Industry News

Researchers at The University of Western Australia will investigate the use of geothermal energy to desalinate groundwater in WA.

Winthrop Professor Klaus Regenauer-Lieb, director of the Western Australian Geothermal Centre of Excellence at UWA, said it was the first phase of a feasibility program to investigate and encourage use of geothermal and waste-heat resources for heat-driven pre-treatment and desalination of brackish and saline water.

Professor Regenauer-Lieb will also present the 2012 George Seddon Lecture at UWA on June 27 on the topic of Australia's first steps towards "Geothermal Cities".

The National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia (NCEDA) provided $125,000 funding for the groundwater desalination project.  The Federal Government funds the NCEDA's research activities through its Water for the Future initiative.

Professor Regenauer-Lieb said the project would provide WA government and industry with an economic, technical and market analysis of geothermal energy coupled with water production, and identify areas in the state where the technology may be best applied.

"We will identify the main factors that enable local water supplies to be produced with local renewable energy to help overcome the expense of bringing both water and energy to sites that lack these resources," he said.

"It will also help reduce competition for scarce fresh water resources in those parts of Australia where geothermal energy can be economically used to improve water quality."

The project was driven by a desire to boost water supplies for the Integrated Water Supply Scheme which services Perth and Mandurah by treating brackish water that is currently available but unused, Professor Regenauer-Lieb said.

"This use of geothermal power to desalinate water through multi-effect distillation, preheating and reverse osmosis can also work in regional and remote areas where the cost of water and energy is far higher," he said. 

Based on the need for reasonably priced potable water and electricity from companies based in remote mining areas, the CSIRO, the WA Geothermal Centre of Excellence and representatives of the State Government combined to examine the potential of geothermal resources and symbiotic heat-driven technologies to meet these needs, Professor Regenauer-Lieb said.

The project group includes the Water Corporation, the Department of Water and the Pilbara Cities Office of the Department of Regional Development and Lands.

As well as servicing industry needs, there is also huge potential to assist tourist precincts, smaller towns and Indigenous communities, and larger residential/ commercial operations, according to Professor Regenauer-Lieb.

"For example, Rottnest Island desalinates seawater using wind power but geothermal power can provide base load electricity supplies to tourist precincts because of its 24/7 availability," he said.

Internode Service Provider (ISP) Internode has announced it has doubled the number of its users on the IPv6 platform, joining the world’s four most visited websites - Google, Facebook, YouTube and Yahoo! – as a key participant in World IPv6 Launch Day.

Internode managing director Simon Hackett said he commended IPv6 to websites, manufacturers and Internet Service Providers. “IPv6 is now ready for prime time,” he said.

“During the past five years, Internode has acquired a great deal of understanding from deploying IPv6 on our national and international broadband networks, thereby providing a risk-free pathway for our customers when they use IPv6."

“The most important lesson for Internode is that done right, customers will not even notice the change to IPv6. Internode commends the World IPv6 Launch as the time that website publishers, other Internet Service Providers and all companies manufacturing equipment for Internet access should also enable IPv6 access by default.”

The National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) has unveiled the names of the next round of communities in Northern NSW, the Hunter and the southern part of the Darling Downs in Queensland that will benefit from the rollout of the company’s fixed wireless service.

The service will deliver high-speed broadband and business at speeds eight times that of entry-level ADSL retail services.

"This announcement is tremendous news for these communities, many of which have little or no access to high-speed broadband, or those confined to a limited service, such as dial-up or broadband over the mobile network or older satellite systems,”  NBN Co’s Community Relations Adviser Tony Gibbs said.

"NBN Co’s fixed wireless network is designed to offer internet service providers with wholesale access speeds of up to 12Mbps, with plans for higher speeds to become available in the future.* "To get some perspective, 12Mbps delivered to internet service providers is 150 times faster than retail dial up services, 12 times faster than entry level ABG satellite retail services and 8 times faster than entry level ADSL retail services.”

The communities that will receive the Fixed Wireless Service are:

*Indicates that these areas or parts of these areas are slated to receive fibre. Therefore, the areas surrounding these communities are scheduled to be served by NBN Co’s fixed wireless service. This is an indicative list only and is subject to final radio planning and approvals.

