Six Griffith University undergraduates will spend time overseas learning from our Indo-Pacific neighbours after being named as recipients of the 2022 New Colombo Plan Scholarship.

Lilia Ben Dekhil.

The New Colombo Plan (NCP) is an Australian Government initiative which aims to deepen Australia’s relationships with the Indo-Pacific by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.

Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/ Bachelor of Environmental Science student Lilia Ben Dekhil will travel to Singapore to learn about its Right to Repair system and then Vanuatu, to assist the island nation in developing its e-waste recovery schemes.

“I am determined to use the law to shape how technology can support the environment,” Lilia said.

“The Right to Repair promotes circular economy principles by reducing the environmental impacts of e-waste and decreasing needless production, yet, extraordinarily many consumers do not have this right yet.”

The Right to Repair is a legal concept and an environmental movement that would see consumers allowed to repair devices without restrictions placed on who can fix them by manufacturers.

“Singapore has recently introduced an extended producer responsibility system for e-waste management, while Vanuatu has turned to Australia to learn how e-waste schemes can safeguard its natural assets while protecting communities,” Lilia said.

“This experience will allow me to understand Australia’s potential in developing similar initiatives to Singapore and assist Vanuatu in developing its own schemes.”

Griffith University Vice President (Global) Professor Sarah Todd said 2022 was an ideal time for the recipients to work on strengthening relationships in the Indo-Pacific, as the world started to re-open again after two years of closed borders due to COVID-19.

“I am delighted that we have been successful in having six students awarded prestigious NCP Scholarships this year,” Professor Todd said.

“As international travel restrictions ease, it is important that we ensure our graduates are ready to take on their role as global citizens.”

“These six NCP scholars and the many others who participate in NCP-funded short-term mobility experiences will be well-placed to contribute to the future relationships Australia has with its neighbours in the Indo-Pacific.”

Indio Myles.

Kimberly Wong.

Dean McCarthy.

Meg Fitzgerald.

Phoenix Potoi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proud Mithaka man and Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice student Dean McCarthy will travel to Fiji to understand more about community policing programs, like the country’s Duavata Community Policing model, and how they could be used to reduce rates of Indigenous people in custody. Dean has also been named the 2022 NCP Indigenous Fellow, making this the second consecutive year a Griffith University student has received this honour.

Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/ Bachelor of Government and International Relations student Meg Fitzgerald will spend time in Cambodia and Thailand, broadening her understanding of child exploitation and human trafficking, while also fostering a relationship between the countries and Australia.

In Fiji, Indonesia and Maldives, Kimberly Wong (B. Urban and Environmental Planning/ B. Science) plans to gain an understanding of how Australia can empower, educate and enable youths in climate action.

Phoenix Potoi (B. Government and International Relations/ B. Asian Studies) will head to China to learn about Chinese political philosophy, while Indio Myles (B. Communication and Journalism/ B. Business) will expand his investigative and environmental reporting skills in The Philippines. Indio has also been recognised at the NCP Fellow for The Philippines.

Griffith Honours Collegehelps students and past students apply for prestigious opportunities to further their academic careers, providing support through the application process.

For more information about the various scholarship opportunities, including New Colombo Plan, Rhodes Scholarship, Fulbright and Cambridge scholarships, among many others, headonline.

Three Griffith industrial design graduates have opened an interactive store in the Gold Coast Hinterlands to showcase creative work and designs by fellow alumni.

Kaecee Fitzgerald with some of the products.

Griffith graduates Natalie Haskell, Kaecee Fitzgerald and Natasha Dennis joined forces with Industrial Design Program Director Dr Sam Canning to create the space they’ve called Splinter, which will serve as a launchpad for emerging industrial designers on the Gold Coast.

“The idea for starting something like this came up in conversation numerous times over the years,” Natalie said.

“There was a transition where students, who were graduating, had work they were producing but it was really difficult to get it into the market, particularly if they were doing low volume production.

“We wanted to create a space that supported local and emerging designers on the Gold Coast.”

Splinter is a not-for-profit exhibition space and shop, nestled on Tamborine Mountain’s Eagle Heights Rd, and displays wares created by 10 Griffith graduates.

Furniture by Evan Jurd.

