The Yugambeh Museum Youth Choir, established by Griffith Arts Research candidate Candace Kruger, has been named the winner of the Queensland Reconciliation Awards — Communities Division.
The Queensland Reconciliation Awards recognise the businesses, partnerships and community organisations fostering reconciliation across the state.
After a successful teaching career, Ms Kruger resigned from classroom music teaching to focus on the development of choral pieces for the Yugambeh Museum while undertaking a Master of Arts Research, In the Bora Ring: Yugambeh Language and Song Project.
Ms Kruger formed the choir on the Gold Coast in 2014 – the first youth Indigenous choir of it’s kind.
“The choir have performed at community and corporate events including Commonwealth Day 2016, the launch of National Reconciliation Week 2015 and the 2015 NRL Indigenous All Stars Match,” she said.
“I have witnessed choir participants discover extended family and how they fit within cultural family groups, understand and learn language through song and begin to connect to an identity that they hadn’t previously understood, particularly the youth who are in foster care.” Ms Kruger said.
A passionate musician and teacher, Ms Kruger’s community work is integrated in to her proposed research through Griffith’s School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, exploring how participation in a community choir supports the development of Aboriginal language skills and cultural identity in urban Aboriginal youth.
For more information about the choir or to book a performance at your next event, contact the Museum on 3807 6155 or email [email protected].
L-R: Curtis Pitt MP – Queensland Treasurer, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Minister for Sport, Candace Kruger – Creative Consultant Yugambeh Museum/Choirmaster Yugambeh Museum Youth Choir, Christopher Levinge – Kombumerri Corporation for Culture President and Philip Noble – Chief Executive Queensland Treasury Corporation.
Griffith University academics have contributed to media analysis throughout the 2016 Federal Election campaign, since Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called a double dissolution election in May.
Our experts have unpacked policy announcements and funding commitments, ranging from tax reform to water management, from youth employment to the impact of pledges to build a new sports stadium in northern Queensland.
Political scientists at Griffith Business School and the School of Humanities have monitored key marginal seats in Queensland, the progress of minority parties and the leadership traits of Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten.
Researchers from the Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Menzies Health Institute, School of Environment, Cities Research Centre, Griffith Institute for Tourism, School of Education and Professional Services and Griffith Law School have considered likely impacts if election promises come to fruition.
Griffith in the Media
Professor Anne Tiernan, Director, Policy Innovation Hub
“With two-and-a-half weeks of campaigning to go, there doesn’t appear to be the kind of mood for change that usually accompanies big swings in Queensland.”
Dr Paul Williams, School of Humanities
The Australian
“The PUP supporters from the 2013 election came from both the major parties; they were angry, it was a pox on both houses, and they are unlikely to go back at this election with the current leadership.”
Dr Katherine Hunt, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics
“Young people are looking for some kind of concrete recognition of their value to society and something that could bring them into the political process. But there is nothing in the leadership of any of the major political parties that is giving them something to engage with the process.
Professor Patrick Weller, School of Government and International Relations
“Whether you reduce corporate tax by one percentage point isn’t the definition of class war. This stuff about a supposed class war always comes out when anyone talks about taxes on business.”
Professor Christine Smith, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics
“These pledges (to fund a new stadium in Townsville) will have an ‘announcement effect’ that will be felt in a community where there has been a recent mood of doom and gloom.”
Professor Stuart Bunn, Australian Rivers Institute
“Tackling issues like sediment delivery to the Great Barrier Reef requires a much more focused and targeted investment.”
Dr Tracey Arklay, School of Government and International Relations
612 ABC (Weekends)
“Drawing Tony Abbott into the marginal seats campaign to energise the party faithful and secure crucial primary votes is a really high risk strategy for Malcolm Turnbull and the Coalition.”
Dr Duncan McDonnell, School of Government and International Relations
“I’d be surprised if they (Australian Liberty Alliance) got somebody over the line.”
Professor Fabrizio Carmignani, Head of Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics
ABC Gold Coast (Breakfast)
“I believe that the budget will be the core issue that will be discussed during the campaign and to answer the question what must be done to transform the Australian economy after mining boom.”
Jenny Menzies, Centre for Governance and Public Policy
“A looming decision on weekend penalty rates presents problems for both major parties in the lead-up to Australia’s federal election.”
Professor Noel Scott, Deputy Director, Griffith Institute for Tourism
ABC Gold Coast (Mornings)
“A change of approach is needed for the Chinese touristmarket and other Asian markets. It requires a rethink about what the customer wants.”
Griffith University experts in climate change and information managementare helping Pacific island countries and territories to discover and managethe information they need to plan for climate change.
While a number of projects are under way in the region to mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, finding the information to decide which of them will deliver the best value and ensure that they can stand up to future climates has just become easier thanks to the Pacific iCLIM project.
