ADELAIDEAN the Fertilitycontrolagentsare Will Bedevelopedandapplied
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ADELAIDEANVol 8 No 11 N EWS F ROM T HE U NIVERSITY O F A DELAIDE JULY 12, 1999 An Australian observer Skin cancer patients to benefit Voice: Green Paper Blues INSIDE 2 in El Salvador 3 8 from Melanoma Unit Getting to grips with the challenge of pests RESEARCHERS at the Univer- vaccines that prevent sity of Adelaide have accepted a reproduction. new challenge: to help rid They are formulated to be Australia of unwanted pest delivered orally in a bait or animals such as the European remotely through a virus rabbit, the European red fox and which specifically infects the the introduced house mouse. target pest animal population. The University is a core The control agents will be participant in the new national cost-effective and environmen- Cooperative Research Centre tally friendly. They will also for the Biological Control of reduce the impact of the pest Pest Animals (Pest Animal to acceptable levels, be more CRC). humane and retain their Teams from the Departments effectiveness over time. of Microbiology and Immunol- The Chief Executive Officer of ogy, Biochemistry, Obstetrics the new CRC, Dr Bob and Gynaecology and Animal Seamark, said: Science will provide expertise “Laboratory proof of the provide $14 million of the $56 in reproductive biology and feasibility of developing these million budget to fund the vaccine development to help new agents has been obtained. Centre over the next seven develop fertility control agents The Centre’s challenge is to years. This money will be well for the introduced species. develop the agents to the spent since rabbits alone are Feral pests continue to be a necessary level of efficacy and estimated to cost more than major problem in Australia, environmental safety required $600 million each year in lost causing devastating environ- for their release.” production. mental and economic damage Researchers at the University The Pest Animal CRC is every year. of Adelaide will contribute to based in Canberra but will coordinate research activities New methods of control are the Strategic Options Sub- of teams from the Australian needed to replace the current program, designed to support National University, Univer- the basic science crucial for use of toxic chemicals. sity of Western Australia, product development and The new CRC will build on University of Adelaide, serve as an entry point for new the work of a previous CRC University of Sydney, CSIRO (Vertebrate Biocontrol CRC ideas in the development and Wildlife and Ecology, Western http://www.dwe.csiro.au/vbc/), application of the research. Australia Department of and ensure that specific In the long term the technology Conservation and Land fertility control agents for the developed could be applied to Management and Agriculture rabbit, the fox and the mouse control other pests, such as the Western Australia. will be developed and applied. feral cat and feral pig. —Story courtesy of The fertility control agents are The Federal Government will Pest Animal CRC Images courtesy of CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology New Deputy Chancellor urges greater business support for universities THE NEW Deputy Chancellor of the Mr Cocks, who died tragically in the University of Adelaide, Mr Brian Croser, 1997 Classic Adelaide Rally, also has highlighted the “relative vacuum” of played a key role in bringing the business philanthropy in support of Formula One Grand Prix to Adelaide universities in Australia. in 1985. Mr Croser made the comments “The trust is not just about a man recently at the launch of the Ian Cocks after whom it is named,” Mr Croser Memorial Trust, named after the late said. South Australian business and “It is a concept in support of genera- community leader. tional change—a concept Ian Cocks Mr Croser, who later that same day himself would have wholeheartedly Pictured (left to right): Ian Martens, Mary O’Kane, Mal Hemmerling, Sue Cocks, Nick Cocks and was confirmed as Deputy Chancellor, supported.” Brian Croser at the launch of the Ian Cocks Memorial Trust. Photo: David Washington said the trust would “fund active He said there was an area of business exchange of people and ideas in and philanthropy which was “sadly under- out of the University of Adelaide” in developed in this country and probably the areas of grape and wine in Adelaide, in particular”. Celebrating production, marketing, tourism and “In America, the concept of endowments engineering for manufacturing. to the great teaching and research These were all areas of interest to Mr institutions is well developed to the 1874-1999 Cocks, who served on the boards of immense benefit of the American several companies, including Mr economy. years Croser’s Petaluma Ltd. Continued Page 4 Approved For Print Post 565001/00046 125 PAGE 2 JULY 12, 1999 ADELAIDEAN COMMENTARY