New Research

Victorian bushfire recovery three year report

02 February 2012This report focuses on the progress and achievements made over the last 12 months including the delivery of programs, funding and support to communities and individuals affected by the 2009 bushfires.

What are the benefits and risks of home ownership for low-moderate income households?

30 January 2012The study emanated from a concern that popular and political support for home ownership is such that critical questions about the degree to which all home owners realise the projected financial and non-financial benefits of home ownership are rarely asked.

Caring for country: Australian natural and cultural resource management

30 January 2012This issue presents work and ideas from a diverse range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners, researchers and collaborators who work in central and northern Australia in a range of environments, from local to regional scales.

How do we regenerate middle suburban ‘greyfield’ areas?

30 January 2012This bulletin reveals areas of the country which require major regeneration of residential, energy, water and communications infastructure, better known as 'grey fields'.

Victorian Food and Fibre Export Performance: 2010-11 Financial Year

30 January 2012This report is prepared to provide information on the value of Victorian and Australian food and fibre exports.

The role of informal community resources in supporting independent housing for young people recovering from mental illness

30 January 2012This project looks at the housing issues facing young independant people with mental illness.

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Climate change

No quick fix for Australia’s future energy challenge

06 February 2012This report sets out the findings of the technology assessments and reviews the implications for government policy in terms of developing and deploying low emissions electricity technology.

Carbon policy assistance reviews: the Commission's tasks

24 January 2012This consultation paper sets out the nature of each of the tasks assigned to the Commission for the Government's Clean Energy Future Package.

Fossil fuel taxes

10 January 2012This paper identifies the fuels that are taxed, the forms that the taxes take and, where possible, quantifies the amounts collected.

Urban planning

Exploring the use of residual measures of housing affordability in Australia: methodologies and concepts

30 January 2012This essay argues that new approaches to measuring housing affordability are needed and are possible in Australia.

Commentary

What's data got to do with it? Reassessing the NT intervention

25 January 2012Income management should be one of the easier programs to measure writes Eva Cox for The Conversation.

Not drowning, waving

19 December 2011Rob Oakeshott still has a lot he wants to get done, he tells Peter Browne in Inside Story

Stirring the sediment in the Murray Darling Basin

05 December 2011For APO, Annie Bolitho looks at more creative ways into the Murray Darling Basin quagmire.

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Topic Guides

Climate change science 'top ten' sources to build your personal knowledge

  • Stefanie Pillora
  • Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government

07 November 2011Acknowledging the importance of drawing from credible sources, this guide provides advice on ten reliable and easily accessible sources of research written for non-specialist readers.

The clean energy plan

  • Clean Energy Future

11 July 2011Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan, and Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Greg Combet announced the Australian Government’s comprehensive plan for tackling climate change, ‘Securing a clean energy future’.

Guideline on the application of the premises standards - 2011

  • Australian Human Rights Commission

04 April 2011This guide has been issued to help designers, architects, builders and clients to better understand the Disability (Access to Premises - buildings) Standards 2010  which will commence on 1 May 2011.

Audio

NT local government voting system 'perverse'

Listen to audio
21 July 2011 The Northern Territory has been advised to change its system for electing local governments before elections are held in March next year.

Telemedicine provides healthcare to remote patients

Listen to audio
08 July 2011Medical consultations over the internet just got more affordable in Australia with the federal government announcing online visits to the doctor will be funded by Medicare.

Sustainability

Video

Paul Cleary on Australia's mining boom

Listen to audio
22 September 2011In this Lunchbox/Soapbox, journalist Paul Cleary expands on his polemic on the insidious effects of Australia’s mining boom. He takes on our dependence on digging stuff out of the ground and sending it overseas, labelling it “generational theft”.

Looking out for the Burrup rock art

Listen to audio
08 October 2009In this vodcast, we follow a team of CSIRO scientists as they journey through the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia examining ancient Aboriginal rock art for any changes in colour, contrast or chemical composition possibly brought on from emissions from local industry.

Housing

Websites

Community Water Planner

04 November 2011Remote and Indigenous communities can look forward to cleaner, safer drinking water, thanks to an enhanced Community Water Planner tool, developed to help assess and manage the risks in remote Australian community water supplies.

Harden Up Queensland

20 October 2011Harden Up is a Green Cross Australia led partnership that aims to empower Queenslanders to become self-reliant during natural disasters.

Text Queensland

07 October 2011Featuring books, journals, theses and newspapers as well as government sources, this site will be useful for anyone interested in Queensland, from school and university students to researchers, family and local historians.

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Mining the truth: The rhetoric and reality of the commodities boom
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Coal seam gas royalties in Australian States and Territories

Books

Cold light

Cold light

  • Frank Moorhouse
  • Random House Australia
Cold Light is about power, secrecy, the mortal struggle between capitalism and communism, – and urban planning. This compelling story is set in the still largely empty spaces of Canberra, a mere 23 years after its founding.
The rational optimist

The rational optimist

  • Matt Ridley
  • Fourth Estate
Predicting disaster has always sold well. But, over the last 10,000 years, things have usually turned out much better than expected.

Noticeboard

Topic Guides

Climate change science 'top ten' sources to build your personal knowledge

  • Stefanie Pillora
  • Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government

07 November 2011Acknowledging the importance of drawing from credible sources, this guide provides advice on ten reliable and easily accessible sources of research written for non-specialist readers.

Topics

APO