As a Bachelor of Counselling student, my journey through the Griffith Industry Mentoring Program (IMP) with registered psychologist and Griffith alumnus, Camillia Acosta, provided me with a deeper understanding of the mental health industry, career options related to my degree and the practical aspects of running a private practice. I initially discovered the IMP when I met Breeda Crowley at a Mature Aged Student Society networking breakfast. Breeda presented convincingly on the benefits of the Program and I’m very grateful that I acted on her advice to sign up. Once registered, I was able to view a wide selection of available mentors in the Program database and was drawn to Camillia’s profile due to her experience in private practice and her work as a facilitator. As a mature student juggling a heavy workload and the demands of a young family, I was also curious to learn more about Camillia’s experience in maintaining a rewarding and positive work life balance, something which I believe is critical for mental health professionals.
Our mentoring partnership began with a phone call, which set the tone for a series of enlightening sessions. From the outset, Camillia sought to understand my goals and intentions for the Program, there were quite a few! I expressed interest in Camillia’s work in group facilitation, and my desire to gain insight into the operation of a private practice, including marketing, administration, and the overall functioning of this type of business. I was keen to learn more about how to connect my specific interests in psychology to future career choices and to learn from Camillia’s own career journey and understand how the choices she has made have impacted her career. Finally, I wanted to understand how to take concrete action to expand my professional connections.
With these learning objectives articulated, Camillia and I discussed clear parameters that would ensure our partnership ran smoothly and that I made the most of Camillia’s time and expertise.
The tools and milestones provided in the IMP structure helped me to develop a clear roadmap for our mentoring relationship and identify strategies to achieve my learning objectives.
Camillia’s generous mentorship extended beyond words; she shared not only her knowledge and experience but also practical tools and resources. Camillia invited me to visit her Practice, offering me a glimpse behind the scenes of her business. I was able to learn about appointment scheduling, client communication, and tools to manage client interactions. In addition to this valuable hands-on experience, Camillia offered me the chance to practice counselling skills during our phone, zoom and in-person meetings.
As I continue my studies and prepare for a career in the mental health field, the knowledge and insights gained through the IMP will undoubtedly be a solid foundation for my future success. I am sincerely grateful for Camillia’s unwavering support, generosity and guidance. I hope my journey in the IMP inspires other students to seek mentorship, especially those who are considering careers in complex industries and navigating diverse life roles.
“Camillia’s generous mentorship extended beyond words; she shared not only her knowledge and experience but also practical tools and resources” – Adriana Miranda.
Mentee: Adriana Miranda, Bachelor of Counselling and Griffith Industry Mentee, 2023
Mentor: Ms Camillia Acosta BPsych(Hons), MEdPsych, MAPS
Psychologist & Director of Camillia Rose – Women & Children’s Psychology
For more information please contact:
Breeda Crowley
Industry Mentoring Coordinator, Student Success, Griffith University
What were the winning ingredients that took the NRLW Gold Coast Titans to the 2023 grand final competition?
Erin and Maise have been developing individual meal plans, and distributing resource kits, for the players.
Griffith University students, Erin Percy and Maise Rodrigues, might have a few ideas.
The final year dietetics students recently wrapped placements with the Titans, under a partnership between Griffith and the NRL club to help boost nutrition provision.
Titans captain Georgia Hale said both students have added immense value to the team.
“We’ve had an extensive preseason this year with an extended season, so our schedule has really amped up and the element of recovery and nutrition to coincide with that is massive,” she said.
“The girls have come in and offered so much learning, so much support and we’re making sure that we’re being fueled right so that we can perform right.”
The Titans partnered with nutrition-dense ready-made meal company ‘Lite ‘n Easy’, which the girls were responsible for sourcing in accordance with individual player needs.
“We’ve been doing the girls’ individual meal plans, which involved private consults, understanding what they usually eat on a normal day and then implementing beneficial changes into their diet,” Miss Rodrigues said.
“We’ve also been doing game day nutrition, directed by coach Murph (Karyn Murphy).
“[Murph] was interested in us teaching the girls what to eat on game day, what time to eat, if they’re getting on a flight – when should they have a meal?”
“Every game day we would send out a resource we’d developed that advises them what they should eat and at what time,” Miss Percy added.
