Empowering athletes to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape is at the core of a breakthrough athlete marketing tool from the Ministry of Sport.
Dr Popi Sotiriadou (GBS) delivered the educational features, based on years of research, in PlayaPower’s 12 masterclasses.
Launched in January, ‘PlayaPower’ is an answer for athletes seeking to advance their careers beyond the field, the online platform designed to empower sports stars to navigate the synergy between success and their digital brand.
After months of meticulously crafting content, Griffith Business School’s Dr Popi Sotiriadou delivered the educational elements in PlayaPower’s 12 masterclasses, ranging from branding strategies and storytelling to social media use and crisis management.
“This collaboration has revolutionised athlete education,” Dr Sotiriadou said.
“It also demonstrates how research expertise can be translated into a commercialised deal by working with Griffith University’s commercialisation team at Griffith Enterprise, bringing tangible value to the market.”
“Through strategic use of social media platforms and storytelling techniques, athletes can extend their reach and engage authentically with their audience, ensuring they remain relevant in an ever-evolving digital environment.”
The commercial evolution of Dr Sotiriadou’ s research began in 2023 when she attended a sports-tech executive meet in Brisbane and was sought out by PlayaPower’s founder Ben Parsons.
“After Ben pitched me the idea, we spent two hours sharing our enthusiasm about the need for and importance of offering such a unique platform, recognising how this could revolutionise athlete branding in the digital age,” she said.
Dr Sotiriadou has produced impactful reports examining brand endorsements and purchase intent, athlete brand identity, image and congruence, and more recently the effects of culture in determining female athletes use and portrayal of their brand through social media.
Her extensive expertise in sports marketing led to an exclusive invitation for her to contribute to PlayaPower, offering practical tools and strategies for athletes to extend and elevate their careers through digital engagement.
Former rugby player and sports presenter Alana Ferguson is one of the high-profile names leading a masterclass.
“The success of seeing my research translated into the market through PlayaPower has been personally fulfilling and professionally rewarding,” she said.
“By empowering athletes with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital landscape, I have witnessed tangible outcomes, not only for individual athletes but also for the broader sporting community.”
PlayaPower’s founder Ben Parsons said witnessing Dr Sotiriadou’ s emotional connection to the original concept was a pivotal moment, confirming their commercial endeavours were perfectly aligned with her academic work.
“Popi has been more than a partner; she’s been a cornerstone of innovation, weaving her academic insights into the fabric of our project,” Mr Parsons said.
“Her contribution has been instrumental in transcending the boundaries between academia and industry, showcasing the profound impact of uniting academic excellence with commercial ambition.”
The NRL, A-League and Australian Jockeys Association are some of the big brands already showing support and interest in the innovative platform.
In AD 111, Roman Emperor Trajan dispatched Pliny the Younger to the province of Bithynia, in modern-day Turkey, to deal with some serious cases of economic mismanagement in the construction of large building and infrastructure projects. In the city of Nicaea he found a half-built theatre that needed to be demolished and rebuilt due to poor design and shoddy workmanship. This tale serves to remind us that grand and wasteful infrastructure projects are not a recent phenomenon, and that establishing responsibility when major projects don’t go according to plan is much more challenging than finding those willing to take the plaudits for the successful ones.
The Quirk Review
After becoming the Premier of Queensland in December 2023, Steven Miles announced a short, 60-day review of the venue master plan for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As many athletes and officials will recognise, this ‘time out’ provided a very welcome pause and opportunity to tap into the wisdom and expertise of people at arm’s length from the government.
Chaired by former Brisbane Lord Mayor, Graham Quirk and supported by the highly experienced Ken Kanofski and Michelle Morris, the review will report on March 18 and is widely expected to propose some major alternatives to current venue proposals. In particular, the wholesale rebuilding of the Gabba stadium will come into sharp focus as a lightning rod for critics of the Games and its planning due in part to the proposed cost and lack of community consultation over the development and proposed demolition of historic East Brisbane State School.
