When people think of nature sounds, they likely imagine birds singing at dawn or frogs calling after rain. But beneath the surface of our rivers is a whole soundscape that most of us have never even thought to listen to – until now.
PhD Candidate Katie Turlington sampling in the field,
New research led by Griffith University has developed a publicly available tool to help scientists uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface of our rivers, using sound.
“Scientists drop waterproof microphones into rivers to record what is happening underwater; but in just one day, a single recording could capture tens of thousands of sounds, and manually analysing them could take a trained professional up to three times longer than the recording itself.”
The new tool, developed by Ms Turlington and the research team, was developed in R, a free program for analysing data where users upload a folder of audio files and sorts through the sometimes vast volumes of audio without the need for hours of manual work.
It scanned recordings and detected sections from Warrill Creek, Kalbar (about an hour’s drive south-west of Brisbane) that contained sound, and grouped similar sounds together, streamlining the process of identifying what is in the audio.
One of the soundscapes captured and interpreted by Ms Turlington includes this waterbug ‘çhorus’ with fish grunts.
“It can even detect sounds that become masked by the constant noise of flowing water, which often makes recordings from rivers harder to analyse,” Ms Turlington said.
This diagram shows the amount of sampled sounds and how they overlapped.
“When tested in South-East Queensland streams, the tool correctly identified nearly 90 per cent of distinct sounds, faster and with far less effort than manual analysis.”
The tool is free and didn’t require advanced coding skills from the user, it worked with datasets of any size, could be adapted to any type of ecosystem, and Ms Turlington hoped it could change the way we monitored freshwater health.
“By listening to rivers, researchers can track changes in biodiversity, detect signs of disturbance, or even discover new species,” she said.
“And because sound can be recorded day and night, in remote or murky waters, it offers a low-impact way to track changes in aquatic ecosystems.
“We’ve only just started to explore freshwater sound; making this tool publicly available and free means more people can get involved, ask questions, and hopefully make new discoveries.”
There is a common misconception that legionella is only found in air conditioners and water towers, however, Griffith University research has found people are likely exposed to the bacteria through other sources including through soil.
Associate Professor Lara Herrero
Associate Professor Lara Herrero from Griffith’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics tested blood donor serum from Queensland donors to see if they were exposed to legionella bacteria which leads to Legionnaire’s disease, a serious form of pneumonia.
“We tested 1000 samples of blood, 500 from 2016 and 500 from 2023, to see if donors had antibodies against the bacteria,” Associate Professor Herrero said.
“These two windows of time were critical as Queensland observed an increase in Legionnaire’s disease cases in 2021-2022.
“The research assessed seroprevalence, or the level of pathogen in a population, as 2016 and 2023 represented before and after the higher incidence rate.”
The research found while Legionella prevalence remained stable, L.pneumophila, commonly found in air conditioning vents had decreased, while L. longbeachae (more commonly found in soil) had increased.
This is consistent with public health case numbers which show Legionellosis caused by L. longbeachae has dominated cases in the past five years.
“We know that L. longbeachae is prevalent in soil, so we should be aware of the possible exposure risk, especially when it comes to potting soils,” she said.
“We can all take measures to minimise our exposure when gardening or using potting soil such as wearing a mask.
“It is especially important for vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, immunosuppressed, or those with co-morbidities to take particular care.”
Legionnaire’s disease is an urgent notifiable condition which presents as a febrile illness or pneumonia, which may be severe.
Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, and shortness of breath.
Humans contract the infection via inhalation and is not spread from person to person.
Although relatively uncommon, Legionnaire’s disease may be life-threatening and is thought to be responsible for approximately five to 15 per cent of all community-acquired pneumonias.
The paper ‘Seroprevalence of antibodies against legionella species in North Eastern Australian blood donors, 2016 and 2023’ has been published in The Journal of Infectious Disease.
A Griffith University team has won the Enactus National Championships 2025 and qualified to represent Australia at the prestigious Enactus World Cup 2025.
The win marks the first time a Griffith Enactus team has reached the World Cup, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand.
The international event will bring together student teams from 35 countries to present innovative projects which tackle pressing social and environmental challenges.
