Portrayals of Child Abuse Scandals in the Media in Australia and England: Impacts on Practice, Policy, and Systems

This article describes how the media have played a key role in placing the issue of child maltreatment and the problems associated with child protection high on public and political agendas over the last 50 years. It also describes how the influence of the media is far from unambiguous. Although the media has been crucial in bringing the problems into the open, it often does so in particular ways. In being so concerned with scandals and tragedies ∗ Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bob Lonne, School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia. Electronic mail may be sent to [email protected]. in a variety of institutionalized and community settings, the media have portrayed the nature of child maltreatment in ways which deflect attention from many of its core characteristics and causes. A focus on the media is important because of the power the media have to help transform the private into the public, but at the same time, to undermine trust, reputation, and legitimacy of the professionals working in the field. This concern is key for those working in the child protection field and has been a source of tension in public policy in both Australia and England for many years

2024 Business Leaders Hall of Fame inductees

The 15th annual Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame welcomed five new inductees at a gala dinner in Brisbane last night, celebrating outstanding contributions to the state. The 2024 inductees span self-made celebrity hairdresser and entrepreneur Stefan Ackerie AM, corporate, Indigenous and reconciliation leader Shelley Reys AO, Australia’s largest pineapple growers Piñata Farms, information and communications technology company Data#3, and tourism, property and boating entrepreneurs the Longhurst Family. The Business Leaders Hall of Fame was established in 2009 and is a partnership between QUT and the State Library of Queensland. It recognises outstanding Queensland business leaders for their public contribution to the state’s reputation, and economic and social development. This year saw the 99th member inducted at a black-tie dinner event at the Brisbane Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre attended by more than 700 people

2025 Business Leaders Hall of Fame inductees

The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame, which now has 105 members, was established by QUT and the State Library of Queensland in 2009 to recognise the state's most influential business leaders. The 16th annual Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame welcomed six new inductees at a gala dinner in Brisbane celebrating outstanding contributions to the state. The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame has welcomed six new members at a gala induction dinner last night at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The business icons have been recognised for their outstanding economic and cultural contributions to the state – and for being part of the Hall of Fame’s milestone 100th inductee cohort. The 2025 Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame inductees are: Buderim Ginger; The late Betty Byrne Henderson AM; Keri Craig-Lee OAM; Harvey Lister AM; Euan Murdoch; Sunny Queen Australia QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil AO said the legacy of the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame was a testament to the power of collaboration between education and cultural institutions. “These Queensland business leaders are shaping our communities, economies and futures,” Professor Sheil said. “And their journeys offer powerful examples to our students of what is possible across industries and generations, reflecting the dynamism and diversity of our state. “The awards celebrate our deep connection with Queensland’s business community and exemplify our commitment to real-world impact through collaboration with industry leaders. Their stories enrich our curriculum, and many inductees go on to contribute to QUT programs as guest lecturers, mentors and partners.” State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald AM said by celebrating these visionary leaders, we recognise not only their achievements, but also the important role of business in shaping Queensland’s cultural and economic story. “This year’s inductees reflect the ingenuity and resilience that define our business landscape, and their stories will inspire future generations. “The remarkable contributions of the state’s business leaders are captured in State Library’s extensive collection, and we are proud to add these extraordinary inductees to that enduring legacy.

Support for improved quality control but misplaced criticism of GBR science reply to viewpoint “The need for a formalised system of Quality Control for environmental policy-science” by P. Larcombe and P. Ridd (Marine Pollution Bulletin 126:449–461, 2018)

This is a response to the published Viewpoint by Larcombe and Ridd (2018). We agree with Larcombe and Ridd (2018) that scientific merit goes hand in hand with rigorous quality control. However, we are responding here to several points raised by Larcombe and Ridd (2018) which in our view were misrepresented. We describe the formal and effective science review, synthesis and advice processes that are in place for science supporting decision-making in the Great Barrier Reef. We also respond in detail to critiques of selected publications that were used by Larcombe and Ridd (2018) as a case study to illustrate shortcomings in science quality control. We provide evidence that their representation of the published research and arguments to support the statement that “many (…) conclusions are demonstrably incorrect” is based on misinterpretation, selective use of data and over-simplification, and also ignores formal responses to previously published critiques.</p

Food Policy Development in the Australian State of Victoria: A Case Study of the Food Alliance

This article explores the development of a food policy body called the Food Alliance and the role of the organization in encouraging the development of food policy that integrates health and ecological issues. The Food Alliance is located within the Australian state of Victoria. A policy triangle is used as a framework to describe and analyse the work of the Food Alliance. Lessons are drawn about effective strategies for influencing integrated food policy. This occurs in a context where food policy typically favours powerful industry and agricultural interests and where relationships between the health and environmental sectors are in their infancy. The implications for planning and organizing a state-wide food policy are explored from the perspective of policy and the ways in which this can be influenced through working with key stakeholders

Natural law, non-voluntary euthanasia, and public policy

© 2019 by Emerald Publishing Limited. Natural Law philosophy asserts that there are universally binding and universally evident principles that can be determined to guide the actions of persons. Moreover, many of these principles have been enshrined in both statute and common law, thus ensuring their saliency for staff and institutions charged with palliative care. The authors examine the often emotive and politicized matter of (non-voluntary) euthanasia – acts or omissions made with the intent of causing or hastening death – with reference to Natural Law philosophy. This leads us to propose a number of important public policy remedies to ensure dignity in dying for the patient, and their associates

Male breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: pathology data from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2

Background BRCA1 and, more commonly, BRCA2 mutations are associated with increased risk of male breast cancer (MBC). However, only a paucity of data exists on the pathology of breast cancers (BCs) in men with BRCA1/2 mutations. Using the largest available dataset, we determined whether MBCs arising in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers display specific pathologic features and whether these features differ from those of BRCA1/2 female BCs (FBCs). Methods We characterised the pathologic features of 419 BRCA1/2 MBCs and, using logistic regression analysis, contrasted those with data from 9675 BRCA1/2 FBCs and with population-based data from 6351 MBCs in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Results Among BRCA2 MBCs, grade significantly decreased with increasing age at diagnosis (P = 0.005). Compared with BRCA2 FBCs, BRCA2 MBCs were of significantly higher stage (P for trend = 2 × 10−5) and higher grade (P for trend = 0.005) and were more likely to be oestrogen receptor–positive [odds ratio (OR) 10.59; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 5.15–21.80] and progesterone receptor–positive (OR 5.04; 95 % CI 3.17–8.04). With the exception of grade, similar patterns of associations emerged when we compared BRCA1 MBCs and FBCs. BRCA2 MBCs also presented with higher grade than MBCs from the SEER database (P for trend = 4 × 10−12). Conclusions On the basis of the largest series analysed to date, our results show that BRCA1/2 MBCs display distinct pathologic characteristics compared with BRCA1/2 FBCs, and we identified a specific BRCA2-associated MBC phenotype characterised by a variable suggesting greater biological aggressiveness (i.e., high histologic grade). These findings could lead to the development of gender-specific risk prediction models and guide clinical strategies appropriate for MBC management