Award-winning poet and Griffith University lecturer Dr Anthony Lawrence has won the 2017 Prime Minister’s Award for Poetry for his anthonlogy Headwaters.
Dr Lawrence, who teaches poetry at the Gold Coast campus, was awarded the prize for his 14th poetry collection published by Pitt Street Poetry, at the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards held in Canberra on December 1.
Dr Lawrence’s stature as one of Australia’s leading poets was recognised in 2015 with the coveted Philip Hokgins medal and is regularly reinforced by his many victories in poetry competitions: the inaugural Judith Wright Calanthe Award, the Gwen Harwood, the Blake, the Kenneth Slessor, the Peter Porter and most recently the prestigious 2015 Newcastle Poetry Prize, his third.
Scottish poet and T.S. Eliot Prize winner John Burnside describes Headwaters thus: “Headwaters marries an extraordinary gift for observation of the natural world and an exquisite appreciation of human creatureliness with marvellous linguistic precision to create a singular, life-affirming music”.
Judge’s comments:
Anthony
Category: Griffith University Feed
How increased nationalism could undo the gains of globalisation
The age of Western economic dominance is all but over, according to a recent Griffith University seminar on the impact of the rise of nationalism and populism around the globe.
Speaking ahead of the Business As Usual? event – held by the Griffith Asia Institute (GAI) at the university’s South Bank campus this month and featuring contributions from Professor Sara McGaughey and Adjunct Professor Clinton Dines – Hitosubashi University Associate Professor Jesper Edman explained the risks and opportunities facing multinational firms operating in an increasingly inwardly focused world.
“These are trends that are not really going away,” Associate Professor Edman said. “This is not just about Trump or Brexit or Xi Jinping; these are long-term trends that companies have to deal with.
“The obvious risks can be dealt with easily. The more uncertain ones are what it does with sudden changes – whether sudden sanctions or companies cutting off trade or exports of
Griffith film graduate wins AACTA Award for work on ‘Lion’
Griffith alumnus and respected film producer Angie Fielder and her crewmates on Lion have taken out the Best Film prize at the 2017 AACTA Awards.
The Best Film AACTA was one of a dozen awards, from as many nominations, claimed at the event by the critically lauded Australian produced film, which stars Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman.
The accolade follows an Oscar nomination – for Best Picture, no less – for the producer and the Lion team, as well as the Feature Film of the Year award at November’s Screen Producers Australia Awards.
Lion broke box-office records for independent Australian film following its release, picked up Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, and won BAFTAs for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Before she was an award-winning producer, Angie graduated from the Queensland College of Art in 1996, and went on to be named Griffith Film School‘s Graduate of the Year in 2012.
In keeping with
The troubling reality of Southeast Asia’s ‘democratic recession’
By Dr Diego Fossati and Dr Lee Morgenbesser
Griffith Asia Institute and the Centre for Governance and Public Policy
The notion that democracy had triumphed over authoritarianism became an irresistible conclusion following the downfall of the Soviet Union. In what amounted to a historic transformation, 46 countries transitioned to democracy between 1991 and 2006. This process was particularly evident in Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, where elite-driven coups and mass-led overthrows precipitated regime change.
Over the past decade, however, the number of democracies around the world not only plateaued, but declined. This alarming trend has been acutely evident in Southeast Asia – a region where no country is ranked “Free” by the organisation Freedom House.
The apparent suddenness of Southeast’s Asia’s “democratic recession” is partly owing to historical circumstance. This is a region that has always displayed recalcitrance to democracy, where universal notions of political rights and civil liberties have never been widespread. The
New youth program framework to enhance young lives
A new strengths-based approach to youth development programs is set to revolutionise the practice in Australia.
Led by Dr Kathryn Seymour from the Griffith Criminology Institute, the framework was developed within the Queensland Youth Development Research Project involving eight Queensland youth organisations.
Based around six principles: learning and development; leadership and decision-making; inclusive ethos; community service; partnerships and ethical promotion, it offers youth program providers new ways to constructively engage and retain young people.
The youth organisations involved in the project are: Impact: Youth Organisations Reducing Crime, the Boys’ Brigade, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, the Emergency Services Cadets Program, Girl Guides Queensland, Lions Clubs International Leo Clubs, The Police Citizens Youth Clubs and Surf Life Saving Queensland.