Miss Rodrigues relocated from Brazil, and Miss Percy has moved from Tasmania to study.
“We also advise the girls on what they should be eating the night before a game, such as a meal high in carbohydrates and a dessert the night before.
“This might include spaghetti bolognese topped with cheese and served with garlic bread and a bowl of ice cream for dessert, or butter chicken then nann bread and custard with banana.”
Both students relocated from different parts of the world, Miss Percy from Tasmania and Miss Rodrigues from Brazil, but share in the same passion for sports nutrition.
“Working with athletes, I found they want to make changes to help themselves, they’re interested, and they want to listen to what you have to say.”
Erin Percy, a national-level netball player, said both she and Maise have got to know the players and their dietary preferences well enough to manage players’ requirements alone.
“The girls get frozen or fresh meals delivered here at training, because a lot of them are travelling an hour or two just to be here,” Miss Percy said.
“Some of the players work during the day and then train from 4pm-8pm, not eating until they get home, so one of the things we’ve implemented is ensuring the meals are hot and ready so they can eat straight after training.
Head of Performance Nutrition at NRL Titans, Griffith’s Professor Ben Desbrow.
Miss Percy said there is a real comradery between the team and supporting staff, having been “welcomed with open arms” into a “really positive environment.”
“Both the players and coaching team have recognised real differences from the nutrition support, and how it’s affecting their training and playing as well,” she said.
It’s been really rewarding to receive that feedback and know it’s helping.”
Erin and Maise worked with the NRLW Titans right up to the 2023 grand final.
Head of Performance Nutrition at the NRL Titans, Griffith’s Professor Ben Desbrow, said the exchange provided a win-win scenario whereby students would gain professional experience and the team would reap educational and tangible health benefits.
“Female athletes deserve professional service,” he said.
“And this approach gave our students some great experience too.
“Both Erin and Maise showed an interest and keenness to go down that sports pathway, they were so enthusiastic, and that was the reason for saying well let’s give them exposure during their degree.
“They’ve just embraced it and the Titans players have embraced them as well, which is what I often find with environments I’ve worked in, the athletes being extraordinarily receptive to any support you can offer.”
Griffith University’s Dr Tim Newans stepped into the specialist role of sports data analyst for grand finalists’, the NRLW Gold Coast Titans, in what proved to be their most successful season yet.
Shoulder to shoulder with Titan’s coach and League icon Karyn Murphy (“Murph”), Dr Newans has acquired sought-after statistical skills that advance understanding of player potential and optimise on-field performance.
Dr Newans’ work as a consultant for the Jillaroos over the last five years culminated in an offer to join them as team analyst at the 2022 World Cup, before he was invited to join the NRLW Titans.
“The biggest sources of data for us involve tracking action and time points on the field which we then collate across multiple games and multiple seasons to understand our players at their best,” Dr Newans said.
Using GPS trackers in specially manufactured jerseys, individualised data will inform player strengths, styles, load capacity, team positioning and decisions around injury management as well as contribute to the team’s tactical blueprint.
“The stats and data we can gather allows us to build individual player profiles and then see where they best fit amongst our squad in the overarching strategy,” Dr Newans said.
Whilst this has informed the teams preseason development, come game night, Newans has sat eagle-eyed in the coach’s box beside “Murph” providing live data to help with on demand decision making.
“We’ll go in with a game plan, but then there’s quite a lot of discussion during the match and based on how we’re playing, as well as how the opposition performs, we’ll send a message out over the headsets or with a runner to change tactic.”
“It’s a fast-paced, fun environment to be in.”
Titans NRLW coach Karyn Murphy said the team really values the partnership with Griffith University, with Dr Newans as well as two Griffith nutrition intern’s board.
“To have someone like Tim, who provides all that valuable data support for us is massive.”
Star NRLW player Karina Brown said: “It’s been great to have access to really insightful information, to build awareness around where the ball might go, what the opposition might do, or awareness about our own play.”
Newans knew at the age of nine that he wanted to be a sports statistician.
“I would sit there and watch cricket and record scoreboards myself – I loved it, but at the time my parents would say there weren’t many jobs in it,” he said.
“Twenty years later, data has progressed, and most sporting organisations are employing people that have coding, maths or stats abilities.”
