The wave of new talent emerging from the Gold Coast will be celebrated in the latest SEED Volume 4 album, launching at Miami Marketta on Wednesday 2 September.
Featuring the cream of the crop from Queensland Conservatorium’s Bachelor of Popular Music program, the night will showcase ambient rock artist Aquila Young, indie folk band Fox and Fiasco, electronic diva Phoebe and blues folk master Fletch.
The event will also feature the exclusive premiere of SEED Stories, a series of artist documentaries presented through a partnership between More Gold Coast, the Queensland Conservatorium and some of South East Queensland’s best filmmakers; and a sneak peak of the Espial exhibit by the Queensland College of Art.
As always, this year’s SEED album is diverse, presenting a wide range of artists and genres including dirty jazz, psychedelic rock, indie folk and floating electronica.
Seed is an innovative initiative led by Queensland Conservatorium and Griffith Enterprise, to giveemerging contemporary artists a head start.
Each year the Bachelor of Popular Music students’ best songs are compiled into an album and distributed through major online stores.
Featured artists then receive genuine career building and learning experiences, industry connections and numerous high-profile performance opportunities including a ten-week concert series at QPAC and festivals such as the Bleach* Festival, Blues on Broadbeach, Broadbeach Country Music Festival and many more.
The BPM is the same program responsible for launching the careers of musicians such as The Kite String Tangle, The Delta Riggs, Bobby Alu and The John Steele Singers.
Exploring how future teachers can apply financial literacy education in their mathematics education classes is the focus of a new Griffith PhD thesis topic.
School of Education and Professional Studies PhD Candidate Levon Blue is using a case study to explore the financial literacy education practices in a First Nation community in Canada, of which she is a member.
Financial literacy education aims to develop skills in young people on how to manage money and make informed financial decisions.
Levon says she chose Griffith University because of the facilities available to her, and the important research her supervisors were conducting in and around her key area of interest.
“I’ve increased my research and teaching skills through workshops offered to HDR students at Griffith, and have taken on sessional tutoring opportunities and research assistant roles,” she says.
“I’ve also attended and presented at a number of domestic and international conferences, and currently have eight published articles as a result of the opportunities here at Griffith.”
Prior to commencing her PhD, Levon worked for both the Canadian and Australian governments in senior finance roles, consulting on projects and training managers, Principals and School Executive Officers about school budgets.
“It was during my Masters degree in Training and Development, specialising in professional development, that I began to focus on financial literacy education,” she says.
“I realised that more research was needed to properly guide the process of financial literacy training in higher education for pre-service teachers, and to help direct government policy.”
Following the submission of her PhD thesis in early 2016, Levon intends to continue working in academia in a dual teaching and research capacity.
Levon is supervised by Associate Professor Peter Grootenboer from the School of Education and Professional Studies and Associate Professor Mark Brimble from the Griffith Business School.
Elly Hoyt will soon touch down in her father’s homeland of USA, to undertake a prestigious Masters in jazz performance.
As only one of four jazz vocalists selected worldwide, Elly will attend the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston for the next two years to learn from some of the world’s leading jazz musicians.
The 28-year-old Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University graduate says it will be an incredible time for her to consolidate what she does know, while exploring what she doesn’t.
“Being able to spend two whole years immersed in my craft is what I’m most looking forward to,” she says.
“The best decisions come when you know yourself and what works for you, so I hope that this time will become a new foundation for my future.
“This is perfect timing for me — right now Boston is where I need to be, it’s like a blueprint in my body.”
This timing is also reminiscent of her family in Tasmania where she grew up. Elly’s father, Stewart Hoyt, left America when he was 28 to come to Australia — so it’s a place close to her heart.
“I feel quite at home in America and to be able to return to my heritage is such a treat.”
“I’m excited about working with incredible musicians including Dominique Eade and Ran Blake who will be my teachers in my first semester at NEC”.
Elly also received a Martin Bequest Travelling Scholarship to assist with her journey to Boston, marking the first time a jazz musician has been awarded the honour in the 40 year history of the prize.
Wowing audiences with her soulful voice since she was just five years old, Elly paved her way into the Australian jazz scene when she won the prestigious Generation in Jazz vocal scholarship in 2008, which was judged by James Morrison.
“From the moment I first heard Elly sing, I knew she had that classic, indefinable thing that makes one a jazz singer,” Mr Morrisonsaid.
“It’s not just a sound, or a choice of notes but a way of approaching a song that lets the listener know – this is the real thing.”
Elly released her debut self-titled album in late 2010 and won Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album at the Australian Jazz Bell Awards the following year.