“Youth services in Australia and around the world are at a crossroads,’’ Dr Seymour says.
“As governments respond to global financial volatility by cutting expenditure on social services, the pressure mounts on youth service providers to
Philip Reiler: Giving the gift of second sight
Among Philip Reiler’s duties as Head of Public Relations for the Norwegian arm of optical retail chain Specsavers, he leads the company’s annual Give Sight to Tanzania project.
Each year, Philip and a team of optometrists and support staff travel to the East African nation, where eye health in rural areas is a critical and ongoing issue.
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Beneath the spectacular backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, the team creates its own spectacle by conducting eye tests and matching prescription glasses—all donated by Specsavers customers—to needy recipients.
“We bring about 5,000 pairs of glasses with us, although not all are handed out,” says Philip, who graduated with a Bachelor of Business from Griffith University in 2004, preceding completion of a Master of Arts (Journalism and Mass Communication) in 2006.
“In terms of optical health, the damaging intensity of the Tanzanian sun is exacerbated by limited resources for eye health, optometry and
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games gives journalism students entrée into broadcast world
Griffith University journalism students will get the experience of a lifetime when they work with NEP Host Broadcast during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).
More than 90 students and graduates from Griffith Film School will also work with NEP Host Broadcaster during GC2018. They will be in a variety of roles including camera assistants, camera control unit operators, runners, loggers and technical broadcast assistants. GC2018 will be held from 4-15 April 2018.
Eight journalism students will work as broadcast information assistants based at competition venues and the Main Media Centre, which houses the International Broadcast Centre (IBC).
“This role provides students with the opportunity for paid work in a real-life industry setting, and to network with media professionals,’’ says Gerry O’Leary, Head of NEP Broadcast Training.
The students have already been working with NEP in the lead up to the Games on the World Press Briefing and the Chefs de Mission seminar
Griffith Racing Team unveils new car to hit the track
A new and improved Griffith Racing Team car will hit this year’s competition with plans to be better than ever.
The Griffith Engineering students have been busy taking on judges’ feedback to create their new vehicle for the Formula SAE contest.
Student James Foster said they went back to the drawing board for the new design, while reusing old parts.
“We try to think outside the box but above all it has to work,” he said.
The team are tested both statically and on the track, judged on areas including endurance, acceleration and efficiency.
Major milestones for the Griffith Racing Team have included first place in acceleration, a third in endurance over a 22km run, and sixth in efficiency, even though it was up against a host of electric-powered cars.
This year they have built in a 70 per cent lighter suspension and carbon fibre steering wheel with custom hand grips for added driver comfort.
Technical officer
Five minutes with…Ruth McPhail
WOW’s Professor Ruth McPhail is Head of the Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources (with whom the Centre has a close working relationship). Raised as an academic at Griffith University, her social justice agenda has always been very strong. We spent five minutes with Ruth to learn a little more about what research underpinned by such a perspective looks like….
In what areas do your current research interests lie?
Broadly, in international HRM [human resource management]; some areas of health care; and student success, i.e. the scholarship of learning and teaching, implementing orientation frameworks, Griffith’s PASS [Peer Assisted Study Sessions] initiative – [essentially] the retention, transition, and engagement of students.
Are there ongoing or emerging trends in your fields of research?
Yes, LGBTI [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, intersex] expat[riate]s in particular in international HRM: there is growing interest from companies, particularly around HR’s duty of care to employees. This is creating quite a dilemma
If a royal commission is good news for the public, it’s even better for APRA
By Professor David Grant, Pro Vice Chancellor (Business), Griffith University
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently bowed to widespread pressure and called for a royal commission into Australia’s banking sector.
This reluctant yet auspicious move is one that undoubtedly will have been welcomed by a broad spectrum of stakeholders including, quite possibly, those at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), who will now likely escape the degree of scrutiny that would have otherwise fallen on them should the federal government have failed to act in this way.
It has been a difficult year for the Authority. Having previously established an inquiry into the Commonwealth Bank following accusations of breaching anti-money-laundering regulations – in addition to the bank’s history of previous missteps and controversies – APRA found itself the subject of scepticism from the ALP and crossbench MP Bob Katter with respect to its impartiality, particularly given the close ties to the financial sector held