Mapping Social Services Provision for Diverse Communities. Although the provision of social services in multicultural societies is one of the major factors that affect immigrants’ integration experiences, it surprisingly remains under-researched. This project will systematically map the provision and impact of different service-delivery modes in three areas of interest to migrant groups - health, social and employment services. By using mixed-methods design, the project will assess the experienc ....Mapping Social Services Provision for Diverse Communities. Although the provision of social services in multicultural societies is one of the major factors that affect immigrants’ integration experiences, it surprisingly remains under-researched. This project will systematically map the provision and impact of different service-delivery modes in three areas of interest to migrant groups - health, social and employment services. By using mixed-methods design, the project will assess the experiences and impact of the mainstreaming of social services on social inclusion, citizenship and human rights among migrant communities. Outcomes will include robust empirical evidence to plan policies and improve social inclusion of migrant communities through the effective provision of social services.Read moreRead less
Predicting the impacts of groundwater drawdown on groundwater ecosystems. This project aims to tackle a critical challenge of groundwater management – to understand and predict the impacts of declining groundwater levels. Over pumping and declining groundwater tables are a global problem, yet the effects on the ecosystems that exist within aquifers are poorly known. This project will create a world first evidence-based model of how lowering water tables affects the microbes, invertebrates (stygo ....Predicting the impacts of groundwater drawdown on groundwater ecosystems. This project aims to tackle a critical challenge of groundwater management – to understand and predict the impacts of declining groundwater levels. Over pumping and declining groundwater tables are a global problem, yet the effects on the ecosystems that exist within aquifers are poorly known. This project will create a world first evidence-based model of how lowering water tables affects the microbes, invertebrates (stygofauna) and ecological processes in groundwater ecosystems, and will demonstrate the consequences of such changes to groundwater quality and availability. This model will allow impacts to be reliably forecast and avoided or mitigated, vastly improving how major developments affecting groundwater are planned and implemented.Read moreRead less
Gender equality in Australia: impact on social, economic and health outcomes. This project aims to develop an innovative, Australian-specific multidimensional measure of gender equality. The project’s focus on conceptualising and measuring gender equality in the Australian context will address a significant barrier to the development, implementation and evaluation of targeted gender equality programs and policies. By partnering with government and industry representatives, this project will deve ....Gender equality in Australia: impact on social, economic and health outcomes. This project aims to develop an innovative, Australian-specific multidimensional measure of gender equality. The project’s focus on conceptualising and measuring gender equality in the Australian context will address a significant barrier to the development, implementation and evaluation of targeted gender equality programs and policies. By partnering with government and industry representatives, this project will develop a baseline from which programs and policies can be measured. The project will also establish evidence about the effects of gender equality in relation to economic, social and wellbeing outcomes.Read moreRead less
Oyster biomonitor for endocrine disrupting chemicals. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can produce alarming detrimental impacts on the reproduction and survival of aquatic species, though little is presently known in terms of their effect and impacts on sensitive marine invertebrate species. We propose the development and validation of the first marine mollusc as a biomonitor for the detection and impact assessment of estrogenic contaminants in Australian estuarine and marine waterbodies. S ....Oyster biomonitor for endocrine disrupting chemicals. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can produce alarming detrimental impacts on the reproduction and survival of aquatic species, though little is presently known in terms of their effect and impacts on sensitive marine invertebrate species. We propose the development and validation of the first marine mollusc as a biomonitor for the detection and impact assessment of estrogenic contaminants in Australian estuarine and marine waterbodies. Such biomonitors will provide water management agencies with the capability to manage estrogenic effluent discharges and provide the oyster industry with a tool to prevent product contamination, ensuring the continued health and sustainability of our aquatic resources.Read moreRead less
Stewarding thin markets: improving public sector market effectiveness. This project aims to develop methodologies to identify thin markets in the public service sector. Thin markets, where there are a low number of buyers or low number of sellers, are a major risk for governments utilising a personalised approach to service delivery. This project will develop new methodologies for identifying thin markets and determine ways emerging markets can be stewarded to better achieve their aims.
