The re-emergence of political labour in Indonesia. This project examines trade unions' attempts to encourage Indonesian political parties to think less about charismatic leadership and money politics and more about policy. The project will document and analyse unionists' strategies for the upcoming local and national elections and assess their efficacy and impact on the outcomes of those elections.
Risk shifting, retirement and low-paid work. This project will respond to the pressing need for greater understanding of the new socio-economic terrain of social risk shifting. The project will situate retirement financing within a discourse of risk shift to households and individuals, which is seeing social roles and identities tied, in cultural as well as monetary ways, into global finance.
Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in? In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implication ....Contemporary contestations over working time: should health weigh in? In the last 30 years, the demand for economic competitiveness has driven the growth in flexible employment conditions, with little consideration of the impacts on the nation’s health. Using mixed methods, the research tests a new theory that when governments deregulate labour markets they destabilise cultural practices, with potential health and well-being consequences. It also determines whether and how the health implications of flexible work practices are considered in recent reviews of the Fair Work Act and the Modern Award Review Process. The research fills a policy vacuum in relation to the health impacts of the temporalities of working life, and will contribute to understanding time as both a cultural and economic resource. Read moreRead less
A study of work stress, workplace culture and wellbeing programs for lawyers and support staff. Work stress and mental health issues are now recognised as a serious problem among Australian lawyers. This project examines the drivers of work stress in a large public sector legal service organisation and identifies the most effective workplace interventions for promoting mental health and wellbeing among legal service providers.
Legal culture, work stress and professional practice: a study of Australian lawyers. This unique and innovative project provides a map of the Australian legal culture in the twenty-first-century. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, it investigates the relationship between legal culture and professional practice, with particular focus on the perception and handling of stress among lawyers.
A Cultural and Intellectual History of Automated Labour . This project will trace how debates about labour automation have been shaped by cultural depictions of work, from the eighteenth century to today. It will produce new knowledge about how people have viewed industrial transformation, from the steam engine to modern forms of labour saving - electronic, digital, biological, and artificial intelligence. The project will combine historical study with an examination of the way artists and write ....A Cultural and Intellectual History of Automated Labour . This project will trace how debates about labour automation have been shaped by cultural depictions of work, from the eighteenth century to today. It will produce new knowledge about how people have viewed industrial transformation, from the steam engine to modern forms of labour saving - electronic, digital, biological, and artificial intelligence. The project will combine historical study with an examination of the way artists and writers have responded to labour automation. Expected benefits include informing public debate about the future of work, and shaping policy in arts-science museums and laboratories. Outcomes will include publications, public forums, conferences, training of research students and international collaboration. Read moreRead less
Scaling global labour: the Global Union Federations in Indonesia and India. This project will generate a systematic comparison and analysis of the activities of the Global Union Federations in construction, manufacturing and plantation agriculture, in India and Indonesia. Its findings will enhance our knowledge of industrial relations in both countries, and of labour internationalism.
Recognising the skill in jobs traditionally considered unskilled. Some jobs are regarded as skilled and others as unskilled, yet all jobs contain skill. This project will examine under-recognised and undervalued skills in the service and manufacturing sectors, and explores the implications of these findings for government policy, the training system, companies and workers.
Creative Barkly: Sustaining the Arts & Cultural Sector in Remote Australia. This project plans to examine how the arts and cultural sector is currently functioning in remote Australia and where its growth potential lies. There is increasing recognition that this sector plays a crucial role in regional development, but very little is known about how this operates in Australia’s remotest regions where the demographics of communities are vastly different from other regional centres. The project pla ....Creative Barkly: Sustaining the Arts & Cultural Sector in Remote Australia. This project plans to examine how the arts and cultural sector is currently functioning in remote Australia and where its growth potential lies. There is increasing recognition that this sector plays a crucial role in regional development, but very little is known about how this operates in Australia’s remotest regions where the demographics of communities are vastly different from other regional centres. The project plans to map the sector in one of Australia’s largest remote regions, the Barkly, examine the role leading organisation Barkly Regional Arts plays in this, and deliver resources and recommendations that will inform current policies, strategies, and initiatives in the Barkly and beyond.Read moreRead less
Building gender equity and diversity in the Australian construction industry. This project will investigate the construction industry's informal gender rules and their role in inhibiting policy measures to improve gender equity and diversity in the industry's professional ranks. The project will make innovative recommendations for shifting the stubborn gender imbalance.