Griffith University

In Adversity’s Face: Kerry O’Brien in conversation with
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

In partnership with HOTA, Home of the Arts, Griffith University’s A better future for all series continued with Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM joining Kerry O’Brien.

Critically injured in a traffic accident while still a medical student more than a decade ago, Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM has broken more barriers than most people even face in a lifetime. 

Queensland’s first quadriplegic medical intern and graduate, Dinesh is now a senior resident doctor at the Gold Coast University Hospital and Senior Lecturer in Griffith’s School of Medicine and Dentistry. A Griffith graduate and Queensland’s 2021 Australian of the Year, he is also a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. 

As co-lead researcher on the University’s BioSpine physical rehabilitation project, he has made himself a willing subject in work that seeks to make everyday life better for patients with spinal cord injury, and even see them one day walk again. There is still much to be done, of course—but, for a man as seasoned at tackling big challenges as Dinesh, the future is looking brighter every day. 

Griffith University was delighted to welcome Dinesh as our guest for the event series, A Better Future for All, at HOTA, Home of the Arts, on the Gold Coast. Join host Kerry O’Brien as he and Dinesh delved into the good doctor’s extraordinary life and work, in what was an evening of insightful, emotional, and candid conversation. 

 

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

Doctor. Lawyer. Academic. Advocate. Queensland’s Australian of the Year. 

All these words—and more—could be used to describe the extraordinary individual that is Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM. But, for all the Griffith University graduate’s many accomplishments, there’s one term that continues to shadow him, even as he works to overcome it: quadriplegic. 

While studying for his Doctor of Medicine in 2010, Dinesh was involved in a serious accident that left him without feeling or movement below his chest. Despite this life-changing event, Dinesh never lost his resolve to complete his degree.  

After a period of recovery in his home country of Sri Lanka, he returned to Griffith to finish what he started, becoming Queensland’s first quadriplegic medical intern and graduate in 2016.  

In just five years, he has become a senior resident doctor at the Gold Coast University Hospital, and was recently made a Senior Lecturer in Griffith’s School of Medicine and Dentistry. 

As an adjunct research fellow at Griffith’s Menzies Health Institute Queensland, he is co-lead researcher on the University’s BioSpine physical rehabilitation project. Using electronic muscle stimulation and a brain-connected computer interface, the groundbreaking project seeks to help restore motor function for patients with spinal cord injury to ultimately see them walk again. 

Already holding a law degree before he became a doctor, Dinesh has made a lifelong habit of high achievement.  

He is the co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities Australia (DWDA), which works with the Australian Medical Association to improve access to education and employment for medical professionals with disabilities. Despite his busy schedule, he also finds the time to work with the Gold Coast Titans Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) team. 

Among it all, Dinesh has developed a growing reputation as a vocal advocate and activist. Alongside his work with DWDA, he has appeared at events such as TEDx, and was a witness to the Disability Royal Commission on equitable treatment for people with disabilities. He has also collaborated with Griffith to introduce two new scholarships and provide support for ongoing spinal cord research.  

A multi-award winner, Dinesh has been nationally and globally recognised for his work, complementing this year’s state honours with major achievements including Junior Doctor of the Year, the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award, and a Medal of the Order of Australi

The details

DATE & TIME

Tuesday 14 September 2021

6 – 7.15 pm AEST

EVENT RECORDINGS

Watch the livestream recording.

VIEW THE LIVESTREAM RECORDING

Listen to the recording via your preferred podcast platform.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO RECORDING

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

The power of culture: Kerry O’Brien in conversation with
Rhoda Roberts AO and Wesley Enoch AM

In partnership with HOTA, Home of the Arts, Griffith University’s A better future for all series continued with Rhoda Roberts AO and Wesley Enoch AM joining Kerry O’Brien.

In this interview Kerry O’Brien talked to Rhoda Roberts AO and Wesley Enoch AM about the power of cultural expression in shaping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understanding and knowledge, and the role of arts outlets in amplifying Indigenous voices. 

Thanks to the efforts of innovators such as Rhoda and Wesley, the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts in the global sphere has grown exponentially over the course of a generation. By working hard to expand the impact of Indigenous artists in the public consciousness, increased cultural expression has led to a greater understanding of First Nations heritage and experience. In turn, this is now shaping the way rich and vibrant Indigenous stories are showcased and recontextualised for new audiences. 

