Griffith University researchers partnered with Traditional Custodians to tell the story of how science interweaves with the Traditional Knowledge of Wawu Budja (the Mitchell River).
The Mitchell River Story Map, a collaboration between researchers with the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) and the Mitchell River Traditional Custodian Advisory Group (MRTCAG), is an innovative and accessible way to bring together the latest research on the Mitchell River with the cultural knowledge of Gugu Yalanji seasons.
“Scientific approaches can teach us how these ecosystems function, but often our science is only ‘new knowledge’ if we ignore the wealth of traditional knowledge that has existed for thousands of years,” said Dr Ben Stewart-Koster, project lead and senior research fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute.
Dr Ben Stewart-Koster, project lead and senior research fellow at the Australian Rivers Institute and Dr Ruth Link, Chairperson of MRTCAG, lawyer and Gugu Yalanji woman
“In this project powerful relationships were developed with the project leaders which enabled us to draw on the Gugu Yalanji knowledge, values and wisdom that is essential for the advancement of water science on Wawu Budja,” said Dr Ruth Link, Chairperson of MRTCAG, lawyer and Gugu Yalanji woman.
The clans of the upper and middle catchment of the river, the Western Gugu Yalanji, Mbabaram, Wokomin and Kuku Djungan are represented by the Mitchell River Traditional Custodian Advisory Group (MRTCAG) and the Traditional Custodians of the lower catchment are the Kokoberra, Yir Yoront (or Kokomnjen) and Kunjen clans.
The environmental, cultural and economic values of the Mitchell River catchment in far north Queensland and the pressure for development of the river, with proposed dams, irrigation expansion and other forms of agriculture, has made it the focus of environmental research for decades.
Dr Stewart-Koster and Dr Link point out that past research hasn’t always been so integrative or been made available in a format that is relevant to the people who need it for decision-making.
The mouth of the Mitchell River – Gulf of Carpentaria
“Historically, scientific research has ignored First Nations people which has excluded traditional knowledge and cultural values from decision making processes,” Dr Link said.
“MRTCAG wants to work with western scientists like NESP and Australian Rivers Institute to make sure the knowledge, and solutions make spiritual, economic, scientific, cultural, social, political, and emotional sense for current and future generations.”
The Story Map format used presents findings about the environmental water needs for the Mitchell River in a user-friendly way, with Traditional knowledge of the Gugu Yalanji seasons at the heart of the story.
Dr Link stated that MRTCAG seeks to help scientists “respect and understand the complex knowledge of our deep understanding of place and our commitment to living according to the five seasons.”
“We aligned the knowledge systems around stories of floods, climate change and dams,the links between the latest research on algae as the powerhouse of Gulf wetlands/rivers and coastal productivity for fish, prawns and migratory shorebirds,and details how a healthy Mitchell River ecosystem delivers millions of dollars to the economy,” Dr Stewart-Koster said.
The dynamic web-based interface includes:
maps of floodplain inundation over the past two decades
models of rates of algal productivity which can tell us how much food is available for fish and other animals
food web analyses showing what foods invertebrates and fish eat, and where the aquatic ‘supermarket’ is
models of fish movement across the catchment
Yalanji designs from Natarsha Bell that manifest the traditional knowledge articulated in the story map
The research findings are accompanied by Yalanji designs from Natarsha Bell that manifest the traditional knowledge articulated in the story map.
“Each of these designs was developed by Natarsha to reflect the hearts and minds of the lead researchers who published the findings told in the story map,” Dr Stewart-Koster said.
“Most importantly the story map shows the power and the value of embedding traditional knowledge into western science.”
“It shouldn’t surprise us when scientific findings are closely aligned with what Traditional Custodians know since they have been studying their Country for over 60,000 years.”
For the Gugu Yalanji, western science needs to investigate and examine how to live according to the seasons.
“The cultural knowledge of Gugu Yalanji, Mbabaram, Wokomin and Kuku Djungan is invaluable to NESP research projects as solutions are holistic and address [both] the science questions and the need to heal Country,” stated Dr Link.
