Business performance has remained steady across the Central West region of NSW over the September quarter compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest Reliance Credit Union’s Central West Business Survey, compiled by Charles Sturt University’s Western Research Institute (WRI). Chief Executive Officer of the WRI Tom Watson said “despite the drought, more than three-quarters of Central West businesses surveyed reported that sales performance had been maintained or improved in the September quarter. Parkes, West Wyalong, Bathurst and Orange were the strongest performers. A marginal decline is expected in the December quarter, but on the whole performance should remain relatively steady.” The survey also addressed the issue of drought in the Central West. Central West Regional Development Board chair Sandy Morrison noted that nearly 90 per cent of businesses had not decreased staff numbers as a result of the drought, indicating that many regional businesses are relatively insulated from the effects of the drought and they understand it would be easier to retain workers than attract new workers in the future, given the skills shortage. However, almost 60 per cent felt business would decline if drought conditions continued for another six months. Tom Murphy in analysing survey results said, “Although agriculture is important in the region - the diverse nature of the Central West economy means it is resilient to the drought.” The business survey, released on Thursday 2 November, included 100 businesses in the Central West region of NSW and a further 299 across the rest of regional NSW.

"When you find a goldmine, you keep digging," says Mark Green, Studio Communications Manager at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Games Technology course. Chip Bell, Michael Blaha and Daniel Hotop are all CSU graduates who travelled to England to undertake the industrial placement component of CSU’s Bachelor of Computer Science (Games Technology) degree. As a result, all three were offered employment at Sony’s Cambridge Studio. Mark Green says Sony is returning to CSU for more potential staff because “it is hard to get good quality staff members so we are going back to those universities who have supplied great people. We are just one of 14 studios worldwide and we are all looking for who is out there. And it is not just programming, we need art or design or production people as well”. Daniel Hotop is acting as the point of contact between SCEE and CSU. “If you told me four years ago that I would be working in England for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, I would not have believed you."

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is inviting the private sector to take part in the University’s plans to significantly increase student accommodation on or near its main campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Later this month, CSU is calling for expressions of interest to finance, plan and build student accommodation next to or near the CSU campuses, with the option to also manage the facility. “We want to provide well-located and competitively priced accommodation for our students that is also commercially sustainable and in keeping with our ecologically sustainable development goals,” said CSU Executive Director of Financial Services Jim Hackett. As part of the University’s expansion of student accommodation, CSU is also developing and financing facilities to house 200 students in self catering accommodation on its Bathurst, Albury and Wagga Wagga sites.

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.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Health and Safety in Early Childhood Settings students will once again be holding their annual Health and Wellbeing Expos, this year at Kelso Public School as well as a local shopping centre in Dubbo. Lynda Ireland, a lecturer in CSU’s School of Teacher Education, says the expos are about “trying to encourage early childhood professionals students to see there is a connection between community health and early childhood education. It is really nice to show that the University is out there interacting with the community. The students get a real buzz from the response that they get to their health topics”. She says the topics include “asthma, road safety, sun safety, emotional wellbeing, caring for babies, water safety, farm safety, allergies, anaphylaxis, things that are relevant to the children.”

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.

“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”.

“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.”

“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.