Griffith’s winning initiative, Cook and Connect, addresses food insecurity, issues of loneliness, and unhealthy habits among university students.
Enactus President and Griffith Sciences School student Claire Jukes said the initiative is about building community and confidence.
“This is a scalable, community-driven initiative that enhances wellbeing through food, friendship, and education,” Ms Jukes said.
“We’re proud to represent Australia at the World Cup and showcase how student-led initiatives can make a real impact.”
Through hands-on cooking workshops, nutrition education, and shared meals, the Cook and Connect program empowers students to cook healthy, affordable meals while building budgeting skills and meaningful friendships.
The pilot program is now expanding across Griffith campuses, with plans to reach other universities and young adults through a partnership with the Northern Gold Coast Rotaract Club.
Student Academy of Excellence Manager Kim Holmes.
Named most outstanding faculty advisor at the 2025 championship event, Student Academy of Excellence Manager Kim Holmes mentored the Griffith Enactus team.
“Griffith’s success among such strong national competition underscores the significance of their achievement and the impact of their work,” Ms Holmes said.
“Congratulations to the team on this outstanding accomplishment!
“I look forward to seeing them showcase their impact-driven innovation on the world stage.”
Enactus is a global nonprofit that connects university students, academic leaders, and business professionals to develop projects that address real-world challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Congratulations to Student Academy of Excellence students: Claire Jukes, Shanna Heath, Megan Leafe, Caitlin Brims, Tori Gaellegos, Nimansa Samaraweera, Natalia Drazek, Terri Botha, Ashley Leatch, Fletcher Day.
A new report reveals how life for Queenslanders with Disability has changed over the last 12 months, showing more people had a plan to stay safe during disasters and cost of living pressures continued to escalate anxiety around housing.
Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability and Hopkins Centre Research Fellow Kelsey Chapman.
Led by Griffith University, the Voice of Queenslanders with Disability Report 2025 is the third consecutive annual report driven by citizen scientists with lived experience of disability.
Delivered in partnership with Queenslanders with Disability Network and commissioned by the Queensland Government, it is the only Australian initiative collecting census data which measures the day-to-day living experience of residents with disability.
“More than 700 people with disability shared their stories in 2025 and more than 1,700 people over the last three years,” Dr Chapman said.
“Transparency is critical to improving support, and the report provides a snapshot of what’s really happening in the lives of Queenslanders with disability, their families, and carers.
“The 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games present a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a meaningful legacy of inclusion, and through co-design with people with lived experience, we can address complex challenges and build responsive, respectful and effective systems.”
Key findings included:
Homes and communities:
71.1 per cent of respondents said they lived in a home that met their needs, leaving 28.9 per cent who said they lived in inappropriate places.
47.5 per cent of respondents felt they could go anywhere they wanted in Queensland, a significant increase from 42 per cent in 2023.
“Homes are becoming a luxury rather than a human right, with people having to leave their communities because they can’t afford to live there anymore”
Survey respondent.
Personal and community supports:
48.9 per cent of people with disability had all the paid support they needed in 2025, a large increase from 32.6 per cent in 2024.
Jobs and money:
Only 16.8 per cent of respondents agreed Queensland employers put people with disability in leadership roles, and this number remained consistent with the 2023 report.
In 2023, 56 per cent of respondents agreed they had a good job, but in 2025 only 32.8 percent agreed they had a good job.
Education and learning:
Many survey respondents said they faced barriers which made learning difficult including inaccessibility of physical and virtual learning spaces, high costs and lack of flexibility. Less people believed they could do courses and training if they wanted to.
“Supportive and understanding teachers makes life a lot easier”
Survey respondent.
Health and wellbeing:
The number of respondents who said they were healthy and had access to a good primary care doctor increased significantly.
80.2 per cent of respondents said they had a plan to stay safe during disasters which increased from 64 per cent in 2023.
Safety, rights and justice:
“Having intellectual disability makes it very very hard to even know when my safety, rights and access to justice is a problem. I am fully reliant on trustworthy people to help me.”
Survey respondent.
