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.”

CSU is holding a Change of Preference Information Day in Sydney on 3 and 4 January 2007. Market Development Manager Cheryl Howell said the information session is mainly aimed at Sydney school leavers.“It doesn’t have to be a traumatic time. We will have Prospective Student Advisors (PSA) there to talk to them about their options. For students at or near CSU Campus towns we have open day every day, so if they want to come and talk to PSAs at any time they can do that.” CSU’s Contact Centre is extending its opening hours from 8.30am through to 5.30pm for the whole of January. January 4 2007 is the last day for NSW university applicants to change their course preferences for the main round of offers due out later that month.

Research that defines the NSW central west labour market will be presented at a lunchtime seminar from 12.30pm to 2pm at Charles Sturt University’s Bathurst Campus on Wednesday 1 November. Dr Parikshit Basu from the School of Marketing & Management will present work based on research he co-authored with Professor John Hicks and Richard Sappey. Titled Overview of an ‘Established Rural Regional Inland’ Australian Labour Market Dr Basu analyses the operation of a local labour market in the NSW Central West, the oldest European-settled inland region of mainland Australia. It seeks to contribute to a classification of labour markets that would be useful for forming policies at local, State and Federal levels. The seminar will be held in Syndicate Room 2 in the Centre for Professional Development, CSU Bathurst Campus, from 12.30 pm.

The stories of two Labor icons are currently playing on Sydney stages: Keating! The Musical at Belvior Street, and A Local Man, the Ben Chifley one-man show at the Ensemble in Kirribilli. Co-written by historian and CSU adjunct senior lecturer Dr Rob McLachlan with Bob Ellis, A Local Man is described by the Ensemble as “a poignant portrayal of a flawed hero”. Tony Barry is reprising the role he played in the original Bathurst CSU production in 2004, which was directed by Bill Blaikie. Dr McLachlan says this new production is a “bonus all around. The Ensemble is one of the hallmark theatres in Sydney for Australian drama. It has a very sympathetic artistic director, Sandra Bates, and there is an impressive CSU ex-theatre media presence there”. A 2007 tour of Canberra and regional NSW and Victoria will be produced by Jennifer Barry, a CSU theatre media graduate.

Vice-Chancellor Ian Goulter last week announced the academic promotions round for 2006. Professor Goulter singled out Associate Professor Geoffrey Gurr from the School of Rural Management and Dr Lexin Wang from the School of Biomedical Sciences who have both been promoted to Professor Level E. “I congratulate these academic staff members on their achievements and contribution to the success of Charles Sturt University,” he said. CSU researcher and academic cardiologist Dr Wang is also an Honorary Professor of Cardiology at Taishan Medical College in China. “I’m really pleased, but there are more challenges ahead. We are still conducting a number of very high-profile studies on heart disease and my research group has had some major impact in the field of cardiovascular medicine. At CSU we are running a very strong pharmacology discipline which has been expanded quite substantially in the last eight years or so, and I think that is another major achievement.”

Teamwork comes first at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Contact Centre which is why the staff were awarded the Vice-Chancellor's 2006 Team Award For Performance Excellence. Managed by Ms Kerry Browning, the Contact Centre is located at the Bathurst Campus. In their nomination, Heads of School from the Faculty of Arts Associate Professor Tracey Green and Associate Professor Rosemary Woolston said the staff “exemplify quality and professionalism”, singling out the Contact Centre’s contribution to the School of Policing Studies career day. Ms Browning said the staff  “like to work with the people we are here to support, and unless we are flexible, we can’t meet the needs of the customer. They are a great team and they are really focused on providing excellent customer service. They enjoy the interaction with other parts of CSU and always keeping University information up-to-date”.

Barriers to education and employment for Indigenous people will be among topics discussed at a workshop at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst Campus tomorrow, Wednesday 6 December. The workshop is the first in a series to be held across CSU as part of its Indigenous Employment Strategy promoting the employment of Indigenous Australians. Workshop presenters will include guests from the Wiradjuri Elders Group and other community members who will discuss topics such as workplace issues, cross cultural communication and protocols for community consultation. The University’s Indigenous Employment Coordinator Karen Kime said the University is a great place to work and Indigenous people contribute to an interesting and dynamic workforce, which reflects the cultural makeup of the region it serves. The workshop will be held between 9.30am and 3pm at the Human Resources Training Room, Phillips Building.

One of Australia’s largest banks Westpac will announce an agreement with Charles Sturt University (CSU) to produce regular agribusinesses reports for all Australia’s regions. CSU’s Western Research Institute will produce quarterly reports for Westpac on the health of farming and related businesses in all Australia’s States and territories, starting in 2007. This will be the first such report on each and all regions of the nation.The official announcement will be made during a Business and Community Reception to be hosted by CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter. The reception will start at 5pm on Thursday 7 December on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona.

A $5 million sporting complex including an international-level synthetic running track would make Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Human Movement Studies an international player, according to the Head of School, Associate Professor Frank Marino. CSU has applied for funding for the complex through the VSU Transition Fund with backing from Bathurst Regional Council. Vice-Chancellor Ian Goulter says “This important project will be a fantastic facility for inland Australia”. The Federal Member for Macquarie, Kerry Bartlett late last week inspected the proposed site. “I’m meeting with the Minister for Education Julie Bishop this week to push the case. This suite of sporting facilities has the potential to make CSU and Bathurst a centre of sporting excellence and I think that’s tremendously worthwhile.”