Griffith University experts have released a highly effective free toolkit to tackle teen vaping and say respect for student’s intelligence was the best tool.
As traditional approaches fail, vaping among teens had surged and Australian schools stand on the frontline of this hidden epidemic.
The toolkit, crafted by the Blurred Minds team, included the top five ways to end teen vaping at school, and drew from more than 250 vaping workshops conducted with around 20,000 students.
Social Marketing @ Griffith Research Fellow James Durl said schools which adopt this strategy can become centres of prevention.
Social Marketing @ Griffith Research Fellow James Durl
“Teens are sharp, and they see through scare tactics and lectures,” Mr Durl said.
“What works is treating them like the critical thinkers they are, and that’s when the real conversations begin.
“This approach equips teachers with some of the most impactful and engaging activities to address teen vaping in the classroom.
“The vaping industry isn’t just selling a product, it’s selling manipulation – once students understand how they’re being played, they’re far more likely to push back and make smarter choices.
“We need to step up our game and teach young people what’s really going on.
“This isn’t just about telling kids to stop vaping, it’s about empowering them with the tools to think critically, see through the marketing, and make informed choices for their future.”
Blurred Minds founder and Griffith University Associate Professor Timo Dietrich said their approach was grounded in gamification and interactive modules, and was helping reshape how schools, teachers, and parents address vaping education.
Blurred Minds founder Associate Professor Timo Dietrich
“Education is the most powerful tool we have to combat teen vaping,” Associate Professor Dietrich said.
“By treating students with respect, equipping them with critical thinking skills, and exposing industry manipulation, we can empower a generation to make informed, healthier choices.”
Blurred Minds will launch the free toolkit titled The 5 Eye-Opening Lessons Learned from 250 Vaping Workshops with 20,000 Students, at a nation-wide seminar ‘How to end vaping in your school’ on Thursday 19 September 2024.
Malnutrition continues to be a widespread issue in Australian aged care homes, but Griffith University researchers are striving to address the problem through the use of an early diagnostic tool.
Dr Marie-Claire O’Shea
Dr Marie-Claire O’Shea from the School of Health Sciences and Social Work worked with colleagues at Monash University to develop the Automated Malnutrition (AutoMal) screening tool.
“Malnutrition is a state resulting from inadequate intake or uptake of nutrition that leads to loss of fat stores or muscle mass, leading to diminished physical and mental function,” Dr O’Shea said.
“It’s a serious problem affecting Australian aged care facilities with an estimated 40 – 60% of residents diagnosed as being malnourished, so the time is now address this national problem.
“AutoMal has been designed specifically for aged care homes with planned testing to expand to in-home care settings.”
AutoMal diagnoses malnutrition by measuring BMI and weight change over the course of six months.
It calculates the predicted probability of malnutrition using a formula from which a threshold value is applied as either malnourished or not-malnourished.
Dr O’Shea said while there are screening tools currently available, they’re reliant on training and can take substantial time particularly when requiring data collection from residents or care staff.
“Malnutrition screening tools are only useful if they are used,” she said.
“We’ve designed AutoMal to be as intuitive as possible, requiring substantially fewer resources than existing screening methods.
“Automated malnutrition screening would enable data to be reported regularly thereby increasing accountability, and promoting quick nutritional intervention.
“AutoMal has the potential for widespread implementation and may substantially enhance efforts for identifying malnutrition, a critical step in malnutrition treatment and maintaining well-being of long-term care residents.”
The paper ‘An automated malnutrition screening tool using routinely collected data for older adults in long-term care: development and internal validation of AutoMal’ has been published in The Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Griffith Asia Institute will establish a new green energy network which aims to connect Asian economies with China – the most complex and important provider of green energy technologies in the world – to accelerate and promote the green energy transition.
The Green Energy Network (GEN-A) will coordinate with Asian energy decision-makers in policy, finance and industry to navigate complex negotiations, and build capacity to engage with China.
