Financial crimes cover a wide range of illegal activities, including scams, money laundering, trafficking, tax evasion and child exploitation that involve monetary transactions. These crimes pose a major threat to the community, customers and the global financial system. Recently the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) reported that Australians lost $2.7 billion last year to scams and the entire shadow economy in Australia is estimated to be worth $50 billion annually, increasing by 50% in recent years (Black Economy task force 2017).
There is a growing need to do more to empower financial institutions and policymakers to detect, report and disrupt financial crime. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals target 16.4, “by 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial flows and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organised crime”, the current Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing legislation is set to change. Known as Tranche II entities, Australia’s regime is expected to expand the number of industries required to report suspicious financial matters, such as, lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, trust and company service providers, and dealers of precious metals and stones. While this aims to close gaps and improve a broader range of monitoring, it leads to a critical skills shortage for current and future workforces.
To combat this, Griffith University, in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), launched the Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance which aims to bring together Griffith’s expertise in Business, Criminology, Information Communication Technology and Forensic Accounting to build interdisciplinary and industry-relevant training. Together with CBA, Griffith co-designed a series of interdisciplinary micro-credentials using an experiential learning pedagogy to enhance foundational skills of CBA staff across Australia, India and New Zealand.
This exceptional program offers immersive, hands-on experience in applying investigation skills through realistic scenarios, designed to sharpen participant’s situational awareness and enhance their ability in matching transaction data with diverse financial crime typologies. The program will train up to 2,500 employees over three years and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants with 96% of participants finding the program relevant to their role, and 98% finding it useful in uplifting their skills and knowledge.
“Combating financial crime is a major challenge for the global financial system, and in Australia, we are impacted by a shortage of skilled workers to combat the issue.”
The Academy’s Director, Professor Andreas Chai.
“We wanted to look at building long-term solutions for that capability, across all areas of financial crime. So, we came together to start building ideas.”*
CBA’s Executive General Manager, Financial Crime Compliance, Mr John Fogarty.
In addition to micro-credentials, through launching postgraduate programs and a national first undergraduate major, the Academy is working to address long-term capability needs by creating learning pathways for people wishing to enter the field either as fresh graduates, those re-skilling from another profession, or existing professionals building on their expertise for career advancement.
Recent graduate, Nate Henshaw
Nate Henshaw, a recent graduate, highlights the value of his experience at Griffith: “The Master of Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance equipped me with a sound knowledge of Australia’s financial crime regulatory environment, financial crime trends and typologies, financial crime investigation skills, and financial crime risk management techniques. It also afforded me the opportunity to connect and learn from the friendly and expert teaching staff and network with the broader community of financial crime professionals.”
As Nate attests, the Academy not only provides essential skills but also fosters valuable connections within the financial crime community. These efforts are crucial in strengthening Australia’s defence against financial crime, ensuring a more secure and resilient financial system for the future. Progressing into the field, Nate has gone on to successfully secure a role as an Enhanced Due Diligence Analyst.
Continuing efforts to uplift industry capabilities, the Academy is opening Expressions of Interests for Short Courses aimed at individual learners or those from smaller institutions.
Keep up-to-date with the latest news and events by following the Academy on LinkedIn.
*Source: Australian Financial Review, August 21, 2024
Griffith University’s partnership with PsiQuantum will see a new ‘Test and Validation’ lab opened at Griffith’s Nathan campus.
PsiQuantum will move into the renovated lab in early 2025 following the announcement made today by its co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Pete Shadbolt who was on campus to address students and staff.
The announcement follows the recent signing of an MOU between Griffith University, PsiQuantum and four other Queensland universities.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans
Griffith’s Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Carolyn Evans, said this lab puts Griffith and Brisbane on the quantum map.
“We are excited about the partnership with PsiQuantum and the opportunities it will bring for more Queensland students to build future-focused STEM careers,” Professor Evans said.
“This partnership builds on more than 20 years of leading research in quantum technology here at Griffith and across the state.