Over a quarter of Australians are either active or ‘lapsed’ intellectual property thieves according to the Intellectual Property Awareness Foundation (IPAF).

Research conducted by the IPAF found that while 63 per cent of us don’t suffer from such online kleptomania, 10 per cent of the population are pathological thieves of online content, while 17 per cent casually dabble in IP theft.

The report also found that 10 per cent are regarded as ‘lapsed’ illegal downloaders. We presume this means that they have returned to their nefarious ways after being put through some Orwellian re-education camp.

The findings come after it emerged that one in every 10 IP thief had stopped downloading pirated films because of the advent of legal alternatives. This comes after results showed that James Cameron’s Avatar has been downloaded over 16 million times. 

Global data specialist Thompson Reuters has announced 12 Australian researchers to receive Citation Awards in recognition of their outstanding contribution to their respective fields of research. In addition to nominating the cohort of excellence, the company has also recognised seven Australian orgaisations for their excellence in innovation.

The country’s 12 most accomplished researchers are:

• ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS – Professor Karl Glazebrook from Swinburne University of Technology
• BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY – Professor Terry Speed from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
• BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION – Dr Jane Edith from The University of Melbourne
• ECOLOGY – Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg from the University of Queensland
• ECONOMICS – Dr Thomas Wiedmann from the CSIRO
• ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES – Dr Shaobin Wang from Curtin University of Technology
• GEOSCIENCES – Professor Kurt Lambeck from the ANU.
• IMMUNOLGY – Professor Fabienne Mackay from Monash University
• NEUROSCIENCE – Professor Greg Stuart from the ANU.
• PLANT SCIENCES – Professor Rana Munns from the CSIRO
• PSYCHOLOGY – Professor Colin MacLeod from the University of Western Australia
• PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH – Dr Evie Lesie from Flinders University 

The Western Australian Govenrment has announced a pilot project in the state’s Wheatbelt region that will aim to turn run-off stormwater into a useable resource.

Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman said the $2 million project, funded through the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program, would implement schemes to capture, store and re-use stormwater in selected towns.

“The stormwater re-use pilot project will allow these selected towns to implement well-designed run-off harvesting systems for use on their local amenities, such as parks and sports ovals,” Mr Redman said.

“Many rural communities are faced with an annual dilemma where they can’t afford high-cost scheme water for irrigation in summer, but neither can they allow the grass on their well-utilised and highly valued community sportsgrounds to die.”

Regional Development Minister Brendon Grylls said stormwater capture and re-use would supplement scheme water use to maintain sportsgrounds.

“Community sporting clubs will no longer be purely dependent on scheme water to maintain the grounds, which are a significant source of local identity and pride,” Mr Grylls said.

The project will be delivered by the Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Food.

The two-year pilot project will focus on four or five priority towns. The selection of towns will be based on specific criteria, including an existing stormwater management plan.

The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA) has hit out at the State Government’s ‘hidden’ Solid Waste Levy increase, describing it as a shameless grab for revenue.

"This Budget measure is not about the environment, it's not about families, it's purely about revenue raising," LGA President Kym McHugh said.

Mayor McHugh said that the rise in the levy would see almost $20 per household in Council rates taken by the State Government.

Mayor McHugh said the LGA had had no confirmation of the actual increase in the levy rate but working from Budget papers was estimating it would rise from the current $35 a tonne in the metropolitan area to $42 a tonne, and from $17.50 a tonne in country areas to $21 a tonne.

"The fact that this announcement has been made after most metropolitan and some Councils have finalised consultation with communities about their budgets will provide an additional challenge to Councils," Mayor McHugh said.

"There is no justification for this increase. Councils and their communities are national leaders in recycling initiatives which have markedly reduced domestic waste to landfill and all sorts of waste management inititaives are already in play.

Latest ABS figures show that GDP, in seasonally adjusted volume terms, grew 1.3% in the March quarter 2012, after a revised increase of 0.6% in the December quarter.

The growth for the quarter was driven by a 1.0% contribution from final consumption expenditure and a 0.9% contribution from business investment. The increases were partially offset by a -0.5% contribution from net exports and -0.1% contribution from dwelling investment.

