Peter Coaldrake appointed next VC

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Queensland University of Technology Newspaper • Issue 229 • October, 2002

Peter Coaldrake appointed next VC T

he Chancellor of QUT, Dr Cherrell Hirst, potential to build on its very strong foundations. 1

has announced the appointment of look forward to guiding the Institution, working Professor Peter Coaldrake as the closely with the governing council and with the university's next Vice-Chancellor, effective April

2003.

Professor Coaldrake, 51, currently QUT's Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has extensive executive management experience spanning both the university and government sectors. A two-time Fulbright scholar, he has been widely published in the fields of higher education policy and practice and, earlier in his career, in politics and public sector management.

An eight-member selection panel headed by Dr Hirst unanimously recommended the appointment to the university council arter an international search.

Professor Coaldrake said he was honoured by the appointment.

university's staff in this endeavour," he said.

'"It is a great opportunity to build on the

considerable achievements of our retiring Vice- Chancellor, Professor Dennis Gibson, .. he said.

Dr Hirst congratulated Proressor Coaldrake on his appointment.

"QUT is extremely fortunate to have such an outstanding appointee, particularly as we progress through a period of major change In the higher education sector," Dr Hirst said.

"Proressor Coaldrake enjoys, not only the strong support of the council and the broader QUT community, but also, high standing in the Australian higher education sector and beyond."

relevant learning experience.

"We also need to draw our energies around important R&D opportunities -this will require us to continually experiment and regenerate."

Professor Coaldrake said a fundamental challenge was recognising the changing needs or an Increasingly diverse student population.

"We need to be conscious of the hugely dynamic nature or the higher education marketplace and the diversity of educational experiences."

Professor Coaldrake spent most of his childhood in the Kimberleys and then central and North Queensland, receiving his secondary education In Charters Towers.

He received his honours degree from James Cook University in Townsville, and his PhD from Grifnth University.

Professor Coaldrake is married and has two daughters in high school.

"QUT Is a very fine university poised at an exciting stage of its development, with huge

Referring to the current national policy and funding debates, Professor Coaldrake said: "QUT must be prepared, as we have been in the past, to set our own path in providing a high-quality and

He is a pianist, a keen swimmer and is a self-

confessed "junkie of American politics". Professor Peter Goa/drake

QUT to care for Old Government House

Agreement signed ... /from left) National Trust Queensland president Pat Comben, QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson and

Minister for Public Works and Housing Robert Schwarten. Picture: Adam Smith

QUT has taken over the care and control of historic Old Government House situated in the heart of the Cultural Precinct at Gardens Point campus.

Queensland Minister for Public Works and Housing Robert Schwarten signed a lease agreement with Vice- Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson and Pat Comben of the National Trust of Queensland, the organisation

previously resident and in control of the building.

"The State Government has agreed to a long-term peppercorn lease, in return gaining QUT's commitment to be responsible for Old Government House's care and restoration," Mr Schwarten said.

"The National Trust will move its offices from Old Government House

Power workers inspire artist

into Federation House at 95 William Street which will be renamed National Trust House.

"Through this agreement, a significant part of Queensland's heritage Is preserved in a vibrant community that is university life."

Old Government House was the first major work of colonial architect Charles Tiffin, built in 1862. In 1909, the

building was converted for use as a university building until the late 1940s.

Professor Gibson said while the future use of the building was still being finalised, a Public Works conservation plan made a number of recommendations including community access.

"Old Government House ls delicate and it needs to be carefully restored and managed," he said.

Composing music online

Principal's story of hope on film

by Gr~g Davis

Being principal of the Cherbourg State School is a world away from working for Paul Keating in the Prime Minister's department in Canberra but Chris Sarra cannot imagine being anywhere else.

Some in the Indigenous community call Mr Sarra a role model, some a hero. Others cheekily suggest Mr Keating would still be residing in the Lodge today if he had achieved half as much as the QUT graduate has during his four years at Cherbourg, 300km north-west of Brisbane.

His extraordinary story has been the subject of a documentary made by lecturers from QUT's film and television production discipline, Mark Newman and Dr Gary Maclennan.

Set in the middle of the dusty township, Cherbourg State School looks like many other country schools - except for Aboriginal murals dotted all over the walls.

The Cherbourg State School was strife-ravaged when Mr Sarra - a teacher, former university lecturer and government official -assumed control in August 1998. With alcoholism, domestic violence and crime serious problems, Mr Sarra has developed a sense of purpose and unity in the school and community.

Continued on Page 3

Business Week celebrated

http://www.news.qut.edu.au George Street Brisbane 4000 Telephone (07) 3864 2361 Registered by Australia Post -Publication No. QBF 4778. CRICOS no 00213J

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Agreement forged with ATSIC

QUT looks forward to exciting future

This Is the last edition of inside QUT for 2002, and it Is quite fitting that it provides me with the opportunity to renect on two significant events, both of which will have a major innuence on QUT's future.

On October 10 the Chancellor announced the appointment of QUT's new Vice-Chancellor. Professor Peter Coaldrake, currently Deputy Vice- Chancellor, has been chosen from a highly competitive international field, and I have every confldence that he will provide the strong and thoughtful leadership necessary to continue QUT's deveJopment in future year5. Cenalnly all those that have worked with Peter know of his commitment to the univel"5ity and his many achievements for QUT.

I am sure that the emire university community joins me in wishing him every success for his own, and QUT's, future.