After completing her Bachelor of Music majoring in jazz voice, Elly went on to undertake her Masters of Vocal Pedagogy with Dr Irene Bartlett, while also teaching at Queensland Conservatorium.
Her latest album ‘Oranges & Sunshine’ was released March 2015 and is available on iTunes.
An international partnership dating back 18 years will be revisited on Thursday (August 27) when Griffith Asia Institute hosts a policy forum with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
The Australia-Philippines Policy Forum: Economic Diplomacy and the APEC Agenda will be held in Makati.
“We are keen to deepen our engagement with thePhilippines, and in the process take this opportunity to re-establish a high level Dialogue series,” Professor Russell Trood, Director of Griffith Asia Institute, said.
“This is particularly timely given that Philippines is APEC host this year.”
Griffith University’s Centre for Study of Asia Australia Relations, which becamethe Griffith Asia Institute, was the host of the first PAD in 1997.
“The Dialogue has two objectives,” Professor Trood said. “Firstly, to discuss the current state of the bilateral relationship around the economic and trade partnership and secondly, to strengthen the institutional links between Griffith Asia Institute and Philippine Institute for Development Studies, both members of the APEC Study Centre Consortium.”
Griffith Asia Institute has already established bilateral forums with Japan, Korea and Indonesia. This Dialogue series was convened as part of the Asia Century Futures Initiative.
Thursday’s discussions will examine the current status of the Australia-Philippines bilateral relationship, with a particular focus on the broad economic partnership and their roles in multilateral cooperation such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Both institutions are also seeking to strengthen the collaboration between APEC study centres around research and knowledge dissemination on APEC matters.
The Philippine Institute for Development Studies has been leading the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) since 1997.
The keynote address will be delivered by Undersecretary Laura del Rosario, Department of Foreign Affairs and APEC SOM 2015 Chair.
Three dedicated sessions will explore the prospects for and challenges facing the Australia-Philippines economic partnership in the Asia Pacific, how to build sustainable and resilient communities, and ongoing investment in women’s economic empowerment.
Thursday’s forum takes place at Diamond Makati Residences from 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Improving the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People is the aim of Griffith University’s First People’s Health Unit (FPHU).
The new unit — which was opened by Mr Linus Power, Member for Logan representing The Honourable Cameron Dick MP, Minister for Health on 25 August – will provide high level indigenous leadership and strategic direction on First People’s health in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and community engagement to position Griffith as a leader in this field.
“The unit will see Griffith become a university of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people wanting a career in health and for the wider population wanting to gain a broader understanding of indigenous health,” says Professor Roianne West.
Charged with the development of the FPHU’s learning and teaching plan, including implementation of a group wide First People’s Health Education Framework, Professor West will lead the development of First People’s Health Education undergraduate and postgraduate Health courses and curricula.
“The FPHU is committed to First People’s student success towards a more highly skilled, highly educated health workforce.
“Currently Griffith University has 8,500 students studying within its Health Group, with 170 of these identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. This is believed to be one of the highest figures for a university in Australia.
“Despite this, the new unit is now undertaking a commitment to increase these numbers to around 250 at a minimum.
“This would represent 3 per cent of the health student population and therefore bring us into parity with the general student population.
“The unit is also committed to attracting and retaining excellent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, an important strategy for designing a future to which young indigenous health professionals can aspire,” says Professor West.
The FPHU will also establish and lead research in First People’s Health, as well as foster enhanced collaborations with the Menzies Health Institute Queensland and schools within the Griffith Health Group.
”Griffith Health is committed to ensuring its graduates have the skills and knowledge required to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with health conditions,” says Professor Nick Buys, Griffith Health Group.
“We need to ensure graduates have the cultural capability to deliver services in this area, while at the same time attract students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background to undertake health degrees and enter the health professions.”
Apathy reigns when it comes to personal insurance in Australia with life insurance and protection against trauma, disability and loss of income not ranking in importance.
New research at Griffith University shows poor knowledge about personal insurance products and an underlying lack of trust in the insurance industry are at the heart of this attitude which leaves Australia out of kilter with other OECD powerhouses like the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.
“Australia is a first-world nation but is not behaving like a first-world nation (when it comes to insurance),” says Griffith Business School researcher, Tania Driver, who is investigating why Australians choose to take out personal insurance or not.
Ms Driver has interviewed 30 financial planners and 40 residents of Queensland’s southeast corner to gain a broader picture of the attitudes informing decisions around insurance policies. This preliminary study has provided the framework for an extensive online survey now underway.