A pioneer in the arts world, Rhoda has been instrumental in breaking down cultural barriers and bringing contemporary First Nations works to the world’s stage. 

Rhoda’s role in recognising disparities in the creative sector and creating meaningful ways to bring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives to the forefront of public consciousness has made her one of Australia’s most significant arts practitioners. 

Wesley is driven to create artistic opportunities to contribute to Australia’s national discourse and get audiences thinking and talking. In his 25 years as an arts leader, he has been a major driving force behind boosting the power of Indigenous voices through creative works that add to the national conversation with a unique First Nations perspective. 

Join these change makers in a lively discussion on how enhancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices can have a flow on effect for cultural understanding, and what steps we need to take to ensure the preservation and advancement of First Nations cultures. 

Rhoda Roberts AO

A Widjubul woman from the Bundjalung territories, Rhoda Roberts AO is currently Head of First Nations Programming, Sydney Opera House, Festival Director, Boomerang Festival and Creative Director Parrtjima Festival (NT). An experienced motivated and versatile arts executive, with a diverse range of international and national industry practice within commercial, community and non-profit organisations.  

Rhoda was the founder and Festival Director of the Dreaming Festivals (1995-2009) and Co-Founder of the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust.  A practicing weaver, actor, independent producer and director, she continues to work as a consultant across diverse disciplines and is a sought-after speaker and performer in theatre, film, television and radio. Her regular podcasts Deadly Voices, continue her broadcast history with the radio show Deadly Sounds (1992-2012) 

The theatre production, Natives go Wild, was written and conceived by Rhoda and she is currently writing a new play featuring Lydia Miller and Rachel Maza. Rhoda is also the director for the film Balang with Wild Pacific Films and has recently been appointed by HOTA as Artistic Director for the Glow Festival. 

Wesley Enoch AM

Wesley Enoch is a writer and director. He hails from Stradbroke Island (Minjeribah) and is a proud Quandamooka man. 

Previously Wesley has been the Artistic Director at Sydney Festival from 2017 – 2020; Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts; Artistic Director at Ilbijerri Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative and the Associate Artistic Director at Belvoir Street Theatre. Wesley’s other residencies include Resident Director at Sydney Theatre Company; the 2002 Australia Council Cite Internationale des Arts Residency in Paris and the Australia Council Artistic Director for the Australian Delegation to the 2008 Festival of Pacific Arts. He was creative consultant, segment director and indigenous consultant for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.  

Wesley has written and directed iconic Indigenous theatre productions. The 7 Stages of Grieving which Wesley directed and co-wrote with Deborah Mailman was first produced in 1995 and continues to tour both nationally and internationally.  Others include The Sunshine Club for Queensland Theatre Company and a new adaptation of Medea by Euripides’; Black Medea. His play The Story of Miracles At Cookie’s Table won the 2005 Patrick White Playwrights’ Award. 

In 2004 Wesley directed the original stage production of The Sapphires which won the 2005 Helpmann Award for Best Play. Other productions include Black Cockatoo, Stolen, Riverland, Mother Courage And Her Children, Headful Of Love, Bombshells, Black Diggers, Gasp!, Country Song, Happy Days And The Odd Couple, I Am Eora, One Night The Moon, The Man From Mukinupin, Yibiyung, Parramatta Girls, Capricornia, The Cherry Pickers And Romeo And Juliet. 

His most recent production is the Australian premiere of Appropriate by Branden Jacobs Jenkins at the Sydney Theatre Company. 

The details

DATE & TIME

Monday 16 August 2021

6 – 7.15 pm AEST

EVENT RECORDINGS

Watch the livestream recording.

VIEW THE LIVESTREAM RECORDING

Listen to the recording via Apple Podcasts.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO RECORDING

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

A new world order: Kerry O’Brien
in conversation with Stan Grant

In partnership with HOTA, Home of the Arts, Griffith University’s A better future for all series continued with Stan Grant and host Kerry O’Brien.

