Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributi ....Sustainable fiscal federalism and reform of the GST distribution system. The primary source of funds for Australian States and Territories is GST revenue distributed by the Commonwealth using an equalisation formula that has proved to be politically unsustainable and in recent times manifestly inadequate to provide the revenue needed in response to crises and natural disasters. A tipping point has been reached and reform is urgently needed. Drawing on international experience with GST distributions specifically and fiscal federalism more generally, the project aims to develop a reform blueprint for a sustainable and equitable fiscal federalism regime in Australia that best aligns with Australia’s current and long-term fiscal needs.Read moreRead less
Towards an integrated model of reasoning and reasoning development. This project aims to identify the core cognitive processes that underlie different forms of reasoning and how they develop. The project intends to use a signal detection framework to derive detailed computational models of reasoning which can then be tested through Bayesian computational modelling as well as the first systematic investigation of developmental change in reasoning processes. Expected outcomes include a more princi ....Towards an integrated model of reasoning and reasoning development. This project aims to identify the core cognitive processes that underlie different forms of reasoning and how they develop. The project intends to use a signal detection framework to derive detailed computational models of reasoning which can then be tested through Bayesian computational modelling as well as the first systematic investigation of developmental change in reasoning processes. Expected outcomes include a more principled and comprehensive computational model of reasoning in both adults and children. The project should provide significant benefits by helping to resolve long-standing debates about how humans reason complex arguments relevant to everyday lives and guide development of more effective methods for teaching reasoning.Read moreRead less
Measuring the impact of urban regulation on housing affordability in Australian cities and regions. Urban planning must ensure that development meets new environmental goals, but stringent regulation may reduce housing supply and affordability. This project uses new local planning data and econometric studies to quantify and monitor planning regulation impacts on housing supply and affordability in Australian cities and regions.
Patterns in early modern english drama texts: a quantitative and qualitative analysis of dramatic genre, repertory and style, 1576-1642. This project combines traditional and innovative digital research methods to reveal and analyse underlying patterns and contrasts in the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Surveyed as a network rather than as individual works, this project will produce new knowledge about Renaissance drama and its development.
Community Self-determination in the Era of Automated Home Delivery Systems. Urban environments in Australia and internationally are on the cusp of major disruption resulting from impending proliferation of home delivery services using autonomous vehicles in the form of trucks, shuttles, bots, and drones. As witnessed in the case of ride-share services, socio-technical changes can permeate society before effective regulation is introduced unless swift anticipatory action is taken. The aim of this ....Community Self-determination in the Era of Automated Home Delivery Systems. Urban environments in Australia and internationally are on the cusp of major disruption resulting from impending proliferation of home delivery services using autonomous vehicles in the form of trucks, shuttles, bots, and drones. As witnessed in the case of ride-share services, socio-technical changes can permeate society before effective regulation is introduced unless swift anticipatory action is taken. The aim of this project is to deliver the critical information inputs required to empower and protect communities in a future characterised by the widespread use of automated product deliveries. Outputs will include modelled scenarios and negotiated policy recommendations that reflect meaningful community consultation.Read moreRead less
Does risk-based licensing of alcohol sales reduce alcohol-related harm? Alcohol-related harm is a major public health and social order issue which requires sophisticated evidence-based policy. This project capitalises on a unique window of policy adoption across Australia to investigate the introduction of risk-based licensing schemes for the sale of alcohol, assessing their impacts, identifying modifiable elements and developing policy advice. There is an urgent need for evidence about which in ....Does risk-based licensing of alcohol sales reduce alcohol-related harm? Alcohol-related harm is a major public health and social order issue which requires sophisticated evidence-based policy. This project capitalises on a unique window of policy adoption across Australia to investigate the introduction of risk-based licensing schemes for the sale of alcohol, assessing their impacts, identifying modifiable elements and developing policy advice. There is an urgent need for evidence about which interventions are effective, and which of these can survive the political process. It builds on the team’s extensive work and unique datasets around alcohol policy and licensed venues to analyse archival data, key stakeholder interviews and venue observations in three states, using the most up-to-date and reliable methods.Read moreRead less
Modelling network innovation performance capability: a multidisciplinary approach. Innovation is created in complex network interactions.
By combining agent-based and fuzzy logic modelling, this project will identify combinations of resources to generate new ideas/technologies. This will enable managers and policy makers to understand the mechanisms behind innovation and implement policies aimed at enhancing innovation processes.
Ageing in a developing country and its effects on intra-household resource allocation. Indonesia, our largest neighbour and our third largest recipient of AID, is among the fastest-growing elderly populations in Southeast Asia. Ongoing cultural and economic change means that the traditional reliance of elderly on family support is breaking down leaving the country's social fabric vulnerable. Understanding the linkages between ageing, ill-health and the labour market responses at the household le ....Ageing in a developing country and its effects on intra-household resource allocation. Indonesia, our largest neighbour and our third largest recipient of AID, is among the fastest-growing elderly populations in Southeast Asia. Ongoing cultural and economic change means that the traditional reliance of elderly on family support is breaking down leaving the country's social fabric vulnerable. Understanding the linkages between ageing, ill-health and the labour market responses at the household level is the path to effectively intervene in the link between age and poverty and to successfully design policy that facilitates improvements in women's social status.Read moreRead less
Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield. This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiati ....Exploiting natural variation to discover tools to increase crop plant yield. This project aims to identify the specific biochemical and underlying molecular modifications that contributed to the evolution of the C4 pathway by studying C3, C4 and C3-C4 intermediate Flaveria species. Most land plants use C3 or C4 photosynthesis to assimilate CO2. Plants using the C4 pathway evolved from C3 ancestors in multiple plant lineages, and show higher rates of photosynthesis and conversion of solar radiation to biomass in arid, high-light and saline environments, which are expanding due to global climate change. The outcomes of this project could define what is required to engineer plant varieties with increased yield and the ability to withstand effects of climate shift, and contribute to our understanding of convergent evolutionary processes.Read moreRead less
Enabling social innovation for local climate adaptability. Climate variability and change is likely to be felt most acutely at the local scale in Australia. This is where inter/national and State policies are translated into practices to prepare for, and adapt to, anticipated impacts of heatwaves, bushfires and floods. This project will investigate tensions and potentialities between risk-based assessments by local governance agencies and innovations by local groups and Non-Government Organisati ....Enabling social innovation for local climate adaptability. Climate variability and change is likely to be felt most acutely at the local scale in Australia. This is where inter/national and State policies are translated into practices to prepare for, and adapt to, anticipated impacts of heatwaves, bushfires and floods. This project will investigate tensions and potentialities between risk-based assessments by local governance agencies and innovations by local groups and Non-Government Organisations. The research will utilise an innovative mixed-methods approach to investigate and to analyse the strategies and experiments of adaptation practices. It aims to develop new ways of identifying and implementing practical, local, adaptive responses that are contextually relevant, socially innovative and capacity building.Read moreRead less