“At MRTCAG we refer to Dr Stewart-Koster as Guyu, which in language refers to the catfish. The catfish is our people’s favourite fish.
“Ben, as NESP’s science leader on the Mitchell River, has taken the time to understand the relationship we have had with NESP and with western science and has taken the time to develop a strong relationship with us through truth-telling and by not focusing on western concepts of time.
“These powerful developments are leading to the synergy of western science and cultural knowledge that will benefit the health and wellbeing of Wawu Budja within seven generations. A journey we, as First Nations people, are committed to.”
Contemporary public art captures the imagination and ire of the Australian public on a regular basis. Fallen Fruit in Melbourne, Big Swoop in Canberra, and Sheila, the recent commission for Queen’s Wharf in Brisbane, all generated passionate debate. Meanwhile, the public artworks on Melbourne’s laneways are internationally lauded and marketed, while festivals like Swell on the Gold Coast have become central to the national cultural calendar.
Public art shares diverse sentiments and concepts with a broad audience and invites exploration of the spaces that host it. It is increasingly used as a mechanism for cultural commentary in cities. Provocative examples, like Scott Marsh’s mural of Scott Morrison wishing us a ‘Merry Crisis‘, or Peter Drew’s ‘Aussie’ paste-up series, delivered strong commentaries on current social issues before intentionally vanishing.
It took time, but Australian public art in the twenty-first century has established its own aesthetic. Colonial-era monuments and statues are no longer the zeitgeist; nor are over-sized, roadside plastic objects. We might still assign cult status to the Big Banana, but the Australian public now demand more variety, novelty, sophistication, and self-reflection from public art.
Aussie, Peter Drew
Taking many forms, public art can include any medium experienced in public outdoor or indoor spaces, through permanent or temporary exhibits. Large-scale painted murals are a rapidly multiplying medium in Australia. Other artworks include sculptures, installations, and soundscapes. These can be embedded in architectural surfaces and landscaping, occupying three dimensions, while utilising the multi-sensory realities of urban spaces. Done well, public art can improve the amenity of public space while accounting for local historical, cultural, and social contexts.
Far from being ‘plonked’ randomly in urban spaces, city-shapers often use public art strategically to renew the fabric of built environments and energise surrounding communities. Public art is often leveraged by city councils to contribute to the urban renewal programs, designed to remediate urban decay and activate urban spaces. While complex and long-term projects, urban renewal can improve quality of life outcomes, residents’ prosperity, and the urban area’s amenity.
Within these programs, it is an essential that councils ensure that living, working, and recreation spaces are fit for purpose and meet the needs of residents. Artworks should be sympathetic to setting and location, as well as the communities who co-habit the space. Quality public art can assist with urban renewal but cannot uplift entire communities alone. As such, urban renewal programs should focus first on addressing deep social, economic, and environmental problems before commissioning artworks.
The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour
Cultural heritage
Public art provision offers a unique opportunity to reflect the cultural identities and values of different communities. Our published research examines examples of this from Ireland and Australia. Solidifying a place’s identity through public artwork engages community members and fosters a sense of civic pride and belonging. Increased social cohesion within a community can result in positive outcomes for group and individual wellbeing. Public art can identify, develop, and promote a sense of distinctiveness that distinguishes a place setting both from neighbouring areas and from comparable locations elsewhere.
Reflecting cultural heritage is a cornerstone of contemporary public art in Australia and elsewhere. For example, Yarra Trams delivered Art Trams on the 250km tram network in Melbourne in 2021. Six trams were vinyl wrapped with First Nations artworks, with a single artist responsible for each tram. The trams were reimagined as moving artworks, creating a high-profile, travelling acknowledgement of the city’s Indigenous culture. The collected works encompass themes of caring for Country, personal connections, and the diverse ecologies of First Peoples lands. Previous Art Tram series reflected iconic dining venues, music history, and modern Melbourne’s multicultural demographics.
