Pest fruit flies cause fruit and vegetable production losses, food shortages in developing countries, and severe trade restrictions preventing export of horticultural products.
Fruit fly damage is estimated at $300 million per year in control costs and lost markets in Australia; in Asia and the South Pacific fruit flies have caused devastation of orchards and crops.
Research led by Professor Dick Drew and the International Centre for the Management of Pest Fruit Flies (ICMPFF) at Griffith University have laid the foundations for the understanding and management of a major worldwide horticulture challenge and led to the development of affordable, non-toxic solutions for pest control.
Professor Emeritus Dick Drew
Professor Drew and colleagues documented more than 500 new fruit fly species and studied all known species across south-east Asia and the Pacific region, leading to the diagnosis of 46 major pest species and approximately 20 minor pest species.
For more than two decades, ICMPFF projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) focused on capacity building and training of scientists, officers and local farmers in Australia and south-east Asia in the identification of fruit flies, and the coordination of quarantine services.
This was a crucial step, especially for countries which did not have a fruit-fly surveillance system prior to the ICMPFF research. The enhanced knowledge, the critical infrastructure, and the essential skills base created continue to benefit quarantine surveillance systems in south-east Asia.
In the early 2000s, the ICMPFF, supported by local industry and research agencies in Vietnam, produced protein bait made from brewery waste to attract fruit flies; protein bait-based controls and the underlying knowledge were successfully disseminated and rapidly adopted in rural areas of Vietnam. Farmers saw income increase by 200 per cent on orchards in the Mekong Delta thanks to reduced crop losses.
After a five-year R&D phase to commercialise decades of the ICMPFF fruit fly research, the Australian company AgNova launched Fruition® in 2016. The new technologically advanced, non-toxic fruit fly trap combines colour, shape and smell, and targets females of the Queensland fruit fly Bactrocera tryoni as part of a fully integrated pest management control program.
The system is a world-first in using a synthetic, non-toxic lure that attracts mature egg-laying female fruit flies, giving fruit growers an accessible, environmentally friendly solution for pest monitoring and control. Now, other countries are keen to see a local version of the fruit fly trap developed specifically for their main pest species.
By Pamela Finckenberg-Broman
Law Futures Centre Research Candidate
The international legal regime is facing a crisis, again. This is evident from numerous speeches (United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan speech)[1]conferences[2] and publications.[3] While these crises are due to multiple reasons, one of these is the lack of coherence and synchronisation in/of international economic relations.[4] In order to cope with transnational and supranational actors the modern landscape on international economic relations and norms has adopted new forms.
However, while these functionally specialized legal regimes may be highly efficient ways to pursue the economic goals they are intended for, over time they have also contributed to the resemblance of the tower of Babel for the economic international legal landscape. While these regimes may superficially share similar goals, the underlying policy rationale may substantially differ. Even their legal terminology may develop a very different scope and substantially different concepts on legitimacy. Thus, leading up to different legal dialects and lacking in overall coherence.
To demonstrate this lack of coherence this post focuses on the development, and eventual clash, of two parallel economic forms of policy in the context of international agreements. One is s (particularly foreign direct investment). The other is the European Union (EU) State aid regime, the legal framework which is constituted by EU primary and secondary legislation and guidelines with their implementation, application and enforcement measures.
Before we continue, it is important to understand that EU’s competition policy, of which State aid is a key component, has other objectives besides the common economy’s enhancement of global wealth. It also aims to support European governance and integration. This, naturally, creates tensions when these policies are to be implemented and applied both on a national and supranational level.
However, the slow convergence of the two regimes i.e. the regime for protection of international investments and EU State aid, with their independent origins built on trade theories for free market economic policy, has eventually led to a conflict due to their gradual expansion of scope. This conflict has both a procedural and substantial component. From the procedural perspective it is a conflict between the international investment tribunal’s investor-state arbitration process and the EU State aid procedure administered by the Commission and the European Court of Justice. The substantive component is on the principle of legitimate expectations, its interpretation and application, between the two.
