Griffith University has called for papers to be submitted for the first East-West Dialogue on Tourism and the Chinese Dream to be hosted on the Gold Coast later this year.
The high-level, bilateral discussions will bring together more than 100 representatives of Australian and Chinese government, education and research institutions, and the tourism industry.
The plan for the Dialogue is being developed and structured by Professor Susanne Becken, Griffith Institute for Tourism with Professor Dave Weaver, GIFT, and Dr Peiyi Ding, Deputy Director of Griffith’s Tourism Confucius Institute.
“Papers will focus on what the China Dream is about and how tourism can facilitate the dream,” Professor Weaver said.
The inspirational ‘China Dream’ slogan was used liberally by new Chinese President Xi Jinping in his first address as head of state last March, and has been at the heart of a Chinese state media campaign since then.
It involves themes of national renewal, rejuvenation, development, prosperity and peace, while also encouraging greater engagement between China and other nations through international trade and economic development.
The East-West Dialogue will discuss how tourism can engage with the China Dream to the economic benefit of both countries.
“It is important to understand Chinese tourists and their needs,” Professor Susanne Becken (left), director of GIFT, said.
“The combination of GIFT, the Tourism Confucius Centre and a key tourist destination like the Gold Coast makes this an ideal location to host this dialogue. We are to the forefront and in a strong position to work with the Chinese tourism authorities.”
China is expected to be the fourth-largest source of outbound travel in the world by 2020, with 100 million travellers.
Australia hosted 827,624 Chinese group visitors in 2012. The Chinese inbound tourism market has become the third largest market for Australia.
The East-West Dialogue takes place in November 2014, in the lead-up to the G20 Leaders Summit starts in Brisbane.
“Economic issues are at the heart of the G20 and the tourism industry is a major part of the world economy. In addition, China will be a big player at the G20 Summit,” Professor Weaver (left) said.
“Through the Dialogue, we will also ask if tourism inhibits or hinders the Chinese Dream. To what extent is a middle-aged Chinese couple on holiday in Australia living the China Dream?”
The East-West Dialogue takes place from November 13-15, 2014.
High school students in Brisbane will join Griffith University students for a series of G20-related discussions and debates this year.
The innovation is the brainchild of Dr Tapan Sarker at the Griffith Business School and feeds into the Y20 element of the G20 Leaders Summit which takes place in Brisbane in November.
Australia will host a Youth 20 Summit as part of its G20 presidency this year. The Y20 is a forum for developing cooperation with the future generation, and provides a platform for young people to voice their needs, opinions and interests on issues relevant to the G20 agenda.
Griffith’s latest community outreach initiative will place Year 11 and Year 12 students alongside undergraduate and postgraduate students for a series of three-hour blended learning sessions.
“Students will come into a university setting and take part in debates about issues important to the future,” Dr Sarker (left) said.
“We aim to improve awareness of the role G20 countries play in energy transition. Our focus will be on the challenges of rising energy demand in Australia, and in emerging economies of G20 nations like Brazil, Russia, India, China and Indonesia.
“It is important that our students become future leaders whose beliefs are backed by informed discussion and debate. They will be exposed to facts, figures and conflicting opinions.”
Sustainability Theme
Professor Heidi Dahles, head of the Department of International Business and Asian Studies, welcomed an “excellent” initiative. “It conveys to our students the urgency of positioning issues of clean energy and environmental security as major items on the G20 agenda,” she said.
“This initiative once again demonstrates the particular efforts that Griffith Business School is making in integrating the theme of sustainability into its educational programs.”
Professor Andrew O’Neil, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute, noted that the initiative reflected Griffith’s broader recognition of the strong relationship between the economic rise of Asia and the increasing influence of the G20, which includes global powerhouses, China and India.
The high school students will take part in a number of lectures during each semester, starting with a graduate level Politics of the Global Economy course in March.
“Covering subjects like migration, globalisation, climate change, international trade, Australia in the global economy, microcredit, foreign aid, urbanisation and climate change, this course has a strong G20 theme,” Dr Sarker said.
An interdisciplinary undergraduate level Energy and Environmental Security course will provide the setting for the second semester.
