventions may be better understood is important to revealing how they support the achievement of better health, wellbeing, education and conflict reduction. This research will strengthen Australia's potential to lead in this field, to develop more effective development assistance and to apply such methods to Australian community development initiatives.Read moreRead less