Two days earlier, on October 8, I particjpated in a ceremony with the State Government and the National Trust of Queensland, to sign a Heads of Agreement which provides for QUT to take over the care and management of Old Government House on a long term lease basis.

This agreement sees the end of almost 30 years of negotiation about the future of this beautiful building.

It was built in the 1860s as the home for the nrst Governor of Queensland, Sir George Bowen, and served him untll 1910 when it became the home of the University of Queensland.

I have always found this an interesting twist to QUT's history, that the birthplace of another major metropolitan university lies in our midst.

-Professor Dmnis Gibson

First professor in aged care established at QUT

Dr Colin Dillon ... signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of A TS/C with QUT in September.

by Marl_ar~t Lawson

Queensland's Kedron-Wavell Services Club has committed $350,000 over three years to establish the State's first Professor of Nursing (Aged Care} at QUT.

The position in QUT's School of Nursing, to be created in conjunction with The Prince Charles Hospital, will aim to improve the care and assistance available to older Queenslanders and frail people in the community.

"As people age they become more vulnerable to Illness and disability with a resultant need for excellence in care and the provision of appropriate expert assistance," she said.

"Of the 2.3 million Australians aged 65 years and over in 1998, 46 per cent needed assistance of some description.

"Kedron-Wavell's financial support for this position reinforces their commitment to improving health care outcomes for older people. n

A

QUT Council and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) member, Dr Colin Dillon, praised QUT's commitment to reconciliation and social justice at the signing of a landmark agreement between the university and the commission recently.

Dr Dillon, an ATSIC South-East Queensland regional councillor, said QUT had an "enviable record" of promoting a social justice agenda and staff who could ~stand tall and proud"

because of their contributions towards the reconciliation effort.

Dr Dillon was visiting QUT to sign a memorandum of understanding

(MOU) with Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson on September 18 as the first step In establishing a long-term partnerships.

Under the agreement -the only such MOU between a university and an ATSJC regional council - QUT and ATSIC will share Information from research and work together to establish programs to boost Indigenous employment.

The organisations will also collaborate on a range of research and Infrastructure development projects to build the capacity of both partners.

Dr Dillon said the new agreement was another step forward in the

reconciliation effort.

"We have to work together and understand each other and reconciliation must be worked on continually. We have to work at it every day of our lives," Dr Dillon said.

"It is through these collaborative

efforts that fine things can be achieved."

QUT Oodgeroo Unit manager Victor Hart said the agreement was essential to help build Indigenous access to services, research and education.

MThis is an initiative that ls pivotal to . . undoing the terra nullius mainstream mindset that we have struggled against for so long," Mr Hart said.

QUT nursing head Associate Professor Helen Edwards said the new position would lead research, support nursing education, and develop best practice nursing standards for aged care services.

Kedron-Wavell president Fraser Allam said the club, which has more than 12,500 members over the age of 50, recognised the need to enhance lifestyle opportunities for older Queenslanders.

Students triumph in national business strategy competition

Engineering lecturer scoops top award

"Research on best practice nursing standards in the area of aged care is relatively limited at present in Queensland," Professor Edwards said.

"The new position will help make aged care nursing research a priority."

Professor Edwards said the establishment of the position was particularly significant considering it was projected that one in four Queenslanders would be aged over 65 by 2031.

Adam Cole

MKedron-Wavell Services Club has a large clientele of older residents In the community and. in partnership with our RSL sub-branch, we believe that we should be supporting this new initiative for the benefit of the Queensland community," Mr Allam said.

"The club's support for the professor and its focus on aged care marks our ongoing commitment to our community.

A team of QUT management and economics and nnance students won the national nnal of the Boston Consulting Group Business Strategy National Competition on October 4.

The successful team was made up of School of Management students Susan Tran, Barbara Clendlnen and Kim Blackett, and School of Economics and Finance students Mark Doolan, Joseph ]eisman and Kris Liddell.

They won the prestigious award over

About Inside QUT

BA (HONS) (QLD) ~IA (QI.D) MAPS Inside QUT is published by QUT's Corporate Communication Department.

Our readership includes staff, students and members of the QUT community.

This paper is also circulated to business, industry, government and the media.

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Letters to the editor are welcome.

Email [email protected] mail Colleen Clur, Inside QUT, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, Qld, 4001). Corporate Communication is located at Room 50 I, Level 5, M Block, at Gardens Point. Opinions expressed in lnsid~

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other undergraduate students from universities around Australia, Including Melbourne University, the University of New South Wales and the University of Western Sydney.

The students were coached by Australian Centre In Strategic Management director Professor Robert Waldersee. Earlier this year, QUT's School of Management hosted the Queensland regional competition which the QUT team won.

Senior lecturer Dr Andy Tan has received national recognition for his contribution to engineering education.

Dr Tan was presented with the Institution of Engineers Australia (IEAust) Award for Excellence In Engineering Education. IEAust is the main accrediting body of engineering education in Australia.

The award is given to an outstanding academic for sustained contribution to engineering education in Australasia.

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QUT performs strongly in research funding

Q

UT has performed strongly in the latest roundoff unding allocations by the Australian Research Council (ARC), altracting $5.7million for 27 research projects.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Advancement) Professor David Gardiner said the result represented a 25 per cent increase over last year's allocation for QUT and was the best result in the Australian Technology Network (ATN) group of universities.

-

"The university's new national ranking behind five Go8 (group of eight) universities in the Linkage Grants scheme indicates an excellent outcome in what was a much more competitive application round," Professor Gardiner said.

.. ARC Linkage Grants have increased by 11.2 per cent with 14 new projects attracting $2.9million.