Director of Griffith Asia Institute, Professor Christoph Nedopil Wang.
Project lead, Griffith Asia Institute Director Professor Christoph Nedopil Wang said the network will facilitate innovation and knowledge sharing and will catalyse green energy transition across the region.
“Collaborative efforts with China can help Asian economies access the technology, finance, and expertise needed for their green energy projects – and this must also include support and collaboration with Western public and private partners,” Professor Nedopil Wang said.
“Asian energy leaders face a multitude of challenges in their quest for just green transition, including accessing green finance, selecting optimal technologies for power generation and distribution, and improving energy storage solutions.
“There is an urgency to shift toward sustainable energy solutions as Asia faces a dramatic rise in coal emissions which is up 300 per cent since 1990, and now accounts for 52 per cent of global coal-related emissions.”
Director of Inclusive Growth Programs at the Griffith Asia Institute, Shawn Hunter.
Energy demand in the region was projected to grow by 3 per cent annually, requiring a significant transformation of energy systems throughout Asia to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Director of Inclusive Growth Programs at the Griffith Asia Institute Mr Shawn Hunter said GEN-A aimed to enhance the capacity of Asian energy leaders in policy, finance, and business.
“The network will facilitate a robust exchange of experiences, bridge knowledge gaps and promote informed policy-making through strategic collaborations with Chinese partners and other international players,” Mr Hunter said.
The network builds on close partnership with leading regional institutions, including the Institute of Essential Services Reform (IESR), Indonesia, the Pakistan China Institute and Climate Smart Ventures (CSV) to begin work in the pilot phase with stakeholders in Pakistan and Indonesia.
New research published today inThe Lancet Planetary Healthshows that the planet will only remain able to provide even a basic standard of living for everyone in the future if economic systems and technologies are dramatically transformed and critical resources are more fairly used, managed and shared.
The report is co-authored by more than 60 leading natural and social scientists – including four from Griffith University from the Australian Rivers Institute – from the Earth Commission, which is an international science commission hosted by Future Earth, and the scientific cornerstone of the Global Commons Alliance.
The report builds on the Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries published in Nature last year, which found that most of the vital limits within which people and the planet can thrive have been surpassed.
Professor Emeritus Stuart Bunn co-led one of the working groups, which focused on the boundaries freshwater and nutrient pollution. Dr Ben Stewart-Koster provided key science support and Dr Christopher Ndehedehe provided global scale analyses of groundwater for this working group. Dr Syezlin Hasan worked in a different working group, focused on methods to convert the boundaries to actionable targets for companies and cities.
The report’s key findings included:
It remains possible for all humans to escape poverty and be safe from harm caused by Earth system change – but the planet’s ability to provide and protect is being stretched past its limits.
Scientists have identified the “Safe and Just Space” – the only space rich in opportunities – but future projections to 2050 show that this Space will shrink over time, driven by inequality, unless urgent transformations take place.
The only way to provide for everyone and ensure societies, businesses and economies thrive without destabilising the planet is to reduce inequalities in how critical Earth system resources, such as freshwater and nutrients, are accessed and used – alongside economic and technological transformation.
Cities and businesses can play a crucial role and become the stewards of our critical Earth systems. This paper provides a guide to how they can reduce their impact on the planet.
The report identified the “Safe and Just Space” – within which harm to humans and nature could be minimised while everyone could be provided for – and set out the paths to reach and stay in this Space.
In this new work, the researchers made projections forwards to 2050 and found that the “Safe and Just Space” will shrink over time, unless urgent transformations are made. For climate specifically they found if significant changes were not made now, by 2050 there would be no Safe and Just Space left.
That means that even if everyone on the planet only had access to the resources necessary for a basic standard of living in 2050, the Earth would still be outside the climate boundary. Earth systems face the risk of crossing dangerous tipping points which would cause further significant harm to people around the world – unless energy, food and urban systems were urgently transformed.