Throughout the nine-and-a-half-year journey to complete his PhD, Dr Newans realised there was a significant need for more advanced statistical understanding in the sports science space.
Dr Newan’s saw there was significant need for more advanced statistical understanding in the sports science space.
“The foundation for my thesis was, what’s the type of data we see in sports science?” he said.
“It involved looking at methods that are getting used in other fields that could better service the community and support researchers.”
An impressive stint as a freelance sports scientist in 2018 with the Jillaroos led to Newans receiving funding from the team to continue his PhD research.
“I’ve been there since the inaugural season, helping the NRL through all their decision-making processes from squad sizes, how many teams, how many interchanges, what the ideal lengths of the matches might be and how scheduling should look for injury prevention and management,” he said.
Dr Newans’ work as a consultant for the Jillaroos over the last five years culminated in an offer to join them as team analyst at the 2022 World Cup.
“I’ve definitely grown an affinity for the women’s game, having been alongside the teams, seeing the passion of the people within the organisations and how much drive there is to leverage the women’s game,” he said.
“Many of the women’s players are finishing training at 8.30pm at night and must be up at 3am the next morning to be at work by 4, depending on what their day-to-day jobs are.
Dr Newans joined NRLW’s Karyn Murphy in the coach’s box for their most successful season yet.
“From a strength and conditioning point of view we have to be very cognisant of this, knowing when the players turn up to training they’ve already done a full day’s work, often in a very physical capacity, or study.
“In the men’s game, players are considered fully professional athletes and that’s their full-time job.
“To see the girls turning up, still in the semi-professional capacity, because they love the game more than anything… It’s incredible to see that level of dedication.”
Dr Newans is hopeful that the progression and support behind women’s sport, particularly demonstrated in the NRL which in 2023 includes 10 teams, will see more women in full-time athlete roles.
Under the mentorship of Associate Professor Clare Minahan and Dr Phil Bellinger, Newans’ is contributing to a 25 year long legacy of female athlete research at Griffith.
“This kind of work with female athletes has been in the works a long time, and Griffith has a really robust history of research which I’m proud to be part of and continue developing,” he said.
Students, like many other Australians, are feeling the effects of the rising cost of living. Many are dealing with this by taking on increasing amounts of paid work outside their studies and universities are doing their best to support students with everything from scholarships and bursaries to food banks and emergency housing.
Students who are expected to undertake substantial hours of unpaid placement work, in addition to paid work and study commitments, can quickly find themselves in “placement poverty”. Placement poverty occurs when the costs of undertaking placements, which are compulsory to graduate, push financially marginal students into poverty and sometimes out of their studies.
“Poverty placement occurs across several degrees, including education and social work, but there are some specific features of health placements that make health students, particularly nurses and midwives, especially vulnerable.”
Challenges for health students
Poverty placement occurs across several degrees, including education and social work, but there are some specific features of health placements that make health students, particularly nurses and midwives, especially vulnerable.
The hours of unpaid placements that student nurses and midwives must undertake are extensive—a minimum of 800 hours for nurses and 1,600 hours for midwives across the course of their degree. For nursing students, placements are traditionally undertaken in blocks of time, typically for 40 hours per week for two or more weeks.
Placements reflect a nurse’s roster and include night shifts, weekends, and for many students can be more than 100 km from their home. Student midwives carry the additional requirement of “continuity of care”, where they follow multiple women (up to 20 over the course of their degree) through antenatal, labour and postnatal periods.
Those placed in regional, rural and remote health services can find themselves carrying the cost of travel, accommodation (when it can be found) and food, while still paying rent on their primary accommodation. Even for those lucky enough to have a placement closer to their accommodation, concerns for personal security mean that some pay expensive hospital parking fees or the cost of an Uber to get them to and from placements at nights.
Midwifery student experiences
Midwifery students recognise the importance of placements in becoming health professionals and often undertake additional hours of work beyond the placement requirements to support the expectant mothers with whom they have formed a bond. While they are grateful that women let them in on such an important part of their lives, they are deeply concerned about the costs, and there is growing concern that a midwifery degree is becoming inaccessible for many.
