Indigenous students are invited to apply for the Origin Foundation Grant King Indigenous Scholarships, which will provide two students with a full residential scholarship to undertake a degree in Engineering or Science at the University of New South Wales.

Origin Foundation Head Sean Barrett says the new program will help generations of students aspiring to careers in a STEM field to realise their dreams. Through its Indigenous Programs Unit, Nura Gili, UNSW provides entry pathways for Indigenous students in all faculties and programs, and supports them throughout their studies.

Scholarship holders will also have the opportunity to be mentored by Mr King, who was formerly the Managing Director at Origin and remains one of Australia’s most prominent business leaders as the President of the Business Council of Australia.

“Investing in access to exceptional education and support for Indigenous students is crucial to our society. Mentoring a young person through their most formative years can make a significant impact on their future, and I thank UNSW and Origin Foundation for creating this opportunity,” Mr King said.

The Origin Foundation Grant King Indigenous Scholarship is open for applications now: https://www.scholarships.unsw.edu.au

It is a sad reality that young drivers are involved in 25% of crashes on roads within the Forbes, Parkes, and Lachlan Shire Council areas.

The mock crash demonstration is the major strategy of the NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program, developed in response to crash statistics across NSW, and aims to improve the attitudes and behaviours of young drivers and passengers.

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, invites locals to find out what the annual mock car crash demonstration is all about by attending the last dress rehearsal on 21 August at 7pm at Parkes PCYC.

“We are excited that this is the third time we have offered this experience to locals. In the past we received requests from people who wanted to see the demonstration and we’ve also found that having a live audience lifts the performance from our actors,” said Melanie.

“The demonstration is as close to the real thing as it can be. It starts with a short film that sets the scene prior to the crash occurring and proceeds with the mock demonstration, which is a full emergency response involving NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Parkes SES,” she said.

Local youth actors will play the crash victims and local emergency services will perform their usual tasks. The demonstration concludes with victim impact statements recorded by the crash victims six months on from the crash.

“The run time is around 60 minutes. There’s no need to book – just turn up, “ Ms Suitor said.

“It is important to remember that the content is not suitable for children under the age of 15,” she added.

Over 500 students from nine high schools across the three Council areas will view the mock crash demonstration on Thursday 24 August.

 

 

With pest animals estimated to cost the Australian economy up to $1 billion a year, CSIRO scientists have developed a humane new technology that could help save Australian farmers’ crops and livelihoods.

After successfully scaring away elephants from farms and crops in Africa, scientists are trialling the Vertebrate Pest Detect-and-Deter (VPDaD) technology in Australia against pests such as ducks, cockatoos, rabbits, wild dogs and more, starting in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley.

“Ultimately we want to scale-up the technology and roll it out across Australia,” CSIRO scientist Dr Ash Tews said.

The technology works by detecting and identifying animals as they come close to farms or crops, and emitting a tailored series of sounds and lights to humanely scare them away before they cause damage.

In Australia, vertebrate pest animals can cause many thousands of dollars’ damage in a single dining experience, causing real problems for farmers’ orchards, vegetable and cereal crops, and potentially for livestock during critical periods of development or birthing events.

In addition to the feasibility study underway in the Lockyer Valley, CSIRO is looking to partner with local agribusinesses, aiming to help primary industries facing problems with an array of native pests.

The previous trial was conducted in Gabon, Africa, where elephants can present a significant problem for villagers and agricultural communities, capable of destroying a community’s entire season’s worth of crops overnight.

In collaboration with agribusiness company Olam International, the VPDaD technology was successfully used to prevent elephants from destroying fruit crops.

The VPDaD technology consists of a motion sensor device, and a collection of cameras that can pick up images and heat signatures of an animal, with lights and sounds that function as the deterrent for pests.

In addition to looking at how animals respond to perceived threats, the scientists are analysing deterrent effectiveness and animal movements over seasons.

 

 

Are you looking to set up a new business, buy or sell a business? The law places tremendous responsibilities upon Business owners and employers.

Starting in business can be exciting. You can’t wait to put your ideas into action and a lot of hard work. However, there are Business Law issues you must consider:

• Will you be employing staff?

• Will you have contracts with customers

or clients?

• How will you deal with leases, insurance,

debt recovery?

• Do you have finance in place?

• What tax implications are there in your

business?

• Do you understand fair-trading regulations?

Before you commit to a lease, employ people or start work for clients, you must be sure you are not putting yourself in legal jeopardy or risking criminal or financial penalties.

Running your business may involve:

• Guarantees and security documents

• Confidentiality agreements

• Copyright and intellectual property law

• Partnership and shareholder disputes

• Customer disputes

• Supplier and contractor agreements

• Terms and conditions of trade

• Bankruptcy and Insolvency

• Work Health and Safety requirements

Selling your business involves issues you need to think through before signing a contract; in particular, the negotiation for the sale. Many factors come into play when deciding on a sale price for your business. Issues that arise include whether GST is applicable in the sale price and liabilities, responsibility for employees, and trading restrictions that may apply, just to name a few. Rushing the sale of a business may devalue your life’s work.