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In 2017, a simple tweet or status update can have far-reaching consequences for a country’s foreign policy and the geo-political dynamic of a region.
Digital technologies and new media are at once disrupting and transforming the nature, conduct and intensity of political dialogue in today’s world, in ways that impact directly and profoundly on all aspects of diplomatic practice.
Griffith Asia Institute (GAI), in collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), will host the second annual Brisbane Roundtable on Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific: The Digital Challenge on October 26.
The 2017 dialogue builds on the previous Brisbane Roundtable held in May 2016 and will be led by the Griffith Asia Institute Director, Professor Caitlin Byrne, and Professor Jan Melissen, Senior Research Fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ in The Hague and Professor of Diplomacy at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Professor Melissen is a global

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Two Griffith Business School alumni have been named Young Tourism Leaders by the Queensland Government.
Brooke Santurini, Brand and Marketing Manager at the Gold Coast SUNS and Jackie Babbage, Brand Manager at Riverlife were appointed by the Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Commonwealth Games Kate Jones.
The Young Tourism Leaders program aims to showcase the lifelong careers available to those entering the industry.
“I feel really honoured to be named a Young Tourism Leader,” said Ms Babbage.
“It’s a great industry and we need more enthusiastic, energetic young people to be part of it.”
The Leaders are part of a year-long program that involves speaking at secondary schools and other events, as well as sharing their own journey on social media with the aim of inspiring others.
Ms Babbage will be encouraging young people to take risks and be creative.
“There’s so many opportunities in tourism and, when you’re young, there’s less risk if you

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A Griffith University researcher says we urgently need to safeguard current antibiotics and discover new ones to avoid what has been described recently by England’s Chief Medical Officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies as a “post-antibiotic apocalypse.”
Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery (GRIDD) scientist Dr Róisín McMahon has just been awarded a $150,000 Ramaciotti Health Investment Grant to help address this global issue.
The grant will allow the early career scientist to work on her project ‘Overcoming the resistance: new antimicrobials that disarm, rather than destroy bacteria’ with the aim of a clinical application within five years.
“If antibiotics lose their effectiveness, we will face a future where simple infections kill, and where routine medical procedures like hip replacements and Caesarean sections will be riskier to perform,” she said.
“This funding supports research to identify new antimicrobial compounds effective against disease-causing bacteria.”
“My research seeks to disarm rather than kill bacteria. I hope to do this

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After finishing high school in 1974, Kim Ball applied for to become a cadet hydrographer. She was accepted into the program, but her excitement was soon turned into disappointment when she was asked to call back to arrange details.
“I remember that day, I rang the office, and a woman answered, and I said this is Kim Ball responding,” she said.
“There was complete silence for quite awhile on the other end, and finally she said oh my goodness you’re a girl. I’m terribly sorry dear we’re going to have to withdraw the offer.”
Today’s work opportunities for women are very different than they were in 1974 thanks to legislation and a change in industry dynamics, but it was experiences like that as well as her motivation to work in male-dominated areas that sparked an interest the perception of women in the workplace.
It was those experiences that ultimately led her to her latest

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