“We hope to see joint research projects and future opportunities for interns and industry PhD students once the lab opens.”
PsiQuantum’s first utility-scale quantum computer in Brisbane will be size of a warehouse and therefore will need to feature state-of-the-art software including circuits and electronics.
The ‘Test and Validation’ lab at Griffith will ensure the hardware for the quantum computer meets the requisite high performance needs to operate the machine.
By testing the components of the quantum computer, the lab will ensure they’re working well, and will calibrate the parts so they meet performance targets, while also generating and testing ideas for the next generation of quantum computing.
The lab will collaborate closely with other PsiQuantum facilities worldwide, evolving as the quantum computer site becomes fully operational.
Initially, the lab will require experts in applied quantum physics, photonics, electronics, and programming and into the future there will be a need for more general engineering and applied physics expertise.
Like the petroleum industry itself, households are heavily invested in existing transport technologies. Getting oil and gas companies – and consumers – to switch to zero-emissions transport is a huge challenge.
We can’t presume battery electric vehicles (EVs) will displace fossil fuel vehicles any time soon. They are not accessible to most households and don’t offer radically better transport services. They drive on the same congested roads with the same speed limits.
On the supply side, electrifying entire transport fleets requires major infrastructure expansions. Even with strong demand, such infrastructures will struggle to displace Big Oil’s dominant and affordable alternative.
It’s a classic chicken-and-egg predicament. Consumers and vehicle makers won’t switch unless they are confident the required refuelling infrastructures will be available. But those infrastructures won’t materialise without sufficient demand.
Repurposing existing infrastructure to supply clean fuels could convince both consumers and vehicle manufacturers to make the switch. But what would that take?
Clean fuel alternatives
Major economies (including the United States, European Union and Japan) and car manufacturers, such as Toyota and BMW, are actively promoting clean hydrogen-based technologies such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Toyota and some heavy vehicle manufacturers are also investing in vehicles that could combust clean hydrogen.
Whether “green hydrogen” might work for mass transport remains hotly debated. But it’s not the only possibility – biofuels made from renewable feedstocks have the potential to at least partly decarbonise transport (especially aviation).
And so‑called “drop-in fuels” could also substitute for fossil fuels. Known as e‑fuels, these are synthetic fuels made by combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide.
As such they could decarbonise transport faster and more widely because they can be used in existing vehicles – and supplied via existing infrastructures. A recent EU ban on new fossil fuel vehicle sales from 2035 was softened to allow for this.
As with EVs, vehicles running on clean hydrogen, biofuels or e‑fuels don’t revolutionise transport beyond reducing emissions. But they might get a head start on EVs by solving that chicken-and-egg problem: making possible the conversion of entire vehicle fleets to run on clean fuels, while developing the required refuelling infrastructures.
Mass electrification requires massive new infrastructure.
Affordability and scale
Repurposing existing fossil fuel infrastructures to supply clean fuels could be faster and cheaper than building new ones, such as the massively expanded electricity systems required for mass EV adoption.
For example, zero-emissions hydrogen can be produced from natural gas, but the process itself produces greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon capture storage (CCS) – removing the emissions and storing them securely in geological structures such as depleted gas fields – is one possible solution.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sees CCS as feasible and playing a significant role in reducing greenhouse emissions. This would mean oil companies could adapt to producing zero-emissions hydrogen while renewable hydrogen or e‑fuel production develops.
The required geological structures are located near oil and gas infrastructures, which could also be converted to transport the resulting clean fuels.
These technologies might not yet be economically viable. But the same was true of EVs only 20 years ago. Concerted investment – and production at scale – was pivotal in improving their economics.
Repurposing fossil fuel infrastructures also opens the door to converting existing vehicles to run on clean fuels. This requires little or no modification for drop-in fuels, which are substitutable for existing fuels by design. Alternatively, vehicles can be converted to combust clean hydrogen (or dual fuel mixtures).
This could be much more affordable – and attractive to vehicle owners – than buying new vehicles (even assuming suitable options were available).