Festivals of public art are becoming increasingly common. These provide training and employment opportunities for local artists, while renewing urban spaces, attracting visitors, and building place reputation. Townsville, for example, uses a Street Art Activation Framework to strengthen the city’s arts and cultural presence. A suite of sanctioned public artwork now reflects the tropical environment and well-known cultural identities. Our research documents how the Framework delivered positive outcomes to the city, as well as reducing graffiti occurrences.
The same research also examines public art provision and art festivals in Toowoomba. Like Townsville, Toowoomba has benefitted from an increase in tourism and reputation, while the skill sets, exposure and confidence of local artists and other creatives has also improved. In both cases, public art programs also reduced graffiti and the costs associated with removing it.
For all its benefits and popularity, public art can sometimes lead to controversy and community opposition. Too much reliance on public art in urban renewal projects has led to ‘art washing‘ accusations by communities, art practitioners and academics. As it is generally cost-effective, local councils and developers frequently commission public art projects to kickstart a renewal process. This may include offering short-term leases to creative professionals to generate a sense of liveliness in a precinct. A hazard is that the resulting improved urban amenity is only affordable to wealthy tourists and ‘creative classes’ of urban professionals with high incomes. In such cases, public art provision can lead to gentrification, often pricing existing residents out of their homes. Beyond that, these artworks are unlikely to reflect the identities or aspirations of actual, living communities. This can create overly sanitised urban environments which lack a sense of place and meaningful identity.
Fintan McGee Mural, Fish Lane, South Brisbane
Creating confidence
Cities and regions learn from each other’s experiences and results with public art production, helping build confidence and vision for commissioning new artworks. Local councils sometimes respond to the increasing profile of public art by requiring that art plans be tied to development budgets. Depending on circumstance and context, artworks and styles may be deemed acceptable based on a particular quality, theme, materials selection, or medium. In a small professional field, successful artists with highly recognisable styles may become overexposed within a particular city, region, or country.
A case in point of public artworks selected based on a formula, Marc and Gillie Shaettner’s Dogman and Rabbitwoman characters continue their bronze sculpted love story across international time zones. Fintan Magee‘s painted murals tower internationally, from silos to inner city buildings. Anish Kapoor‘s biomorphic sculptures in stainless steel and Vantablack confuse and mesmerise people around the globe. In these instances, the public art reverts to its institutional origins of gallery art and the cities it is located become simply unidentifiable open art galleries.
As we move on from the Covid pandemic and turn deliberately towards re-igniting public life in urban spaces, it is a moment to review the public policies and programs that drive urban renewal and urban activation. Artists can assist local authorities to reconnect communities to themselves and others as urban life, travel and cultural experiences once again thrive.
” … there is an important role for high quality public art in Southeast Queensland as the region invites the world in for the 2032 Olympics.”
New public artworks can again hold a mirror up for local communities that have changed in unexpected ways. They offer opportunity to celebrate differences and commonalities and reflect the lived experiences of communities navigating unprecedented change. Now more than ever, public art can create and reimagine sense of place, while inviting adventures in space, design, perception, and curiosity.
As a final thought, there is an important role for high quality public art in Southeast Queensland as the region invites the world in for the 2032 Olympics. Cultural precincts and sporting infrastructure will leave an unrivalled built legacy for communities. Planners and the arts community can work together to ensure that these are enriched with culturally specific and vivid public artworks. This could provide a unique training opportunity for a new generation of artworkers and producers to enrich the Australian cultural arts scene. Southeast Queensland has an opportunity to paint itself anew, with potential to tell the world about its Indigenous heritage, immigrant communities, the singularity of the natural environment and the culturally and socially connected communities lucky enough to call it home.
Author
Sophie Gadaloff is an Urban Planner and PhD Early Candidature at Griffith University. Sophie is part of the Cities Research Institute and an active Queensland Young Planners committee member. Previously a consultant, she is passionate about building strong connections between people, communities and urban environments. She has a professional interest in public art, regional planning, placemaking and the intersection of transport and land use planning.