The Safe and Just Space was the only remaining space rich in opportunities – in which people and the planet would remain able to thrive. To reach this space, the paper called for change in three areas:
Firstly, a well-coordinated, intentional effort between policymakers, businesses, civil society and communities can push for changes to how we run the economy and find new policies and funding mechanisms that can address inequality whilst reducing pressure on nature and climate.
Secondly, fundamental to the transformation is more efficient and effective management, sharing and usage of resources at every level of society – including addressing the excess consumption of some communities which is limiting access to basic resources for those who need them the most.
Thirdly, investment in sustainable and affordable technologies is essential to help us use fewer resources and to reopen the Safe and Just Space for all – particularly where there is little or no space left.
The Australian National University also contributed to the global report, which has been published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
A world-first trial to help improve the lives of Australians living with a debilitating spinal cord injury is a step closer with a $6.8 million Medical Research Future Fund grant.
Griffith University researchers, led by Professor James St John from the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research within the Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, has raised a total of $14.3 million in federal, state and philanthropic funding making this a combined community project.
Professor James St John
Professor St John said once the trial commences it will use world-first cell transplantation therapy whereby olfactory ensheathing cells from the nose will be prepared into specialised nerve bridges which are then transplanted into the injury site within the spinal cord.
“The trial will test the safety, feasibility and efficacy of an autologous olfactory cell nerve bridge transplantation combined with intensive long-term rehabilitation,” Professor St John said.
“The advantage of our cell transplantation therapy is that it can stimulate neural repair through multiple mechanisms.
“Critically, once the cells have started the repair process, the participants in the trial will the undergo intensive long-term rehabilitation to encourage the nerve cells to find the right connections and to get those connections above threshold levels where they can hopefully provide functional improvements.”
Currently, there is no effective treatment for the more than 21,000 Australian’s living with a chronic spinal cord injury.
Worldwide, the number of people living with a spinal cord injury exceeds 20 million, with more than 900,000 new cases occurring annually.
Professor St John said: “We anticipate the therapy will improve structure within the spinal cord and that participants may regain some functional motor, sensory and/or autonomic activity.”
“Even minor improvements such as increased bowel and bladder control, breathing control, or trunk stability, can be transformative and improve quality of life.”
Acting Director, Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, Professor Lee Smith, welcomes this major funding boost for Professor St John and his team.
“This award showcases the outstanding capability of our researchers who are dedicated to translating their research into tangible benefits for the global community .”
Australian athletes brought home 63 medals in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games of which Griffith University athletes contributed 11, making up nearly 18 per cent of the Australian medal tally.
Griffith Sports College Manager Naomi McCarthy OAM
Griffith University again had the highest number of student-athletes competing at the Games from all Australian universities.
Twelve Griffith students and alumni competed at the Games, and won two gold medals, three silver medals and seven bronze medals (two of which were team medals).
Griffith Sports College Manager Naomi McCarthy said it was amazing to see such a large contingent of our student-athletes on the world stage in Paris doing so well.
“The number of medals and incredible performances at the Paralympics from these athletes was inspiring,” Ms McCarthy said.
Women made up exactly half of Griffith athletes at the 2024 Paralympics.
Inclusive Play Lead at Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability Professor Simone Fullagar.
Inclusive Play Lead at Inclusive Futures: Reimagining Disability, Professor Simone Fullagar, was in Paris to support team Griffith and conduct research.
“Griffith athletes are leading advocates for greater gender equity in Para sport on and off the field,” Professor Fullagar said.
“The emergence of mixed gender teams in the Paralympics is important for ensuring women’s talents are recognised, and development is supported within our sport system.
“The incredible performance of the Steelers wheelchair rugby team will continue to be a key memory from these Games, and it was thrilling because Australia leads the way internationally with three women players in the team.
“Griffith alumnus Ella Sabljak continues to push the boundaries of disability sport for women and girls with her advocacy and education for change.”
