Grant program performance
Criminology Research Grants
The Criminology Research Grants program provides funding for criminological research relevant to crime and justice policy at either the national or state and territory level. The program promotes the value and usefulness of such research by publishing and disseminating the findings of the funded work.
The CRG program is administered by the AIC and funded by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments (see Table 2). Taking into account the recommendations of the Criminology Research Advisory Council, the Director of the AIC approves a number of research grants and other funded research projects each year. The program is currently funding 37 criminology research projects with a total value of $1,918,034.
The Criminology Research Advisory Council comprises representatives from the Australian government and each state and territory. In 2018–19, the Advisory Council was chaired by Ms Julia Griffith, a Deputy Secretary in the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety. Advisory Council membership is listed in the Management and accountability section of this report. The AIC provides secretariat services to the Advisory Council.
Funding grants and projects
The Advisory Council takes into account the following criteria when considering research grant applications:
- public policy relevance;
- the extent to which the proposed research will have practical application and contribute to the understanding, prevention or correction of criminal behaviour;
- the likelihood of the proposed research making a substantial and original contribution to criminological knowledge;
- the cost-effectiveness of the research;
- the soundness of the design and methodology, and the feasibility of the research;
- the competence of the applicant(s) or principal investigator(s) to undertake the proposed research;
- ethics committee approval, where appropriate;
- availability of data, where required; and
- the extent of funding or in-kind support obtained from relevant agencies.
Grant assessment panel
A panel of two independent expert criminologists reviews grant applications each year. The panellists are selected by the Criminology Research Advisory Council from recommendations made by the President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology. Each panel member usually serves for two years.
Panel members assess all grant applications independently of each other and complete an assessment sheet for each application. They then meet to discuss the assessments with the AIC’s Academic Adviser to the Advisory Council, currently Matthew Willis, who submits final recommendations to the Director and the Advisory Council for consideration at its November meeting.
2018–19 funding
In 2018–19, the AIC contributed $219,000 (2017–18: $239,000) from the Commonwealth appropriation to fund CRG grants. The AIC also contributed $75,000 (2017–18: $75,000) to administer the grants program (see Tables 3 and 4).
State and territory governments collectively contributed $219,000 (2017–18: $219,000) to the AIC to fund grants. State and territory contributions were calculated on a pro rata population basis, as shown in Table 2. Table 3 summarises CRG program income and expenditure for 2018–19.
|
Table 2: State and territory contributions to the Criminology Research Grants program, 2018–19 |
|
|---|---|
|
State/territory |
$ |
|
New South Wales |
69,991 |
|
Victoria |
56,468 |
|
Queensland |
43,904 |
|
Western Australia |
22,857 |
|
South Australia |
15,281 |
|
Tasmania |
4,640 |
|
Australian Capital Territory |
3,678 |
|
Northern Territory |
2,181 |
|
Total |
219,000 |
|
Table 3: Criminology Research Grants program financial data, 2018–19 |
|
|---|---|
|
Total income for CRG program |
$ |
|
Commonwealth funding |
219,000 |
|
State and territory funding |
180,208a |
|
Total income for purpose of making grants |
399,208 |
|
Expenditure for CRG program |
|
|
Grants |
328,016 |
|
Direct administration expenditure |
71,193 |
|
Total expenditure |
399,208 |
a: The total 2018–19 state/territory contribution is $219,000. The unused portion is reported as unearned revenue in the statement of financial position.
|
Table 4: Criminology Research Grants program indirect administration financial data, 2018–19 |
|
|---|---|
|
Total income for CRG program administration |
$ |
|
Commonwealth funding |
75,000 |
|
Total income |
75,000 |
|
Expenditure for CRG administration |
|
|
Administration expenditure |
75,000 |
|
Total administration expenditure |
75,000 |
New projects
Information on projects awarded funding during 2018–19 is available on the CRG website: crg.aic.gov.au/applications/successful.html.
Three new projects commenced in 2018–19, based on when their contracts were executed.
Preventing image-based cybercrime in Australia: The role of bystanders
Dr Asher Flynn, Associate Professor Nicola Henry
Total funding: $68,351
Young offenders and acquired brain injury: Reducing/addressing imprisonment and recidivism
Associate Professor Gaye Lansdell, Dr Bernadette Saunders, Dr Anna Eriksson
Total funding: $44,852
Adverse childhood experiences and trauma among young people in the youth justice system: A South Australian study
Dr Catia Malvaso, Professor Andrew Day, Professor Paul Delfabbro, Ms Louisa Hackett, Dr Jesse Cale, Professor Stuart Ross
Total funding: $75,893.40
Visit
https://www.transparency.gov.au/annual-reports/australian-institute-criminology/reporting-year/2018-2019-15