Building Democracy and Justice after Conflict. Weak governance is a cause of terrorism. Australia is increasingly involved in nation-building projects, both in its region and internationally. This project will build Australia's expertise in the ways that international law can promote democracy and justice after conflict. It will develop guidelines for states and organisations involved in peace and nation-building. The project will thus contribute to safeguarding Australia by increasing Austra ....Building Democracy and Justice after Conflict. Weak governance is a cause of terrorism. Australia is increasingly involved in nation-building projects, both in its region and internationally. This project will build Australia's expertise in the ways that international law can promote democracy and justice after conflict. It will develop guidelines for states and organisations involved in peace and nation-building. The project will thus contribute to safeguarding Australia by increasing Australia's capacity to engage with, and interpret itself to, its neighbours and the broader international community, as well as by tackling the threat of terrorism.Read moreRead less
The New Paradigm of International Migration to and from Australia: Dimensions, Causes and Implications. Population movement to and from Australia is undergoing a major transformation but much thinking about immigration in Australia remains based on paradigms of the past. Yet debates such as those on immigration's contribution to national population size and growth, the significance of skilled migration, the response to asylum seekers, undocumented movement and the role of temporary versus settle ....The New Paradigm of International Migration to and from Australia: Dimensions, Causes and Implications. Population movement to and from Australia is undergoing a major transformation but much thinking about immigration in Australia remains based on paradigms of the past. Yet debates such as those on immigration's contribution to national population size and growth, the significance of skilled migration, the response to asylum seekers, undocumented movement and the role of temporary versus settlement migration have increased. This study identifies emerging trends of migration, examines global and domestic drivers of the movement in the context of developing migration theory, explores the economic, social and demographic consequences and draws out the implications for immigration and population policy.Read moreRead less
Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations suc ....Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations such as the secret ballot and votes for women. Work on deliberative democracy can put Australia back in the forefront of democratic progress, with many associated social, political, and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
The Foundation, Role, and Design of Democracy. Democracy now reigns unchallenged as the master ideal in contemporary societies, western and non-western, developed and developing. But what is democracy, what is its essential role, and by what institutions can that role be best played in the changing circumstances of local, national and international life? This project develops a unified theory of the foundation, role and design of democratic institutions. By establishing a permanent international ....The Foundation, Role, and Design of Democracy. Democracy now reigns unchallenged as the master ideal in contemporary societies, western and non-western, developed and developing. But what is democracy, what is its essential role, and by what institutions can that role be best played in the changing circumstances of local, national and international life? This project develops a unified theory of the foundation, role and design of democratic institutions. By establishing a permanent international research centre focused on these vital questions, it will address theoretical and practical issues of great importance to all contemporary communities, and give Australia a new and on-going voice in crucial international debates.Read moreRead less
RUSSIA (THE SOVIET UNION) AND AUSTRALIA IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIES. Revitalize Australian Russian studies by bringing in internationally recognized leadership and cutting-edge projects; making the University of Melbourne's Russian centre not just the southern hemisphere leader in this field but also a significant player worldwide.
Sustainable reform of the Murray-Darling system: Property rights, uncertainty and institutions. The project will develop tools for the modelling of uncertainty in the absence of probabilities and with imperfect knowledge about possible events. It will also formalise and assess the precautionary principle for the sustainable management of complex systems. Finally, the project will apply these tools to analyse and improve policies for the reform of property rights, institutions and land and water ....Sustainable reform of the Murray-Darling system: Property rights, uncertainty and institutions. The project will develop tools for the modelling of uncertainty in the absence of probabilities and with imperfect knowledge about possible events. It will also formalise and assess the precautionary principle for the sustainable management of complex systems. Finally, the project will apply these tools to analyse and improve policies for the reform of property rights, institutions and land and water management in the Murray?Darling system. The project will assist in the formulation of sustainable responses to problems of drought and irrigation related salinity in the Murray?Darling system.Read moreRead less
Robust and Distributed Control of Quantum Systems. Australia has considerable strengths in quantum technology research. As these technologies advance, the issue of control and in particular feedback control becomes a critical one. This research project will strengthen Australia's position in quantum technology by developing new methodologies for designing high performance robust and distributed feedback controllers for quantum systems. The project will also add to Australia's strength in quantum ....Robust and Distributed Control of Quantum Systems. Australia has considerable strengths in quantum technology research. As these technologies advance, the issue of control and in particular feedback control becomes a critical one. This research project will strengthen Australia's position in quantum technology by developing new methodologies for designing high performance robust and distributed feedback controllers for quantum systems. The project will also add to Australia's strength in quantum technology by contributing to the research training of young researchers with expertise both in control systems engineering and quantum technology. This project will help Australia reap the maximum possible benefit from the new industries to emerge from the field of quantum technology.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear Photonics and All-Optical Technologies. Information is playing an increasing role in the modern society. The future progress in the information data processing is associated with a new generation of compact nanoscale optical devices operating entirely with light. The research programme aims to develop innovative concepts of all-optical communication and information technologies and to carry out both theoretical and experimental studies on the photonic-crystal physics and engineering, o ....Nonlinear Photonics and All-Optical Technologies. Information is playing an increasing role in the modern society. The future progress in the information data processing is associated with a new generation of compact nanoscale optical devices operating entirely with light. The research programme aims to develop innovative concepts of all-optical communication and information technologies and to carry out both theoretical and experimental studies on the photonic-crystal physics and engineering, optical solitons, and nanoscale nonlinear switching devices in order to promote the new field of photonic crystals, to enhance its development in Australia and provide linkages between leading edge R & D and industry in an important emerging technology.Read moreRead less
The first stage of vision: transduction and adaptation in retinal photoreceptors. The project aims to provide a detailed understanding of the molecular steps involved in the first stage of vision - the conversion of light into a neural signal in the rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina. The significance of this is that it will explain the initial events that enable us to see, and will help explain the deficits that occur when the process fails. The outcome will be a comprehensive understand ....The first stage of vision: transduction and adaptation in retinal photoreceptors. The project aims to provide a detailed understanding of the molecular steps involved in the first stage of vision - the conversion of light into a neural signal in the rod and cone photoreceptors of the retina. The significance of this is that it will explain the initial events that enable us to see, and will help explain the deficits that occur when the process fails. The outcome will be a comprehensive understanding of how our photoreceptors respond with extreme sensitivity, yet great rapidity, and over an enormous range of light intensities, thus endowing us with our remarkable sense of vision.Read moreRead less
All-optical technologies, nanophotonics, and metamaterials. This program will support a world-leading team in nanophotonics and metamaterials. It will introduce and demonstrate novel concepts for manipulating optical pulses in specially designed nanoscale structures, making an essential step towards the creation of all-optical devices which perform fast switching and processing of optical signals. These developments will underpin the next generation of high-performance networks promising to revo ....All-optical technologies, nanophotonics, and metamaterials. This program will support a world-leading team in nanophotonics and metamaterials. It will introduce and demonstrate novel concepts for manipulating optical pulses in specially designed nanoscale structures, making an essential step towards the creation of all-optical devices which perform fast switching and processing of optical signals. These developments will underpin the next generation of high-performance networks promising to revolutionize global communications. This research program will keep Australia at the forefront of international research and provide training for students in breakthrough applications of photonics and nanotechnology, contributing to the uptake of frontier technologies by Australian industries.Read moreRead less