Community attitudes:
While most people with disability felt welcome in their communities, persistent negative stereotypes and ongoing misunderstandings about disability continued to pose challenges.
The Voice of Queenslanders with Disability Report 2025 is available here.
Insurance might not be the first thing you associate with tourism, but for many operators, public liability insurance has become a crippling barrier to growth.
Fiona Antonucci
Former Queensland Government tourism investment specialist Fiona Antonucci is determined to change that. Backed by an Austrade–Griffith University industry scholarship, her PhD research is building an evidence base to help businesses, industry and government tackle rising insurance costs and limited access.
“I am driven by delivering policy and projects that contribute to Australia’s sustainable economic future. Working with passionate entrepreneurs creating visitor destinations and experiences has been hugely fulfilling.”
Why insurance matters for tourism’s future
Public liability insurance protects businesses in extreme cases—from serious injury to emotional distress. But without affordable cover, many tourism providers are scaling back, restructuring, or shutting down entirely.
“This research highlights that insurance affordability impacts the growth and development of the visitor economy, including the production and supply of visitor experiences,” Fiona explains. “Efforts to reduce insurance costs can position Australia for future prosperity and competitiveness.”
At the Australian Regional Tourism Conference 2024, Fiona shared how prohibitive premiums are already threatening regional tourism. Industry reports support her findings: the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) has documented cases of premiums skyrocketing from $2,000 in 2018 to more than $75,000 today.
A system under strain
Now in her second year of research, Fiona works with Griffith’s Professor Sarah Gardiner, Professor Basak Denizci Guillet and Professor George Verikios, combining document analysis, industry interviews and a national survey.
Her research to date shows:
Public liability insurance is failing as a risk-transfer mechanism for tourism.
Operators face a shrinking pool of insurance providers.
High costs are directly constraining innovation and growth.
Australia’s complex injury compensation framework is a key driver of premiums.
Festivals and adventure operators, in particular, face the harshest impacts.
Looking across the Tasman for inspiration
New Zealand offers a potential alternative. Its no-fault accident compensation system has enabled both accessible healthcare and adventurous tourism experiences without excessive insurance premiums.
“A myriad of authentic agritourism and adventure experiences led me to discover that New Zealand really was a healing place, in some part due to their approach to accidents,” Fiona reflects.
She acknowledges such sweeping reform would be challenging in Australia, but believes pragmatic changes to improve affordability and certainty for businesses are urgently needed.
The personal story behind the research
For Fiona, this research is more than academic.
From her Sunshine Coast cattle farm, which she runs with her husband and three children, she combines academic inquiry with lived experience. Her husband grew up in the United States, where his family’s home and restaurant burned down—without insurance. The devastation left a lifelong impression.
Fiona Antonucci studies from her Sunshine Coast cattle farm, in Queensland, Australia.
During COVID-19, Fiona worked as an economic development manager, fielding desperate calls from tourism operators forced to cancel insurance to cut costs. “As the world started to re-emerge, visitor experience providers were hit with a new challenge—limited or no access to affordable public liability insurance,” she recalls.
Shaping national policy: what’s next?
As Fiona nears completion of her doctorate, she hopes her work will influence national policy and industry practice, helping ensure Australia’s visitor economy remains globally competitive.
Possible solutions emerging from her research include:
Encouraging a robust and innovative insurance market.
Supporting new visitor experiences and workforce opportunities.
Exploring legislative reform to address the prohibitive costs of injury compensation.
Whether her next chapter lies in government, academia or the private sector, Fiona is determined to apply her insights to strengthen Australia’s visitor economy.
“Being able to contribute to the development and economic sustainability of an industry that is centred around sharing and creating experiences, happiness and ultimately core memories, is what drives me.”
The Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) is Australia’s leading tourism research institute, recognised globally for its expertise. PhD scholars like Fiona Antonucci, alongside Griffith’s team of world-class researchers, work with industry, government and communities to tackle critical challenges. We welcome opportunities to collaborate with organisations of all sizes to deliver impactful outcomes for Australia’s visitor economy. For more information, visit the GIFT website.