Stan Grant has built an illustrious career as a distinguished Australian and international broadcaster, author and commentator. Over more than 30 years Stan has reported or anchored for the ABC, SBS, NITV, Seven and Sky News in Australia, and for CNN and Al Jazeera in the Middle East, China and Hong Kong.

A Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man, Stan is also a powerful and articulate voice advocating for First Nations rights. The latest of his six books, With the Falling of the Dusk, draws on his personal experiences reporting from the front lines of the world’s flashpoints to explore what is driving the world into deep crisis and how it might be averted.

He has received a string of prestigious international and Australian awards, including the Walkley Book award for his evocative best seller, Talking to My Country. In 2016 he was appointed to the Referendum Council on Indigenous Australians.

Stan was previously Professor of Global Affairs at Griffith University and is now Chair of Indigenous/Australian Belongings at Charles Sturt University and International Affairs Analyst at the ABC.

Griffith was proud to welcome such an articulate and thoughtful commentator as Stan for the conversation with Kerry O’Brien in its A better future for all series. Join Stan and Kerry as they explored the opportunities and challenges facing our rapidly and unpredictable changing world order, and what the future might hold for all Australians.

Stan Grant

Stan Grant is a Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man. A journalist since 1987, he has worked for the ABC, SBS, the Seven Network and Sky News Australia. From 2001 to 2012 he worked for CNN as an anchor and senior correspondent in Asia and the Middle East. As a journalist, he has received a string of prestigious international and Australian awards. In 2015, he published his bestselling book Talking to My Country, which won the Walkley Book Award, and he also won a Walkley Award for his coverage of Indigenous affairs. In 2016 he was appointed to the Referendum Council on Indigenous recognition. Stan was previously Professor of Global Affairs at Griffith University and is now International Affairs Analyst at ABC.

The details

DATE & TIME

Friday 30 July 2021

6 – 7.15 pm AEST 

EVENT RECORDINGS

Watch the livestream recording.

VIEW THE LIVESTREAM RECORDING

Listen to the recording via Spotify.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO RECORDING

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

A Safer Place: Kerry O’Brien in
conversation with Jess Hill

In partnership with HOTA, Home of the Arts, Griffith University’s A better future for all series continued with Jess Hill joining Kerry O’Brien.

In this country, one in four women has experienced violence from an intimate partner. On average, one woman is killed every week and only the most shocking capture the headlines. Most never report the crimes to the police. This scourge demands urgent attention. 

In her acclaimed first book, See What You Made Me Do, award-winning journalist, Jess Hill investigates the reasons people are reluctant or unable to leave their abusive partners, focusing particularly on the power of coercive control and shame to lock in a cycle of abuse, violence and grief, and the urgent need for more to be done to stop Australia’s epidemic of violence and control. 

Australian governments are now considering legislation to make coercive control a criminal offence, as it is in other countries, in an attempt to stem this crisis. SBS has adapted Jess’s book into a three-part series examining how this might be done and the shocking consequences that await should we fail to address this deep cultural rot, which has left too many people feeling unsafe in their own home. 

A compelling and passionate advocate, Jess’s years reporting exclusively on domestic violence in Australia make her an ideal person to discuss this highly sensitive — but utterly vital — topic. Hosted by veteran journalist Kerry O’Brien, the latest instalment of Griffith University’s conversation series, A Better Future for All, canvassed the issues at stake, what needs to be done and the obstacles to making home a safer place for everyone. 

Jess Hill 

Jess Hill is a Walkley Award-winning investigative journalist who has reported exclusively on domestic abuse since 2014. Prior to this, she was a Middle East correspondent, and worked as both a producer and reporter for various programs across the ABC, including AM, PM, The World Today, and Background Briefing. In 2019, she published her first book, See What You Made Me Do, about the phenomenon of domestic abuse in Australia. It was awarded the 2020 Stella Prize, and has been shortlisted for several others, including the Walkley Book Award and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. In 2021, SBS will broadcast a three-part adaptation of her book, and she is producing an audio documentary series with the Victorian Women’s Trust. 

The details

DATE & TIME

Thursday 27 May 2021

6 – 7.15 pm AEST

EVENT RECORDINGS

Watch the recording livestreamed from HOTA, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast.

VIEW THE LIVESTREAM RECORDING

Listen to the recording via Spotify. 

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO RECORDING

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin