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CANBERRA
Home > Regional News > Canberra
Still just a load of hot air?
21 Nov 2006
 Carbon emissions trading is a great idea waiting to happen, according to Charles Sturt University’s environment economist Mark Morrison. Dr Morrison says he agrees with Prime Minister John Howard, who said at the APEC summit late last week that any carbon trading system would have to be global to suceed. “The global effort is going to be ineffective unless everyone is going to involved,” said Dr Morrison. “Very few countries are meeting their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Australia is going to be one of the most severely affected countries. The ability of agricultural land in Australia to produce the way it has historically is very unlikely, if you believe the global warming forecasts and I do.”
Media Note: Dr Morrison is available for interviews, contact CSU Media. Print this story Real world of work for young people
21 Nov 2006
 “Young people need no magic shields, swords and arrows to cope with the world of work,” according to Associate Professor Erica Smith, a specialist in vocation education and training from Charles Sturt University (CSU). Professor Smith says it is dangerous and futile to constantly make changes to the school curriculum in attempts to prepare young people better for the workplace. Her paper, The Land of Narnia or just the back of the wardrobe? What research tells us about the real world of work for young people will challenge many assumptions made about the nature of entry into work life for young people. Drawing from her national research, Professor Smith says the majority of young people have a realistic view of the labour market, hold sufficient skills to succeed and are able to move to full-time work seamlessly over a period of several years with no major difficulties. “The world of work, rather than being a strange land, difficult to enter, where battles are fought and special guides are needed, is a familiar and navigable place to young people,” she said.
Media Note: Associate Professor Erica Smith will present her paper at the Australian Association for Research in Education conference from Monday 27 to Thursday 30 November. She is available for interview. Contact CSU Media. Print this story Making things worse before they get better
21 Nov 2006
Policies aimed at increasing the pace of developing renewable energies could accelerate global warming, according to Dr Rod Duncan, a lecturer in economics at Charles Sturt University. It wouldn’t be the first time regulations have had the opposite of the desired effect. When US Congress introduced the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, Detroit car makers responded by producing petrol-guzzling SUVs. And when Mexico City implemented no-drive days where a car could only be used every other day, the citizens reacted by buying a second car. “Air quality in Mexico City got worse, because the second car tended to be an old bomb,” said Dr Duncan. And what does all this have to do with alternative energies? “If cheaper alternatives are being developed, oil producers will have an incentive to pump oil faster and sell it cheaper. The renewables could be worth it in the long run, but at least temporarily, you may actually make the global warming problem worse.”
Media Note: Dr Rod Duncan is available for interviews, contact CSU Media Print this story The miracle worker
21 Nov 2006
 “The main purpose of his visit was to establish a research culture amongst the paramedic staff and he has done that brilliantly,” Associate Professor Peter O’Meara from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Public Health said of Visiting Professor Malcolm Woollard. “He managed to get a project up and funded and complete the research in seven weeks. One miracle he achieved was approval of the project in just two working days.” Professor Woollard returned the compliment. “I have been very impressed by the professionalism and can-do attitude of the team here. (Head of School) Lyn Angel in particular made it possible for us to speed through the approvals process but still make sure that the project was of an appropriate standard.” The visit was part-funded by the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals (ACAP). Chair of ACAP, Ian Johns, said “we feel like we have hit a home run. Malcolm cuts through the fog of that high level stuff. Now we can see a nice clear snapshot of how it can be.”
Media Note: Professor Woollard is Professor of Pre-hospital Care at the University of Teesside in Middlesbrough in the UK. He is now at Monash University for two weeks through a collaborative arrangement with CSU. He is available for interviews. Professor O’Meara is available for interviews. Contact CSU Media. Print this story Is globalistion too harsh on the poor?
14 Nov 2006
 A senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) social researcher is leading research and discussion into the influence of globalisation on economic development and human security in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr Manohar Pawar, a principal researcher in CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, believes globalisation “is good if it helps erradicate poverty and reduce global inequalities”. In October, Dr Pawar organised a major international conference on the topic in Thailand, in collaboration with Thailand’s Thammasat University and Taisho and Kyushu universities, Japan. “Confronted by extreme poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disorder and violence and many other social problems, the conference delegates presented positive examples from the region showing that alternative social development approaches must include and allow participation in the planning and implementation of projects by the people affected by them,” Dr Pawar said.
Media Note: Interviews with Dr Manohar Pawar on the recent international conference Globalisation, Develolpment and Human Security in the Asia-Pacific Region is available through CSU Media. Print this story Can tragedy prompt positive change?