Griffith Athletes in action
Griffith Business student Madison de Rozario
Leading Australia’s Paralympic team at the opening ceremony, flagbearer Madison de Rozario OAM (Bachelor of Business) played a monumental part at Paris, winning Australia’s final medal of the Games, silver, in the Women’s Marathon T53. Madison also won a bronze for the Para-Athletics Women’s 5000m T53.
Tom Gallagher (Bachelor of Architectural Design) delivered Australia’s first Paralympic gold medal and received the first gold medal of his career after winning the Men’s 50m Freestyle S10. Tom went on to win two bronze medals in the Men’s 100m Freestyle S10 and the 100m Backstroke S10.
Named co-captain of the 2024 Paralympic sport team, Curtis McGrath (Bachelor of Aviation) won gold in the Men’s Kayak single 200m KL2, crossing the line 41 seconds ahead of Great Britain and Ukraine, and has now won a gold medal in each of the three Paralympic Games he has raced in. He narrowly missed out on a medal in the Men’s Va’a single 200m VL3 where he finished 4th.
Bachelor of Psychology (Honors) student Susan Seipel.
Rowan Cruthers (Bachelor of Public Relations and Communication) brought home two silver medals in the Para Swimming Men’s 100m Freestyle S10 and the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay 34 Points. Rowan also won bronze in the Men’s 50m Freestyle S10.
After winning both semifinals,Susan Seipel (Bachelor of Psychology, Honours) claimed a bronze medal in the para-canoe Women’s Va’a Single 200m VL2, and finished fifth in the Women’s Kayak Single 200m final KL2.
Playing for the Rollers wheelchair basketball team, Tom O’Neill-Thorne (Bachelor of International Business/Bachelor of Government and International Relations), beat the Netherlands 82-75 in the men’s play-off, but lost to Great Britain, USA and Spain in heats to finish 5th overall.
Bachelor of Education student Jack Howell.
In her Paralympic debut, Abby Craswell (Bachelor of Occupational Therapy) finished 4th in the Women’s 100m sprint T36 Heat, 0.38 seconds behind the bronze medallist.
Playing for the Australian Steelers wheelchair rugby mixed team, Ella Sabljak (Bachelor of Primary Education) andJosh Nicholson (Bachelor of Architectural Design) won two preliminary rounds and one semifinal before taking home bronze medals against Great Britain 50-48.
Melissa-Anne Tanner (Bachelor of Laws, Honours) competed in the Para-archery Women’s Individual Compound Open Standing elimination round.
Katja Dedekind(Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice) finished 4th in her heat of the Women’s 50m Freestyle S13 event with a time of 28.23 seconds.
As the youngest competitor in thePara-Triathlon PTS5, Jack Howell (Bachelor of Education)finished 7th.
Financial crimes cover a wide range of illegal activities, including scams, money laundering, trafficking, tax evasion and child exploitation that involve monetary transactions. These crimes pose a major threat to the community, customers and the global financial system. Recently the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported that Australians lost $2.7 billion last year to scams and the entire shadow economy in Australia is estimated to be worth $50 billion annually, increasing by 50% in recent years (Black Economy task force 2017).
There is a growing need to do more to empower financial institutions and policymakers to detect, report and disrupt financial crime. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target 16.4, “by 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial flows and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organised crime”, the current Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing legislation is set to change. Known as Tranche II entities, Australia’s regime is expected to expand the number of industries required to report suspicious financial matters, such as, lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, trust and company service providers, and dealers of precious metals and stones. While this aims to close gaps and improve a broader range of monitoring, it leads to a critical skills shortage for current and future workforces.
To combat this, Griffith University, in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), launched the Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance which aims to bring together Griffith’s expertise in Business, Criminology, Information Communication Technology and Forensic Accounting to build interdisciplinary and industry-relevant training. Together with CBA, Griffith co-designed a series of interdisciplinary micro-credentials using an experiential learning pedagogy to enhance foundational skills of CBA staff across Australia, India and New Zealand.
