The UQ Talks series will showcase some of the outstanding research produced by the world-leading academics working at UQ. And to give the brilliant minds who are producing that research a platform to speak on topics that are of critical importance to Australia, and the world more broadly.

Building on the legacy of the long-running Global Leadership Series, the ‘UQ Talks’ series is also intended to be a forum for our alumni community to connect, converse, and debate these important issues.

Emerging from Anthropology and shaped by the social movements of the 1960s and ‘70s, the development of Indigenous Studies was led by First Nations scholars who contested non-Indigenous studies of Indigenous peoples. What issues are driving this field of study today, and how can Australian universities learn from our global counterparts?

In this UQ Talk, globally renowned scholar Distinguished Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson, a Goenpul woman of the Quandamooka people, will provide an overview of Indigenous scholarly debates about what constitutes Indigenous Studies in contemporary Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.

Recording of the Global Leadership Event held at Customs House on Thursday 13 October.

National house prices have risen at record rates. Today, over 400,000 Australians are in need of affordable housing and over 150,000 are on public housing waiting lists (source: ACOSS).

As homelessness increases and support systems are stretched to the limit, the root causes of housing insecurity, and the barriers to affordable housing, remain sources of debate.

Our panel of experts share their research into this growing crisis, its impact on the most vulnerable, and how we can move toward a future where all Australians enjoy the security of a stable home.

This podcast was recorded at a live event held in Melbourne in May 2022.

There’s no shortage of uncertainty in the world right now – and in turbulent times like these we really need inspired leadership to navigate the path forward. But what are the hallmarks of good leadership in the midst of turbulence and disruption?

In this conversation with high-performing leaders across a diverse range of industries, we’ll explore the strategies and practices of successful leadership, and we'll seek their views on how to lead through disruption.

The theme for the 2021 Jacaranda Society Morning Tea, held at Customs House in Brisbane, Australia, was ‘Impact of Bequest Giving’.

Sadly, due to a snap COVID-19 lockdown in South East Queensland, the event was not able to proceed in person, as originally planned. While we are disappointed the event did not go ahead, the health and safety of our community was our highest priority.

We have been working behind the scenes to deliver a virtual experience of the event with our guest speaker, Professor Michael Stowasser.

Michael is the Director of the Endocrine Hypertension Research Centre at the Diamantina Institute at The University of Queensland. He also works at Princess Alexandra and Greenslopes Private Hospitals.

Michael has over 30 years’ experience of clinical research in pathogenesis and management of hypertension. Michael has been receiving a gift from the estate of Mrs Irene Hunt for 20 years, and will share his research story which includes the benefits of receiving an ongoing gift from an estate. It’s an impactful good news story of how his unit was able to continue their work during tough times, to make a global scientific breakthrough.

Restoring trust in major institutions is high on the agenda in Australia. While recent public enquiries have uncovered systematic failings of ethical culture, integrity, and governance in a number of sectors, they also provide a platform for change and rebuilding trust.

Hear from industry experts on the topics of environmental offsets, sustainability policy, circular economy and more.

As the current pandemic sets the new vision for global action towards an inclusive and sustainable world, the success of organisations depends on their approach to sustainability. In particular, how they localise and integrate practices across sustainable business models, ESG indicators, climate finance and environmental offsets.

This edition of the Global Leadership Series, held at Custom’s House in Brisbane, Australia, asks the question ‘What’s it all about? Constitution, Treaty, Voice.’

When the Uluru Statement from the Heart was released in 2017, it called for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution. It was an important moment in our country’s history, calling for structural reform to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have a greater say in the laws, policies and services that impact them.

UQ alumnus Professor Megan Davis, the Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law at UNSW Sydney reflects on key concepts of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and important questions facing Australia on the path to a better future.

From droughts to raging bushfires to devastating floods, Australia has seen an alarming increase in the severity of weather events in recent years.

Despite this, many believe our nation’s political leaders have failed to take real action against the threat of climate change.

But why is this? And what role does science reporting play in this narrative?

Join award-winning journalists and UQ graduates Marian Wilkinson and Tegan Taylor, as they lift the curtain on climate-change politics and discuss how quality science reporting can play a role in helping Australia reach its emission targets.

This special episode of the Contact magazine podcast has been made in celebration of 100 years of journalism at UQ.

To learn more about 100 Years of Journalism at UQ celebrations, visit the UQ School of Communication and Arts: https://communication-arts.uq.edu.au/100_years_journalism

If you want more expert commentary and analysis on the topics that matter to you, visit Contact magazine: https://alumni.uq.edu.au/contact-magazine/

This special episode was produced by Michael Jones and Rachel Westbury, and edited by Daniel Seed.

Join award-winning journalist, Madonna King, for this in-conversation series with some of UQ’s highest achieving alumni – the 2020 UQ Alumni Award winners.

In this conversation, Madonna King speaks to Colleges' UQ Alumni Award recipient, Sally McPherson.

For more information on our 2020 UQ Alumni Award winners, visit alumni.uq.edu.au/awards/alumni.

Join the UQ Alumni-to-Alumni (A2A) mentoring platform. You never know where the next conversation could take you - bit.ly/UQA2Amentoring

For more from UQ experts and alumni, check out our range of resources on the UQ Alumni and Communication Lifelong Learning website - alumni.uq.edu.au/life-long-learning.

Stay connected with us on socials:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/uqalumni/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/uqalumni

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-queensland/

This episode was produced by Lucy Blair for the UQ Alumni Relations and Engagement team.