Students need transport to placements for early morning or late shifts when public transport may be unavailable or feel unsafe. Those undertaking regional placements may struggle to find accommodation. A number talk about sleeping in their cars at hospital carparks.
Placements can be even more challenging for students who are parents themselves, particularly if they are paying for childcare and must forgo paid work. They may find themselves considering dropping out between first and second year because of the financial and workload burdens or worrying that they will be burnt out and exhausted by the time they graduate.
A student we spoke to said, “Something needs to change. If we want these great midwives to come out and serve our community … there needs to be a lot more support for student midwives”.
The role of universities and health care providers
Articulating the problem of placement poverty is far easier than combatting it. There is a role to play for a range of institutions.
Universities are not funded to cover the additional costs of living support for student placements, although some (including Griffith University) are trying to assist the neediest students with financial support, scholarships and bursaries. Universities already pay health providers substantial amounts to supervise their students on placement or provide (and pay for) supervisors directly. In areas such as nursing, universities already spend around a quarter of the income they receive per student on placements, which is disproportional to the on-campus learning required. In 2023, Griffith alone will spend approximately $14.8 million on health placements.
There are ways in which universities can try to make a difference, such as working with health providers to create options for students to undertake placements part-time, as Griffith has done recently with some health providers. This at least allows for students to continue with some paid work and eases pressure for parents around childcare.
The health care system is under enormous financial pressure at present and cannot be expected to pay students for placements without additional funding. Health care providers could, however, assist students by recognising and respecting the challenges placements create for them. With the current difficulties with finding accommodation nationally, particularly in regional and remote areas, hospitals and universities could work closer together to support students to find appropriate accommodation. Health students are not entitled to discounted staff parking, despite placement hours that sometimes make it dangerous to catch public transport. Even without paying students directly, a more thoughtful approach to issues such as these would be of real assistance.
The need for government funding
Despite these approaches, the reality will remain that some students will find the cost of placements too high and there is a role for government in remedying this.
The Australian Government has recognised the problems caused by placements in its recent White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities and has committed to undertaking “scoping work on approaches to mitigate financial hardship placed on tertiary students completing unpaid mandatory practicum placements as part of studies in care and teaching professions”.
There are a variety of options open to the Commonwealth, which might reasonably expect some support from the States, which have primary responsibility for the health system. One would be to provide financial support for all students for all placements.
Another is a more targeted approach to have a pool of funding that students in need could apply to that would assist in covering the cost of living, including a loading for placements that require a student to live away from home. Queensland recently announced a $5,000 cost-of-living allowance for nursing and midwifery students undertaking regional, rural and remote placements in their final year. While not a complete solution, it is a welcome step in the right direction. Existing funding from the Commonwealth Government to support regional health placements (through the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training program) is insufficient to meet current demand and focuses primarily on medical and dental students, but an expanded version for all health students would be a great improvement on the current state.
Placement poverty compounds existing challenges our hospitals face across the country in retaining and recruiting nurses and midwives. Forcing health students into poverty to complete their degrees is not productive public policy, harming both individuals and undermining the future health workforce. It makes it less likely that cultural groups that are under-represented in our health profession will be attracted to studying. The Australian Universities Accord Interim Report provides an important moment in time to reconsider the role that government might play in combatting placement poverty and showing respect for those whose professional skills.
Jazz royalty will meet the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University’s very own The Voice superstar as Vince Jones brings his Come In Spinner concert to town.
The triple ARIA award winner will revisit songs from his much-loved award-winning soundtrack to the immensely popular ABC television mini-series of the same name, accompanied by his own interstate band including long time musical director and pianist Matt McMahon, alongside the Conservatorium’s own university Jazz Orchestra, the ‘Con Artists’.
The double-platinum album won the hearts of thousands of Australian households, selling more than half a million copies in the 90’s (seminal for its time) and remaining the highest selling Australian jazz album to date.
For the first time in Queensland, magical new interpretations of much-loved iconic songs of the 40’s Swing Era such as Cole Porter’s I’ve Got you Under My Skin, Gershwin’s The Man I Love, You Go to My Head and many more classic tunes from the WWII era, which he performed live in the Come In Spinner television mini-series.
Adding a fresh spin to the works, Head of Jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium, Dr Steve Newcomb was invited to reinterpret the music.