“We will look at how G20 countries can work towards greener and cleaner forms of energy and ask what the future holds for alternative energy in the Asia Pacific region. Do young people have a vision of what the energy-related future for Australia will be?” Dr Sarker said.
The high school students will exchange views with Griffith students from a range of disciplines including business and government, industrial relations, law, energy systems engineering, environmental management and planning and international management.
“As an academic institution we have a role to play in the community and the G20 Leader Summit in Brisbane represents an ideal opportunity. It is a great platform for Griffith to discuss and debate contemporary topics through interactive learning.”
Griffith University will offer more than 9,500 applicants the opportunity to study an undergraduate degree at one of its five campuses.
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) Professor Susan H Spence said she was pleased with the outcome of the January 2014 main admission round where Griffith experienced an increased demand from School Leavers, despite a decline across Queensland in overall applications for tertiary entry.
“We are delighted that there has been another year of solid demand for domestic undergraduate places across all campuses and disciplines, leading to higher cut-offs in Law, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Nursing (Gold Coast), Commerce and Education.” Professor Spence said.
“We look forward to welcoming a whole new intake of Griffith students ready to begin their academic journey.”
In 2014, Griffith’s Health Sciences programs have once again proven to be among those in highest demand. They include; Bachelor of Medical Science, Bachelor of Oral Health in Dental Science; Bachelor of Biomedical Science; Bachelor of Exercise Science (Pre-Physiotherapy); Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics, Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Midwifery.
“Griffith continues to build its reputation as a highly competitive university and the one of choice for many students opting for a career in the health science arena,” Professor Spence said.
There has been strong interest in a number of programs on the Gold Coast campus which are new in 2014; including the Bachelor of Industrial Design and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy.
“It was also encouraging to see increased demand for the exciting, reinvigorated Bachelor of Science program at the Nathan campus,” Professor Spence said.
South Bank programs, such as Bachelor of Fine Art, Bachelor of Games Design, Bachelor of Film & Screen Media Production, Bachelor of Animation, and of course the various programs at the Queensland ConservatoriumGriffith University, continue to enjoy high rates of demand.
For those applicants who miss out on first round offers, the message is clear; don’t despair.
There is still time to change preferences and Griffith expects to bein a position to make additional offers to well-qualified applicants across arange of programs in subsequent admission rounds continuing through February.
Exclusions, however,will be South Bank Campus programs which are in the main fully subscribed and a range of Health programs including Midwifery, Nutrition and Dietetics and Physiotherapy.
The politics of tax and how it may be stifling positive tax reform in Australia and further afield will be explored at a leading national forum on tax research to be hosted by Griffith University.
Offshore tax evasion, tax literacy, superannuation funding and the effectiveness of vehicle taxation in reducing emissions will be among a wide range of tax-related topics to be discussed and debated during the three-day Australasian Tax Teachers Conference starting on Monday
“Leading academics will be presenting their current tax research, covering international issues, tax administration, the environment and tax policy,” conference organiser Associate Professor Brett Freudenberg, Griffith Business School, said
The 26th Australasian Tax Teachers Conference will be held from January 20-22 at Griffith University’s Qld Conservatorium of Music, South Bank, Brisbane.
“Historically, the tax system has played a key role in supporting and guiding prosperity, but currently there appears to be a consensus that the Australian tax system is struggling,” Dr Freudenberg said.
“This is, in part, because of the complexity that is inherent in the current system given that it has been used to implement many government initiatives.
“Also, given the low levels of tax revenue being generated, governments are increasingly faced with tough decisions about whether services they provide are cut, or whether the rate and/or structure of the tax system must change.
“This conference seeks to provide greater understanding about how tax can play a role in solving some of the issues that societies face today, and how it plays a fundamental role in providing the funding to support government services that many Australians take for granted.
“The conference brings together leading academics and industry experts to address important questions like how effective are tax concessions in funding superannuation savings, how does tax compliance cost influence non-compliance by businesses, what is the level of tax literacy in Australia and have vehicle taxes been effective in reducing road emissions.”
Keynote speakers include Terese Dyson (Chair of the Board of Taxation), leading tax barrister Mark Robertson QC, Professor Jason Sharman (Griffith University) and Justice John Logan (Federal Court of Australia).