Putting coal out of business
In the process, Big Oil could avoid its existing assets becoming sunset investments. Critically, it could also profit from repurposing its infrastructures, by decarbonising sectors currently dominated by the other major carbon polluter, coal.
For example, hydrogen is a more credible substitute than electrification in some large coal-consuming industries, such as steelmaking.
However, given the need for scale and co‑ordination, it’s unlikely individual oil and gas companies could profitably repurpose their infrastructures on their own.
But industry-wide agreement and co‑ordination to produce a particular clean energy (or mix of energies) could substantially reduce investment risks. Laws against collusion would likely prohibit such agreements, so targeted exemptions and close regulatory oversight would be needed.
Relatedly, firms might commit to accelerating the green transition in return for regulated – but guaranteed – rates of return. While not perfect, this strategy has a precedent in the way competing US electricity utilities became regulated monopolies.
This has been used to support the rollout of other natural monopoly infrastructures such as water networks, toll roads, cable TV and fibre broadband. It creates a contest that Big Oil couldn’t afford to lose.
Vintage electric cab car in the Vis-a-Vis style by Krieger Paris 1897 illustration. In 1894 Louis Antoine Kriéger ( 1868–1951 ) of Paris, France began designing and building electric automobiles. By 1898, when electric powered vehicle interest increased in France, the Kriéger Company of Electric Vehicles manufactured electric vehicles in Paris, France from 1898 to 1909.
Repurposing the past
History offers relevant lessons. EVs were once a dominant automobile technology over a century ago. But they were quickly displaced with the arrival of affordable and convenient fossil fuel vehicles. Emerging clean fuels hold the promise of fast refuelling and long ranges, combined with zero emissions, meaning the days of EVs could again be numbered.
Recall, too, that 19th-century investors accelerated the transition to rail by buying canals that competed with trains. They then either retired them or repurposed them as rail routes.
Had those investors anticipated motorised vehicles and roads displacing rail, they likely would have invested less. That they didn’t means current generations benefit from access to more railways than would otherwise be available.
The same is potentially true for the fossil fuel industry. Past investment in polluting infrastructures could benefit current and future generations if repurposing those infrastructures accelerates the green transition.
Griffith University is proud to announce the establishment of its new Brisbane City campus, set to open in 2027 at the historic Treasury Building on Queen Street, formerly occupied by The Star Entertainment Group.
This landmark development will serve as a hub for the University’s Business, Information Technology, and Law disciplines, as well as a centre for postgraduate and executive education.
The acquisition of the lease for this heritage-listed building marks a significant milestone for Griffith, expanding its footprint into the heart of Brisbane’s CBD.
By 2035, the city campus is expected to be home to approximately 7,000 students and 400 staff, offering a state-of-the-art educational environment fostering innovation, collaboration, and engagement with the broader community.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans
Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans said the CBD campus would serve as a ‘front door’ for industry and community engagement, enabling partnerships with commerce, industry, and government.
“The Brisbane CBD campus will deliver an entirely new experience for students, staff, and partners alike,” Professor Evans said.
“This flagship location will not only complement our existing South Bank campus but will enhance Griffith’s profile both locally and globally, making it an iconic hub of learning and engagement.”
The Star Brisbane Chief Executive Officer Daniel Finch said: “It has been a privilege for our company and team members to be the caretaker of the much-loved heritage building for almost thirty years.”
“We are delighted to hand the baton to Griffith University, knowing the Treasury Building is in the safe hands of another proud Queenslander which respects its history as much as we have.
“As a neighbour just up the street at The Star Brisbane at Queen’s Wharf, it will be exciting to watch the story of the Treasury Building evolve, continuing to provide unique experiences and memories for future generations.”
Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace said: “The iconic Treasury Building is one of Queensland’s great landmarks and I’m thrilled that it’s going to be transformed into a place of learning.”
“Former Premier Sir Samuel Griffith played a key role commissioning the Treasury Building so it’s fitting that this historic site will house a renowned university that bears his name.