"We've also had 13 new ARC Discovery Grants worth just over

...

$2.8million, representing a 70 per cent increase on the previous year's funding."

Professor Gardiner said cash contributions from industry partners had increased by 24.6 per cent to

$4.2million.

"This success represents a deliberate push within QUT to facilitate the development of large, collaborative style projects and reinforces the university's strong Unks with external clients and end-users," he said.

Under the ARC Linkage International

scheme, three fellowships and two awards worth more than $300,000 were awarded to QUT academics.

The university was also awarded

$300,000 for the QUT-based Imaging Raman Spectrometer under the ARC Linkage -Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme, as well as being successful In a further five bids under this scheme as a collaborating partner.

For a full listing of the ARC results for

2003-2007, visit www.news.qut.edu.au Professor David Gardiner

FedSat computing technology has

Earthly applications

Australia launches its microsatellite FedSat later this year it will change the future of space missions, marking the first demonstration In a space environment of High-Performance Computing (HPC) technology - designed at the CRC for Satellite Systems atQUT.

CRC principal research scientist and HPC program leader Dr Anwar Dawood has spent the past four years creating an enabling technology for cheaper and smarter satellite missions.

The technology also has applications such as satellite-based broadband services and disaster prediction.

Dr Dawood said the HPC technology on FedSat would surpass currently limited on-board computing capacity of satellites.

It will enable remote control and reconfiguration of the satellite's hardware and processes, as well as enabling controllers embedded on board to detect and correct errors while the satellite is in

environment and market demand for specialist space technology is just starting to grow," Dr Dawood said.

"We have developed reconfigurable, HPC technology that can be used for both terrestrial and space applications."

According to Dr Dawood, HPC technology uses sofMare downloaded to a computer chip to enable generic hardware to run optimally. Usually optimum performance is only delivered when hardware is built to run a specific application.

Having now completed the development and integration of HPC into FedSat, Dr Dawood and his team of researchers and postgraduate students are working on further applications.

"The satellite-based broadband services project will enable use of a smart device similar to a laptop to communicate from anywhere on the ground directly with satellites without the need for cables and telephone lines, ^Mhe said.

Another application was a disaster detection and monitoring system which will be faster than present warning systems.

(bottom) Dr Gary Maclennan an some of his students. Film

"Computing technology for space systems is lagging behind terrestrial computing technology because space is a very harsh, hostile and unpredictable

"Using this smart technology, the satellite's computer will be able to process data in real-time, identify any unusual patterns and send an early warning signal to a ground station. M

Film recounts orincioal's s

Continued from Page 1

He has reduced absenteeism by 94 per cent and helped his students be proud of their Indigenous heritage through the reinforcement of the school motto, .. Strong and Smart".

Just observing the Year Two class listen to their principal talk about the importance of being fair and honest is enough to convince you of Mr Sarra's influence as they hang on his every word.

"When I first got here the place was a mess. Kids were running on the roof and the attendance rate was extremely low," Mr Sarra said.

"What we have tried to do here is give the kids plenty of positive reinforcement and get them to understand you can be Aboriginal and successful.

"Just because you are an Aborigine it doesn't mean you have to be on the bottom, and we have convinced them they can be as smart as anyone.

"We wanted the school to be a place that the children truly deserve, that is respected, that is highly reputable and that looks and feels like a great school.

We wanted the kids to love their school and be proud of it.

"That feeling of pride in being Aboriginal is filtering through the community.

"These kids have to endure so many negatives ... they display such a high degree of tenacity and resilience. That's

documentary has been aptly titled Strong and Smart and has been 12 months in the making.

Mr Sarra - who completed his undergraduate and masters degrees at QUT -was approached by commercial television networks for the story but declined all offers because he was sceptical about their motives.

Dr Maclennan was Mr Sarra's academic mentor in the mid-l980s when he was given special entry into an education degree at Kelvin Grove as part ofa program to get more Aboriginal teachers into Queensland schools.

"I had a lot of approaches from a lot of places but I knew Gary and Mark would do a wonderful job of best representing what this school is all about now.

"They have been working on the documentary for about a year now and

they have forged a special bond with everyone at the school," he said.

"Personally it has been a great way to link back with QUT. I am more than happy to keep building that relalionship with QUT and there are some very exciting and productive things happening between the school and the university.

"This morning there was another video conference between the QUT Education Faculty in Brisbane and one of our classes here."

The documentary will be launched next month and will be followed by an interactive DVD produced by the two lecturers, featuring Aboriginal history, contemporary issues as well as Cherbourg cultural activities.

The film was produced partially with a QUT Scholarship in the Professions Grant in partnership with Education Queensland.

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Inside OUT October, 2002 Page 3

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Graduates open city gallery I Tertiary funding poised

Visual arts graduates Grant Stevens (left} and Dirk Yates opened city gallery The Farm last month to give young artists a place to show their work.

Brisbane's newest inner~city art gallery opened its appropriately rustic, corrugated iron doors for the first time in September.

MThe Farm", a one-room gallery next to the Dendy Cinema on George Street, was launched by two 2001 visual arts graduates.

Grant Stevens, now an honours student, and Dirk Yates opened the gallery to give Brisbane's young and emerging artists a chance to display their work.

"We found there was a lack of gallery space for younger artists, so we set up a space that would be adaptable and able to accommodate a wide range

or

artists," Mr Stevens said.

Both Mr Yates and Mr Stevens work performing art installations most days to

finance thefr passion, and admit that they are not in gallery ownership for the money.

