The role of science in the policy process: responding to drought in Australia and the USA. Recent research has predicted more frequent and increasingly severe drought events for Australia in the future. Effective management of drought risk requires timely and relevant scientific information, placing scientific advice at the heart of a successful national drought management strategy. There is considerable potential for mutual policy learning as a result of a comparison of the role of scientists i ....The role of science in the policy process: responding to drought in Australia and the USA. Recent research has predicted more frequent and increasingly severe drought events for Australia in the future. Effective management of drought risk requires timely and relevant scientific information, placing scientific advice at the heart of a successful national drought management strategy. There is considerable potential for mutual policy learning as a result of a comparison of the role of scientists in drought policy in the US and Australia. This research project will also strengthen existing ties with top international drought researchers and promote opportunities for further international collaboration in the field of drought research and also in the consideration of the role of scientific advice in the policy process. Read moreRead less
How to manage on-farm surface water storage for sustainable and safe catchments. Unsafe on-farm storage of runoff is a potential but silent problem ready to strike downstream communities. Unfair storage already occurs at the expense of farmers, communities and environment. Stakeholders will gain understanding of these two inter-related problems and the factors that drive them. The national benefit will be empirical evidence and policy guidance about the drivers of on-farm dam storage which ensur ....How to manage on-farm surface water storage for sustainable and safe catchments. Unsafe on-farm storage of runoff is a potential but silent problem ready to strike downstream communities. Unfair storage already occurs at the expense of farmers, communities and environment. Stakeholders will gain understanding of these two inter-related problems and the factors that drive them. The national benefit will be empirical evidence and policy guidance about the drivers of on-farm dam storage which ensures fairness and safety in surface water sharing systems by (1)providing certainty of water entitlements and encouraging farming investment in safe dams, (2)minimising hardship to farmers and communities not benefiting from their full entitlement and to those that suffer from dam failures, and (3)maximising environment's share.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Urban Water Governance: Institutional Development and Organisational Change. The research will provide governance and policy advice for advancing integrated urban water management across multiple organisations and sectors in Australian cities. The benefits of the proposed research include: a) prioritisation of current institutional impediments; b) scoping of key institutional reform initiatives; c) improved institutional capacity to lead and innovate; and d) advancement of the nation ....Sustainable Urban Water Governance: Institutional Development and Organisational Change. The research will provide governance and policy advice for advancing integrated urban water management across multiple organisations and sectors in Australian cities. The benefits of the proposed research include: a) prioritisation of current institutional impediments; b) scoping of key institutional reform initiatives; c) improved institutional capacity to lead and innovate; and d) advancement of the national priority goal of facilitating sustainable water management practices. This will also address the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Environment and Heritage inquiry report Sustainable Cities (2005) advocating the need for research programs directed towards facilitating major institutional and policy changes.
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Public-Private-Partnership Governance and Performance: An Empirical Assessment. While Australia's rural and regional communities require improved infrastructure services at reduced costs and higher quality; infrastructure costs are significant and governments' funds are insufficient to meet demand. Public-private-partnerships (PPPs), if they work successfully, can be the key to meet this demand. As PPPs reduce the financial investment that governments need to make, the greater the opportunity fo ....Public-Private-Partnership Governance and Performance: An Empirical Assessment. While Australia's rural and regional communities require improved infrastructure services at reduced costs and higher quality; infrastructure costs are significant and governments' funds are insufficient to meet demand. Public-private-partnerships (PPPs), if they work successfully, can be the key to meet this demand. As PPPs reduce the financial investment that governments need to make, the greater the opportunity for considered infrastructure development, if the PPPs are successful and meet their intended financial and social objectives. Thus, a better understanding of the performance outcomes of different governance mechanisms in PPPs can result in less expensive and better infrastructure services for Australia's communities.Read moreRead less
New Police Management - From Command and Control to Collaborative Governance: An assessment of organisational change at Victoria Police. Changes in governance will be assessed and refined in order to assist Victoria Police to become more proactive and collaborative in achieving its strategic aims of intelligent, confident, community and partnership policing and thereby to make a difference to community safety over the next five years. Proactive collaboration at all levels will help Victoria Po ....New Police Management - From Command and Control to Collaborative Governance: An assessment of organisational change at Victoria Police. Changes in governance will be assessed and refined in order to assist Victoria Police to become more proactive and collaborative in achieving its strategic aims of intelligent, confident, community and partnership policing and thereby to make a difference to community safety over the next five years. Proactive collaboration at all levels will help Victoria Police to protect communities from terrorism and crime in contemporary conditions and will assist in the safeguarding of Australia. More generally, the results of the project will assist the accumulation of research-based evidence to inform policy making based on the claimed benefits of decentralisation in police forces around the world.Read moreRead less
