February 2017

This report was based on survey responses from the CEOs of 285 private-sector businesses across Australia in October and November 2016.

It draws on multiple lines of evidence that confirm that energy prices are rising fast across the National Electricity Market and Eastern Australian...

In this second post in our blog series on 'fake news', Damian Tambini illustrates the underlying structures of the online advertising industry that make fake news lucrative.

One of the questions in the UK Parliament’s inquiry into 'fake news' asks: “Have changes in the...

To our community,

On our journey to connect the world, we often discuss products we're building and updates on our business. Today I want to focus on the most important question of all: are we building the world we all want?

History is...

This report finds that social media is one of the biggest opportunities that companies across industries have to connect directly to consumers.

The International Energy Agency’s annual energy projections, the World Energy Outlook (WEO), are a leading source for medium to long-term energy market modelling, which are widely used as an authoritative source by politicians, industry and the media. However, the scenarios within these projections are regularly...

Introduction

With coal import demand from China and India falling, Indonesia’s domestic coal miners are banking their future on government policies that would see the number of coal-fired power plants across the archipelago nearly triple. Under one plan, initiated by the Jokowi government...

The aim of this report is to minimise the significant damage that is being done to the Australian economy by harmful phoenix activity without unduly inhibiting legitimate business rescues and beneficial entrepreneurialism.

NOTHING is more central to Labor’s view of what makes Australia such a great place to live in than our long tradition of having an independent umpire to stop employers exploiting workers. Former Liberal prime minister Sir Robert Menzies shared that view; like others in...

Life came from the ocean. Without the ocean, life on Earth is not possible. The ocean produces and regulates much of the planet’s oxygen and water, provides substantial amounts of its nutrient and carbon cycling and supports most of its biological diversity. Fish feed over...

The Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH) has some concerns at some of the proposed changes to the ARC Discovery Program funding rules. These concerns relate to the proposals for cross-scheme limits in the Discovery Program schemes and to the...

This research project was funded by the Australian Government under the 2009-13 National Homelessness Research Agenda. The Homelessness White Paper, The Road Home , identified workforce development as a key national priority in policy responses to homelessness. Despite the strong policy interest in the specialist...

The influential former head of treasury Ken Henry has again hit out at the political process today in some of his strongest language yet about the dangers of economic inaction.

Speaking to a group of economic policy makers and business leaders in Canberra, he...

The Great Barrier Reef Independent Review Group (the Reef Review Group) prepared this report to provide an independent analysis of the Australian and Queensland governments’ progress in implementing the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan (Reef 2050 Plan).

We have reviewed the 2016 Reef 2050...

Functionally, regional towns cannot be the city states of history. By necessity, whilst regional towns exist as a centre for the catchment area that sustains it, they are nonetheless subject to and rely upon the patronage of the ‘centre’ that the town ‘relates’ to. In...

In the field of labor economics, human capital refers to the stock of knowledge or characteristics of a worker that contributes to their productivity. Investment in education and training of individuals can enhance their level of human capital and this will be valued in the...

Economic development is a priority of all levels of government; irrespective of country, constitution or system of governance. This is particularly the case in Australia, where federal, state and local tiers of government are undertaking activities intended to support economic growth. However, roles and responsibilities...

Innovation is considered to be a sine qua non to improve efficiency and effectiveness in government and respond to citizens’ increasing demand for better services. This paper draws together literature related to innovation in the public sector. A qualitative analysis was conducted to establish the...

Following the Australian state of Tasmania’s adoption of its international education policy, Tasmania’s Place in the Asian Century White Paper (Tasmanian Government, 2013), an increasing number of Chinese international students have enrolled at the state’s sole university, the University of Tasmania (UTAS), which is a...

Despite the enormous number of charities in the world, more are established every year – and many also disappear. Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission data shows that, since 2012, 8,500 charities have been registered and more than 13,500 have been revoked.

Read the full...

Australia’s global cities are a very large part of the nation’s economic success, but they are also generating significantly unequal incomes. Our recent research found that as Australian cities have grown, their income inequality has increased.

Cities provide many social and cultural opportunities and...

This paper considers two case studies of acquisition of Western manufacturing businesses by Chinese firms. It concludes that the underlying technology transfers are significantly different from contractual forms of technology transfers with an exploitation focus. The limited knowledge that was gained through prior technology transfers...

