Summer 2010

A new place in the sun Research in regional Victoria helps restore life to our wetlands and rivers (g p 07–10)

MANAGING PUBLIC HEALTH ARC GRANTS SUCCESS RURAL HEALTH SCHOOL SOCIAL MEDIA Outsourcing merry-go-round Malaria and human rights New staff and buildings Year of milestones (PG11) (PG03) (PG13-14) (PG05) NEWS

La Trobe University Bulletin

WI DEninG OUR VISION Vision 2015 Focus on Regional Victoria 2 BULLETIN GOES ONLINE Focus on regional Victoria Your chance to win an iPad 2 La Trobe University has the University’s regional advisory board, ARC GRANTS SUCCESS said the new plan was ‘fantastic news’ for Science gains new ground 3 extended its commitment to Mildura and far north-east Victoria. regional Victoria as part of its HE’S A ‘TALL POPPY’ ‘We are a growing city. The more students Funds for cancer research 4 plan to boost undergraduate we keep here, the more financial and enrolments by 30 per cent economic benefits there are for the region SOCIAL MEDIA itself.’ A year of milestones 5 over the next five years. Professor Johnson said La Trobe’s Mildura INVESTMENT CHALLENGE Launching La Trobe’s ‘Vision 2015’ strategy campus was also home to the lower La Trobe wins national contest 6 during a visit by the University Council to basin laboratory of the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre. GRADUATE PRINCE far north-east Victoria, Vice-Chancellor Honour for Malaysian leader 6 Paul Johnson said it was important for ‘We have scientists here who are people in the region to have access to a undertaking work that is absolutely RESTORING OUR WETLANDS university. ‘It’s incredibly expensive for them fundamental to the health of the Murray Fish and plant scientists to go to Adelaide or Melbourne to study.’ River, and the sustainability of the Murray lend a hand 7-10 He said Mildura will benefit from an extra Darling Basin, both in terms of the ecology and in terms of agriculture.’ GOING GREY 260 extra university places, taking numbers Not all bad for the bush 10 to around 700. Links with Sunraysia The University also supports the Mildura- TAFE will also expand significantly. Some Wentworth region’s vibrant cultural life. PUBLIC HEALTH CARE 130 local TAFE students, including eight Acting Campus Director Neil Fettling, Management merry-go-round 11 Aboriginal students, have already gone on to a recognised artist in his own right, says complete La Trobe University degrees over Too many chiefs, La Trobe is a long-standing major sponsor of the past five years. not enough Indians 11 local arts, music and writers festivals. Mildura identity and celebrity chef See Mildura wetlands research feature p 7-10 MILKING DEGREES Stefano de Pieri, who is also Chair of Also www.latrobe.edu.au/news/videocasts Graduates lead dairy nutrition work 12 REGIONAL HEALTH CARE Your chance to win an iPad Three new professors appointed 13 OUR CHANCE TO PUT MORE MONEY TOWARD TEACHING Rural Health School unveiled 14 AND RESEARCH TEACH AND PRACTICE To help us cut costs – and save trees – you are reading the last print issue of the New clinical school at the Alfred 15 La Trobe University Bulletin. News about research, people and events will still be brought to you by the on-line version of the magazine. RHYS ISAAC So to mark the transition, we are offering one of our new ‘e-readers’ the chance Farewell to a great historian 15 to win an Apple iPad. Readers who register to receive the on-line version of the SPORTING SUCCESS La Trobe Bulletin before the end Student Games and of Februray 2011 will go in a draw sponsorships 16 for an iPad. To enter, please subscribe to the La Trobe University Bulletin by forwarding to Bulletin@ latrobe.edu.au your full name, including the address to which we are currently forwarding the magazine. Employees of the University are not eligible to enter. NEWS Malaria – and human rights L a Trobe science gains new ground

A study to help hearing impaired children has been awarded more than $440,000. It looks at their environment before and after cochlear implants, and involves Cochlear Ltd, Deaf Children Australia, and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. Research leader, psychologist Professor Edith Bavin, is examining the effect on language development of two groups of children – those raised in a spoken environment and those where the use of sign language is also included. ‘The outcomes will help parents and professionals make informed decisions about the best possible communication and learning outcomes for these children.’