Without prejudging the conclusions of the Quirk Review or joining the fierce political debates about the merits of the current plan for the Gabba, this episode illustrates vividly the challenges involved in planning and delivering a major, global sporting event such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Doing so in a sustainable manner while leaving a lasting legacy of widely acknowledged positive achievements and retaining sufficient support from the public at large should attract a medal in its own right.
In fact, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had already launched a major reassessment of all aspects of organising the Olympic Games from candidature to delivery and through to legacy, adding up in their words to ‘a fundamental rethink for future Olympic Games’. The results of this review saw the endorsement of 118 reforms during the 132nd IOC Session held in PyeongChang in February 2018, with the whole package being known as The New Norm. The overall objectives of this New Norm were to ‘simplify the candidature process and to create a Games which are more flexible, easier to operate and less expensive, whilst also unlocking more value for host cities over the long term.’
The revised candidature process has been designed to make it easier for cities and National Olympic Committees to assess their capacity to host the Games and to prepare plausible proposal packages, aligned to existing development plans, in conjunction with technical experts provided by the IOC. This represents a significant and very welcome departure from previous bidding processes, such as Athens in 2004, that were both costly and susceptible to corruption and ultimately damaged the reputation and standing of the Games and host cities.
“The overall objectives of this New Norm were to ‘simplify the candidature process and to create a Games which are more flexible, easier to operate and less expensive, whilst also unlocking more value for host cities over the long term’.”
Beijing National Stadium “The Bird’s Nest” the main stadium for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in 2012
From white elephants to a more sustainable legacy
The second major component of the New Norm relates to the legacy impacts of hosting the Games and ensuring these are positive rather than negative. This challenges hosts to deliver the Olympics by utilising/upgrading existing infrastructure leading to the need for fewer new venues and less Olympics-specific infrastructure overall. As a further shift, the use of temporary and flexible venues is encouraged together with the design of venues that can be shared by multiple sports.
The bodies charged with undertaking that planning and delivery have looked increasingly at investment in other infrastructure needed to support a successful event that also delivers a lasting legacy for the host city or region. In Brisbane and South-East Queensland, this has meant a focus on improving transport infrastructure so that athletes, officials and spectators can move easily to and from and between venues. In recent years it has also seen an enhanced concern with providing additional accommodation that will contribute to solving or ameliorating the current housing crisis. This too represents a positive development away from the tendency in the past to demolish housing, especially low-cost housing, in order to build new stadia.
” … using mainly existing facilities even if they need significant upgrading and avoiding major investment in stadiums that are unlikely to be used at capacity after the event have become the welcome new norm in Olympic planning.”
Having been involved in the much smaller scale Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, we can attest to the mixture of celebration and concern across the city and further afield about some aspects of the delivery of that major sporting event. While its overall impact was judged to be positive and the delivery agency, GOLDOC, avoided investing in any new facilities that would come to be seen as ‘white elephants’, some local enterprises misjudged the extent to which local spending would be boosted and persistent calls to avoid congestion on the motorway between Brisbane and Gold Coast saw it devoid of motorists to an extent never seen before.
So, using mainly existing facilities even if they need significant upgrading and avoiding major investment in stadiums that are unlikely to be used at capacity after the event have become the welcome new norm in Olympic planning. This position was acknowledged in May 2021 in Brisbane’s final response to the IOC’s Future Host Commission (FHC) Questionnaire in which the Gabba was mooted for a “major upgrade”. By 2023, major upgrades had transitioned to demolition and complete rebuild with an accompanying project cost blowout to boot, a change that seemingly runs counter to the ethos of New Norm planning. It will be interesting to see if the Quirk Report recommendations bring venue planning for Brisbane 2032 back in line with this ethos to ensure that the remaining planning timeline is optimised to deliver a sustainable Games and leave a long-lasting and positive legacy for all Queenslanders.