AN AUSTRALIAN OBSERVER IN EL SALVADOR Having been interested in human date, the war against by fraudulent activity. For Romero, also from UCA, have come to rights issues for many years, I took the government is Dr Gus Nathan example, the voting symbolise the struggle and suffering time off in February and March this generally thought to Senior Lecturer procedure is so complex of the El Salvadorian people. year to participate with the have begun around Department of Mechanical that only about one Engineering Sunday, 7 March was Election Day. Australian Delegation as an 1980 and ended in third of the population We started early, rising at 4.30am to international observer of the 1999 1992. Throughout this actually votes. observe all the procedures used in Presidential Election in El Salvador. entire period, torture, Bureaucratic pro- preparation for voting. The polls El Salvador is a beautiful country, intimidation, rape, murder and cedures required to obtain a voting were open from 7.00am to 5.00pm. generally lush and green. It is also a disappearances were common. While card are so complex that at least 20% the killings were initially connected of the population is ineligible to vote, To account for the high level of relatively poor country, although its illiteracy, the voting procedure capital San Salvador bears all the with those directly involved in the and there is evidence of bias as to fighting, towards the end they which regions receive voting cards. requires that a cross be put through evidence of a modern city with the party flag of the preferred supermarkets, neon signs and high- became increasingly random. No-one Many people have to travel for was safe. several hours to vote, discouraging candidate, rather than by putting rise buildings. The estimated numbers in boxes next to names. population of about 6 million (there Like the United Kingdom, there are voter turnout and disadvantaging the poor. In addition, many dead people Each voter can only vote at one booth has never been an official census) two levels of government in El in the entire country, which is found lives in an area one third the size of Salvador: national and municipal. are still on the electoral role, and it’s been proven that some of the in the town at which they lodged Tasmania. The national president is elected their application. The polling centre every five years. The president has deceased have officially “voted” in which I observed had 44 voting El Salvador also has a very unequal the power of veto, and in some areas past elections. booths, each of which had 400 names distribution of wealth, and many feel (for example, national security) has We had learnt of the recommen- and voting papers. After voting, each that the gulf between the rich and unilateral powers. poor is increasing. Not far from the dations for electoral reform which person must either sign their name modern shopping complexes and The Australian Delegation was a had been proposed by international or have a fingerprint taken, and their typical Australian homes are the fascinating group of people with wide observers of previous elections, and finger is dipped in indelible ink to more numerous slums. It is experience in various fields. Most knew that no action had been taken ensure they cannot vote twice. estimated that 62% of the rural had some connection to El Salvador— to implement them. Our some were born or had lived in the observations then gave us the One thing that surprised me about population lives in extreme poverty polling day was the carnival-like and most of these are illiterate. country, while others had worked opportunity to further assess the with El Salvadorian refugees in recommendations and look for other atmosphere. Many people arrived, Today the homes of the middle class Australia. examples of bias or corruption. voted, then hung around to celebrate and rich are protected by rows of the big event. This carnival razor wire. Private armed guards are As official observers, we had been During our visit, the extent of the atmosphere was assisted by the ubiquitous, guarding both homes and told it was important to remain army’s brutality during the war was bright displays of party colours, shops. It is the most violent country impartial at all times. Our role was hammered home by a visit to the mostly dominated by the in Central America with about 7400 simply to report on what we saw, not Jesuit University of Central America government’s party, ARENA. to comment or give our own personal homicides per year, mostly from (UCA). This is where the murder of In our municipality, things went shootings. This equates to a views. We were free to ask simple six Jesuit priests and two women co- questions of individuals or election smoothly and the officials from staggering 20 deaths per day. workers took place on 16 November different parties were cooperative and officials, but were to avoid bias in 1989.