Delivering Effective Protection to Victims and Prevention of Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. The project will help safeguard Australia by improving our understanding of the nature of human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region through victims' profiles and about what preventive measures work best. It will focus upon capacity building and co-ordination of NGO-State responses. It will contribute to Australia's continuing reputation as regional leader on these issues, by focusi ....Delivering Effective Protection to Victims and Prevention of Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. The project will help safeguard Australia by improving our understanding of the nature of human trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region through victims' profiles and about what preventive measures work best. It will focus upon capacity building and co-ordination of NGO-State responses. It will contribute to Australia's continuing reputation as regional leader on these issues, by focusing on high quality research to inform policy development and practice on aid effectiveness in the area of counter-human trafficking. This is expected to lead to significant social and economic benefits through building upon existing cooperative relationships.Read moreRead less
Applying Human Rights Legislation In Closed Environments: A Strategic Framework For Managing Compliance. The project will be a principal source of knowledge about the application of human rights in secure settings in Australia. It will improve the delivery and quality of services to people held in closed environments, such as prisons, detention centres, and settings accommodating the aged and persons with disabilities. It will assist both human rights monitoring bodies, and staff and management ....Applying Human Rights Legislation In Closed Environments: A Strategic Framework For Managing Compliance. The project will be a principal source of knowledge about the application of human rights in secure settings in Australia. It will improve the delivery and quality of services to people held in closed environments, such as prisons, detention centres, and settings accommodating the aged and persons with disabilities. It will assist both human rights monitoring bodies, and staff and management of closed settings to implement human rights obligations in everyday operations, and will heighten awareness in the community of the rights of people in these settings.Read moreRead less
The Impact on the Human Rights of Asylum-Seekers and Host Communities of Australia's Border Control Cooperation with Indonesia and PNG. Australia regards border control cooperation with Indonesia and PNG as vital for preventing irregular entry into its own territory. Little is known, however, about the implications of cooperation for asylum-seekers or their host communities in Indonesia and PNG. This project is of national benefit because it advances knowledge by investigating whether Australia ....The Impact on the Human Rights of Asylum-Seekers and Host Communities of Australia's Border Control Cooperation with Indonesia and PNG. Australia regards border control cooperation with Indonesia and PNG as vital for preventing irregular entry into its own territory. Little is known, however, about the implications of cooperation for asylum-seekers or their host communities in Indonesia and PNG. This project is of national benefit because it advances knowledge by investigating whether Australia can more effectively safeguard the human rights of asylum-seekers and others affected by its regional border control cooperation. The results of this study will enhance the capacity of policy makers to deal with mixed flows of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers consistently with human rights and thus Australia's ability to play a positive leadership role in its region.Read moreRead less
The history of advocacy and guardianship for people with disabilities in Victoria, 1986 - 2006. The history and analysis of the Victorian Office of the Public Advocate will benefit the national community by providing a fuller understanding of guardianship and advocacy in daily action, and of the interaction between people with disabilities and the state. It will make an important contribution to understanding the changing ways that governments act and deliver services. The project will also deep ....The history of advocacy and guardianship for people with disabilities in Victoria, 1986 - 2006. The history and analysis of the Victorian Office of the Public Advocate will benefit the national community by providing a fuller understanding of guardianship and advocacy in daily action, and of the interaction between people with disabilities and the state. It will make an important contribution to understanding the changing ways that governments act and deliver services. The project will also deepen understanding of volunteering, in particular of the role ordinary citizens can play in guarding the rights of their fellow citizens. Read moreRead less
Fearing going home: Australia's return of rejected asylum seekers, temporary refugees and others from refugee-like situations. Recent changes in government policy, combined with international political developments, mean that increasing numbers of asylum seekers and temporary refugees are being deemed ineligible for protection and removed from Australia or from Australian-run facilities. Notwithstanding the government's assessment that such people do not have protection needs, many live in acute ....Fearing going home: Australia's return of rejected asylum seekers, temporary refugees and others from refugee-like situations. Recent changes in government policy, combined with international political developments, mean that increasing numbers of asylum seekers and temporary refugees are being deemed ineligible for protection and removed from Australia or from Australian-run facilities. Notwithstanding the government's assessment that such people do not have protection needs, many live in acute fear of their pending return. They may indeed be returned to situations of danger, deprivation and desperate poverty. This project aims to research and document the plight of 'returnees' as they face the prospect of repatriation and then, to the extent possible, after they have been repatriated.Read moreRead less