Dr Tony Matthews MRTPI is an award-winning Urban and Environmental Planner, with portfolios in academia, practice and the media. He is a faculty member at Griffith University, where he is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Environment & Science and the Cities Research Institute.
In addition to a Masters and PhD in Planning, Tony holds the professional designation of Chartered Town Planner, earned through the Royal Town Planning Institute. While primarily based in planning academia and research, Tony maintains an active practice portfolio. He has led and participated in a wide variety of planning and sustainability projects in collaboration with government, the private sector and community organisations. Tony is also an in-demand public speaker and regularly delivers invited keynotes and speeches at academic and industry events.
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Health concerns and a changing attitude towards eating meat is causing more Australians to swap their omnivore diets for one that is plant-based.
A team of researchers from Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology and La Trobe University, surveyed more than 3000 Australians to gauge their views and habits making it one of the largest surveys of its kind.
Dr Carla Riverola and Associate Professor Stephen Harrington
Lead researcher Dr Carla Riverola, Griffith Business School, said nearly a third of Australians have reduced their meat intake in the last year.
“The report found 32 per cent of people said they had reduced their meat consumption in the past 12 months, compared to just three per cent who reported an increase,” Dr Riverola said.
“People’s attitudes towards meat appear to be changing and health concerns are one of the biggest drivers of the trend.
“Other reasons include environmental footprint, animal welfare and ethical concerns.
“Interestingly, the reasons for increasing meat consumption include social or peer influence and accessibility of plant-based products.”
More and more, consumers are showing an interest in cutting animal products out of their diet completely, which is a trend that has been observed for many years now.
People are increasingly wanting to follow a balanced, healthy diet, including a variety of plant-based foods that are better for the environment and society as a whole.”
Poultry is the most frequently consumed meat product, and legumes the most frequently consumed source of plant-based protein.
The study, run in conjunction with Nourish plant-based living, also showed while many Australians are interested in eating more meat alternatives, they are often frustrated by their inconsistent availability in shops and restaurants.
More than half of respondents said availability and variety of options was a key barrier for choosing plant-based foods, especially when eating out.
Dr Riverola said this finding shows the Australian market isn’t yet meeting demand.
“Plant-based eating has been one of the biggest global food trends of the last decade and, unfortunately, some food retailers and restaurants haven’t yet got up to speed and are missing out on potential business,” she said.
“Our study really shows that if you run a restaurant, having just one single vegan or vegetarian option on the menu just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
“Expectations have changed, so consumers will simply go elsewhere where more options are provided.”
Griffith University alumnus Emma McKeon has entered the history books becoming the most successful Commonwealth Games athlete of all time.
Emma, who studied a Bachelor of Public Health and was part of the Griffith Swim Squad, has capped off a stellar games campaign at Birmingham claiming gold in her final event — the 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay.
Her Commonwealth Games career total now sits at 20 medals, with six gold medals won at Birmingham alone.
Griffith Sports College Director Naomi McCarthy OAM
Griffith Sports College Director Naomi McCarthy OAM said Emma’s performance in Birmingham is testament to the fortitude of Griffith swimmers.
“Emma and coach Michael Bohl came to Griffith in 2017, and since then she has been training and studying for her undergraduate degree,” she said.
“These years in the Griffith Swim Squad have been her most successful years in swimming and this is indicative of the 20 Commonwealth Games medals she’s won in total.”
As a dual Olympian and water polo gold medallist at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Ms McCarthy knows the pressures of competing on the world’s stage.
“Birmingham is the result of years of training both physically and mentally while the world remains in the grip of a global pandemic,” she said.
“It’s not easy feat for our contingent of athletes and their hard work should be applauded.”
Emma McKeon’s medal tally at Birmingham:
Gold — Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Women’s 50m Freestyle
Women’s 50m Butterfly
Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay
Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay
Silver — Women’s 100m Butterfly
Bronze — 100m Freestyle
Queensland tourism heavyweight Daniel Gschwind has joined Griffith Institute for Tourism (GIFT) as a Professor of Practice.