Attitudes to body image in children

The University has won $5.7 Attitudes to body image in young children million in the latest round of and how these develop, is being studied by Commonwealth Government other psychologists, Professors Susan Paxton research grants – the third and Eleanor Wertheim. They are documenting risk factors for body highest amount in Victoria, size stereotypes and dissatisfaction in three after Melbourne and Monash to five year olds. ‘The aim is to get the right universities. The money will public health messages out, so that parents help fund 16 major projects. can help children build positive body ‘If we find out how this change of shape images,’ the researchers say. ‘This is a great result for the University,’ occurs, it may provide the key to stopping At the other end of the age spectrum, there says Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, this process and lead to new ways to combat are two projects led by Professor Yvonne Professor Tim Brown. ‘There is keen this disease.’ Wells, one of which also involves Professors competition nationally for funds from the Another team of researchers, led by Dr Rhonda Nay and Annette Street. This work Australian Research Council (ARC).’ David Dougan and Dr Kaye Truscott, have deals with increasingly serious problems of community and residential care services for won $425,000 for new work on Escherichia For linkage grants – where La Trobe older Australians. researchers work with private and public coli – variants of which can cause health sector partners – the success rate was a very issues such as food poisoning and economic Included is the first longer-term comparative high 66.7per cent. loss through expensive product recalls. Australian study on accommodation and care outcomes for older people in a range Science Minister Senator Kim Carr They are examining how these bacteria remodel their internal proteins by of housing models, says Professor Wells. ‘It highlighted two of more than 300 Victorian will help determine what older people want research projects supported by the ARC. selectively dismantling them in order to survive. ‘What we learn here may help us now and in the future, in terms of housing, ‘Researchers at La Trobe University will use support and services,’ she says. a $750,000 grant to study malarial disease identify new ways to kill pathogenic micro transmission with a view to preventing the organisms,’ says Dr Dougan. In a third project into ageing, Professor millions of malaria related deaths each year,’ Marian Pitts is researching ageism and he said. C ell death and its sexism, and the effect this has on the well- being and health of older women. This project is led by biochemist Professor relevance to cancer Leann Tilley. With advanced imaging People with intellectual disability are technologies, she and her team are probing A third team, led by biochemist Dr Hamsa among the most socially excluded. A study the sexual transformation of the human Puthalakath, has received $300,000 to led by Professor Christine Bigby, part of malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. study an important chemical needed for cell an international collaboration with Jewish growth. Care and Yooralla, will lead to better ‘Malaria parasites adopt a characteristic ways in which local communities, urban banana shape prior to sexual recombination,’ This chemical is also involved in regulating designers, local governments and disability she says. ‘Without this shape change, cell death – or apoptosis – a process critical disease transmission via mosquitoes cannot to many human diseases, and which may occur. also hold the key to the growth of cancers. continues PG04

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 3 NEWS

continued from PG03 Research grants

staff can help achieve social inclusion of Linguist Dr Anthony Jukes, below, is people with intellectual disability. documenting endangered languages of North Sulawesi in Australia’s neighbour, I nternational impact of Indonesia. Australian democracy ‘Most of the languages of this area, as well as their distinctive ethnic cultures, are under In the humanities, one of the largest grants pressure from mainstream Indonesian went to historian Professor Marilyn Lake language and culture and will vanish within for ‘An international history of Australian a generation if nothing is done,’ he says. democracy: the impact of Australian A study by archaeologists Associate innovation overseas and of international Professor Susan Lawrence and Dr C ancer research human rights in Australia’. Peter Davies deals with colonial water Professor Lake says this project will chart management in Victoria’s Central grant for the international ‘career’ of Australian Highlands. ‘Tall Poppy’ democracy and the impact of innovations ‘Historic evidence of capturing, storing, such as manhood suffrage, the Australian transporting and using water, and of In the world of science, Dr Marc ballot, women’s rights and industrial environmental degradation and changes Kvansakul is a ‘Tall Poppy’ – one of arbitration overseas. to land use at a local and regional level, is nine young Victorian researchers important for today’s debates about water ‘It will also investigate the impact of new selected for this accolade by the sustainability and climate change,’ says Dr international definitions of human rights Australian Institute of Policy and Lawrence. on re-shaping Australian democracy after Science. World War Two.’ The full list and more details about these latest He recently also received more than Another historian, Dr Roland Burke, is ARC research projects can be found on: studying patterns of global opposition to www.latrobe.edu.au/research $400,000 from the National Health universal human rights since the birth of and Medical Research Council to the United Nations in 1945. The aim is to investigate the role of Kaposisarcoma enable more effective pursuit of Australia’s herpesvirus Bcl-2 in the formation of foreign policy objectives in the field of tumours. human rights. His new laboratory at La Trobe probes the biology of cell death regulation. Saving endangered It helps develop new anti-cancer languages drugs and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Water and language conservation are the subject of two other awards in the Dr Kvansakul, who has published humanities. eleven internationally recognised scientific papers, also plays a key role in La Trobe outreach activities in secondary schools where he works on science projects with year nine pupils and teachers. A graduate of Imperial College, London, he specialises in the science of protein interactions using X-ray crystallography and the Australian Synchrotron for his experiments. He says that cells are normally programmed to commit suicide if they are infected. ‘They “take one for the team” to prevent spread of the infection,’ he says. I’m studying how some viruses can block this process and stop their new home from self-destructing. ‘This “hijacking” of cells not only allows the virus to breed in safety, but can also help cells to become cancerous.’

4 La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 COMMUNITY Year of social media milestones More than 10,000 Facebook ‘fans’ – and almost a million ‘poddys’

by ARIA award winning artist, Goyte. Their zany celebration of extra-curricular life at La Trobe was launched in October. It is broadcast on Facebook and YouTube. The antics of dancers, drummers and green painted men symbolise themes from La Trobe’s history – from its birth in the mid-60s, through the politically active 70s, to its colourful present. Featuring extravagantly dressed students from India, Malaysia, Mexico, Indonesia, Sweden and Australia, student theatre director Bob Pavlich says it was also the first video where every participant was in costume. It was produced by the Student Guild, in association with screen production company, Suitcase Murphy. Since starting in Germany in 2008, ‘universitylipdub.com’ has attracted more than fifty responses from universities worldwide.

