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Research Projects

2008

Research to Determine the Impact of the State Migration Centre (SMC) on the Current and Future Economic Well Being of W.A.

Thorsten Stromback, Anusha Mahendran and Tim Mazzarol (UWA)

The aim of this project is to assess the contribution of the SMC to the well being of the State of Western Australia. In turn, this assessment should provide a basis for the Government of Western Australia to make informed decisions about the appropriate level of funding.

We propose that the achievement of these aims can be accomplished by:

  • The collation of a range of relevant facts
  • The analysis of these facts to ascertain the performance of the SMC and the prospective contribution of its activities to the well being of Western Australia
  • Examining the implications of this analysis for the future strategy of the SMC and the appropriate funding level

In concluding this analysis, one must be conscious of the fact that immigrants' are themselves the major beneficiaries of their move to Western Australia. The benefits to the State as a whole are more subtle. Yet it is those benefits that ultimately justify the expense of public funds to attract immigrants to the State and to facilitate their settlement. Funded by the Small Business Development Corporation.

The Labour Market Services Project / Resource Agreement between WADET and CLMR

Thorsten Stromback, Mike Dockery and Team

The resource agreement between the WA Department of Education and Training and the CLMR is for the delivery of the Labour Market Services Project to achieve agreed outcomes relating to the provision of labour market information, intelligence and advice that will be used by the Department for purposes related to education, vocational education and training in Western Australia. Funded by the Western Australian Department of Education and Training.

Expenditure Forecasting Model for Apprenticeship Traineeship Training Program

Thorsten Stromback and Anusha Mahendran

Under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Training Program the Department funds private registered training organisations for the training they provide to eligible apprentices and trainees. In recent years, the amount of expenditure has shown considerable variation, leading to problems in the budgeting process. The aim of this project isto develop a forecasting model of ATTP expenditures which can provide better estimates of likely future expenditure than the methods currently used. Funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (Victoria).

Cultural Dimensions of Indigenous Participation in VET

Mike Dockery

This project seeks to investigate the role of Indigenous culture in shaping participation in vocational education and training (VET); and how appropriately VET in Australia meets the needs of Indigenous people. A major component of the project will be an empirical analysis of data from the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey. Funded by NCVER.

Factors Affecting the School-to-Work Transition

Mike Dockery

A review of the literature on the economic, social and other factors affecting outcomes in the school-to-work transition to help identify key issues and to formulate survey instruments for the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. Funded by NCVER.

Impact of the Labour Market on the Well-being of Australian Children and Youth

Mike Dockery

ARC Seed Funding grant for New Collaborations through the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. This project will investigate the impact of parents' employment status and work patterns on child well-being and the role of the labour market in generating disadvantage for Indigenous and other youth from low SES and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Forecasting Future Labour Demand in the Australian Rail Industry

Mike Dockery and Anusha Mahendran

An update analysis using 2006 Census data with a view to demonstrating changes, which have occurred over the intervening period 2001-2006. It is expected that the additional analysis will lead to the rail industry needing to maintain a program of monitoring changes, given the expectation that occupational labour shortages will progress from an industry and company issue to an industry-wide crisis within ten years. Funded by the Rail Cooperative Research Centre (CRC Rail) and is also being conducted in conjunction with the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC).

Revisiting and Extending Missed Opportunities: making Visible Women's Contribution to Rural and Regional Communities

Therese Jefferson, Mike Dockery and Anusha Mahendran

A collaborative project between The University of New England and WiSER. Objectives of the project to evaluate outcomes of original Missed Opportunities Report and subsequent implemented strategies. Updating the economic modelling of the value of women's contribution on the agriculture sector and mapping of women's roles in rural and regional Australia by occupation and industry. Assess the capacity of existing data collections to allow for the on-going monitoring of women's contribution to rural and regional businesses and services, especially their participation in innovation, leadership and decision making. Determine the strategic, long-term capacity-building initiatives required for all levels and types of leadership for women in rural and regional Australia. Funded by Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC).

Movements In and Out of Housing Affordability Stress and Dynamic Modelling of Initiatives to Improve the Supply of Affordable Housing

Gavin Wood (RMIT University), Rachel Ong and Richard Seymour

This project aims to track movements in and out of housing affordability stress by households in different housing tenures over a six-year period (2001-2006). It explores the range of factors affecting movements in and out of housing affordability and analyses potential policy responses that can improve affordable housing outcomes. The key design components of the project include microsimulation modelling using a housing market model and panel modelling using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) survey. Funded by Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).

Capacity Study for the Built Environment Design Professions in WA

Richard Seymour and Paul Koshy

A collaborative project between the John Curtin Institute of Public Policy and the Centre. The scope of services is to identify the current and forecast capacity of the built environment design consulting industry in WA and to identify the level of demand for the services provided by the industry and to provide commentary on any disparity between capacity and demand and between forecast capacity and demand. Funded by Department of Housing and Works (WA).

2007

Multi-outcome Construction Policies

Siobhan Austen and Richard Seymour

The objectives of this research project were two-fold. Firstly, the project aimed to evaluate the impact of the current policy of leveraging social outcomes from the procurement of public works and a secondary objective was the development of a mechanism for assessing future proposals for the inclusion of social policies in construction projects. Funded by the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (CRC).

Economic and Social Circumstances of Australian Young People (Aged 15-20)

Paul Flatau, Thorsten Stromback, Mike Dockery, Anusha Mahendran and Richard Seymour

The research project funded by The Australian Fair Pay Commission (Melbourne) reported on the economic characteristics (labour force status, hours worked, pay and conditions), educational attainment and/or participation, and reasons for non-participation in education and the workforce of young Australians. It examined their household characteristics, including household composition and the labour force and employment status of their fellow household members.

Analysis of Factors Contributing to Apprenticeship and Traineeship Completion

Thorsten Stromback and Anusha Mahendran

This research project funded by The Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (Victoria) undertook a multivariate analysis of existing data to investigate the relative strength of factors contributing to differences in apprenticeship and traineeship completions rates between selected industries and groups; and an individual's likelihood to complete or not to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship and the interaction between these factors.

Forecasting Rail Workforce Needs-a Long Term Perspective

Mike Dockery and Anusha Mahendran

This research project funded by the Rail Cooperative Research Centre (CRC Rail) and is also being conducted in conjunction with the Planning and Transport Research Centre (PATREC).

The main objective of the project was to help identify and address emerging skills shortages in the Rail Industry, including developing a current profile of the Australian rail industry workforce, developing estimates of future demand for rail labour in Australia and estimating future requirements for rail labour training and recruitment.