The QCAD Lecture Theatre at South Bank campus again was the venue for the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final where the ten finalists had to distil their research project into a mere three minute presentation.
April Dower during her 3MT presentation
In an evenly matched final, the judges found PhD candidate April Dower to have delivered the best presentation for her subject titled ‘Sticky Attention in Anxiety’. The Runner up was Louise White (AEL) for her presentation titled ‘Supporting autistic students as they transition on from Secondary School’.
April had always been drawn to the workings of the human mind. As a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) graduate, she’d immersed herself in cognitive psychology. Her passion for understanding how thoughts and emotions shape behaviour earned her multiple Academic Excellence awards and a role as a Senior Leader for the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program. There, she honed her ability to break down complex ideas, a skill she displayed in her winning presentation against the other finalists.
After dominating her academic area heat (Health), April advanced to the Griffith final, facing nine other PhD students, all of whom had passed their confirmation status. The rules were strict: three minutes, one static slide, and a non-specialist audience. The challenge was to make her research on anxiety and how it clings to the mind like glue disrupting cognitive processes, accessible and compelling.
She painted a picture of anxiety not as a fleeting emotion but as a cognitive trap, hijacking attention and memory. With an impactful slide, showing a close up of a snarling dog and a wide shot of the same image (the dog was actually catching a frisbee), April used clear, relatable language, explaining how her research investigates the neural mechanisms behind this persistence, aiming to improve therapeutic interventions. Her passion shone through, her words weaving science and storytelling into a understandable narrative.
The judges praised her ability to make a complex subject accessible without losing depth with Judge Mark Ashton singling out her well-crafted picture slide.
“Her slide was the best, captivating and supported her pitch which was well structured. She started with the issue and how her research would address it and explained the impact well and her presentation used different tones to empathise certain points which provides connection for the audience ensuring their attention.”
April said the communications skills she’s learnt in her academic career helped with her presentation.
Griffith 3MT winner April Dower with Professor Rebecca Ford, Dean, Griffith Graduate Research School (GGRS)
“Psychology is all about understanding how we interact with each other and how we communicate so it’s right up my alley, but I did a lot of revisions and practiced hard to get the balance right.”
April paid tribute to her academic supervisors Dr Lisa Jefferies and Dr Rebecca Lawrence from the School of Applied Psychology..
“They were amazing. They helped me revise my script and really polish it, and I also like to thank our broader lab group, the Visual Cognition Lab Group, who watched me practice it many times and helped me get that clear delivery for the audience.”
Men who consume anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and clenbuterol are three times more likely to report negative effects on their heart, and twice as likely to experience mood swings, and irrational excitability, new Griffith research has found.
Lead author on the paper, PhD candidate Benjamin Bonenti from Griffith’s School of Applied Psychology, investigated the physical and psychosocial side effects of consuming clenbuterol, a powerful fat-burning compound.
PhD candidate Benjamin Bonenti
“The research suggests clenbuterol may substantially increase the risk of harm when stacked with steroids,” Mr Bonenti said.
“Clenbuterol is a beta-2 adrenergic agonist which was originally developed to treat asthma.
“While it’s not a steroid, it is widely used by bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts for its fat-burning properties.”
Clenbuterol works by increasing the body’s temperature and metabolic rate, which promotes fat loss and helps people get the ‘shredded’ look.
However, it also stimulates the heart and central nervous system which can dangerously affect cardiac function, especially when high doses are consumed recreationally.
The compound’s potency and narrow margin between effective and harmful doses make it particularly risky.
The study analysed data from 1,146 males who consumed AASs. Of these, 197 reported consuming clenbuterol in addition to AASs.
Mr Bonenti said the research highlights a clear need for harm reduction messaging targeting clenbuterol consumption especially among those who combine it was AASs for aesthetic purposes.
“Early intervention is key, along with educating consumers about the risks before they begin consumption, while also offering support for safer alternatives,” he said.
“It emphasises the importance of informed, evidence-based messaging particularly when we’re consistently seeing a physique-focussed culture on social media and a rapidly increasing demand for image and performance enhancing drugs.”