“There are products crafted by Griffith graduates which include lighting and ceramics, to jewellery and 3D printed items on display,” Natalie said.

However, it is more than just a store.

“Each item has an interactive experience, with voice recordings from each designer explaining their creative process and the meaning behind it,” she said.

Griffith alumnus Evan Jurd graduated with a Bachelor of Industrial Design in 2020 and was excited to have his items featured in the store.

Even the light fitting is made by Griffith industrial designers.

“Initially, I will be displaying furniture, although I have designs for lighting and artworks that utilise 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC (computer numerical control) routing that I would eventually like to have in the store too,” Evan said.

“It’s so important to have community support for emerging designers and Splinter is the perfect space to create and display our work.”

Natalie said it was important to support Griffith alumni.

“We had a lot of incredible experiences available to us due to our affiliation with Griffith University, so this is our way of paying it forward to other people like us.”

In March this year, a new national report released by ING in Australia revealed nearly half (48%) of the Australians surveyed either have or are planning to start a side-hustle. Some typical side hustles include buying and reselling goods online, driving for ride share and food delivery platforms like Uber and DoorDash, dog-sitting, tutoring and freelance writing.

Side hustles, or income-generating activities undertaken alongside main jobs, are increasingly common as the gig economy provides opportunities for employees to perform supplementary work or satisfy a passion, and earn additional income at the same time.

Besides side hustles, a closely-related term is “moonlighting”, which is the practice of having a second job, usually secretly and at night, in addition to one’s regular employment. “Moonlighting” reportedly first appeared in the 1950s, when it was used to describe night-time criminal activity in Ireland.

The use of “side hustle” also emerged at about the same time, and the term has essentially the same meaning as “moonlighting” less the emphasis on working at night and with the added emphasis of “hustle”, which comes from the Dutch word “husselen” meaning “to shake or toss”.

The rapid rise of the use of the term “side hustle” and the prevalence of side hustles coincides with the development of various technological tools and platforms and increased utilisation of flexible working arrangements.

These days, technological platforms like Airbnb, eBay, Airtasker, Uber and DoorDash are free to use and make it much easier for people to provide their services and goods to their customers in a timely manner.

Similarly, flexible working arrangements beyond the traditional 9am to 5pm office-based working has created more opportunities for employees to engage in their side hustles. For example, an employee may request for compressed workweek (i.e., working four days instead of five) to engage in their side hustle on Fridays. Some employees may also choose to work remotely so that they can manage their Airbnb properties concurrently.  

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Last year, the emergence of the pandemic and associated restrictions resulted in soaring unemployment across the world. On the bright side, many informal polls also showed a boom in side hustles during the same period.

New data from UK-based freelancer platform PeoplePerHour highlighted a significant rise in the number of UK-based employees who were operating their business on the side. In particular, the platform saw its largest increase in registrations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly 250,000 people applied to use the platform in 2020, a sharp increase from 136,000 in 2019.

In another September 2020 study conducted by Upwork, an American freelance job platform, two million more Americans had started freelancing in the preceding 12 months, due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic and closure of businesses. For some of these workers, the extra income was crucial in helping them to cover their basic livelihood and keep up with the cost of living.

Side Hustle

Balancing side hustles with full-time work

Despite the prevalence of side hustles these days, they are still not well-received by employers, who consider them a distraction from full-time work performance. In fact, some organisations continue to prohibit side-hustles in their employment contracts.

There’s no denying that side hustles require a lot of time, energy and effort.

In a series of studies involving over 1,000 employees, University of Iowa Professor Jennifer Nahrgang and colleagues found that participants worked on their side-hustles for an average of 13 hours per week spread across 4 days. In another study by Henley Business School in the University of Reading, UK-based employees with side-hustles were found to be working almost 13 hours more than the average UK employee.

With the extra hours going into side hustles, one might expect employees with side hustles to report higher levels of stress and even burnout. Interestingly, multiple studies have shown that side hustles have helped to make employees’ lives more interesting and fulfilling.

For example, the same study by Henley Business School showed that the sense of fulfilment from engaging in side hustles translated into happiness in both their main and side hustle workplaces. Professor Nahrgang and colleagues also found that side hustles empowered individuals to be in charge of their own work, which led them to become emotionally and cognitively invested in their side hustles, and also transmit the positive emotions associated with this experience to their main jobs, which subsequently improved their job performance.

