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The Assets of Timor-Leste Forensics in the Life-Sustaining Macro World

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The Assets of Timor-Leste Forensics in the Life-Sustaining Macro World 18 26 The assets of Forensics in the Timor-Leste life-sustaining Whale nurseries, coral reefs, macro world underwater caves, offshore surf Bioscience North Australia is and undeveloped coastlines point a leading edge research facility to marine-based eco-tourism. in molecular ecology. 30 34 38 Garma Storm chasers Creative The ancient sound of the Yidaki An experiment four years in Citizenship (didgeridoo) unites Indigenous the planning will ultimately Symposium and non-Indigenous Australians affect the lives of millions of Debating issues about at a festival of culture and debate people living in monsoonal cultural identity, creativity on education and training. environments in southern and community in the new and South East Asia. technological age. News Profiled News highlights on research, 4-9 Jonathan Carapetis, one of Australia’s people, partnerships, funding boosts, 10 top ten young scientific minds, tackles and flying professors. Indigenous health issues in the Top End. 14 Gary Robinson, a scholarly anthropologist, runs a research school and delivers social Opinion programs for Tiwi children at risk. Timor-Leste commentator Dennis 21 Jiaping Wu, tracking the NT’s regional Shoesmith on Australia’s bullying 17 development and social and economic role in controlling security of the transformation. region’s weakest state. Limited Edition Q+A 23 Northern Editions feature print Minga 25 Karen Gibb on genome analysis, by Timothy Cook from Melville Island. green ants, and molecular biology. First Person Charles, My Hero 28 Dominic McCormack reveals why he works 37 Robyn Williams on the relevance with and loves the Aboriginal people of and vibrancy of Darwin’s work. the Thamarrurr Region — location of the remote Aboriginal township of Wadeye. CDU Press 46 An insider’s account of the East Timor liberation struggle; a novel set in Darwin; a selection of papers from the 2003 Charles Darwin Symposia on the state of the north, and a volume that shows the breadth of exciting cross-cultural research in Australia. credits Origins Origins is produced by Charles Darwin University’s Corporate Communications. Managing Editor Cas Bennetto Contributors Editorial Consultant Helen Howard Zilko A former Age newspaper journalist, andrew bock Project Management has freelanced for national arts, sports and travel Jennifer Cahill magazines for 15 years as both a writer and photog- Meaghan Bryant rapher. He continues to freelance for the Age and Sydney Morning Herald. As a surfer and photojournalist, Writers Andrew takes a special interest in the coast. He also Don Aitkin, Ron Banks, Andrew Bock, Penny designs and publishes The Ocean Calendar, a graphic Baxter, Cas Bennetto, Jennifer Cahill, Amy tide and light guide. For Origins, Andrew has written Dyt, Emma Fowler-Thomason, John Hartley, about Timor-Leste’s marine and eco-tourism plans. Helen Howard Zilko, Will Martin, Nicolas Rothwell, Dennis Shoesmith, Nigel Turvey, Robyn Williams. john hartley, Federation Fellow, is Research Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries Photographer and Innovation at Queensland University of Technol- Barry Ledwidge ogy and adjunct professor of the Australian National Contributing Photographers University. He is the author of 15 books, translated Meaghan Bryant, Nick Hobgood, into a dozen languages, including Creative Industries Ray Jalil, Simon Furlong, Mark Rogers, (ed., Blackwell 2005), A Short History of Cultural Studies Andrea Keningston. (Sage 2003), The Indigenous Public Sphere (W. A. McKee, Oxford 2000), Uses of Television (Routledge 1999) Design and Popular Reality (Arnold 1996). He is editor of Letterbox the International Journal of Cultural Studies (Sage). Printer Turn to page 39 for John’s argument that creative Finsbury Green Printing, Melbourne citizens need creative education. Corporate Communications is grateful to the following ron banks was a journalist for the West Australian people for their contributions and assistance in newspaper in Perth for 28 years, covering a variety of compiling this edition. Don Aitkin, Eddie Berg, Jonathan Carapetis, rounds from local government to education and social Joan Coutts, Linda Cuttriss, Michael Douglas, welfare. He was the arts editor for 15 years, reviewing Alison Dowell, Edgar Dunis, Christine Edward, theatre and music as well as writing extensively on Rohan Fisher, Stephen Garnett, Karen Gibb, the arts throughout Australia. He now works in Darwin John Guenther, Tony Harding, John Hartley, as a freelance journalist. For this edition of Origins, Martin Jarvis, Carole Kayrooz, David Lynch, Dominic McCormack, Peter May, Will Martin, Ron has penned features on Martin Jarvis and his Richard