While State aid law has a narrow scope of acceptance for undertaking expectations the Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) clauses of investment treaties has an overly broad acceptance of the same.[5] On one hand, EU State aid law provides for its measures to pass procedural requirements for legitimization before any entitlement to protection derived from the principle of legitimate expectations can be enjoyed its recipient. On the other hand, this requirement for legitimacy has in practice been ignored by the international investment tribunals.
The outcome of these conflicts could have the effect of eroding the EU legal order’s autonomy, curtailing its capacity to regulate public policy. Also, due to its intra-state nature the conflict also has consequences for the relationship between EU Member states as well as between EU Member states and non-member states. The intra-EU consequence is that it catches the Member states between conflicting obligations. They have to decide whether to abide by EU State aid law or the terms of the international investment agreement with a breach of either resulting in possible sanctions, but not able to do both. Either choice would constitute a breach of the other legal framework.
When possible, the EU has addressed this by utilizing common ground for a solution, mainly through agreement on shared norms on the matter in regards to interpretation and scope (Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Preferential Trade agreements (PTAs)). When not possible the EU has unilaterally eliminated the threat to its autonomy by rejection of validity for bilateral investment agreements between Member states (intra-EU bilateral investment treaties (BITs)) that tries to expand their influence. In a similar vein the EU has also eliminated, from agreements between Member and non-member states (extra-EU BITs), any invasive substance impinging on the autonomy of EU’s legal order. There are also the plans to establish a Multilateral Investment Court (MIC).[6]
The EU has also successfully pressured its Member states into mutual termination of any intra-EU BITs, while also putting a process into place for replacing the Member states bilateral extra-EU BITs with EU’s own agreements. EU has also inserted State aid provisions to put a proportional and EU compatible, limitation on investment protection in their free and preferential trade agreements.
[1] United Nations Press Release, ‘‘Secretary-General names high-level panel to study global security and reform of the international system’’, New York, UN Office of Public Affairs, 4 November 2003.
[2] E.g. The 26th Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law in 2018.
[3] Multilateralism Under Challenge? Power, International Order, and Structural Change. Edited by Edward Newman, Ramesh Thakur and John Tirman.
[4] Which some scholars address as the fragmentation of international law Koskenniemi, M., & Leino, P. (2002). Fragmentation of international law? Postmodern anxieties. Leiden Journal of International Law, 15(3), 553-579; Benvenisti, E., & Downs, G. W. (2007). The empire’s new clothes: political economy and the fragmentation of international law. Stan. L. Rev., 60, 595; Bjorklund, A. K. (2007). Private rights and public international law: why competition among international economic law tribunals is not working. Hastings Law Journal, 59.
[5] Saavedra Pinto, C. (2016). The ‘Narrow’ Meaning of the Legitimate Expectations Principle in State Aid Law Versus the Foreign Investor’s Legitimate Expectations. European State Aid Law Quarterly, 15(2).
[6] In September 2017 the Commission initiated the possible creation of a Multilateral Investment Court (MIC) under the auspices of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) to work on multilateral reform of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) (European parliament website, A balanced and progressive trade policy to harness globalization at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-balanced-and-progressive-trade-policy-to-harness-globalisation/file-multilateral-investment-court-(mic).
Small changes can make a big difference to improving patient care, as proven in research conducted by Griffith University’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland into the most commonly used hospital medical device. Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the study to determine the best protocol for maintaining intravenous (IV) catheters in patients’ veins has impacted health practice worldwide.
Professor Claire Rickard
Evidence shows IV catheters have a failure rate of up to 69 per cent, due largely to blood clots, vein irritation and inflammation, dislodgement, tissue damage from incorrect placement, and serious infections.
The Griffith research team, headed by Professor Claire Rickard who leads Griffith’s Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research, investigated the merits of the decades-old medical consensus to replace IV catheters every three days which often caused discomfort to patients.