"We offer our space out to artists, rather than renting it to them," Mr Yates said.

"For us, this is a way of getting experience and providing something to young artists which is really needed in Brisbane."

Since opening, the gallery has run the direction exhibition by student Ken Leslie as well as Rinzen's Freddy's Coe Spunk

The next exhibition, a display of text pieces by visual arts graduate Sebastian Moody, will run from October 18 to November 9.

The Farm is open Wednesday to Friday from 11 am to 6pm, and on Saturday from 1 lam to 4pm. Admission is free.

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for change, says VC

A

ustralian universities will be able to raise much- needed extra funds if the Federal Government proceeds with reforms which QUT and most other institutions are advocating, says QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson.

He said he expected the new Government model for higher education to give universities the freedom to charge undergraduate students a "top-up" fee for some high-demand courses.

Education Minister Dr Brendan Nelson established a review of higher education earlier this year. Professor Gibson Is a member of the ministerial reference group for the review.

The panel finalised its work in early October and Dr Nelson is expected to present his plan to Cabinet before the end of the year. A final blueprint from Federal Government is expected by March next year.

Professor Gibson said the changes were likely to mean:

• Universities would gain more freedom on the setting of fees for undergraduate courses, but there would be greater competition between universities in attracting fee-paying students.

Research funding would continue to favour the "heavy hitters" whkh attract the bulk of Government funding. Increasingly universities would be judged and funded on the basis of performance and outcomes.

• Universities, particularly regional and smaller institutions, would be under greater pressure to rationalise courses and research areas to achieve greater efficiency.

Broad targets would be set to encourage universities to introduce formal teaching qualifications for academics.

He said the most important change for undergraduate students would be the way in which universities priced and marketed courses.

QUT favoured a system where individual universities would determine course prices and admission requirements. There would be a guaranteed government contribution, a student contribution funded by a HECs- like loan scheme, possibly including a "top-up" element for high-demand courses. Students would pay this top- up, but it would be covered by their loan, he said.

Professor Gibson said he did not believe most students would end up paying more for their studies.

"By introducing competitive pricing, some universities might well have to charge less than the standard rate for courses in order to attract enough students, while other prestige courses might cost more," he said.

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Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson

Professor Gibson said the international student market and much of the postgraduate coursework market were already subject to competitive pricing by universities.

For the first time, undergraduate courses would be subject to market forces.

"The price-marketing strategy adopted by universities will be very important. It's really an exciting game because traditionally all universities have tried to make sure of is filling their (undergraduate) quotas and recruiting the best students.

"The marketing issues that we have thought about have been prestige, geographic location and courses that lead to careers. Those are the classic things. Probably over the last 10 years the service dimension has also become very important.

"But up until now we have not had this fifth dimension, this price dimension, in the undergraduate domestic market," he said.

He said QUT and other universities had co make sure this new regime did not make it harder for disadvantaged students to study.

"The universities need to build equity and merit scholarship schemes -we need to be seen to be putting money into the values that we are talking about.

"Whether we take 1 per cent of fees every year into scholarships and endowments or something else, I think it's important that we do something at a university level.

lt's no good just saying the Government has got to do this. We have got to do it ourselves," he said.

Research funding was an issue where there was a wide range or opinions, Professor Gibson said.

He said universities were all trying to defend their own positions. For example, the Go8 wanted to maintain and even increase their share of funding, the ATN group to which QUT belonged wanted research money to be allocated on merit, while some regional universities were making a case for specialisation.

Professor Gibson said the Government was unlikely to move far away from its present research-funding model.

"It's a very hard message for the newer universities like QUT. The heavy hitters do it (research) so well because of their historical advantage. It's hard to argue against that.~

On the Government push for formal teaching qualifications for lecturers, Professor Gibson said ongoing training was equally important.

"It's not just the initial question of whet.her lecturers are prepared when they start teaching, but whether there is an ongoing program which is directed at improving skills."

Looking back over the past 20 years, Professor Gibson said there had been a number of important higher education reforms

"There were the Lynch and Dawkins reforms in the early and late 1980s. David Kemp tried to have a go at change, and now we have the Nelson review. It's necessary to do this every 10 years or so.

He said that in spite of all the criticism, the higher education system had been expanded and improved over the past two decades.

"It's now possible for so many people go to university whereas 20 years ago it wasn't part of their Jives," he said.

He said the industrial relations system had not improved for the better: "There has been a move to a national industrial relations system when it should have been modernised".

He said the former Labor Government had been responsible for changing the indexation formula which had negatively impacted on salaries for academics.

"This has got to be addressed. The other thing that must change is the basic unit of resources allocated by Government to universities. It is too low and it's got to go up."

-Co/fem C!ur

(5)

Teachers play silent role to fight abuse

by Carmen Myler

T

he important role early childhood teachers play in working against child abuse is not suffidently recognised or respected by the child protection sector, a QUT researcher says.

School of Early Childhood lecturer Dr Kerryann Walsh, who graduated with her PhD on October 1, said many early childhood teachers were silent about the role they played in identifying and preventing abuse.

However, Dr Walsh said this silence did not mean teachers did not know about, or work against, abuse.

MTeachers do not walk around with 'laundry lists' of indicators and symptoms in the back of their heads,~ she said.

MBut they do have a lot of useful knowledge about families and the family situation, and about how individual children present on a daily basis, so they can monitor subtle shifts in their behaviour and appearance."

Dr Walsh conducted research with teachers from childcare, kindergarten, preschool and lower primary school environments who worked in areas identified by Kids Help Line as being high-risk in terms of abuse.