Authors
Professor Paul Burton trained and worked as a town planner in London before joining the School for Advanced Urban Studies at the University of Bristol in 1980 to carry out research for his PhD on the redevelopment of London’s Docklands. Paul joined Griffith University in 2007 as Professor of Urban Management and Planning. He is currently a member of the Cities Research Institute at Griffith University and an active member of the Planning Institute of Australia. He performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Professor Leonie Lockstone-Binney is Deputy Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) and a Professor in the Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel Management at Griffith University, Australia. Leonie’s research expertise relates to volunteering, contextualised to event and tourism settings. Leonie has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, many of these in top-tier journals. She has received competitive research funding from the Australian Research Council and the International Olympic Committee and continues to collaborate with leading researchers from Australia, the UK and New Zealand.
Griffith University has again had its commitment to teaching excellence acknowledged, collecting three Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT) at this year’s ceremony.
Associate Professor Kerry Bodle
Established in 1997 by the Australian Government to celebrate and reward excellence in university teaching, the AAUT recognise the impact educators have on the learning and teaching experiences and outcomes of university students.
Associate Professor Kerry Bodle of Griffith’s Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics was acknowledged with an Award for Teaching Excellence, receiving the Neville Bonner Award for Indigenous Education in the Business, Management and Commerce category.
Passionate about empowering young Indigenous people to embrace business as a potential career, Associate Professor Bodle focuses on Indigenising the traditional business education curriculum and using community-led research to break down barriers to success for Indigenous people, businesses and communities.
As Academic Director (Indigenous) for Griffith Business School, she shares and applies her Indigenous knowledge in the Bachelor of Business and MBA courses, leading to improved learning outcomes for all students, and positively influences professionals, policymakers and educators nationally and internationally to work towards ‘Closing the Gap’.
Associate Professor Bodle said her teaching approach to embedding the First People’s knowledge history and culture into Griffith’s business program has been one of co-design.
“It’s about inclusion of our elders from the community,” she said.
“It’s about our Indigenous students, and our Indigenous staff across the whole university.
“My greatest joy is seeing Indigenous students’ progression and success, and opening up the awareness for non-Indigenous staff and students as they are learning about our ancient and amazing culture and its application to contemporary business and society.”
Associate Professor Sarah Cresswell of Griffith’s School of Environment and Science was also the recipient of an Award for Teaching Excellence, in the Natural and Physical Sciences category.
Associate Professor Sarah Cresswell
Her work over the last 20 years has created and sustained an authentic environment for students to develop curiosity, critical thinking, and analytical skills within forensic chemistry.
With an innovative teaching approach extending the learning experience for students, Associate Professor Cresswell is known for developing student motivation and equipping students with embedded professional and industry perspectives in their subjects.
She was she responsible for the establishment of Griffith’s forensic chemistry major, introducing effective and innovative curriculum and assessment methods, and was just last year selected as one of 100 women internationally to join Homeward Bound (HB8), a global STEMM women in leadership initiative that aims to heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape our planet.
Dr Allan Ardill
Finally, Dr Allan Ardill of Griffith Law School received a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, for inspiring law students through critical reflection to thrive and respond to inequality in the community.
Dr Ardill fosters transformative legal education using collaboration and critical reflection in student-centred and research-led convenorship, design and teaching of law units, with his teaching philosophy based on the principle that education should liberate students to improve society.
He also established and mentors for a student-edited scholarly law journal, and creates innovative and engaging learning resources, such as animations to simplify the most difficult theoretical content.
Associate Professor Kerry Bodle, Associate Professor Sarah Cresswell and Dr Allan Ardill are Griffith alumni.
Associate Professor Brian McIntosh
Additionally, Associate Professor Brian McIntosh from Griffith’s School of Environment and Science was also recognised for being a member of the University of Queensland-led AAUT Citation for the Urban Design Challenge Team – an exciting collaborative effort to create sustainable urban water management initiatives.
Starting several years ago with an initial design challenge involving pipe cleaners and thousands of lego bricks at national water industry conference OzWater, the challenge was built into a course on Urban Metabolism within Griffith’s Master of Integrated Water Management as well as a week-long initiative at UQ to engage architecture, planning and engineering students.