Many employers are naturally concerned about the impacts of side hustles on their employees’ full-time work. Forty-five per cent of the businesses surveyed in the Henley Business School study felt that side hustles led to overworked employees, which may also lead to stress and absenteeism. Nevertheless, they also believed that allowing side hustles attracts and retains the best talents, helps to improve employee morale, and makes them happier and more productive.

Side hustles and work-life balance

So, is work-life balance an elusive unicorn for employees with full-time work and a side hustle?

As most work-life scholars would recommend, striking a fine balance between full-time work, side hustle, and rest and recovery is key.

Alongside engaging in both full-time work and the side gig, it is equally important to prioritise rest and recovery, such as setting aside buffer time (even as short as 10 minutes) when transiting between full-time jobs and side-hustles. Researchers warn employees against engaging in side hustles immediately after completing their main jobs, as this is a recipe for burnout.

And while it is tempting for employees to use their work breaks to check and send emails or run errands for their side hustles, employees are also encouraged to have breaks where they completely detach from both their full-time jobs and side hustles. Such quality breaks help employees to recover from their intense work schedules and reduce the likelihood of them burning out, as one of my research studies has shown.

Side hustles will become even more prevalent as employees embark on hybrid working in a post-COVID world. Having quality rest and recovery would be crucial to ensuring employees do not burn out when navigating their full-time jobs and side hustles.

Author

Dr Carys ChanDr. Carys Chan is a work–life researcher at Griffith University’s Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing. She conducts research on the work–life interface, flexible/remote working, self-efficacy, work-related stress and burnout, and leader–subordinate interactions.

She is also a regular employment relations and work–life contributor to media outlets such as BBC Worklife, ABC Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, The Conversation, Channel NewsAsia, and HR Daily.

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Griffith University has recognised its best and brightest researchers, professional and support staff and teaching excellence at a gala event in Brisbane on 25 November.

The Vice Chancellor’s Gala Awards brought together three existing awards ceremonies for the first time — Research Excellence Awards, Professional and Support Staff Awards and Griffith Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

“These awards celebrate many of our hard working and talented staff who, despite the challenges of the past 18 months, have continued to innovate, make discoveries and to go above and beyond to help build a brighter future,” Professor Evans said.

“I am very proud of our award recipients and all our colleagues in the Griffith community who work hard every day to make a difference and enhance the experience of our students.”

Research Excellence Awards

Professional and Support Staff Awards

Griffith Awards for Excellence in Teaching

Australian Awards for University Teaching

Internationalisation Awards

All award winners in attendance at the event on Thursday 25 November, along with Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans and Chancellor Henry Smerdon AM DUniv.

The link between consuming violent media and the propensity for aggression has long been a controversial topic. Now new research from Griffith University has found that personality and frustration are better predictors of anger and aggression in the context of media exposure.

“We found no difference in both anger and aggression following exposure to a book, violent video game, television and non-violent video game,’’ says Professor Grant Devilly from the School of Applied Psychology and Griffith Criminology Institute.

“What we did find was that people with high levels of impulsivity, increased emotional reactivity to the media, and frustration with the content of the media are more likely to have a higher anger response to media exposure.

“These results are in direct opposition to traditional models of aggression which suggest a causal link between trials of violence and aggression risk.”

The researchers analysed the responses of 151 participants who completed a questionnaire and then either watched a short video designed to induce anger or neutrality, before being exposed to one of four conditions: reading a sexually violent passage from a book (American Psycho); viewing a violent, sexualised video game (Duke Nukum Forever); playing a non-violent, non-sexualised video game (Portal 2); or watching a violent and sexualised television episode (the first episode of Game of Thrones).

“Behavioural aggression (physically acting more aggressive) was higher for those participants less disturbed by the media and with higher trait anger than those who were more disturbed by the media and with low levels of trait anger,’’ Professor Devilly said.

“Trait anger is how susceptible people are to anger as a personality trait compared episodes of anger caused by a situation.

“Results from this study suggest that media habits do not appear to influence response to media once personality variables are considered, but this doesn’t discount the possibility that years of media consumption have previously influenced these dispositions.”