Head of Jazz at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Dr Steve Newcomb
“I’m an arranger and composer so I arranged new interpretations of the material from the record to bring it to a full stage show,” Dr Newcomb said.
“Vince is just such a unique vocalist – he brings songs to life – but this show is extra special as it’s a different arrangement.
“We’ve got a full jazz orchestra, there’ll be lots of different dynamics, lots of colour, lots of exciting elements that are added in.
“We’ve got about 20 people in the Con Artists who will all be adding their own flavour into the mix as well.
“Jazz is always a melting pot of all different genres, styles and approaches, and while it’s a Black American art form at its roots, being transplanted in Australia has allowed it to take on its own flavours and celebrate the individuality of the artists involved and I think we’re really bringing that to life here.”
With the original Spinner album by Mr Jones featuring songs by female singers as well, two students will also take to the stage to fill these roles, including third year jazz student Etienne Steven, known for her recent rise to fame on The Voice Australia.
Ms Steven said she was honoured to be sharing the stage with Mr Jones, having seen him perform while she was still in high school.
“I must’ve told about everyone I knew when I found out I’d be singing in the show,” she said.
Queensland Conservatorium Jazz student Etienne Steven
“Everyone in my cohort sang Vince’s song Budgie for our first-year recital and we all loved it, so I was pretty excited to be sharing the stage with him.”
Growing up listening to jazz music, Ms Steven realised her dream of joining the jazz program at Griffith University and joining the Con Artists.
“My singing teacher at school, Stephanie Taylor, also went through the Con’s Jazz program, and suggested it would be the perfect fit for me, so from Grade 11, I was super set on doing the Jazz course at Griffith,” she said.
“From then it was the only course I wanted, and I magically got in after applying and auditioning, and I’ve continued to focus on jazz since then.
“Auditions for The Voice happened just before uni started this year, so when I got through I was really worried I’d have to decide between doing that or joining Con Artists but luckily Dr Newcomb was okay with me doing both.
“I’d been dreaming of doing this showcase so was so happy I could still do it, and now to be able to sing with Vince has just made it even better.
“The Voice was a really great experience but it’s so good to be back for this show where I can just delve back into my jazz self and return to my true passion of singing jazz and doing big band, which at the end of the day, has been my goal for so long.”
Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics Associate Professor, and Griffith Alumnus, Lara Herrero received the Prize for New Innovators in the 2023 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science at a ceremony in Canberra.
Griffith’s Institute for Glycomics Associate Professor Lara Herrero.
Associate Professor Herrero has drawn upon her unique combination of scientific, clinical, and public health training to impact the way viral infections are diagnosed, treated and managed.
In less than 10 years, Associate Professor Herrero translated her research to a world-first drug with the potential to treat viral arthritis by repurposing a known drug called pentosan polysulfate sodium.
This drug has the potential to treat inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases in humans with long-term debilitating symptoms such as Ross River virus (RRV).
RRV is the most common mosquito-transmitted disease in Australia with more than 5000 infections reported per year.
Associate Professor Herrero has now successfully commercialised the Intellectual Property (IP) for the novel therapeutic through an exclusive, royalty-bearing licence deal between Griffith University and Australian ASX-listed biotechnology company Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals.
“To receive the Prize for New Innovators is just a wonderful recognition for me and my team,” Associate Professor Herrero said.
“It gives me a new sense of hope for the work we are doing and how our research will continue in the future.
“I contracted Ross River virus and was sick for about two years, with excruciating pain to my muscles and joints.
2023 recipients of Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. Image source: Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
“It really had a big impact on my day-to-day life, and I became passionate about understanding the disease and finding a treatment.
“Recognising there were no treatments out there for Ross River virus and that a standard drug discovery pathway could take 20 years or more, I decided to take all the information we had about the virus and embark on a drug repurposing strategy – a faster way to bring a treatment to market.
“To successfully take a drug through the entire research pathway from the laboratory bench through to clinical trials and to patients in under 10 years, is a tremendous achievement for me and our team.
“It’s so important for science and medicine to understand one another so we can find creative solutions for the world’s challenges.
Griffith’s Institute for Glycomics Director Professor Mark von Itzstein AO
“I try and mentor our next generation of scientists to understand the clinical relevance of their scientific discoveries and how basic science underpins everything we do.”
