Togatus Issue #4 2014

THIS IS FREE

May 2014

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NOT BLACK ENOUGH | BUDGET 2014 | CABLE CAR | ACKNOWLEDGING ALL AUSTRALIANS

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FROM THE EDITOR This edition is due for release on National Sorry Day. After some interesting conversations about why this day is significant, it was suggested that this year Togatus run a themed edition on Australia’s first people. With the generous help of Riawunna, the University of Tasmania’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies centre, we focus on the individuals and issues of indigenous Australia. The rest of this edition is largely devoted to student responses to cuts to higher education funding in this year’s controversial Federal Budget.

Some light entertainment brings in the rear with our second short fiction instalment from Joey Crawford, anonymous poetry from a new contributor, and the first instalment of our new medical column from Bachelor of Medicine student Nic D’Elia.

We apologise that there is no follow-up available on the recent story about TUU misconduct in this edition.

A student writer who took on the issue decided at late notice that they would not supply an article.

Questions now arise over what motivated this student to withdraw their interest. We can confirm that conditions have been imposed on the State President, after a final decision was made to continue to support him in his position. We are still awaiting a statement from State Council.

We will continue to seek answers for students about the resolution of the situation.

WHAT IS RIAWUNNA? The Riawunna Centre is funded by the Commonwealth Government to provide support to all Aboriginal students and staff on campuses at the University of Tasmania. The Centre also provides information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and societies, promotes cross-cultural understandings, and is a prominent place within the University for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, traditions and discourses. Staff are highly committed to improving educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff and communities. The Riawunna Centre maintains close links with Aboriginal communities in Tasmania and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in other parts of Australia.

The Centre is located on the Ground Floor of the Hytten Hall building on the Hobart campus and in the Riawunna Building on the Launceston campus. A support office is situated on the Cradle Coast campus.

On each campus Riawunna Centre maintains a resource room which houses a collection of books, articles, audio-visual materials and material culture, for use by all university students and staff.

The Riawunna Centre provides ongoing support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The Centre offers cultural support, academic support and advice, pastoral care, tutorial assistance through the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS), access to the Murina Pathways Program, advice and assistance in applying for bursaries, scholarships and cadetships, tutorial rooms and study spaces, a student common room for relaxation and study and a contact point for students, staff and community members. The Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS) offers supplementary tuition to support eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying university award level courses. Tutoring is available for up to

two hours per week per subject, and up to five additional hours in total during examination preparation breaks. Tutors are chosen for their expertise in their fields of study and for their demonstrated cultural sensitivity.

Most are post-graduates and leaders in their field of study. The Murina Pathways Program is a preparation program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to equip them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in an undergraduate degree. The program is designed to support beginning students in two ways; firstly by providing courses to build study, communication, writing and computer skills in preparation for university study and secondly through ‘taster’ units to familiarise students with the types of teaching and learning they will encounter in degree subjects.

Published by the State Council on behalf of the Tasmania University Union Inc. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Togatus staff or the publishers.

The copyright in each piece of work remains with the contributor; however, the publishers reserve the right to reproduce material on the Togatus website (www.togatus.com.au) The copyright in this magazine remains with the publishers.

Editor: Tabitha Fletcher editor.togatus@utas.edu.au Deputy Print Editor: Olivia Congdon ocongdon@utas.edu.au Deputy Web Editor: Kirsty Bennett kirsty.l.bennett@gmail.com Design: Jess Curtis, Mahalee Smart Contributors: Simon Burnett, Josephine Calahan, Mollie Coburn, Clark Cooley, Joey Crawford, Sarah Duff, Rebeca Furtado de Melo, Nic D’Elia, Alexandra Humphries, Vino Rajardran, Mikayla Schleich, Gene Stewart-Murray, Emma Tanchik Sub Editors: Zara Gudnason, Becky Hollis, Evan Miller Advertising: Please contact editor.togatus@utas.edu.au Togatus PO Box 5055 Sandy Bay, Tas 7006 Printing: Franklin Direct Follow us: Twitter: @TogatusMagazine Facebook: facebook.com/TogatusMagazine www.togatus.com.au Togatus welcomes all your contributions.

It is understood that any contributions sent to Togatus may be used for publication in either the magazine or the website, and that the final decision on whether to publish resides with the editor and the publishers. The editor reserves the right to make changes to submitted material as required.

Togatus is published monthly.

Front cover art by Aunty Olive Ralph

SCAV HUNT IS COMING . . .

Sun illustration by Laura Wilkinson: Instgram 7AURA_

CONTENTS Acknowledging All Australians / 4 Not Black Enough / 6 Mikayla’s Road to University / 8 Mt Wellington Cable Car / 9 No Room for Racism / 10 Torres Strait Maritime Program / 11 Aboriginal Sand Drawings / 12 Elders in Residence / 14 Artist: Will Stackhouse

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Federal Budget Wrap-up / 16 Young, Unemployed Graduate Seeks Work / 20 Murina Student Art Exhibition / 21 Tales From South America / 22 Don’t Break My Heart

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Poetry: Erratic Behaviour / 26 Creative Writing: Last Drink / 27 Introducing Your Cradle Coast Campus SRC / 28

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ACKNOWLEDGING ALL AUSTRALIANS

by Mollie Coburn

Australia’s 112-year-old constitution, drafted in a time where it was legal to be a dick to someone if they were a different race or because they were female, has been the target of several criticisms over the years for failing to predict the social environment of a ‘modern’ Australia. Currently, the debate is largely centred around divisions of state vs federal power with regard to marriage laws under Section 51(xxi), because the Federal Government refused to accept the realities of lovin’ in the new age*. However, there are greater exclusionary flaws within the founding document of the Australian legal system, and it is placed right before the section on marriage.

The fact of the matter is that the wording of the Australian Constitution actively seeks to enable the states to make laws that discriminate against people based on their race. To add insult to injury, it makes no recognition of Australia’s original inhabitants, the (approximately) 400 individual tribes, who had already existed in

Australia for 40,000 years before Edmund Barton had even picked up a pen to write the Constitution’s first draft.

But possibly the worst Freudian slip of the constitution lies within Section 25 of the Constitution, providing that “if by the law of any State all persons of any race are disqualified from voting at elections for the more numerous House of the Parliament of the State, then, in reckoning the number of the people of the State or of the Commonwealth, persons of that race resident in that State shall not be counted.”

Essentially, this means that if the states deem that there is “too many” persons of a specific race within their division, they are officially allowed to pretend like they don’t exist, or that they are a “non-person”.

Major oops. Originally the purpose of this was to prevent the states from flooding their populations with “non-European” immigrants. Just a slight case of colonial hangover. Good old terra nullius.

There have been a couple of attempts to fix this discriminatory lack of foresight.