The industries that drove growth in the March quarter were Mining, Professional, scientific and technical services and Financial and insurance services, each contributing 0.2% to growth in GDP.

The March quarter saw the Terms of trade fall 4.3%. This was reflected in Real gross domestic income, which grew by 0.2% in seasonally adjusted terms for the quarter.

Treasurer Wayne Swan welcomed the ‘stunning’ quarterly growth, saying that the figures show the ‘rock-solid’ economic fundementals of the country.

“This is a remarkable outcome and reaffirms Australia's position as one of the strongest economies in the world, with the Australian economy growing faster than every single major advanced economy in the March quarter. In through the year terms, this result is the fastest growth in over four years, which have been the most turbulent in the global economy since the Great Depression of the 1930s,” Mr Swan said.

Further details can be found in Australian National Accounts: National Income, expenditure and Product (cat. no. 5206.0). 

The Municipal Association of Victoria has announced it has successfully negotiated a revised unit price with the State Government that reflects the cost of Maternal and Child Health services.

The maternal and child health memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the MAV and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Education will run until June 2015 and ensures that the costs will be equally split by the two branches of government.

The $103.7 million State Budget commitment to early childhood development includes $62.7 million over four years for universal MCH services to provide free access to 10 free key age and stage consultations. In response to the Inquiry into Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children, $16.3 million has also been allocated over four years to continue the enhanced maternal and child health service.

Following MAV advocacy, the 2012 - 13 Budget secured an 8 per cent increase in the hourly rate from $83.01 to $89.76 (of which the state pays 50 per cent). DEECD will also increase funding payable each year of the agreement by the rate of indexation approved by the Victorian Government.

24 Mayors and councillors have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to their communities at the Annual Conference of the Shires Association of NSW.

The Mayors and councillors received their Outstanding Service Awards and Emeritus Mayor Awards from the Premier of NSW, Barry O’Farrell, and President of the Shires Association of NSW, Cr Ray Donald, on the first day of the conference held at the Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney.

“Between them the 24 mayors and councillors have dedicated 511 years of service to NSW Local Government – a remarkable feat, deserving of recognition!” said Cr Donald.

Recipients of the Outstanding Service and Emeritus Mayor Awards, in alphabetical order are:

• Cr Ernie Bennett – Kyogle Council – Emeritus Mayor (17 years; Mayor 1997-1998, 2001-08 & 2010-11)
• Cr Paul Braybrooks OAM – Cootamundra Shire Council – Outstanding Service and Emeritus Mayor (21 years; Mayor 1996-2011)
• Cr John Bruce – Berrigan Shire Council – Emeritus mayor (14 years; Mayor 2000-01 & 2004-12)
• Cr Robyn Faber – Narrabri Shire Council – Emeritus Mayor (4 years; 2008-12)
• Cr Graham Falconer – Forbes Shire Council – Outstanding Service (21 years)
• Cr Kevin Ferrier – Walcha Shire Council – Outstanding Service (21 years)
• Cr Nigel Judd OAM – Narraburra Shire Council – Outstanding Service (35 years)
• Cr Bruce Kingham – Blayney Shire Council – Outstanding Service (21 years)
• Cr Clive Linnett OAM AFSM – Central Darling Shire Council – Outstanding Service (21 years)
• Cr Alister Lockhart OAM – Forbes Shire Council – Outstanding Service (22 years)
• Cr John Martin OAM – Singleton Municipal Council – Outstanding Service (40 years)
• Cr Paul Maytom – Leeton Shire Council – Emeritus Mayor (25 years; Mayor 2004-07 & 2008-12)
• Cr Robert Menzies – Coolamon Shire Council – Emeritus Mayor (17 years; Mayor 1999-2012)
• Cr Bruce Miller – Cowra Shire Council – Outstanding Service and Emeritus Mayor (21 years; Mayor 1994-2008)
• Cr Brian Mitsch – Deniliquin Council – Emeritus Mayor (13 years; Mayor 2000-01 & 2009-12)
• Cr Gary Poidevin – Corowa Shire Council – Emeritus Mayor and Service Bar (32 years; Mayor 1995-2002 & 2004-10)
• Cr Joy Schultz – Forbes shire Council – Outstanding Service (21 years)
• Cr Phillip Silver  - Ballina Shire Council  - Emeritus Mayor (10 years; Mayor 2002-12)
• Cr Maurice Simpson – Weddin Shire Council – Emeritus Mayor (17 years; Mayor 1999-2012)
• Cr Peter Speirs OAM – Narraburra Shire Council – Outstanding Service (35 years)
• Cr Ron Sullivan – Coonabarabran Shire Council – Outstanding Service (25 years)
• Cr Susan Taylor – Deniliquin Council – Outstanding Service (20 years)
• Cr Mark Troy – Bellingen Shire Council – Emeritus Mayor (8 years; Mayor 2004-12)
• Cr Graham Wellings – Central Darling Shire Council – Outstanding Service (30 years)