He said the study’s varied use of media reduced the likelihood of biased conclusions regarding violent video games.

“Despite the book (American Psycho) being rated as the most immersive media type, it did not vary significantly in post media anger or behavioural aggression.”

“It seems it is what we bring to the game that matters rather than what the game brings to us.”

The study is published in the Journal of Psychology, Crime and Law.

Theoverallwinner of this year’sQueensland Business Weekly (QBW) Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarshipis aGriffith University alumnuswith an impressive background ingovernment relations and public policy.

Papua New Guinean born,Sean Jacobs currently works as aPrincipal Advocacy and Major Projects Advisor at Moreton Bay Regional Councilwhere he ishelping todeliverthe Council’sadvocacy agenda and provideexpert advice and project co-ordinationforstrategic interestsincluding the2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major infrastructure projects.

“The Games offer co-benefit opportunities for Asia-Pacific nations, and this is a relatively underexplored approach that I hope to use Griffith MBA skills to inform,” Sean explained.

Inspired by a masterclass which all scholarship applicants attended, he added that Griffith academicsgot him thinking about developing a ‘social license to operate’.

“The 2032 Games offer clear benefits in terms of positive local infrastructure and economic impacts.

“I’minspired to think about how the Games, through careful planningand responsibleleadership, can be a vehicle forbuilding trust in all levels of governmentandrealising broadersocial, economicand cultural legacy benefits.”

Seanholds a BA (International Relations) from Griffith and a PostgraduateCertificate in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism from Macquarie University, qualifications from the Australian National Security College, the Australian Institute of Management and the University of New England.

Heis a former Brisbane City Council election candidate, ministerial adviser, United Nations worker, international youth volunteer and national water polo champion, also authoring two booksin the last three years.

Alex Bowen-Rotsaert. Image credit: John Hatfield for Space Design Competitions Australia

This year three applicants have been awarded partial scholarships, includingShelley Hartland,Head of impact and engagement at theForward Institute in partnership with University of Oxford, RachellHansen, aProject managerwith theDepartment of Resources Queensland andAlexander Bowen-Rotsaert,Systems Engineer for Boeing Defence Australia.

Rachelladmits she’d already had her eye onGriffith’s MBA well before the scholarship opportunityarose.

Rachell Hansen

“I(was)searching for an MBA scholarship and admiredGriffith for its strong focus on sustainability and close collaboration with the Queensland Government (Queensland Climate Risk Symposium),” she wrote in herscholarshipapplication.

“This aligns well to my career goals to become a Chief Climate Action Officer, or a DG or Minister in this space within the next 10 years.”

Shelleysaidthe Griffith MBAs focus onresponsible leadership wasof particular interest.

“I’m currently working remotely for theForward Institutewith theUniversity of Oxfordon aresearch project onCharacter & Responsible Leadership in Business,” she said.

Shelley Hartland. Image credit: Rahil Ahmad.

“Speaking to CEOs and senior leaders for the UK’s major businesses has reinforced for me how responsible leadership and good character have the ability to significantly transform organisations and ultimately society.”

In hisscholarshipapplication, Alexander shared how a seemingly incredible job offermade him questionwhat he came to realise was a ‘narrow-minded focus on careerprogression’.

“Businesses suffer from the same myopic focus on balance sheetsat the cost of wider stakeholder considerations,” he said.

“In almost accepting a job offer that didn’t truly alignmywithmygoals, Irealised that ‘purpose before profit’…..should drive decisionmaking, both personallyandwithinbusiness.”

MBA Director Associate Professor Stephanie Schleimer congratulated all scholarship winners and said Griffith’s MBA was different to traditional offerings because it was built on core values crucial to business leaders in the 21st century.

Last month,Griffith Business School’s MBA program achieved top ranking in the Corporate Knights 19th annual Better World MBA Ranking, for the second year in a row.

“Achieving the number one ranking in the world two years in a row shows the value of a business education that is focused on sustainability and responsibility,”Associate Professor Schleimer said.

“The program develops critical thinking skills and supports students to identify creative and future-ready strategies to improve the world around us.”

The 2021 scholarship competition offered a total prize package of up to $130,000.