Director of the Institute for Glycomics Professor Mark von Itzstein AO said the treatment for viral arthritis is a rare achievement and an incredible demonstration of Australian innovation.
“Associate Professor Herrero is already a recognised international expert in her field having made several fundamental discoveries that have led to global impact in the understanding and treatment of viral infections,” Professor von Itzstein said.
“With its potential even yet to be fully realised the commercial, economic and health benefits of that achievement will continue to flow to Australia.”
The second in an annual five-year survey series has highlighted the difference between the Australian public and scientists of the urgency of climate action.
Repeated and increasingly frustrated calls from Australian climate experts are failing to activate the Australian population with the urgency communicated by scientists in Australia and globally.
While most Australians accepted climate change was happening, only a minority thought it was an extremely serious problem.
Survey results showed 71% of Australians reported feeling either “fairly” or “very” concerned about the effects of climate change though this does not translate into demands for urgent action now – as the world’s scientists are demanding.
These results are gathered from the second annual Griffith University’s Climate Action Survey – one of the most ambitious climate change surveys conducted in Australia in terms of sample size, methodological rigour, multidisciplinary input and breadth of coverage – in September-December 2022.
The annual survey, led by Griffith’s Climate Action Beacon team, aimed to highlight what Australians think, feel and do about climate change and related environmental and climatic events, conditions and issues. Comparisons were also made with findings from the corresponding 2021 survey including longitudinal data from a sample of repeat respondents.
While overall Australians reported their support for climate action, including support for government policies, those with natural disaster experience expressed disproportionately high levels of concern and distress about climate change, were more likely to support government action to combat climate change, and were more likely to engage in pro environmental actions.
Exposure to the 2022 floods was a significant factor in prompting more urgency in calls for climate action.
Interestingly, the survey found that Australians relied on their own observations as much as they did commercial media and scientific experts, pointing to the value of personal stories that better communicated local impacts.
“The Climate Action Survey reveals much complexity and conflicting attitudes to climate action – in terms of personal responses and calls for government action. It also reveals points where Australian’s connect on climate changes and a host of possible interventions to assist policy and decision makers in supporting Australians to take climate action,” survey co-lead Associate Professor Kerrie Foxwell-Norton said.
“Obviously, Australia and its environments cannot wait for more people to experience climate-related disasters before increasing their sense of urgency for climate action.”
“This survey, more than any other, charts ways to engage Australians and empower communities – underpinned by climate science.”
As was the case in the 2021 survey, overall, the picture to emerge from the 2022 survey is of a nation that is divided along age, education, party-political, and other demographic lines in its views of and responses to climate change.
The survey team also noted a majority motivated to take climate action of many types and a persistent small group reluctant to accept and act on the realities evident in everyday observation and increasingly revealed by climate science.
2022 Climate Action Survey key findings:
57% believed Australia has already started to feel the effects of climate change;
8% believed the effects would be felt within the next 10 years;
13% believed the effects would be felt within the next 50 years;
Young (under 35), students, women, university-educated and inner urban Australians had relatively high levels of understanding and concern about climate change and need for action;
More than one-third (37%) of Australians reported having experienced at least one extreme weather or natural disaster event in the preceding year, and 47% prior to the past year;
Australians were asked to rate their level of knowledge of climate change. Men rated their knowledge higher than women, but women scored higher on the objectively scored test. While greater climate change knowledge was expected among the more highly educated and among those with lived experiences of climate change impacts, the superior performance of the overseas-born and non- English background Australians was unexpected and warrants further investigation.
About one-third (32%) of Australians were directly exposed to flooding in Australia in 2022. These respondents reported disproportionately high levels of environmental/climate change awareness, concern and responsiveness. Compared with their peers who were not flood-exposed, the 18% of the repeat respondent sample who were exposed to floods in 2022 reported greater changes from 2021 to 2022 in a range of climate change variables;
Support for numerous pro-environment government policies remained high in 2022. For example, 75% of Australians in 2022 expressed support for setting a national zero carbon emission target by 2050 at the latest, compared to 80% in 2021;
Support for new fossil fuel projects and minimising Australia’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in international climate agreements were generally higher for men. Men were more in favour of minimising agreements regarding greenhouse gas emissions (49%) compared with women (40%).