The Melbourne City Council has released the city’s new draft Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) for the final phase of public consideration prior to the Council’s Future Melbourne Committee considering it later this month for adoption.

The Council has described the MSS as the start of a ‘fresh era in Melbourne’s evolution,” saying will serve Melbourne’s cultural and industrial development for the coming decades.

The MSS sets out the guiding urban design and planning principles for the decades ahead.  The plan includes economic, social, cultural and environmental measures that will shape the city over the next 40 years.

“Recognising that Melbourne will become a much bigger and more intensive city, and planning for that change is essential,” the council said in a statement.

The new planning framework focuses on targeted areas of urban renewal, using land more productively, connecting the city with efficient and convenient transport links and building resilience to the impacts of climate change.

“The MSS demonstrates the strategic approach we are taking to secure our vision for Melbourne. We have identified areas that will benefit from development, and we have recognised areas where the existing character will be largely retained. The MSS strikes the right balance,” Lord Mayor Robort Doyle said.

More information can be found here

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/BuildingandPlanning/FutureGrowth/Pages/FutureGrowth.aspx

The New South Wales Government has announced the release of its Destination 2036 Action Plan, which ‘sets out a new direction for local government in NSW’ and details how councils will deliver services to their communities in the future.

In launching the plna, State Minister for Local Government Don Page said the plan gives gives NSW residents, communities and Councils a clear explanation of how the local government sector will modernise, reform and improve how they function in the next five years, 10 years, and 25 years.

The initiatives identified in the Action Plan are:

• Efficient and effective service delivery in local government,
• Quality governance and leadership in local government,
• Financial sustainability in local government,
• Appropriate, flexible structural models in local government, and
• Strong relationships within local government

“The Destination 2036 Action Plan gives the residents and communities of NSW an insight into how councils will improve the delivery of services to ratepayers and modernise to meet the challenges of a changing world,” Mr Page said.

“As Minister, I am committed to modernising, reforming and ultimately improving the local government sector in NSW because, if we do not, then there will continue to be communities across this State that are `haves’ and `have-nots’, in terms of the number and quality of services delivered to ratepayers.”

The formation of the Action Plan was a result of the Destination 2036 conferenced held in August last year, which was attended by representatives from all 152 councils in NSW.

The Destination 2036 Action Plan was developed jointly by the Chief Executive of the Division of Local Government, and the Presidents of the NSW Local Government Association, the NSW Shires Association, and the Local Government Managers Australia (NSW).

The plan can be found here

The Federal Government has announced a $66.6 million spending package for New South Wales under the second round of the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF).

Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean said the Federal Government will invest $200 million in Round Two of the five-year regional funding program, which builds on the $150 million invested in the first stage.

"The Federal Government is investing $66.6 million in 15 projects across New South Wales with a total value of more than $243 million," Mr Crean said.

"The local communities have responded to the challenge of developing creative proposals that stack up, effectively leverage other funding and sustain the economic and social future of their regions.

"Round Two funding builds on the $150 million distributed to 35 projects through Round One last year, which included $30.87 million for projects in regional New South Wales."