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Uncharacteristically, you might say, it was the Howard government who proposed adding a preamble to the Constitution recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures way back in 1999. But due to a poorly informed public and a badly orchestrated referendum campaign that attempted to juggle both the question of recognition and of republicanism, the preamble was rejected.

Again in 2010, the Gillard government brought the recognition agenda to the forefront, establishing an expert panel to co-ordinate the movement, only to delay the referendum in 2012, citing reasons of poor public awareness once more. An Act of Recognition has floated around parliament during the legislation’s two-year sunset period, only to be brought up once again at the end of 2013 by none other than Mr Abbott himself.

So now, a “Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples” has

been appointed to draft the wording in a consultative process that should be completed by December 2014. And THEN FINALLY, SOME TIME AFTER THAT someone will announce a bloody referendum. Again. At the next federal election.

However, there is a reason why this relatively simple edition of the constitution has not yet been realised. Foremost is because it’s not actually as simple as deleting a few sections and adding some nicety at the beginning about unity and how it don’t matter if you’re black or white.

Firstly, you can’t just delete the racist bits of the constitution without replacing them with something that guarantees Indigenous welfare will be looked after. Because while Section 51(xxii) looks rather sinister in that it enables legal discrimination, it also enables the Federal government to pass legislation that benefits indigenous populations who fall into the category of “most disadvantaged”. But if you put something in that intends to uphold the social and political rights of one specific group of people, it could turn into Andrew Bolt’s xenophobic reoccurring nightmares the one where Indigenous Australians and immigrants are treated with mysterious superiority and us whiteys are forced to live a life of degradation and misery.

Despite this (largely predictable) response from some dubiously conservative figures, the fact that the issue keeps reappearing on the political agenda suggests that the political will for constitutional recognition of indigenous people is definitely there it’s just having a hard time getting over the bureaucratic hurdles of the Australian political system.

“The fact that the issue keeps reappearing on the political agenda suggests that the political will for constitutional recognition of indigenous people is definitely there it’s just having a hard time getting over the bureaucratic hurdles of the Australian political system.”

This brings me to my second point - there is, undoubtedly, significant opposition

within the Coalition government’s most avid supporters toward this type of constitutional change. Led by the aforementioned Bolt, with this zinger (as cited in The Conversation by Michelle Grattan) “This is, of course, pure racism. Tragically, it will actually cause more division and resentment than it purports to heal.”

Can you imagine? Andrew Bolt is afraid of racial division. Perhaps this is why they are repealing the bigotry Act. Because if some people are given constitutional recognition based on racial characteristics, he should be allowed to then slander those people on a national media platform based on racial characteristics, right? Bolt just can’t see what the problem is.

Another opponent, Liberal Senator Dean Smith seemingly misses the point, with this one: “If we are going to make a change like this, I’d like to see it broader – I’d like to see recognition given to European discovery, federation and the Anzacs”. - Because it’s not about what you remember of Australian history, its how you remember it that counts.

This is, of course, exactly the type of prominent public discussion that spits out false dichotomies to the public, who then reject proposals to remove discrimination from our Constitution. As Gillard and Howard both found out, it is difficult to overcome a European version of history that is institutionalised within Australian culture.

To recognise Australia’s prior inhabitance of culture for forty millennia longer than ourselves is to accept the fact that our own grand-nation state is one built atop the decimation of another’s, whose surviving elements are then relegated to a spectacle of history to be brought out on Australia Day and for the Queen.

It would only be one further tiny, incremental step toward acknowledging Australia’s dark history, toward admitting that in order to craft our great nation-state, we had to dismantle and destroy another.

It would be one step in the right direction.

It won’t remedy the cultural decimation that plagues Indigenous Australians, nor

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will it reduce the trachoma (a treatable eye-infection that causes blindness) rates in aboriginal children that are comparable with developing countries in Africa, nor will it improve our rates of development in Aboriginal communities that, if calculated properly, would reduce Australia’s level of development from somewhere in the top 20 to approximately number 100 on the HDI scale. Furthermore, it won’t reduce or lessen the shame we should feel as a developed nation who have allowed this degradation of culture and people. However, it is a step we must rightfully take.

“It would only be one further tiny, incremental step toward acknowledging Australia’s dark history, toward admitting that in order to craft our great nation-state, we had to dismantle and destroy another.”

It is probably less that we are unwilling to recognise Indigenous Australians as an entity worthy of constitutional acknowledgement (I’m not speaking for Bolt here), and more so that this historically and culturally sensitive issue is easier to ignore than to tackle headfirst. And so while I sound pessimistic, I am hopeful that this is one promise the coalition government will not break.

Constitutional recognition will cement Australia’s pathway toward reconciliation between new and old inhabitants. While it can’t change history and won’t enhance indigenous living standards in and of itself, it doesn’t make this constitutional change pointless. Some things are worth doing, even if they don’t bring immediate and observable benefits.

It is a case of “one small step for man, one massive step for mankind” - a step creating the legal and symbolic foundation of a society truly built upon equality and recognition - one step closer to a truly united Australia. *lovin’ in the new age: ie not a new age of lovin’- the new age of not beating people to death for their sexual persuasion.

NOT

BLACK ENOUGH When I look in the mirror, I see a fair skinned girl with blue eyes and a straight nose. Yet I happily tell anyone who asks that I am in fact a proud Aboriginal Australian – a descendant of the Ngemba people, of north-western New South Wales.

Throughout my life the issue of whether or not I am an Aboriginal Australian has seemed to be an issue open to debate by any passerby or stranger.

Firstly, people try to define who I am based on some model or scale, then they promptly inform me of my nefarious motives and take a moral high ground that makes any conversation difficult at best.

I feel that these attitudes are essentially racist and often hurtful, but I know that is hardly ever the intention. This brings up two questions; why do strangers feel they have the privilege to speak this way to me, and why do I claim to be Aboriginal?

I understand that to the general population, being Aboriginal has always been associated with skin colour. I am in no way offended that people do not instantly assume I am a descendant of the first people of this land upon meeting me. My skin is more or less white and there is no two ways about it, but can my identity be solely determined by the tone of my skin? If I suddenly became more tanned would I qualify more as an Aboriginal? No.

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I believe it is at the very heart of racism to tell a person or group of people who they are and what they should identify with based on their appearance.

People often ask me a question that they believe is entirely innocent, but is actually rather demeaning. I feel that I can’t be angry at these people because I understand they do not know what it is they are really saying, and I even had these kinds of ideas when I was younger, asking questions such as “What fraction are you?”