Taking eDNA underground: transforming assessment of subterranean ecosystems. This project aims to improve Environmental Impact Assessment and monitoring of subterranean ecosystems by developing a rigorous, credible and practicable environmental DNA assessment framework. Resource companies in Western Australia are mandated to assess groundwater biodiversity under Environmental Protection legislation. Current surveys are time-consuming (expensive) and biased toward common taxa. For regulators, sta ....Taking eDNA underground: transforming assessment of subterranean ecosystems. This project aims to improve Environmental Impact Assessment and monitoring of subterranean ecosystems by developing a rigorous, credible and practicable environmental DNA assessment framework. Resource companies in Western Australia are mandated to assess groundwater biodiversity under Environmental Protection legislation. Current surveys are time-consuming (expensive) and biased toward common taxa. For regulators, stakeholders and industry involved in this project we will provide real-world information and cost savings through innovation in understanding patterns in species boundaries and detection of subterranean fauna. The outcomes will be directly applicable to monitoring subterranean ecosystems across Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Towards sustainable co-management of groundwater in the Beetaloo region, NT. This project aims to improve understanding of connections between groundwater, climate, surface water and Indigenous cultural values, in a region of major resource development in the Northern Territory. It will use a novel, inter-disciplinary approach, involving remote sensing of climate-water-landscape interactions, documenting Indigenous water knowledge, environmental isotope monitoring, and water policy analysis. The ....Towards sustainable co-management of groundwater in the Beetaloo region, NT. This project aims to improve understanding of connections between groundwater, climate, surface water and Indigenous cultural values, in a region of major resource development in the Northern Territory. It will use a novel, inter-disciplinary approach, involving remote sensing of climate-water-landscape interactions, documenting Indigenous water knowledge, environmental isotope monitoring, and water policy analysis. The project expects to generate enhanced understanding of hydrological processes, and associated Indigenous cultural values. This is anticipated to improve capacity to analyse risks to groundwater-dependent values, and foster greater Indigenous participation in water planning and monitoring, benefiting multiple stakeholders.Read moreRead less
Industrial disasters, disclosure deficit: Can transparency level the field? This project aims to identify and apply innovative forms of transparency and new processes of public accountability for energy transition minerals. Recent tailings dam disasters have damaged the global mining industry’s reputation, eroded public trust, weakened investor confidence, and raised new challenges for insurers and other stakeholders. Companies are under intense pressure to disclose information about their activ ....Industrial disasters, disclosure deficit: Can transparency level the field? This project aims to identify and apply innovative forms of transparency and new processes of public accountability for energy transition minerals. Recent tailings dam disasters have damaged the global mining industry’s reputation, eroded public trust, weakened investor confidence, and raised new challenges for insurers and other stakeholders. Companies are under intense pressure to disclose information about their activities and satisfy a concerned public that they are not putting people and the environment at risk. The research will benefit end users by improving Australia’s ability to maximise its mineral resource endowment, supporting the transition to low-carbon technology, and safeguarding these assets for future generations.Read moreRead less
Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australi ....Managing and mitigating social risks of major infrastructure projects. This project aims to reduce social risks of major infrastructure projects by generating an evidence-based social risk management framework. It brings together leading ANU researchers with top organisations in Australia's infrastructure sector, already working together via the ANU Institute for Infrastructure in Society. The project seeks to improve social risk management in a multi-billion dollar sector, vital to all Australians. The project is significant because it adopts a sector-wide view to systematically define social risk, co-create a social risk management framework and implement it via a new social risk management toolkit. This should lessen harm to communities, reduce delays and costs and benefit national infrastructure delivery.Read moreRead less
Are coastal wetlands vulnerable to bushfires? The ‘Black Summer’ fires burned extensive areas of coastal wetland not typically associated with fire impact. These wetlands rely upon plant growth and sediment delivery to respond to sea-level rise, processes which may be impacted by fire. This project aims to quantify the distribution and severity of fire impact, and establish post-fire vegetation and surface elevation trajectories. By integrating fire ecology and wetland science approaches, this p ....Are coastal wetlands vulnerable to bushfires? The ‘Black Summer’ fires burned extensive areas of coastal wetland not typically associated with fire impact. These wetlands rely upon plant growth and sediment delivery to respond to sea-level rise, processes which may be impacted by fire. This project aims to quantify the distribution and severity of fire impact, and establish post-fire vegetation and surface elevation trajectories. By integrating fire ecology and wetland science approaches, this project will ascertain the resilience of coastal wetlands to the cumulative impacts of fire and sea-level rise. Expected outcomes of this project include new, spatially-explicit fire management tools which will aid the sustainable, long-term management of coastal wetlands in a changing climate.Read moreRead less