There are also panel sessions involving Struan Little, Deputy Commissioner NZ Inland Revenue, The Hon Bernie Ripoll MP (Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) and Michael D’Ascenzo, (former Australian Taxation Office Commissioner).
Further details contact Brett Freudenberg on 07 3382 1196 or [email protected]
Full information, including program of presentations and registration, can be found here.
New academic standards for degrees in economics have been endorsed by the Australian Business Deans Council, establishing minimum learning outcomes for graduates of economics programs in Australia.
The learning standards provide benchmarks that institutions can use in evaluating existing programs and developing new programs.
Read final report here.
They have been developed by a working party of academic economists, chaired by Griffith University Professor of Economics Ross Guest, under the auspices of an Fellowship with the Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching.
The working party consulted extensively and robustly with academics, professionals and industry leaders. It was advised by an expert advisory group chaired by Professor Allan Layton, University of Southern Queensland and Australian Business Deans Council.
The collaborative process also had the support of the Economics Society of Australia and the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching which provided the bulk of the funding.
“This is the culmination of a 12-month period of consultation with the economics community,” Professor Guest (left) said. “We now have a very useful and very important resource for the purposes of benchmarking intended learning outcomes in existing economics programs.
“It also sets a standard for academics designing any new economics programs.”
Professor Layton said the standards would give employers and industry groups a clear understanding of the learning outcomes they could expect from graduates with Australian economics degrees.
Professor Michael Powell, ABDC president and Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), Griffith University, highlighted the key leadership role taken by the ABDC in the academic standards agenda.
“The tertiary community should take note of a substantial piece of work which meets the expectations of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).”
TEQSA evaluates the performance of higher education providers against standards including provider standards, qualifications, teaching and learning, information and research.
The new academic standards will require that degree programs demonstrate they meet the specifications of the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Publication Welcomed
The publication of the standards has also been welcomed by Professor John Sloman, author of the acclaimed international textbook Economics.
“It will make a major contribution to improving the quality and consistency of student learning in economics throughout Australian higher education,” he said.
More than a third of Australia’s higher education students graduate with a business degree. Labour market demand for qualified economists is projected to almost double in the period to 2017.
“It is important to ensure our students are graduating with a qualified standard of skills,” Associate Professor Mark Freeman, ABDC scholar, said. “Economics is the third business discipline after accounting and marketing to develop learning standards. It is crucial that the ABDC provide leadership in this area at this time.”
Professor John Sloman, author of the acclaimed international textbook Economics, said the learning standards have drawn on best practice from other countries, as well as from Australia.
“They can be used to identify the skills and knowledge of students successfully completing economics programs.”
by Associate Professor Mohamad Abdalla, Director of Islamic Studies in the School of Humanities at Griffith University
Since the inception of the civil war in Syria three years ago, more than 100,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million more have fled the war-torn nation.
Three-quarters of the refugees are women and children. Another four million-plus are displaced within Syria.
The complexity of the war is demonstrated in the variety of groups fighting in Syria.
First, there are the supporters of the Assad regime made up of the Alawite minority, comprising about 12 per cent of the country’s population.Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shiite militant group is also fighting on the side of the Assad regime.
Then there is the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces that intended to bring together members of various religious sects opposed to Assad.
There are also the so-called jihadist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra, fighting a war they deem as Jihad against the Assad regime.
And there are the officers and soldiers who defected from Assad’s army and eventually formed the nucleus of the Free Syrian Army, the main armed group opposed to Assad and the one that allegedly murdered the Australian couple Amira Karroum and her husband Yusuf Ali a few days ago.
Complex motivations
Despite the complexity of the Syrian conflict, the involvement of young Australian Muslims continues unabated. The motivations that drive these young people can be as complex as the conflict itself.
Some may get involved in humanitarian activities and find themselves drawn into the conflict unwittingly.Others may empathise with their brothers and sisters in faith, not only because they are fellow Muslims, or the consequent humanitarian crisis, but because of a Jihadist ideology.
Similar to the Afghan conflict against the Soviets, the Syrian conflict has been popularised among Muslims by evoking a sense of solidarity and responsibility among Sunni Muslims for their religious cohorts.