“With its rich history, this building has always fascinated visitors and will now continue to be enjoyed by the public well into the future.”
Griffith University is committed to preserving the heritage nature of the building while equipping it for the future needs of education.
Griffith University is appreciative of the support we have received from the Queensland Government during this process.
The central location will make the University even more accessible to students in the South East region, particularly those from the west and north of the CBD.
It will be well-connected to Brisbane’s extensive public transport network including bus, train, and ferry services, as well as future planned infrastructure.
International students will also benefit from the prime location providing them with the opportunity to live, work, and study in the heart of the city.
“The CBD campus will solidify Griffith University’s presence on the global stage, attracting talent from around the world to the 2032 Olympic Games city,” Professor Evans said.
“We are excited to embark on this transformative journey, creating a world-class educational hub shaping the future of learning and community engagement in Brisbane and beyond.”
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a step closer to establishing a new banking regulatory system with Griffith University academics playing a key part in the move towards a Monetary Authority for the North Pacific Island nation.
In issuing a White Paper for the establishment of a Monetary Authority in the country, Hon. David Paul, RMI’s Minister for Finance, Banking and Postal Services, said that:
“Government intervention in the form of Marshall Island’s Monetary Authority was needed to respond to the increasing vulnerability of RMI’s financial system”.
The basis essentially of the White Paper is a policy paper drafted jointly by RMI’s Office of Banking Commission (OBC) and Griffith’s Pacific Island Centre for Development Policy and Research (PICDPR), soon after OBC signed an MoU in 2022 with PICDRP for assistance with research and policymaking capacity development, which PICDPR provides to several institutions in the region.
A key recommendation of the policy paper had been the establishment of a monetary authority to replace the current centralised system headed by the existing OBC. The bill for the establishment of RMI’s Monetary Authority is scheduled to be presented to RMI’s Government in the coming days and is likely to be passed.
Program Director of the PICDPR, Dr Parmendra Sharma says the policy paper found the major benefits of a monetary authority will be around RMI’s ability to effectively respond to the threats surrounding the continued viability of the nation’s commercial banks and the flow-on effects to payments and the Islands’ financial and economic development. Dr Sharma said:
“Without a central banking authority, the Marshall Islands current banking sector isn’t able to operate effectively and be at risk of governance infractions. An authority will provide a myriad of opportunities through fintech innovations and non-bank finance.”
Head of the OBC, Commissioner Sultan Korean says replacing the current regulatory authority has been in the pipeline for many years as banking sector problems confronting RMI had worsened since 2015, stating that:
“Griffith’s expertise laid a solid foundation for the White Paper and establishment of an internationally credible RMI Monetary Authority.”
Commissioner Korean is also heading the taskforce responsible for the establishment of the Monetary Authority. Members of the Taskforce include Griffith Asia Institute’s Dr Peter Dirou, an adjunct Research Fellow with PICDPR.
Dr Sharma said the policy paper elaborates on the responsibilities of an RMI Monetary Authority, the institutional framework that will be needed, and the pathway to building the Monetary Authority’s capabilities.
“Integrating the establishment of an RMI Monetary Authority, and an associated financial sector development plan, into the Compact renegotiations, highlights the importance of RMI maintaining its links with the US Federal Reserve System and US financial sector regulators.”
The Compact of Free Association is a treaty between the USA and the Marshall Islands which sees the US provide direct economic assistance to the Micronesian country.
The policy paper argues that an RMI Monetary Authority could develop along a similar trajectory as Banco Central de Timor-Leste (BCTL), which is seen as a highly credible institution with operational autonomy and using USD as the legal tender
Overall, this policy paper is an important step towards establishing a monetary authority in the RMI and addressing the financial sector problems confronting the state.
Griffith University is proud to have contributed to this policy paper and hopes it will assist the RMI Government in its efforts to resolve these problems. PICDPR will continue to help develop research and policymaking capacity at RMI’s Banking Commission and later at the Monetary Authority.