Gschwind brings with him an abundance of tourism knowledge, having been Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s CEO for 21 years before passing on the reigns in May this year.
“We are enormously excited to welcome Daniel on board,” GIFT Director Associate Professor Sarah Gardiner said.
“Daniel played such a leadership role guiding the tourism industry through the pandemic and there are a lot of lessons to learn from him in terms of building resilience for future challenges.
“He has so much experience in the tourism industry and we look forward to him sharing his wisdom with the next generation of tourism researchers.”
Associate Professor Gardiner said Gschwind’s involvement in GIFT would improve connectivity between the academic and practical worlds.
Associate Professor Sarah Gardiner.
“Daniel is going to help us make sure our research remains practically relevant, and also further strengthen our relationships with the industry, including government, business and other associations,” she said.
“He will also help us understand how to create legacies tied to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Gschwind’s impressive CV also includes six years as Australian Tourism Industry Council Deputy Chair, seven years as Australian Tourism Awards Chair, current board member of Tourism Whitsundays, 15 years as a Surf Life Saving Queensland Vice Patron and he has been the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s tourism reef advisory committee chair since January 2020.
He has also been on GIFT’s Advisory Board since 2014.
Some considerations for management to shift to Future Normal
Placing tongues firmly in cheek; we did it, well done us, well done humanity, we beat the target by a long way. We hit Earth Overshoot Day 2022 in the first part of quarter three (Q3) when we should have hit it at the end of quarter four (Q4), the end of the year.
This year, 2022, we tied with the previous global record set in 2018, when overshoot day was also the 28th of July. Tying with our performance of four years ago means we are back to pre-pandemic pace, and likely to be back on trend to make overshoot day earlier and earlier. If we keep up the tempo, we should soon be able to hit a date in the first half of the year; this would be transformative as we would be able to hit earth overshoot twice in one year!
“Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth regenerates during the entire year.
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Moving away from the irony, Earth Overshoot Day 2022 marks the date when we humans have a footprint that exceeds the biocapacity of the earth. Thus, our demand for resources exceeds the capacity of ecosystems to meet that demand. Those ecosystems are driven by, for example, water availability, solar energy, climate, soil fertility and ultimately photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process we learnt about in school, which produces the oxygen you are breathing right now as you read this piece.
So, July the 28th 2022, we are now at a rate of 1.75 earths in terms of our footprint exceeding biocapacity, demand exceeding supply. This is not prudent management and to be clear and obvious, to use the biocapacity up so early in the year is somewhat analogous to a manager in a company using their annual budget up by the end of month seven rather than the end of month twelve. Such an outcome would not be lauded as excellent work by company executives, rather it would be met with a departmental review and some probing questions, such as:
Do we need to allocate more budget?
Are we creating too much demand and or do we need to manage demand to supply?
Do we have the right manager?
Are we measuring what matters?
Leaning on the analogy but turning back to Earth Overshoot Day and dealing with the four questions.
Question one, the Earth is an essentially materially closed system, hence we cannot allocate more budget per se, but we could improve our management of what we have through for example reducing soil erosion, reducing pollution, and reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases. These initiatives and more are encoded in the sustainable development goals and their associated targets.
Turning to question two, we could reduce demand, not one of us has consumed our way to happiness, no matter what the adverts say. With reduced demand and improved ecosystems, we may be able to make biocapacity more closely match footprint, that is make demand equal to supply, thus reach an equilibrium.
The third question, this one is a little more intractable. In short, there are no other managers who are available, it is down to us humans, we must manage ourselves on our Earth and accept the responsibility of that. Furthermore, it is not clear we would be comfortable outsourcing the management of earth to another species, albeit one might argue another species could hardly do a worse job.
