October 18, 2022

UOW expert commentary (18 - 22 October)

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

New national plan to end violence against women and children

Dr Rachel Loney-Howes is a criminologist who can discuss the new national 10-year plan to end violence against women. She believes more should be done to enable alternative reporting pathways for victims of sexual assault. Dr Loney-Howes researches violence against women in the School of Health and Society.

Floods and supply chain disruptions

Associate Professor Matthew Pepper is available for interviews on supply chain disruptions as a result of flooding in Victoria. Professor Pepper is an expert in supply chain design and optimisation. He is from the School of Business.

School refusal

Dr Amanda Webster can discuss growing reports of school refusal of neurodivergent students, particularly autistic students. Dr Webster is the Academic Program Director for the Autism postgraduate programs where her research and teaching focuses on creating inclusive learning communities to support the achievement and self-determination of individuals on the autism spectrum. She is from the School of Education.

Energy crisis

Associate Professor Tim Di Muzio can provide commentary on skyrocketing energy prices. In an article for Jacobin, Associate Professor Di Muzio and Dr Matt Dow say the only long-term solution for the energy crisis is systemic change. They write:

Currently, and depending on where we look, energy prices are skyrocketing. There is now widespread fear that many people, particularly the most vulnerable, will not be able to bear the increase in energy prices and will find themselves left out in the cold, both literally and figuratively.

Associate Professor Di Muzio is an expert in international relations and critical political economy in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.

Ukraine / Russia

Dr Stephen Brown can provide commentary on recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine war. The Russian history expert says Putin has thrown out his own playbook with this conflict. Dr Brown is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.

Are core memories real?

Professor Penny Van Bergen can talk about common myths surrounding core memories. Professor Van Bergen has co-authored a new story for The Conversation and writes:

Core memories are sometimes portrayed as literal snapshots of the past, like pressing play on a camcorder and watching the event unfold.

Similar arguments have previously been made about so-called “flashbulb memories”. These are the highly vivid memories that form when learning about dramatic events for the first time (such as the September 11 attacks or the death of Princess Diana).

In reality, every memory we have is prone to change, forgetting, and errors in minor details – even when it refers to an important event.

Professor Van Bergen is an Educational Psychologist is the School of Education.

Cryptocurrency regulation in Australia

Dr Paul Mazzola is available for interviews about the need to regulate the cryptocurrency sector in Australia. In an article he co-authored for Firstlinks Dr Mazzola says taming the Wild West of crypto needs a global approach. He writes:

Similar to the banking industry, the crypto market is truly global. However due to its decentralised nature it allows participants to exploit regulatory differences between jurisdictions - that is, the practice of utilising more favourable laws in one jurisdiction to circumvent more restrictive regulation elsewhere.

Dr Mazzola is a lecturer in banking and finance in the Faculty of Business and Law and has more than 25 years’ banking and finance experience in the Australian, European and Asian pacific markets. He recently published a book that explores the power and greed behind the global financial crisis.

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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.