The University recently ‘We are continually looking to be at the cutting edge in the way we use these tools,’ surpassed 10,000 fans, with says Professor Rosenberg. students, future students, ‘Our Facebook page is a hive of activity with staff and alumni all joining to a quarter of fans making contact at least follow La Trobe’s Facebook once a month. The number of interactions page. shows just how proactive the student body is and underscores La Trobe’s community minded nature.’ It also exceeded a million downloads globally of its podcasts on iTunes University in December. Australian first for And in October La Trobe launched ‘Lip Dub’ Australia’s first University ‘Lip Dub’ video clip, gaining more than 6,300 views in its phenomenon first month. La Trobe is the first university in Australia These social media milestones follow a silver to make a single-shot lip-synching video medal win earlier this year in the Web 2.0 known as a ‘LipDub’. More than a hundred College ‘Olympics’ run by Collegesurfing. local and international students and staff com, a global contest in which La Trobe adlib and dance to ‘Learnalilgivinanlovin’ came 15th – the only university outside the US to reach the top fifty. La Trobe’s Facebook page was launched in January 2008, quickly followed by Twitter, YouTube and iTunes University. Deputy Vice-Chancellor, International and Future Students, John Rosenberg says the University has embraced social media to help communicate with students, staff and alumni.

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 5 AWARDS

Students win Investment Challenge Honour for a graduate Prince One of Australia’s most high-profile Malaysian graduates, HRH the Crown Prince of Perlis, has been awarded an honorary doctorate from La Trobe University. Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra graduated from La Trobe in 1989 with a Bachelor of Economics degree before pursuing a career with Malaysia Airlines until 2000. The Crown Prince is also inaugural Chancellor of the Universiti Malaysia Perlis and chairman of a charitable organisation La Trobe University finance The CFA Global Investment Research which promotes education for the youth of students have their sights on the Asian final Challenge is run by CFA Institute, which Perlis, in the country’s northernmost State. of the CFA Global Investment Research has more than 100,000 members in 130 Challenge after winning the Australian countries. More than 200,000 students sit La Trobe Chancellor, Mrs Sylvia Walton, round of this prestigious contest. for its CFA Charter exams each year. says the award recognises his role as catalyst and Royal Patron of the University’s The five-member team took out the Alumni Association in Malaysia as well as Australian final from Monash, Adelaide P rize-winning research in developing educational opportunities for and RMIT universities after an earlier into public attitudes to people in Malaysia. elimination round which also included the University of Melbourne, Swinburne and water restrictions ‘In his role as Chancellor, he has forged and nourished co-operation between the Deakin. Albury-Wodonga academic Bethany Universiti Malaysia Perlis and La Trobe Cooper has won a new national They go on to represent Australia in University which has resulted in an active prize for her research into people’s Bali next February at the Asian finals. If collaborative relationship between the successful, they will compete in the CFA preferences and attitudes towards universities.’ Global Investment Research Challenge urban water restrictions. In 2002 the Crown Prince was the first Final, to be held in the US in April. The award, worth $5,000, was made Malaysian to win the La Trobe University The Challenge promotes best practices by the Committee for Economic Distinguished Alumni Award. in equity research and company analysis. Development of Australia (CEDA) Students research, analyse, and report on a for excellence in economics and He and his wife, Tuanku Hajah Lailatul company as if they are practicing analysts. public policy. Ms Cooper surveyed Shahreen Akashah, who is also a La Trobe More than 2,000 students from over 425 more than 500 people from Sydney, graduate, have two daughters and a son. of the top university business and finance Goulburn, Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo programs worldwide are involved. and Melbourne. La Trobe senior lecturer in Finance, Greg Ms Cooper also went to India late this Jamieson, said given negative media coverage year as a member of a government- about the international student sector, it sponsored project to carry out water was pleasing the winning Australian team policy research. The Crown Prince of Perlis receives his award comprised international students from from La Trobe Chancellor Walton. four different countries. They are Mr Hani Koshaji from Syria; Mr Byoung-Jin Kang, Korea; Mr Tong Wang, China; and Ms Thi Kim Chau Hua and Ms Nguyen Ngoc Anh Le from Vietnam. For Mr Byoung-Jin Kang, it was an opportunity to develop team work, skills and friendships. ‘Participating in the Challenge was the most exciting and valuable decision I have ever made.’

L ife-long friendships

He said it offered the chance to learn from market experts as well as from team members.‘Most importantly, this was a chance to build up life-long friendships with your team members.’