The project, which is supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Government Partnerships for Development program, is being implemented by Griffith University in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Pacific iCLIM project is working in a number of areas to increase the availability of climate change information to Pacific decision makers.
The project involves upskilling local agencies in information-management practices and creating web-based systems to share and find climate change resources across the region.
The launch of the upgraded Pacific Climate Change Portal in Apia, Samoa, on June 17, 2016, will be an important step forward for climate change planning in the region.
The portal already contains more than 1000 data sets and documents relevant to climate change in the Pacific and this number will grow as more material is added and shared throughout the region.
“Climate change is a regional problem,” said Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, Director of Climate Change at SPREP.
“By working together Pacific island countries and territories will be better able to respond to climate change.
“This upgraded portal puts climate change information at people’s fingertips, which will support better decision making.”
Small island developing states throughout the Pacific are already feeling the brunt of climate change, even though the region only produces 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Adaptation projects, such as moving or upgrading critical infrastructure and developing more resilient crops, are essential to enabling Pacific island countries and territories to reach their development goals while coping with a rapidly changing climate.
“At a global level, Australia is a leader in data management, so utilizing this knowledge to help address critical issues such as climate change has been welcomed throughout the Pacific region,” said Professor Brendan Mackey, Director of Griffith Climate Change Response Program at Griffith University.
“An important part of this project has been tailoring our knowledge and expertise to develop solutions that suit the needs of Pacific Island countries and territories.
“Working closely with the SPREP and governments in Vanuatu, Tonga and Fiji has been really important to ensure that the Pacific Climate Change Portal can support adaptation and resilience planning at both the national and regional level.”
Scott Morrison’s first budget followed swiftly by Malcolm Turnbull’s double-dissolution election have sharpened public interest in issues like superannuation, negative gearing and tax thresholds like never before.
The sustained focus on matters of money during the election campaign has also brought to the fore the challenges Australians face in gaining and maintaining an understanding of the complexities of personal finance.
Perhaps at no time before have the skills and services of financial planning been more called upon.
“Personal finances are increasingly complex. There is a myriad of financial products on offer, differing tax treatment and increasing responsibility for one’s own retirement income.”
“Financial planning is a complex area, and requires planners to have a broad range of skills to successfully navigate their clients to a successful outcome.”
However, as those clients look to the future, they do so with an eye on the recent past and a decade where concerns about educational levels of financial planners, conflicts of interest and substantial losses due to the GFC have hindered the sector’s progress.
This client-planner relationship is the focus of new research at Griffith Business School.
“Financial planners are seen as a critical element in ensuring the financial security and success of many Australians,” Dr Hunt says. “However, what attributes contribute to an effective working relationship between financial planners and their clients, and is there a connection with successful planning?”
“We know little about what factors lead to good working relationships between financial planners and their clients.”
The research, which is supported by the Financial Planning Association, will also investigate if these factors have altered since 2009, with the financial planning sector affected by government reforms and continuing uncertainty with the global financial markets during this time.
“This research is important as it will bring to light whether such things as trust, education and empowerment are important to financial planning relationship — or whether it is just about the dollars achieved.”
If you would like to participate in this research, Griffith University is inviting both financial planners and their clients to undertake a short 15 minute online survey, which is anonymous. To undertake this confidential survey, click here.
For any queries about this research project contact Dr Katherine Hunt at [email protected] or on (07) 555 27789.
The Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City (BUH) visited Griffith Nathan campus on Tuesday 14 June 2016. The visit saw discussions centre on collaborations with Griffith Business School (GBS). As one of the top three banking and finance universities in Vietnam, BUH is an important partner for GBS.
BUH delegation leader, Mr Tan Phat Le, President, Student Services, was keen to point out that BUH lecturers and students are very interested in international cooperation with Griffith University.
During the meeting Professor Peter Best, Discipline Head of Accounting, Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, spoke about Griffith’s Bachelor Commerce Accounting major. Professor Best gave a detailed explanation regarding articulation opportunities for BUH students within the Bachelor of Commerce. These include an embedded pathway to CPA Australia Associate Membership, and exemptions from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Fundamental Level exams. Professor Best mentioned that both these qualifications are recognised throughout the world.
“Graduates can then return to Vietnam to complete their CPA or ACCA Professional Level exams”, Professor Best said.
With 129 countries currently being represented at Griffith, Vietnamese students rank eighth, demonstrating the importance of this region and in particular, this partnership in Griffith’s overall commitment to Asian engagement. Griffith now has a wide range of rich and diverse connections with Asia across many of its academic disciplines, engaging students and staff on all of its campuses.