This exceptional program offers immersive, hands-on experience in applying investigation skills through realistic scenarios, designed to sharpen participant’s situational awareness and enhance their ability in matching transaction data with diverse financial crime typologies. The program will train up to 2,500 employees over three years and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants with 96% of participants finding the program relevant to their role, and 98% finding it useful in uplifting their skills and knowledge.
“Combating financial crime is a major challenge for the global financial system, and in Australia, we are impacted by a shortage of skilled workers to combat the issue.”
The Academy’s Director, Professor Andreas Chai.
“We wanted to look at building long-term solutions for that capability, across all areas of financial crime. So, we came together to start building ideas.”*
CBA’s Executive General Manager, Financial Crime Compliance, Mr John Fogarty.
In addition to micro-credentials, through launching postgraduate programs and a national first undergraduate major, the Academy is working to address long-term capability needs by creating learning pathways for people wishing to enter the field either as fresh graduates, those re-skilling from another profession, or existing professionals building on their expertise for career advancement.
Recent graduate, Nate Henshaw
Nate Henshaw, a recent graduate, highlights the value of his experience at Griffith: “The Master of Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance equipped me with a sound knowledge of Australia’s financial crime regulatory environment, financial crime trends and typologies, financial crime investigation skills, and financial crime risk management techniques. It also afforded me the opportunity to connect and learn from the friendly and expert teaching staff and network with the broader community of financial crime professionals.”
As Nate attests, the Academy not only provides essential skills but also fosters valuable connections within the financial crime community. These efforts are crucial in strengthening Australia’s defence against financial crime, ensuring a more secure and resilient financial system for the future. Progressing into the field, Nate has gone on to successfully secure a role as an Enhanced Due Diligence Analyst.
Continuing efforts to uplift industry capabilities, the Academy is opening Expressions of Interests for Short Courses aimed at individual learners or those from smaller institutions.
Keep up-to-date with the latest news and events by following the Academy on LinkedIn.
*Source: Australian Financial Review, August 21, 2024
Griffith University’s partnership with PsiQuantum will see a new ‘Test and Validation’ lab opened at Griffith’s Nathan campus.
PsiQuantum will move into the renovated lab in early 2025 following the announcement made today by its co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Pete Shadbolt who was on campus to address students and staff.
The announcement follows the recent signing of an MOU between Griffith University, PsiQuantum and four other Queensland universities.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans
Griffith’s Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evans, said this lab puts Griffith and Brisbane on the quantum map.
“We are excited about the partnership with PsiQuantum and the opportunities it will bring for more Queensland students to build future-focused STEM careers,” Professor Evans said.
“This partnership builds on more than 20 years of leading research in quantum technology here at Griffith and across the state.
“We hope to see joint research projects and future opportunities for interns and industry PhD students once the lab opens.”
PsiQuantum’s first utility-scale quantum computer in Brisbane will be size of a warehouse and therefore will need to feature state-of-the-art software including circuits and electronics.
The ‘Test and Validation’ lab at Griffith will ensure the hardware for the quantum computer meets the requisite high performance needs to operate the machine.
By testing the components of the quantum computer, the lab will ensure they’re working well, and will calibrate the parts so they meet performance targets, while also generating and testing ideas for the next generation of quantum computing.
The lab will collaborate closely with other PsiQuantum facilities worldwide, evolving as the quantum computer site becomes fully operational.
Initially, the lab will require experts in applied quantum physics, photonics, electronics, and programming and into the future there will be a need for more general engineering and applied physics expertise.
Like the petroleum industry itself, households are heavily invested in existing transport technologies. Getting oil and gas companies – and consumers – to switch to zero-emissions transport is a huge challenge.