People just want to understand. They want to know where I fit in. That being said, it does hurt. Why should I give a stranger a number so they can plug it into their equations and decide if I am black, white or somewhere in-between? It is demeaning to think that centuries of culture and family can be summarised by some external system of exponential formulas. Can the fraction of my right to claim my history be determined by one single equation? Blackness=1/2x , where x is the generations removed from a ‘Full Blood’ ancestor. These fractions were given names in the past - half-cast, quadroon, octoroon – labels giving boards and committees the right to decide who lives where and marries who, in order to breed out and fully assimilate the population. This system directly impacted the skin tone of subsequent generations.

Sarah Duff, Bachelor of Health Science, Launceston ATSI Officer, TUU SRC North

I have been told over and over again by people who have known me years, days or even just minutes that I have no right to call myself an Aboriginal. I am often accosted with statements such as “You only call yourself Aboriginal to get money from the government” or “Oh, I forgot you’re one of those people who get money.” Even though these accusations hurt me deeply and suggest that I am nothing more than a thief, I try to act out of my hope for the future and not my present pain. I know the only way to combat the problem is through education, and I can’t help educate people about the reality of these situations if I let my offended state get in the way.

the Stolen Generation is only one example of this. I hear people say “I don’t get why they keep making such a big deal about it, it was ages ago. I think they just make a fuss about it to get attention.” What? It is heart breaking to me that our education system has failed us so horrendously that the average teen does not understand our immediate history or its present day ramifications.

Children were still being removed from their homes and told that it is a shameful thing to think of yourself as an Aboriginal in the late 70s. I think that this lack of education and understanding is the main reason for these essentially racist ideas still being commonplace in society.

What is it that makes a stranger feel they have the capacity or right to tell me who I am or what my motives are? I believe these attitudes are the lingering but thriving remains of White Australia, following the same logic as the entirely inhumane HalfCast Acts of the late 1800s.

My real motives for claiming my history and identity as a descendant of the first people of this land are far from sinister or greedy.

I know the great pain my people went through before I was even born, and it amazes me that they have been able to hold onto their identity through it all. I feel that for me to drop the torch that has been handed to me, to relinquish my rights and my identity just because my skin is fair, would be as evil as siding with those who actively sought to destroy my people.

I think that many Australians fail to understand that Australia had policies in place remove Aboriginal culture;

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My history matters, my family matters, and seeing how easily genocide and other atrocities can be forgotten after only a few decades, I am determined to hold on to my right to claim my past.

In the end all we leave is a memory and we can only hope that following generations will remember us. Officials once believed that by the fifth or sixth generation no Aboriginal qualities would remain and the descendants of “half cast” children would become white. This was their plan for removing the Aboriginal race and its cultures entirely.

Their plan has partially succeeded; to look at, I am white. But they have failed in this.

I will continue to be proud of my heritage as long as I live. I don’t need to be black to be a black-fella.

MIKAYLA'S

ROAD TO UNIVERSITY Mikayla Schleich, first year Bachelor of Arts, Cradle Coast Campus

I graduated Year 12 at the end of 2012 with a lousy ATAR score of 13. I decided to have a gap year in 2013 because no degree would accept me with a score so low.

I had got myself a job at a Roadhouse, then a job at the call centre for the Australian Taxation Office. Throughout this, I was still being supported by a job agency hoping to find a better job. The job agency gave me information about the Murina program at the University of Tasmania. I met with Riawunna support staff and we discussed my options. I was so excited because I had wanted to be a nurse forever, and there was an Introduction to Nursing and an Introduction to Sociology course offered as well as many others, plus there were no educational fees!

Due to my job not being flexible and only giving me a Friday morning off which was

when the Sociology unit was being taught, I couldn’t continue with the nursing.

However, my job didn’t keep to their word and rostered me on Friday mornings so I was only able to attend roughly 4 out of the 13 classes. Despite these hurdles the Murina lecturers and Riawunna staff were really supportive. My lecturer called me at home and had a chat to me about what I missed in class and what I could do to keep up with my study. It was just like attending mainstream university with assignment that were due, with real marking, and we were in a real lecture theatre, but the best thing of all… there were no exams!

When applications for mainstream university opened in 2013, the Aboriginal Higher Education Officer Jacinta sat down with me and helped me though my application into the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Nursing.

And later in December I got accepted into the

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Bachelor of Arts. It was so super exciting!

At the beginning of my gap year I thought that I was going to have to work until I was a mature aged student before anyone would accept me because of my very low ATAR score. I believe that the Murina program is why I got accepted into university.

I am now currently working at the Riawunna Centre, Cradle Coast Campus, as Admin for Jacinta, which is the best job that I have ever had. I am employed part time and I am also completing my first year of my undergraduate studies, with my first ever mark awarded a High Distinction, with thanks to my ITAS tutor!! Without enrolling and completing the Murina program, there is no way I would have been given the opportunities that I have been given.

I do not regret my decision to enrol in Murina and if I had my time again, I would do it exactly the same.

MT WELLINGTON CABLE CAR DEBATE

Photo: Kirsty Bennett

By Alexandra Humphries, Honors in Journalism, Hobart

The push for a Cable Car on Mount Wellington/ Kunyani has gained momentum, with a proposal launched last month that could see the Cascade Brewery play a major role in the development.

The proposal named the Cascade Brewery as the location of the start of the Cable Car. The journey would include a halfway stop on Cascade Brewery owned land, where a BBQ or beer tasting area or even a flying fox may be constructed. The MWCC hopes to construct a café, restaurant, and function centre at the summit.

The Mount Wellington Cable Car group has entered preliminary talks with the brewery.

The MWCC hopes to use the industrial history of the brewery site to its advantage.

MWCC spokesperson Adrian Bold told the Mercury in April “We have a joint intent to establish Cascade Brewery as the primary gateway into Wellington Park”.

The proposal has been hit by criticism from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and the

Respect the Monutain – No Cable Car group.

The TAC has said it is opposed to the venture because a Cable Car would desecrate sacred and spiritual land. TAC state secretary Ruth Langford told the Mercury “We are 100 per cent committed to collaborating with operators to ensure sensitive development which incorporates opportunity for the Aboriginal community to share our unique and vibrant culture.”

Greens Leader Kim Booth told the ABC in April that he hoped the Aboriginal community would be asked for input into the project. “They’ve made it very clear today that they utterly reject a project of this scope on Kunyani,” he said. “But they’re very happy to engage in a multitude of different interpretations of their history and other developments that are compatible with the cultural and historical significance to the Aboriginal people.”

Both the TAC and Respect the Mountain believe the best place for development on the mountain would be The Springs. They argue that development at The Springs would be

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less visible from the city, and, as the heart of the mountain, would be better placed to display the unique history of Mt Wellington, including its Aboriginal history.

The MWCC group argues that a cable car on Mount Wellington would be unique, however a planning application for a “skylift” on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has also been lodged, with developers touting the project as an “after dark” experience. The proposed multimillion dollar gondola would take passengers to Arthurs Seat between 8am am and midnight seven days a week. Simon McKeon, head of the Arthurs Seat skylift consortium, said he expected an adult return ticket to be about $20, much higher than the $30 - $40 tickets proposed by the Mount Wellington Cable Car group.