Griffith is proud to have an exceptional record at the AAUT, acknowledging our work advancing how and what students learn, influencing best practice and contributing to the scholarship of learning and teaching in higher education.
A world leader in the field of oral health, Newell Johnson CMG, FMedSci held the esteemed titles of Emeritus Professor of Oral Health Sciences at King’s College London, while also serving as Honorary Professor of Dental Research at Griffith University.
A lifelong educator and researcher, Professor Emeritus Johnson passed away in late January 2024 at the age of 85.
Graduating with a Masters in Dentistry from University of Melbourne in 1963, Professor Emeritus Johnson obtained his PhD in Dental Science from Bristol University in 1967. He joined King’s College London in 1993 after significant contributions to London Hospital Medical College and the Royal College of Surgeons England as an educator of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
After retiring from King’s in 2005, he became Foundation Dean/Head of School of Dentistry & Oral Health at Griffith University. Additionally, he served as Professor of Dental Research holding various positions at the university until recently.
Throughout his storied career, Professor Emeritus Johnson earned numerous accolades including distinguished awards from the International Association for Dental Research and the British Dental Association. He was honored with the John Tomes Medal and appointed as a Companion of the Most Excellent Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II (CMG) for his outstanding contributions to oral and public health.
In 2019, he received the Global Oral Health Research Award from the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) for his research in the field of oral health.
As a dedicated educator, Newell supervised many successful PhD students and in research, he left a lasting impact on the field through his extensive publications on dental caries, periodontal diseases, and tropical diseases affecting oral health, and oral cancer.
His research focused on studying diseases that affect the mouth, head, and neck including common problems such as tooth decay and gum disease, as well as more serious conditions such as cancer and HIV/AIDS.
He carried out field research in cities, rural and remote areas around the world, in countries including Sudan, Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Philippines and Colombia.
Current Dean of Dentistry at Griffith University Professor Nigel Robb said Professor Emeritus Johnson had a remarkable career in oral health research for nearly 60 years.
“He was a prolific researcher boasting an H-Index of 75 with his research cited more than 35 thousand times which is just about unheard of in academic circles. He was truly an outstanding leader in the discipline of oral health and research.”
Professor Emeritus Johnson is survived by his first wife Pauline, his daughters Sarah and Nicola, their partners Luke and Murray, and his grandchildren Reuben, India, and Aurora. His second wife Jeannette passed away in 2016.
His loss is deeply felt by the academic community as he was not only a brilliant scholar and mentor but also a cherished friend to many.
Memorial services for Professor Emeritus Johnson were held in Brisbane in late February.
In the digital age, where connectivity is our lifeblood, the dark underbelly of cyberspace thrives. From ‘money muling’ to ‘sextortion’, these virtual predators exploit our vulnerabilities, leaving victims identity-compromised and out-of-pocket.
What levers and actions can federal agencies can take to help address these scams and hoaxes?
Implement the National Strategy for Identity Resilience
The first key action that federal government and regulators can take is to accelerate and implement the National Strategy for Identity Resilience. The primary benefit of doing this will be the centralisation, storage and access of sensitive personal information – date of birth or home address – in one place. The idea is that a customer will no longer need to provide their personal details to the vendor. Rather, they will simply supply their identity number. This proposed digital ID system will ensure that sensitive details, including date of birth or license details, are not stored across different businesses. Instead, the details are stored centrally. Access and security are closely monitored.
Under the current legislation, banks are required to actively monitor transactions and report suspicious behaviour including financial flows suspected of being associated with child sex exploitation to AUSTRAC. Yet online platforms such as Tik Tok and Instragram are currently not required to do so.
“The idea is that a customer will no longer need to provide their personal details to the vendor. Rather, they will simply supply their identity number.”
Educating the vulnerable
Our educational institutions are fertile grounds for delivering skills, insights and enlightenment. High schools and Universities must wield their knowledge to guide their students away from scams and hoaxes. Financial literacy, often overlooked, should be included in the high school curriculum, a formidable protection against scams.