6 La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 RESEARCH

Aua str lia has about eight species of small native fish called hardyhead Small fish, which are critical to the life and health of our rivers and lakes. Probably the most threatened is the Murray hardyhead. This fish has managed to escape extinction big success during the recent drought due to the efforts of La Trobe University fish ecologist Iain Ellis and the National Murray hardyhead Science steps in where nature Recovery Group. has been compromised As small bodied fish, says Mr Ellis, they forage on zooplankton and tiny invertebrates, particularly mosquito larvae, and thus help to control mosquito numbers. When abundant, Murray hardyhead can also be an important food source for pelicans that roost in wetlands. The fish live on the fringes of the flood plain in slightly brackish waters that were common throughout the Murray Darling system before European settlement. Their fate is an indicator of the impact of human- made changes since then. In the late 1990s, says Mr Ellis, there were about eight or nine known populations of Murray hardyhead surviving in Victoria, and about another half dozen in South Australia. It was considered extinct in NSW. Today things are more fragile – with only three remaining populations in Victoria and only a handful in South Australia. ‘The extinction of each population puts a long-term dent in the survival of this species,’ says Mr Ellis. He adds that the species is in big trouble due to the recent extended drought and regulations governing riverboat navigation and irrigation. ‘Prior to regulation, the river would flood every three or four years and a lot of these outlying areas that contain Murray hardyhead would reconnect and the fish would be able to wash downstream or swim upstream and occupy new habitats. ‘With the instigation of river regulation we seem to have a lot of wetlands directly continues PG10

Above: Searching for hardyheads in the Mallee Drainage Basin.

Right: Laboratory bred fish just before release.

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 7 RESEARCH Restoring our wetlands How do we get the best results from environmental water?

The long drought is over and environmental flows are returning to our rivers. Managing re-emerging wetlands to ensure plant and animal life returns rapidly to its former health is now a national priority. Helping with the science that underpins this effort is La Trobe University freshwater plant ecologist, Dr Caitlin Johns, who works at the Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre on the Mildura campus. At Lake Wallawalla – an 840 hectare refuge for waterbirds, Growling Grass Frogs and the White-bellied Sea Eagle in north-west Victoria – she is carrying out one of the first Australian wetland vegetation studies of its kind. It follows work overseas which has shown that waterborne plant dispersal can be important for establishing aquatic vegetation at sites that have experienced long periods of drought. Part of the Chowilla and Lindsay-Wallpolla Islands flood plain icon site, the lake had been dry for more than ten years. It was refilled earlier this year under an environmental watering program, thus creating an ideal natural laboratory for Dr John’s work. Before water was pumped back into the lake in April, Dr Johns, below, and her team collected soil samples from the lake’s drought-ravaged seed banks and from a ‘control’ dry wetland nearby. This was to

For video reports of these two wetland ecology research projects see: www.latrobe.edu.au/news/videocasts

8 La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 RESEARCH Restoring our wetlands How do we get the best results from environmental water?

determine whether long-dry wetlands still contain viable seeds of wetland plants. ‘We are now growing plants from those samples in a glass house,’ she says. ‘We’re going to see which species emerge and we’ll be able to compare those results with germination trial results using sediment from more recently wet wetlands.’ For the second stage of the study Dr Johns and her colleagues laid out sediment mats Lake Wallawalla, partially filled, above, and studying the return of plants as the water level nears capacity. and drift nets to capture floating seeds and stem fragments to see what washes into the wetland during pumping. ‘Previous studies have shown that, for example, fish communities can develop in pumped sites; you get movement of eggs and larva through the pump, and we’re expecting to find the same thing with the plant community.’ W onderful natural laboratory

The researchers are interested in two things: seeing what type of seeds were already present before watering, and which plant species regenerate from seeds and vegetative material washed into the wetland during filling. ‘One of the interesting things we’re seeing is that some of the submerged species that the lake.’ What have we learnt so far from ‘One of the main benefits of the research,’ don’t withstand drying are washing into the germination trials of seeds and plant she says, ‘is that it will help us select sites our nets. They’re things we wouldn’t expect fragments? that have good regeneration potential so to come up from the soil seed bank because ‘From the soil cores we’ve started to grow that when environmental watering occurs they reproduce primarily by fragmentation, we can direct it to places where it will be so it’s interesting to see them arriving in some of our first plants to a stage where we can identify them. While the most effective.’ majority of plants emerging to date At the end of the year, Dr Johns will create have been dryland species, we have an inventory of all vegetation at the lake seen regeneration of some wetland and at the control wetland to determine the species or flood dependent species outcome of the rewatering. from seed. This demonstrates the The study has been funded by the Murray- resilience of some of these species.’ Darling Basin Authority’s ‘The Living River Dr Johns says a proper balance Program’ of wetland vegetation cover is critical for wetland nutrient cycles. Too much nutrient can lead to environmental disasters like algal blooms. And the correct plants are a vital habitat to shelter fish, water birds and other animals.