She said most previous research into

"Sometimes teachers take the initiative to report and sometimes they're required to give all their information over to child protection authorities, and the teachers 1 interviewed said they found that one- sided, ~ Dr Walsh said.

~The process raises the question of why teachers are not perceived as being professional enough to receive some information back, especially information which may help them in their work with these children.

~There are laws preventing agencies from disclosing information about families back to schools and centres. The problem is that these teachers often never know what the status of a case is, whether the abuse has been substantiated, or whether their report was accurate."

Dr Walsh said this situation made it difficult for teachers to know how 10 deal effectively with those children and parents on a daily basis.

She said parents often removed children from centres after abuse was reported.

Dr Walsh said the teachers involved in her research put many strategies in place to try to work with abused children and their families.

She said this included acting as conduits between parents and other services that could help them, and teachers and child abuse focused solely creating an environment where parents

on whether teachers reported abuse. felt they could talk about their parenting. Recent PhD graduate Dr Kerryann Walsh studied teachers¹roles in identifying and preventing abuse.

Schools need focus on conflict resolution - lecturer

Australian educators and legislators must set-up adequate conflict resolution strategies for children if they want to avoid incidents such as the shootings at Columbine High School in the United States, a QUT law lecturer says.

QUT lecturer Melinda Shirley, who teaches conflict resolution, said US authorities had taken significant steps to address the issue, unlike their Australian counterparts.

HWhi!st Australian schools continue to question whether they can afford to irnplemem conflict resolution programs

for their student bodies, our American counterparts appear to have already concluded that they cannot afford not to."

In April 1999 12 students and one staff member at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado were killed and 20 more wounded during a rampage by students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

The pair was believed to have planned the massacre for up to 12 months after a series of run-ins with their fellow students. The tragedy was just one of several similar incidents in the US.

Ms Shirley said the US Government had reacted to the Columbine tragedy by generating a series of proposals including training for students on communication, connict resolution and anger management skills as well as making use of student peer groups in intervention programs.

In the following years a variety of school Hpeace programs" and kpeer mediation" schemes were established and developed across the US with varying levels of government and community support.

Acting students to star as Shakespeare's ill-fated lovers

Second-year acting students will perform their first major production, an updated take on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", at the Gardens Theatre from October 23 to November 2.

Patrick Drew and Frankie Mason will play the ill-fated lovers. For tickets call 3864 4455.

Future business leaders will be put to the test

The skills of Queensland's future Queensland universities compete for business leaders will be tested when the $4,000 in prize money.

annual Acumen inter-university Now in its fourth year, Acumen

Faculty of Business marketing and communications co-ordinator Garry Bain said this year's competition business case study competition gets requires students to analyse and make would present a greater challenge than underway on October 24. strategic recommendations on a real- previous years, with teams to be given An initiative of QUT's Faculty of world business scenario, to a panel of just three hours to prepare their case Business, the competition will see five industry representatives. study analysis.

HWhilst educators and legislators in Australia were no doubt equally shocked and moved by the Columbine incident, there appears to have been little, if any, discernible shift in education policy or funding in this regard," she said.

pushing to have the subject made compulsory for high school students while she has volunteered to be part of a steering committee which aims to have conflict resolution added to the primary school curriculum.

Ms Shirley said subjects with conflict resolution, anger management and mediation skills were optional in Australian high schools while primary students received less exposure to such material, depending on schools' resources.

"Everyone seems to agree that this is a good idea so at least we are all working towards the same goal here in Queensland," Ms Shirley said

She said the Department of Justice and the Queensland Law Society were

She has also implemented a conflict resolution program at the local primary school where her two children study.

-GngDavis

The Australian

Technology Showcase The Australian Technology Sha-Nease is designed to promote globaN:,i: leading edge, Queensland and Australian innovative technologies.

The ATS aims to increase exports and attract foreign and local ventU<e capital.

Some of the benefits Queensland technology holders can expect once accredited with ATS membership include:

Use of national ATS logo Listing on national ATS Y-Rbsite

Appointment with a State Development centre to assist 'Nith eligibility for industry programs at State and Commorrwealth levels, as v.E~ as enterprise development and export capabilities Gold Pass to enterprise workshops and investment seminars

Priority access to inbound trade missions Priority invitations to trade events Overseas market assistance through the Queensland Government's international offices Media promotion in conjunction 'Nith ATS Opportunities to build networks and business ties FUfther information can be obtained from:

www.ats.business.gov.au

'rour nearest State Development Centre on 13 26 50 Technology and Service Industries

Branch on (07) 3405 5486

Ema~: [email protected]

,A

Queensland Government

~ State Development

(6)

Fashion team to revive century-old clothes

by Margaret Lawson

S

uzi Vaughan admits that many people may struggle to see the hidden value in pieces of moth·eaten old lace, unmatched dress separates from yesteryear, or yellowing blouses that have been ravaged by a century of alteration and wear.

Especially when even the experts say the pieces in question are common, deteriorated and worthless.

But at QUT for the next 10 months, fashion head Ms Vaughan and a team of students, designers and researchers will work to reveal a greater meaning behind 24 seemingly useless pieces of old and degraded clothing.

The clothes, a selection from several hundred pieces discovered last year In Old Government House. will be revived, re•engineered and reconceptuallsed by the team as part of the creaLive Industries

·echo" project.

-These are clothes that have been separated from their histories," Ms Vaughan sald.

