29330 research outputs found
Sort by
Positioning Australian communities for City Deals
No full textSGS recently delivered a workshop on City Deals, the Australian Government’s partnership model for the delivery of infrastructure projects by federal, state and local governments. With a focus on how to make City Deals relevant to Australian communities, we looked at the Australian Government’s Smart Cities Plan, along with press articles announcing potential City Deals in Western Sydney, Townsville and Launceston.
The SGS workshop sought to define City Deals, explore how economic productivity and growth are enhanced by infrastructure, and how government investors can generate revenue from such infrastructure projects. Finally, we looked at how communities can approach building the strategic business case for a City Deal
Assessing Russian activities and intentions in recent US elections
No full textOn December 9, 2016, President Barack Obama directed the Intelligence Community to conduct a full review and produce a comprehensive intelligence report assessing Russian activities and intentions in recent U.S. elections. We have completed this report and briefed President Obama as well as President-elect Trump and Congressional leadership. We declassified a version of this report for the public, consistent with our commitment to transparency while still protecting classified sources and methods.
The Intelligence Community did not make an assessment of the impact that Russian activities had on the outcome of the 2016 election, and DHS assesses that the types of systems the Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying.
This declassified version of the report is being released to the public and can be accessed via IC on the Record
AMA calls for national gun registry
No full textThe Australian Medical Association is calling for a national real-time register for firearms which it says will help reduce gun violence. The lobby group says that doctors are at the frontline to clean up the mess when someone is injured by a gun, and that there needs to be a central point where authorities can access information about firearms. Former Prime Minister John Howard wanted to establish a nationwide register following the Port Arthur massacre, but two decades later it\u27s still not in place. The group representing licensed gun owners, the Sporting Shooters\u27 Association of Australia, says that the plan is unnecessary because states and territories already manage gun registration
A long-term, strategic approach to evidence generation and knowledge translation in NSW, Australia
No full textThere is a growing body of literature about the barriers to, and enablers of, the use of research evidence in policy and practice. Research funders are in a unique position to influence activities aimed at promoting research use.
During the past decade, NSW (New South Wales) Health has systematically built and invested in an integrated population and health services research portfolio made up of different types of investment and policy focuses. Each of these investments has an explicit focus on translation.
Ensuring a long-term, sustained, strategic approach to priority-driven research generation, true coproduction of evidence and effective knowledge translation will continue to deliver results for NSW.
The NSW Population Health Research Strategy 2017–2021, currently in development, will have a strong emphasis on fostering environments and actions that promote the use of research in policy and practice
The Reuters Memorial Lecture: We broke the news. How do we fix it?
No full textWatch Melissa Bell (Vox) deliver the Reuters Memorial Lecture – \u27We Broke the News. How do we fix it?\u27
The lecture saw Bell call for the media to stop ’worshipping objectivity’, admit its problems, and be more frank about its position and purpose.
Bell shared nine key ways in which she sees the media as failing, along with some of her suggestions for solutions to the challenges.
She then joined a lively panel discussion featuring Marty Baron (Editor, The Washington Post), Tom Standage (Deputy Editor, The Economist), Ritu Kapur (Co-founder and CEO, Quintillion Media). It was chaired by Alan Rusbridger
How many ripped-up contracts will it take?
No full textForget what you’ve heard about infrastructure – it might be time to put the politics back in
ELECTION day for Western Australia is just under a week away, and already tens of thousands have turned out for early voting. If the polls are anything to go on, Labor is looking a solid chance to take government. Locals like to make a point of the west’s being different from the eastern states – “Perth is closer to Jakarta than Canberra, you know?” – and there is plenty going on in the state election to support this, whether it’s the strange Liberal–National–One Nation preference tango or simply the fact that the contest features three long-serving party leaders – Liberal premier Colin Barnett, Labor leader Mark McGowan and, albeit with a brief interregnum, Nationals leader Brendon Grylls – a rare sight in Australia these days.