This paper addresses an important gap in sustainability and technology management studies: the strategies for sustainable operations. Based on analysis of cases from automotive, textile, chemical, and food processing industries, the authors discuss the responses companies take to environmental and social pressures when aiming at...

KEY FINDINGS

1. Globally, solar photovoltaic (PV) power is surging on the back of scaled-up production and continually falling costs.

The life expectancy for people living in the developed world continues to rise, with South Korean women soon expected to live, on average, beyond 90 years. Odds are also good for Australians, with a life expectancy of 84 years by 2030.

In Australia, the...

The Royal Commission has conducted a comprehensive survey of Catholic Church authorities in Australia to gather data about the extent of claims of child sexual abuse made against Catholic Church personnel.

A significant proportion of the people who contacted the Royal Commission made allegations...

The Youth Engaged Policy (YEP) project found that positive views of the role young people should play in policy making are not always evidence in practice. While there are some stand-out mechanisms for consultation and collaboration there is no comprehensive understanding or approach to youth...

The review identified eight key domains of social media’s impact on children and young people: physical and mental health; identity and belonging; formal and informal learning; play and recreation; consumer practices; civic and political engagement; risk and safety; and, family and intergenerational relationships. Among other...

Section 156 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) provides that the Commission must conduct a four yearly review of modern awards (the Review). The Commission’s task in the Review is to decide whether a particular modern award achieves the modern awards objective....

In April 2015, the Aged Care Sector Committee was tasked by the former Assistant Minister for Social Services, Mitch Fifield, to develop a roadmap to advise on future directions for aged care.

This roadmap presents the Aged Care Sector Committee’s views on the short,...

This tool has been designed for policy managers in the New Zealand public service.

It can be used for:

The NSW Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2017-2020 is a plan to ensure NSW students have the essential literacy and numeracy skills they need for success in learning and in life. Literacy and numeracy skills will be described clearly, taught explicitly, assessed meaningfully and reported regularly...

Under the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011, the committee is required to examine bills, Acts and legislative instruments for compatibility with human rights, and report its findings to both Houses of the Parliament. The committee may also inquire into and report on any human...

This year’s CEDA Economic and Political Overview (EPO) is such an important document for political decision-makers and the business community. It again delivers reasoned analysis of the possible economic and political headwinds on the horizon and trends and projections.

It goes without saying that...

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a new scheme designed to change the way that support and care is provided to people with profound or severe permanent disability. The scheme is currently being rolled out across Australia.

The NDIS is based on the...

The Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH) represents humanities, arts and social science (HASS) disciplines across 36 Australian universities. While these universities differ in their responses to the proposed deregulation of higher education, there is agreement among DASSH members that...

Overview

For thirteen years, the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) has served as a regional rallying point for much-needed counterterrorism capacity development and cooperation.

Since its inception in 2004, with strong bilateral support from the Australian Government, JCLEC’s operating and...

Background

The objective of the audit was to assess the extent to which the Department of the Environment and Energy has implemented the recommendations from ANAO Report No. 43 2013–14 and strengthened its framework for the delivery of its regulatory activities. To form...

This paper discusses the use of secondments as a tool to increase knowledge translation between academics and policy makers by developing individual capacity.

A case study is presented of a reciprocal secondment between a government department and a university.

Enablers of knowledge translation...

Interview with Tony Keenan, Launch Housing CEO, to discuss the outline of his presentation to the AHURI One-day conference, 'Homelessness and housing solutions.' To be held on 31 March 2017 in Brisbane. The importance of the conference to those working in the homelessness sector is...

Overview

The Ebola outbreak of 2014–2016 was a fast-moving, multidimensional emergency that presented unprecedented challenges for the multilateral system. In response to the outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the UN established the first-ever emergency health mission, the UN Mission for Ebola...

This report analyses the components of economic growth in 21 APEC economies in the past 25 years and the next 35. Written to contribute to discussions at APEC Senior Officials’ meetings in the run up to APEC ministerial and leaders meetings, it highlights the critical...

Some towns and areas in regional Australia are facing price rises and property shortages that are making them unaffordable for the people what want to live there. Joining us to discuss this matter is Professor Andrew Beer is Dean of Research and Innovation at the...