Understanding Land Use Conflict in Rural Australia: A Values Analytic Approach. This project will analyse rural land use conflicts in Australia in terms of sets of values, focussing on if and how one set, agrarianism, centred on belief in the primacy of agriculture, has changed with the ‘encroachment’ of activities such as mining, wind power generation and wildlife conservation into rural spaces. This study, based on a survey and content analyses, will be the most comprehensive study of agrarian ....Understanding Land Use Conflict in Rural Australia: A Values Analytic Approach. This project will analyse rural land use conflicts in Australia in terms of sets of values, focussing on if and how one set, agrarianism, centred on belief in the primacy of agriculture, has changed with the ‘encroachment’ of activities such as mining, wind power generation and wildlife conservation into rural spaces. This study, based on a survey and content analyses, will be the most comprehensive study of agrarianism in Australia and internationally innovative in considering so many other land uses and their associated social values. Outcomes will include attitudes data and conceptual frameworks that will help policy-makers and stakeholders understand and manage land use conflicts. Read moreRead less
Whole of Government: Evaluating frameworks for integrating policy development, implementation and delivery of public services. The Australian Government is committed to whole of government approaches to policy, implementation and service delivery. This research will help make whole of government work better, by analysing its fundamentals and providing guidance on best practice. It links five key government agencies, coordinating departments and those at the front line of service delivery. Case s ....Whole of Government: Evaluating frameworks for integrating policy development, implementation and delivery of public services. The Australian Government is committed to whole of government approaches to policy, implementation and service delivery. This research will help make whole of government work better, by analysing its fundamentals and providing guidance on best practice. It links five key government agencies, coordinating departments and those at the front line of service delivery. Case studies include national security, avian flu and indigenous policy coordination. The project will build ongoing collaboration between academic researchers and public servants. It will develop practical guidelines to assist government organisations better serve clients and solve complex policy challenges.Read moreRead less
Investigating the Impact of Work Design on Productive Wellbeing in Mercy Health: The Modernising Third Sector. Around the world the Third Sector (TS) of the economy is coming under pressure to modernise their management. The typical approaches to modern management being imposed overseas may not be appropriate for TS organisations and therefore they need to be critically examined, especially for their impact on employees. In Australia the TS is a large (approx. $15billion), yet low-profile set of ....Investigating the Impact of Work Design on Productive Wellbeing in Mercy Health: The Modernising Third Sector. Around the world the Third Sector (TS) of the economy is coming under pressure to modernise their management. The typical approaches to modern management being imposed overseas may not be appropriate for TS organisations and therefore they need to be critically examined, especially for their impact on employees. In Australia the TS is a large (approx. $15billion), yet low-profile set of organisations, of which the health industry is central. This project will investigate the issues that make workplaces in a TS health organisation a healthier and more productive place to work. The results could directly help improve workplaces covering more than 150,000 employees.Read moreRead less
Fostering Innovation Inside Government: The Role of Structural and Personal Networks in Improving Innovation Performance Among Politicians and Bureaucrats. Innovation is the engine of the new global economy.The Prime Minster's Australia Day Statement 'Backing Australia's Ability' put innovation at the top of the government agenda. Unfortunately most research and public policy ignores the participation of government itself, apart from its fiscal role. This new study takes the innovation question ....Fostering Innovation Inside Government: The Role of Structural and Personal Networks in Improving Innovation Performance Among Politicians and Bureaucrats. Innovation is the engine of the new global economy.The Prime Minster's Australia Day Statement 'Backing Australia's Ability' put innovation at the top of the government agenda. Unfortunately most research and public policy ignores the participation of government itself, apart from its fiscal role. This new study takes the innovation question inside government to map the path to innovation and to analyse how networking determines outcomes. The study considers both structural and personal networks and considers variations in how they are related. Outcomes will include a new model for governmental innovation and methods for performance improvement inside governmental systems.Read moreRead less
The Social and Business Implications of Extending China's Social Security System. The Shanghai Bureau of Labour and Social Security (SBLSS) has introduced regulations that extend social security coverage to employees (including migrants) resident and/or working within the municipality of Shanghai but outside the city limits. These regulations are part of a reform program that aims to develop a comprehensive and sustainable social security system that will provide coverage to all of China's popul ....The Social and Business Implications of Extending China's Social Security System. The Shanghai Bureau of Labour and Social Security (SBLSS) has introduced regulations that extend social security coverage to employees (including migrants) resident and/or working within the municipality of Shanghai but outside the city limits. These regulations are part of a reform program that aims to develop a comprehensive and sustainable social security system that will provide coverage to all of China's population; and one that draws on Australia's experience with social security management. The Bureau has asked us to partcipate in assessing the reforms, a research opportunity offered to no other body of scholars inside or outside China.Read moreRead less