October 23, 2023

UOW expert commentary (23 October)

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

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The conflict in Gaza

Associate Professor Markus Wagner can provide commentary on the conflict in Gaza. Associate Professor Wagner is an expert in international law and former clerk at the Supreme Court of Israel for then-President Aharon Barak. He is the Director of the Transnational Law and Policy Centre at UOW. His research and teaching is in the areas of international and comparative law. During his former position on the Supreme Court, Professor Wagner has witnessed first-hand the complexities of the situation in the Middle East and dealt with similar questions that the current outbreak of violence raises. 

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RBA annual report

Dr Paul Mazzola is available to discuss the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) annual report. Dr Mazzola says the report is highlighted by a second consecutive loss of around $6 billion, following a disastrous year in 2022. Dr Mazzola is a Lecturer in banking and finance in the School of Business. He has more than 25 years’ banking and finance experience in the Australian, European and Asian Pacific markets. He is the author of Countdown to the Global Financial Crisis: A Story of Power and Greed. 

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Intersex Awareness Day – Thursday 26 October

Associate Professor Theresa Larkin can talk about Intersex Awareness Day (Thursday 26 October), a day to celebrate intersex people across the world and engage in challenging conversations about human rights. In 2021 Associate Professor Larkin wrote an article for The Conversation in which she said anatomy texts are outdated and should show sex as a spectrum to include intersex people. She wrote:

Inclusive teaching and knowledge of sex variation can be transformative beyond anatomy.

Teaching sex characteristics as a continuum will increase the visibility and understanding of intersex. Removing the stigma associated with sex (and other) variations in anatomy, and medical and health education is essential for optimal health, well-being, belonging and connection for everyone.

Associate Professor Larkin is an expert in anatomy and medical science. She is a Senior Lecturer in UOW’s Graduate School of Medicine. Associate Professor Larkin was recently named a Superstar of STEM by Science & Technology Australia. 

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Wholesale electricity prices

Associate Professor Rabindra Nepal can discuss wholesale electricity prices, which have fallen to their lowest level in two years. Professor Nepal is an internationally recognised academic specialising in energy, environment and resources. He is an economist in the School of Business. 

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Bushfire season

Associate Professor Owen Price can provide interviews about Australia’s upcoming bushfire season, with several fires already burning across Australia. Associate Professor Price is the Director of the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at UOW. His research focuses on bushfire risk and the impact on human health, houses and the environment. 

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World Teachers’ Day – Friday 27 October

Former teacher Dr Peter Andersen is available to talk about World Teachers’ Day (Friday 27 October). The day is to celebrate teachers and the work they do to educate, inspire and support students. Dr Andersen has worked as a primary and secondary teacher in Australia and the UK. He is now a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education whose teaching and research is underpinned by his belief that children should be given opportunities to have a voice in addressing global social and environmental issues relevant to them. 

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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.