The successful projects in New South Wales are:

• $14.5 million for the Wagga Wagga City Council for the $57.39 million Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics Hub;
• $7 million to the Lake Macquarie City Council for the $50 million Lake Macquarie Transport Interchange Stage 1;
• $5 million to the Wollongong City Council for the $14.92 million Crown Street Mall Refurbishment;
• $5 million to the Tweed Shire Council for the $42 million Arkinstall Park Regional Sports Centre;
• $4.9 million to the Orange City Council for the $13.91 million Orange Airport expansion;
• $4.7 million to the Bombala Shire Council for the $9.47 million Bombala Timber Precinct Infrastructure Project;
• $4.3 million to the Ballina Shire Council for the $8.5 million Ballina Biochar and Waste-to-Energy project;
• $3.5 million to the Albury City Council for the $10.5 million Albury Regional Art Gallery redevelopment;
• $3.5 million to the Dubbo City Council for the $5.3 million Barden Park Regional Centre for Excellence for Athletics;
• $3 million to the Bathurst Regional Council for the $6.07 million Mount Panorama Infrastructure Project;
• $3 million to the Broken Hill City Council for the $8.12 million Broken Hill Heavy Vehicle Bypass Road;
• $2.7 million to the Muswellbrook Shire Council for the $5.71 million Affordable Student Accommodation in the Upper Hunter Project;
• $2.6 million to the Southern Youth and Family Services for the $5.15 million Southern Community Hub and Youth Foyer in Warilla;
• $2.5 million to the Gosford City Council towards the $5.18 million Narara Valley Sporting Precinct; and
• $500,000 to the Deni Play on the Plains Festival for the $911,000 Southern Riverina Regional Event Complex.

The Federal Government has announced Queensland will receive $33.6 million to fund eight projects as part of Round 2 of the Regional Development Australia Fund.

"The Federal Government is investing $33.6 million in eight projects across Queensland with a total value of more than $134 million," Federal Minister for  Regional Australia Simon Crean said.

"The local communities have responded to the challenge of developing creative proposals that stack up, effectively leverage other funding and sustain the economic and social future of their regions.

The projects selected in Queensland are:

• $7.78 million to the Moreton Bay Regional Council towards the $44.89 million The Corso at the Lakes Construction;
• $5 million to the Torres Strait Island Regional Council towards the $24 million Torres Strait Coastal Protection Works;
• $5 million to the Ipswich City Council towards the $15 million Robelle Domain (Stage 2) Parkland Development;
• $4.99 million to the Central Highlands Regional Council towards the $9.98 million Emerald Airport Apron Extension;
• $4.99 million to the Mackay Regional Council towards the $29.10 million Mackay Regional Events Centre;
• $3.40 million to ACT for Kids towards the $4.60 million ACT for Kids Child and Family Centre of Excellence;
• $2 million to Toowoomba Regional Council towards the $5.5 million Toowoomba Regional Arts and Community Centre; and
• $500,000 to the Somerset Regional Council towards the $1 million Kilcoy Showground Facility Development.

The announcement has been met with a mixed reception, with the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) complaining that the majority of the funding is being allocated to towns and coastal cities rather than rural and remote communities.

Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam said while those communities that attracted funding would be grateful for the Government’s investment, rural and remote Queensland was entitled to be disappointed.

“This is the second time rural and remote communities have largely been passed over for regional development funding under this program,’’ Mr Hallam said.

“The Government seems to have a definition of regional development that excludes large parts of Queensland.’’

The South Australian Government has announced it is seeking feedback on a cross-government initiative aimed at ensuring the long-term success of the country’s automotive industry.

South Australia is taking a lead role in the Automotive New Markets Initiative, which also involves the Victorian and federal Governments, that will aim to critically analyse the Automotive New Markets Program (AMMP).

The ANMP is a competitive merit based grants which will provide direct financial assistance to firms over the next four years.

The objective of the ANMP is to assist Australian automotive supply chain firms broaden their customer and product base, domestically and internationally.

As part of the consultation process surrounding the formation and implementation of the program, a framework paper has been prepared by the Federal Government Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, in cooperation with the Victorian Department of Business and Innovation and Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade Resources and Energy (DMITRE).

To provide feedback on the ANMI Consultation Framework Paper:

• attend a public consultation session, to be held in Adelaide and Melbourne in early June, for further details please visit www.innovation.gov.au
• make a written submission via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All feedback must be received by close of business on 28 June 2012.