·They have been jn Old Government House for many years and, over lime, the better preserved pieces or the more extraordinary pieces have been removed.

-The National Trust wanted the remainJng pieces, many of which are seriously degraded and beyond conservation, to go to some use, so they approached us.·

The result is a project in which Ms Vaughan and her team will use the clothes to explore how old and degraded items of clothing can contribute to fashion research and design.

The 24 pieces will be distributed to students, fashion designers and researchers In Brisbane, Melbourne and London, along with a brief to use the assigned piece to create a garment.

·in some cases, people will ... totally deconstruct and reconstruct a piece from one garment into quite a different one,"

Ms Vaughan said.

·They can also assimilate elements or the garment into a new design, or just draw inspiration from the original piece to create a new garment that doesn't

.,T

"-

^'^'^I'll:

t_. i : - '

~)I. --

Fashion student Carla Bergs {above) with one of the pieces that inspired the "echo" project. Right: Gail Reid wears another of the century-old garments. (Styling by Sarah Babcock.) Pictures: Sonja de Sterke and Sarah Babcock.

include any aspect or the original beyond its aura or character.

"They will re-engineer the original piece into something that has an echo or Its value and meaning, but in a new context," she said.

Along the way, Ms Vaughan will make sound recordings of the participants talking about their first thoughts on their assigned piece, their feelings about the design process and their finished product.

·in this way, we wlll have a record or the process, as well as the products," she said.

The new-old clothes will then go on show during the fashion conference Making an Ap~arance, which is being held In July 2003.

The fashion event will be staged by creative industries fashion, dance and music students.

Ms Vaughan said she wanted it to be a ·thought-provoking" take on the traditional fashion show.

"This will be an event that echoes what people are familiar with In catwalk shows, but will hopefully be more than just 10 minutes or strutting," Ms Vaughan said.

..What I'm hoping is that this project might encourage people to think about different ways or responding to fashion.

.. The outcomes and the record of this process will help us understand how we use clothes to communicate and express meaning, and how we draw meaning from them."

Ms Vaughan said she had received a

"phenomenal" response from Industry collaborators who wanted to be Involved in "echo".

She said when the clothes were finished, she hoped to take them in an exhibition around Australia and the UK.

Visionary architect visits QUT

Drop in on your way to/from uni for our permanent coffee specials

available to QUT students and staff brin.9. your ID card

Imagine being able to use the Internet to book a washing machine at a laundromat then receive a SMS text message when your load Is done.

For students at Massachusetts Institute or Technology (MIT) In the United States, the convenience or "e- suds" is already a reality.

Dean or the School or Architecture and Planning at MIT Professor William Mitchell used the example or the "e- suds" technology during a recent visit to QUT to demonstrate how modern technology is changing the way we live.

Australian-born Professor Mitchell, the author or critically-acclaimed books e-topia and City of Bits which Investigated the implications or living in a digital age, said technology was merging our living and working environments.

"Technology such as laptop computers and mobile phones allows us more flexibility. We are becoming

Professor William Mitchell more nomadic and more ad-hoc with our workplaces and work times,"

Professor Mitchell said.

"Almost any space can now be a workplace, from a cubicle in a high-rise

office tower to a park bench under a tree.

·Public space is changing because of 'electronic overlay'. You are seeing computers on care tables so you can be eating your croissant, having your cup or coffee and catching up with friends while you are at your "workplace'."

Professor Mltchell, who has also held senior academic positions at Harvard University, UCLA and the University or Cambridge, said public space and how it was used was constantly being reinvented, representing a major challenge to all those involved in the urban planning process.

He said cities like Brisbane had to focus on "'the organisation or land~use patterns and new building types, transportation networks, telecommunication networks and control systems so they address community needs" .

-GngDavis

New marketing option available to all students

A new specialisation In integrated marketing communication (IMC) being offered by the Faculty of Business will make marketing skills available to students across the university.

Lecturer Elizabeth Macpherson said QUT was the first Australian university to offer the specialisation.

She said the six-subject package could be studied by students from any faculty as a way of increasing career options in their first area of study, or to gain a specialised marketing or PR role.

"The units allow them to gain an understanding or the major business communication disciplines," she said.

·1t would be beneficial to all students, whether they are studying education or law or any other QUT degree."

She said students could take IMC units as their electives, and then complete an extra two or four units to graduate with the recognised IMC specialisation.

(7)

Swanbank's power workers star in unique art exhibition

Staff invited to tour

Caboolture Campus

by Carmen Myler

0

^perators^atCS Energy's historic Swanbank Power Station at Ipswich are the unlikely subjects of a QUT creative industries research project.

PhD student Maree Cunnington based herself on-site as Martist in residence" for five months to explore the Mart is lie evolution" of Swanbank over the past 40 years.

The power station that has generated much of Queensland's electrlclty since 1967 will soon make way for CS Energy's new gas-powered facility.

During Ms Cunnington's residency, she explored this Mman's world" by interviewing workers and capturing images of them and the site through photographs and video curremly on view in a multimedia exhibition.

Ms Cunnington said that while It was not out of the ordinary for an artist to be based in an Industrial environment, long-term projects involving daily contact with workers were more unusual.

M Arts practice is often seen as some sort of ivory tower situation where you make work outside and then import it into a site. M she said.

b[. Veronica O'Sullivan

QUT northern campuses director Ruth Matchett has invited QUT staff to visit the Caboolture Community Campus on Monday, November 11.

"A famillarlsatlon tour is being organised for staff interested in knowing more about the campus, for staff who service the campus, and for staff who handle student inquiries," Professor Matchett said.

