A host of Griffith Film School alumni have been nominated for AACTA Awards, which honour Australian screen excellence across feature film, television, documentary, short form and online.
Recognition for remarkable alumni
Joe Brumm
Meg O’Connell
Top End Wedding, co-produced by Griffith Film School (GFS) alumnus Liam Heyen, received three nominations.
Griffith Film School alumni Joe Brumm and Daley Pearson were nominated for Best Children’s Program for their hit series Bluey, alongside fellow GFS graduate Angie Fielder who received a nod for ABC / Netflix series The Unlisted.
Angie Fielder
Griffith graduate Meg O’Connell received two nominations in the Best Online Drama or Comedy category for her cutting-edge online series Content and acclaimed SBS On Demand series Robbie Hood. Master of Screen Production graduate Jackson Lapsley Scott and Daley Pearson were also nominated for their work on Content –a trailblazing comedy series that takes place in real time on the lead character’s smartphone.
Fellow film alumnus David Barbour received a nomination for Best Reality Program for his long-running series The Block. David is the co-creator and executive producer of the long-running renovation series – a global juggernaut which has been rolled out internationally from the US to the UK, Israel and South Africa.
Griffith nurtures screen talent
Professor Herman Van Eyken
Head of Griffith Film School Professor Herman Van Eyken said the strong showing reflected the calibre of talent nurtured at GFS, with graduates making their mark in the local, national and international screen industry.
“We are very proud of what our students, graduates and faculty members are producing, and are delighted to see their work recognised at this level,” he said.
“The AFI | AACTA Awards are the longest running film and media awards in Australia.
“A nomination allows our filmmakers to make industry connections and build a wider audience for their work.”
The 2019 AACTA Awards will be held in Sydney on Wednesday 4 December and broadcast on Channel Seven.
The barred frogs of Australia’s subtropical rainforests are the focus of a new Griffith University study investigating tolerance as a key animal defence strategy against infectious diseases.
“Globally, infectious diseases are major and increasing threats to biodiversity, human health and domestic animals,’’ says Dr Laura Grogan from the Environmental Futures Research Institute, who has been awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award to conduct the study.
Dr Laura Grogan
“My project focuses on diseases in natural systems, using the devastating amphibian fungal skin disease, chytridiomycosis, as a model,’’ she said.
“By characterising the role and mechanisms of infection tolerance in natural animal systems, it aims todevelop improved strategies for mitigating the impact of infectious diseases in wildlife.
By generating insight intothe pathogenesis of the amphibian fungal skin disease chytridiomycosis it will contribute to theconservation of Australia’s unique endemic amphibian fauna, including the focus of the study, the barred frogs of subtropical rainforests.
“It will improve understanding of the relative importance of tolerance and resistance, and as well as a key insight into the key immune and physiologic mechanisms underlying variations in tolerance.
“Anticipated benefits include improved strategies for mitigating infectious wildlife diseases via identifying targets for therapeutic interventions, ecological management and assisted-evolutionstrategies. This project should also benefit amphibian conservation globally.”
Empowering women aged 50 and over with the skills and knowledge to start micro-businesses is the aim of a Griffith University project.
Sisters Support Business Together, created and led by Dr Dhara Shah, from the Department of Business Strategy and Innovation, recently welcomed its second group of Sisters following a successful first class in early 2019.
The first Sisters cohort comprised women who are currently in social housing or receiving rental assistance, and the second is made up of women who are at risk of landing in that situation.
The women are trained in business, finance, marketing and self-development under the guidance of a mentor and are eligible for a small grant to launch a business.
Working in groups of three, they are encouraged to either form a business partnership or to support each other to form individual businesses.
The interdisciplinary collaboration aims to address the declining workplace participation rate for women over 50 in Australia, an issue compounded by the casualisation of the workforce, age discrimination, gender-based wage gaps, and shortfalls in superannuation.
Dr Dhara Shah.