Three-quarters of the people interviewed said they regarded personal insurance as optional cover, whereas general insurance – covering cars, houses and home contents – was seen as a necessity.
Personal insurance is not valued by many Australians, the study showed, with many of the opinion that government agencies would provide for them in the event of illness or loss of employment.
“People think they are not likely to have any serious medical conditions; and even if this happens they believe they will have workers’ compensation and sick leave paid to them.”
Lack of knowledge
Ms Driver’s study revealed a lack of knowledge about insurance products across the social spectrum. A follow-up survey of 1000 Australian residents will dig deeper, as Ms Drivers attempts to establish the personal, cultural and behavioural factors influencing decisions around insurance policies.
“It’s a topic that affects every family in Australia,” she says.
Tania Driver moved to the Gold Coast in 2004 and completed a Master of Banking and Finance at Griffith Business School. She worked in industry as a financial planner before returning to Griffith to start a PhD.
“The survey questions test people’s experience and knowledge of insurance products. Have you insurance? Have you ever made an insurance claim? Have you failed to renew your insurance? What are your impressions of insurance companies and how they treat their clients?
“My interview findings showed people do not trust insurance companies and this is the result of negative stories in the media about insurance companies denying claims. Clearly, insurance companies also have to change their approach and generating a more awareness around insurance payouts will be important.
“People see general insurance as more important, possibly because of a perceived ability to make claims on these policies more often than on personal insurance policies.”
Looking at the employment challenges and opportunities for people with disability and how Queensland is shaping up for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the focus of Griffith University’s fifth NDIS symposium held today.
People with disabilities, their families and carers, service providers, government personnel, academics and disability researchers, will come together to share knowledge and experiences around the core elements of the NDIS at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
From July 1, 2016, the NDIS scheme — a generational reform which aims to deliver a national system of disability support focussed on the individual needs of people with disability – will be progressively rolled out across all of Queensland with completion due by June 30, 2019. A launch site is to be announced soon.
Official opening
To be officially opened by the Queensland Government Treasurer Curtis Pitt, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, the event will look at the plans for the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 and how people and their families and carers, can be better positioned to have economic security and employment support.
Judy Hartley, manager of Griffith’s student equity services will discuss some of the positive changes in attitudes to social inclusion.
“Education and employment contexts are continuously changing and while there are many pathways that people can consider, each person’s pathway will be unique.
Education and employment
“The NDIS presents an opportunity not only for people with disabilities to access employment, but also for them to engage more effectively with education in having improved access to technology and personal support, as well as enhanced aspirations for continuing their education throughout their lives,” she said.
Meanwhile, Peter Symonds, from disability organisation Ability Tasmania Group, will discuss how people with an intellectual disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder are currently being removed from community-based employment. He will outline concerns about the role of the NDIS and the Disability Employment Services program in returning people to non-work segregated services rather than open employment.
Meeting the challenges
“Unfortunately, Australia’s workforce participation rate for people with disability is low, ranked 21 out of 29OECDcountries on performance for disability employment. However there are many people with disabilities who are so capable and have so much to offer the workforce; we need to find ways to go forward with the challenges presented,” says organiser and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Logan campus, Professor Lesley Chenoweth.
“We are also delighted to have The Hon Susan Ryan, Age and Disability Commissioner, present on issues around discrimination in the workforce.
“Griffith has built a great reputation over the past year in engaging with the NDIS issues at a deeper level. This particular symposium will see everyone from researchers, people with disability and families, along with service providers and government personnel coming to the table to move things forward on these crucial questions.”
One of the ongoing controversies hampering the negotiations surrounding the Trans Pacific Partnership is the question of whether it should include an Investor State Dispute Settlement (“ISDS”) clause.
The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement is a proposed free trade agreement between 12 parties including Australia and its significant trading partners: Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and the US.
Investor State Dispute Settlement clauses allow foreign investors to start arbitration proceedings against a host state in which they have invested, for breach of the investor protections included in a free trade agreement, or multilateral or bilateral investment treaty between the host state and the investor’s home state.
In 2011, the Australian Gillard government announced it would no longer adopt international investment arbitration into its trade agreements and investment treaties with other states on the basis that investor state arbitration “constrains the ability of the Australian Government to make laws on social, environmental and economic matters”; concerns no doubt based in part on Philip Morris’s claim against Australia under the Hong Kong-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Philip Morris Asia has commenced arbitration against the Government of Australia arguing among other things that its intellectual property, in the form of product packaging and trademarks, is an investment.