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 9 RESEARCH

continued from PG07 ‘Small Fish’ upstream of the weir system which remain constantly full of fresh water, and wetlands downstream of the weir that have dried out due to the drought or reduced water inflows.’ Going grey not all Mr Ellis and his team at the Mildura bad for the bush Murray Darling Freshwater Research Centre were contracted to salvage the fish Rural Australia is going grey, ‘However, we also identified that from dwindling wetlands including Lake with more than a third of all older social capital alone is not enough. Hawthorn. They brought them to their Australians now living in the country. Older people need health and support Mildura campus laboratory, and nurtured services if they are to remain living in them back to health. A researcher specialising in aged care says the trend is because older these communities.’ Here the fish lay their eggs – suspended people are remaining in rural areas. Professor Warburton was among from sticky filaments – on the fronds of Some are moving there as sea and many social and environmental artificial plants, see below. After a few days, the eggs are transferred to a larval rearing tree changers, while young people scientists, planners, water managers tank where they hatch and develop into are moving away seeking jobs and and local government staff from adults. education. across the nation who spoke about Professor Jeni Warburton, Chair how Australia’s towns are adapting to ‘We’ve had a breeding program for three change. years now,’ he says, ‘initially just to hold fish of the John Richards Initiative into as a back up in case we lost wild populations. Rural Aged Care Research based Conference organiser Professor John The bonus is that we’ve been able to increase on La Trobe’s Albury-Wodonga Martin, who heads the University’s the number through captive breeding. campus, who studied these trends, Centre for Sustainable Regional presented her findings recently at the Communities, said the conference ‘In collaboration with the Victorian and National Country Towns Conference in provided a vital perspective from rural South Australian governments we have Bendigo. Australia on the population debate. managed to salvage fish from seven different locations, all the main sites where the species Professor Warburton said her study of He said sustainability was the key still survives. That’s important because two Murray River towns in north-east question facing all towns and regional it means we can maintain their genetic Victoria highlighted the challenges cities. ‘Whether they’re growing, and opportunities resulting from these staying the same or dying, towns trends. everywhere are asking the same ‘It showed that older people contri- question – how can they sustain bute to the economic and social and regenerate themselves, socially, sustainability of rural communities. In economically and environmentally.’ particular, they help build the social Better health care for the country capital of these regions and support – see pages 13 and 14. each other within their region.’

photo: michael hammer

diversity across its current range, which will be beneficial for the long-term survival of the Murray hardyhead’ So far around 300 fish have been released back into the wild, in Victoria and South Australia. Additional wetlands we will eventually get back to a dozen or Murray hardyhead has probably served as a two populations in Victoria and South good example of how to better understand are being investigated Australia and in NSW, where the species and manage threatened species – to both as potential new can survive with minimal water inputs from conserve and to recover them – so down the translocation sites for the set allocations’. track we will be better equipped to conserve Mr Ellis says the river’s reduced flooding other threatened fish species.’ Murray hardyhead. regime, particular during the long drought, All of which, he says, is important for local has also impacted severely on many other communities along the river which are To get them back to the status they had native fish, including well-known species trying to achieve the long-term viability of prior to European occupation would need like Murray cod and silver perch which have their ecosystems, as well their tourism and the system to flood regularly, says Mr been in decline since European settlement. agricultural industries. Ellis. ‘What’s probably more likely is that ‘The research we’ve conducted on the

10 La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 NEWS

Managing public health I s it all an ‘outsourcing’ and ‘in-house’ merry-go-round? Health-care managers of Health Economics – is the first such networks (135) and all Italian hospitals study in the public health sector. (302). The response rate was 46 per cent in and policy makers should Italy and 29 per cent in Australia. subject their decisions to Both outsourcing and backsourcing, she says, can be important management tools. • Dr Young is Associate Professor and the same level of evidence- However, their study found managerial Director of Corporate Responsibility and based scrutiny demanded of processes in public health were often based Global Citizenship at the Graduate School medical professionals and on past results. of Management at La Trobe. Dr Macinati is from the Catholic University of the other health providers, an What is needed is a clearer understanding of local environments and greater critical Sacred Heart, Rome. Their paper is titled: award-winning international evaluation of factors that impact on ‘International Perspectives in Backsourcing: study has found. individual health care activities. These range Is it just a Merry-go-round?’ from institutional and government pressures La Trobe University’s Dr Suzanne Young to legal and labour market considerations. and an Italian colleague, Dr Manuela P sychiatric Macinati, have scrutinised more than a decade of change management in public ‘In this way, managers can health care health. develop an evidence-based Their research showed that the outsourcing approach, and not accept T oo many chiefs, not phenomena that swept through the enough Indians international health care sector in the ‘90s or simply follow fads or often failed to deliver intended outcomes. paradigms imported blindly A study of expenditure trends in the public psychiatric sector raises questions It found that problems related to quality, from other sectors or contexts loss of control and inefficiency have resulted about the highly controversial period of in many of these decisions being reversed, without questioning,’ the study deinstitutionalisation and accompanying rise of managerialism of the 1990s. by bringing things back in house – or concludes. ‘backsourcing’. It has found that the share of expenses per patient on management and administration The study revealed that over the past three The researchers said there were high years nearly 30 per cent of Australian and has increased – while the share spent per levels of dissatisfaction with outsourcing patient for nursing has decreased. 15 per cent of Italian health-care providers arrangements. have returned to doing internally things La Trobe health economist, Ruth Williams, that had been outsourced for between two In both countries, even when people were says the research compared data from 1992- and 12 years. satisfied with outsourcing, they stuck with 93 when the process began, with 2005-06 the arrangement largely because of lack of In Australia the main activities brought when deinstitutionalisation was well in in-house personnel, capabilities, skills, and place. back in were diagnostic services, especially knowledge to operate the service. in bigger health organizations; in Italy it was She says that, ironically, the new era of largely clinical services. The move to backsourcing in Italy related managerialism had argued for programs more to freedom in hiring personnel, Dr Young says while backsourcing has been to cut back administrative and managerial whereas in Australia it was due to quality expenses. widely studied in the private sector, their issues with outsourcing. research report – which won the ‘Best Paper of the Year’ award from the Italian Academy The study was based on a ten point questionnaire, sent to all Australian health continues PG12