Some are deluded by radical groups and recruited most often via the internet, justifying their involvement on a religious or political basis and prescribing to an anti-Islam conspiracy theory.
Finally, there are some who get involved in the fighting simply because they feel frustrated with the absence of international intervention to stop the killings in Syria, coupled with a belief in the double standards of Western foreign policy.
Transnational recruitment
In his new book Foreign Fighters, David Malet, lecturer in international relations at the University of Melbourne, examined transnational recruitment by insurgent groups worldwide over the past 200 years.
He found that approximately one in five rebel groups increased their forces by recruiting people outside their country to join the fight.
Among the motives for joining overseas conflicts, Malet included common ties of religion, ethnicity or ideology with their foreign target audiences.
Interestingly, Malet found that the ‘most receptive in the audience already strongly identify with the group, but tend to be marginalised in the broader society, often because they are members of a minority group’.
Other factors include ‘adventure-seeking, profit, or ego-gratification’.
These motivations were reflected in the Australian recruits on both sides of the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.
Similar motivations encouraged Australian Jewish volunteers in the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, who ‘were told that their help was needed to establish a homeland or else the Holocaust would inevitably resume’.
Essentially, therefore, the urge to fight on foreign lands is not peculiar to one race or religious group.
During such conflicts, emotions run high and can manifest in first-hand violent involvement, particularly among young people.
Our challenge is to work together to manage the concerns and emotions of young people who feel the need to go and fight for whatever reason.
On its part, the Australian Muslim community needs to have a frank and honest debate about involvement in a highly complex and problematic conflict.
Equally, our foreign policy needs to be consistent in its view about the involvement of its citizens in any foreign conflict.
Men who have been sexually abused as children are more likely to overcome its crippling psychological effects if they take practical, positive steps to overcome the situation, than those who use other methods.
That is among the findings from one of Australia’s largest research projects into the effects of sexual abuse on boys, which included Griffith university Professor Patrick O’Leary (Head of the School of Humans Services and Social Work) as one of the lead researchers.
Talk is cheap for Aussie men
“Australian men often fare worse than North American men when it comes to disclosing the nature of their abuse, it just seems to be so much harder for us to open up when we are adults,” said Professor O‘Leary,
“Therapies which involve just talking about problems don’t seem to wash all that well with Australian blokes (compared to Nth Americans). The (147) guys we surveyed who had done better, had mostly done, something practical, from reporting the, perpetrator, bringing charges, informally telling friends, but in some way taking action.”
Being believed is important
Such action can be fraught, with many survivors reporting their greatest difficulties stemmed from not being believed when they did take action.
“That situation can be horrific for the boy involved, often worse than the abuse itself, especially if the abuse occurred in institutions,” he said.
It is estimated around 1 in 5 Australian men has suffered sexual abuse as a child, which is such a significant number Professor O’Leary wants to find out more about what mechanisms they have used to prevent the abuse dominating their lives.
“We need to learn from them, because this is pretty huge unknown problem.”
Jared Porter will arrive at the 42nd Tamworth Country Music Festival this weekend as one of Australia’s most exciting emerging country music artists.
The 25-year-old is a finalist in the 2014 Toyota Star Maker — the national talent competition responsible for launching the careers of Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell, Gina Jeffreys and Beccy Cole.
For the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith UniversityBachelor of Popular Music student, the opportunity has come at the perfect time.
“It’s such a huge opportunity and an incredible honour to be in the presence of Australia’s country music legends,” he says.
“Just to be a finalist in a competition of this calibre is in itself a solid stepping stone for a full-time career as a musician.”
First prize includes a recording contract, production of a video clip by an award-winning director, a trip to Nashville and performance at the annual CMA Global Artist Showcase, photography, an album launch, exposure in Australia’s monthly country music magazine Capital News, and the use of a new Toyota and fuel card for one year.
The competition heat will take place this Sunday 19 January with the Grand Final featuring Lee Kernaghan and Kaylee Bell set for Friday 24 January.
Jared says his love for music is deeply rooted in his family history.
“My father was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains and my mother is from the desert valley of Mesa Arizona, so that, coupled with my childhood in the small gold mining town of Grass Valley in the Sierra Mountains in northern California, had a profound impact on me,” he explains.
