New Research

Leveraging limited dollars

06 February 2012This paper will help philanthropic executives and trustees explore three innovative strategies to achieve greater results with their limited grant dollars.

Teaching with social media in classroom settings: Top ten practices from teachers around Europe

05 February 2012The “Teachers’ competition for social media use in formal language learning contexts” was created within the framework of the EU-funded network “Language learning and social media: 6 key dialogues”.

Gender and corporate social responsibility: it’s a matter of sustainability

  • Matthew Lee, Christopher Marquis, Richard Soares
  • Catalyst

30 January 2012The benefits of gender-diverse leadership extend beyond short-term financial performance.

Inclusive education for students with refugee experience: whole school reform in a South Australian primary school

25 January 2012In recent years, there has been an increase in students with refugee experience in the UK, the US, Europe and Australia.

Drinking cultures and social occasions

24 January 2012This study, conducted by Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Centre and Eastern Health, provides evidence that acute intoxication increased numbers of injuries due to assaults and traffic accidents on public holidays and other major celebratory events and rises in incidents on the day before.

Building Australian research capacity on Asia: a new problem-oriented strategy

30 December 2011The recent decision to invest in a substantial multimillion dollar award to the China Studies Centre at the Australian National University (ANU) as well as the broader public discussion over the significance of Asian language teaching highlight critical issues about the nature and direction of public investment in research on Australia’s region.

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Families & households

Past and present adoptions in Australia

09 February 2012This Facts Sheet provides a summary of the ways in which adoption currently operates, past adoption practices, and the potential impacts adoption has on those involved.

State Trustees Limited: management of represented persons

08 February 2012This audit found that State Trustees is not able to clearly demonstrate that it is fulfilling its obligations to represented persons.

Family violence and Commonwealth laws - improving legal frameworks: final report

08 February 2012This report contains 102 recommendations for law reform to address family violence.

Social inclusion

Service costs in modern residential aged care facilities

31 January 2012This paper presents the results of a national study of the cost of delivering residential aged care services in modern and efficient facilities.

Commentary

A wealthy amateur who wants respect

02 February 2012Gina Rinehart has the money but no clear national influence. This may change, now she has a bigger stake in Fairfax, writes Ben Eltham of the New Matilda.

Too tolerant of ugly racism

31 January 2012Rejecting discrimination in the constitution empower us all, writes Patrick Dodson for the National Times.

Can nations measure well-being?

09 December 2011The attempt to measure quality of life over time and between places is still in its infancy, writes Peter Shergold for the Centre for Social Impact.

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Topic Guides

NBN: Guide for Consumers

  • Australian Communications Consumer Action Network & Internet Society Australia

09 June 2011The Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), have developed NBN: A Guide for Consumers, designed to offer all Australians information about the National Broadband Network.

Homelessness

  • Public Policy Institute - Australian Catholic University

12 December 2011Despite numerous reports, reviews and initiatives over many years, homelessness remains a policy issue in search of a solution.

Equity and education

  • Public Policy Institute - Australian Catholic University

12 December 2011In the international testing stakes, Australian school students are mostly high achievers. However, there is a significant equity problem in education.

Audio

Multiculturalism, migration and a sustainable Australia

Listen to audio
10 November 2011 Australia's brand of multiculturalism is admired by other nations, but it still has its sticking points, and future challenges as discussed in this Social Policy Research Centre forum.

Guanxi: telling apart gifts from bribes when doing business in Asia

Listen to audio
30 September 2011Associate Professor Peter Verhezen explains how cultural understandings of gift giving practices differs across regions, and that Western companies and people doing business in Asian countries need to be aware of the grey area that lies between the offering of gifts and the offering of bribes.

Immigration & refugees

Immigration detention in Australia

23 January 2012The policy of mandatory detention in Australia (that is the legal requirement to detain all non-citizens without a valid visa) was introduced by the Keating (Labor) Government in 1992 in response to a wave of Indochinese boat arrivals.

Australian Government spending on irregular maritime arrivals and counter-people smuggling activity

23 January 2012There has been much discussion in both the media and political debate in recent times about the substantial and rising costs to the Australian Government of intercepting, detaining and processing asylum seekers arriving by boat.

Video

Creating a nation for all of us

Listen to audio
04 March 2011At present, the Australian constitution stands at the crux of a potentially historic and landmark social, political and cultural debate – the question of an amendment of the Constitution to include recognition of Indigenous people.

Freedom of expression

Listen to audio
18 February 2011 A panel discussion on the complex elements that permit and hinder freedom of expression.

Youth

Juvenile detention population in Australia 2011

09 February 2012This report presents information on the number of young people in detention in 2011 and describes recent trends in the detention population.

Early childhood, education and training; justice; emergency management

08 February 2012Volume one of the report focuses on early childhood, education and training as well as justice and emergency management sectors.

Websites

Solid Arts

30 September 2011Solid Arts is an online resource with free legal tools, practical advice and links to other sites.

Social exclusion monitor

09 September 2011 More than one million Australians experience deep social exclusion according to the social exclusion monitor, a new approach to measuring social exclusion in Australia. 

Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia

30 August 2011Commissioner for Children and Young People WA Michelle Scott has released a new online resource that provides a socio-demographic profile of Western Australia’s 500,000 children and young people.

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Books

Speechwriting for government in Australia

Speechwriting for government in Australia

  • James Groves
  • James Groves & Associates
"...an indispensible book...excellent practical guide to the art of effective oral communication" from the Foreword by Malcolm Hazell CVO AM, former Official Secretary to the Governor-General
Digital futures for cultural and media studies

Digital futures for cultural and media studies

  • John Hartley
  • Wiley-Blackwell
As they play with their digital devices and online games, children may unknowingly be making up the kind of democracy we will have tomorrow.

Noticeboard

African Australians research project launched
26 March 2009

It is expected the project will yield the first-ever national picture of important human rights issues for African Australians.

Topic Guides

NBN: Guide for Consumers

  • Australian Communications Consumer Action Network & Internet Society Australia

09 June 2011The Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), have developed NBN: A Guide for Consumers, designed to offer all Australians information about the National Broadband Network.

Topics

APO