National briefs

Laureates replace Federation Fellowships The federal government has replaced Federation Fellowships with the new Australian Laureate Fellowships Scheme. The laureates are for top Australian and international researchers whose work focuses on areas of national economic, environmental, cultural and social benefit – including super bugs, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, high-profile astronomical discoveries and laws against terrorism. Innovation minister Kim Carr last week announced the first 15 fellowships, worth around $2.7 million each. The inaugural fellowships will also support the work of up to 60 postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers who will team up with the laureates. “The scheme takes the best elements of the previous scheme and adds a focus on teamwork, career paths and leadership,” Carr said. Go to www.arc.gov.au One-stop admin shop for Sydney The University of Sydney is introducing a one stop on-line shop to help students manage their dealings with the university, from initial enquiries right through to graduation. The university says the system, “Sydney Student”, will make it easier for them to pay fees, access timetables and check exam results. It will also cut the time academic staff spend on paperwork, while making it easier for the university to maintain links with former students. The university’s DVC (education) and registrar, Professor Derrick Armstrong, said the system was about using the internet to give students timely access to information about their academic progress. “The university will also save time and costs associated with elements such as the paper trail of applications, registrations, examinations and paper-based course assessments,” he said. The university says the system’s designers, the UK-based Tribal Group, will develop and configure the online environment over the next two years. New pact backs compact: minister A global jobs pact adopted at this month’s International Labour Conference in Geneva shows that the federal government is on the right track with its jobs and training compact, according to acting employment and workplace relations minister Mark Arbib. The pact proposes a range of responses to the economic crisis, with employment issues kept front and centre. International Labour Organisation director-general Juan Somavia said it was designed to guide national and international policies and that countries could adapt measures to suit their specific needs. “It is not a one-size-fits-all solution but a portfolio of options based on successful examples,” he said. The ILO, a United Nations agency, is made up of 183 national governments and employer and worker associations in those countries. Go to www.ilocarib.org.tt/portal/index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=1286&amp;Itemid=368 There’s no safety in houses Australia’s building industry will need to rely on government education spending to maintain momentum, according to Robert Gottliebsen of the Business Spectator. Gottliebsen says that with interest rate hikes likely to burst the housing bubble, education infrastructure will be one of the few happy hunting grounds for the construction industry. He argues that progressive cuts in interest rates, particularly from the Commonwealth Bank, helped turn the federal government’s first home buyers’ grant into an enormous economic stimulus. But earlier this month the Commonwealth raised its variable rate, bringing it in line with the other major banks. Banks are also tightening up their lending criteria, Gottliebsen says. UTAS graduate wins new Canadian scholarship Tasmanian seabird biologist Rowan Trebilco is among the first beneficiaries of Canada’s answer to the Federation Fellowships. The new Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, established in April and worth C$50,000 (A$55,000) a year, is designed to attract world-class doctoral students conducting research in natural science, humanities and health disciplines. Canada eventually intends to award 500 of the three-year scholarships every year. While Canadian researchers have won most of the 166 three-year scholarships awarded so far, international students also qualify and scholarships have gone to researchers from 21 other countries including Nigeria, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt and New Zealand. Trebilco, a 2004 University of Tasmania medallist and winner of the Tasmanian Rhodes Scholarship in 2007, is now studying for a masters of science at Oxford University. In September he’ll begin work at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, researching reef ecosystem resilience. Go to www.vanier.gc.ca