"The Caboolture Community Campus has been created in partnership with Brisbane and North Point Institute ofTAFE and Caboolture Shire Council.

The campus offers uni and TAFE courses under one roof, one of the few places in Australia to do this.

MThe visit on November 11 is an excellent opportunity for QUT staff to see the campus and to meet the staff and students who are working and studying there. I encourage everyone to make the most of this opportunity," she said.

A bus will pick up staff at Gardens Point campus at 9.30am, Kelvin Grove campus at 9.40am and Carseldine campus at I 0am.

Mlt has been an extraordinary journey to work within a functioning power station rather than a site whose working life has come to an end.

Creative industries PhD student Maree Cunnin/Jton based herself at CS Energy's Swanbank Power Station for five months as "artist-in-residence' to explore the artistic evolution of the station.

Morning tea and a light lunch will be provided at Caboolture and staff will return by 1 pm.

Professor Matchett said an enjoyable morning was planned for visiting staff.

MI was fortunate to experience the last few months in the life ofSwanbank 'A', to understand the processes of a coal- fired station, and to build relationships with the workers. I have the greatest respect for their knowledge, application and ingenuity."

Ms Cunnington said she was attracted to the Swanbank site because it was an important part of the industrial heart of Ipswich, which had begun as a mining and railways town. In its heyday, the power station employed 600 men.

.. As one of the people I interviewed on site said, Ipswich was a tough Industrial community," she said. "The camaraderie from working underground flowed through to your neighbours and then, as a result, to the power station.

"There was this really tight-knit, blue- collar community and that interested me. I thought this would be a good creative industries project because Swanbank is such an important part of that community."

At a preview of the exhibition on

September 19, Swanbank operator Bob Barnett - who appears In Ms Cunnington's video which Is titled Swanshift - said he had expected the artist's work to look more Mtraditional"

but was pleasantly surprised at the result.

"I've seen this place differently from how I've been seeing it for the past 30 years," he said.

She will also later create a performance piece based on the project.

CS Energy chief executive Tony Bellas said the project symbolised the

Outstanding Queenslanders awarded honorary doctorates

The university awarded honorary doctorates to two prominent Queenslanders on October 1 - Queensland Health Director General Dr Robert Stable and Indigenous leader Joseph Elu.

QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Gibson said both individuals had made Important contributions to the community.

"As Director General and CEO of Queensland Health, Dr Stable has introduced strategic new directions to ensure the provision of quality health care for the Queensland community,"

Professor Gibson said.

He said Dr Stable had focused on strategies to address the burden of disease on society and he had also placed particular emphasis on improving the health of Indigenous Australians.

He has served in his current role at Queensland Health since January I 996. He completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees at the University of Queensland, and a Master of Health Planning degree at the University of New South Wales.

Mr Elu, who is chairman of Indigenous Business Australia, has

Dr Robert Stable

championed the cause of Indigenous economic empowerment.

Professor Gibson said that under Mr Elu's leadership, Indigenous Business Australia, formerly known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation, had invested more than

$6Smillion into joint business projects involving Indigenous communities.

"Mr Elu's vision for economic sustainability has been successfully implemented in his home community

Joseph Elu

of Seisa, on Cape York, which now boasts thriving food, accommodation, motor vehicle and commercial nshing business ventures," he said.

An honorary doctorate was also conferred on former Sun corp Metway managing director Steve Jones on October 14 while QUT's former Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology Professor Dennis Longley was to be awarded the title of Professor Emeritus In recognition of distinguished academic service.

transformation from the 20¹¹¹century and its coal-fired power stations to the 2 l u century and its new gas-fired technology.

"It's an innovative and creative way of looking at the power station and acknowledging our employees while, at the same time, providing a unique piece of art for the people of Ipswich,~ he said.

The exhibition, Swanbank: The Industrial Theatre, appears at Global Arts Link (GAL), Ipswich from September 20 to November 3.

MExpect some special treatment on board the bus," she said.

The Caboolture Community Campus was opened in February and offers one QUT degree and four TAFE diplomas.

The QUT degree - Bachelor of Business Information Management -ls offered exclusively at Caboolture.

Approximately 250 students are currently enrolled at the campus.

To RSVP, please email [email protected] call 5433 7 400.

RSVPs are essential.

If you're close to finishing your degree in Science and are wanting a well-paid rewarding career that can make a real difference, consider a career in Environmental Health.

If you've completed your degree, you may qualify for the graduate entry course, which only takes 1.5-2 years full-time to complete.

A career in Environmental Health pays well and you get to apply your health and science knowledge in a practical and rewarding way.

Graduates in Environmental Health deal with environmental protection, contaminated food and water, waste management, disease prevention and control, and health promotion.

A degree in Health Science from QUT prepared Beau Martin (above) to make a real difference in world health by helping to improve health conditions in Mozambique.

More Information

So, if you have an interest in Health Science, want a job that pays well and where every day is different and challenging call us for more information.

Entry through QTAC closes 30 September.

Phcirl~-5779,~ [email protected] or v1s1t www.hltJi.qut.iau.au

a university for the

real

^world

CRICOS no. 0021 JJ Queensland University of Technology Victoria Park Road Kelvin Grow OLD 4059 'v\ebsite: _g_ut.com

(8)

Young writer tells one man's West End story

Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary ... creative writing student Craig Bolland has just published his first novel about living alone in an urban community.