“Like most of the world, Australia is being confronted with the social and economic realities of an ageing population, and these issues weigh particularly heavily upon older women,” Dr Shah explained.
“With 53% of Newstart recipients being women — and 32% being aged 50 or over — it is clear that tangible action must be taken to help empower individuals in this demographic to reassert control over their financial and residential status.”
Dr Shah has received $682,000 support from the Try, Test and Learn Fund — an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Social Services — to deliver the program. It is the first Griffith project to have received a grant from the fund.
Dr Nancy Spencer, the Griffith Policy Innovation Hub’s Executive-in-Residence, played a key role in identifying the opportunity and gathering support from the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works for the development and submission of the project.
She said Sisters Support Business Together was an example of Griffith bringing together an interdisciplinary response to the needs of vulnerable sections of the community. In this case, Sisters from Logan and Gold Coast are being supported.
“When we put in our bid for the grant, it was about showing how Griffith University is an anchor institution for place; if you have university with all of these services available, they are an integral component of the community and can connect these women and their families with the university,” she said.
The grant will allow the program to continue facilitating employment opportunities for women in the area, who must meet a range of eligibility criteria, including being unemployed or underemployed and receiving government benefits such as the Newstart Allowance.
A Sisters success story
A success story from the first Sisters group is Lorraine. She is planning to start her own online home décor store on Shopify, which will sell predominantly horse-themed products.
Lorraine has experience in the retail sector, and she was able to rediscover those skills and combine them with her life-long passion for horses with the support of the Sisters team and the other services offered by Griffith.
“The program has had a huge impact on me, and I feel blessed to be a part of it,” Lorraine said.
“The biggest impact I have felt is a new confidence that I have interacting with other people, and I have become more resourceful as I have sought out knowledge to build my skills.”
At a low point in her life, Lorraine was given a flyer for the program by a counsellor in Beenleigh and decided to go to an information session in Robina. Following an interview, she was accepted into the program.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I haven’t come across this kind of support many times in my life, and I want to honour Dhara and her team for creating this environment for the Sisters, which will be vital to our success.
“Each day I am so excited by the thought of what I will be able to achieve and what new things that I can learn. It definitely gives me something to strive for.”
Living the Griffith values
Associate Professor Ingrid Burkett, Co-Director of the Yunus Social Business Centre, said the Sisters project is a perfect illustration of interdisciplinary, collaborative research for public purpose generating community engaged outcomes.
“It really demonstrates the strength of our promise to be a civic university and how we’re leading and driving this at Logan and more broadly,” she said.
“Griffith University is putting its core values of Excellence, Engagement and Ethics at the core of its operations and the Sisters project rolls those virtues into a single project that is positively impacting the lives of vulnerable people.”
Having the support from the Sisters project, particularly to develop skills in digital commerce, is vital for the women’s success, says Dr Shah, as technological innovation is a commonly cited barrier for mature-aged people wishing to return to work.
“A self-help approach will be encouraged among the small groups, which will enhance the women’s confidence and help build a sense of community.
“This, in turn, will help with combating poverty, feelings of social isolation and will divide the risks associated with running a small business.”
In addition to Dr Shah and Dr Spencer, the Sisters team includes Research Assistants Simon Fraser and Ainslie Meiklejohn, and Administration Officer Maria Georgas.
They are working to make an impact that’s broader than the women immediately involved in the project. A key goal is to deliver an intergeneration outcome for the community.
“Children model the behaviour of their parents, and when they see their mother going to work and making a difference in the word, it influences them in a positive way,” Dr Shah said.
Griffith University rock art researchers are part of an expert team who will spend the next five years investigating one of the richest bodies of rock art in Australia and the world as part of a $1.34 million Australian Research Council Linkage Project.
Known as ‘Quinkan Country’, the southern rim of Queensland’s rugged Laura Sandstone Basin in Cape York Peninsula houses rock art of outstandingheritagevalue, recently inscribed on the National Heritage List.