Universities, especially, have a really important role to play. University students looking for part-time work can unintentionally be recruited into ‘money muling’ for organised crime. The cost-of-living has increased the vulnerability of University students who are at risk of becoming victims of scams as they struggle to afford food and rising rents. Australian law enforcement agencies have come together to deliver a campaign to raise awareness of the growing trend involving criminals recruiting financially vulnerable students. Police are concerned that criminals are targeting students, including through lucrative job adverts offering quick and easy money, in exchange for moving funds through their bank accounts.
High schools have a role to play addressing sexploitation. Sexstortion is a form of online blackmail where someone tricks you into sending your sexual images then threatens to share them unless their demands are met. Imagine an email, its subject line claims to have an intimate photo, stolen from your webcam. The sender demands payment, threatening exposure. Victims grapple with shame, fear, and a gnawing dread. But here’s the twist: the photo doesn’t exist. It’s a phantom, conjured by cunning scammers. Their weapon? Psychological manipulation. They prey on deep vulnerabilities, exploiting our desire for privacy. The AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) has been highlighting the warning signs of ‘sextortion’ to help parents and carers protect young people from online threats.
It is increasingly important that high schools take proactive steps to grow awareness of such scams. This could be done by including modules on financial literarcy and financial scams on the school curriculum. The South Australian government leading by example in this area.
Government agencies, educational institutions, and cybersecurity experts must work together to both fortify our defences and raise awareness of the ever evolving tactics of cybercriminals. By fostering a culture of resilience, Australia can better cultivate a safer digital ecosystem.
Expert
Professor Andreas Chai is the Director of the Academy of Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance and an applied microeconomist specialised in the area of household behaviour with application to measuring poverty, energy poverty, financial hardship and climate change adaptation. He has completed projects for APEC, the United Nations, NCCARF, IP Australia and the Queensland government. He has previously worked at the Commonwealth Treasury (Canberra) and the Productivity Commission (Melbourne).
Discovering what drives some of Australia’s largest companies, the ASX100 Purpose Matters report, provides insight about the motivations behind companies shaping the country.
The report analysed the purpose statements of Australia’s top 100 Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, a list that includes household names such as JB Hi-Fi, Telstra, Qantas, Woolworths, Harvey Norman and Ampol.
The Griffith University and Brandpie collaboration set out to understand how ASX100 companies with a purpose statement performed relative to those which didn’t.
Professor Nick Barter
Griffith Professor Nick Barter said a good purpose statement (its why and its reason for being) was powerful and enduring, and connected what the organisation did with the problems we faced in the world.
“Seventy-two per cent of the companies analysed had a publicly available purpose statement and they statistically outperformed on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics,” Professor Barter said.
“This indicates companies with a purpose are taking a wider stakeholder perspective and making a more positive contribution to our society and surroundings.”
Brandpie Strategy Partner and Purpose Practice Lead Ms Joanne Kerr said the study also analysed the purpose statements through different lenses such as statement length, connection to what the world needed, stakeholders and long-term orientation.
“Forty-five per cent of purpose statements don’t connect the core business to problems the world faces and 74 per cent are short-term orientated rather than being long-term oriented or enduring,” Ms Kerr said.
Brandpie Strategy Partner and Purpose Practice Lead Joanne Kerr.
“When considering which stakeholders get a mention, ‘people’ in general was mentioned the most, followed by ‘customers’, then our surroundings and then shareholders.
“Looking at different industries, consumer staples companies such as supermarkets and providers of goods, were prominent in terms of their lack of focus on any stakeholders and this is concerning given how often we all interact with such companies.
Professor Barter said improvements in a company’s purpose statement would enhance clarity in decision making and help CEOs, executives and managers used their company purpose statement to drive their business forward.
“In our view, a succinct purpose statement which connects and is focussed on the long-term will enable an organisation to demonstrate it is about more than narrow self-interest and in so doing it will drive long-term value creation,” he said.