The paper ‘Clenbuterol and the cost of cutting: A brief report comparing self-reported side effects of clenbuterol consumption to anabolic-androgenic steroid compounds’ has been published in Performance Enhancement & Health.
Alarmingly, veterinarians in Australia are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide compared to the general population, yet there is no national data on suicidality within the profession.
Dr Alena Gadoury from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology is conducting research with the aim of uncovering the prevalence of suicidal thoughts, intents and plans amongst veterinarians in Australia.
Dr Alena Gadoury
“The study also aims to identify the risk and protective factors that may be contributing,” Dr Gadoury said.
“By combining established suicide theory with a public health framework, and using a mixed methods design, we are taking a rigorous and holistic approach to understanding this complex and urgent issue within the profession.
“As part of the research, I’m hoping to hear from industry professionals from all clinical and non-clinical registered veterinarians in Australia across every stage of their career, from new graduates to retired vets.
“Every voice matters regardless of whether participants have experienced suicidal thoughts.”
Once the data is collated, the findings of the survey will directly inform evidence-based suicidal prevention strategies tailored to the veterinarian profession.
It will guide training programs, shape workplace culture and support practice and policy change at both the organisation and industry levels.
The findings have the potential to expand our understanding, strengthen future research capability, and create new opportunities to implement meaningful change with the ultimate goal of reducing suicide and saving lives.
“With limited existing data and major knowledge gaps in our understanding, there is currently little to guide solutions,” Dr Gadoury said.
“By generating robust, representative evidence, we can move beyond assumptions and design real-world interventions which foster safer and more sustainable work environments for veterinarians.”
Survey participants will respond to a range of validated and reliable measures using a Likert scale covering topics such as psychosocial wellbeing, suicide ideation, workplace factors, moral injurious events, and a variety of risk and protective factors.
Participation is anonymous and the survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.
This year Australia has seen a horrific string of reports and allegations about abuse and neglect in childcare centres. Families are desperate to ensure their kids are safe and political leaders have been rushing to respond.
On Friday, Australia’s federal and state education ministers agreed on several new safety measures. Federal Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh described them as “the strongest and most significant package of child safety reforms in our nation’s history.”
What was agreed? And how could they be improved?
What’s been announced?
Education ministers agreed to set up a new “national educator register” to tell regulators who is working in the early childhood sector and where. It will also show the status of people’s working with children checks. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said it would be developed from scratch, need new legislation and roll out from February next year.
Other measures include:
mandatory child safety training for all early childhood education staff – including the bosses of childcare companies. This will begin in 2026 to help workers “spot a person who might be hiding in plain sight” and who may be grooming a child
a national CCTV trial in up to 300 services, which will begin by the end of 2025
a ban on personal mobile phones in services from September 1 2025
1,600 extra spot checks to be carried out by Commonwealth officers
more information for parents about the condition and record of centres, including the last time a check was made and if any issues have been raised by regulators.
These measures are a positive start but they could also go further, as we explain below.
Is a national educator register a good idea?
A register for early childhood education and care workers makes sense. The register will be helpful for tracking where people have worked, so potential employers can look up the backgrounds of those applying for jobs.
For example, it could be a red flag if someone has moved around a lot (noting the sector is highly casualised, staff turnover is high and it is not unusual for people to work in multiple jobs). A national register will also help investigators if someone is suspected of wrongdoing.
Clare says the government will “develop and build” the register over time. But in its current planned form, it falls short of a nationally consistent reportable conduct scheme (which was proposed by the child abuse royal commission in 2017).
This would include any reports of misconduct that cannot be prosecuted criminally and are therefore missed in criminal history screenings (via working with children checks).
Some states are doing this on their own (for example from July 2026, in Queensland, early childhood organisations will be required to report concerning conduct from anyone who works with children). This week, the Victorian government announced it would reform its reportable conduct scheme so information relevant to child-safety “whether substantiated or not” is shared with relevant regulators and agencies.
But such schemes are most effective if they’re all connected to each other as it’s very easy to cross a border in Australia. We should also be enforcing standards around reference checks – which was recommended by the Victorian review this week.
How would CCTV help?