“Not long after I moved to Australia as a teenager, I had a serious rock climbing accident, which left me with a broken tailbone and a displaced disc in my back.
“I was suddenly faced with the reality that the sports, fishing, dirt bike riding and camping that I’d spent so many years focused on was no longer a viable option.
“As it turns out, this then became the point in my life where I started to take music more seriously and really focus my attention on the sounds I’d spent my childhood listening to.”
Despite a brief stint in a punk rock band, country music was well and truly in his heart and soul, becoming the driving force behind his study at the Queensland Conservatorium and the release of his first video clip in February last year.
Jared and his wife still have family ties across the USA – in Kentucky, Tennessee, Colorado and Texas – so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his long-term plans involve returning to the country of his birth to pursue life as a recording and touring artist.
But for now, the young artist has his sights firmly set on Australia’s country music capital, Tamworth, which will this weekend be home to more than 55,000 visitors.
Watch Jared’s video Under the Sun visit his website or follow him on facebook.
Real estate and property development students at Griffith will have the opportunity to gain valuable industry experience through a new link with Oliver Hume Real Estate Group.
The innovative project involves a $2500 cash bursary provided by Oliver Hume, a six-month paid internship with the organisation and a $1500 involvement in the industry study tour undertaken by third year students.
The project is the brainchild of Andrew Perkins, National Head of Research at Oliver Hume.
“It has been a passion of mine and I felt the timing was right to launch it in Queensland,” he said.
“I’m aware of how hard it can be for graduates to get into the industry and also how the industry can benefit from the input of university-trained individuals with a sophisticated background.
“This kind of project improves the quality of people flowing through the organisation and the industry.
“Through the six-month paid internship, students will gain extensive experience and exposure to the many different parts of the business from funds management to research to the apartments division.”
Industry Connections
Oliver Hume has already established a similar project with RMIT University in Victoria. Mr Perkins says Griffith lecturer Dr Shane Barry was proactive when the idea was touted for Queensland.
“Industry connections with organisations such as Oliver Hume are essential for the development of students and key to delivering a property major that is industry relevant,” Dr Barry said.
“The property industry in its many forms has always been very supportive of the Real Estate and Property Development major as we continue to engage with industry partners.”
The Oliver Hume connection was forged and strengthened after Griffith business student Jessica van Rooyen took up a part-time position in the company’s research division.
Jessica completed her degree part-time while also working at the Gold Coast office where she found the hands-on experience rewarding.
She says the industry experience gave her the confidence to build on her degree and take her career forward.
“I felt it was important for me to get work experience where I learned on the job so I had something extra to offer employers after graduating.”
The 22-year-old is now a Corporate Marketing Executive for Oliver Hume Real Estate Group in Queensland. She graduated from Griffith with a double degree in real estate property development and marketing in 2012.
She applauds the proactive, innovative approach of Dr Barry who brought industry representatives into the classroom at every opportunity and took students out into the work environment.
“I believe 100% that in the property industry you learn so much more through experience than theory,” she said. “With other degrees it is different. Work experience is absolutely imperative.
“My degree gave me a very good foundation but there is a lot of stuff you cannot learn in the classroom.
“We had a lot of guest lecturers from the development industry who informed us about things that were happening in the industry there and then. We also did study tours to development sites to witness it firsthand.”
The pagodas of Bagan, Burma.
There has been no official announcement, but the Abbott Government seems to have decided to revert to Burma’s old name.
In 2012, former Foreign Minister Bob Carr declared that Australia would join the overwhelming majority of countries, international organisations and regional institutions that publicly called Burma by its official name, the Union of Myanmar, which had been adopted by the country’s military regime in 1989. In December 2013, however, DFAT’s public website was revised. The ‘Myanmar Country Page’ is now called the ‘Burma Country Page’.
It’s a curious change with far-reaching implications as discussed by Dr Andrew Selth in a recent post for the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter.
Read the full article here.
“Papers will focus on what the China Dream is about and how tourism can facilitate the dream,” Professor Weaver said.
“Economic issues are at the heart of the G20 and the tourism industry is a major part of the world economy. In addition, China will be a big player at the G20 Summit,” Professor Weaver (left) said.