The MWCC group has said that it would not call for the road to the summit to be closed.

With tickets expected to be over $30 for adults there are questions over whether locals will use the cable car.

NO ROOM FOR RACISM

Gene Stewart-Murray, ASEN Indigenous Officer, Tas State Branch ATSI Officer - NUS

Indigenous Sovereignty has never been seeded, Kevin Rudd (then Prime Minister) on February 12th 2008 Apologised to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However this nation still has a long way to go to achieve a desired outcome for all traditional Owners of the land in which you are attending University upon. A single apology will not suffice.

I encourage you all to research and attempt to understand the daily struggles that Indigenous people suffer on a daily basis on the land in which you are studying on.

Find out who the traditional owners are.

Past and present segregation and inhumane acts took place against Aboriginal people, and the unjust behaviour still occurs today.

Police brutality is still occurs. Earlier in the year an Indigenous elder was tasered in the eye by four police officers and has now lost her sight. Regardless of the circumstances Indigenous people do not deserve to be treated like this.

Tony Abbott made derogatory statements in relation to the closure of the Tent Embassy which gathered at old parliament house as well as not providing appropriate representation of Indigenous people’s needs.

This ensures that Indigenous people’s voices

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are not heard adequately or even acknowledged.

As the future leaders of this country it is our responsibility to unite and ensure this country is being led by the traditional owners, not by a white Australian that has no comprehension of oppression or what is means to struggle to survive.

The YouTube clip below is one of many clips that demonstrate the severity of colonisation. It is advised to watch at your discretion.

John Pilger - The Secret Country - The First Australians Fight Back [1985]

Torres Strait Maritime Program Takes Out National Award supplied by Riawunna Centre An innovative training program designed to develop the seafaring skills of the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people and improve maritime safety in the region has been recognised at a national level.

The Australian Maritime College took out top honours in the “Excellence in Industry Promotion” category at the Transport and Logistic Industry Skills Council’s 2014 Awards for Excellence.

The awards offer the opportunity to recognise and celebrate exceptional achievements and contributions made by organisations in training and workforce development in the industry.

AMC Vocational Education and Training Manager Jarrod Weaving welcomed the accolade, saying it was testament to the

dedication of his team. “We are fortunate to have a group of committed trainers who are focussed on providing an outstanding learning experience to all of our students,” Mr Weaving said. “This award is recognition of the team effort that went into planning, developing and delivering the program and helps reaffirm our mission statement to be Australia’s national centre for maritime training, education and research”.

AMC was invited to deliver three Coxswain and Marine Engine Drivers courses as part of the Torres Strait Marine Safety Program; a partnership between the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Maritime Safety Queensland, Torres Strait Regional Authority and Queensland Police.

A total of 43 students have completed the program on board the training vessel Elizabeth II and are now formally qualified

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with a nationally-recognised certificate and commercial licence.

“The program provides Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people with the skills and confidence needed to run sustainable maritime and fisheries-related businesses.

The students learn about the safe operation and maintenance of vessels, including vessel handling, engineering, navigation and seamanship skills,” Mr Weaving said.

“It has played a vital role in the economic development of the region and there are plans to expand the program by offering it across northern Australia, from Cape York in Queensland through to Western Australia’s Kimberley region”

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ABORIGINAL SAND DRAWINGS Josephine Colahan, Bachelor of Arts, Launceston

“The drawings are ephemeral: marks in the sand for the length of the verse, or even for a dance, then wiped clear or blown by the wind.”

The red sand in the centre of Australia is the living space I love. The sand colours me red, bare feet blend into the earth, clothes take on the tinge of the red centre and I am at peace with the earth and my neighbours.

Over the past decade or so I’ve spent months at a time sitting out in the desert. Mostly I’ve travelled alone, living from the space of my Toyota. But often enough I walk or drive with groups of the Indigenous peoples. Their ancestors have lived well and strong in the land for which they cared for over the many millennia before the arrival of the cattle, sheep, rabbits, feral cats and camels which have turned a habitable land uninhabitable, without the trucks of supplies required by a modern society.

Often when sitting with a group of women I’ve noticed someone is talking in their strange musical language, and illustrating their conversation with mark-making in the sand. If I was an anthropologist I’d enjoy discovering the meaning of those words and marks. But it’s enough for me to be there, to feel welcome in that group, and to observe the interactions as an Elder passes on the vital knowledge of living in that land to her younger protégés. As a chapter concludes the drawing is wiped out to

provide a new ‘canvas’ for the next. An occasional burst of laughter may punctuate the story, and often it is the repetitive chant of song that tells the tale.

Even without knowledge of the words and the significance of the drawings it is plain to me that this is a totally absorbing activity for the participants. I understand from conversations with Elders that this creative exercise is vital to passing on the story that creates the world in which they live. The drawings could be described as a map, showing routes for hunting or trade. They could be illustrations of spiritual beings or ancestors, and stories of how they created, and create, and will create the world for the future: the Dreamtime is now, it’s the past and it’s every-time. Or they could be a story that relates to kinships and responsibilities.

Often the drawings are all that and more, but they are beyond my comprehension because I’ve missed the vital significance of them. I am but a child in this world.

The stories are the possession of the teller – the drawings belong to them. Only those with similar responsibilities will be allowed to tell this story and draw in the sand to illustrate those songs, and they must have the permission of the owner. The drawings are ephemeral: marks in the sand for the

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length of the verse, or even for a dance, then wiped clear or blown by the wind.

The modern Indigenous artist is now just as likely to record the less private stories with paint on canvas for the edification of the Western world. Just as Monet painted his haystacks over and over again, and Picasso rendered life over and over into cubes, the Indigenous artist will create the same story that is in their possession over and over again delighting the Western eye even while the significance of the marks is lost to the Westerner.

The Elders are generous to those who take the time to listen. They love to share the knowledge that is available to all to learn, the knowledge that is open to the uninitiated. That generosity is born of pride in their ancient traditions and knowledge of their country, and they love to take the inquiring Westerner into their country to show some of the rituals, both practical and spiritual, of how to live on the country and care for the beings within.

The Kapululangu Aboriginal Women’s Law and Culture Centre in Wirrimanu (Balgo) Western Australia have some wonderful opportunities between April and October this year (http://www.kapululangu.org.au please see Camps and Events Page). Go if you can.

ELDERS IN RESIDENCE Aunty Phyllis Pitchford Aunty Phyllis Pitchford is a proud Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder who has worked with and for her people, since 1978, at a state and national level. She is the Senior Elder in Residence at the University of Tasmania and has her office in the Riawunna Centre on the Launceston Campus. Her door is always open to staff and students at UTAS. She has written and published in the areas of Aboriginal health, wellbeing, education and sport.