A 2025 report on the New South Wales sector estimated 30% of childcare services already had CCTV installed.
Obviously, 300 services nationally is not a lot (there are more than 9,000 centre-based services in Australia). Clare said the trial would look at where cameras are placed in centres and how data can be safely stored.
We know CCTV can have a general deterrent effect – and people are less likely to offend if they believe they are being surveilled. And it can also be used in investigations if there is an allegation or complaint. Research (including our own upcoming study) suggests many educators would like CCTV for their own protection if allegations were ever made against them.
But we can’t expect CCTV to prevent everything – you can’t have someone sitting at a control panel looking at footage all the time.
The Victorian report recommended a “four eyes” principle in centres, where there need to be two adults, visible to each other, taking care of kids at all times. Clare told reporters on Friday ministers had asked the national childcare authority to report back before the end of the year on this idea and the impact on educator-to-child ratios. This is an important prevention strategy. But it will depend on addressing workforce issues so there are enough staff who are empowered to speak up when they notice something.
More spot checks
Regulatory agencies have been woefully under-resourced – so more funds to do checks is a positive step. But beyond the spot checks, regulators need to actually shut services down if they are unsafe.
They have previously had the power to do this but have rarely done it, given the impact on families. As the Productivity Commission noted in 2024, shutting a service down was “severe” and “should be used as a last resort when less severe measures have not succeeded.”
Parents should also know they can do a spot check themselves at any time. Just turn up at your centre unannounced (so, not at 8am or 5pm). Is your centre welcoming and happy to see you? Do the children seem calm and cared for?
What are we missing?
As the Victorian report observed this week, there is an inherent problem in Australia’s early childhood system. It is mainly run by for-profit providers. We know for-profit childcare services are, on average, rated as lower quality than not-for-profit services.
These latest federal government proposals don’t address the root causes of problems in the early childhood. Instead they work within the boundaries of what we already have. There is a tendency for policymakers to take the conventional wisdom and package it up and say “we’re doing more, we’re trying harder”.
Arguably we have to do something more radical and restructure the entire sector so profit is not a driver and services are only focused on quality and safety.
Media leaders, journalists, and officials from across the Pacific gathered in Brisbane earlier this month for an international workshop focused on strengthening crisis communication and countering disinformation.
The event, Communication during a Time of Crisis: Practical Approaches and Lessons Learned from the Pacific, was co-hosted by the Griffith Asia Institute (GAI) and the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) on 5–6 August 2025. More than 50 participants representing 15 countries explored strategies for improving media resilience in the face of natural disasters, public health emergencies, and the growing challenge of misinformation.
Dr Eve Chiu, CEO of the Taiwan FactCheck Center (TFC), shared Taiwan’s experiences in building robust defences against false information. She noted that despite Taiwan’s strong record on freedom of speech, it remains a prime target of foreign disinformation campaigns. “Fact-checking has become a frontline safeguard,” she said. Dr Chiu introduced TFC’s tools, including a LINE chatbot for crowdsourced reports and an AI-powered dashboard that monitors online narratives to identify emerging threats.
Participants also addressed region-specific challenges such as climate change and disaster response. Journalists from island nations discussed the difficulty of communicating timely evacuation messages across multiple local languages and considered the role AI-driven translation might play. Others highlighted the ongoing importance of radio and word-of-mouth communication in remote communities.
The workshop also shone a spotlight on misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines and recent examples of AI-generated false content. Dr Chiu pointed to fabricated claims and manipulated videos circulating in Taiwan as a cautionary example of how technology can amplify disinformation risks.
Delegates visited the ABC’s Brisbane headquarters to observe Australia’s emergency broadcasting system in action, underscoring the role of public broadcasters in supporting regional resilience.
This was the first time Australia hosted a GCTF event since joining as a partner country in 2021. Alongside Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia now jointly back the framework, which has held nearly 90 international workshops since 2015.
With Pacific nations on the frontline of climate change and geopolitical competition, participants stressed the importance of continued collaboration. As one delegate observed,
“Strengthening communication capacity is not only about responding to the next cyclone or pandemic — it’s about safeguarding trust in our societies.”
