ATEC News

World leading technical and management expertise in the tropics.

The Australian Tropical Expertise Consortium (ATEC) is a specialist group offering expertise suitable to international and Australian clients in government, non-government organisations and private sector seeking a diverse and highly skilled network of specialist consultants. This collaborative mix of research institutions and significant private enterprise brings together knowledgeable and experienced people to offer innovative and practical solutions at a local level across the global tropics.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN TROPICAL EXPERTISE?

Newsletter No.8, March 09

Trade Mission to Asian Development Bank (ADB) Manila, March 2009

A group from Queensland under the “Tropical Expertise” umbrella joined the national Austrade mission to the ADB earlier this month. The Tropical Expertise concept was very well-received at the ADB, and in individual meetings with private companies and government agencies. Our group was certainly noticed and we were able to highlight our message at a high-level function held by the Australian Ambassador through a speech given by Kathy Rankin from the Queensland Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry, and the distribution of promotional material with our organisation profiles arranged by Trade Queensland. The hard work now begins with the follow-up, with project officers and contacts needed to win projects.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

There is plenty of things going on, so please make some time for these very important activities to further the progress of your organisation.

Trade Mission to Brisbane/Canberra (optional) April 21-24, 09 (projected)

Trade Qld will be holding a full-day forum in Brisbane to discuss opportunities in the aid/development sector on April 21. Highlights include keynote speaker Hon. Bob McMullan, MP, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, de-brief from the recent ADB trade mission as to the latest developments, accessing projects, AusAID’s activities in Timor Leste and networking opportunities with potential project partners. A nominal fee is charged for catering (est. $33).This event has been very well-attended in the past. For our “Tropical Expertise” group, it is planned that on April 22 we will have pre-arranged meetings with Australian Managing Contractors based there.

Optional-Trade Mission to Canberra April 23-24, 09:

We are seeking expressions of interest for our Tropical Expertise group to travel to Canberra after the meetings on April 22. The activities planned are:

• Meetings with AusAID to discuss latest opportunities and trends
• Meetings with ACIAR regarding international work in agriculture
• Meetings with Australian Managing Contractors based in Canberra

Expressions of interest for either or both of the above can be sent to:
Graham Poon
graham@kleinhardt.com.au
Ph: (07) 4040-7100
Mobile: 0448-951454

Kathy Rankin
Kathy.Rankin@dtrdi.qld.gov.au
Ph: (07) 4048-1126
Mobile: 0417 753 759

• Minimum mission participants for Canberra visit: Five (5)
• There is no participation fee but please budget for travel and accommodation expenses

The closing date for expressions of interest:  March 27, 2009

Take Your Business into Guam

Background Presentation for Trade Mission to Guam, Wed, March 25, 09:

Advance Cairns is organising a Trade Mission to Guam May 14-17, 09 and will be conducted in conjunction with TTNQ/Cairns Chamber of Commerce. To give a perspective on the business opportunities available, a presentation will be given by Graham Poon who lived and worked in Guam for 7 years. Details are:

Time and Date:     2-3pm, Wed, March 25, 09
Venue: Dept of Tourism, Regional Development & Industry Boardroom
Cnr Hartley and Grafton St, Cairns
Confirmation to: Michelle Jago sao@advancecairns.com or ph: (07) 4080-2900

You may have read about the impending U.S. military build-up that will start to happen next year in Guam with the relocation of forces from Okinawa. Billions of dollars will be involved. Business opportunities that exist and will arise include:

• construction of buildings and infrastructure
• servicing personnel and families (est. 20,000+)
• marine services and equipment supply
• technical services in engineering
• food and beverage supply
• architecture and landscape services
• hotel supplies and equipment
• tourism
• energy-efficient products
• health
• training and education

Many of the business opportunities have direct relevance to our Tropical Expertise capability since conditions in the region are similar to North Queensland.

Guam Trade Mission Package Fee: $880
Inclusions: Business Matching customised to your business/organisation, attendance at high-level cocktail function. Assistance with obtaining discounted airfares and accommodation. (Expenditure may qualify for inclusion in Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant.)