Letters to the Editor

'Generous lawyers' - it depends on how you analyse the statistics

I was concerned to read the article in the previous ediUon of inside QUT in which the claim of Professor McGregor-Lowndes regarding the generosity of lawyers is reported. This appears to be a case of misrepresenting the data {"statistics do not lie, people who use them do").

It is more appropriate to examine the percentage of income rather than the donation amount. When we do this, we see that staff of religious organisations donate much more than lawyers in terms of their total income.

Extrapolating from the figures provided, the average income of lawyers is S337 ,857 of which they donate Si.892 (0.56%). On the other hand, the average income of staff of religious organisations is $47,000 of which they donate $595 (1.25%).

Proportional rates of giving are also higher for publishing staff (0.83%), and arts workers (0.58%).

To me, these figures do not indicate praiseworthy generosity on the part of lawyers!

Nola Purdie, Senior Lecturer School of Learning & Professional Studies

More in-depth analysis would benefit ordinary taxpayers

I enjoyed your article - was it tongue in cheek? - reporting Professor McGregor-Lowndes' annual tax analysis which proves the generosity of the average lawyer and how misunderstood they may be.

Something most of us already knew from paying their bills and experiencing how long and carefully they can consider every case before any action occurs.

Of course, they must be clever at keeping their receipts, just as they are at Issuing their bills. I believe, however, that much more important may be knowledge of those generous provisions and hidden nuances of the Tax Act.

I wonder whether next year the professor might be able to undertake a more in·deplh analysis which might prove much more valuable to us ordinary taxpayers, allow us to share in the bound of the Tax Act and also reveal the real depth of legal generosity.

Your last sentence, I think, sums up the true worth of this information:

MProfessor McGregor-Lowndes stressed the data were only as accurate as the Information reported in the returns." Maybe it Is a case of that old adage, "There are lies, damned lies and statistics".

Arthur j Willis Etanora

by Margaret Lawson

W

rlter and intrepid traveJler Craig Bolland says he sees the meaning in life, not in its epiphanies and tragedies, but in the mundane moments in between.

Like the years we all spend in the everyday grind, going about our daily lives and interacting with neighbours and friends.

So, while Craig, a 31-year-old creative writing student, could relate personal travel tales of exotic encounters with Tamil Tigers, a Mongolian shaman and Manilla drug lords, it was his time living in inner-city Brisbane that Inspired his first book.

Released on October 13, / Knit Water tells the story of a young man's Nurban isolation~ as he moves to a one-bedroom apartment at West End following the demise of his latest relationship.

The book's central character, Mark, travels through each of the chapters encountering the "social misfits" who share his building. while trying to find himself along the way.

Craig, who grew up in suburban Brisbane and has travelled to more than a dozen countries, says his own experience living In West End, and his observation of his neighbours, suggests that the story will resonate with readers.

"Watching all these people living In

one-bedroom flats. I became quite interested In the idea of architecture and urban space, and how geography helps to form social conditions," Craig says.

.. I think that this (isolated and lonely existence) is a really common situation today ... particularly for guys."

But he is also quick to point out that the book is by no means autobiographical and that the supporting characters -a Malibu Barbie look-alike, a Star Wan and porn collector, a demented ex- sportsperson and a local artist -are not based on real people.

"I deliberately tried not to do that,"

he insists.

"Though some aspects of them come from some aspects of people I've met, these characters are fictitious ... a lot of the book has come from general Ideas, things that l've noticed and found interesting."

The title Itself, he says -a saying that comes up in the book -is also his own creation.

.. 1 Knit Watudescribes doing nothing much, but doing it very carefully," he says.

"} wanted something intriguing, and

knitling water came to me because It is a logical impossibility.

"I think it summarises that theme of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.~

I Knit Water is published by the University of Queensland Press and is In bookstores now (RRP: $19.95).

Graduate gala to reveal works

The work of graduating creative writing students share the work they have students will be unveiled at a special created, work.shopped and refined from evening of words, readings, concepts and

thought on November 21 at the Gardens Theatre.

The Creative Writing Gala will see

short stories, poetry. scripts, fiction, non-fiction and interactive narrative.

For information, phone the Creative Industries Faculty on 3864 5998.

Economist aids Africa

Helping developing nations build up management accountability systems is the main goal ofa QUT economist who has been appointed to one of Africa's peak development aid Institutions.

Associate Professor Marc Robinson has joined a technical advisory panel of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) which aims to give Third World countries greater public sector and financial management skills.

The ACBF was established by the World Bank, United Nations and the African Development Bank and has 15 countries as members, Including Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Botswana, Uganda and Tanzania.

The United States, United Kingdom

and Japan make up just a handful of the donor countries involved with the ACBF.

Professor Robinson said his new role would be to "advise on strategies and projects to build competence within the public sectors of African nations In the areas of financial management and accountability systems."

He said he was currently working in the same "capacity-building" area in Indonesia.

"I am helping to develop public sector performance accountability and performance budgeting system," he said.

Mlt has made it very clear to me the need for assistance to developing nations in building the public sector knowledge base."

Optus Gallery opens at art museum

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Digital art from around the world made a fllting backdrop for the official opening of the Optus Gallery at the QUT Art Museum on October 7.

The event was presided over by (from left) Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Coaldrake, Cultural Precinct director Dr Sue- Ann Wallace and Optus Queensland general manager Robert Holloway.

The QUT Art Museum has hosted 70,000 visitors since it opened in May 2000.

More than 42 exhibitions, including 12 staff and student exhibitions, have featured in the museum.

Optus has naming rights for the gallery for five years.