Noske, Peter Perrin, Gary Robinson, maturing of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, and Dennis Shoesmith, Gemma Starkey, Ian Thynne, the University’s flagship molecular science facility, Nigel Turvey, Adrian Walter, Merrilyn Wasson, Bioscience North Australia. Chad Willats, Robyn Williams, Jiaping Wu. Opinion and views expressed in this edition A lecturer in communications at CDU, will martin do not necessarily reflect those of Charles also edits Research and Policy, a monthly newsletter Darwin University. Reproduction of any material appearing in this edition requires of the School for Social and Policy Research. He has written permission from Jennifer Cahill a strong interest in Greek philosophy and modernist [email protected] literature, and his PhD thesis, The recurrence of rhythm: Published October 2006 configurations of the voice in Homer, Plato and Joyce, was This edition is also available at recently conferred at the University of New South www.cdu.edu.au/newsroom/origins/ Wales. In his downtime, Will plays jazz piano and CRICOS Provider 00300K saxophone, and sings with the University’s Chamber Choir. For this edition of Origins, Will has composed Design and Printing Notes Text face Caecilia a profile on Dr Jiaping Wu, and commented on Display face Maple Black Italic the groundbreaking work of the Ngaripiliga’ajirri www.letterbox.net.au program on the Tiwi Islands. Origins is printed with vegetable based ink, no isopropyl alcohol and ninety five per cent of all waste products used in the process are recycled. cover Jelly in Timorese waters In a carbon neutral printing process, using the world’s best inside front cover cleaner shrimp(Periclimenes Holthusi) practice ISO 14001 environmental management systems, photographs Nick Hobgood this edition of Origins has been printed on Expression Satin paper comprised of sustainable forest fibre. Finsbury measures and offsets its C02 footprint by planting trees. Origins VICE-CHANCELLOriginsO R FEATURESEDITORIAL Economic, geographic and creative collaboration In view of current and politically vibrant issues, an Partnerships in all their forms are overriding theme emerged for this edition of Origins — important to CDU. In this edition we our relationship with Timor-Leste, and the inevitability focus on Bioscience North Australia, of a shared future between Darwin and Dili. an outcome of the Northern Territory Government and Charles Darwin This month, six research teams from Charles Darwin University partnership agreement and University will employ advanced mapping techniques a frontier facility, unique in Australia to locate the best sites for national parks and marine for its breadth of research in molecular parks, tourism infrastructure and small-scale fishing ecology. Its research is already having industries in Timor-Leste. One of the teams will study a real-world impact on food security water catchment and marine pollution. All the research and agricultural issues in the region. will focus on two burning issues for the Timor-Leste government — food security and unemployment — Talented individuals and their achieve- that underpinned the recent civil unrest. ments are profiled. Professor Jonathan Carapetis, recently named as one of The University is involved in a number of ventures and plans Australia’s top ten young scientific for the region, including our recent initiative to establish minds, has taken the helm at CDU’s an academic relationship between Darwin–Dili–Kupang to Menzies School of Health Research. manage the environment more effectively, and our leader- Anthropologist Dr Gary Robinson ship of a land management project in eastern Indonesia. oversees two unusual projects for All of these projects are linked to CDU’s academic program. children at risk in the Tiwi Islands, Since the July edition of Origins, the University has been and manages to co-direct the School involved in two significant symposia: our symposium of for Social and Policy Research. the bush, ‘Garma’, and the Creative Citizenship symposium Dr Jaiping Wu, a research fellow in Alice Springs. whose interest in regional development Our involvement with the Yothu Yindi Foundation and and global integration brought him the Garma Festival of Traditional Culture in north-east to Darwin, tackles potential policy Arnhem Land is critical to our long-term engagement changes in the NT’s social and with Indigenous groups. Many staff and postgraduate economic transformation. students, particularly from the School for Social and Policy And finally, we profile one of Darwin’s Research, played a key role in the Garma Forum which pioneer residents, Edgar Dunis, who is included workshops, presentations, panel discussions taking a creative approach to sponsor- and learning exchanges on Indigenous education and ing two CDU scholarships that reflect training over three days. his lifelong
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