Hence, question four and incentives. It is perhaps clear given our inability to manage our budget and the mess we are making, wildfires in Europe, rising greenhouse gas emissions and evermore degraded surroundings, as outlined in Australia’s most recent State of the Environment Report, that we need to shift to measures that matter.
As when we step back, the key tool we use to shape our world and inform our wants is companies, and their incentive is financial growth. Likewise, at a national level we measure progress through economic data, such as national income or gross domestic product, again with pressure to increase income and grow. Consequently, if the incentive is to grow, hitting the 28th of July, being back at pre-pandemic levels, hitting overshoot earlier next year, this is success. However, this is not a situation we want, it would be more sensible to live as if there is one earth and hit overshoot day at the end of the year. Yet there is evidence that growth doesn’t necessarily improve wellbeing, and surely it is wellbeing that matters.
Does your company perpetuate a world we want to live in?
We need to change and shift the date of overshoot to the end of the year. Thankfully there are many things we can do. At the level of the everyday, for example:
if we cut food waste in half, we could increase Earth Overshoot Day by 13 days,
if we ate a few more plants and a bit less meat, we could increase Earth Overshoot Day by a further 17 days, and,
if we used a bike or public transport more often, we could add 13 days.
Outside of these acts, we could write to our parliamentary representatives and ask what they are doing and, perhaps more importantly, we could write to the CEOs of the brands we like and ask them what their companies are doing.
In turn, we could ask them to consider the Future Normal approach – asking them eight questions of reflection and consideration that helps to make their companies act meaningfully in their surroundings and purposefully to benefit society.
The first question is simple – does your company perpetuate a world we want to live in? For the most part, the answer is no, the numbers are in, Earth Overshoot Day this year is 156 days early.
We need to manage ourselves better and there are things we can do and questions we can ask of the brands and companies we like, so that we can shift to a Future Normal, where we turn the tide and push Earth Overshoot Day back to where it belongs, 31 December.
Authors
Nick Barter is a Professor at Griffith Business School and co-founder of Future Normal, a strategic framework that enables organisations to act meaningfully in their surroundings and purposefully to benefit society. A strategist by training Nick advises and researches with organisations domestically and internationally.
Chris Fleming is Professor of Economics and Dean (Research) at the Griffith Business School. Formerly the Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism (2020-2021) and Director of Griffith University’s MBA program (2015-2020). Chris teaches, researches, consults and provides public policy advice on the economic determinants of well-being and the sustainable management of the world around us. Chris is also co-founder of Future Normal, a strategic framework that enables organisations to act meaningfully in their surroundings and purposefully to benefit society.
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A proud Gomeroi man, Mr Phil Duncan, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Griffith University in recognition of his work protecting waterways and preserving Indigenous knowledge and education.
Gomeroi man, Phil Duncan, an Adjunct Industry Fellow with the Australian Rivers Institute and member of the Natural Resources Access Regulator’s independent board
The award recognises Dr Duncan’s sustained contributions to national water policy and management and advocacy for greater respect and understanding of Aboriginal connections to water.
“Accepting this honorary doctorate is an extremely proud moment for my family and I and the people I work with to bring about change,” Dr Duncan said.
“In the Aboriginal world view, people and country, including lands, waterways, wetlands and seas, are independent entities that are intrinsically linked. We share a symbiotic relationship with our land and waters.
“I will continue to strive to increase the Aboriginal voices in environmental management and conservation.”
Professor Stuart Bunn of the Australian Rivers Institute said “Dr Duncan has collaborated with the ARI for well over a decade, supporting researchers and providing advice and guidance on major research initiatives.”
“We look forward to continuing our work together to improve the exchange of cultural and traditional knowledge on freshwater ecosystems between Indigenous people and western scientists, and to guide Indigenous capacity building in water research and management.”
With more than 30 years experience in water management and a deep connection to Australia’s Indigenous community Dr Duncan has provided strategic advice and leadership to key Indigenous organisations, universities, and state and federal government agencies.
Since 2020 Dr Duncan has served on NRAR’s government-appointed but independently operating board responsible for strategic decision-making, which helps to shape and change attitudes to water law compliance in NSW.