“This project will help cement Australia as a world leader in rock art analysis and management, and is further testament to Griffith’s leadership in this nationally significant field”said Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evans.
An extensive network of partners, including six Aboriginal Corporations, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and six Australian universities (Notre Dame, Flinders, Griffith, Southern Queensland, Adelaide, Tasmania, and ANU) will work together to systematically map, document and analyse the cultural heritage and rock art of the Laura Sandstone Basin.
This project’s approach recognises the primacy of Aboriginal people as custodians of their cultural heritage. They have been integral in its design and will be critical team members during the extensive fieldwork that lies ahead.
The project will also address questions of international importance regarding the dispersal and cultural practices of Australia’s first peoples in far north Queensland.
A global leader in rock art dating, Professor Maxime Aubert explains –“We know that people were making hand stencils and detailed depictions of animals in Indonesia 40–50 thousand years ago so it is highly likely that rock paintings were made by the first peoples to reach Cape York”.
“The earliest evidence of human occupation in Australia includes ground ochres and we already know that such records in Quinkan Country extend back more than 30,000 years, which is very exciting” says Dr Jillian Huntley, a specialist in the scientific analysis of ochres, including rock art pigments.
“This project will enhance our understanding of the nature of Aboriginal settlement in north-eastern Australia and the role of art in this process” said the project’s lead investigator Dr Lynley Wallis.
Queensland Airports has been named Griffith Business School’s Outstanding Industry Partner at the school’s Annual Gala Dinner.
The Australian-ownedairport operator owns and operates Gold Coast, Townsville, Mount Isa and Longreach airports and has partnered with Griffith Business School for several years to provide Work-Integrated Learning opportunities and internships for students, which help to create responsible modern business leaders ready for the future world of work.
Queensland Airports has also employed a large number of Griffith Business School graduates in a variety of roles.
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills accepts the Outstanding Industry Partnership Award.
CEO Chris Mills thanked Griffith for the award and the partnership opportunity.
“We have so many relationships at so many levels with Griffith,” he said.
“We have had something like nine interns in the past 12 months, and many more interns going on to permanent positions. It’s great to have them as a part of our team across our diverse business.”
Leesa Watego, GBS Outstanding Entrepreneurial Alumnus of the year.
Leesa Watego, Managing Director of Iscariot Media, was named Outstanding Entrepreneurial Alumnus of the year.
With a focus on creative indigenous solutions for small businesses, Leesa and Iscariot have worked tirelessly to empower Indigenous communities by developing opportunities across the business sector. The Bachelor of Commerce graduate also continues to be a driving force behind Indigenous Business Month.
“My business is really important to me and it’s growing and has been incredible since the Commonwealth Games, but my passion really is Indigenous Business Month and Black Coffee and the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce,” said Leesa.
“That’s where I think we can really make a difference.”
Five Griffith University researchers have been awarded more than $2.1 million in Australian Research Council funding, further asserting the University as one of Australia’s leading research-intensive institutions.
The Federal Member for Moncrieff Ms Angie Bell announced the outcomes of the ARC’s Discovery Early Career Researcher Award program applications on Tuesday, November 5 with five Griffith-led projects earning a total of $2.1 million in funding.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said the funding acknowledges Griffith’s reputation for undertaking world-class research across a range of academic fields and with clear societal impact.
“The diversity of projects approved for 2020 further highlights the University’s commitment and capacity to produce high-impact, future-focused research for the betterment of society in Australia and across the world,’’ Professor Evans said.
Using routinely collected data from Tourism and Events Queensland, Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Emergency Departments, and the Bureau of Meteorology, Jamie’s research aims to determine the impact on ambulance and emergency department services in the vicinity of 750 planned MGEs over a five-year period (2015 – 2019). The development of predictive models will inform ambulance service and emergency department planning for MGEs leading to the more efficient deployment of emergency healthcare resources.