For Griffith University’s A Better Future For All series, in partnership with HOTA, Home of the Arts, Kerry O’Brien welcomed renowned dancers Li Cunxin AO and Mary Li.

A talented boy from rural poverty in China, Li Cunxin is catapulted to stardom when, at just 11, he is selected from millions to become a dancer. But then, at the height of his prominence, he makes the extraordinary decision to defect to the USA. On the other side of the world, Australia’s Mary McKendry is also destined for international ballet stardom. From a chance meeting in London a romance blossoms and Mary and Li Cunxin go from dance partners to life partners.

This conversation traversed each of their incredible careers, their success against the odds and Mary’s heart-breaking decision to sacrifice her career for the love of their child.

Li Cunxin

Li Cunxin AO is Queensland Ballet’s Artistic Director.  Having led a long and diverse career as a dancer, Li brings his passion for ballet, devotion to artistic excellence and international reputation and networks to Queensland Ballet’s rich 60-year history.

At the age of eleven, Li was selected by Madame Mao’s cultural advisors to attend the Beijing Dance Academy. In 1979 he joined Ben Stevenson’s Houston Ballet company as an exchange student and later went on to achieve the top rank of Principal in 1982. He moved to Melbourne in 1995 with his wife, dancer Mary McKendry, to join The Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist. Li retired from dancing in 1999, at the age of 38, but maintained his strong ties to the ballet community. Before taking on the role of Artistic Director at Queensland Ballet, Li worked in Melbourne as a senior manager at Bell Potter, one of the largest stockbroking firms in Australia. He is currently on the board of the Bionics Institute, and until his appointment as the Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet, he sat on the board of The Australian ballet, which he joined in 2005.

In 2003 Li published his international best-selling autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer, which has received numerous awards. The book was adapted as a feature film in 2009.

Li received an Order of Australia (AO) in the Queens Birthday Honours List 2019 for his distinguished service to the performing arts, particularly to ballet, as a dancer and as an Artistic Director.

Mary Li

Mary Li (formerly Mary McKendry) started her dance training in Queensland at the age of eight. She successfully completed the RAD Solo Seal Award in Australia and continued her training at the Royal Ballet School in London.

Mary joined the London Festival Ballet (English National Ballet) in 1977 and was promoted through the ranks to Principal Dancer in 1981. In 1985, Mary joined Houston Ballet as a Principal Dancer.

During her performing career, Mary danced principal roles in all the major classical ballets, such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Don Quixote, Onegin, Les Sylphides and La Sylphide. She also danced leading roles in contemporary ballets and many new ballets were created on her. She has worked with legendary teachers, choreographers, artistic directors and artists, including Rudolf Nureyev, Glen Tetley, Christopher Bruce, Margot Fonteyn, Ben Stevenson and many others. Mary and her husband Li Cunxin have danced together all over the world.

Since retiring from dancing in 1992, Mary has been invited to teach and coach in many international ballet companies. She has been a teacher and coach at The Australian Ballet for the past 10 years, and joined Queensland Ballet’s Artistic Staff as Ballet Mistress in January 2013.



Mega-events cause extremes of excitement and anxiety for urban planners. Among mega-events, the Olympics is the rarest opportunity – most planners will never get to take it on. Those that do enter a rarefied space, where energy, money and ambition demand planning at a grand scale. Much like athletes winning gold, planners who deliver a successful Olympics secure a permanent professional legacy.

https://youtu.be/KaAgHevxYkI

Planning for success

Planning for the Olympics requires extra action across all the main areas of urban planning: infrastructure provision, transport, environment, housing, urban design, open space management and development control. The challenges of planning a mega-event across these domains are complex, time sensitive and supplementary to the core business of planning.

The most obvious and recognisable role for urban planning is designing and designating Olympic venues. Delivering flagship venues is not only a design objective. Planners must also ensure venues are accessible and have larger, integrated visions supporting them to ensure future use.

The best facilities – the ones that truly leave a legacy – combine high quality designs with adaptable functionality. Good urban planning, backed by strategic vision, is key to success. The venues must be fit for purpose, while having a legacy plan to ensure they will remain active and in demand after the Olympics.