The Tasmania Aboriginal Arts, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders Alliance, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Committee all count her as a member of committees and boards. She is also an appointed member of the Board of the Office of the Status of Women and a Government appointed member of the Furneaux District Health Forum. She is a Founding Member of Meenah Mienne, an organisation set up to support Aboriginal youth at risk in the Justice system. She has been privileged to receive awards for her services to communities including the Tasmanian Senior Australian of the Year Finalist – Australian of the Year Awards 2009, Tasmania Honour Roll of Women 2008, NAIDOC of the Year Award – Tasmania for Services to the communities of Tasmania, Flinders and Cape Barren Islands 1992.

Aunty Ollie Ralph Aunty Ollie Ralph is one of the two Aboriginal Elders on the Cradle Coast Campus of the University of Tasmania. She moved to Tasmania in 1967 and has lived at Somerset for the past 14 years. She has four children and 7 grandchildren. Aunty Ollie is involved in the Aboriginal Sharing Knowledge Program, working with schools and students to help them have an understanding of Aboriginal Culture and history.

In 2008 she won an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Student of the Year Award. In 2013 Aunty Ollie won the NAIDOC Sports Person of the Year as she plays darts at state level. She has been involved with the Murina Pathway Program at the University for the past two years, and is currently undertaking Life Stories and Art. She is recognised for her support of students in helping them be involved in education and, in particular, art.

Uncle Murray Evertt Uncle Murray Everett, a proud Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder came to the University to undertake study to enable him to help fix some of the problems in his community, in Launceston. He now spends much of his time putting his knowledge to use by helping his people, particularly the younger generations. The rewards for Uncle Murray are in knowing that he is working to make a better life for Aboriginal youth.

Over the years his dedication to helping the younger generations has been ongoing and he has been a foster parent since 1984 for Aboriginal youth. Uncle Murray is on various boards and committees in Tasmania including Tasmania Aboriginal Centre, Tasmania Aboriginal Childcare Centre Association, Aboriginal Housing Tasmania, Aboriginal Elders Council of Tasmania and Tasmania Aboriginal Women Arts and Craft.As an Elder in Residence on the Launceston Campus he is available to support all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff.

Uncle Bob Harris is a student in the Murina Pathway Program at the University of Tasmania and one of the two Aboriginal Elders on the Cradle Coast Campus. He has worked hard to create and develop a great working relationship with both students and staff on the Cradle Coast and Launceston campuses over the past two years. Uncle Bob is originally from Western Australia and has lived in Burnie since 1982. He was an active member of the Tasmania Aboriginal Centre (TAC) Northwest Elders group. He worked with the TAC as a Support Worker for 7 ½ years and has strong connections with the community. Uncle Bob has gained great knowledge of community relationships and intends to continue to support the improvement of health and education outcomes for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Uncle Bob Harris

Will Stackhouse Exhibition

WILL STACKHOUSE EXHIBITION

Joey Crawford

By Joey Crawford, Bachelor of Business, Launceston

The Will Stackhouse exhibition left me with surprise to say the least. It was featured in the halls of a building I had never been to, over the course of my degree. This disappointed me, as the art on display was captivating. There are many pieces, aside from the two I mention below, that definitely worth viewing.

the early morning hunting for his family before returning home with two mutton birds slung over his shoulder. These birds are a traditional form of food for indigenous Australians to hunt for, and consume. The piece, itself, seemed to be an educational tool to show those viewing it, a piece of indigenous culture.

As I observed the paintings, drawings, carvings and digital art, I had difficulty interpreting a direct running theme. Most art exhibitions I had seen in the past were meticulously displayed in an order of deep meaning. Rather, this appeared to be a collection of prized pieces of Stackhouse’s work, which in themselves had meaning.

Meandering through the exhibition, another piece caught my eye. This image portrayed the picture of a traditional Australian beer hanging by a noose. But it was not that which drew me in. It was the fact that these were behind bars. Symbolically, this could represent alcoholism which is a common issue for many Australians, with almost twenty percent exceeding the lifetime risk guidelines daily. The bars could be a metaphor for someone being trapped within alcoholism’s firm grasp. A key which states, “Open the door to life,” suggests that there is an answer to unlock the grasp and progress with one’s life.

When I did a quick scan of the room for something that intrigued me I saw one that stood out. It was The Mutton Birds, a wooden carving displaying two carefully carved mutton birds strung and hung by their tail and feet. The remainder of the piece, to me, shows the front or back of a human, holding these mutton birds. This carving showed me a story, and I realised more than anything that was possibly the intention of the artist. A man, a hunter of sorts, had spent

Art is never a perfect solution to any problem, aside from having a boring wall in your bedroom, but it definitely provides insights into the life of another.

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Clark Cooley, President of the University of Tasmania Student Liberals.

2nd Year Business and Arts

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A BUDGET FOR OUR NATION’S FUTURE. Clark Cooley, President of the University of Tasmania Student Liberals. 2nd Year Business and Arts

The Government has been left with an enormous task. After six years of chaos, Labor has left the Australian people with a damaged economy and broken Budget. Labor’s legacy is $123 billion in deficits over the next four years and debt projected to at least $667 billion, that’s $25,000 for every Australian.

In short, we’re heading towards the very same economic disasters that have befallen the likes of Greece and Spain, where bigspending Governments realised too late that they were earning too little and spending too much. $12 billion of tax-payer dollars in interest payments per year is testament to that alone.

Throughout it’s time in Government, Labor’s mismanagement included wastage of at least $29 billion with the National Broadband Network, $900 stimulus cheques sent to around 27,000 Australians living overseas and 21,000 dead people, and $11 billion of ineffective border protection costs, resulting in 60,000 illegal boat people, 1,400 deaths.

Despite spending more, introducing new student taxes (SSAF) and education costs

increasing 39%, student test results were worse than under the previous Howard Liberal Government. The World Economic Forum states that the quality of our education system slipped from 8th to 23rd, globally, at the end of Labor’s term in Government.

Labor’s debt and deficits have left the Government with difficult decisions to make, but decisions that need to be made to repair the Budget and build a stronger Australia.

To fix our Budget, savings need to be made.

Every sector of the community - students, teachers, high income earners, big business, politicians - will be expected to contribute.

Hard choices have been made, means testing will become an even more important part of Government services to ensure the sustainability of these programs and to target those who are most in need.

Fairer student fees will allow Universities to innovate, improve standards, and increase the cost-effectiveness of education. These changes will expand opportunities for students, and ensure Australia is not left behind in global competition at a time of

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rising performance by Universities around the world. This rebuilding will lead to fairer, more equitable outcomes with better opportunities for disadvantaged regional students like those at UTAS. This will start with an $820 billion investment into higher education, and fee-cap removal on Commonwealth-supported places.

