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Guarded Reaction To Federal Budget By Vice-Chancellor

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Guarded Reaction To Federal Budget By Vice-Chancellor

University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas has cautiously accepted changes to higher education in the Federal Government’s 2014-15 budget handed down last night (May 13).

Professor Jan ThomasSpeaking from Canberra, Professor Thomas said the budget brought with it a number of challenges balanced with changes that could open up more study opportunities for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and low socio-economic regions.

Professor Thomas said while a clearer picture of the higher education landscape will become known over coming days, this budget will see students paying more for their education, the prospect for universities to compete more openly with their course cost structures, and the current demand driven enrolment system continued.

Professor Thomas said she was guarded about the Government’s decision to deregulate student fees from 2016. “This is a decision that should be met with close collaboration and input from the higher education sector to ensure the outcomes don’t discourage student enrolment or reduce Government support for universities,” she said.

Professor Thomas welcomed the Government’s decision to retain the demand driven university system. “Since the Government lifted its quota system on university enrolments many first in family and people from low socio-economic regions have been enabled to attend tertiary education,” she said.

However, Professor Thomas was concerned about Government initiatives that may discourage potential students. “We must continue to support future students who may struggle to enter the university system without support,” she said. “Creating obstacles, such as pressure to increase fees and a higher student contribution to HECS-debt, has the risk of forcing out a number of vulnerable students more than capable of completing a university education.”

Professor Thomas called on the Federal Government to invest in higher education in regional Australia following changes to assistance schemes. “With initiatives like ‘earn or learn’ and raising the eligibility criteria of youth assistance programs, regional Australia will be impacted by forcing residents to move to larger centres for employment opportunities,” she said.
Submitted by
Dr Aidan Burke,
USQ Corporate Communications,
aidan.burke@usq.edu.au

Walk In Queens Park Toowoomba To Fight Animal Cruelty

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Walk In Queens Park Toowoomba To Fight Animal Cruelty

rspca-mpw-qld
Australia’s Biggest & Best Dog Event – Million Paws Walk on Sunday 18th May

More than 20,000 people and their dogs will walk in Queensland to show their support for animals in need on Sunday 18th May.  Will you join them on the walk to help stop animal cruelty? If possible, register for the Million Paws Walk before Friday 16th May.

Funds raised from registrations, merchandise sales and fundraising pages, will help to provide essential care, veterinary treatment, food and shelter for more than 18,000 dogs that RSPCA Qld cares for each year.

Sign up today to help give another dog a second chance at a happy life.  To Register Click Here

Regardless of the breed, size or age of your dog – everyone is welcome – as long as they are fully vaccinated, friendly and registered with your local council. No four legged friend? No problem!  You can book a canine friend (limited number) by phoning RSPCA  Toowoomba on 4634 1304 before Friday 16th. Even those without pooches are welcome to join in the fun.

Last minute registrations will take place from 9am in Queens Park, Toowoomba on Sunday May 18, and the Million Paws Walk will commence from 10am. There will also be 10-12 animal related stands on site, and volunteers from the local RSPCA Animal Shelter will be running a sausage sizzle and drinks will be available.

RSPCA Supporters
Register online before 16th May to take advantage of ticket price savings…and then start fundraising to help fight animal cruelty! 

Sir Tony Robinson In Toowoomba For Tour Of Duty

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Tour of Duty FilmingBritish actor, historian and television host Sir Tony Robinson was at the Mothers’ Memorial in Toowoomba on Sunday 11th May for a  new historical series that will commemorate a century of war service by Australians and New Zealanders.

Sir Tony RobinsonBest known these days as presenter of  the archaeology program Time Team, Sir Tony is also remembered for his role as Baldrick in the hit 1980s TV comedy series Blackadder.

He was surrounded by fans and onlookers at a special community event as filming of some of the scenes for the Toowoomba episode of  Tour of Duty took place on the steps of the Mothers’ Memorial.

The Toowoomba Caledonian Pipe Band and members of the 11th Light Horse also took part in the proceedings, there were food and other marquees nearby, and the Toowoomba Local History Library and Oakey Museum of Australian Army Aviation exhibited First World War displays.

Tour of Duty focuses on the lives of the people who went to war and those who stayed at home, both heroes and ordinary people †and what the war meant to them then and now.
Tour of Duty Event
Sir Tony and his production team will spend a total of 5 days in the Garden City. They are also visiting  (or have visited)  Launceston, Ballarat, Dunedin, Auckland, Hahndorf, Bathurst, Newcastle, Darwin and Fremantle in addition to Toowoomba. Tony Robinson’s Tour of Duty will be a 10-part series to be screened on Foxtel’s History Channel  in early 2015.

