Law and human trafficking expert Kate van Doore has welcomed Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s announcement of a new campaign to prevent Australians from inadvertently contributing to child exploitation through the practice of orphanage tourism.
Griffith Law School lecturer Ms van Doore, who has worked tirelessly over the past decade to stop orphanage tourism, said it was fantastic to see the Australian Government take an international lead on this largely hidden issue.
“This campaign encourages Australians to be smart volunteers and to consider how their help can impact negatively on vulnerable children despite very good intentions,” she said.
Ms van Doore, who was recognised at last year’s Anti-Slavery Australia Freedom Awards, is at the forefront of the campaign into whether Australia should have a Modern Slavery Act.
Last week, Senator Linda Reynolds, Chris Crewther MP and the Assistant Minister for Home Affairs, Alex Hawke MP, announced that Australia will be the first country to include orphanage
Category: Griffith University Feed
New projects to support ecologically sustainable development in Northern Australia
Griffith University researchers at the Australian Rivers Institute commence new and innovative environmental research in Northern Australia with the recent announcement of more than 50 new projects under the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP).
The Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub has allocated $1.125 million of their existing NESP funding for three projects that draw on the expertise of Griffith University researchers, working collaboratively with other institutions to help build a sustainable future for Australia’s Northern ecosystems and communities.
A major challenge that the Griffith teams will tackle is how much water can be extracted without negative impacts on the unique ecological, social and cultural values around the Gulf of Carpentaria. If water extraction does impact downstream values, it would be helpful for planning to know how large the impacts will be.
Dr Jim Smart will lead a project to develop a way to keep the books balanced on the values ecosystems
Call for public to have their say on lifting integrity in government
Australia’s further fall on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index should stimulate all governments and informed citizens to get behind solutions to the nation’s ‘integrity crisis’, according to one of the nation’s leading experts, Griffith University’s Professor A J Brown.
“With federal leaders finally seriously debating what kind of national anti-corruption agency might help strengthen public accountability, it is time for Australians to get involved in helping identify the options for what should be done,” Professor Brown said.
Professor A J Brown
Professor Brown is leading the Australian Research Council funded project, ‘Strengthening Australia’s National Integrity System’, supported by Transparency International Australia and accountability agencies from around Australia.
The project today opens a call for public and expert participation in the assessment, which will take place over the next six months. Any interested or experienced person can register to get involved here.
Since 2012, Australia has slid from a score of 85 (8th position worldwide) to
A whole new world for Aladdin star
Musical theatre graduate Kimberley Hodgson feels like all her wishes have come true, after scoring a lead role in the national production of Aladdin.
The talented triple-threat star was cast as the understudy for the lead role of Princess Jasmine, and has toured across the country with the blockbuster Disney musical which opens in Brisbane this week.
“It has been an incredible journey, being part of such a huge show. We do eight shows a week, and it is such a powerful experience watching the audience respond to the show – the music, the colour, the story,” she says.
“This is what I’ve dreamed of doing since I was a kid.”
The show has played to packed houses in Melbourne and Sydney, and Kimberley is keen to bring the lavish musical back to her hometown.
“I have a niece and nephew who are coming along to see the show – it’s going to be special
Conservatorium launches 2018 concert season
The Queensland Conservatorium has unveiled its latest concert season, which promises to deliver yet another year of remarkable performances and industry collaboration.
Queensland Conservatorium Director Professor Scott Harrison, who will officially launch the season tonight, said audiences could expect a diverse program that showcased the talent of students, staff and alumni.
“We continue to showcase home-grown talent by staging more than 250 performances to over 40,000 patrons,” Professor Harrison says.
“The 2018 season will include the premiere of a new opera, a blockbuster orchestral program featuring international guest conductors, and musical theatre productions at the Powerhouse.
“Whether you love opera or jazz, orchestral masterpieces or musical theatre, there is something for everyone.”
The Queensland Conservatorium will debut Dry River Run, a new opera composed by QCGU Head of Wind Paul Dean. With a libretto by Miles Franklin-winning author Rodney Hall, this epic family saga is set against the backdrop of Federation-era Australia.
