Administrative justice in China: harnessing the rule of law to deal with citizen complaints against official misconduct. Ongoing conflicts between citizens and government officials in China pose a serious threat to the country’s social stability. Dealing fairly and efficiently with citizens’ complaints of administrative misconduct is a core component of China’s commitment to good governance and the rule of law. This legal project undertakes the first systematic examination of the three mechanism ....Administrative justice in China: harnessing the rule of law to deal with citizen complaints against official misconduct. Ongoing conflicts between citizens and government officials in China pose a serious threat to the country’s social stability. Dealing fairly and efficiently with citizens’ complaints of administrative misconduct is a core component of China’s commitment to good governance and the rule of law. This legal project undertakes the first systematic examination of the three mechanisms underpinning administrative justice in China and their interaction: administrative litigation, administrative review, and letters and visits. It will assess China’s capacity to use law to address chronic abuse of power. It will provide a practical understanding of the changing nature of China’s commitment to the rule of law and the implications for Australia.Read moreRead less
Criminalisation of poverty and homelessness in Australia: A national study. The project aims to assess the policing and enforcement of public order crimes and related offences (e.g. obstruct/disobey police, breach of bail, and minor property offences) on individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness. The project endeavours to collect and analyse qualitative data from across Australia on the lived experience of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, regarding the impact of crimin ....Criminalisation of poverty and homelessness in Australia: A national study. The project aims to assess the policing and enforcement of public order crimes and related offences (e.g. obstruct/disobey police, breach of bail, and minor property offences) on individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness. The project endeavours to collect and analyse qualitative data from across Australia on the lived experience of people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, regarding the impact of criminal laws and police powers concerned with presence in, and movement around public places. It will particularly focus on the impact on women, children and Indigenous peoples. The outcomes will seek to reduce the criminalisation of homeless people, by identifying law and policy reform options, and comparing their cost with that of 'business as usual'.Read moreRead less
Regulating Australia's retail grocery sector - goals, actors and techniques. The major supermarket chains have a substantial economic and social impact on consumers, businesses and communities and are crucial to Australia's economic growth and productivity. Given their size and reach, regulation of the chains poses significant challenges. This interdisciplinary, empirical and theoretically driven project aims to interrogate the goals and processes of competition law as it applies in the retail g ....Regulating Australia's retail grocery sector - goals, actors and techniques. The major supermarket chains have a substantial economic and social impact on consumers, businesses and communities and are crucial to Australia's economic growth and productivity. Given their size and reach, regulation of the chains poses significant challenges. This interdisciplinary, empirical and theoretically driven project aims to interrogate the goals and processes of competition law as it applies in the retail grocery sector. In the first Australian research of its kind, it endeavours to explain how the chains' strategies and industry relationships influence regulatory action. The research is expected to produce recommendations on instruments and techniques to ensure that regulation of the sector is legally and practically efficient and effective.Read moreRead less
Model Laws to Regulate the Use of Restraint on Persons with Disabilities. This project aims to address the current lack of a common legal framework for regulating the use of restraint on persons with disabilities in mental health, disability and aged care sectors. Through developing model laws and guidelines, this project aims to support the Disability Ministers’ National Framework for Reducing and Eliminating the Use of Restrictive Practices and the National Mental Health Commission’s work on r ....Model Laws to Regulate the Use of Restraint on Persons with Disabilities. This project aims to address the current lack of a common legal framework for regulating the use of restraint on persons with disabilities in mental health, disability and aged care sectors. Through developing model laws and guidelines, this project aims to support the Disability Ministers’ National Framework for Reducing and Eliminating the Use of Restrictive Practices and the National Mental Health Commission’s work on reducing and eliminating restraint. Its main objective is to benefit persons with disabilities by supporting government policies aimed at reducing, with a view to eliminating, the adverse consequences of coercive practices in general.Read moreRead less
Options for supported decision-making to enhance the recovery of people with severe mental health problems. This project will examine the views of people with severe mental health problems, carers and mental health practitioners concerning appropriate supports for making treatment decisions. The project will produce an internet-based resource and training materials that explain supported decision-making and how it can contribute to the process of recovery.
Resilience and vulnerability in property systems: rising sea levels and local relocations in Solomon Islands. This project analyses local relocations caused by rising sea levels in Solomon Islands, in order to support sustainable and inclusive resettlement of displaced persons in their home environments.
Reshaping employment discrimination law: towards substantive equality at work? The Australian employment discrimination law system comprises long standing anti-discrimination law and novel discrimination provisions from the Fair Work Act 2009. This project studies the operation and effectiveness of the reshaped system, to assess whether it is likely to be effective in supporting a more substantive version of equality at work.
Regulating Human Body Parts: Principles, Institutions and Politics. Advances in scientific research and technological innovation have led to a huge growth in the use of human body parts in research and medicine, whether on their own or as part of a range of technologies. Adopting a predominantly legal analysis, this project considers whether a common approach to regulating across a range of human body parts is desirable for the purposes of managing risk, promoting innovation and enhancing legiti ....Regulating Human Body Parts: Principles, Institutions and Politics. Advances in scientific research and technological innovation have led to a huge growth in the use of human body parts in research and medicine, whether on their own or as part of a range of technologies. Adopting a predominantly legal analysis, this project considers whether a common approach to regulating across a range of human body parts is desirable for the purposes of managing risk, promoting innovation and enhancing legitimacy. In line with such purposes, new regulatory models and strategies will be formulated which will make a significant contribution to theoretical development on the topic in health law and regulation, as well as Australian and international policy and practice in the field.Read moreRead less
From margins to mainstream: gender equality and employment regulation. Progress towards gender equality in employment has stalled, despite anti-discrimination laws. This investigation of alternative regulatory strategies will build Australian expertise and contribute to knowledge about the relationships between gender equality and employment regulation, generating policy options for employment and human rights bodies.
Prospects for quality work and gender equality in frontline care work. Despite policy concerns about unmet demand for paid care, frontline care workers generally have poorer conditions than workers in other feminised sectors. This project will investigate the regulatory options to improve the quality of care work to build Australian expertise and knowledge about the links between job quality and quality of care services.