Breast Cancer Journey Shared By USQ Staffer

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Breast Cancer Journey Shared By USQ Staffer

The University of Southern Queensland’s (USQ) Dr Eliza Whiteside, a breast cancer researcher and survivor, will share her story at the Women in Super Mother’s Day Classic this weekend (May 11).

The event involves a 3km walk or a 6km run, starting and ending at Lake Annand Park, Toowoomba, from 7:30am. The event raises funds for breast cancer research through the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Dr_Eliza_Whiteside
Twelve years ago, at the age of 28, Dr Whiteside was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer despite no family history of the disease. Thanks to an experimental treatment developed by breast cancer researchers, Dr Whiteside survived the cancer and now uses her personal story to raise awareness and funds to support breast cancer research in Australia.

The ordeal also led Dr Whiteside to re-focus her own research to seeking ways to prevent cancer and improve survival by investigating the interactions between genes and environmental factors that drive hormone levels in the body. Dr Whiteside currently works in the USQ Office of Research, Research and Innovation Division as Manager for Research Integrity and Ethics.

As a regular guest speaker at cancer fundraising events across Australia, Dr Whiteside emphasises the importance and outcomes of funding breast cancer research. “If the research that led to my life-saving treatment hadn’t been funded then I would not be here now and my children would not have their mother,” she said.

“My story has a happy ending but there are many out there who are facing breast cancer at the moment and many more who have lost a loved one to the disease.  There are different types of breast cancer and the treatment that worked for me would not necessarily be effective for other types – this is why more research is needed.

“My experience changed my approach to research as I had a new appreciation of its value. Research can save lives and improve society but research is costly and it needs money to continue to move forward.”

Dr Whiteside said her current role at USQ allows her to have a much broader impact on improving lives through research. “Having someone with my background in the Research and Innovation Division will better assist researchers with navigating the research process and will ultimately enhance the impressive research already taking place at USQ,” she said.

To learn more about the Mother’s Day Classic go to www.mothersdayclassic.com.au. For more information about research at USQ visit www.usq.edu.au/research.

Submitted by:
Rhianwen Whitney
Email: rhianwen.whitney@usq.edu.au

Heritage Bank Offers A Sizzler Of A Fundraising Deal

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Toowoomba CBD workers can leave their lunch at home (Friday, 9th May) with Heritage Bank running a charity fundraising barbeque outside its Plaza Branch in the city centre.

Sausages and burgers will be sizzling to raise funds for Heritage’s teams in the Queensland Cancer Council’s Relay for Life, which talks place at the Toowoomba Showgrounds on 17-19 May.

Customers will also be able to snag a ticket in a multi-draw raffle with prizes valued at more than $2000.

The barbeque will be run by Heritage staff in the city centre at 400 Ruthven Street from 11am until 2pm.

Prices start at $2.50 for a sausage with onions and sauce on a piece of bread, $3.50 for a hamburger patty with onions on bread;  $2 for a soft drink or bottle of water, or the special “meal deal” combos of a sausage burger & drink for $4, or a hamburger & drink for $5.

Heritage Bank is a long-time supporter of the Relay for Life, with CEO Mr John Minz the patron of the Toowoomba event in 2012 and 2013.

Submitted by:
Andrew Fox
Manager Corporate Communications
Heritage Bank

Who Do You Think You Are?

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imgcta12Are you a true Aussie battler, too cool for school or does status matter in your neighbourhood?

Helix Personas, a clever new online profiling tool, has classified Australia’s entire population into 56 different personas and mapped where they live down to the street and house number. Anyone can now type an address into  http://www.helixpersonas.com.au/  to find a highly detailed profile of the type of people likely to be living there †giving house hunters a free sneak peek at their potential neighbours.

Developed by leading research company Roy Morgan Research, Helix Personas combine the results of hundreds of thousands of comprehensive personal surveys with best-of-breed mapping technology from MapData Services (MDS), to produce multi-dimensional insights into how †and where †all types of Australians live. 

MDS geo-data guru Cassandra Barker said the profiles are the result of decades of research by Roy Morgan into people’s attitudes, beliefs, values, aspirations, confidence levels and consumption patterns.  “Creating personas linked to geography is a fascinating way of viewing the encyclopaedic socio-demographic data that’s been collected by Roy Morgan over the past 70 years,” Ms Barker said. 

“Mapping this incredible pool of data has created a colourful patchwork of personalities †and revealed all the unique and wonderful Australian characteristics that are the fabric of our society. 

“It’s a potent and vital tool for any business looking to better understand and target current and potential customers †but it’s also a fun tool for the general public. “Now if you’re asked, ‘how well do you know your neighbour’ †you can find the answer with just a click of your mouse!”