Overview

The Commonwealth government’s perilous financial position is well known, but the finances of state government also warrant our attention. In aggregate, since plunging heavily into deficit after 2007, the states’ fiscal position has improved markedly in recent years, marked by a return...

The pace of change in Asia and new and more flexible sources of finance mean that the Asian Development Bank needs to continue to demonstrate its relevance to donors and borrowers.

Key findings

Abstract

On Easter Day 1916, the radical Irish Republican Brotherhood launched a rebellion against British rule with support from the Irish Volunteers. In the hope of inspiring a mass movement across they country, the rebels occupied a number of key buildings across Dublin...

Prime Minister Bill English was roundly criticised last week for mumbling into his sleeve when asked if President Trump’s new Muslim ban was racist. But his response wasn’t far off from the hands-off, it’s-not-our-problem approach he inherited.

Indeed, what was the most notable thing...

This JMAD New Zealand media ownership report observes that New Zealand media institutions are facing major changes in ownership and management, but it is not clear what combinations will eventually emerge.

For the first time in six years, New Zealand media companies are exclusively...

Governments around the world invest considerable resources in enhancing the capabilities of their civil service administrations with the intention of improving the quality and e ectiveness of public administration. While most developed and many developing nations have established professional bureaucracies that are, in Weberian terms,...

The 2016-17 financial year sees the ABCB embarking on a significant suite of work relating to the advancement of the Energy Efficiency Provisions in the NCC. These changes will be considered as part of NCC 2019.

This infographic gives an overview of the project...

DASSH welcomes the Australian Government’s acceptance of the recommendation to create a single higher education research data collection system contained in the PhillipsKPA “Review of the Reporting Requirements for Universities”.

DASSH is strongly supportive of Option 1, as it would significantly lessen the administrative...

The latest official figures show the unemployment rate fell slightly in January to 5.7 per cent. A surge in Australians landing part time work, more than made up a big slump in full-time work.

Social researchers say the trend to part-time work is placing...

The AMA public hospital report card presents key data on public hospitals published by the Commonwealth, year on year. It uses this published data to assess the performance and capacity of our public hospitals to meet the community’s need for hospital services.

The AMA...

Melissa Bell spoke at the annual Reuters Memorial Lecture, entitled 'We Broke the News. How do we Fix it?' She called for the media to admit its problems, and went on to list nine key areas she thinks the industry has failed on. Hannah Marsh...

The attached Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Technical Report, Environmental Research in Macquarie Harbour- Interim Synopsis of Benthic and Water Column Conditions January 2017, was prepared by Dr Ross and Associate Professor MacLeod at the EPA Director’s request in November 2016.

The...

Europe’s press barons thought they’d scored a major victory last fall when the European Commission threw its weight behind their idea to create a special protection for digital journalism, the linchpin of their strategy for long-term survival. But now the plan threatens to come undone....

This research note summarises the methods and results of an analysis of household energy costs for Australia. Energy costs have increased sharply in recent years placing an increasing burden on household living costs. This paper does not attempt to explain the industry drivers of cost...

The operations and performance of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) are subject to external scrutiny from parliamentary committees and the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). Recommendations made by parliamentary committees and performance audits identify risks to the successful delivery of outcomes. The implementation of recommendations...

The LawAccess NSW Communications Toolkit is intended to provide individuals and organisations with materials to help spread the word about LawAccess NSW across a range of channels, including websites, intranets social media ​​platforms and electronic and printed newsletters.

Legal problems, like most problems, do...

The rental market in Australia appears to have become something like a war zone.

According to a new national study, co-authored by CHOICE, thousands of tenants are being discriminated against and live in a climate of fear.

The research, undertaken by CHOICE, the...

The committee embarked on this task cognisant of the deeply held beliefs and aspirations of people engaged in this national debate, regardless of how they view the institution of marriage. Debate surrounding previous bills introduced, and associated inquiries undertaken, into the issue of same-sex marriage...

As the mining boom winds down and the mining clean up boom begins, mine site rehabilitation and mine abandonment are emerging as major issues for Australian communities, governments and taxpayers. All stakeholders will need information on the status of mines and their rehabilitation efforts to...