It argues that the plain packaging legislation contravenes the investor protections under the Hong Kong Australia agreement as the legislation will result in an expropriation of Philip Morris’s investment due to substantial deprivation of the intellectual property and goodwill as a result of Australia’s Tobacco Plain Packaging legislation. These proceedings are ongoing.
A number of other nations have signaled they will no longer include investor state dispute resolution in future Bilateral Investment Treaties, which would normally mean that dispute resolution will be left to the host state’s courts rather than a privately constituted arbitral tribunal.
For example, in 2007 the Philippines excluded investment arbitration from its Free Trade Agreement (“FTA”) with Japan. South Africa signaled in 2012 that it will no longer include investor state arbitration in its future Bilateral Investment Treaties.
Australia has now mollified its approach under the Abbott government; it will “consider ISDS provisions in FTAs on a case-by-case basis” but maintaining that it is “opposed to signing up to international agreements that would restrict Australia’s capacity to govern in the public interest.”
There is some disagreement as to whether or not the Trans Pacific Partnership will restrict Australia’s sovereignty in this way, with the Australian Government maintaining it will not, despite a range of concerns raised by non-government organisations and regulatory bodies including the Productivity Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Research seeking solutions to the potential conflict between marine ecosystems and commercial and recreational fishing has earned Griffith University’s Dr Chris Brown a 2015 Young Tall Poppy Science Award.
An initiative of the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, the prestigious awards were presented yesterday (August 20) to 11 young researchers by Queensland’s Minister for Science and Innovation, The Honourable Ms Leeanne Enoch MP, as part of the annual Science in Parliament program in Brisbane.
A member of Griffith’s world-leading Australian Rivers Institute, Dr Brown’s research is focused on striking a sustainable balance between the importance of fish for human consumption as well as to the health of marine ecosystems.
“Fishing is regulated in two ways: marine parks, which protect ecosystems; and catch limits, which protect fisheries,” says Dr Brown.
“For instance, on the Great Barrier Reef, which supports about 63,000 jobs, there are numerous areas where fishing is banned and there are bag limits for recreational fishers.
“Parks are great because they ensure a few places are near pristine and have many fish. However, the problem is that parks don’t protect fish outside their boundaries.
“In fact, extensive parks can actually concentrate fishing in outside areas.”
Dr Brown’s research shows that bag limits are just as important for healthy ecosystems because they apply everywhere and thus help protect the health of ecosystems outside park boundaries.
“The right combination of bag limits and parks can ensure we have healthy ecosystems and fish to catch,” says Dr Brown.
“In other words, ecosystems can have their fish, and we can eat them too.”
What motivates Japanese English language learners? A new study has found that they are more likely to do well when they can visualise themselves as competent speakers of English.
Griffith University PhD graduate, Dr Richard Sampson, analysed a group of 40 Japanese English language learners aged 15-16 at a technical college to determine what motivates them to learn.
“It’s been well documented that Japanese students of English often struggle to find meaning in their learning,’’ he said.
As a lecturer in English Communication in Japan, he became fascinated with students’ motivation toward studying English.
“At my college, students were aware that English was necessary for them to gain employment but they did not connect this necessity with their own future.
“As a result I became intrigued with the idea of working with my students to create activities and lessons that would help them connect learning to their future.”
He found learners were motivated by activities that allowed them to feel a connection to their future as well as activities that had relevance to their current self and their identities other than ‘language learner’.
“For example, one student referred to his exploits in online gaming and interacting with people all over the world. He noted that his efforts in the classroom studying English would foster his future endeavours in gaming.”
In the classroom
The students were also motivated by using English in the classroom, using English to interact with other students and chances to make realisations about the purpose of their studies.
“In classroom activities where students used English, they were able to reflect on ideas of a future self, using English in a practical sense.”
“These ideas revolved around concrete actions like discussions in international work teams, presenting research findings and email communication.”
A further finding was that students affected the motivation of each other.
“Students noticed what other students were doing in the classroom, and this prompted them to try things out. Motivation was shared across the members of the class group. It was kind of ‘contagious’.”
He says the study, which saw him awarded the Chancellor’s Medal at Griffith University’s mid-year graduations, could have implications for other language classrooms across the world.
“In a field dominated by quantitative studies on motivation and demotivation, few studies have examined how strategies that connect learning to self-concept might have positive effects on motivation from students’ perspectives.”
Now lecturing in English Communication at Gunma University, Japan, Dr Sampson’s current research will investigate how the perceived expectations of significant others and society influence Japanese students’ motivation towards English study.