New research led by Griffith University reveals how urban areas in Brisbane are losing bird species with characteristics that people find most “aesthetically pleasing”.
The study, led by Dr Andres Felipe Suarez-Castro, found 82 different bird species across 42 different landscape types in Brisbane, but the variety of smaller, colourful, “melodious” bird species decreased in areas where there were not enough green spaces and fragmented landscapes.
Dr Andres Felipe Suarez Castro.
Dr Suarez-Castro said these outcomes highlighted the importance of designing urban landscapes in future developments that increased opportunities to find colourful and melodious birds and favour people’s connection with nature.
Beauty can be subjective, but several studies have demonstrated that traits such as colour, size and shape favour positive feelings and perceptions of species as beneficial.
“’Attractive’ traits could even influence human preferences toward conserving species and support education and fundraising,” Dr Suarez-Castro said.
The results show that some species like the Scarlet Honeyeater (Myzomela sanguinolenta) and the Yellow-faced Honeyeater (Lichenostomus chrysops) were lost in highly urbanised environments.
When the number of species was low, landscapes could support some species that are considered “attractive” based on their traits, such as the (Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus and Willie Wagtail Rhipidura leucophrys).
Colourful bird varieties like the Rainbow Lorikeet are at risk of disappearing from urban areas without adequate planning.
However, the overall attractiveness of a variety of different species could decline, as small bodied, colourful and melodious species were negatively affected by built infrastructure and fragmentation.
It corresponded with the loss of species with high attractiveness values, such as small-bodied forest dependent species that tended to be more vulnerable to urbanisation (White-throated Gerygone Gerygone olivace and Australian Golden Whistler Pachycephala pectoralis).
“But there is potential to maintain attractive assemblages in cities,” Dr Suarez-Castro said.
“Urban planning should consider how to bring back vibrant, colourful birdlife to our cities, enriching our daily lives and reconnecting us with nature in the very places we live and work.
“There are relatively easy fixes like creating green corridors and adding diverse vegetation in parks and gardens. These strategies can provide key habitats for many colourful species with a high diversity of calls.”
Dr Andres Felipe Suarez-Castro
This information could help to track the success of initiatives that seek to achieve wins for both biodiversity and human wellbeing, and it could lead to greater support for conservation and positive human health outcomes.
The third 2024 Pacific Seminar Series was convened virtually by Pacific Island Centre for Development Policy and Research (PICDPR) at Griffith Asia Institute on 20 August. The presenters were from Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). ASIC is Australia’s integrated corporate, markets, financial services and consumer credit regulator and APRA is Australia’s prudential supervisor, responsible for ensuring that our financial system is stable, competitive and efficient. The two are three of the key financial sector regulators in Australia; the third being Reserve Bank of Australia.
The ASIC presenters talked about the Institution’s approach to financial innovation and its enhanced regulatory sandbox. The presentations noted that ASIC’s role was to balance innovation and, at the same time, monitor and uphold market integrity and protect consumers. APRA presenters noted that common challenges in licensing of new financial institutions could be summed up as Four Cs: Capital, Credibility Capability and Contingency.
The Pacific Seminar Series is PICDPR’s initiative for engagement of its stakeholders with the Pacific regulators and policymakers. More than 100 colleagues from the region attended the seminar and appreciated its relevance for the region noting, among others, that that regulators need to have in place clearly established licensing processes and requirements for effective and efficient operations and they need to develop regulatory sandbox to assist in licensing process of fintech companies as well a need to strike the right balance between innovation, regulation and consumer protection.
Dr Parmendra Sharma, PICDPR Program Director, agreed with the relevance and the usefulness of the seminar, noting that: It was the first of its kind event for the region, especially jointly by APRA and ASIC. These seminars are helping PICDPR’s Pacific partners think more broadly about regulation and its implications for the region.
For more details on past and future events, visit the PICDPR events page.
Droughts, fires, and floods can have devastating consequences for farmers’ mental health.
The suicide rate for Australian farmers is also almost 59 per cent higher than the general population, and research has confirmed a link between farmer suicides and extreme weather.