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 11 NEWS

watched by the State’s dairy farmers who produce 65 per cent of the nation’s milk. Based at Ellinbank near Warragul in Gippsland, the team is headed by Dr Bill Wales, who graduated in 1983. Others are Dr Martin Auldist (88 and 95) Leah Marett (06), Dr Peter Moate (75 and 80) and Jae Greenwood (01). Their work on flexible feeding systems studies more efficient ways to feed cows during times of water shortages. The need for this was highlighted by a decade of drought-affected dairy pastures. Their experiment, which uses up to 216 Friesian dairy cows, is now into its second year. It probes the efficiency of offering grazing cows high amounts of supplementary feed as a partial mixed ration. Milk production from this mixed feeding regime is being compared with that from More milk cows fed a more traditional diet of grain at milking time. Dr Auldist says mixed rations provide the same amount of energy input as when cows are fed in traditional ways, but please… optimise the supply of nutrients to the rumen. Gi ven the importance of the dairy industry to ‘We think we’re improving the cow’s ability to digest the the national economy, five La Trobe University-trained feed, so she’s able to extract more energy from the feed.’ agricultural and animal scientists are trying to achieve just He says the drought and reduced pastures have increased that. the use of supplements in Victorian dairying. Depending on the region and time of year, bought-in feed can make up Employed by the Department of Primary Industries, they more than half a cow’s diet. head up Victoria’s largest dairy cattle nutrition experiment – which notched up an impressive daily gain of an extra two ‘The results of these experiments could help curb feed bills litres of milk per cow last autumn. while optimising milk output,’ Dr Auldist says. Members of the research team graduated from La Trobe From left: Dr Moate, Leah Marett, Dr Wales, Jae Greenwood and Dr between 1975 and 2006, and their work is being keenly Auldist. Photo: Sue Webster, DPI

continued from PG11 Managing public health ‘Our study finds the opposite happened,’ health is trivial: ‘that they should focus on in the right direction, there is no room for says Dr Williams who carried out the conventional topics like recessions, trade, complacency. The magnitude is “a pimple on research with Dr Darrel Doessel from banking, finance and tourism’. a pumpkin” relative to the overall upward Griffith University. But economic ‘diagnoses’ of the various trend. ‘It reveals statistically significant trends problems in the sector need to be provided. ‘We find this same trend for all mentally- which suggest there are “too many chiefs The researchers argue this is now possible: related causes of death, not just suicide’. and not enough Indians”. It also strongly sufficient collections of data exist. Other research highlights what Dr Williams indicates the need for greater managerial For example, one of their studies deals with and Dr Doessel describe as the problem of accountability in this sector, and finds the conventional ‘headcount’ measure for “the worried well”. They use mental health evidence of unmet demand.’ suicide using a 100 years of Australian services while the needs of severely mental ill The work by the two researchers is mortality data. people remain under-resourced, she says. concerned with a wide range of mental ‘Some Australians attract mental health health issues. U pward trend resources that could be used for people Strange as it may seem, they argue in much greater need. Shifting resources government policy on suicide – and in ‘We apply a measure of suicide that takes to address severe issues, like child and Australia’s mental health sector in general account of its societal importance as a cause adolescent service delivery, is one great – is not based firmly enough on economics of death – and the time-span data enables us need’. to comment on some “big societal trends”’. research. Every million dollars of the mental ‘Some pockets of underdevelopment and This, she says, reveals the upward trend in health budget has several alternative misery in our society are overlooked by the suicide rates has occurred during a period uses, Dr Williams argues. when the death rate from ‘all causes’ economics profession,’ says Dr Williams. ‘They can fund about 6,375 mental health declined – major causes like heart disease, ‘For the scandals and crises in mental health plans written by GPs. Alternatively, and smaller ones, like motor vehicle to end, we need contributions not just from we can have 12,000 hours of private accidents. Even the cancer mortality rate has clinicians, accountants, and psychological psychiatry services funded by Medicare; begun to turn down, she says. researchers.’ we could partially fund the construction ‘When years of life lost to suicide are Dr Williams says it is difficult for of a dedicated facility; or 20 mental illness weighted, suicide is an even “bigger” cause economists to be heard above all those support groups could be funded at $50,000 of death. So while there has been a decline other voices. There is also a message to each; and so on.’ in the suicide rate in recent years, which is the economics profession that mental

12 La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 COMMUNITY

Better health care for the country La Trobe University appoints three new professors for rural health