The definitive research found that routine replacement was unnecessary, time-consuming, painful, and damaging to blood vessels, all of which diminished patient wellbeing and satisfaction. Medical authorities and device manufacturers worldwide have accepted these findings, which, according to studies conducted by Griffith’s expert health economics researchers, will deliver savings of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the healthcare system.
This has led to a change in hospital protocols regarding IV catheters in the UK, the US, Spain, New Zealand and Australia.
The Griffith research of IV catheter protocols involved more than 3,300 patients and proved that it was less invasive and expensive to replace IV catheters when clinically required than to do so routinely. Clinical reasons may include the completion of medical treatment, blockages, fever or inflammation.
These results published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and The Lancet led to changes in the UK National Health Service guidelines for hospital infection prevention in 2014, making it mandatory for all adult hospitals to replace catheters only if clinically indicated.
Professor Rickard’s research has had a similar impact in the US. Data from a survey of 51 counties show one third of hospitals have the new policy of only replacing IV catheters when clinically necessary. Professor Rickard’s work on improving vascular access is ongoing and has recently included collaborative projects with healthcare institutions internationally.
The value of the 53km of open beaches on the Gold Coast can be found in the 13 million visitors that the city welcomes each year.
While the Gold Coast’s famed sandy shores and surf breaks are enjoyed by tourists and locals alike, the work undertaken by the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management (GCCM) over the past two decades has proved invaluable in preserving this fragile environment from the impact of urban encroachment. The GCCM, through a strategic research partnership with City of Gold Coast, has helped cement the city’s reputation as a world leader in coastal management practices.
The work, which incorporates urban catchment, floodplain and water resource management, has enhanced coastal engineering expertise and capacity in the region, contributing to a sustainable management plan for the city’s beaches over the next 50 years. The Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan, formally adopted
by the city in 2010, was developed in collaboration with GCCM. The plan provides 77 management and enhancement strategies for the coastline, taking account of its vital position as an economic driver and lifestyle asset.
Professor Rodger Tomlinson
It covers key planning strategies and policies across the city, including major capital engineering works, natural disaster management, potential beach erosion, and the protection of marine life and seabird nesting areas.
Storm modelling has been an important leg of research amid the challenges that climate change and extreme weather conditions offer. These are balanced with managing the impact of man-made structures on the coastal environment. GCCM research supported the development of a surf management plan for the city, leading to the southern Gold Coast beaches being classified as a World Surfing Reserve in 2016.
Research into tidal entrance dynamics also validated the entrance management strategy for the Gold Coast Seaway and Currumbin Creek. The Currumbin Entrance Dredging Steering Committee considered a GCCM study in its finding that dredging was the only viable solution to improve ocean access for the creek.
GCCM research has been critical for the City of Gold Coast to adopt strategies to minimise damage during the major storms of February 2013 and June 2016. Being able to demonstrate ongoing resilience of the Gold Coast beaches has an enormous impact on the Gold Coast’s vital tourism market.
Whistleblowing is when employees or other members of organisations speak up about wrongdoing within or by the organisation to people who can — or should — do something about it.
The Whistling While They Work (WWTW) project, led by Professor A J Brown of the Centre for Governance and Public Policy at Griffith University, is investigating employee and managerial experience in Australia and New Zealand to identify the factors that influence good and bad responses to whistleblowing across a wide range of organisations.
Professor A J Brown
The project provides a clearer basis for evaluation and improvement in organisational procedures, better public policy, and more informed approaches to the reform or introduction of whistleblower protection laws. This is the first research program to systematically compare the levels, responses and outcomes of whistleblowing in multiple organisations, and it continues to yield impactful results.
The outcomes of successive groundbreaking Whistling While They Work projects, conducted from 2005 to today, have significantly influenced public interest disclosure (whistleblowing) legislation in Commonwealth and state jurisdictions. Also, results of the research have been presented at the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services public inquiry on whistleblower protections in the corporate, public, and not-for-profit sectors.