A study targeting older men with low bone mass expects to see big improvements in bone and muscle strength without the need for drugs, say Griffith University researchers.
The Gold Coast study is examining whether high-load resistance training is a safe and effective strategy for improving bone and muscle strength in men over 50, aiding in the fight against osteoporosis.It follows a similar resistance training study in post-menopausal women.
Twenty-fiveper cent of people sustaining an osteoporotic hip fracture will die within a year and increased mortality risk persists for 10 years.
The study follows a story in the New York Times which claims that millions of Americans suffering from osteoporosis are riskingdebilitating fractures from weakened bones, because they’re terrified of exceedingly rare side effects from drugs that can help them.
“Although there are drugs available to improve bone strength, we have already shown with our women’s group that improvements can be made without the use of drugs by undertaking high-load resistance exercise training,” says lead researcher Professor Belinda Beck from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland.
“We had some fantastic results with our women’s group who showed significant increases in bone strength as a result of the prescribed exercises and we are confident of replicating this now in our men.”
Lifting intervention
Called LIFTMOR-M (Lifting Intervention for Training Muscle and Osteoporosis Rehabilitation-for Men), the study is recruiting around 100 healthy men aged over 50 with low bone mass.
The men are being randomly assigned to either a high-load resistance training program or a high-load isometric training program on a novel device specifically designed to enhance bone health.
The LIFTMOR-M program takes 30 minutes twice a week for eight months, with participants undertaking a small number of exercises of gradually increasing intensity under full supervision.
All study participants receive free scans at the beginning and end of the study to assess changes in bone mass and muscle strength.
“People wrongly think that osteoporosis only affects women but the reality is that one in five men will also suffer an osteoporotic fracture over the age of 60. Unfortunately men are diagnosed much less frequently than women and are treated even more rarely,” says Professor Beck.
“The irony is that men suffer a greater loss of independence and are at higher risk of death following an osteoporotic fracture. Our goal is to provide the evidence for an effective therapy for men.”
Within 10years it is estimated that 6.2 million Australians over the age of 50 will suffer from osteoporosis or osteopenia and one fracture will occur every 2.9 minutes. The estimated cost of caring for those fractures will be $33.6 billion.
ï‚· For more information on the LIFTMOR for men study, please contact Amy Harding on 0410 616 596
Griffith Business School (GBS) students will take to the high seas next year aboard a luxury cruise liner for a 12-day South Pacific experience to study first-hand key aspects of the booming cruise industry.
According to Professor Weaver, the course will be among the first of its kind for an Australian university by delivering most of the lectures and seminars on board a cruise ship during a 12-day South Pacific cruise.
“This is really exciting because the students get to experience the cruise industry directly as a consumer, and at the same time they also get vital exposure to the production of the contemporary cruise experience,” said Professor Weaver.
He is expecting 24 students to sign up for the Cruise Industry Experience course, which will provide real-time exposure and insight into industry structure and trends, as well as supply chains, ship operations, revenue generation strategies, market segmentation, marketing, the passenger experience and risk management.
“The economic, environmental and sociocultural sustainability of the industry will also be assessed from diverse stakeholder perspectives,” said Professor Weaver.
Course open to all Griffith students
“For our HSL majors it’s an optional core course, but can be taken as an elective by other Griffith Business School and Griffith students.”
Students will have twin-share accommodation aboard Royal Caribbean’s MS Voyager of the Seas, which will depart Sydney on January 31 for a 12-day cruise that will stop at Noumea and Lifou in New Caledonia, Lautoka and Suva in Fiji and Mystery Island in Vanuatu.
“We chose Royal Caribbean because it is the second-biggest cruise operator in the world and has a reputation for producing the most innovative and largest ships,” said Professor Weaver.
Lectures at sea
Morning and afternoon lectures will be held during the six days at sea, while students will be encouraged to undertake on-shore excursions at each port of call to examine first-hand the impact on local communities of cruise ship tourism.
“Some students will take the history route while some will take an island tour to explore what each island has to offer,” said Professor Weaver.
“This is real-time learning. We want the students to explore as many aspects of the industry as possible, including the effects on local communities as passengers are encouraged to stay in the cruise bubble as they go onshore.
“We’d like our students to examine for themselves how this is played out at the local level. In the evenings, we will catch up with the students for a one-hour seminar to discuss their findings.”
Recent figures released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) indicate that 24 million passengers are expected to take a leisure cruise globally in 2016, up from 15 million 10 years ago. Since a typical cruise includes five stops, this results in over 100 million visits by passengers to ports-of-call.
World’s most enthusiastic cruisers
The latest statistics from the CLIA reveal that a record 1.058 million Australians took an ocean cruise (PDF 1.3mb) in 2015, up 15 per cent compared to the previous year. On a per capita basis, Australians are the world’s most enthusiastic cruisers, and South-East Queensland is a focus of interest given plans to expand Brisbane’s home port facilities and aspirations to make the Gold Coast a port-of-call.