Planners in Sydney did an excellent job with the Sydney Olympic Stadium. An ambitious project, the stadium performed very well for the Olympics and has thrived since, hosting many high-profile sporting and cultural events every year. It is the centrepiece of a multi-use commercial and residential district. A simple legacy plan that did not try to change core use of the venue was a wise strategy.

Contrast Sydney with Beijing, where the famed ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium wowed during the Games but failed to thrive afterwards. The plan to convert it to a shopping and entertainment complex never eventuated. The stadium is maintained at great cost but rarely used for anything. Worse again are examples of Olympic venues in Athens, which had no legacy plans at all, practically guaranteeing they would fall into ruin.

Best practice requires an overarching strategic plan that addresses the full breadth of priorities and requirements for hosting the Olympics. It should detail how land will be found, how the infrastructure will be provided, transport connectivity, post-occupancy visions and budgeted implementation strategies. Individual precinct plans for new and existing venues and their surrounding areas can branch off from the main plan.

Having a strategic and visionary approach also helps increase the potential for a city-wide uplift, including through urban regeneration projects. London leveraged the 2012 games for massive redevelopment of the post-industrial Lower Lea Valley. Sydney created 430ha of parkland, 40km of cycle paths and water recycling infrastructure. Barcelona delivered extensive inner-city brownfield redevelopment and other urban improvement projects. Remarkably, only 17% of expenditure for the 1992 Barcelona Games went towards sports, while 83% was allocated to urban improvement. 

Urban Regeneration Stratford
Having a strategic and visionary approach helped increase the potential for a city-wide uplift, including through urban regeneration projects. London leveraged the 2012 Olympics for massive redevelopment of the post-industrial Lower Lea Valley, U.K.
Avoiding bad outcomes

Urban planning can only deliver a successful Olympics and generate long-term benefits if wider forces align. Planning for a mega-event is rife with politics, community expectations and competition for resources. Despite their good intentions, planners may struggle to deliver their best work if they are not given sufficient scope, resourcing and political support.

In order to build arenas and infrastructure, governments invest hundreds of millions of dollars. Planners working with appropriate budgets find it easier to deliver successful events. A particular hazard is funding being cut during the development cycle, as it concentrates budgets into sporting infrastructure and away from other areas. This poses serious challenges for the wider city, especially when existing plans were created on the basis of higher budgets than those ultimately provided.

Maintaining good relations with communities is vital when planning for a mega-event. Planning for the Olympics can take 10 or more years, so planners need to build long-term rapport with local communities through stakeholder workshops and other participation media. The influence of politics is considerable in this space; sometimes communities can be engaged or alienated by political decisions taken without regard to planning. In such cases planners may struggle to rebuild community trust, or they may have to gently reduce community expectations if politicians have over-promised.

“… funding being cut during the development cycle … concentrates budgets into sporting infrastructure and away from other areas …”
Lea Valley houseboats and arges
Maintaining good relations with communities is vital when planning for a mega-event. Planners need to build and maintain rapport with local communities through stakeholder workshops to ensure a sustainable legacy beyond 2032.
Lessons for South East Queensland

Southeast Queensland (SEQ) has a long and proud history of staging sporting mega-events. It also has a well-established, statutory regional planning system. Regional development in SEQ has been coordinated across levels of government since the early-1990s. Planners in the region will be able to leverage this unique system and its institutional capacity to deliver an outstanding Olympics, with quality infrastructure, integration and connectivity.

The biggest hazard to planning a successful 2032 Olympics will not come from a lack of professional capacity. If things go awry, it will likely be due to politics getting in the way of planners being able to properly plan. If governments at all levels are supportive of good planning and make sufficient resources available, there should be no good reason why planners will not deliver an outstanding event. Assuming that happens, Queensland will secure its Olympics legacy while its urban planners will secure their own professional legacy.

Author

Dr Tony MatthewsDr Tony Matthews MRTPI is an award-winning Urban and Environmental Planner, with portfolios in academia, practice and the media. He is a faculty member at Griffith University, where he is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Environment & Science and the Cities Research Institute.