The long-term vision of this Budget puts in place steps that remove barriers to growth and prosperity, and that lower the burden on the Australian people. This is accomplished by the abolishment of the carbon and mining taxes, reductions in red tape and regulation, the establishment of a $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund, the largest of its kind in the world, and the building of infrastructure for the twenty first century economy.

This is a Budget the Australian people voted for, a long-term plan that will build a stronger, more productive and diverse economy with lower taxes, more efficient government and more productive businesses that will deliver more jobs, higher real incomes and better services for all Australians.

THE LIBERAL’S DISASTER BUDGET FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS Vino Rajandran – Labor Society President - PhD in Plant Genetics - Hobart

“I do think there is capacity for students to contribute more to their own education.” With that, Education Minister Christopher Pyne and his Liberal colleagues have left students at University out in the cold.

The Abbott government’s first budget will cut a total of $1.9 billion from the higher education sector. Amongst the slew of changes to higher education in this budget, the Abbott government has notably announced that university fees will be deregulated, interest rates on your HELP loans will be doubled from a current average of 2.5-3% to 6%, $173 million will be cut from research training for Masters and PhD students, and that your contribution to your university fees will be increased on average by 29%.

The fallout of the Liberal’s ideologically driven changes will see the inevitable rise of a two-tier university system in Australia.

The richer, research-intensive Group of Eight Universities who count Minister Pyne, Treasurer Hockey and Prime Minister Abbott amongst their alumni will emerge as winners of deregulation. These universities

have already indicated that they will increase their fees significantly and hence be in a better position to fund their research and better inform their teaching. Smaller regional universities like the University of Tasmania however, cannot afford to increase its fees. Tasmania has the lowest percentage of university graduates in our workforce and our university has one of the largest proportions of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds in the nation. This is compounded by the fact that our university is the only university in our state. Any significant increase in fees will only deter students from pursuing a university education.

The Labor Party believes that access to higher education should not depend on yours or your family’s financial situation.

Labor also believes that as a nation, we cannot travel down the route of a two-tier university system with richer, well-resourced universities for some and poorer, underresourced community colleges for others.

In government, Labor instituted crucial reforms to make university education a possibility for thousands. These reforms led

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to the gradual uncapping of commonwealthsupported places which saw an additional 108, 000 students qualify for university between 2009 and 2013. Many of these students are the first in their family to attend university and more importantly, almost one quarter of these students came from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The future of our university’s reputation and it’s continued tradition of excellence is uncertain. Given the changes in how the Abbott-led Liberal Government sees it’s role in the funding of universities, our university will need to become more self-reliant for funding. This could mean significant restructures that will lead to the closures of financially unviable schools and faculties or the shift from a research-intensive university to a largely teaching-only university fashioned similarly to an American community college. The latter will be at the expense of the University’s teaching quality, as it is only research-informed teaching that delivers. Our university will need to think of a strategic response to this year’s budget if it is to truly stay competitive.

A STORY OF THE UNITED STATES MODEL Simon Burnett – Tasmanian Young Greens – Masters of Teaching - Hobart

A couple of weeks ago, the Australian Financial Review misprinted the front page of its WA edition. Among some funny placeholders was the winner of this year’s headline of the year*: “Buys Planes, World is Fukt”. If you want a five-word summary of the budget, look no further.

Ladies and gents, I’m not going to beat around the bush. If this budget - which will have been officially released by the time you read this - is half as bad as promised, we are stuffed. You are stuffed, I am stuffed, the university is stuffed and your mates are stuffed. I don’t have enough space here to talk about all the ways in which you are boned, so as this is Togatus, let me focus on higher education for a second here.

A few years ago, I spent some time living in Seattle in the USA. A few of my close friends were either current or former students, and I got to discover the impact of the USA’s higher education system on people. And, to take a line from the Fin, it’s, well, fukt. If you don’t have tremendously wealthy parents, you’ve got to take out a loan out from a private lender at ludicrously high interest rates, which you’ve got to start repaying as soon as you graduate - no matter what your employment situation is.

And you might have found yourself at a for-profit college designed as a degree

factory, where you’ll get the most meagre parody of an ‘education’ but find yourself tens, if not hundreds of thousands, out of pocket for a qualification which isn’t even going to be taken seriously.

This, my fellow students, is the way to “set our universities free” by “learning from our friends in the US” which Christopher Pyne is championing. Fee deregulation, soaring costs, promotion of private colleges, and a privatisation of HECS debts. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Be more afraid of this than you are of your upcoming exams, even - because this will keep stressing you out long after the end of June, and sure as heck can’t be fixed with coffee and cramming.

Did you know that the baby boomers who make up the bulk of the Liberal Party got their education for free? Seriously! Imagine being able to go to uni, study what actually interested you and not needing to worry about debt hanging over your head for years afterward. And we could still afford that, if we were to even slightly increase taxes on the banks or mines which are currently posting record, multi-billion dollar profits.

Treasury costed removing all student fees at just $2.5 billion - which seems like a lot, until you remember that the government has just thrown another $12 billion at those new planes from the headline which don’t even reliably work. But we’re not going to see

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that any time soon, especially with Labor having quietly taken free education off their wish-list a few years back and the Liberals - hah!

The Liberals will tell you that these cuts are necessary to avoid a “budget emergency”.

But that’s an emergency entirely of their own invention. Australia’s debt levels have doubled in just the last seven months under Joe Hockey. And even then, our debt is tiny and easily manageable compared to, ooohhh, pretty much every country in the developed world.

And that’s just your university education - we’re not even touching on decreases to your student allowance from Centrelink, the decrease or elimination of the minimum wage you earn at or just slightly above at your part-time job, extra fees for the GP you visit, the increase in your rent if you live in public housing, the internet you use at home to study, or heck, even the ABC you watch when you want to wind down of an evening.

If you’re not upset and angry about this, you probably should be, and if you are, fantastic - get involved and channel that energy into fighting against these unjust cuts. I know we’re always keen to see new faces here at the Greens. *the NT News is disqualified from this competition due to being way more awesome than Australia deserves.

YOUNG, UNEMPLOYED GRADUATE SEEKS WORK

Emma Tanchik, Bachelor of Arts Graduate

‘Learn to earn’ is Sentator Eric Abetz’s slogan defending welfare cuts in the 2014-2015 Budget. But what happens when you have been learning, finished your degree and post-grad work in your field cannot be found? This is the unfortunate situation I, along with countless others, have found ourselves in. The reality is having a degree is not a guarantee that you will find a job.