(Dis)abling Reports: Mapping uptake, progress and outcomes of police reports of sexual assault made by those with cognitive impairment. This project examines reporting outcomes of police reports of sexual assault by people with a cognitive impairment. This group are more vulnerable to sexual offences yet less likely to have the report progress completely through the investigative pathways of the police. There exist no studies identifying the decision making police use when determining the progr ....(Dis)abling Reports: Mapping uptake, progress and outcomes of police reports of sexual assault made by those with cognitive impairment. This project examines reporting outcomes of police reports of sexual assault by people with a cognitive impairment. This group are more vulnerable to sexual offences yet less likely to have the report progress completely through the investigative pathways of the police. There exist no studies identifying the decision making police use when determining the progress of reports. Decisions as to whether a report proceeds or exits the justice system are documented and contained in a restricted police data system. Analysing this data will generate a framework around the decision making applied and map the progress and exit stages of these reports.Read moreRead less
Auditing the Victorian Charter: Australian and international perspectives on applied human rights. This project is a detailed legal, government and policy case study of the most important human rights initiative in recent Australian history. It will provide research and new knowledge in key areas of human rights: the operation of human rights Bills, links between human rights and social disadvantage, education and community attitudes, and strategic government implementation. The project will d ....Auditing the Victorian Charter: Australian and international perspectives on applied human rights. This project is a detailed legal, government and policy case study of the most important human rights initiative in recent Australian history. It will provide research and new knowledge in key areas of human rights: the operation of human rights Bills, links between human rights and social disadvantage, education and community attitudes, and strategic government implementation. The project will develop a new policy tool (a national Audit) to monitor, plan and strengthen human rights in government and the community, and contribute to better social wellbeing and stronger democracy in Australia.Read moreRead less
Seeking Asylum Alone: The Treatment of Separated and Trafficked Children in Need of Refugee Protection in Australia. Forced migration is a critical human rights issue. Although increasing in number, children traveling on their own to seek protection abroad have received scant scholarly attention. No systematic research exists on the efficacy of asylum as a mechanism for protecting separated children smuggled or trafficked into Australia. Claims and experiences of such children will be catalog ....Seeking Asylum Alone: The Treatment of Separated and Trafficked Children in Need of Refugee Protection in Australia. Forced migration is a critical human rights issue. Although increasing in number, children traveling on their own to seek protection abroad have received scant scholarly attention. No systematic research exists on the efficacy of asylum as a mechanism for protecting separated children smuggled or trafficked into Australia. Claims and experiences of such children will be catalogued and studied to determine the extent and nature of the disadvantage they face within Australia's refugee system. The findings will contribute to an international project aimed articulating best practice guidelines for the legal treatment of separated children in refugee determination systems around the world.Read moreRead less
Mapping the Political Ecology of the Edible Birds’ Nests Trade in Indonesia. This study examines the origins and impacts of the rapidly emerging edible birds’ nests (EBN) trade for rural livelihoods and ecologies in Southeast Asia. A high-value Chinese delicacy, the EBN trade has surged across rural Indonesia and beyond. In partnership with the WWF and Tropenbos, our pioneering study investigates how rural producers negotiate the uneven social, economic and environmental influences of the EBN co ....Mapping the Political Ecology of the Edible Birds’ Nests Trade in Indonesia. This study examines the origins and impacts of the rapidly emerging edible birds’ nests (EBN) trade for rural livelihoods and ecologies in Southeast Asia. A high-value Chinese delicacy, the EBN trade has surged across rural Indonesia and beyond. In partnership with the WWF and Tropenbos, our pioneering study investigates how rural producers negotiate the uneven social, economic and environmental influences of the EBN commodity chain in the threatened Heart of Borneo, Indonesia, and the major urban trading centres of Jakarta, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The project offers novel insights into the trade’s sustainability across rural and urban regions of Asia and informs policy for poverty reduction and environmental management in the region.Read moreRead less
Australian human rights complaints: Litigation, mediation or conciliation. This project will assess the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to resolve human rights complaints in Australia – conciliation, mediation and litigation. It will be the first project to evaluate the effectiveness of these mechanisms in a human rights context. Working with industry partners from the legal sector and four human rights commissions, this project will generate new knowledge on human rights complaints and on ....Australian human rights complaints: Litigation, mediation or conciliation. This project will assess the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to resolve human rights complaints in Australia – conciliation, mediation and litigation. It will be the first project to evaluate the effectiveness of these mechanisms in a human rights context. Working with industry partners from the legal sector and four human rights commissions, this project will generate new knowledge on human rights complaints and on the views of key stakeholders about the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to resolve human rights complaints. This new information will inform legal and policy reform throughout Australia. The expected outcomes include developing a robust evidence-based model for human rights dispute resolution in the Australian context.Read moreRead less