This article reports the relationship that specific elements of search engine advertisements (SEAs) have with click-through rates (CTRs) within Google AdWord Campaigns. In total, 1,880 separate advertisements with more than 57 million impressions and 185,000 click-throughs were analyzed. The main finding is that some elements...

The New Zealand Ministry of Health funded Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB) to run a Bowel Screening Pilot (BSP) from 2012 to 2015, to inform whether a national bowel screening programme should be introduced.

This report is the final evaluation report of the BSP,...

The rental market in Australia appears to have become something like a war zone.

According to this report thousands of tenants are being discriminated against and live in a climate of fear.

The research, undertaken by CHOICE, the National Association of Tenants' Organisations...

Native title involves an interface between the Australian legal system and Indigenous legal, cultural and political systems. The assertion and management of native title rights involves collective action by sometimes large and disparate groups of Indigenous people. Contentious politics makes such collective action difficult and...

While DASSH welcomes the government’s willingness to negotiate on some of the proposed amendments to the Higher Education and Research Reform Amendment Bill 2014 put forward by members of the Senate, including the decision to retain the current the HECS-HELP repayments at the Consumer Price...

Alzheimer’s Australia commissioned NATSEM at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra to estimate the cost of dementia in Australia. The economic impact of dementia is a major concern nationally and internationally as the number of individuals with dementia continues...

The recently released Wellbeing Practice Guide , developed by the Victorian Department of Education (DET) and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is designed to inform a greater understanding of wellbeing and its place as both a prerequisite for, and an outcome of learning....

‘If Jan Gehl did not already exist it would be necessary to invent him to rescue our cities.’ wrote Janette Sadik-Khan, former Commissioner NYC Department of Transportation.

Influential urbanist, architect and humanist Jan Gehl returns to Melbourne with more stories about observing public life...

Recidivism is not a topic that has traditionally been associated with the world of high finance. Yet, in recent times, recidivism and other intractable social challenges have become the subject of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs); a novel form of investment that makes use of private...

This paper aims to estimate the consequences of an additional 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on health and health care expenditure. Participants were adult (aged > = 20) Australians alive in 2010, who were modelled over their remaining lifetime. We used lifetable-based epidemiological modelling...

The survey has run nationally every year since 2011 in response to growing concern about principals’ occupational health, safety and wellbeing. Since the project began, approximately 50% of Australia’s 10,000 principals have taken part. Many have completed multiple surveys.

The aim of this research...

In the recent past phishing was an attempt to reveal personal information; passwords; bank and credit card numbers, usually within spam email that purports to be from a well-known legitimate enterprise. Phishing is rapidly evolving from attempting to just steal information to also be the...

Remote Australia – an area that covers 85% of the continent but houses just 2.3% of its adult population (ABS 2014) – is considered distant from many markets and centres of power. Remote Australia’s social distance puts a premium on local knowledge and technical and...

This report assesses transport costs in remote Australia at a community level and is aimed at community stakeholders and people involved in planning and operational community development activities. Travellers themselves do not have always clear knowledge of transport costs and may find useful information to...

From first engagement between European settlers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the mobility patterns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been viewed as problematic, as random and unproductive. Subsequent policies to ‘civilise’ and ‘assimilate’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples into...

This report forms part of an AHURI Inquiry into the funding and delivery of programs to reduce homelessness. It provides evidence from case studies of homelessness services into how services supporting those experiencing homelessness are funded, and how different forms and levels of funding impact...

Abstract

This report uses data from national health and social surveys of the Indigenous population, conducted between 2002 and 2012-13, to examine whether associations of some key social determinants with selected health and wellbeing outcomes changed over that time.

Consistently during the...

Overview

This paper examines the appeal of Islamic State (IS) to Western women and explores how women can be employed in countering violent extremism (CVE) structures to prevent further involvement. It aims to deliver a comprehensive analysis for academics, policymakers and practitioners working...

Overview

The Summer 2017 edition of the NSW Economic Update presents a current snapshot of the NSW economy and provides relevant points of comparison with other Australian States and Territories.

For the fourth consecutive quarter, New South Wales has been the best...

The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) was established in 2012 by bringing together the functions and resources of two predecessor regulators. The aim was to create a modern world-class regulator—one that would apply an integrated and risk-based approach to regulation in order...

