November 5, 2019

UOW expert commentary this week (5 - 9 November)

UOW academics provide expert comment, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing and breaking news stories.

PILL TESTING: HARM REDUCTION STRATEGY MISSED

Dr Jody Morgan can speak about an article she co-authored for The Medical Journal of Australia in which she says Australian governments are shying away from pill-testing despite evidence suggesting it can lead to harm reduction. Dr Morgan is an Associate Research Fellow in the Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health.

 

FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK SEES PRODUCTIVITY SOAR – MICROSOFT EXPERIMENT

Professor Charles Areni can provide commentary on Microsoft’s recent trial of a four-day work week in Japan, which saw productivity soar. He says the “9 to 5, Mon to Fri” mentality is a relic from a much earlier age of economic development. Prof Areni can talk about the broader implications of a four-day work week for 21^st century labour markets. He is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business.

 

INDIA AIR POLLUTION

Dr Hugh Forehead can speak about air pollution in New Dehli, which has reached the worst levels so far this year. He is working with UOW’s Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry on air quality research that aims to help people better navigate air quality in their cities and home. Dr Forehead is a Research Fellow with the SMART Infrastructure Facility. Dr Forehead is only available on Wednesday.

 

DISABILITY ROYAL COMMISSION

Dr Shoshana Dreyfus is available for interviews about the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability that is underway in Townsville, QLD. Dr Dreyfus is a linguistics lecturer and an expert in disability studies. She is the co-convenor of UOW’s Disability Research Network. Here she wrote about her experience of having a son with a severe intellectual disability.

 

AGED CARE ROYAL COMMISSION FINDINGS

Professor Kathy Eagar is available for interviews about the interim findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care, which were released last week. Prof Eagar appeared as an expert witness and gave evidence that Australian residential aged care staffing levels compare poorly with international and national benchmarks. Prof Eagar is the Director of the Australian Health Services Research Institute. Prof Eagar is not available on Wednesday.

 

MEDIA RESOURCES

The University of Wollongong has an in-house Globelynx camera for TV interviews. This means we can facilitate reliable, live and high-quality television interviews from our Wollongong campus.

 

MEDIA CONTACT

Kate Mayhew, UOW Media & Public Relations Coordinator
M: +61 475 388 887 | E: kmayhew@uow.edu.au 

UOW academics exercise academic freedom by providing expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing social issues and current affairs. This expert commentary reflects the views of those individual academics and does not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the University of Wollongong.