His understanding of community concerns and the cultural importance of water also made him the perfect candidate to serve as the chair of the Basin Community Committee of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
“Greater uptake of Indigenous knowledge, our cultural science, can benefit Australian society and Aboriginal people need to be involved in decision making that affects the natural environment,” Dr Duncan said.
“We need to be able to care for our country and be involved in repairing our country.”
Dr Pat Anderson AO is awarded a DUniv for her long and significant services to First Nations people
The University also awarded honorary doctorates to other outstanding community leaders in former Commonwealth Games CEO Mark Peters OAM, Asian Film champion Dong Ho-Kim and First Nations leader Dr Pat Anderson AO
Two finalists from Griffith University have been announced as nominees in the prestigious 2022 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
Associate Professor Md Sayed Iftekhar, PhD candidate Kelsey Chapman and The Dignity Project team are among the 45 finalists from across Australia.
Associate Professor Md Sayed Iftekhar
Assoc Prof Iftekhar’s Investment Framework For the Economics of Water Sensitive Cities (INFFEWS), a joint venture with The University of Western Australia and an output of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, has been named as a finalist for the NSW Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Applied Environmental Research.
“The project focuses on integrating nature-based water management systems into urban design which has many social and environmental benefits for the community,” Assoc Prof Iftekhar said.
“Such benefits are often overlooked when projects are evaluated for funding because financial impacts are prioritised.
“INFFEWS changes this by providing comprehensive social, environmental and financial evaluation for balanced decisions.
“Essentially, it is a one-stop integrated decision support framework for investment in water sensitive cities projects.”
PhD candidate Kelsey Chapman
Ms Chapman leads The Dignity Project, nominated in the Science Engagement category, an online citizen science platform created by — and for — people with disability to help address challenges in healthcare and social services.
“For people with disability and impairment, every experience is different, so it’s important to us to collaborate with citizen scientists at all phases of the project, not just at data collection,” she said.
“It’s asking people about their experiences, of dignity and of violations of dignity, in their everyday life, sharing those experiences with us, and also sharing the methods that they believe we can use to increase dignity experiences across all spheres.
“It’s understanding what dignity means and looking to challenge economic, environmental and attitudinal barriers so that we can produce real change through our research.”
The project is a joint initiative of Griffith University, Menzies Health Institute Queensland and Metro South Health.
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday 31 August featuring four categories including excellence in Research and Innovation, Leadership, Science Engagement and School Science.
A reactionary approach towards managing the coastlines on which Australians love to live and play is in desperate need of national legal framework and coordination, researchers urge in a new publication.
With more than 80% of Australians residing within the coastal zone along the country’s 34,000km of coastline, the team highlighted that effective and consistent management of coastlines with growing pressures from climate change was hampered by limited federal engagement and the lack of a national framework, funding and agency.
Currently, much of the Australian coast is managed at the local and/or state government level, with capacity, capability, resources and enthusiasm for coastal management varying between jurisdictions.
Associate Professor Hannah Power, Coastal and Marine Scientist, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle
Dr Michael Kinsela, Coastal Marine Geoscientist School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle
Dr Andrew Pomeroy, Coastal and Estuarine Adaptation Laboratory, The University of Melbourne
Historical issues
“Recent and increasingly frequent extreme weather events illustrate the growing and compounding threats faced by the many Australians who live along the coastline,” Dr Murray said.
“Coastal management has typically been piecemeal, reactionary, and remedial, and a lack of consistency between jurisdictions can be confusing for local communities.”
Dr Tom Murray from Griffith’s Coastal and Marine Research Centre.
“However, improved conceptual and scientific understanding, engineering techniques, and predictive capabilities mean that we are increasingly able to effectively model, plan, mitigate, and prepare for coastal hazards.”
But the team said without rigorous, transparent and actionable approaches to risk-based planning, a tendency to underestimate and underappreciate the potential impacts of coastal hazards has prevailed in many jurisdictions.