We can’t presume battery electric vehicles (EVs) will displace fossil fuel vehicles any time soon. They are not accessible to most households and don’t offer radically better transport services. They drive on the same congested roads with the same speed limits.
On the supply side, electrifying entire transport fleets requires major infrastructure expansions. Even with strong demand, such infrastructures will struggle to displace Big Oil’s dominant and affordable alternative.
It’s a classic chicken-and-egg predicament. Consumers and vehicle makers won’t switch unless they are confident the required refuelling infrastructures will be available. But those infrastructures won’t materialise without sufficient demand.
Repurposing existing infrastructure to supply clean fuels could convince both consumers and vehicle manufacturers to make the switch. But what would that take?
Clean fuel alternatives
Major economies (including the United States, European Union and Japan) and car manufacturers, such as Toyota and BMW, are actively promoting clean hydrogen-based technologies such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Toyota and some heavy vehicle manufacturers are also investing in vehicles that could combust clean hydrogen.
Whether “green hydrogen” might work for mass transport remains hotly debated. But it’s not the only possibility – biofuels made from renewable feedstocks have the potential to at least partly decarbonise transport (especially aviation).
And so‑called “drop-in fuels” could also substitute for fossil fuels. Known as e‑fuels, these are synthetic fuels made by combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide.
As such they could decarbonise transport faster and more widely because they can be used in existing vehicles – and supplied via existing infrastructures. A recent EU ban on new fossil fuel vehicle sales from 2035 was softened to allow for this.
As with EVs, vehicles running on clean hydrogen, biofuels or e‑fuels don’t revolutionise transport beyond reducing emissions. But they might get a head start on EVs by solving that chicken-and-egg problem: making possible the conversion of entire vehicle fleets to run on clean fuels, while developing the required refuelling infrastructures.
Mass electrification requires massive new infrastructure.
Affordability and scale
Repurposing existing fossil fuel infrastructures to supply clean fuels could be faster and cheaper than building new ones, such as the massively expanded electricity systems required for mass EV adoption.
For example, zero-emissions hydrogen can be produced from natural gas, but the process itself produces greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture storage (CCS) – removing the emissions and storing them securely in geological structures such as depleted gas fields – is one possible solution.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sees CCS as feasible and playing a significant role in reducing greenhouse emissions. This would mean oil companies could adapt to producing zero-emissions hydrogen while renewable hydrogen or e‑fuel production develops.
The required geological structures are located near oil and gas infrastructures, which could also be converted to transport the resulting clean fuels.
These technologies might not yet be economically viable. But the same was true of EVs only 20 years ago. Concerted investment – and production at scale – was pivotal in improving their economics.
Repurposing fossil fuel infrastructures also opens the door to converting existing vehicles to run on clean fuels. This requires little or no modification for drop-in fuels, which are substitutable for existing fuels by design. Alternatively, vehicles can be converted to combust clean hydrogen (or dual fuel mixtures).
This could be much more affordable – and attractive to vehicle owners – than buying new vehicles (even assuming suitable options were available).
Putting coal out of business
In the process, Big Oil could avoid its existing assets becoming sunset investments. Critically, it could also profit from repurposing its infrastructures, by decarbonising sectors currently dominated by the other major carbon polluter, coal.
For example, hydrogen is a more credible substitute than electrification in some large coal-consuming industries, such as steelmaking.
However, given the need for scale and co‑ordination, it’s unlikely individual oil and gas companies could profitably repurpose their infrastructures on their own.
But industry-wide agreement and co‑ordination to produce a particular clean energy (or mix of energies) could substantially reduce investment risks. Laws against collusion would likely prohibit such agreements, so targeted exemptions and close regulatory oversight would be needed.
Relatedly, firms might commit to accelerating the green transition in return for regulated – but guaranteed – rates of return. While not perfect, this strategy has a precedent in the way competing US electricity utilities became regulated monopolies.