Results show that assumptions that Australia is an ‘anti-dobbing’ society are false, according to results of the first World Online Whistleblowing Survey.

The first stage of the survey, conducted by Newspolll, shows overwhelming concern for whisteblowers, with 81 per cent of respondents saying they should be protected and not punished for revealing inside information about serious wrongdoing.

However, only 53 per cent of the 1,211 respondents said they believed Australia was generally accepting of whistleblowing, with 49 per cent of organisation members saying they were confident that they own organisation was serious about protecting those that spoke up.

Project leader Professor A J Brown, of Griffith University, said the Australian results confirm the vital need for formal, legal protection of whistleblowing, to bring legal and social standards into line with what citizens believe is right.

“While many plainly still believe that Australia has an ‘anti-dobbing’ culture, these first results suggest it is not true; Australians are actually just as – if not more – interested in justice for those prepared to bring serious wrongdoing to light,” Professor Brown said.

Principal researcher Dr Suelette Dreyfus of the University of Melbourne, and two of Australia’s most important whistleblowers: former national security analyst and now Independent Federal MP, Andrew Wilkie, and Toni Hoffman, the nurse unit manager who exposed Bundaberg Hospital’s infamous “Dr Death” case.

Dr Dreyfus said the global survey would help experts understand the changing nature of whistleblowing and whistleblower protection.

“When you see serious wrongdoing, should you be protected if you have go to the media to expose it? What is the impact of new technology such as Twitter and Facebook? How do Australian attitudes and standards compare to other countries? This survey will help us answer these important questions,” Dr Dreyfus said.

“The results will be crucial for all organisations interested in increasing their accessibility to whistleblowers, and the effectiveness of whistleblowing in society,” Dr Dreyfus said.

The full survey, which can be answered by anyone, is at https://whistleblowingsurvey.org

The International Energy Agency has released a new report that predicts China will more than double its current demand for natural gas over the next five years, while the world will experience a 2.7 per cent growth in demand per year.

The Medium-Term Gas Market Report 2012 found that China will become the third-largest gas importer behind Europe and Asia Oceania. The report also predicts that North America will become a net LNG exporter over the next five years, while the formation of Japan’s new nuclear policy will inform its import demand.

“The Golden Age of Gas has dawned in North America, but its continued expansion worldwide depends on producing gas and bringing it to the market in a way that is friendly to investors and society as a whole,” IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said.

“As gas competes against other energy sources in all market segments, notably in the power sector, pricing conditions are a key element to keep it competitive everywhere. This medium-term report aims to facilitate investor decisions by providing a timely, in-depth analysis of the current trends and what we expect to take place over the coming five years.”

Other key findings of the report include:

• A quarter of new gas demand will come from China, another quarter from the Middle East and other Asian countries together, and a fifth from North America.
• Low gas prices will result in gas generating almost as much electricity as coal in the United States by 2017.
• Global gas trade will expand by 35%, driven by LNG and pipeline gas exports from the FSU region; most of this expansion occurs from 2015 onwards, following a period of further tightening of global gas markets.
• Natural gas is the most important commodity with no global market price yet. Divergence among regional gas prices will decline but remain a feature of global gas markets. The emergence of a spot price in Asia would aid regional producers and buyers.

The report can be purchased from the IEA here

The ancient Tibetan goji berry could help fight blindness caused by long-term diabetes according to studies conducted by University of Sydney researchers.

Faculty of Pharmacy researchers have conducted in vitro tests investigating the potential power of the berry which is now a popular natural remedy.

According to lead researcher, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Basil Roufogalis, the goji berry is abundant in taurine, an ingredient credited with anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulating properties which could protect the retina.

"Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness for people with diabetes, with up to 60 percent of people living with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes developing chronic hyperglycaemia, a condition which can damage retina cells," explains Professor Roufogalis.

"Typically what happens is proteins in the eye become oxidated and high glucose levels force retinal cells to die.

"What's more, blood vessels build up in the retina and grow over the vision spot, which can result in vision loss."

