Edited by the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology

New Research

First opportunities

08 March 2010This report presents the first detailed profile of the energy use and potential energy savings opportunities identified by corporations participating in the Australian government’s Energy Efficiency Opportunities program.

Australia's forests at a glance 2010

08 March 2010 This report contains up-to-date facts and figures about Australian forests and their management.

Food prices and emissions trading

05 March 2010This paper argues that food price rises under an ETS would be modest, while extreme weather events from climate change will pose a much larger risk on food price stability.

Indigenous cultural and natural resource management and the emerging role of the Working on Country program

05 March 2010This paper explores government support for Indigenous land and sea management in the context of the current environment agenda.
Reforming the global order

Reforming the global order

05 March 2010Despite the many reasons to be pessimistic about the current world situation there are some distinguished optimists out there, with concrete plans for change for the better.
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Climate change

Accounting for the cost of carbon: Price for small and medium business not sky high

09 March 2010The Rudd Government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) would not significantly impact most Australian businesses, according to this research report. 

Urban planning

Planning reform, land release and the supply of housing

22 February 2010This positioning paper is the first product of a research project which is investigating the links between planning policies and housing outcomes.

Cost of road crashes in Australia 2006

19 February 2010Road crashes impose large costs on society and substantial investments are made in infrastructure and safety programs to reduce road trauma. This report presents new estimates of the cost of road crashes for 2006.

Commentary

The Mt Piper blind spot

05 March 2010The process of extending NSW's Mt Piper power station seems to be driven by a pro-coal mindset, argues Ilan Salbe

After Copenhagen

05 March 2010In the Monthly, Robert Manne weighs up the current predictions for the survival of the planet, contrasting the outlooks of Al Gore and Clive Hamilton.

Insulation risk was worse before rebate

04 March 2010Coverage of the home insulation program has ignored what went before, writes John Watson in The Age
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Audio

The challenges of food security

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05 March 2010While expanding populations and the changing diets that accompany growing wealth have put greater strain on lagging gains in food production, climate change and environmental degradation are slowly contaminating food supplies and eroding agricultural productivity.

From plains to plate: the future of food in South Australia

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16 February 2010Food writer and former restaurateur Gay Bilson leads a small panel, including permaculture farmer and educator Graham Brookman and community food systems expert Clare Nettle in the public opening of 'From Plains to Plate: the Future of Food in South Australia'.

Sustainability

Video

Growth fetishism and the climate crisis

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19 February 2010Professor Clive Hamilton explores the balances being struck between environmental protection and economic growth in the context of the current advice from climate scientists.

Architects speak on cultural impact of skyscrapers

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19 November 2009In this talk some of architecture's leading thinkers and practitioners discuss: 'what effect to towers have on urbanism, sustainability, the workplace and historic city centres?'

Housing

The Brotherhood's social barometer: living the second fifty years

09 March 2010The fourth Social Barometer examines the extent of disadvantage among older Australians through indicators of people’s capabilities covering eight key dimensions of life, including employment, income, health, housing, safety and social participation.

Factors shaping the decision to become a landlord and retain rental investments

02 March 2010The supply of private rental housing has become more prominent in the debates around affordable housing as house prices have increasingly gotten out of the reach of prospective home owners.

Websites

Bindarri

26 November 2009Bindarri aims to support and promote Australian creatives who are working for positive change and to inspire others who are yet to begin.

CSIRO Northern Australia Sustainable Yields Project

05 October 2009This site provides critical information on historical, recent and likely future water availability in a part of Australia that is renowned for its high rainfall, pristine tropical environments and relatively low development.

Triple Helix Consulting

21 September 2009Triple Helix Consulting works with progressive organisations in the public and private sectors to develop and implement more sustainable policies and practices.

Most viewed: This week

1
State of Australian cities 2010
2
The Brotherhood's social barometer: living the second fifty years
3
Accounting for the cost of carbon: Price for small and medium business not sky high
4
Report on government services 2010
5
After Copenhagen

Books

Racial Folly: A twentieth-century Aboriginal family

Racial Folly: A twentieth-century Aboriginal family

  • Gordon Briscoe
  • ANU E Press
A memoir and history of an Aboriginal family living under the race laws, practices and policies of Australia in the twentieth century.
Darwin's Armada: How four voyagers to Australasia won the battle for evolution and changed the world

Darwin's Armada: How four voyagers to Australasia won the battle for evolution and changed the world

  • Iain McCalman
  • Penguin Australia
Darwin's Armanda is both a gripping adventure story and a brilliantly enlightening work of history, for the first time portraying the Darwinian revolution as a collective enterprise forged in Australasia.

Noticeboard

Lifestyles, consumption and environmental impact: National Household Consumption Survey
23 June 2009

The National Household Consumption Survey is open to all Australian residents until 30 June 2009.

Online conservation game wins communicator awards
17 June 2009

Mission H2o, an online game themed around water conservation and developed by Swinburne University students and staff, has received two prestigious design awards.

Policy Guides

Count down to Copenhagen summary sheets

The Climate Action Network Australia has prepared seven summary sheets to provide a clear track through the climate negotiations of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

10-08-09

Topics

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