Professor Brown and his team’s research has led to whistleblowing being recognised internationally as an anti-corruption tool while contributing to similar research and legislative changes in the UK and New Zealand. The 2014 Senate Economic References Committee inquiry into the performance of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission — the forerunner of the 2018 royal commission into banking — drew substantially from the research about “the need for a comprehensive approach to corporate whistleblower protections in Australia”.
Whistleblowing is now acknowledged as one of the most important processes by which governments and corporations are kept accountable to society. Even when not formally acknowledged, the impact of the WWTW program is as important to the future and welfare of whistleblowers as to the organisations in which they work.
The world’s single largest election day will take place next month, as Indonesians head to the polls.
With more than 190 million eligible voters, 800,000 polling stations, 300,000 candidates and 20,000 seats, the numbers are mind-boggling. Nearly as confounding as the politics.
To help navigate election complexity, pivotal think-tank Griffith Asia Institute, and key business body the Australia Indonesia Business Council (AIBC) will join forces in a special event in Brisbane on April 15.
Expert speakers will explain the political and economic aspects of the impending election, and its impact on the Australian-Indonesian relationship.
Griffith Asia Institute members, Adjunct Professor Colin Brown, and Griffith Business School Deputy Head of Marketing Dr Denni Arli, will outline just what Australians need to know about the race, and why we need to know it. With professorships in international relations in top-ranking Australian and Indonesian universities, the former Curtin University Dean of Faculty Professor Brown said the significance of this election for Australia was profound.
“The Presidential, national and local elections to be held in Indonesia on April 17 should be of interest to all Australians.”
“They will set the political and economic course for our near neighbour for the next five years or more, and shape the future of the recently-signed Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA).
“They will also influence the state of the neighbourhood in which we both find ourselves.
The issues in play are wide-ranging: nationalism, social media, the nature of political leadership, hoax news, religion, the role of millennials — these elections have them all.
“And the contest between incumbent President Jokowi and his challenger Prabowo is getting tighter and harder to call as election day approaches.”
This election is the second in which incumbent Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and opponent Prabowo Subianto have faced off, and the first time the legislative and presidential elections will be held on the same day.
AIBC Queensland Chair Paul Martins said understanding the ramifications of the Indonesian elections is critical.
“Indonesia is a growing market for Australian goods and services and our 13th largest trading partner.
“The recently signed Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) will help take the relationship with our closest neighbour to a new level and it’s important to understand the political dynamic” said Mr Martins.
Professor Brown and Mr Martins invite businesses interested in Indonesia to join them on April 15 at Griffith University at South Bank to discuss the election and its impact on business dealings into the future.
Music and design faculty will create a sonic playground at the Brisbane Powerhouse this weekend.
The ‘Curious Music’ lineup is part of the popular Curiocity program, and features all kinds of weird and wonderful creations, from listening boxes to sound-generating sculptures, 3D printed musical cubes and augmented reality sound walks by the Brisbane River.
Audiences of all ages will be given the opportunity to discover music technology, soundscape artists, interactive musical installations and a variety of musical activities with imaginative play.
Dr John Ferguson and Professor Vanessa Tomlinson from the Queensland Conservatorium collaborated on Listening Boxes, which features sounds from the local environment captured and presented in vintage library drawers.
Digital and interactive media lecturer Daniel Della-Bosca collaborated with Dr Ferguson on Songs of Inanimate Objects, an exhibition of interactive sonic sculptures.
“These pieces function as instruments for sonic exploration,” Dr Ferguson said.
“It allows people to access sound in a very tactile, intimate way.”
“The Panda Cubes create a forest of objects varying in size, that light up and play music when handled,” Professor Brown said.
“The cubes are designed to intrigue and delight, and audience members are encouraged to walk amongst the cubes and interact with them.
“Their construction involves a range of ‘maker’ processes including laser cut surfaces, 3D printed corners, and programmed music and lights on Arduino-class microelectronics.”
Augmented Sounds features sounds positioned around the Powerhouse and along the Brisbane River, allowing people to listen to interactive soundscapes triggered by GPS.
