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ORIGINS
1 / 2017
Fish River Station rangers on Casuarina campus, Stewart Brooks (left) and Chris Miler.
PROJECT TACKLES HEAT STRESS
North Australian employers
are
playing an important role in a research
program examining heat stress across the
monsoon tropics.
monsoontropics.
Dr Elspeth Oppermann, of CDU’s
Northern Institute, said while it was
widely known that outdoor labour-
intensive workers experienced heat stress,
dealing with the problem was hampered
by the lack of feasible, regionally
appropriate responses.
“Heat stress poses a signi cant
“Heat stress poses a signicant
challenge to the safety, health and
wellbeing of the workforce in the region,
particularly during the ‘build-up’ and Wet
season,” Dr Oppermann said.
“ e monsoonal north of Australia
“e monsoonal north of Australia
experiences prolonged periods of hot
and humid heat. To develop heat stress
management strategies that employers can
really use, research needs to be conducted
through genuine collaboration with
industry partners.”
Dr Oppermann said the recently
established Heat Stress Research
Partnership comprised Northern
Australia’s largest employers of
apprentices and trainees, operating across
northern WA, NT and Queensland:
Kimberley Group Training, GTNT and
Skill360 australia.
Skill360Australia.
e three industry organisations have
e three industry organisations have
joined forces with research expertise
from CDU’s Northern Institute, Menzies
School of Health Research, James Cook
University and RMIT’s Centre for
Urban research.
UrbanResearch.
Rangers sharpen their skills
A university horticulture
team is helping
to develop the skills of Indigenous
rangers who protect the Fish River Station
conservation area in the NT’s Douglas
Daly region.
e team recently delivered rural
e team recently delivered rural
operations units to rangers on Casuarina
campus and at Fish River Station, which
is home to about 60 plants and animals
believed to be new to science and 21
threatened species.
Ranger Stewart Brooks said he gained
skills including biodiversity management,
weed and feral animal management, and
methods for planting trees and shrubs.
Law initiative honours social
justice advocate
e Law School
e Law School
launched the Alicia
Johnson Law Centre in an initiative
that brings together solicitors, students,
academics and eligible clients.
With oces at Darwin’s Waterfront and
With oces at Darwin’s Waterfront and
Casuarina campus, the centre honours
the memory of a young Top End social
justice lawyer and early career academic
Alicia johnson.
AliciaJohnson.
Law lecturer Ken Parish said the centre
supported social justice projects within the
School of Law’s clinical program. ese
School of Law’s clinical program.ese
include the Indigenous Justice and
Exoneration Project led by Felicity
Gerry qc, which researches legal issues
GerryQC, which researches legal issues
relating to Indigenous incarceration and
advises on appeals for NT prisoners and
detained youth serving sentences of more
than 10 years who apply for assistance.
“A more recent initiative seeks to
provide legal assistance to low income
earners who are unrepresented and with
little or no access to legal advice in civil
disputes,” Mr Parish said.
“Law students in their nal year are
“Law students in their nal year are
assisting participating law rms with
assisting participating law rms with
matters under the close supervision of
experienced lawyers and supervising
academics from CDU.”
e Alicia Johnson Memorial Trust has
e Alicia Johnson Memorial Trust has
had a long association with Law School
initiatives that enable students to gain
practical experience during their later
undergraduate years.
Dr Elspeth Oppermann.
Stewart said the course would assist
the group to establish an edible garden to
reduce their carbon footprint by limiting
rangers’ trips into town. “ e work has
rangers’ trips into town. “e work has
been hard, but very good.”
Horticulture lecturer Robyn Wing said
the rural operations course also aimed
to assist rangers in land monitoring and
managing gamba grass, mimosa and other
invasive weeds.
Fish River Station is about 150 km
south of Darwin and was bought through
a partnership between the Australian
Government, the Indigenous Land
Corporation, e Nature Conservancy
Corporation, e Nature Conservancy
and Pew Environment Group.