This report provides Parliament and the New Zealand public an independent account of how effectively and efficiently the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) has performed.

Automation is happening, and it will bring substantial benefits to businesses and economies worldwide, but it won’t arrive overnight. A new McKinsey Global Institute report finds realizing automation’s full potential requires people and technology to work hand in hand.

Recent developments in robotics, artificial...

Abstract

The Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (Vic) was enacted in response to the deficiencies of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) in recognising the native title rights and interests of Victoria’s Traditional Owners. It is widely recognised that the NTA is particularly...

This Sax Institute Evidence Check review examined evidence of the effectiveness of using public libraries as settings for health promotion and health education programs.

Although very few such programs have been evaluated and reported in the literature, there is evidence that it is feasible...

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is expected to help more people with disability access the support services they need to live independently in the community. But the majority of NDIS participants have low incomes. So, without substantial financial assistance, they struggle to find affordable...

As at 31 December 2016, more than 70 per cent of children’s education and care services have been rated at Meeting National Quality Standard (NQS) or above, according to new data released by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA).

ACECQA Chief...

This small scale study examined gender differences in self-efficacy. 24 girls and 28 boys aged between 10 and 12 years completed self-efficacy questionnaires and attainment tests. The study was conducted in two primary school classrooms in England and the results indicated that gender differences in...

The South Australian government will introduce from July a “point-of-consumption tax” to claw back some of the gambling tax revenue it is seeing disappear over the border.

The new tax is a reasonable response to a growing problem, and probably won’t send bookmakers to...

Understanding the flows of people moving through the built environment is a vital source of information for the planners and policy makers who shape our cities. Smart phone applications enable people to trace themselves through the city and these data can potentially be then aggregated...

Borrowing insights from the Ancient Greek ideal conceptions of a democratic civic space (demos), this article examines the applicability of this framework to four teacher educators’ journey to implement social justice in their programs. It is proposed that the three constitutive dimensions of demos (freedom...

The Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH) acknowledges that higher education policies need to be adjusted and be relevant in an ever-­changing environment. We welcome the opportunity to reform and simplify the current system enabling both universities and the Australian...

The South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) commissioned this report from the Australian Centre for Child Protection in 2008 in response to recommendations made by the Honourable E.P. Mullighan QC in his Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse on the Anangu...

Quality of life (e.g. wellbeing) can be severely affected for cultural or social minority groups when available mainstream services are incongruent to their needs. Governments can struggle to engage these populations in empowering ways towards the delivery of appropriate services and consequent wellbeing gains....

This research developed a collaborative understanding of how alternative energy-related practices may impact on the future liveability of selected communities in remote Australia, focusing on housing and transport. By collaborative understanding, we mean understanding that emerges from a participatory research process. We developed a methodology...

Commuters in Brisbane's CBD will have noticed the signs of disruption, following the handover on January 1 of the Queens Wharf resort and casino site to the Destination Brisbane Consortium. Basking in a New Year glow, State Development Minister Anthony Lynham happily declared the jobs-generating...

At Saydnaya Military Prison, the Syrian authorities have quietly and methodically organized the killing of thousands of people in their custody. Amnesty International’s research shows that the murder, torture, enforced disappearance and extermination, carried out at Saydnaya since 2011, has been perpetrated as part of...

This resource is a summary of the outcome of the ACT election, held in October 2016.

It was an unusual election in that it saw little movement in party support from the previous election in 2012 and no fringe parties or candidates were elected....

Social marketing seeks to develop and integrate marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviours that benefit individuals and communities for the greater social good (International Social Marketing Association, 2013). Online social marketing campaigns are an increasingly popular strategy for engaging, informing, and influencing young...

A key aim for teacher education must be to bridge the divide between the backgrounds of pre-service teachers and the increasingly diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, gender and socio-economic backgrounds of the students they will one day teach. This paper discusses an anti-racism framework for teacher...

In remote Australia overall, transport systems are less safe, less efficient and less reliable than in non-remote Australia. Shortages of transport infrastructures and services are likely to be increasing in the context of demographic, economic and climate changes.

Annual transport costs range from $8,000...

The latest South Australian blackout is playing into the political debate in Canberra about national energy policy.

The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is again calling on state Labor governments to abandon aggressive renewable energy targets and get behind his government's more modest goals....