Current circumstances
There is no national legal framework to define the coastal zone, nor is there a national coastal management agency to lead discussions, coordinate adaptation efforts and allocate federal resources around the country.
“Most of the Australian coast is managed at the local and/or state government levels with the capacity, capability, resources and enthusiasm for coastal management varying between jurisdictions,” Associate Professor Power said.
“Adaptation is often absent until problems arise, with issues bandaged with quick solutions that fit into budgetary and government cycles but may not maximise efficiency gains from early-adaptation opportunities.”
Extreme events have a relatively low likelihood of occurring each year; such as a 1-in-50 or 1-in-70 chance of occurring in any year. However, they tend to occur in clusters during particular climate cycles and are superimposed on creeping and increasing climate-change pressures, such as sea-level rise.
“Budgets are made on timescales of 1-3 years, governments are elected and changed every 3-4 years, homes are bought and sold every 10 or so years, and community infrastructure is designed to last for 10, 20, or maybe 30 years,” Dr Kinsela and Dr Pomeroy said.
Credit: George Desipris
“The action timeframes are therefore shorter than the time scales over which we need to understand and plan for coastal hazards.”
Ways forward
The creation of a Federal Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Office
This office would be empowered to develop, promote, coordinate and fund best practices in adaptive coastal management to support state and local governments and foster national knowledge and resource sharing.
The creation of a National Coastal Adaptation Legal Framework.
This legal framework would ensure the development of nationally compatible coastal adaptation programs that are tailored to individual communities with provisions to facilitate all adaptation options, including managed retreat.
The creation of a National Coastal Observatory and Associated Funding.
This observatory would support and coordinate a national level approach to coastal science and adaptation research. It would have responsibility for the creation of a data repository and remain its custodian, initially compiling and making available the many coastal datasets that have been collected around Australia and then supporting coordinated monitoring efforts.
Brisbane is in the grip of Olympic fever as the 10-year countdown to the 2032 Games officially kicks off today.
Griffith University Director of Brisbane 2032 Engagement Dr Caroline Riot said all eyes will be on the River City as we gear up for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“This is a great opportunity for us as a university, but also as a city and nation to understand why the Games and sport matters,” Dr Riot said.
Dr Caroline Riot
“Sports matters because of the benefits it generates including jobs, equipment and apparel manufacturing, sales and exports alongside additional health, social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
“In Australia alone, the sports sector generates approximately three per cent of national GDP, providing an estimated $83 billion in combined economic, health and educational benefits each year.
“Imagine the benefits the Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring to Brisbane and Queensland not only in the lead up and during the event, but also the legacy it will leave.”
The Games will also provide a platform to use sport as the accelerant to transform Queensland and the region, and address critical issues including responsible leadership, human rights and sports integrity, climate action, sustainable procurement, diversity, enhanced mobility and accessibility, child safety and protection, and sustainable tourism.
Dr Riot said the social, economic and environmental legacies of Brisbane 2032 are anticipated to accelerate long-term state-wide and regional priorities.
“The Games will provide an opportunity to use sport diplomacy to engage with our international community,” she said.
“By hosting international training camps and supporting sport-for-development initiatives, Queensland can capitalise on its leadership of sport administration, diplomacy and development internationally.
“For example, to address and reduce inequality in international sport, the GAPS program provides both para and able-bodied athletes and coaches from Pacific Island nations access to unprecedented support in the lead up to major international and multi-sport events such as the Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
Importantly, the Games will provide a long-lasting and sustainable legacy for Brisbane and generate critical conversations to deliver action plans that significantly contribute to the health and social wellbeing of Queenslanders.
It will create positive change at an individual, societal and global level and will see sport participation potentially accelerate progress towards equity, inclusion and diversity.
Sport matters, and if its value is well harnessed, then it can create benefits for all.
Sophie Gadaloff is an Urban Planner and PhD Early Candidature at Griffith University. Sophie is part of the 
Dr Tony Matthews