Professor Weaver said the growth in the cruise industry provided a solid foundation for the Cruise Industry Experience course to become a popular subject for Griffith’s tourism degrees, the Bachelor of International Tourism and Hotel Management and the Bachelor of Tourism (Tourism Management).
The course is open to all Griffith students as a free-choice elective course and to exchange and study abroad students as a Griffith Global Mobility short-term course.
The cruise component of the subject will cost $1864 and financial aid through the OS Help loan and Griffith University Incentive Scheme Travel Grant is available to eligible students.
Registrations for the course are required before August 23, 2016.
Now in its eleventh year, the ISRF aims to attract the world’s brightest upcoming scientists. Attending the Forum provides Griffith students with an opportunity to forge relationships that can help positively yield scientific advances.
The multicultural Griffith delegation is from a broad range of research areas and countries, with all of the students this year being international.
Led by Professor Sarah Todd, Vice President (Global), and Professor David Shum, Dean of Research, Griffith Health, the delegation will be presenting on their PhD topics related to this year’s research theme – Life Science and Medicine.
Professor Todd said that the ISRF provides the opportunity for students to have their work critiqued by peers from around the world, as well as giving them the opportunity to build their own international networks for the future.
“Griffith is committed to all PhD students having an international experience as part of their studies, and the ISRF is an amazing event to be part of, with some of the brightest students in their respective disciplines coming together to discuss challenges that require a multidisciplinary and multinational approach to solve.”
Professor Shum also noted that it was exciting and pleasing to see young and enthusiastic researchers from all different parts of the world sharing their PhD projects.
The ISRF broader research parameters of Drug Discovery and Infectious Diseases, or Health and Chronic Diseases are highly consistent with Griffith’s research strengths and areas of strategic investment.
Since its inception in 2005, almost 120 Griffith University Higher Degree by Research (HDR) candidates have benefited from the ISRF, with some being lucky enough to attend more than once.
Griffith University has hosted the ISRF in 2009 and 2013 and is one of five founding members. This year’s event saw students and faculty from Australia, Scotland, China, the United States of America and Denmark participating.
From Covent Garden in London to The Metropolitan Opera in New York — Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University graduates are being beckoned by some of the world’s most famous stages.
For Kiandra, her passion for opera was ignited at a very young age.
“I think I was nine or ten, I can’t quite remember, but it was in QPAC’s Lyric Theatre where I saw a production of Tosca by Opera Queensland and I remember turning to my mum and saying that’s what I want to do!”
The Bachelor of Music graduate completed her studies in 2010 before taking a young artist position with Opera Queensland.
“From there I then moved to the young artists program at Opera Australia and then I went overseas to Salzburg for a year as a prize I won from the Australian Singing Competition, so I was really lucky in a sense to have those stepping stones.”
Samuel says the once in a lifetime opportunity to live and work in London placed him right in the heart of the opera world as he commenced his international career.
“The Royal Opera House is practically Mecca for the opera world, and for opera lovers we all make the journey at some point in our lives.
“This attracts all the world’s greatest singers and greatest artists within the realm of opera and I’ve been able to work with these fantastic people, the best coaches in the world, the best conductors, the best singers, the best directors. It’s been unbelievable.”
The ideal foundation
Tenor Kang Wang who is currently training at The Met
For Kang — who initially studied IT in Darwin before later pursuing his singing career — he credits his training at Queensland Conservatorium, particularly with Joseph Ward OBE, as giving him the ideal start.
“The training at the Con basically set up the foundation for me because before I came there I was very amateurish, but the training was great for me; it set up a great foundation for me.”
Baritone Samuel Johnson who has received expert coaching at The Royal Opera House
Samuel agrees, citing technique as a vital component of his training.
“It’s really incredible, the solid technique I learned has really helped me in my short professional career thus far, and for me I think this is the best place to go in Australia personally.”
Head of Opera Nicholas Cleobury says these skills don’t just happen, they must be learned.
“Opera has to be sung well but it isn’t just that, we need to give them good languages and wonderful stage presence,” he explains.
“I think we have a jewel in the crown here at the Con with Anna Sweeny who is a colleague of many years from back in the UK and so among the special things we give is that ability to move well on the stage.”
After completing two seasons at The Royal Opera House, Kiandra now has her sights set firmly on the future.
“After being fortunate enough to perform at Covent Garden, I think the next steps for me are to perform at La Scala in Milan, and the Met as well that’s always been a dream of mine, so hopefully in ten years’ time it will be amazing to be there.”
Learn more about studying opera at Queensland Conservatorium.