Orchestral students will have the opportunity
Griffith College volunteering at GC2018
The 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is fast approaching and as the last Griffith University interns take their positions, the volunteer workforce is also in full training. Over the course of the GC2018 Games, over 15,000 volunteers will donate their time as ‘Games Shapers’ to show the world how proud, vibrant and friendly the Queensland community is.
One of the volunteers for the Games is our very own Senior Marketing Manager, Victor Seah.
Victor will be responsible for Village operations during the Games to deliver services and operations to the 6500 athletes and team officials who will be residing in the Commonwealth Games Village. His training for the event concluded just last month. Victor is very proud to represent Queensland and Griffith College at the event and is looking forward to showing off our state to the more than 675,000 people expected to attend the events in April 2018.
Well done Victor and
Studying the dark side of teen girls’ social media
A new Griffith University study aims to investigate teenage girls’ experiences of sexting and bullying and how it impacts on their everyday lives.
“Social media is an integral part of teenage girls’ everyday life,’’ says Dr Roberta Thompson from the Griffith Institute of Educational Research.
“They text friends daily, chat with friends on their mobile phone, check postings on social media sites, update profile pages, and upload ‘glamorous’ selfies.
“Not surprisingly, many say they couldn’t survive without their mobile phone as it’s a fun way to keep in touch with friends, organise social events and find out what’s going on.”
But despite their positive claims about social media, a darker, less appealing side has surfaced according to Dr Thompson, whose doctoral study examined teen girls’ online usage.
“Super glamorous celebrities appear all over social media from Instagram to Snapchat and teen girls strive to emulate these ‘role models in their own ‘selfies’.
“While most girls
Dennis goes on the edge to find beauty in the banal
From the fringes of the city, acclaimed artist and Griffith University graduate Dennis McCart is bringing our “edgelands” into sharp focus.
It is here where the urban begins to give way to the rural, though not before passing through a post-industrial belt that exists on the outskirts of every city. In its tunnels and overpasses, telegraph poles, drains and concrete walls, Dennis finds artistic inspiration among the abandoned and the atrophied.
Take Me to the River, by Dennis McCart
“I’ve always been drawn to what I describe as urban banality, that undeniably evocative landscape that exists on the edges of the city,” says Dennis, who is based in Brisbane. “It’s where you see society stripped back and raw.
“While not necessarily the nicest places, there’s an essential truth to them that I want to capture and interpret. By adding or subtracting imagery, I am striving to unearth alternative versions of meaning, place and form.”
Studying
Gail’s a driving force for Logan migrant community
In Australia’s most ethnically diverse city of Logan, Griffith University alumnus Gail Ker OAM is bringing hope, opportunity and inclusion to the migrant community. The award-winning CEO of ACCESS Community Services Ltd is a force for positive impact and change.
Under Gail’s leadership, ACCESS has grown from a one room youth employment service to one of Australia’s leading organisations in the provision of settlement, employment, training, youth support, housing and social enterprise services for migrants, refugees and Australian-born clients.
With an annual turnover of more than $20 million, this impressive transformation is complemented by Gail’s personal journey, one that saw her commitment to social justice begin early.
“I grew up in West End in Brisbane and my parents were active community members. Giving and compassion have always been part of what I’ve done,” says Gail.
“I remember a speech night in Year 8. I won an award, a book about Africa, and it spoke
Home transformation by design for graduate Pam
There’s no better way to understand the problems and potential of a home than by living in it. If you’re studying architecture at the same time, you become part of a living design project.
Such was the case for Griffith University architecture graduate Pam Deasy as she led the transformation of her 1970s Broadbeach Waters home into a contemporary masterpiece.
“The goal was to edit the existing structure to create a more comfortable home where we could cook, entertain and engage with the outdoors while increasing thermal efficiency,” says Pam.
Architect Pam Deasy
Pam Deasy’s home before the transformation
“The existing home was typical of early ’70s spec homes on the Gold Coast. It was like a time capsule – brick and tile, two bedrooms, one bathroom, no insulation and no ceiling fans. It was charming, but hardly functional. It had also been enjoyed by termites.”
For four years, Pam and her boyfriend, mum and three