There is also something incredibly important that I convey to you the reader. Nothing is more important than your safety. When arranging interviews with potential employers it is important to make sure that you are not going into a potentially dangerous situation. A Google search is a must and if little or no information is in the search results do not be afraid to ask for more. Above all things else trust your instincts and if you are not feeling safe in the situation do something about it.

providing you with an Employment Pathway Plan and giving you access to suitable work clothes if you require them and so on. In my experience I can say that having this support to meet your goals is incredibly important especially when it can be disheartening when overwhelmed by rejection letters.

I do not entirely disagree with some of the changes put forth in the Budget. I believe I graduated last year from a Bachelor of Arts that there is merit in the Work for the Dole and my options at this point in time involve program however, expecting unemployed continually applying for jobs while trying people to survive with no support for up to find casual or part-time employment. to six months may force people to live on I am not ungrateful for the support that I the street or turn to crime. This leads me currently receive from the government; in to an important point that was raised to fact I would be homeless without it. Hence me, which is that criminals in prison have my major concern stemming from the hot meals, showers, a place to sleep and a Budget changes to welfare and education roof over their head guaranteed, yet young is that young, low income earning people unemployed people will have nothing. will end up further in debt, and soon find Just to be clear I am only pointing out themselves struggling to pay rent to keep a the hypocrisy in this double standard not roof above their heads and to buy food to supporting or justifying criminal behaviour. put on the table.

Of course there are alternatives and From experience in the system looking for exemptions to avoid the six month waiting work I can tell you that there is incredible period, one of which is going back to competition for jobs and given the recent university or doing a course at TAFE changes this will arguably increase. To give however, the uncapping of fees means that you an idea of how being unemployed or furthering your study means furthering underemployed works once you graduate, your debt. While the government argues the following is the process which I that a portion of the money gained from underwent after leaving University: raising fees will go to scholarships, not every single person currently attending, Two days after my graduation ceremony I or thinking about attending university will had my first of many appointments with an have a guarantee that they will be granted employment agency. These appointments one in fact, raising fees may actually deter are to assist you to find work through a people from higher education. variety of strategies. Agencies can assist you by putting you in touch with potential The only advice I can offer people currently employers, helping you with your resume, at university is to find post-grad work now because things are only going to get harder.

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CONNECTIONS WITH NATURE

MURINA STUDENT ART EXHIBITION

Nathan Mansell Griffiths 2013, landscape painting, acrylic on canvas cloth.

Created and photographed by Brayly Spotswood. Ephemeral art and photography.

Brayly is currently undertaking an Arts Degree at the University of Tasmania.

Uncle Richard Griffiths 2013, water colour painting, water, ink on watecolour rag paper.

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Tales From South America What do you know about South America? Yes, for the lovers of soccer the reply is fast: South America is about soccer! Not just because Brazil has won the FIFA World Cup a record fives times (and will host the next event in June!) but also for all the great soccer players as Maradona and Messi from Argentina, Ronaldinho and Neymar from Brazil, among many others.

But South America is not only about soccer, or Carnival or all the beautiful places and people. South America is about building up countries by greatly increasing the education budgets, among other social enhances.

I’m a visiting graduate student from Brazil, and I’m doing part of my doctoral research here, supported by a scholarship from CAPES Foundation, an agency under the Ministry of Education of Brazil. Without that it would be absolutely impossible for me to get abroad research experience. Actually, I had a scholarship to research from my third year in the undergraduate course, and after that to my Masters and now to my PhD that allows me to dedicate integrally to my studies and research, without needing to work to cover my living expenses. If the higher education in Brazil was not free and

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I did not have this subsidy, and I would not have the opportunity, which I’ll bring back to my country.

South American countries are expanding their universities and research institutes, and their international relations. It is wonderful to see that for the most part, in South American countries the higher education is absolutely free. No fee or tuitions at all! In many cases there are some scholarships to help the living costs for local students, and even students coming from abroad.

I decided to write this article because I think that when we have more information about others systems of education, we become able to realise that some things could be different and it permits us to think better our own situation. Before coming here I had no idea about Australia’s education system, for example. And to me it was really impressive to notice how expensive could be study at a public university here.

My first educational experience abroad was in my Masters, when I got a scholarship from FAPERJ Foundation, an agency under State Budget Education of Rio de Janeiro (my origin city) to spend 4 months in Argentina, at the Universidad de Buenos

Rebeca Furtado de Melo PhD in Philosophy

Aires. This university was founded in 1821, is public and not only free of tuition fees, but there are no vacancies in each course per year. That means that if you do it well, and you are approved in the first year of evaluative courses, you can attend all careers that you want without worrying about the number of applicants that will be accepted per year. It was a really amazing experience for me when I realised how a public university could truly be for everybody! Can you imagine a university with more than 300,000 students only in the undergraduate courses? That was the situation of UBA in 2011. To amaze more than this, the UBA consists of 13 faculties, six hospitals (all absolutely free service care as well to the population), 10 museums and three high schools. This large size and number of students is consistent with academic excellence. The UBA, for example, has the honour of to have taught seventeen Argentinean Presidents and four Nobel prizes winners, of which three are scientific: Doctors Bernardo Houssay, Federico Leloir and Caesar Milstein. The University of Buenos Aires represents an education institution of recognized prestige and a noticeable commitment with the Argentinean society.

To me it was a significant experience. In Brazil one of our big problems for education is the restricted number of vacancies. The Universidade de SĂŁo Paulo (USP), for example, is the oldest university in Brazil and the most prestigious higher education and research institution in Latin America, serving a city of more than 20 million people; however it has only 86,000 students.

In spite of being a lot of students, it is still much less than the ideal when each year only 11,502 new student undergraduates are approved in the entrance exam from over than 130,000 applicants. By the other hand, as a public university, USP does not charge its students for tuition and receives government funding, as every other public university in Brazil. It has a big impact in the society with its 42 colleges, 240 undergraduate programs and more than 220 postgraduate programs in all academic areas, delivering 2300 PhD degrees each year.

From my point of view, the value of a university should understand and discuss far beyond the evaluation of ratings, that we could question how accurate they are, or when it became just a commercial exercise.

Seeing the university from a commercial

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perspective we lose all the discussion about what is the aim of the education and how the university should relate with the society.

That is why to me is quite uncomprehensive that we could spend (in a public university, as UTAS, for example) a lot of money on marketing rather than research or scholarships for students. I believe that university only can be thought as an educational project when it is understood as an institution that is seen for knowledge and academic excellence through research.

And a public university need be engaged with its public mission; it gives regard to the society as a whole. That is why the inversion in public education is so important, to allow that the institutions of education don’t become only commercial institutions, and in this sense they can be able to accept anyone to study, regardless of their economic power to pay expensive tuition.

Australian Association of Campus Activities presents

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BREAK OUT AND GET NOTICED IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

Details: tuu.com.au & aaca.net.au 26

DON’T BREAK MY HEART

Nic D’Elia, Bachelor of Medicine, Hobart

“People are now having heart attacks in their thirties and forties and it’s largely due to choices made in their teens and twenties.”