Trade Mission enquiries to:
Michelle Jago
Advance Cairns
sao@advancecairns.com
Ph: (07) 4080-2900

Guam enquiries to:
Graham Poon
graham@kleinhardt.com.au
Ph: (07) 4040-7100
Mobile: 0448-951454

Closing Date for Guam Mission Participation: March 31, 2009

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Latest Opportunities
Need a project partner nationally or internationally for an opportunity? Contact Graham Poon for assistance. Also, those interested in any of the contracts outlined below can contact Graham Poon in the first instance at graham@kleinhardt.com.au or phone 4040 7100 or mobile 0448 951 454.

UNESCO

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – UNESCO ESD PROJECTS

UNESCO is seeking expressions of interest from qualified and experienced individuals, organisations or consortiums to undertake projects in mapping Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) activities and reviewing exiting national curricula for ESD content in selected Pacific countries.

Contractors may express interest in undertaking a single task or in combining two or more tasks together. The complete list of tasks is as follows:

• ESD mapping in Fiji
• ESD mapping in Kiribati
• ESD mapping in Niue
• ESD mapping in Republic of Marshall Islands
• ESD Mapping in Vanuatu
• Expanding existing ESD mapping in Solomon Islands (report available on request)
• Expanding existing ESD mapping in Palau (report available on request)
• ESD curriculum review in Tonga
• ESD curriculum review in Fiji
• ESD curriculum review in Kiribati
• ESD curriculum review in Niue
• ESD curriculum review in Republic of Marshall Islands
• ESD curriculum review in Solomon Islands
• ESD curriculum review in Vanuatu

Note: The final list of tasks undertaken may be reduced depending on costs, with delayed components set back until 2010.

ESD mapping - involves a desktop review of all ESD activities currently being delivered at the national scale. It also means identifying the current philosophy or approach to ESD, whether formally adopted or something that is happening in an ad hoc manner. The mapping will include Government activities through the school system and vocational
training programs; NGO programs; and church and community activities from policy and planning through to on-ground teaching programs, awareness raising activities and relevant materials/publications.

For Palau and Solomon Islands some mapping has already been undertaken, though due to lack of information the reports have not been able to be completed to the level of detail required. For these countries, the consultant will be requested to expand on the existing content to produce a level of detail similar to that provided for Tonga. The existing reports are available on request.

For Kiribati, particular attention on the focus area of climate change will be required, including determining links that can be established with existing work on climate change education and awareness conducted through the KAP II program.

It is expected that the Consultant will work closely with the UNESCO National Commission and Ministry of Education throughout this exercise. The deliverables are required to be submitted in hardcopy and softcopy (Microsoft Word) and will consist of the following for each country:

• Detailed report on ESD activities in the relevant country, including summaries of the data collected, understanding of ESD, ESD and national development/sustainable development policies, existing education system, educational policy and practice, organizations involved in ESD and persons consulted. It is not envisioned that this mapping requires travel to the relevant country to undertake the work but will require on-going communication and consultation with the National Commission and Ministry of Education. This task must be completed by 30 June, 2009.

ESD curriculum review – involves a desktop review of selected primary, secondary and vocational (where formal vocational programs have been established) curricula to determine their current ESD content and entry points for ESD materials.  As ESD involves economic, social and environmental sustainability, this review is expected to cover the relevancy in all subjects of the national curriculum.  In this stage of the review, the focus will be on years 5 and 6 (primary), 9-11 (secondary) curricula, plus identification of all existing TVET curricula used in the country (these will not be reviewed at this stage).

It is expected that the Consultant will work closely with the UNESCO
National Commission and Ministry of Education throughout this exercise.
The deliverables are required to be submitted in hardcopy and softcopy
(Microsoft Word) and will consist of the following for each country:

• Detailed report on ESD content in the selected years of primary and secondary curricula plus an enumeration and description of existing TVET courses with an agreed curriculum in the relevant country; relevant curriculum content and outcomes; resources and materials available; and persons consulted.

