Seasonal adjustment using disaggregated short time span data. Seasonally adjusted economic and social times series are vital information used by governments and businesses in decision making. This project will develop statistical methods to estimate and remove seasonal factors from economic and social time series using finely disaggregated data for a relatively small number of time periods. This will enable better and quicker estimation of seasonal factors when new series are introduced or there ....Seasonal adjustment using disaggregated short time span data. Seasonally adjusted economic and social times series are vital information used by governments and businesses in decision making. This project will develop statistical methods to estimate and remove seasonal factors from economic and social time series using finely disaggregated data for a relatively small number of time periods. This will enable better and quicker estimation of seasonal factors when new series are introduced or there a major changes to existing series, improving the analysis of such series and the decisions based on them.Read moreRead less
Estimation of School Cost Functions. The main objective of the project is to determine the efficient school size for government schools. To achieve this cost functions for WA government schools will be estimated. Knowledge of the cost functions will shed light on whether regional non-government schools are disadvantaged by Federal and Sate funding models, the impact of school size and expenditure on outcomes and the extent of savings or costs as the enrolment shares of private and public schools ....Estimation of School Cost Functions. The main objective of the project is to determine the efficient school size for government schools. To achieve this cost functions for WA government schools will be estimated. Knowledge of the cost functions will shed light on whether regional non-government schools are disadvantaged by Federal and Sate funding models, the impact of school size and expenditure on outcomes and the extent of savings or costs as the enrolment shares of private and public schools changes. Knowledge of the latter is critical to the proper functioning of the Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment (EBA) used to address cost-shifting in Commonwealth-State education funding arrangements.Read moreRead less
Higher Education: Access and Equity. This project will study the determinants of the mix of higher education participants within a comprehensive framework that will provide empirical evidence on the fundamental issues of access and equity in the higher education system. It will examine the consequences of the current funding arrangements for higher education in Australia, and explore potential modifications to these funding arrangements. This project should help strengthen the higher educatio ....Higher Education: Access and Equity. This project will study the determinants of the mix of higher education participants within a comprehensive framework that will provide empirical evidence on the fundamental issues of access and equity in the higher education system. It will examine the consequences of the current funding arrangements for higher education in Australia, and explore potential modifications to these funding arrangements. This project should help strengthen the higher education sector, and so help Australia to compete in an increasingly technology-driven marketplace. The outcomes of the project will include discussion papers, workshops and a number of papers in international, refereed journals, and in this way it will increase, and render more informed, debate on higher education issues in Australia. As the Industry Partner is the Department of Education, Science and Training, the research will be conducted within a dynamic policy setting.Read moreRead less
Economic Aspects of Wool in Western Australia. Over the past 15 years, the wool industry in WA has gone from bust to boom.. This project develops a general equilibrium model to analyse the impact of the world economic conditions on the wool industry and the WA economy in general. We will also investigate the reasons for the systematically lower wool prices in Fremantle and the interactions between Australian wool prices and exchange rates. The results will enhance understanding of the industry, ....Economic Aspects of Wool in Western Australia. Over the past 15 years, the wool industry in WA has gone from bust to boom.. This project develops a general equilibrium model to analyse the impact of the world economic conditions on the wool industry and the WA economy in general. We will also investigate the reasons for the systematically lower wool prices in Fremantle and the interactions between Australian wool prices and exchange rates. The results will enhance understanding of the industry, and offer insights as to how it might be made less volatile in the future by providing valuable information to woolgrowers and policy makers.Read moreRead less
Mathematical and computational models for agrichemical retention on plants. Mathematical and computational models for agrichemical retention on plants. This project aims to build interactive software that simulates agrichemical spraying for multiple virtual plants reconstructed from scanned data. Mathematical modelling and computer simulation could offer an alternative to expensive experimental programs for agrichemical spraying of plants. This project will use contemporary fluid mechanics to bu ....Mathematical and computational models for agrichemical retention on plants. Mathematical and computational models for agrichemical retention on plants. This project aims to build interactive software that simulates agrichemical spraying for multiple virtual plants reconstructed from scanned data. Mathematical modelling and computer simulation could offer an alternative to expensive experimental programs for agrichemical spraying of plants. This project will use contemporary fluid mechanics to build practical mathematical models for droplet impaction, spreading and evaporation on leaf surfaces, and experimentally calibrate and validate the models. The software is expected to drive the development of agrichemical products that increase retention, minimise environmental impacts, and reduce costs for end-users.Read moreRead less