Uni life can be tough, but our resident medical expert explains how to get through university, whilst looking after your heart health. Make good choices, friends.

About 24 000 Australians die each year to Heart Disease with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) making it the biggest contributing proportion of deaths in the country. About one in ten Tasmanians live with Chronic Heart Disease and I’d like to debunk a few myths as to why that’s the case.

The heart is an intriguing organ – it sits just off centre from your sternum (breastbone), usually to the left. The main function of the heart is to pump blood around the body and hence supply your tissues with the oxygen they need to work properly. There are two sides to your heart – left and right. The left side is larger and stronger as it pushes blood around your entire body while the right side just pushes blood through the lungs and is hence substantially smaller.

While the heart is an incredible organ – there’s also an incredible amount of different things that can go wrong. CAD is a term that is used to describe problems with the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood. There are a variety of different types of CAD but the biggest contributing problem is what is commonly known as a Heart Attack.

Lifestyle choices have been shown to be the biggest predisposing and precipitating factors for Heart Disease. What actually perpetuates heart disease is less clear, although lifestyle choices are thought to play a large part in that process as well.

Contrary to what most people believe, young people are not immune from suffering Heart Disease – people are now having heart attacks in their thirties and forties and it’s largely due to choices made in their teens and twenties.

Smoking any amount of cigarettes, eating too much food that is high in saturated fat (this includes Mi-Goreng), not enough food high is unsaturated fat (avocados, olive oil and fish), not enough fruits and vegetables, and not exercising for 30 minutes a day greatly increases your risk of suffering Heart Disease from an early age.

Also contrary to popular belief is that Heart Disease predominately affects men – this is not true! Quite the opposite actually – more women die from Heart Disease than men. There are relatively low rates of Heart Disease amongst pre-menopausal women due to the protective effect female sex hormones are thought to have on the heart. Once a woman stops menstruating however they lose this protective effect at a frightening pace. It’s at this time (40-50ish years of age) a woman’s risk of suffering Heart Disease begins to rise and a previous poor lifestyle choices catch up with them.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? 1. Exercise - find some form of exercise you enjoy and could participate in for at least 30 minutes a day. Slow progress is great!

2. Eat healthy - eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds every day. Drink mainly water and limit red meat to three servings (a serving is a piece of meat the size of your palm not including fingers) a week (no I’m not joking).

Next article: Alcohol and your liver – what’s the real deal?

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3. Talk to your GP about your heart health and discuss strategies that work best for you!

PACE I feel that I’m being watched.

I can feel it.

Eyes boring into my back, Shifting shadows skittering around my feet.

The pressure from breaths swamping me, Forcing the last of the oxygen from my perforated lungs.

Adrenaline pumping through my sluggish veins.

The Universe watches my pace, Whilst I do my best to set the world ablaze.

I don’t know whether victory awaits, But I have to do this; one way or another.

I race on along the white painted edge.

Never once stopping to hesitate for air.

Eyes trained on me in the final leg.

Nothing can stop me now; Except...

Salt.

Erratic Behaviour

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Link to my blog (http://locomoart.blogspot.com.au/)

LAST DRINK A man, a woman, myself and a pocket knife walked into a bar. Only I, Doug, walked out. Why was this, you ask? It was not the same as last time. This time, it was different. The last I killed because she did not. She did not love me, and she was meant to. But this time, it was because of their love.

Sandy was an attractive model. She came into the Human Resources office to speak of seeing a shrink. It was because her relationship was not working. I had to listen to her whining for hours on end about her dysfunctional marriage. It was not my problem. Since I received a promotion, taking the position of my boss, it was.

I thought I could make him disappear, for her. For me. I skulked about for a while, I even approached and bought them a drink.

Their last drink. The beer would make them need the bathroom, I would follow. Carefully planned, premeditated as some would call it.

But I was right. He was already starting to shuffle in his chair, I moved into the dingy toilet to prepare for him.

Only moments needed to pass and he was joining me. I wasted not a moment before placing a blade to his lightly tanned neck.

He said little before I withdrew the knife and swapped it for cuffed hands over his neck. I could not afford a blood bath and I knew that. I needed to finish what I started.

His vocal cords let out slight muffled sounds before he was gone. I placed him in a cubicle, and locked the door using my blade. Just bowel problems, people would think and move on.

She would not have anything to moan about now. But she would. I knew she would be back in my office the next day, crying her heart out. I could not deal with that.

Complaining was one thing, crying was a whole different ball game. It was them both that needed to go.

I asked to have a word outside, and suggested that her husband was likely to be a while.

I ushered her into an alleyway and withdrew her life from her. I was stupid to kill my boss before them. I am not meant to be a psychologist.

It had everything to do with love, but not for her. Not for this couple. Not for anyone.

But instead my love for an action. My love for murder.

By Joey Crawford, Bachelor of Business, Launceston

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Illustration: Milly Yencken

INDRODUCING THE SRC AT CRADLE COAST CAMPUS Edward Costello | Regional Secretary CCC Studying Bachelor of Social Work.

I joined the Student Representative Council in order for there to be more events for students on the Cradle Coast Campus to do, and so that the students of the Cradle Coast Campus had representation that will last after I leave.

Camena Dawnstar | TIA Representative CCC Studying Bachelor of General Studies, Science Pathway.

I joined the SRC in an attempt to bring more awareness of Agricultural issues to the Cradle Coast.

Andrea Courtney | Sports and Societies Convenor CCC Studying Bachelor of Arts, Sociology.

I am a happy outgoing person who loves being a mum and playing sport.

I joined the SRC because I strongly believe in union values and wanted to be part of the TUU to assist where I can in improving and upgrading our campus.

Heather Haines | Education Officer CCC Studying Bachelor of Arts.

I joined the SRC to bring greater awareness of the isolation that students on the northwest coast face every day. I also am hoping to improve the amount of units and areas of study made available to Cradle Coast Students.

Lance Glover | General Representative CCC Studying Education.

I joined the SRC for a challenge, a way to engage with the student body, and to bring more events, activities to the students.

Sue Kole | Campus President CCC Currently studying a combination of Bachelor of Arts majoring in Criminology and Sociology and Bachelor of Social Work. I moved from Melbourne 3 years ago to the beautiful northwest coast of Tasmania, with my husband. The thing I love most about living in Tasmania is the sense of community, which is something that really does not exist on the Mainland. I joined the SRC last year as a general representative, and discovered how disadvantaged the students on the northwest coast are. I then decided to stand for the position of Campus President to bring more services, facilities and improve the communication with the TUU state-wide. I love working with the other members on the State Council team, and regard them as not just colleagues but good friends.

I would like to wish everyone well in their studies this year.

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