Mr Ian Kemish- Former High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea- spoke to a full house at the second Perspectives Asia for 2013. He discussed how Australians generally underestimate the extent of the changes underway in Papua New Guinea. He stressed the deep connections between the PNG people and Queenslanders- in particular those that live in Northern Queensland.
Twelve consecutive years of substantial growth are bringing significant economic and social change, but the challenges remain serious -demographic growth will see the population approaching that of current Australia by 2050, and health and education services are struggling. The countryunderwent a painful period of political transition in 2011 and 2012,but a new generation of leadership has now emerged, intent on grappling with these problems. Leadership remains a challenge but this is slowly changing and the new government is showing great strides to make a difference. PNG is alsoexpected to increasingly take on a regional leadership role.
Australia has a strong interest inPNG succeeding, and will need to remain focused on the partnership with the country.
Mr Kemish has just completed his posting as Australian High Commissioner to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. Prior to this post he was the Australian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, a position he held from April 2006. In Berlin he was also accredited as Ambassador to Switzerland and to Liechtenstein. Prior to this, Mr Kemish was First Assistant Secretary, International Division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Mr Kemish’s overseas service includes Vienna and Brunei. He has also worked on secondment with the New Zealand Ministry of External Relations. Mr Kemish was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2003 in recognition of managing the Australian Government’s response in the aftermath of the 12 October 2002 Bali bombings.
(L. to R.) Mr Tim Wai, Ms Ruth McDougall, Curator, Pacific Art, Gallery of Modern Art, Ms Magdalene Moi-he, Acting Consul General, Consulate-General of Papua New Guinea in Brisbane, Mr Ian Kemish AM, former Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Ester Hamer and Ms Maud Page, Acting Deputy Director, Curatorial and Collection Development, Gallery of Modern Art Queensland Art Gallery
The evolution of human rights and the ongoing impact on modern policing will be explored at a major international conference in Canberra from April 16 to 18.
Organised by the Griffith University-based Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (CEPS), the 2013 conference comes 50 years after Canberra hosted an historic United Nations seminar on the role of police in the protection of human rights.
CEPS Director, Professor Simon Bronitt, said that while much had changed in the past 50 years, some themes remained constant. These included the role of human rights in modern domestic and international policing, whether effective law enforcement was hampered or helped by compliance with human rights, and the need to tackle discrimination against women and minorities in policing.
In today’s post-9/11 era, however, Professor Bronitt said the nature of policing was growing ever more demanding and could change rapidly. He hoped the conference would increase awareness of the many issues facing police in the 21st century.
“These include the threats that technological advances can present, multicultural issues and the frontline therapeutic and welfare roles performed by police in interactions with the vulnerable and disadvantaged,” he said.
“Meanwhile, the significance of the connection between human rights and policing extends beyond simple legal compliance and the duty of police to respect national laws and international treaties in the field of human rights.
“It also enters an ethical realm via the role that fundamental values and principles play in deliberations over the perceived rights and wrongs of law enforcement at individual and organisational levels.”
CEPS is jointly funded by the Australian Research Council and Griffith University and its 2013 conference boasts a formidable array of speakers, among them Professor Peter Neyroud, the former Chief Executive Officer for Britain’s National Policing Improvement Agency, and Australian National University Emeritus Professor David Hambly, an observer at the 1963 UN seminar.
The former Division Chief at the Miami-Dade Police Departments in the US, Karin Montejo, will also address the conference on challenges affecting the ability of women to rise to the highest levels of police command.
With international peacekeeping, the growth of trans-national crime, technology and forensics, corruption and ethics and balancing human rights and security all prominent topics, the conference will also honour contributions by international organisations and community groups in the promotion of human rights in policing.
We have gone live with the new assessment applications, which means the following forms are now available online for Semester 1, 2013 and Trimester 1, 2013:
– Students can apply online and view the status of any saved or submitted applications.
– The application login will be authenticated through the Griffith Portal so the application can be populated with student details, course enrolment and also the assessment items recorded on the Course Profile.
– Students can apply for:
* Review of Grade = More than one course in the one application
* Special Consideration = More than one assessment item/course in the one application
* Deferred Examination = More than one assessment item in the one application
– Students are able to attach supporting documentation electronically to their application or submit this in hard copy if they are unable to scan their documents.
– Improved notifications to students.
As the Gold Coast grapples with uncertainty over its identity and a blueprint for the future, a symposium organised by Griffith University will seek to broaden the debate, offer expert analysis and spark new ideas.
In partnership with the Gold Coast’s first official creative precinct, Rabbit + Cocoon at Miami, The Sold Coast Project is the brainchild of Shanene Ditton, a Gold Coast-based PhD student and member of the Griffith Centre for Cultural Research.
Also supported by Griffith’s QCA Design Futures, the symposium will be held at Rabbit + Cocoon on Sunday, April 14, and will feature academics, cultural leaders, policy-makers and the community in sessions arising from one essential question: what does the Gold Coast look like in 50 years?
“Speculation abounds about the future look and outlook of the Gold Coast,” Ms Ditton said.
“For years the identity of the city and of Gold Coast people has been shaped by an old mythology, the image of the city as purely a tourist destination. That image is etched in the nation’s psyche but it is only part-truth .
“I’m hoping The Sold Coast Project will demonstrate the Gold Coast is much more, by revealing different perspectives and expertise that help generate alternate dialogues, rupture commonly held ideas, recognise social, cultural and environmental challenges and move towards a collective vision and a sustainable plan for the city.”