Avatars help teach nursing for aged-care

Isabelle Ellis – new Professor of Rural and Regional Nursing at the La Trobe Rural Health School – is happy to see her students grow old well before their time. To help them add the extra years, she creates ‘virtual worlds’ in which – through the use of avatars, or computer alter egos – they can experience the hospital system much as an older person or someone who has a disability would experience it. Professor Ellis, below, pioneered a virtual online hospital course called ‘v Hospital’ at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory and is continuing this type of work at La Trobe. The idea is to enable students in rural and remote areas to get a taste of real-life nursing. Professor Ellis comes to La Trobe from the Combined Universities Jane Farmer, an international expert in regional and remote health, Centre for Rural Health in Western Australian which focuses on has joined the University to head La Trobe’s new Rural Health rural, remote and Indigenous health research. School. ‘My research was on a range of projects, most notably assessing Based in Bendigo, the School began this year, rolling out new children’s ears using digital pictures which can then be viewed by courses, developing a clinical network, and appointing new staff, specialists in major population centres. three of them to professorial leadership posts. ‘This is a very important initiative as 40 per cent of children in Before arriving in Bendigo, Professor Farmer was at the University remote Aboriginal communities have some form of ear disease of Aberdeen and at the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute which needs expert review and ongoing management.’ in Scotland, a federation of thirteen rural colleges and research Professor Ellis, who also heads La Trobe’s School of Nursing and organisations. Midwifery, says: ‘My aim is to encourage people from rural and A specialist in health policy and management, Professor Farmer has remote areas into careers in health by making the courses relevant impeccable research credentials. to them –and by putting fun into the learning with the use of technology.’ She has just concluded a major $A3m European Union and Scottish government funded study into how local communities in northern continues PG14 Europe can best work with service providers to care for the aged. This involved examining the demographics of ageing and inequality in health care among disadvantaged rural groups. She says the problems in Australia are similar to those faced by people in the UK. ‘However, greater distances between communities here mean there are more local initiatives. ‘One of the attractions of coming to work in Bendigo is that this can help us understand how to address access to rural services in other countries.’ Professor Farmer wants the new La Trobe School to be recognised as an international centre in rural and regional health care. ‘We need to develop our identity and be seen by the world as a cutting edge facility and it’s important to develop something distinctive and new.’ Professor Farmer says this effort will involve all regional campuses, Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga, Mildura and Shepparton. Working on ways to make quality services available to people living in rural and remote locations is a big research area. ‘For example, how do we give health professionals opportunities for career development? How do we keep them happy as well as providing the services that rural people need?’ she says. ‘There are many stakeholders in the provision of quality health services and I’m interested in involving everybody in the decision making process.’

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 13 COMMUNITY

continued from PG13 Rural health appointments Allied health services address inequalities

Teresa Iacono, a speech pathologist, has been appointed to head the School’s Department of Allied Health, which is adding podiatry, speech pathology and paramedicine to its courses in social work, physiotherapy and occupational therapy across northern Victoria. Professor Iacono, below, is former Director of Research at the Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria, and has more than 25 years of clinical research and teaching experience in developmental disability and communication disorders. She says work in this field ‘highlights the social and economic burden of health inequalities experienced by so many in our communities, especially in rural Victoria. It also demonstrates the importance of inter-professional teamwork.’ Shepparton and Wodonga. Professor Iacono believes La Trobe’s Rural Health Another milestone this year was Rural Health School with its state-of- the opening of La Trobe’s new the-art teaching facilities, will develop School Physiotherapy Clinical School, located health professionals who understand at Bendigo Health. and are committed to ensuring quality unveiled services for all members of rural communities. The University has unveiled the design for its new $74 million La Trobe Rural N ew campus opens Health School at Bendigo, with the at Shepparton clinical teaching and health science buildings due to open in early 2013. La Trobe’s architecturally-impressive new Shepparton campus, below, opened in As part of this, in November it also December, in time for next year’s intake of awarded a $16.5 million contract for students. It replaces temporary facilities at student accommodation. the Goulburn Ovens TAFE. The $10 million The new School, above, will offer an dollar building was opened by Federal extra 750 student places, and train an Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans. additional 200 graduates each year Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnson to tackle critical healthcare worker said the recent 45 per cent increase in student shortages. applications at Shepparton indicated the campus had a promising future. ‘This will make a significant difference to the health workforce shortages in rural and regional Victoria,’ says Dean of Health Sciences and Pro Vice-Chancellor in charge of regional operations, Professor Hal Swerissen. Designed by Billiard Leece Partnership, the new School will provide state of the art simulation amenities and work areas, research and laboratory facilities, and teaching and learning spaces, featuring the latest environmentally friendly materials It comprises a $19.3 million Health Sciences building on the Bendigo Campus, a $26.5 million clinical teaching building, an additional ten chair dental clinic, and new student accommodation in Bendigo, as well as in Melton, Mildura, Swan Hill, Echuca,

14 La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 NEWS N ew Clinical School at Alfred Hospital W ho says you can’t teach students and see your patients? La Trobe University has a Head of the Clinical School, Professor conferencing links. ‘For example, I new $3 million state-of-the- Bill McGuiness said the new school recently demonstrated simultaneously addresses public concern about the to students across all our campuses art Nursing and Allied Health preparation of nurses. how to assess a patient with a venous Clinical School at the Alfred leg ulcer.’ Hospital. Professor McGuiness says the new clinic also helps academics teach Opening the combined teaching, students and run a practice – an research and clinical facility at the important consideration given critical end of August, Alfred Health CEO Mr staff shortages in many health Andrew Way said it represented a new professions. phase in the preparation of nurses and allied health personnel. ‘In the past many academics in health sciences had to leave their practices. La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor However, our new clinic allows them Paul Johnson believes the collabora- to have the best of both worlds, where tion boosts the University’s they can teach their students and see to ‘It provides an opportunity for clinicians competitive edge in health sciences patients.’ education. and academics to work together, delivering high quality health care From left, Alfred Health’s Mr Way, La Trobe ‘Our students will be able to bridge the while participating in nursing and allied Health Sciences’ Dean, Professor Hal Swerissen, and Vice-Chancellor Johnson. gap between theory and practice while health teaching and research.’ It will placed within one of Australia’s major also allow patients to be ‘brought’ hospital networks,’ he said. into University classrooms via video-