But some things are eerily familiar to the east-coast-dweller’s eye, and none more so than the politics of the Roe 8 freight link. The parallels between that imbroglio and Victoria’s infamous East West Link saga, for instance, are too many to count. An enormously controversial inner-city toll road provoking rolling protests, “direct action” and court challenges; contracts signed with an election only months away, despite declarations by the opposition that they won’t go ahead with the project; sweaty state Labor leaders telling the press pack they will rip up said contracts if they win office (which, when they made those pledges, looked entirely likely); tussles with the feds over redirecting Commonwealth dollars promised to the projects… the more one looks, the uncannier things get. Sydney’s WestConnex is not far below on the déjà vu spectrum, but Roe 8 and East West are so incredibly alike it’s worth asking what exactly is going on here…
Read the full articl
Labour exploitation in the Australian construction industry: risks and protections for temporary migrant workers
No full textThere have been a number of alleged cases of labour exploitation involving temporary migrant workers in Australia since the late 1990s. The Australian construction industry was identified as particularly problematic, with allegations of deception in relation to work contracts, lack of compliance with employment standards, limited autonomy and threats of abuse levelled. In response to these concerns, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart Josephite Counter-Trafficking Project and the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney commissioned the Australian Institute of Criminology to undertake research on labour exploitation in the Australian construction industry, with a particular focus on temporary migrant workers
Victoria's climate change framework
No full textClimate change is one of the most critical issues facing Victoria. Our Government will maximise the opportunities while minimising the adverse impacts of climate change for our state. We are taking action on climate change and demonstrating our leadership.
Victoria’s Climate Change Framework sets out:
our vision for Victoria in 2050 and our approach to achieving it
the steps the Government is taking in the period to 2020 to commence the transition (Part 1)
how the proposed Climate Change Act will drive action to 2050 (Part 2)
the transition required across the economy – and some of the challenges to be addressed – to 2050 (Part 3).
In 2015 the international community committed to keep the rise in global temperatures to well below 2°C above preindustrial levels, and to work towards limiting the rise to 1.5°C.i Global greenhouse gas emissions will need to reach net zero in the second half of the century to achieve this commitment.
Victorians want to play their part in global efforts to tackle climate change. Decisive local and global climate change action will safeguard Victoria’s economic future and maintain our competitive edge. By taking action now we will join other world leaders that are successfully reducing their emissions while also driving economic growth. The transition will deliver jobs and investment in low emissions technologies, goods and services and safeguard our status as a liveable and prosperous place. We will ensure all Victorians benefit from the transition and that we have a secure, affordable and sustainable energy supply.
By sharing our experience and the technologies and services that we develop as Victoria transitions to a net zero emissions economy and society, we will support other countries around the world to reduce their emissions, and create new opportunities for economic and jobs growth.
If Victoria is to benefit from the global transition to a net zero emissions future, we need to invest and develop low emissions services, industries and technologies now. We cannot wait for the Australian Government to take strong action.
Climate change is already happening and we are all familiar with the impacts here in Victoria. Globally we have already locked in a level of climate change. We have to prepare for more change, as we will collectively need to live with these unavoidable impacts. We know that any additional warming, even by half a degree, will adversely impact Victoria’s economy, environment, community health and cultural heritage. By adapting to climate change we can minimise the risks and realise the economic benefits of being climate ready, including innovative new services and technologies
Survey reveals major concerns about corruption in Australia
No full textA corruption survey has revealed major concerns within the Australian population about perceived back-room deals between business and government.
Transparency International\u27s Global Corruption Barometer shows a serious lack of trust in business and political leaders across the country.
And the group\u27s local arm says political donations reform is a critical part of solving the problem
The regional economic development paradox: policy order and complex practice
No full textRegional economic development, in its various guises, is deployed throughout much of Australia. Whilst it remains a contested activity, conventional wisdom extols the need to embrace complexity, whilst simultaneously imbuing order and control. Insights from the literature reveal that regional economic development organisations are often the primary interface between government and regional socio-economic systems – two highly dynamic and multidimensional, yet opaque, operational landscapes, characterised by interactive network relationships across place and time. Derived from an analysis of the Regional Development Australia Northern Inland Committee, we find that regional economic strategies may tend to reflect a bias towards structured processes, transactional relationships and hierarchical decisions, which eschew practical complexities. We identify some striking future risks for regional development if extant practice continues as we seek to contribute to a richer understanding of the complexity that confronts economic development policy-makers