Symposium experts represent a range of fields, from environmental and coastal management to design, architecture, media and culture. They include Griffith University academics Professor Paul Burton (Deputy Director of the Urban Research Centre), Professor Andy Bennett (Director of GCCR), and Professor Michael Meadows and Associate Professor Pat Wise, from the School of Humanities. Also participating will be Bond University Professor of Communication and Media, Marcus Breen, Adjunct Professor Philip Follent, from the Institute of Sustainable Development and Architecture, and Criena Gehrke, the Gold Coast City Council’s Culture Strategy Program Manager.
Sessions will explore issues such as tourism and post-tourism, cultural awareness and activity, the voices of young people and the impact of local and global events. Local artists and businesses will also be involved.
Ms Ditton highlighted the need for the Gold Coast to acknowledge its past without being mired in it, noting one key to a sustainable future would be the need to create and apply strategies reflecting a city not only growing, but growing up.
“In many ways it seems the Gold Coast has been adolescent all its life, fascinated by impermanence and transience. It loves to re-create itself as myth,” she said.
“The Sold Coast Project is about disturbing that mythology by taking a good, hard look at our city, our lifestyle and our future.”
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Theatre in the round, music & cocktail function When: Wednesday 17 April, 5:30pm – 7:20pm Where: Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus Cost: Adults $15, Students/Concession $10, Friends of the Library members are free
Masters and Slaves 2013 promises to live up to its reputation as a literary calendar must see!
Students from the School of Humanities, Griffith University will duel with their literary heroes in a live theatre in the round style battle for supremacy. Ashleigh Watson takes on Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat Pray Love, Dean Barker wrestles with Dr Seuss, Diana Brown relives an Enid Blyton childhood, Paige Townsend takes on famous literary rogue Hunter S Thompson, Simon Jun wonders why John Hughes held all our sixteen candles and Jordan Lawrence pens a homage to Chuck Palahnuick.
See who’ll take it out as the slaves go to battle with their masters.
Warning: this show contains language that may offend some viewers.
Drinks and food will be served throughout the event and are included in the price.
If you wish to join the Griffith Friends of the Library network and receive access to free tickets to certain events, please join here:Friends of the Library membership payment.
Membership is $25 annually and includes a variety of benefits.
Those who dream of a professional life in music have a unique opportunity to lay the groundwork for the first step in their careers.
The Tertiary Preparation Workshop, presented by Queensland Conservatorium, will prepare students to approach the theoretical and practical aspects of their university audition process with confidence.
The workshop will be held from June 24 — 28 and will provide prospective students with an opportunity to work closely with Con staff and music industry professionals.
The program includes workshops in theory and aural training, music comprehension, understanding university administration processes and performance practice sessions. During the program participants will gain effective strategies for interviews and auditions and techniques to overcome performance anxiety.
Places in 2013 are limited and only open to those in years 10 — 12 and adults wishing to return to study.
Nominations are now open for Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University’s State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP). Presented by Open Conservatorium, SHEP Queensland 2013 runs from October 3 — 6 at Griffith University’s South Bank campus in Brisbane.
Queensland’s secondary school music teachers and co-ordinators have been asked to nominate their most outstanding wind, string, brass, percussion and vocal students for this prestigious program.
Successful students work in an environment of musical excellence under the direction of a team of eminent conductors from across Australia and the globe.
SHEP Queensland 2013 culminates in four Grand Finalé Concerts, open to the public, in the Conservatorium Theatre on Sunday October 6.
The scene was set at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus as some of the brightest minds from over 20 Australian Universities arrived to test their wits in the Australian Intervarsity Debating Championships this week.
They call it ‘Easters’ in the university debating world and the event runs from Wednesday to Friday, 3 – 5 April and is supported by the Gold Coast Student Guild.
With about 450 student competitors from 21 Universities it is a great opportunity for students from all fields of study to sharpen their cognitive skills under demanding circumstances.
The competition itself is spread across 55 rooms on the Gold Coast campus and involves a mad scramble as the opposing teams are assigned their topics and have only 30 minutes to rush around the campus finding a room and then prepare for three speeches of eight minutes duration using only the resources they have to hand.
Peter Coulson, Griffith student and co-convenor of the Griffith Easters 2013 was adamant the competition would be tough and the topics challenging.
“The topics are wide open and can involve current topical issues of economics, social, foreign, political and public policy, said Peter.
“Nothing is taboo. We leave it wide open, as it forces the competitors to critique everything about themselves and the world around them, so even the Easter bunny isn’t safe.”
The topics will be argued for and against in front of an adjudicator, by two university teams of four, as they battle their way through 6 rounds to make it to octo, quarters, semis and eventually the grand final. So the grand finalists will have competed in ten debates before take winning the top honour.
Australian Universities have won the ‘Worlds’, the World University Debating Championships for the past 4 years running, so there is no shortage of competitive spirit or talent in the teams that are about to challenge for the national title.
“The difference here at the ‘Easters’ as the Australian Championships is that each university is required to bring four members, including two novices, which is great for our future development, said Peter.
“It means that young firebrands can be discovered and get their chance to compete for a regular place in their university debating team and eventually have a go at the ‘Worlds’.
The grand final is open to the public and will be held on April 5 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Surfers Paradise.
Professor Andrew O’Neil discusses the possibility that the recent threats by North Korea could escalate. He takes a look at the capabilities of North Korea, in terms of nuclear weapons. According the Prof. O’Neil if the North Korean’s launch a threatening attack on South Korea or the US it will not be ignored.
Mr Ian Kemish- Former High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea- spoke to a full house at the second Perspectives Asia for 2013. He discussed how Australians generally underestimate the extent of the changes underway in Papua New Guinea. He stressed the deep connections between the PNG people and Queenslanders- in particular those that live in Northern Queensland.