The 56 Helix Personas are grouped into seven communities which range from high-income ‘Leading Lifestyles’ to doing-it-tough Aussie ‘Battlers’. For example, in the ‘Leading Lifestyles’ community is the ‘Status Matters’ persona †typically young families who are tech-savvy, fashionable and have expensive tastes (but still enjoy scoring a bargain!).

The fictional person depicted is a high income sales manager addicted to shopping and designer clothing, who may have bought a new house partly to get the first homebuyer grant. The statistics reveal they buy stylish sports cars to commute to work and large SUVs for the weekend. 

At the other end of the scale in the ‘Battlers’ community are the ‘Coupon Cutters’ who fight hard to make ends meet. They may: have limited education; be unemployed; enjoy gardening and playing the pokies; shop at Kmart and Bunnings; and eat out at McDonald’s McCafe. 

Helix Program Manager John Ellenberger said while the program was designed to enable businesses to better understand, target and communicate with their customers, everyone is able to check out their own profile just by typing in their address. “Helix Personas has streamlined demographic profiling by clustering 20-odd million unique Australians into seven recognisable communities and 56 relevant, usable personas”, Mr Ellenberger said.

“It reveals fascinating insights into behaviours and habits that would have otherwise remained hidden, so Australian businesses can more accurately segment their customers by their behaviours, attitudes and core beliefs”.  “For instance, when we examined the ‘Status Matters’ persona †with high income and a desire for the latest fashions and technologies but with no intention of paying full price †we found they are much more likely than the average Australian to peruse David Jones catalogues, but unlikely to actually shop there.”

Mr Ellenberger said users are often surprised by the accuracy and depth of the persona described after submitting nothing but a home address—whether it’s their own or that of a neighbour, friend, colleague or perhaps even a potential love interest.
“We are encouraging people to come and take a look and have a bit of fun with it.” The profile overviews and statistics can be accessed on the website for free at www.helixpersonas.com.au
Submitted by:
Daniel Lato 
Media Liaison
MapData Services
dan.lato@mapdataservices.com

USQ Presents A Tour de Force Of Antipodean Movie Making

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BEFORE the Lord of the Rings, there was The Piano.

No elves, hobbits or orcs in this movie, but the first to put New Zealand on the international film-making map, and showcase the country’s stunning beauty and landscape as well as its undeniable talent.

The Piano took away the collective breath of the world when it premiered in 1993, and it went on the win three Academy Awards including Best Actress (Holly Hunter), Best Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin, aged just 11 at the time), and Best Screenplay for Jane Campion, who studied film-making in Australia and also directed the movie.

It is a poignant, beautiful and haunting film set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater on the west coast of New Zealand. It tells the story of a mute woman who has not spoken since the age of six, choosing to express herself instead through playing her piano, and features a score for the piano by Michael Nyman which became a best-selling soundtrack album. Sam Neil and Harvey Keitel also starred in the sensual drama, which enjoyed huge critical and financial success – grossing $40.2 million, against its $7 million budget.
the_piano“Whether you’re seeing it again or for the first time this is a chance to enjoy The Piano on the big screen and to join in after the film for a chat about this, Jane Campion’s masterpiece, the film that everyone still talks about and that Campion built her international reputation upon, ” said Andrew Mason, Lecturer in Arts and Communication at USQ.

“The Piano is showing just in time for mother’s day. So if you’re looking for a truly spectacular way to celebrate and spoil your mum, why not bring her to one of our best Friday Flicks.”

The Piano is the third film in the Artsworx Friday at the Flicks series, which was introduced this year. The series is taking a cinematic journey around the world, with stop-overs in France, Japan, New Zealand, the USA, Australia and Italy. Some of the movies featured in the 2014 bill are classics, others are cult favourites and many are multi-award winning masterpieces. All promise an entertaining night out however, enjoying a great show on a big screen with fellow film fans.

The Piano (rated M, with a running time of 116 minutes) will screen on Friday, May 9 at 6pm in the University of Southern Queensland Allison Dickson Theatre as part of the 2014 Friday at the Flicks series. Tickets cost $15.50, which includes a post-show drink and nibbles, as well as a brief introduction to the film.

Subscribing to the Friday at the Flicks series can save up to 20% on tickets. Contact USQ Artsworx on 4631 1111 for more information or tickets, or visit www.usq.edu.au/artsworx  The Allison Dickson Theatre is located at the University of Southern Queensland, West Street, Toowoomba.

Submitted by:
Willow Hart
Senior Marketing and Engagement Officer
USQ Artsworx | University of Southern Queensland
Ph: +61 7 4631 2412
Email: willow.hart@usq.edu.au

 

A Friday Mother’s Day Luncheon & More

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St David's Mothers Day

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