Ms Joanne Kerr has over 20 years’ experience in marketing, brand and communications in both client and agency environments and is Brandpie strategy partner and purpose practice lead.
As we strive towards a circular economy, the application of treated sewage sludge (biosolids) to land is an opportunity to enhance soil health and reduce the reliance on synthetic fertilisers.
However, a growing concern looms over microplastic (MP) contamination in biosolids and its potential impact on land-based ecosystems.
In Australia, where agriculture serves as the largest end-user of biosolids, understanding and addressing this issue is paramount.
Dr Shima Ziajahromi.
In a study led by Dr Shima Ziajahromi from Griffith University’s ARI-TOX research group in the Australian Rivers Institute, the team quantified and characterised MPs in 146 biosolid samples collected from 13 wastewater treatment plants across three Australian states (four in New South Wales, four in South Australia and five in Queensland).
“This study was conducted over multiple seasons and sheds light on the prevalence and characteristics of MPs in biosolids, which gives us crucial insights into sources of microplastics,” Dr Ziajahromi said.
The research team first developed a purification method to accurately quantify and identify MPs from complex biosolid samples.
The results revealed biosolids containedbetween1 to 17kgofMPs per tonne that could be transported to agricultural lands.
Furthermore, the study showed that every Australian was releasing between 0.7 to 21gofMPs into wastewater every year, with New South Wales ranking the lowest and South Australia ranking the highest per capita for concentration of MPs.
Fibres from synthetic clothing was the dominant MP found, with notably higher abundances during cold and wet seasons, likely due to changes in domestic activities (e.g. laundering of fleece clothing).
“Our findings underscored the urgent need for a greater understanding of the risks of MPs in biosolids to our agricultural soils as they can accumulate in soils and breakdown into smaller micro and nano-sized plastics which can cause more harmful effects to our soil ecosystem,” Dr Ziajahromi said.
“Biosolids serve as both a sink and source of microplastics, emphasising the importance of effective source control measures to safeguard soil ecosystems.”
Current Australian regulations control the amount of heavy metals, nutrients, pathogens and some emerging contaminants that are allowed in biosolids, but there was currently no guideline for microplastics concentrations, Dr Ziajahromi said.
Dr Ziajahromi underlined the necessity for future research into alternative sludge treatment processes to mitigate MP contamination.
“By addressing this challenge, we can advance towards more sustainable agricultural practices and ensure the long-term health of our ecosystems,” she said.
The Australian grocery landscape is painted in familiar colours, the red and white of Coles and the green of Woolworths, jointly wielding a staggering two-thirds of the market share. While stability might seem inherent to such dominance, concerns simmer beneath the surface, raising questions about the impact on competition, pricing, and the very spirit of innovation within the sector.
Recent years have seen Australian wallets strained like never before. Soaring interest rates and living costs have triggered a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour, with individuals becoming laser-focused on price and seeking every avenue to stretch their grocery budgets. In this climate of financial stress, the potential for inflated prices due to the duopoly becomes a particularly sensitive issue.
Allegations against Coles and Woolworths suggest prices may be rising faster than wholesale costs, placing a disproportionate burden on household budgets, especially for those already struggling to make ends meet. This price discrepancy raises serious questions about the true cost of convenience in a duopoly-dominated market.
“Allegations against Coles and Woolworths suggest prices may be rising faster than wholesale costs, placing a disproportionate burden on household budgets, especially for those already struggling to make ends meet. This price discrepancy raises serious questions about the true cost of convenience in a duopoly-dominated market..”
Navigating the supermarket duopoly
Beyond the immediate concern of pricing, the lack of competition presents another long-term worry, the stifling of innovation. The almost forgotten Bi-Lo as an emerging brand in 1983, was the first grocery retailer in the country to bring scanning technology to checkouts, changing the way we shop forever. Without the pressure of competitors vying for market share, Coles and Woolworths may have less incentive to invest in new technologies, product offerings, and overall shopping experiences. This lack of dynamism could leave Australian consumers lagging behind their global counterparts in terms of grocery innovation and convenience.