Most Australians used their own observations and experiences of the weather, climate and/or environment as one of their main sources of information about climate change (68%). Other popular sources of information were Australian commercial media (67%), scientists (66%) Australian public broadcasting (65%) and the Bureau of Meteorology (63%).
Researchers at Griffith University have discovered that the majority of critical habitat and movement pathways for southern greater gliders in Queensland lie outside of protected areas.
Dr Patrick Norman and Professor Brendan Mackey used cutting-edge technology to map mature forests to identify potential habitat and corridors that were essential for the survival of the endangered species. It is only these 200+-year-old forests in which tree hollows large enough to support the cat-sized gliders occurred.
Dr Patrick Norman.
Worryingly, the researchers discovered that most of the important remaining glider habitat in the state occurred within privately owned, lease owned land and state forest, leaving it vulnerable to logging, clearing and other threats.
The marsupials, whose specialist diet consists almost exclusively of young eucalypt leaves, use between 4-18 nesting hollows in their home range. Many of these vital hollow-bearing trees were lost during the Black Summer bushfires making those that remain even more essential.
The same issue applied when the researchers explored areas that served as important habitat corridors enabling greater gliders to move between forest patches.
“We identified 88 critical movement pathways for greater gliders in Queensland, most of which we found were outside of existing conservation areas,” said Dr Patrick Norman, a researcher at Griffith University’s Climate Action Beacon.
“We also noted that there were a few missing links where targeted restoration of forests to create wildlife corridors would have a particularly positive impact for greater gliders.”
If patches of forest were not well connected, greater gliders were forced to move along the ground, putting them at risk of being preyed upon or injured.
“The findings will be valuable for helping inform conservation efforts to support Queensland’s greater gliders and prioritise important areas of habitat for protection,” Dr Norman said.
The study was funded by Great Eastern Ranges, as part of a broader project aimed at identifying priority landscapes and linkages for focusing conservation efforts.
“We are working to secure the funding needed to replicate this study in other states, but also to map the important habitat and corridors for animals with different movement needs, such as spotted-tailed quolls,” said Gary Howling, CEO of Great Eastern Ranges.
“Trying to conserve our wildlife in isolated protected areas is not sufficient by itself to ensure their long-term survival, particularly in the face of climate change.
“We also need to be restoring and protecting habitat between those protected areas so that animals have the room they need to move and adapt to changing conditions and food supplies.”
The research paper, ‘Priority areas for conserving greater gliders in Queensland, Australia’, is available at: www.publish.csiro.au/pc/pdf/PC23018.
Director of Micro-credentialing and Short Courses at Griffith Health, Andrea Bialocerkowski.
Griffith University Health is the recipient of almost $5.7 million from the Australian Government to help build the nation’s mental health workforce with the National Mental Health Pathways to Practice Program Pilot.
As part of a ten-year National Mental Health Workforce Strategy, the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement aims to build a mental health and suicide prevention workforce that is culturally safe and responsive to the changing needs of the Australian community.
Acting Academic Lead of Occupational Therapy Louise Gustafsson.
The Pathways to Practice Program grant will allow Griffith to prepare more students to work in the mental health sector after they graduate and expand initiatives to retain nursing, occupational therapy, social work and psychology students and attract these graduates to the mental health sector.
Director of Micro-credentialing and Short Courses at Griffith Health Professor Andrea Bialocerkowski said the funding will assist to address current shortages and distribution issues within the sector, including in rural areas.
“Supervised placement opportunities in less intensive service settings are integral to positive experiences for students and graduates and encourages them to continue in the mental health sector in their future careers,” Professor Bialocerkowski said.
Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Associate Professor Marion Tower.
“This funding allows us to prepare more students to work in the field which will consequently provide quality health professionals to the workforce and will ultimately enhance the quality of care delivered.
“Griffith Health will deliver 254 nursing, 170 occupational therapy and 172 social work student placements and 80 psychology placements.”
Academic Lead and Social Work Professor Donna McAuliffe.
Acting Academic Lead, Occupational Therapy Professor Louise Gustafsson said exposure to an area of practice during university studies greatly increases the likelihood of a graduate working in that area.