With climate change predicted to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, Australia needs to prepare — or risk losing more farmer lives to suicide.
Extreme weather and farmer suicides
In Australia’s prime agricultural region, the Murray-Darling Basin, extreme drought and hotter temperatures during 2006-2016 were associated with an increase in farmer suicides.
That University of Adelaide research also found a link between the number of months of drought and suicide rate, with just one additional month of extreme drought increasing the suicide rate by 32 percent.
The 2023 National Farmer Wellbeing Report surveyed 1,300 farmers from across Australia, and found that weather and natural disasters were the most common triggers for mental health issues among Australian farmers, affecting 47 per cent.
Weather and natural disasters were the most common triggers for mental health issues among Australian farmers
Almost half of all farmers (45 per cent) had experienced thoughts of self-harm or suicide, while almost one-third (30 per cent) had attempted self-harm or suicide.
Extreme weather events that adversely impacted farming operations were reported by an overwhelming majority of survey respondents (88 per cent). Farmers also reported considerable financial strains when an extreme weather event occurs, with an average cost of $AU1.4 million per farm.
A lack of control over the weather, and a resulting sense of powerlessness, has previously been identified as a contributor to suicide deaths among farmers.
But as extreme weather events become more common and more severe in Australia, these disasters have cumulative impacts on the mental health of farmers, who are not only dependent on the land, but also identify profound emotional and psychological connections to their land.
Research into the mental health impacts of climate change has established that both the actual impact and the threat of losing one’s livelihood, connection to land or sense of place are key contributors to mental health issues, including suicidality. For farmers, these impacts are particularly significant as extreme weather becomes more frequent: This weather is no longer limited to isolated events, meaning there is often no period of stability to enable recovery before the next drought, flood, or fire.
What does the future look like?
Temperatures are all but certain to rise further, and it’s very likely the intensity of extreme rainfall events will also increase, Australia’s national science agency CSIRO says.
Australia is also expected to face “mega-droughts”, meaning droughts that last 20 years or more, modelling from ANU researchers, drawing on precipitation data from over 1,000 years suggests.
These mega-droughts are predicted to be a feature of the Australian climate, even without human-induced climate change. Introducing human-induced climate change into the mix is expected to exacerbate these droughts — presumably worsening their impact on farmers’ financial and mental health.
Encouragingly, the number of farmers seeking help for mental health reasons doubled in 2023
The suicide prevention tool specifically for farmers and the communities, Taking Stock, provides resources and supports at the community, relational, and individual levels.
But with climate change predicted to worsen extreme weather events, governments would be wise to amp up suicide prevention and intervention programs.
These programs could focus on not just why farmers are dying — an area that has been researched — but instead targeting the means by which farmers are attempting and dying by suicide.
Policies and education for farmers about reducing accessibility of means may be one avenue worth exploring for preventing farmer suicides during the fast-approaching reality of extreme weather conditions.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, visitfind a helpline
Celebrated contemporary artist and Head of Sculpture at the Queensland College of Art and Design Justene Williams has unveiled her latest public sculpture, set within the newly opened Queen’s Wharf precinct.
Drawing inspiration from the Sheela-na-gig, a figure often associated with fertility and protection, the five-metre-high bronze, aptly named ‘Sheila’ explores the intersection of myth, history and contemporary culture through Ms Williams’ unique artistic lens.
Standing proudly on the river side of the Commissariat Store and keeping a watchful eye on the casino and the city, Sheila was designed as a lucky charm and a sign of good things to come.
“I feel like she could be this tiny charm on a bracelet, but she’s been expanded to a larger-than-life version of that,” Ms Williams said.
Artist and Head of Sculpture, Justene Williams
“She’s a protector of the space – one hand is open, facing up and the other is clenched so it’s as if one hand is collecting energy and the other is holding it in, which also has connotations of bringing in and holding onto the dollars with its position outside the casino.