Dr Ooi will undertake a project to provide scientific and technical insights required for developing a liquid marble-based three-dimensional cell culture platform. The outcome of the project is expected to have direct impact in the niche area of advanced biomanufacturing, providing Australians with economic and health benefits. In particular, the developed platform technology allows for fast screening of new anti-cancer drugs and growing healthy cells for implantation therapy towards curing spinal cord injuries.
Dr Phan’s research will provide new insights into the physical properties of silicon carbide nanosensors and their use in harsh environments in which they are subject to high temperature, corrosion and shock. The project will provide Australia with the expertise necessary for developing the next-generation electronics for harsh environments, potentially solving numerous industrial problems such as energy efficiency of combustion engines, and safety issues of oil and gas transportation.
Dr Laura Grogan, will undertake research that aims to develop improved strategies for mitigating the impact of infectious diseases in wildlife. The project will contribute to the conservation of Australia’s unique amphibian fauna, with a focus on the barred frogs of subtropical rainforests. This project will also benefit amphibian conservation globally.
Combating fake news to restore the public trust in governments, the media and other key institutions is undoubtedly a high priority globally. Working in the Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems under the supervision of Professor Abdul Sattar, the research of Dr Henry Nguyen will develop cost-effective, scalable and real-time tool to benefit media organisations and governments in monitoring fake news and re-emerging as guarantors of information quality.
Southport Sharks has shown a strong commitment to providing an opportunity for the Griffith University’s local and international students to pathway into the hospitality industry.
Bobby Calingasan and Yeonjin (Judy) Kim at their internship.
Providing the holistic views to Griffith students on how the hospitality business is operated
Mantra at Sharks General Manager Gabby Daniels said with the recent introduction of Mantra Property as part of Southport Sharks, the hotel values providing the work integrated learning opportunity to its local students.
“Servicing the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, the primary objective of the 2019 Internships was very much giving the students a full of great exposures to all aspects of the hospitality business,” Ms Daniels said.
In this program, students were introduced to the globally recognised brand — Mantra Group – providing the students with holistic views on Southport Sharks across the key areas of club and hotel including housekeeping, dining, bars, front office and guest service.
Judy receives a certificate from Ann-Maree O’Neill, Human Resources Manager at Southport Sharks.
“Housekeeping is the backbone of the business in terms of offering the positive guest experience which requires a strong coordination effort with front office team and all other departments,” housekeeping manager Michael Mazey said.
“One of the highlights of the internships is the students are able to develop the relevant skill sets required to deliver the quality guest service.”
The internships make a difference to Griffith Tourism and Hospitality students
Third year Bachelor of International Tourism and Hotel Management student Bobby Calingasan said his internship at The Southport Sharks was one of the many opportunities studying at Griffith had opened up for him.
“My internship experience enabled me to develop valuable skills and attributes such as time management skill, adaptability, and resilience,” Bobby said.
Third year student Yilin Luo during her front office internship task.
“I know sometimes it can be hard juggling life, study, work and all other commitment but through the internship, all your hard work will pay off.
“This experience is a stepping stone to my future career success.”
Yeonjin (Judy) Kim is in her final year of study, majoring in Hospitality Management, and said she made the most out of her internships experience.
“As an international student, being able to adapt to Australian culture and business environment was one of my key goal through my internships,” she said.
“I really admire the working culture at my host organisation and the team was very supportive of me and really encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and build my confidence in communicating with other staff and guests.”
Griffith Business School has celebrated some of its remarkable alumni and partners at their Annual Gala Dinner. The night served as the perfect opportunity to announce the winners of the Outstanding Entrepreneurial Alumnus Award, the Outstanding Industry Partner Award, as well as acknowledge the recipients of the other Outstanding Alumni Awards, announced at the university-wide award ceremony held earlier in the year.