In addition to a Masters and PhD in Planning, Tony holds the professional designation of Chartered Town Planner, earned through the Royal Town Planning Institute. While primarily based in planning academia and research, Tony maintains an active practice portfolio. He has led and participated in a wide variety of planning and sustainability projects in collaboration with government, the private sector and community organisations. Tony is also an in-demand public speaker and regularly delivers invited keynotes and speeches at academic and industry events.

Follow Tony on Twitter

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Three Griffith University researchers have been awarded Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships announced by Minister for Tourism, Innovation and Sport and Minister Assisting the Premier on Olympics and Paralympics Sport and Engagement Stirling Hinchliffe MP.

Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Sheena Reilly said the University was delighted to receive the fellowships.

“Each adopts new technology and novel approaches, whether that be in finding new ways to recycle fire extinguishers in an environmentally-friendly way, improving connectivity to enhance tourism via micro-transport or adopting new technology to enhance macadamia nut quality,’’ she said.

Dr Shahla Hosseini Bai from the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security has received $360,000 for ‘Advancing the Queensland nut industry using machine vision’.

Dr Bai specialises in developing novel technologies for agri-food industries to sustainably manage food production.

“Machine vision technology is being used increasingly to fast-track and automate food production,” she said.

“Queensland’s macadamia industry is focused on developing competitive and rapid technology for producing and exporting nuts of the highest quality.”

She said the fellowship will be used to develop state-of-the-art scanners that detect nut quality in real time.

“This research will put Queensland’s macadamia nut industry at the forefront of technology worldwide.”

Dr Tak Kim also from the Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security has received $240,000 for ‘Production of value — added products from waste extinguishers and tyres’.

He led the development of a new technology using waste chemicals from fire extinguishers and by-products from the tyre recycling process that can draw out toxic substances from wastewater on mining sites.

“The fellowship is about scaling up the technology and working with industry partners to find practical applications and solve ongoing environmental challenges.”

The new technology also addresses the growing problems from stockpiling waste fire extinguishers and tyres by turning them into activated carbon for waste-water treatment.

“Once the mine tailings are treated with our technology, the remaining water can be returned into waterways rather than sitting in a dam forever. By addressing several problems in waste management, we’re turning waste by-products into a solution.”

 

Dr Abraham Leung, a Transport Academic Partnership (TAP) and Transport Innovation and Research Hub (TIRH) Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Cities Research Institute, received $240,000 for Transforming Queensland Tourism with Micro-Transport with additional industry funding of almost $815,000 in project value.

Dr Leung says the new project brings together tourism and government stakeholders with transport industry partners to create a seamless and user-centric travelling experience for a new generation of tourists.

“Tourists increasingly want more control over their travel and easy access to all the information they need on their smart devices,’’ he said.

“They don’t want 15 different apps for local buses, scooters, e-bikes and island ferries and the attractions they visit. They want one app that connects it all.”

He said Queensland could become a world leader in offering flexible, on-demand transport services creating a seamless travel experience for visitors.

“Tourism events could be linked to these ‘Mobility as a Service (MaaS)’ apps and that is the approach we’ll likely see at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.”

“These apps are like a knowledgeable concierge that goes with you wherever you are, suggesting nearby events and experiences, but also telling you the most convenient ways to get there.”

Dr Leung said prototyping a ‘mini-MaaS’ in Brisbane and Townsville with and for tourists would be a world-first.

Integrating infrastructure, precincts and their impacts

Hosting a major or even mega-sporting event like the Olympic and Paralympic Games is regarded by many (but certainly not all) as a great honour for the host city or country, but it presents some major challenges as well. Until recently there was a significant risk of being left with huge public debt after building new sporting facilities big enough to accommodate large Olympic crowds that would rarely be fully occupied after that occasion. Looking around recent host cities, some facilities have been abandoned, some repurposed and some, like the famous National Stadium in Beijing, better known as The Birdsnest, will be used again when they host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

Abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track Sarajevo
The abandoned bobsled and luge track from the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics was one of the first to focus on sustainability through the planned repurposing and reuse of facilities after the event, and it was an ambitious attempt to use investment in Games infrastructure to underpin the regeneration of a substantial part of East London, Stratford, that had suffered decades of deindustrialisation and lack of investment in public services and facilities.  The new processes for identifying future hosts are concerned now with delivering a major sporting event in a sustainable manner, in ways that don’t saddle the host city with crippling debt and leave a legacy of ‘white elephant’ facilities. 