Crowd tracking and visual analytics for rapidly deployable imaging devices. Crowd tracking and visual analytics for rapidly deployable imaging devices. This project aims to develop visual analytics technology that adds machine intelligence to a rapidly deployable time-lapse imaging platform. Such devices can operate on solar and wind power, and be remotely programmed (via a cellular network) to take photos and send them to a server at given times. This project, which focuses on monitoring crowds ....Crowd tracking and visual analytics for rapidly deployable imaging devices. Crowd tracking and visual analytics for rapidly deployable imaging devices. This project aims to develop visual analytics technology that adds machine intelligence to a rapidly deployable time-lapse imaging platform. Such devices can operate on solar and wind power, and be remotely programmed (via a cellular network) to take photos and send them to a server at given times. This project, which focuses on monitoring crowds of objects of interest, is expected to introduce “smart” imaging platforms that could be triggered and shoot high-quality photographs when “events of interest” occur. This project could make Australia both a world leader in video analytics and secure through on-line threat detection, and improve traffic control and agriculture.Read moreRead less
FINANCIAL (IN)SECURITY IN LATER LIFE: WOMEN, WORK , SUPERANNUATION AND AUSTRALIA'S RETIREMENT INCOME SYSTEM. An ageing population is expected to contribute to significant demographic, social and labour market shifts, which, together with fiscal stresses, will affect the future mix of state and private retirement income provisions. However, gender-based issues associated with these changes remain under-researched. Using a life-course approach qualitative methodologies will be used to explore inte ....FINANCIAL (IN)SECURITY IN LATER LIFE: WOMEN, WORK , SUPERANNUATION AND AUSTRALIA'S RETIREMENT INCOME SYSTEM. An ageing population is expected to contribute to significant demographic, social and labour market shifts, which, together with fiscal stresses, will affect the future mix of state and private retirement income provisions. However, gender-based issues associated with these changes remain under-researched. Using a life-course approach qualitative methodologies will be used to explore inter-relationships between: women's workforce participation, education, marital status, fertility, financial literacy; retirement incomes;concessions, benefits; and women's economic security in later years. The research will make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of retirement income policy and the debate on gender equity in the labour market. Read moreRead less
A framework for prioritising investment in natural resource management. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a particular focus on salinity management in We ....A framework for prioritising investment in natural resource management. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a particular focus on salinity management in Western Australia, although it is anticipated that the lessons learned could be applied to other NRM policies. The outcome will be a contribution to aid participatory decision making.Read moreRead less
Implementation of a strategic framework for investment for Natural Resource Management: evaluation and development. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a par ....Implementation of a strategic framework for investment for Natural Resource Management: evaluation and development. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a particular focus on salinity management in Western Australia, although it is anticipated that the lessons learned could be applied to other NRM policies. The outcome will be a contribution to aid participatory decision making.Read moreRead less
Designing Weather Derivatives and Yield Index Contracts for Rural Australia. This project addresses the security of communities in rural areas. Successful risk management based on weather derivatives and yield index contracts will stabilise the income of rural industries and improve the financial viability of rural communities. It will allow systemic risks from climate change to be reinsured with financial institutions, maintain some of Australia's most important export industries and help maint ....Designing Weather Derivatives and Yield Index Contracts for Rural Australia. This project addresses the security of communities in rural areas. Successful risk management based on weather derivatives and yield index contracts will stabilise the income of rural industries and improve the financial viability of rural communities. It will allow systemic risks from climate change to be reinsured with financial institutions, maintain some of Australia's most important export industries and help maintain leadership in climate risk research. It will use state of the art methods to derive and estimate nonlinear yield indexes, and develop new option pricing methods to value the premium that farmers should pay for a yield index contract. Finally it will evaluate the likely adoption by farmers using nonlinear portfolio theory.Read moreRead less