Queensland Airports was announced as the School’s Outstanding Industry Partner. The people-focused organisation has partnered with Griffith Business School for many years to provide Work-Integrated Learning opportunities and internships for students, helping to create responsible modern business leaders ready for the future world of work. Moreover, Queensland Airports have also employed a large number of graduates in a variety of roles over the years. Their sustained engagement and support of the School has contributed to a remarkable learning experience.
Queensland Airports CEO Chris Mills accepts the Outstanding Industry Partnership Award.
CEO Chris Mills was on hand to accept the award. “Thank you so much to Griffith University,” he said in his speech. “We have so many relationships at so many levels with Griffith. We have had something like nine interns in the past 12 months, and many more interns going on to permanent positions. It’s great to have them as a part of our team across our diverse business.
“I want to say on behalf of Queensland Airports that we take great pride in our relationships so thank you very much.”
Leesa Watego was announced as the Outstanding Entrepreneurial Alumnus of the year. The Managing Director of Iscariot Media–an agency that focuses on creative Indigenous solutions for small businesses–Leesa has worked tirelessly to empower Indigenous communities by developing opportunities across the business sector. The Bachelor of Commerce graduate also continues to be one of the driving forces of Indigenous Business Month.
“Thank you so much,” Leesa said on receiving the award. “I wasn’t expecting this at all… My business is really important to me and it’s growing and has been incredible since the Commonwealth Games, but my passion really is Indigenous Business Month and Black Coffee and the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce… That’s where I think we can really make a difference.”
The gala event saw the ballroom at the Sofitel decked out in Griffith red and full to bursting with 530 attendees eager to network, recognise the award winners, and commemorate the remarkable achievements of the Business School in 2019. The event also outlined what was in store for 2020 and beyond, and sought to raise valuable funds to establish a new scholarship for one student studying the new Bachelor of Business Innovation launching at the Logan campus in 2020.
If you would like to donate to this worthy and cutting-edge scholarship, click here.
To apply for the 2020 Bachelor of Business Innovation Scholarship, click here.
Helping to shape the next generation of Asia-Pacific leaders is a key priority for Griffith Asia Institute (GAI). In support of 52 students undertaking a global internship during November/December, GAI Director Professor Caitlin Byrne, Work Integrated Learning supervisor Dr Andrea Haefner and Griffith Asia Institute staff developed the ‘Asia Ready Intern Program’. Delivered across three days in Week 1, Trimester 3, the program consisted of a variety of on-campus pre-departure professional development classes covering introductory culture and language, history, economics, politics and business etiquette.
Highlights for our global interns included destination specific break-out sessions with expert briefings from business councils, and government and industry representatives, capped off with a networking event during the final afternoon. Representatives from Austrade, Consulate-General of Japan in Brisbane, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) were in attendance, along with Emeritus and Adjunct Professors, and Griffith Executive staff.
This week, students will arrive in their destination city – Hong Kong, Seoul, Jakarta, Shanghai or Tokyo, to undertake further orientation activities prior to commencing their internship with a host organisation. The aim of these activities is to ensure students are prepared for the experience of working and living in another country. Students agree the program has helped equip them with valuable information and expectations:
“I feel so ready and excited about the internship. The pre-departure sessions were very good and useful in preparing me better for this experience. I feel supported in every step which is very comforting. Looking forward to the best outcomes!“
The opportunity to intern overseas affords students practical exposure to a professional environment whilst building cultural awareness and understanding. It also fosters friendships and networks that will last a lifetime.
This is an extended version of an opinion piece written by Dr Rob Hales for the November edition of the Queensland Business Monthly magazine, in The Courier Mail.
Dr Rob Hales
What is an economy? Not many people ask this question. Most people just go about their lives buying things or paying for experiences and exist inside an economy defined by where it is and how many things and experiences are exchanged.
If the economy was a person the continual increased exchanges of good and services may indicate increasing financial wealth but has nothing to do with the health of that person. When we ask a person how they are we don’t expect to hear the person give us a number indicating the amount of financial exchanges they have had. We expect a type of answer about the quality of their life at that moment.
