australian policy online

Community-university partnerships: Achieving continuity in the face of change
Linda Silka and others / Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement
A challenge that all community-university partnerships will face is how to maintain continuity in the face of change. The problems besetting communities continually shift and the goals of the university partners often fluctuate. This article describes a decade-long strategy one university has successfully used to address this problem. Posted 04-12-2008

Climate change and security: the time to act is now
Allan Behm / Austral Peace and Security Network, Nautilus Institute
For Australia's populous neighbour, Indonesia, the problems of climate change are real and mounting. And Australia has such fundamental security interests in Indonesia that it cannot sit on the sidelines and wish the problem away. Posted 04-12-2008

World Internet Project international report summary
Julian Thomas and Scott Ewing / ARC Centre of Excellence for the Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI)
The World Internet Project (WIP), a comprehensive first-time global survey on the impact of the Internet, found remarkable similarities and significant differences in the way users utilize and rely on the Internet. Posted 04-12-2008

Delivering on the promise of stewardship: Issues in realising the full potential of Environmental Stewardship Payments for landholders and the land
Steve Hatfield-Dodds and Wendy Proctor / CSIRO and Australian Conservation Foundation
A strong national stewardship scheme could see more than 65 million hectares managed for conservation by 2020 – giving wildlife and landholders a fighting chance in a changing climate, according to this report commission by the ACF. The report explores the role payments could play in reversing the decline of bushland and wildlife on private land. Posted 04-12-2008

Crime in the Australian fishing industry
Judy Putt and Diana Nelson / Australian Institute of Criminology
Based on the perceptions of fisheries officers, the paper examines illegal activity in the industry, from regularly occurring small scale, opportunistic offending to the opportunities for organised crime in high value, low volume fish species. Posted 03-12-2008

Homicide in Australia: 2006-07 National Homicide Monitoring Program annual report
Jack Dearden and Warwick Jones / Australian Institute of Criminology
This report presents findings from, and an overview of key characteristics of the 18th annual collection of homicide data (2006-07), and trends over time, including details on victims, offenders, and incident circumstances. Posted 03-12-2008

Australia's broadband future - four doors to greater competition
Michael Porter and others / Committee for Economic Development of Australia
This report focuses on the current Australian broadband debate. How do we deliver the best information services to customers in different situations across the country? Posted 03-12-2008

World migration 2008: Managing labour mobility in the evolving global economy
International Organization for Migration
This report seeks to identify policy options that might contribute to the development of broad and coherent strategies to better match demand for migrant workers with supply in safe, humane and orderly ways. Posted 03-12-2008

Australia's free trade agreements
Michael Priestley / Information and Research Services, Parliamentary Library
There has been a significant proliferation of bilateral free trade agreements. This background note examines the impact of the agreements thus far concluded and their trade impact on Australia. Posted 02-12-2008

The precursor chemical trade environment in Oceania
Rob McCusker / Australian Institute of Criminology
This report describes the manufacture and use of, and trade in, chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs - precursor chemicals - in Oceania; explores border management and control of precursor chemicals; and analyses legislation and regional capacity to respond. Posted 02-12-2008

Schizophrenia and offending: area of residence and the impact of social disorganisation and urbanicity
Frank Morgan and others / Australian Institute of Criminology
This study aimed to identify the influence of residential location on the prevalence of schizophrenia and incidence of arrests in urban and rural postcode areas of Western Australia between 1985 and 1996. Posted 02-12-2008

Imported equipment, human capital and economic growth in developing countries
Uwe Dulleck and Neil Foster / Economic Analysis and Policy
This paper looks at the effect of equipment investment on the growth of developing countries and the interrelationship between such investment and human capital. Posted 02-12-2008

Uncertainty and climate change policy
John Quiggin / Economic Analysis and Policy
This paper consists of a summary of the main sources of uncertainty about climate change, and a discussion of the major implications for economic analysis and the formulation of climate policy. Posted 02-12-2008

Hospital procedures for diseases of the digestive tract in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians
Anthony Moore and others / Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
The aim of this study was to examine patterns of undergoing a procedure for diseases of the digestive tract once in hospital for Indigenous Australians compared with other Australians, after adjustment for a number of explanatory variables. Posted 02-12-2008

The effect of community-level socio-economic conditions on threatening racial encounters
Heather Antecol and Deborah A. Cobb-Clark / Centre for Economic Policy Research
This paper contributes to the emerging literature on racial and ethnic tension by analyzing the relationship between local socio-economic conditions and the propensity for outsiders to have threatening racial encounters with insiders. Posted 02-12-2008

Housing insecurity and precarious living: an Australian exploration: Final report
Kath Hulse and Lise Saugeres / Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
This report investigates in detail one dimension of housing, which termed housing insecurity. The overall aim of the project was to explore, develop and operationalise the concept of housing insecurity in terms of the experiences of lower income renters in receipt housing assistance, either living in social housing or renting privately and in receipt of Rent Assistance. Posted 02-12-2008

The impact of the global financial crisis on social services in Australia
Access Economics
An issues paper analysing the impact of the global financial crisis on Australia's social services sector and discussing the implications of this for future policy responses. Posted 01-12-2008

Floodplain management in NSW - adapting for sea level rise
Richard Dewar and Duncan McLuckie / Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia
Sea level rise due to climate change has the potential to significantly influence floodplain management in NSW. This paper provides a description of the likely effects of a sea level rise of up to 1 m on urban developments. Posted 01-12-2008

Islamising Indonesia: the rise of Jemaah Tarbiyah and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)
Yon Machmudi / ANU E Press
The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) is the most interesting phenomenon in contemporary Indonesian politics. Not only is it growing rapidly in membership and electoral support, it is also bringing a new and markedly different approach to Islamic politics, one which has no precedent in Indonesian history. Posted 01-12-2008

A regional economy: a case study of Tasmania
Karen Wade, Leanne Johnson and Carolyn Brennan / Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics
In order to promote economic and social development it is important that we understand the environment in which regional economies operate. This study provides an analytical investigation of the challenges facing regional Australia. Posted 01-12-2008

Demography news, November 2008
Australian Bureau of Statistics
This release includes latest life tables for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and data on total births, deaths, and changes in migration, together with the outcome of the Review of the Australian Standard Geographical Classification, 2008. Posted 01-12-2008

Women, domestic and family violence and homelessnes
Selina Tually and others / Office for Women, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
This report investigates the support and accommodation needs of women (and children) affected by domestic and family violence. It finds that there is no one solution to domestic and family violence related homelessness. Posted 01-12-2008

Visa Subclass 457 integrity review: final report
Barbara Deegan / Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Following concerns raised about the Subclass 457 visa program, this report inquiry was commissioned to recommend changes to the scheme. It makes a series of recommendations. Posted 01-12-2008

Copyright restrictions on the parallel importation of books
Productivity Commission
Australian copyright holders can prevent the importation for sale of copies of their works that have been legally produced and purchased overseas. This issues paper is part of an inquiry into whether these restrictions are justified. Posted 01-12-2008

The sting of climate change
Sarah Potter / Lowy Institute
In this policy brief, Dr Sarah Potter, a malaria research scientist, analyses how climate change will likely affect the spread of malaria and dengue in maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and how Australia itself is at greater risk of outbreaks of these diseases. Posted 01-12-2008