“Looking at the surface of a river, it is virtually impossible to detect environmental changes,” she said.
“Listening to hydrophones (underwater microphones) provides access to a non-invasive way of understanding changing aquatic ecosystems.
“These interactive experiences use creativity, science and new technologies to understand rivers through sound.
“They are designed to inspire people to listen at a time when it’s particularly important to focus on the environment.”
Dr Ferguson said the program was only made possible by cross-disciplinary collaboration across the South Bank campus.
“This is very much a collaboration and a team effort,” he said.
“It’s been fantastic working on something together that encompasses design, art, sculpture and music.”
Curious Music runs from 3pm — 6pm on Saturday 30 March at the Brisbane Powerhouse.
Some of the best names in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) research will offer valuable insight into various fields of study when Griffith University’s STEM Roadshow touches down in Darwin on March 28th.
Griffith experts withknowledge and experiencein wide-ranging STEM industries–including engineering, environmental science, aviation, IT and urban planning–will be on hand to answer prospective students’ questionsaboutthe diverse programs offered at the Brisbane, Gold Coast and Logan campuses.
Associate Professor Matthew Burke.
Associate Professor Matthew Burke from Griffith’s Cities Research Institute will present at the after-school event and offer insights into the careers that Darwin secondary students can aspire to by studying engineering and urban planning at Griffith.
“Many of our Griffith-trained engineers and urban planners are working in the field of transport, planning new rail systems, improving road safety, and helping everyone move,” A/Prof Burke.
“The skills we teach help develop and manage the existing transport systems we all now well; but they also help with new mobility services, like electric scooters and driverless cars, which will soon be in Darwin, and which are changing our whole conception of what it is to travel.
“Coming to the STEM Roadshow will let you hear from myself and other academics to learn how you can develop your skills to help re-shape your community for the better.”
Saskia Ford is a Griffith alumnus who studied a Bachelor of Aviation Managementonline(offered at the Nathan Campus),graduating in 2018– she now works at CASA Aviation Group in Darwin and will bring her two teenage children to the STEM Roadshow.
“I studied for a Bachelor of Aviation Management so that I could gain a better understanding of all aspects ofaviation — from understanding the legislative framework that we have to operate within, to further increasing my knowledge of human factors and how this can have an effect not only on the operation, but also on the design and maintenance of aircraft,”she said.
“This broad insight has helped me to progress within my ownorganisation, and has provided me with various options to further develop my career in aviation.
“There is a general feeling that studying STEM will lead to careers that are perhaps a little boring and predictable.
Nothing could be further from the truth – there’s a world of opportunities out there and young people need to see it to believe it.
“I recommendGriffith’s STEM Roadshow as it will provide a glimpse of where these studies can take you and just how much potential there is to make a difference, particularly if you bring those skills back to Darwin and pay it forward to your community.”
Participants will receive valuable one-on-one advice from each Griffith University expert on how best to place themselves in tomorrow’s job market as well as find out more about the diversity and uniqueness of Griffith’s STEM programs.
Join Griffith University and its STEM experts for an interactive and informative evening at theNovotel CBD 100 The Esplanade Darwin City.
Griffith University and Sea World hosted the Hon Karen Andrews MP, Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology to officially launch Sea Jellies Illuminated at a formal event on siteattended by Professor Carolyn Evens, Vice Chancellor and President, as well as Griffith University and Sea Worldresearchers and staff.
Sea World Marine Sciences Director Marnie Horton. Credit: Justin Ma
The unique and visually striking exhibit is a celebration of the partnership between the university and the Village Roadshow themepark that will allow for greater opportunity to accelerate research using the Griffith Sea Jellies Research Laboratory within the exhibit and further drivetourism on the Gold Coast.
Griffith University Head of Marine Science Professor Kylie Pitt said itwas extremely exciting to partner with Sea World for the launchof Sea Jellies Illuminated.
“The Griffith Sea Jellies Research Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility, which places Griffith University at the forefront of jellyfish research internationally,” she said.