The pharmacy researchers initially undertook work showing the goji berry and its taurine component activated a nuclear receptor protein called PPAR-gamma. This protein plays a crucial role in regulating the retinal cells. This paved the way for further investigation of Lycium barbarum (goji) and its potential to activate the PPAR-gamma receptor.

"First we looked at the protective effect of pure taurine, and an extract of goji berry rich in taurine, in retinal barrier epithelial cells exposed to high glucose - a cell line that can serve as a model to emulate diabetic retinopathy," said Professor Roufogalis.

"We found that goji berry protected against the death of cells caused by high concentrations of glucose in the retina. This protection occurred in parallel with the activation by the extract of the receptor protein (PPAR-gamma). The pure taurine found in the extract mimicked the effects of the goji berry extract.

"We then wanted to see whether the same extracts of goji berry and its pure taurine had an effect on protecting the retinal barrier against toxin invasion when the barrier is typically damaged by high glucose in diabetes patients.

"What we found is that both the pure taurine and the taurine-laden goji berry extract protected the retina against increased permeability of the protective barrier through its actions on the PPAR-gamma receptor, thereby helping the epithelial cells that provide the protective barrier to the retina.

"We are hopeful that these promising results for treating or preventing diabetic retinopathy will lead to human clinical trials," said Professor Roufogalis.

Min Song, also from the Faculty of Pharmacy, received a National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) PhD scholarship to assist in the groundbreaking research. NICM, hosted by the University of Western Sydney, was launched in 2007 to facilitate strategic research in complementary medicine in Australia.

Professor Alan Bensoussan, director of NICM, hailed the novel research. "This is pioneering scientific research in the field of herbal medicine, and is to be applauded for investigating novel ways to address the debilitating effects of diabetes, which is such a pressing global health problem," he said.

The Federal Government has announced a $4 million investment to support the adoption of the eWater ‘Source’ platform to aid and streamline water planning and management across the country.

Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, Senator Don Farrell, said the move to the system would formalize a 2008 COAG agreement to develop a national strategy to help ensure future water planning and development represents best practice in the industry.

“Source links science, policy and management to help policy makers and operators consider future scenarios and alternative water management options for catchments, urban environments and river systems across the nation,” Senator Farrell said.

“It will provide national consistency in water resource planning across jurisdictions, by integrating the economic and environmental uses of water to better assist how we plan and deliver water for cities, irrigation, industry, mining, wetlands and waterways.”

Federal Government contribution to the scheme is matched by State spending from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and Northern territory, bringing the total level of funding close to $8 million.

“‘Source’ is the culmination of more than 20 years of research and development and significant collaboration with governments, national water authorities, private industry partners and Australia’s leading hydrologic and ecological scientists,” Senator Farrell said.

‘Source’ and the National Hydrologic Modelling Platform support the National Water Initiative, Australia’s blueprint for water reform, by providing an integrated approach to managing surface, ground and environmental water in rural and urban catchments across Australia. 

The Tasmanian Government has announced the state will now have a single new public Vocational Education and Training provider, to be called TasTAFE.

The announcement follows the release of the Report of the Review of the role and function of Tasmania’s public VET providers, which made 60 key recommendations, the majority of which the Tasmanian Government has accepted.

 "TasTAFE will be created for public sector VET in Tasmania, using the combined resources of the Tasmanian Skills Institute and the Tasmanian Polytechnic," State Minister for Education and Skills Nick McKim said.

"This decision means that we will move from what is currently a fragmented and inefficient structure to one that is coherent, connected and streamlined.”

The new body will headed by a CEO and a Board accountable to the Minister for Education and Skills.

"The CEO position will be advertised and filled as soon as possible to allow the candidate sufficient lead-in time oversee the implementation process and shape the vision and culture of TasTAFE,” Mr McKim said.

The Tasmanian Polytechnic and Skills Institute will continue to operate and deliver training to learners up until the time TasTAFE begins, with TasTAFE then taking on this role.

Other key recommendations included:

• VET in Tasmania being covered by one piece of legislation to create an integrated and connected VET system
• Building on the existing relationship between the public VET sector in Tasmania and the University of Tasmania to strengthen tertiary education.