There is also greater recognition now that events and facilities can sensibly be distributed around a larger area, perhaps the metropolitan region rather than concentrating mostly within a single city.  This can present problems of identity though if the host is not a single city, but a metropolitan region or even a State: the International Olympic Comittee (IOC) speaks of ‘Brisbane and Queensland’ being ready to welcome the world to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games while recognising that ‘Australia has a love affair with the Olympic Games’.  In Australia it is often a challenge to reconcile local, State and Commonwealth interests, not least when it comes to agreeing what share of the total bill is to be paid by each.

Bidding to host a major sporting event like the Olympics reflects a desire to be recognised as a globally significant place and a city of renown, acknowledged as a member of the global club of world cities.  And the capacity to deliver a successful event is almost taken for granted now, although that should never be taken as downplaying the technical challenge of organising a major event that passes without disruption and is experienced as an enjoyable occasion by visitors, officials, athletes and their entourages.

“Bidding to host a major sporting event like the Olympics reflects a desire to be recognised as a globally significant place and a city of renown, acknowledged as a member of the global club of world cities.”

But, beyond its successful delivery and opportunity to increase one’s global reputation, hosting the event also gives the chance to achieve some more parochial objectives.  These often relate to infrastructure projects that address some long-standing urban challenges: deindustrialisation and economic growth, housing supply or traffic congestion.  The fact that new facilities and infrastructure must be designed, built and open for business by the time of the Games brings a focus to planning and financial commitments that might otherwise be lacking.  There may have been talk of new metro-rail systems or stadia for years, but in our case, whatever is planned and committed to must be ready by the last week of July 2032.

It is sometimes said that winning the right to host a major sporting event has three possible impacts on investment in facilities and other infrastructure: it secures investment that might not otherwise have occurred at all; it brings it forward in time to meet the deadlines mentioned above; and it enlarges or amplifies investment commitments already made. 

Of course, all of this investment occurs in particular places and presents opportunities for place-making and place enhancement.  In some cases, these enhancements will be very localised: a stadium might be rebuilt and served by a new metro-station, creating a new destination, accessible by public transport and a substantially improved public realm.  In others, a cluster of facilities might be built, again served by improved public transport that helps create a precinct with a new identity and significance within the city as a whole.

Displaced
Photo: Dan Stowell, CC BY NC SA 2.0 https://www.flickr.com/photos/danstowell

A fairly commonplace and valid criticism of these types of urban transformation is that they have displaced existing residents or businesses, typically poorer residents and smaller businesses, as part of a process of urban gentrification.  This criticism cannot be dismissed lightly and good planners have long asked of developments: who gains and who loses?  It would be beyond irony for a major sporting event that claims and prides itself on leaving a legacy of sustainable development does so at the expense of some of the most vulnerable and marginalised residents of our host cities.

Critics of investment in major sports events point also to the opportunity cost of that investment, arguing it could and should be used to better effect in solving some of the most pressing problems faced by host cities or countries.  While this can be a powerful argument, if we are able to use that investment to help make many places better, and not just places that are the focal points of the main sporting events, around the host city or region then legacy claims will carry more weight with the majority of residents.  Just as those who eventually go on to win Olympic medals start at their local playing field, track or pool, so modest investment in small scale places serving very local communities can pay big dividends in the future.

Many planners will now tell you that in the Olympics of the 1930s and 40s, town planning was a recognised event!  While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate for its return in 2032, good planning will see Brisbane and other parts of Queensland become better places than they would otherwise have been and a notional medal would be most welcome.

Author

Professor Paul BurtonProfessor Paul Burton trained and worked as a Town Planner in London in the 1970s before joining the School for Advanced Urban Studies at the University of Bristol in 1980 to carry out research for my PhD on the redevelopment of London’s Docklands. I worked at the University until 2007 when I left my position as Head of the School for Policy Studies to join Griffith University as Professor of Urban Management and Planning. I am currently Director of the Cities Research Institute at Griffith University. I was a founding member of Regional Development Australia, Gold Coast and currently serve as Vice President of the Queensland division of the Planning Institute of Australia.

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