Pulitzer Prize for History. Professor history, rather than just facts and ‘chunks Rhys Isaac Isaac retired from La Trobe in 1999 after of specialist information’, which was then a a most distinguished career as a teacher common way of teaching history. 20.11.1937 to 6.10.2010 and researcher. He was especially highly Writing her brother’s obituary in The Age, regarded for his scholarship on colonial Alison Durant recalls: ‘In the ferment North America, winning the Pulitzer Prize of those early years studying Aztecs, in 1983 for his book The Transformation of Polynesians and African-American slave Virginia, 1740-1790. communities, these scholars were looking Head of the School of Historical and for the stories that were never written down, European Studies, Dr Jim Hammerton, says but could be gleaned from small traces in Rhys Isaac was ‘a tower of intellectual force written documents.’ and remains well known and respected even among today’s staff and postgraduates. His L iving history loss, more than a decade after his retirement, After leaving La Trobe, Professor Isaac will be deeply felt.’ began work at the College of William and Rhys Isaac was born and raised in South Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, developing Africa. He won a Rhodes scholarship to a ‘living history’ curriculum, re-enacting Oxford, and arrived in Australia in 1963 history to engage public interest. where he taught first at the University of ‘Passionate about history to the end, Melbourne, joining La Trobe in 1971. Farewell to a Rhys distributed the final draft of his last great historian Here, collaborating with colleagues article on the beginnings of the American including well-known authors Inga Revolution only three days before his death. La Trobe University has lost a highly Clendinnen and Greg Dening, he became a While he enjoyed fame and opportunity respected academic, Emeritus Professor leading exponent of the view that historians in the United States, he always made sure Rhys Isaac, the first and only Australian should interpret the societies and cultures people understood that Australia and to receive the prestigious American of the past to instil in students a sense of Melbourne were home,’ says Ms Durant. Professor Isaac’s death came 25 years after that of his twin brother, Glynn, a former The La Trobe University Bulletin is published by Media and Communications, Harvard Professor of Anthropology who La Trobe University. in the 1970s worked with Richard Leakey Articles may be reproduced with acknowledgements. Enquiries and submissions to the editor: in East Africa on the famous fossil finds of Ernest Raetz, La Trobe University, Victoria 3086, Australia, Tel: (03) 9479 2315, early humans. Professor Isaac is survived Fax: (03) 9479 1387, Email:[email protected] by his wife, Colleen, daughters Megan and Text: Ernest Raetz, Zerin Knight and Matt Smith Lyned, grandchildren Amarana and Orrin, Photos: La Trobe University PDI FSC\ logo for and sister Alison. Design: Creative Services, La Trobe University (CS30252) Print: print to be A memorial service will be held on Saturday latrobe.edu.au/bulletin placed here 26 February 2011. Details (03) 9479 2355.

La Trobe University Bulletin Summer 2010 15 Year of sporting success

La Trobe enrolments, first preferences for next year’s courses and research funding Growing sport M elbourne Heart (see page 3) are all going up. sponsorships It’s Game Day! And so is the medal tally of From Shanghai to Bendigo Following La Trobe’s recent partnership our sporting success. with Melbourne Heart Football (soccer) La Trobe University promoted its profile Club – which has now set up home and courses in China as the sole education At the recent University Games in Perth, at the University – students and staff sponsor of the ‘Kaspersky Cup Shanghai La Trobe won 16 medals, with eight have rallied to form a supporters’ students selected for ‘All Australian Green Showdown’ AFL game which was held in group, recruiting members on campus and Gold’ awards. While the team was Shanghai in October. and cheering on their team at a smaller than in previous years, this was an The match was the first AFL game in China recent Game Day at AAMI stadium outstanding result. It compared with 13 between Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions. medals last year and ten in 2008. in Melbourne, below. And yes, the It culminated in a two-day carnival in which cheering involves cheer leaders – who 12 Australian football teams from across The 150-strong La Trobe team competed are shown going through their paces Asia competed in a championship as part of in 12 sports and finished in 14th place. on the main Melbourne campus at World Expo. More than 5,000 participants from 39 Bundoora in preparation for the big universities took part in the Games. In regional sports sponsorship, La Trobe has match, below. Among the highlights, the fencing team’s joined forces with the Bendigo Bank Spirit Rebecca Lissenburg was selected in the ‘All women’s basketball team. Australian’ team for the second year in a row. The agreement involves Spirit Following the Games’ success, two veteran players promoting La Trobe Fencing Club members, Tim the University to Magill and Derek Flood, represented prospective students, Australia in the four-yearly Commonwealth while helping their Fencing Championships. Mr Flood won team retain and attract a bronze medal, gaining a place on the players by offering them three-man Australian sabre team which access to La Trobe went on to win gold by defeating the education and support English team. at the Bendigo campus.

Bendigo Spirit’s Tess Madgen