14 Nov 2006
 “The big question is, do some adults improve their lives after a parent’s cancer experience? It sounds quite odd, because how could anything good possibly come from this?” Janelle Levesque from Charles Sturt University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences will research how having a parent with cancer impacts on their adult children. “For some, cancer can act as a wake-up call. Some realise life is too short to stay in work they don’t like while others switch to more family-friendly or part time work. Another change may be the realisation that the little things are not so important. The wet towel on the bathroom floor really doesn’t matter, what matters is making time to speak to the kids for 10 minutes before bed.” Ms Levesque says the biggest area of change is that “most people find that their family grows closer through the experience”.
Media Note: Janelle Levesque’s study investigating the experiences of adults who have a parent with cancer is about to commence. She is seeking research participants who meet the following criteria: over 18 years of age; parent was diagnosed with cancer at least 12 months ago; and, if bereavement has occurred, it happened at least six months ago, before April 2006. For more information, or for interviews, contact CSU Media. Print this story CSU Winery is outstanding: Halliday
07 Nov 2006
 Superlatives flow like fine wine when it comes to the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion: “a must have for any serious lover of Australian wine”, “the No. 1 bestselling guide to wineries and wine in Australia”, “keenly anticipated by winemakers, faithful collectors and wine lovers alike”. In the 2007 edition, it is James Halliday who waxes lyrical about the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery, giving it, and its 2005 Orange Chardonnay, the highest rating. Only “outstanding wineries capable of producing wines of the highest calibre” can receive five stars from Halliday, while the 2005 Orange Chardonnay was an “outstanding wine of the highest quality” and “outstanding value”. CSU’s winemaker Andrew Drumm says the Winery is “very pleased to receive this honour, especially from someone like James Halliday. It makes the students feel proud of the time spent in the winery and reinforces our education and research activities.”
Media Note: CSU’s winemaker Andrew Drumm is available for interviews. Contact CSU Media. Print this story St Mark's and CSU’s “robust” relationship to be enhanced
07 Nov 2006
A Valedictory Service this Friday 10 November in Canberra will see Charles Sturt University (CSU) strengthen and renew the existing partnership with St Mark’s. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of CSU, Professor Ross Chambers says the signing of the renewed CSU/St Mark’s Agreement will further enhance a relationship that has “has proven robust, sustainable and effective for both parties. It is the basis of the excellent performance, academically, of CSU’s School of Theology”. The Valedictory Service will recognise the Reverend Dr Stephen Pickard’s leadership and welcome his successor as Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre. The Right Reverend George Browning, President of St Mark’s Council, announced the appointment of The Right Reverend Dr Thomas Frame as Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre last week. The appointment follows the resignation of Dr Pickard to take up an appointment as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Adelaide.
Media Note: The signing of the revised Agreement will take place during the Valedictory Service on Friday 10 November 2006 at 6.00pm. The Service will be held at the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACCC) Chapel, which adjoins St Mark’s National Theological Centre at 15 Blackall Street, Barton, ACT. Media are welcome. The Reverend Dr Stephen Pickard and Professor Ross Chambers are available for interviews. Contact CSU Media. Print this story Water politics in the pub
07 Nov 2006
 The Politics of Water - What Are the Real Issues? is the topic of a Politics in the Pub discussion by Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Shahbaz Khan in Sydney on Friday 10 November. Internationally regarded for his work in hydrology and water management, Professor Khan joined the University in the middle of 2004 when CSIRO Land and Water and CSU jointly funded the position of Professor of Hydrology to head up work in the critical research areas of land and water management. Having worked on nearly every continent of the world, particularly in developing nations, Professor Khan is the Regional Coordinator for UNESCO’s International Hydrology Program, HELP (Hydrology Environment, Life and Policy), based at CSU. Politics in the Pub started in the Harold Park Hotel in inner-city Glebe in 1988 and forums are held at 6pm each Friday in the Gaelic Club, Devonshire Street, Surrey Hills.
Media Note: Contact CSU Media for interviews with Professor Shahbaz Khan. Print this story NSW HSC Online in top ten hits
31 Oct 2006
 As Year 12 students continue sitting their Higher School Certificate (HSC), latest performance research on the NSW HSC Online study resource by Internet research company Hitwise shows it is in the top 10 education websites in Australia. Now in its tenth year, NSW HSC Online was heralded for providing access to quality learning resources, especially for students in rural and remote areas. The current performance data support this success in providing equity, with high use by students living in provincial centres, who traditionally have below average use of the Internet. There were also more boys than average for an educational website going to HSC Online in the lead-up to the HSC, with 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females using www.hsc.csu.edu.au. The research also revealed excellent brand recognition and a strong association of the site with CSU. Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman said the website’s success highlights its value in bringing high quality resources to all HSC students, regardless of where they live. The NSW HSC Online project was initiated and continues to be maintained and updated by the University in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.
Media Note: Interviews with Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman are available through CSU Media. Print this story |
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