Increasingly there is a growing number of people (consumers and producers) who want to know about the quality of their economy. They want to know more about where the stuff comes from. They want to know how to maximise the social benefits to other people both locally and far away. They want to know how to minimise impact on their environment. The take-make-use-waste linear model of production and consumption is being challenged. Enter the idea of the circular economy.
The circular economy is a practice based concept developed by industry and environmental leaders. The circular economyis an economy constructed to maximise the materials and energy benefits of economic exchange through adopting cyclical materials flows using renewable energy sources and cascading1-type energy flows. A more circular economy limits the linear throughput of materials and energy and thus more closely links economic cycles to ecological cycles. In other words an economy more like nature.
Most people think of recycling when the circular economy term is used. But recycling is only one part of the system and it’s the last resort in keeping materials (stuff) in the circular system of production and consumption.
The scientific community has been talking about a more ecologically based economics for some time now and have used different concepts to promote thinking around different ways to construct and economy that is less linear. Some of the terms for it are industrialecology, industrial ecosystems, industrial symbioses, cleaner production, closed loop production, circular manufacturing systems, product-service systems, eco-efficiency, cradle-to-cradledesign, biomimicry, resilience of social-ecological systems, the performance economy, natural capitalism, industrial ecosystem and the concept ofzero emissions.
So what are the economic benefits of a circular economy?If things are used many times before they are reused, shared, repurposed and eventually recycled there is an economic benefit as more people gain from each exchange.
So the value of the thing is increased. Increasing the number of times things are used has economic benefits.There is reduced costs for raw materials extraction and less energy costs.Jobs are created through reuse, sharing, repurposing and recycling
There is a reduction in waste costs.Carbon emissions are reduced. The circular economy can help reduce the cost of climate change as there is considerable energy used in the linear system.With growing green consumer sentiment there are new markets for green products.
Circular approach to business activity from a firm’s point of view is a smart business strategy. It can save money.
The most economic benefit in the circular economy circles come from the inner circles. These are the product reuse, sharing, manufacturing and refurbishment. These activities demand less resources and energy than recycling.
More advanced practices of circular business models recognise society needs to regenerate in all dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. So business who embrace more advanced circular economy models aim to have a net positive impact in the world. Many global and local indicators point towards the need to adopt a more regenerative sustainability.
If the circular economy is a much better way of doing business for the people and the planet why is this type of economic activity more common? It’s difficult for an individual company to be an economy so groups of businesses along supply chains and groups of local businesses need to collaborate to create more circular systems. Government incentives and policies can facilitate more collaborative businesses.
Leadership for a circular economy needs a collective approach.
Dr Rob Hales is the Director of the Griffith Centre for Sustainable Enterprise
Transformative Circular Economy course
The Griffith Centre for Sustainable Enterprise and Coreo has developed an innovative leadership program which addresses the problem of collaborative leadership for the circular economy.
The executive education course for Transformative Circular Economy provides practical tools for business leaders to assist the shift towards circular business models. The next course is in January 2020.
Helping to shape the next generation of Asia-Pacific leaders is a key priority for Griffith Asia Institute (GAI). In support of 52 students undertaking a global internship during November/December, GAI Director Professor Caitlin Byrne, Work Integrated Learning supervisor Dr Andrea Haefner and Griffith Asia Institute staff developed the ‘Asia Ready Intern Program’. Delivered across three days in Week 1, Trimester 3, the program consisted of a variety of on-campus pre-departure professional development classes covering introductory culture and language, history, economics, politics and business etiquette.
Highlights for our global interns included destination specific break-out sessions with expert briefings from business councils, and government and industry representatives, capped off with a networking event during the final afternoon. Representatives from Austrade, Consulate-General of Japan in Brisbane, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) were in attendance, along with Emeritus and Adjunct Professors, and Griffith Executive staff.