Addressing these concerns requires a multi-faceted approach that prioritises both competition and consumer well-being. There are various avenues for government intervention to foster a more competitive and consumer-friendly grocery market.
Lowering the entry barrier and welcoming new players
Streamlining regulations and reducing red tape: simplifying licensing processes, zoning restrictions, and tax burdens can create a more welcoming environment for new entrants, encouraging them to challenge the established players.
Facilitating mergers and acquisitions: encouraging consolidation among smaller players can create a more diversified market landscape, offering consumers a wider range of choices and potentially increasing competition.
Investing in infrastructure: supporting the development of essential infrastructure, such as cold storage facilities, can address logistical hurdles faced by new entrants, leveling the playing field.
Transparency: shining a light on pricing and practices
Mandating increased data disclosure: requiring Coles and Woolworths to disclose more detailed information on pricing, profits, and executive compensation can enhance market transparency and hold them accountable to fair practices.
Empowering the ACCC: granting the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) greater authority to investigate and prosecute anti-competitive practices, including heftier fines and penalties, can deter unfair business tactics.
Establishing an independent price commission: as proposed by former ACCC chair Allan Fels, an independent body dedicated to monitoring and regulating grocery prices could help prevent price gouging and ensure fair competition.
Empowering choice and knowledge
Promoting unit pricing: encouraging the widespread adoption of unit pricing makes it easier for consumers to compare prices across different products and brands, empowering informed purchasing decisions.
Supporting alternative retailers: providing financial assistance, support and access to resources can help independent grocers, online retailers, and farmers’ markets flourish, offering consumers valuable alternatives to the dominant players.
Investing in consumer education: launching public awareness campaigns and providing educational resources can equip consumers with the knowledge and skills to shop strategically, compare prices effectively, and manage their grocery budgets efficiently.
The ongoing duopoly debate underscores a critical juncture for the Australian grocery sector. With consumer welfare paramount, the call for reform echoes the need for a balanced and competitive landscape. By prioritising transparency, fostering innovation, and empowering consumers, government intervention can pave the way for a future where the grip of the duopoly loosens, and Australian grocery shelves brim with variety, affordability, and genuine choice.
Author
Graeme Hughes is a highly respected commentator, academic and businessperson, known for his insightful perspectives on various topics such as business, strategy, innovation, leadership, and consumer insights. With an extensive background in entrepreneurship, investment, and business advisory, Graeme has made a significant impact on the Australian business landscape.
As the Director of the Co-Design Lab at Griffith University, Graeme spearheads an experiential learning space that fosters collaboration among students, academics, and industry partners. Graeme has implemented transformative pedagogical approaches, such as collaborative problem-solving workshops and interdisciplinary design challenges, significantly boosting student engagement and employability. His dedication to educational innovation was acknowledged in 2023 when Graeme was named one of Australia’s top 50 teachers – a testament to his commitment to inspiring the next generation.
A Griffith University team with the aim of developing a new generation of anti-cancer agents for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer is among the 110 health and medical research projects awarded a share of nearly $230 million by the Federal Government.
Under the Government’s Medical Research Future Fund scheme, Griffith University researcher Dr Mahendiran Dharmasivam (CIA), Dr. Busra Kaya (CIB) and mentor and supervisor, Professor Des Richardson have been awarded a 2023 Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant valued at $524,762.
The team from the Centre for Cancer Cell Biology and Drug Discovery will work on the project ‘Development of Bespoke Chemotherapeutics that Target Advanced, Drug-Resistant Tumours by a Novel Mechanism’.
“There is no effective treatment for advanced prostate cancer and drug resistance is a major therapeutic obstacle for many advanced tumours, including prostate cancer,” Dr Dharmasivam said.
“Docetaxel is a clinically used drug but only provides a modest survival advantage prostate cancer patients, with many advanced prostate tumours acquiring P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated resistance, which can lead to death.
