Griffith Law School alumnus Joshua Creamer, has received the 2017 National Indigenous Legal Professional of the Year award from the outgoing Attorney-General George Brandis.
“I’m very proud of the award because it draws attention to the type of work that I do,” said Joshua.
Joshua is consistently ranked by the prestigious Doyle’s Guide as one of the leading Native Title barristers in Australia and he has been recognised in the 2018 Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific rankings for his work.
The award caps off a remarkable year which also saw Joshua appointed to the Board of Legal Aid Queensland.
Joshua says his time at Griffith Law School still resonates with his career in the legal profession.
“Griffith Law School focuses on law and social justice and when you look at my practice it still informs and reinforces the work I do,” he said.
The award recognises Joshua’s contribution in championing the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Category: Griffith University Feed
Every picture tells a story
Peter Thiedeke’s passion for photography has taken him around the world – from high fashion shoots in London and New York to adventures off the beaten track in South America, Spain and the Sahara.
These days he juggles a day job as a photography lecturer at the Queensland College of Art with work on his PhD, freelance photography and gigs as a creative director.
“I’m a workaholic,” he says with a laugh.
“I’m always looking for the next project.”
Peter is a QCA alumnus, but his decision to study photography was by chance rather than design.
“I had gone into the QCA intending to study film and TV, wandered into the wrong interview by mistake, and ended up in the photography course,” he says.
“But the first time I went into the dark room and developed my first black and white print, it was a moment of magic – I was hooked.”
After graduating from the Queensland College
Call to tackle aggression in after-hours medicine following new Griffith study
After hours doctors should take measures to protect themselves against experiencing aggression.
This is the call from Griffith academic and Gold Coast GP Dr Chris Ifediora following a Griffith University study finding that around half of all doctors who provide after-hours house call (AHHC) services have experienced aggression in their work over the 12 months prior to the study.
The study, which is the first ever Australian study on the subject, surveyed 300 doctors employed by one of Australia’s largest AHHC providers and found that 47% had experienced an instance of aggression over the past year.
Most common was verbal abuse (48% of cases), followed by threats (27%) and vexatious complaints (13%). Property damage, physical violence, sexual harassment and stalking were all also reported by doctors.
“The odds of having experienced aggression didn’t vary greatly according to gender, although female doctors were more likely to say they were concerned or anxious about aggressive behaviour in the
Griffith Law School swims to protect the Great Barrier Reef
Griffith law staff, students and their supporters pulled on their swimming togs and goggles to fundraise over $3500 to help protect one of Australia’s natural wonders – the Great Barrier Reef.
The Environmental Defenders Office Queensland’s (EDO Qld) Swim for the Reef is an annual fundraiser which saw nearly 270 participants swim across 34 locations for a combined total of more than 8,300 laps or 419 km, raising $55,000.
Griffith law lecturer Dr Chris Butler says that by giving money to support participants of Swim for the Reef, donors were showing practical support and engagement with the vital work of the community legal sector.
Monies raised will be used to support EDO Qld’s law reform, court challenges and awareness work. Last year EDO Qld challenged the controversial and headline grabbing Adani Mine Abbot Point coal terminal expansion in court.
Since the event began in 2016, participants have swum a collective distance of 1,295 km,
Singing the key to improving life for Parkinson’s sufferers
Singing improves the lives of people living with Parkinson’s, according to an Australian-first study conducted by researchers from the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University.
More than 70 people from around Queensland participated in the ground-breaking Griffith University study that
looked at how singing could improve the health and wellbeing of people with Parkinson’s.
Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre’s Professor Don Stewart said it did not matter if participants could hold a note, they simply had to commit to trying to sing for an hour once a week for six months.
In each session participants sang, did vocal warm ups, breathing exercises and took part in social activities.
The study was based on a UK program called ‘Sing to Beat Parkinsons’ that had not been clinically tested before.
Professor Stewart said the aim of the project was simple: to see if singing could enhance the quality of life for
people with Parkinson’s and their carers.
“We wanted to help
Australian first: Student teacher exchange agreement with Singapore
Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies and the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Nanyang Technological University signed the first pre-service student teacher exchange agreement between Australia and Singapore.
Starting from July this year, Singaporean teaching students will have the opportunity to undertake their professional placement in Southeast Queensland through the exchange agreement with the School of Education and Professional Studies.
Griffith University’s Bachelor of Education students, in return, will be able to complete placements at Singaporean schools as part of their degree, and will be hosted as exchange students by National Institute of Education (NIE).
Click to view slideshow.
Autism workshop in Brazil
Professor Jacqui Roberts from the Autism Centre of Excellence recently returned from running a 4-day workshop for professionals working with people with autism in Porto Alegre and surrounding areas in the south of Brazil.
While resources for the autism community are scarce and hard to access in Brazil, the issues for those with autism and those working with them are strikingly similar to Australia. There was a great deal of lively discussion in between the lectures as students worked together to share their experiences and knowledge and apply what they learned.
The majority of the student group attending the course were teachers with a sprinkling of allied health professionals, and some parents of children with autism.
“It was a privilege to work with such an attentive and highly motivated group.” says Professor Roberts from the Autism Centre of Excellence
There was simultaneous translation for everyone throughout the 4 days which was very effective once
Summer school nurtures future Indigenous researchers
Does the traditional bush medicine Gumby Gumby actually work? What part does cultural safety play in physiotherapy graduates? How does the lack a birth certificate or registration affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates?
These are just some of the research projects undertaken by 20 Indigenous students as part of the Kungullanji Indigenous Summer Research Symposium.
In its fourth year, the Kungullanji program provides a practical opportunity for undergraduate students to experience an academic research environment.
“It aims to improve the retention and participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students by enhancing their academic experience and confidence,’’ says Dr Jennifer Leigh Campbell from Griffith’s Indigenous Research Unit.
“Its overall goal is to develop work-ready graduates and create a pipeline to research. Judging from the calibre of this year’s participants the program is achieving this.”
Bachelor of Science student Eden Little spent her summer researching the medicinal potential of the Pittosporum angustifolium plant aka ‘Gumby
Students stressed from work/study juggle, says Griffith study
More Australian students are working in part-time jobs than ever before, with potential negative effects to their study, health, and wellbeing.
This is the warning from Dr Michelle Hood from Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland, following a series of studies looking at how university students manage their study with other aspects of their lives.
With the results set to be further examined in 2018, the study researchers have already conducted surveys of over 1000 students who work from across Griffith University.
“Our results show that over 40 percent of full-time students are working 16 or more hours per week in paid jobs on top of a full time study load of 40 hours per week,” says Dr Hood.
More expensive to be a student now
“It would appear that money is a big concern for many students – sometimes bigger than their main role of being a student – and, of course, it is well
QCA grads nominated for top design award
Queensland College of Art graduates Neil Arnett and Troy Baverstock have been nominated for the Design Institute of Australia’s Queensland Graduate of the Year Award.
The graduate designers submitted a portfolio of cutting-edge designs, ranging from a 3D printed prosthetic limb to a minimalist music system.
Troy Baverstock, whose innovative limbU design was featured in Griffith’s recent Remarkable campaign, said it was an honour to be nominated.
“I’ve just graduated, so recognition like this is a great way to boost your profile in the design industry,” he said.
“It also feels good that the work itself is being recognised – that all the extra blood, sweat and tears was worth it!”
Troy said studying design at the QCA had allowed him to pursue projects that he was passionate about.
“The degree allowed me the freedom to spend time in the studio developing my own work, and the skills to make my vision a reality,” he said.
Neil Arnett