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

New Research

Low Carbon Growth Plan for Australia

16 March 2010This report provides an economy-wide blueprint for how Australia can achieve an ambitious reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while building a growing low-carbon economy.

Dwelling, land and neighbourhood use by older home owners: Final report

15 March 2010This study considers the social and economic implications for the housing needs of older people, the efficiency of housing stock use and the suitability of housing land and neighbourhood design for the needs of an ageing society.

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.
Adapting to climate change in Australia

Adapting to climate change in Australia

19 February 2010This paper outlines the Australian government’s role in adaptation, which includes building community resilience and establishing the right conditions for people to adapt; taking climate change into account in the management of Commonwealth assets and programs; providing sound scientific information; and leading national reform.
More...

Climate change

Farming the future: the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change

17 March 2010Government should invest research funding in high priority areas such as soil carbon sequestration, according to this report.

State of the climate

16 March 2010Australia will experience more extremely hot days and fewer cold ones and conditions will be wetter in the north and drier in the south, according to this snapshot of the national climate.

Urban planning

Commentary

Our action on climate change saves money...

21 January 2010So why does everyone else’s seem to cost so much, asks Tim Smith, Mayor of Stonnington, on Crikey

Never mind the security, what about the shops?

18 January 2010The federal government's aviation white paper leaves important questions unanswered, writes Rob Freestone

Divine wind

22 December 2009It wasn’t until Tracy struck, thirty-five years ago, that Darwin’s cyclone problem really sank in, writes Richard Evans in Inside Story
More...

Audio

Housing for millions

Listen to audio
27 November 2009Planning for happy cities, when you're also jamming in millions more people, is politically tricky.

A sea of sound

Listen to audio
28 October 2009Sound artist, musician, researcher and educator Dr Ros Bandt discusses aural environments, the sculpting of sound, her recent works and musical inspirations.

Sustainability

Video

Architects speak on cultural impact of skyscrapers

Listen to audio
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?'

The block: lives, plans and futures

Listen to audio
16 October 2009More than any other urban area in Australia, the Block in Sydney's inner-city suburb of Redfern, has become a meeting place and, some say, spiritual home for city-dwelling   

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.

Websites

Community Indicators Victoria

29 October 2009This site uses local community wellbeing indicators to improve citizen engagement, community planning and policy making.

A social health atlas of Australia (Third Edition) 2008

14 May 2009An interactive mapping and statistics site providing Australian demography and socioeconomic status, health status and risk factors. Able to be browsed and searched by country or state/ territory area. Produced by the Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU) at The University of Adelaide. 

Social research in transport (SORT) clearinghouse

07 April 2009A free web based international research clearinghouse to increase knowledge and learning in the transport profession about research relating to social issues in passenger transport. The clearinghouse collates research reports focussing on social issues such as disadvantage and inequality. Researchers can search the database to find and access reports, sign up to a newsletter providing updates on new research reports or submit research to be included on the system.

Most viewed: This week

1
Low Carbon Growth Plan for Australia
2
State of Australian cities 2010
3
Farming the future: the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change
4
The future of outstations/homelands
5
State of the climate

Jobs

Events

Conference
ACOSS National Conference 2010: A vote for equity
25 Mar 2010 - 9:00am - 26 Mar 2010 - 5:00pm
Canberra
Conference
Workforce Policy in 2010 and Into the Future
31 Mar 2010
Sydney
Conference
Show Me The Change A National Conference on ‘Evaluation of Behaviour Change’ for Sustainability
4 May 2010 - 6 May 2010
Melbourne

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

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

APO