“Strikingly, advanced prostate cancer results in 13.3% of all male cancer deaths in Australia and a man has a 1-in-5 risk of developing advanced prostate by the age of 85, with 55 men being diagnosed each day. These statistics highlight an urgent need for more effective drugs.
“As one of few Australian examples of anti-cancer drug development from bench-to-bedside by a single lab, our Centre have been successful in translating our discoveries. The current studies will lead to new anti-cancer agents with marked anti-tumour selectivity that exceeds our previous clinically-trialled drugs.”
This proposal addresses two priority populations that are the focus of this Stream 1 MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant, which is people experiencing diseases of aging – such as cancer – and also people with untreatable diseases like those with aggressive, resistant advanced prostate cancers.
Minister for Health and Aged Care The Hon Mark Butler MP said: “I am pleased to announce that nearly $230 million in funding will help Australia’s researchers to discover new ways to tackle many of the health and medical issues that impact people every day. Emerging researchers will be helped to develop their skills and grow their careers in Australia, while promising new treatments will get to market earlier and fulfill their promise of new hope for Australian patients.”
Researchers have discovered not only microplastics but also a higher abundance of cellulose-based fibres in the intestine samples of four apex shark species caught off the coast of South East Queensland (SEQ).
The finding sheds light on the potential food-chain transfer or direct ingestion of foreign materials by these marine predators.
PhD candidate Hsuan-Cheng Lu.
The study, led by PhD candidates Hsuan-Cheng Lu and Julia Smith from Griffith University’s ARI-TOX research group in the Australian Rivers Institute, marks the first investigation of microplastics and other anthropogenic fibres in both intestine and muscle samples of large apex shark species in Australian coastal waters.
Microplastics and anthropogenic fibres were found in 82% of the analysed intestine samples from sharks including tiger sharks, white sharks, bull sharks and scalloped hammerheads with a mean abundance of 31 ± 21 particles/kg of samples.
While the abundance was less than what has been found in fish, the findings indicated that anthropogenic fibres, including both synthetic and non-synthetic fibres, were finding their way into all corners of our environment.
The majority (70%) of these fibres were identified as cellulose-based, followed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres.
These fibres are common material used in textiles, such as clothing and carpets, and can be release through washing and drying.
Recently, personal care products, such as face masks and wet wipes, were reported as additional potential sources of these microfibres.
A polypropylene fragment in a shark intestine.
The research also revealed that 60% of shark muscle samples contained microplastics and anthropogenic fibres, with cellulose-based fibres being predominant.
Lu emphasised the importance of addressing methodological differences to enable a more comprehensive assessment of microplastic contamination in future studies.
“While microplastics have been widely reported in the marine environment and marine organisms at different trophic levels, our knowledge about the exposure and ingestion of microplastics by marine megafauna, such as whales and sharks, is still limited,” Lu said.
“The presence of microplastics in the four large apex shark species further highlights how widespread these small but harmful plastic particles have now spread in our environment and how difficult it will be to address global microplastic pollution.
“The higher abundance of cellulosed-based fibres was unexpected, given the dominance of synthetic fibres in current global production.
“Some studies have reported that textiles made of cellulose-based material shed and release more fibres than their synthetic counterparts during laundering.”
Despite being derived from natural materials (e.g., cotton) or regenerated from cellulose (e.g., rayon and viscose), cellulose-based fibres often contained a suite of chemical additives, dyes, and finishing agents added during production, which are likely to be released because non-plastic fibres degraded much quicker than their plastic equivalents.
The team also identified challenges encountered during sample processing and provided recommendations to enhance experimental design and analytical methodology for future investigations in this field.
“The presence of microplastics and cellulose-based fibres not only in the intestines but also in muscle tissues underscores the urgent need for further research on the potential risk to marine organisms and proactive measures to mitigate the impact of anthropogenic pollution on marine ecosystems, particularly on megafauna such as apex sharks,” Lu said.