“The laboratory provides an amazing opportunity for the public to see research being done and to gain greater understanding of what scientists do, why research is important and how research benefits the environment and society.”
Sea World’s Dr Trevor Long, DVC Academic Prof Debra Henly, VC and President Prof Carolyn Evans, Hon Karen Andrews MP, Prof Kylie Pitt, and Village Roadshow CEO Clark Kirby. Credit: Justin Ma
Sea Jellies Illuminatedgives Sea World visitors the chance to get up close to a range of different sea jelly species in an array of eye-catching ‘illuminated’displays while learning more about these amazing aquatic animals.
Theexhibit incorporates a working research laboratorywhich will allow visitorsto view Griffith students undertaking research into the fascinatingunderwaterworld of sea jellies.
Sea World’s Dr Trevor Long said sea jellies rank among the most fascinating creatures of the sea and he is extremely proud to open this world-class exhibit with Griffith University.
“Sea Jellies Illuminated is a visually impressive exhibit but importantly it also provides greater public awareness and education about a varying species of jellies, which are often misunderstood,” he said.
“Guests can now get an up-close look at and be able to learn about a variety of local Australian species such as the Blue Blubber (Catostylussp.), the Moon jelly (Aureliaaurita), Upside Down jellies (Cassiopeasp.) and many more in illuminated displays.
The latest Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) 2018 results have further confirmed Griffith’s reputation as a leading research institution with the University doubling the number of fields earning the highest possible ranking in comparison with its previous outcome three years ago.
“Since the last ERA assessment in 2015, the University has jumped dramatically from 10 to now 20 specific fields of research rated at ‘well above world standard’,’’ Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans
Griffith’s research is ranked world-standard or better in 19 broad fields of research, with four of these — Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Technology — receiving the highest possible rating of ‘5’ (well above world standard).
In the specific fields of research, Griffith was rated world standard or above in 59 fields, of which 20 received the highest possible rating of ‘5’ (well above world standard) and another 21 rated at ‘4’ (above world standard).
Professor Evans said the ERA results were outstanding, demonstrating sustained improvement over time and reflecting the vibrant research environment shared by the University’s researchers and PhD candidates.
“The University now has 41 fields of research rated at ‘well above’ or ‘above world standard’, and these are in every major grouping of the University including health, science, environment, information technology, business, social sciences, humanities and the creative and performing arts,’’ Professor Evans said.
“This excellent result is testament to the quality of the underlying research and the impact of publications produced by researchers at Griffith.”
She added that the results of the ERA 2018 research assessment exercise reflected Griffith’s growing comprehensive research profile.
“Our research is having transformational impact from laying the theoretical foundations for quantum computing to helping develop new methods to prevent youth re-offending to developing new materials to improve energy efficiency,” she said.
The top 20 specific fields of research rated at ‘well above world standard’ (5) are: Condensed Matter Physics, Optical Physics, Quantum Physics, Inorganic Chemistry, Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Ecological Applications, Environmental Science & Management, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Nanotechnology, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Dentistry, Nursing, Oncology & Carcinogenesis, Medical Microbiology, Tourism, Criminology and Political Science.
The University is also delighted to have a large number of fields performing at the ‘above world standard’ rating (4). These areas include Biological Sciences, Engineering, Medical and Health Sciences, Studies in Human Society, Law and Legal Studies, Medicinal and Biomolecular Chemistry, Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience, Soil Sciences, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Microbiology, Agriculture, Land and Farm Management, Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing, Environmental Engineering, Electric and Electronic Engineering, Human Movement and Sports Science, Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Policy and Administration, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Law, Performing Arts and Creative Writing, Archaeology and Historical Studies.
Evaluated by the Australian Research Council, ERA rates research areas 1-5 based on their level of excellence, with ‘5’ the highest.
For more information about ERA’s broad fields of research and specific fields of research, also known as two-digit and four-digit fields, visit http://www.arc.gov.au/era/
This has led to a change in hospital protocols regarding IV catheters in the UK, the US, Spain, New Zealand and Australia.