“We are excited at the opportunity to provide each of our students with experience in a mental health practice area,” Professor Gustafsson said.
Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Associate Professor Marion Tower said: “The prospect for nursing students to experience practice in settings outside high acuity areas will provide opportunities to develop a deeper understanding about the mental health needs of the community.”
Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching at the School of Applied Psychology, Dr Heather Green.
Academic Lead and Social Work Professor Donna McAuliffe said: “In the post-pandemic period of increased mental health issues for people of all ages, an increase in the social work contribution to the workforce will be of great assistance particularly in rural and remote settings.”
Deputy Head of Learning and Teaching at the School of Applied Psychology Dr Heather Green said: “We are excited about the expanded contributions our postgraduate psychology students will be able to make to community mental health, both during their supervised placements and after graduating as highly trained members of the mental health workforce.”
PhD student Georgia Brown is making strides in the elite sports science space.
Despite considering herself “early career”, Miss Brown has enjoyed a sweep of sports science roles, most recently being invited back to work with the Jillaroos through October.
The opportunity follows her tenure in the Indigenous women’s rugby league elite and development space as well as representative PM XIII women’s team.
Having enjoyed sought-after positions with the Gold Coast Titans, Gold Coast Suns and Brisbane Roar amongst others, Miss Brown’s experiences have taught her that working with the players is as much about listening as it is advising.
“I think your ability to not only write a program and apply it, but how you deliver it, how you coach and how you interact will be the greatest determinant of what you get out of your players,” she said.
“Without those interpersonal skills, you’ve really just got a bunch of numbers on a sheet of paper, and at the end of the day athletes are human.
“It takes communicating well and letting them know the reasons you’re pushing them when needed or on other days, listening and letting them step back.”
Georgia Brown stands alongside Jillaroos coaching and support staff.
“Georgia has taken groups of athletes and expert coaches around Australia and has now been given the opportunity herself to train under one of these coaches,” she said.
“She was putting her hand up early on in her undergraduate degree, and that has not only allowed her to flourish but learn along the way through multiple opportunities.”
Miss Brown said taking on small-scale roles and participating in testing days help pave the way to bigger opportunities.
“I’ve gained such an appreciation for different sports settings and systems whilst meeting some incredible mentors through Griffith,” she said.
“You learn your skills through the less glamorous jobs, so when a bigger opportunity comes up, you can come in ready to make an impact versus just come in and figure it out.”
One of those significant career steps came when Miss Brown was offered the role of sports scientist for the NRLW Gold Coast Titans inaugural season.
Miss Brown has been welcomed back to work with the Jillaroos this October.
“That was a big step for me, and there are now Griffith students doing their placement and practical’s at the Titans which is great because the more people that they can get into those environments and learn the processes, the more it helps to elevate the game,” she said.
“In my early experiences, it was one person doing multiple jobs, and now we’re seeing women’s teams with two or three assistant coaches, physios, a strength and conditioning coach, a speed coach, a power coach.
“It’s goes a long way having staff to put the time in without it being a rush job, which I think helps the players feel valued, more looked after, and that shows in performance.”
Miss Brown is now combining her passion for women’s rugby league and First Nations sporting development, having worked with the First Nations Gems at national championships and then the women’s Indigenous All Stars.
Miss Brown recently returned from a GAPS trip to Fiji and Samoa, supporting para athletes and coaches.
“It’s an incredible game to watch and be a part of, but it’s the week that we spend with the players out in community and connecting to culture that is the highlight of every year,” she said.
“We say most of our job is just getting to know the girl’s stories, and then we do a little bit of coaching on the side.
“I’m so grateful for that because I know in a lot of other teams’ spaces, it’s all focused on performance.
“By gaining the stronger connection, you get stronger performance outcomes.”
Miss Brown’s research as a PhD student involved ‘Identifying the Barriers to Effective Conversations About the Menstrual Cycle Between Elite Female Athletes and Performance Staff’, also reflecting the need for better communication around female specific health.
The youngest speaker on a panel of researchers and sports management experts at the 2023 Women in Sports Summit, Miss Brown said that despite only 3% of research being done in female athletes, she is positive about the attention it is gaining.