“I hope she becomes a landmark where people will say, ‘I’ll meet you down by the Sheila’.”
Sheila challenges traditional perceptions of the female form in public art, with Ms Williams’ work often putting a feminine spin on historical figures that championed the masculine form.
The sculpture also features a silver dish as a halo, which Ms Williams describes as a recurring motif in her work symbolising security, reflection and the interplay of past and present.
“I look back on history a lot in my work and particularly the futurist movement, and to me the future is decidedly female,” she said.
“Sheila has two fronts – she is a mother to all and will never turn her back on you.”
Justene Williams with Sheila
Pro Vice Chancellor of Arts, Education and Law at Griffith University, Professor Scott Harrison, said the University is incredibly proud of Ms Williams and her contribution to public art at Queen’s Wharf.
“Public art such as this serves as a bridge between people and place, fostering a deeper sense of community and belonging,” he said.
“Justene’s large-scale work not only enriches Brisbane’s cultural landscape but also reflects the power of art in shaping vibrant, connected communities for the future.
“We’re equally thrilled to acknowledge Griffith alumnus and Honorary Doctorate recipient Dr Tony Albert, whose Inhabitant, a bold botanical artwork of native Australian flora, adds a significant First Nations voice to this public art collection, fostering a deeper connection to the cultural and natural heritage of Brisbane.
“We look forward to seeing the lasting impact these works will have on the city and its residents.”
Dr Albert’s grand-scale aluminium work can be found above the drive-through entrance to the new entertainment precinct on William Street, with both Sheila and Inhabitant now open for public viewing.
Dr Tony Albert’s ‘Inhabitant’
A recent study has uncovered alarming insights into the dangers posed by fentanyl-contaminated drug supplies in Australia, including a heightened risk of lethal overdose.
The study, titled ‘The gear could be cut with fentanyl which is starting to happen more in Australia’: Exploring Overdose Survivors’ Perspectives on Toxic Supply and Safe Consumption, aimed to explore the role of synthetic opioids in overdoses among Queenslanders.
Led by Griffith University’s Dr Timothy Piatkowski, Emma Kill and Steph Reeve in partnership with the Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy (QuIVAA), the research involved in-depth interviews with 27 individuals in Queensland who hadexperienced opioid overdoses and aimed to identify appropriate harm reduction strategies.
Dr Tim Piatkowski
Participants voiced concerns about the unpredictability and toxicity of the local drug supply, particularly with the introduction of fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that has been linked to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths in North America.
Dr Piatkowski said the presence of fentanyl in Australia’s drug supply was a growing concern that demanded immediate attention.
“Fentanyl can be anywhere from 100 to 500 times stronger than heroin,” he said.
“Just a tiny amount can kill a person very quickly.
“It’s a lot cheaper to produce or buy, and therefore cheaper to cut into any type of drug.
“Similarly, we have other synthetic opioids such as nitazenes, which can be 500 to 1000 times stronger than heroin.
“We haven’t previously seen them much in Australia, however the Australian Federal Police made a significant seizure in 2022, followed by another in 2023 and several more this year, which indicates they are starting to reach our shores.
“We already have an average of five people a day dying from drug overdose in Australia, but if we throw synthetic opioids like fentanyl into the mix, that number could drastically rise.”
While most commonly found in heroin, these substances could be cut into any recreational drug, including pills and party drugs.
An additional issue was the level of resistance of synthetic opioids to naloxone – a drug used to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose or adverse reaction.
Dr Piatkowski said someone who had overdosed on synthetic opioids might need two treatments of naloxone, whereas most people would only carry one.
“Based on this information, we’d like to see safe consumption spaces be established in Queensland,” he said.
“There’s a medical injecting room in Sydney and a safe injecting room in Melbourne, but Queensland has so far been left out, even though we see around 300 people a year dying from overdose here.
“Even if someone is carrying naloxone, a successful outcome relies on someone knowing how to use it, but if we had a safe space for people who are going to use drugs, with health professionals on hand, that’s definitely going to help negate a lot of harm.”
