Comedy Country: Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change. Comedy Country aims to investigate the development of comic performance and its transformational relation with, and impact on, Australian society, culture and the creative industries from the aftermath of World War 2 until the present. The project’s key hypothesis is that since the 1950s comic performance has not merely reflected a changing Australia but helped drive social and cultural transformation. The project partners with ....Comedy Country: Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change. Comedy Country aims to investigate the development of comic performance and its transformational relation with, and impact on, Australian society, culture and the creative industries from the aftermath of World War 2 until the present. The project’s key hypothesis is that since the 1950s comic performance has not merely reflected a changing Australia but helped drive social and cultural transformation. The project partners with two festivals, five cultural collecting organisations and a media production company to build interdisciplinary Humanities and Social Sciences/industry collaborations in digital methods for archive research and transmedia communication, and deliver digital exhibitions, documentaries, podcasts and scholarly histories.Read moreRead less
A history of press photography in Australia. Press photography has long influenced how Australians have understood themselves and their world. In collaboration with the National Library of Australia and the Walkley Foundation, the project explores the evolving role of photographs in breaking news, and historical shifts in photographic technologies, media practices and ethics.
Conviction Politics: the convict routes of Australian democracy. This transnational digital history project aims to demonstrate the importance of collective convict protest to the early development of democracy in colonial Australia. It generates new knowledge about Australian convict history, documenting for the first time the extent and character of convict activism 1788-1850 and offers fresh perspectives on the role of ‘political’ transportees in the mobilisation of the wider convict and free ....Conviction Politics: the convict routes of Australian democracy. This transnational digital history project aims to demonstrate the importance of collective convict protest to the early development of democracy in colonial Australia. It generates new knowledge about Australian convict history, documenting for the first time the extent and character of convict activism 1788-1850 and offers fresh perspectives on the role of ‘political’ transportees in the mobilisation of the wider convict and free population for reform. Expected project outcomes include building international and interdisciplinary HASS/STEM/industry collaborations in digital methods for archive research and communication, delivering significant benefits, notably innovative media ensuring impact with domestic and international audiences.Read moreRead less
Mitigating ecosystem impacts by improving the way we breed and manage devils. The Tasmanian ecosystem faces irreversible change due to the decline of the apex predator. An insurance population of Tasmanian devils has been established to prevent extinction of the species. Using the latest sequencing technologies the project aims to determine whether the Tasmanian ecosystem can be restored with Tasmanian devils that are more resilient to a changing environment by improving the way that devils are ....Mitigating ecosystem impacts by improving the way we breed and manage devils. The Tasmanian ecosystem faces irreversible change due to the decline of the apex predator. An insurance population of Tasmanian devils has been established to prevent extinction of the species. Using the latest sequencing technologies the project aims to determine whether the Tasmanian ecosystem can be restored with Tasmanian devils that are more resilient to a changing environment by improving the way that devils are bred and managed in captivity.Read moreRead less
Everyday Heritage. This project aims to uncover everyday but overlooked forms of Australian heritage. Working collaboratively to bridge academic and industry practice, it seeks to develop innovative methods with outcomes expected to include enhanced collaboration between heritage, digital humanities, and historical research, and new resources for communities and the heritage sector. This should provide significant social and cultural benefits such as more inclusive forms of heritage, and broader ....Everyday Heritage. This project aims to uncover everyday but overlooked forms of Australian heritage. Working collaboratively to bridge academic and industry practice, it seeks to develop innovative methods with outcomes expected to include enhanced collaboration between heritage, digital humanities, and historical research, and new resources for communities and the heritage sector. This should provide significant social and cultural benefits such as more inclusive forms of heritage, and broader intellectual and practical understandings of shared history and citizenship. The project will promote public debate on the role of the past in modern Australia through a range of new forms of history and heritage, digital resources and heritage management tools.
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The Effectiveness of Forensic Science in the Criminal Justice System. Policing plays a major role in combating crime in the community, reassuring and assisting persons affected by crime so that they can continue, or return, to enjoying their lives. Forensic science is increasingly relied upon by law enforcement to solve crime, and by the judicial system to prosecute offenders. However, the value and impact of forensic science has yet to be established. Through a comprehensive examination of fore ....The Effectiveness of Forensic Science in the Criminal Justice System. Policing plays a major role in combating crime in the community, reassuring and assisting persons affected by crime so that they can continue, or return, to enjoying their lives. Forensic science is increasingly relied upon by law enforcement to solve crime, and by the judicial system to prosecute offenders. However, the value and impact of forensic science has yet to be established. Through a comprehensive examination of forensic science usage in the criminal justice system in Victoria and ACT, this research will develop an evidence-based best-practice model for using forensic science efficiently and effectively. This will benefit the Australian community through the achievement of better and more cost effective criminal justice outcomes. Read moreRead less
The Role of the Creative Arts in Regional Australia: A Social Impact Model. This project will address the challenge to effectively target regional arts funding to programs and activities that build capacity and have lasting impact for end-users. It delivers a framework for evaluating the arts, to argue for the arts to be included in a broader understanding of community and national wellbeing and success. This framework will position Australia as an international leader in articulating and respon ....The Role of the Creative Arts in Regional Australia: A Social Impact Model. This project will address the challenge to effectively target regional arts funding to programs and activities that build capacity and have lasting impact for end-users. It delivers a framework for evaluating the arts, to argue for the arts to be included in a broader understanding of community and national wellbeing and success. This framework will position Australia as an international leader in articulating and responding to the social impact of the arts. The research field sites have been chosen in consultation with our partners as communities whose capacity and challenges are reflected throughout much of regional Australia.Read moreRead less
Beneath Bass Strait: linking Tasmania and mainland Australia using a novel seismic experiment. A new low-cost approach based on background seismic energy and earthquake recordings will be used to construct three-dimensional maps of the deep structure beneath Bass Strait. Understanding the broad scale geology of southeast Australia is of national importance because the area is host to an abundance of petroleum, geothermal and mineral resources.
A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit i ....A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit in areas where a strong need exists for conservation of prey species with economic importance too low to justify expensive at-sea research.Read moreRead less
Resolving human-flying fox conflict in the face of environmental change. Resolving human-flying fox conflict in the face of environmental change. This project aims to identify socially-acceptable priority areas to be managed for the long-term viability of flying-foxes under a changing climate, and develop strategies to mitigate human-flying fox conflict, using ecological and social analysis in a decision-theoretic framework. Flying-foxes are nationally protected mammals pivotal to Australia’s fo ....Resolving human-flying fox conflict in the face of environmental change. Resolving human-flying fox conflict in the face of environmental change. This project aims to identify socially-acceptable priority areas to be managed for the long-term viability of flying-foxes under a changing climate, and develop strategies to mitigate human-flying fox conflict, using ecological and social analysis in a decision-theoretic framework. Flying-foxes are nationally protected mammals pivotal to Australia’s forest ecosystems, but are threatened by habitat loss, extreme weather and legal culls at orchards. Their exceptional mobility puts them in frequent conflict with human settlements, leading to forced dispersals from roosts. Anticipated outcomes are the conservation of Australia’s flying-foxes and international understanding of how to resolve human conflict with highly mobile species that are threatened but locally abundant and controversial.Read moreRead less