This has been used to support the rollout of other natural monopoly infrastructures such as water networks, toll roads, cable TV and fibre broadband. It creates a contest that Big Oil couldn’t afford to lose.
Vintage electric cab car in the Vis-a-Vis style by Krieger Paris 1897 illustration. In 1894 Louis Antoine Kriéger ( 1868–1951 ) of Paris, France began designing and building electric automobiles. By 1898, when electric powered vehicle interest increased in France, the Kriéger Company of Electric Vehicles manufactured electric vehicles in Paris, France from 1898 to 1909.
Repurposing the past
History offers relevant lessons. EVs were once a dominant automobile technology over a century ago. But they were quickly displaced with the arrival of affordable and convenient fossil fuel vehicles. Emerging clean fuels hold the promise of fast refuelling and long ranges, combined with zero emissions, meaning the days of EVs could again be numbered.
Recall, too, that 19th-century investors accelerated the transition to rail by buying canals that competed with trains. They then either retired them or repurposed them as rail routes.
Had those investors anticipated motorised vehicles and roads displacing rail, they likely would have invested less. That they didn’t means current generations benefit from access to more railways than would otherwise be available.
The same is potentially true for the fossil fuel industry. Past investment in polluting infrastructures could benefit current and future generations if repurposing those infrastructures accelerates the green transition.
Griffith University is proud to announce the establishment of its new Brisbane City campus, set to open in 2027 at the historic Treasury Building on Queen Street, formerly occupied by The Star Entertainment Group.
This landmark development will serve as a hub for the University’s Business, Information Technology, and Law disciplines, as well as a centre for postgraduate and executive education.
The acquisition of the lease for this heritage-listed building marks a significant milestone for Griffith, expanding its footprint into the heart of Brisbane’s CBD.
By 2035, the city campus is expected to be home to approximately 7,000 students and 200 staff, offering a state-of-the-art educational environment fostering innovation, collaboration, and engagement with the broader community.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans
Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said the CBD campus would serve as a ‘front door’ for industry and community engagement, enabling partnerships with commerce, industry, and government.
“The Brisbane CBD campus will deliver an entirely new experience for students, staff, and partners alike,” Professor Evans said.
“This flagship location will not only complement our existing South Bank campus but will enhance Griffith’s profile both locally and globally, making it an iconic hub of learning and engagement.”
The Star Brisbane Chief Executive Officer Daniel Finch said: “It has been a privilege for our company and team members to be the caretaker of the much-loved heritage building for almost thirty years.”
“We are delighted to hand the baton to Griffith University, knowing the Treasury Building is in the safe hands of another proud Queenslander which respects its history as much as we have.
“As a neighbour just up the street at The Star Brisbane at Queen’s Wharf, it will be exciting to watch the story of the Treasury Building evolve, continuing to provide unique experiences and memories for future generations.”
Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace said: “The iconic Treasury Building is one of Queensland’s great landmarks and I’m thrilled that it’s going to be transformed into a place of learning.”
“Former Premier Sir Samuel Griffith played a key role commissioning the Treasury Building so it’s fitting that this historic site will house a renowned university that bears his name.
“With its rich history, this building has always fascinated visitors and will now continue to be enjoyed by the public well into the future.”
Griffith University is committed to preserving the heritage nature of the building while equipping it for the future needs of education.
Griffith University is appreciative of the support we have received from the Queensland Government during this process.
The central location will make the University even more accessible to students in the South East region, particularly those from the west and north of the CBD.
It will be well-connected to Brisbane’s extensive public transport network including bus, train, and ferry services, as well as future planned infrastructure.
International students will also benefit from the prime location providing them with the opportunity to live, work, and study in the heart of the city.
“The CBD campus will solidify Griffith University’s presence on the global stage, attracting talent from around the world to the 2032 Olympic Games city,” Professor Evans said.
“We are excited to embark on this transformative journey, creating a world-class educational hub shaping the future of learning and community engagement in Brisbane and beyond.”