Any attachments not available electronically (eg. school work book) can be provided in hard copy. This work will need access to curricula and materials, as well as practically review the in-school delivery of topics, so would preferably take place in-country. Limited travel funding may be offered if no suitable expertise is available in-country. This task must be completed by 30 June, 2009.

Qualified and experienced women and men from Pacific Island countries are encouraged to apply. Consultants will need to have a broad background that enables them to identify entry points across all curriculum areas covering the environmental, social, cultural and economic aspects of ESD.

All Expressions of Interest containing the CV of the Consultant, rates for services and availability to undertake the tasks must be received by UNESCO by 31 March, 2009.

Short-listed candidates will be notified by 17 April, 2009 and invited to submit a detailed proposal by 11 May 2009.  Guidelines covering UNESCO’s contractual requirements and format for development of the proposal will be provided to all short-listed candidates.

For further information please contact Sue Vize at s.vize@unesco.org or on (685) 24276.
Expressions should be marked “ESD projects” and may be submitted by post, email or fax to the following address:

The Director
UNESCO Apia
PO Box 615 Apia, SAMOA
Ph: (685) 24276; Fax: (685) 22253; Email: s.vize@unesco.org

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UNESCO

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – DEVELOPING CREATIVE INDUSTRIES FOR YOUTH IN KIRIBATI

UNESCO is seeking expressions of interest from qualified and experienced individuals, organisations or consortiums to undertake a consultation and design a project utilising creative industries to develop economic opportunities for youth in Kiribati. Drawing on UNESCO’s expertise in creative industries and youth development, a program to select and develop creative industries with income earning potential for male and female youth in Kiribati will be developed and implemented in 2009. The initial assignment is to undertake a consultation with representatives from relevant Government Ministries, Non-Governmental Organisations and youth groups in Kiribati, and in consultation with UNESCO staff, develop a project plan.

The Consultant will be expected to:

• Meet with representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Land and Agricultural Development
• Meet with representatives of i-Kiribati NGOs including KANGO, AMAK and FSPK
• Meet with representatives from key church groups
• Meet with representatives of i-Kiribati youth groups
• Identify creative industries with commercial potential for local production by male and female youths in Kiribati
• Identify the training needs to develop a small local production based on one or more creative industries, which may include development of traditional skills (such as weaving or carving), management, marketing or other relevant skills
• Identify trainers with appropriate skills to train i-Kiribati youth
• Propose a selection method for identifying suitable participants
• Prepare a detailed plan of action for project implementation, monitoring and long term follow-up needs
• Consult with UNESCO staff on all aspects of the assignment, including input during the drafting of the report

Background:
This project aims to enhance the economic potential of the creative industries in Kiribati.  By nurturing and building upon cultural assets already existing in these countries, youth who currently have limited employment and development prospects, will be assisted to start small scale local production and marketing services.

Youth comprise a significant component of the population in Kiribati and youth populations are expected to increase over the coming years.  These large current and future youth generations can be a crucial force for development in a small country such as Kiribati. Providing young people with access to a quality education and opportunities to obtain decent work will bring these countries closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Youth who are productive can contribute meaningfully to national development. At present, however, young people are confronted by major obstacles that hinder their effective participation in education, the economy, and society, and poverty is widespread. Youth without opportunities can become disillusioned and resort to risky or
antisocial behaviour as a coping mechanism. A serious shortage of employment opportunities for those of working age is evident in most Pacific countries. Limited numbers of Pacific school leavers find wage work in the formal sector or continue on to higher education. Kiribati faces a variety of structural problems that limit employment opportunities for all age groups, including scarce resources and limited capital. The small size and remoteness of Kiribati has made it difficult to compete with world prices in any major industry, or even develop sustainable markets. The business sector is also relatively
undeveloped.

Traditionally, males and females were assigned discrete social roles in the Pacific. This is particularly evident in many cultural industries where traditional skills may be passed on through male or female relatives.  In some cases, knowledge relating to specific skills is also highly protected by community networks who have ownership of specific knowledge and skills. The development of creative industry opportunities should be mindful of these practices and possible barriers.

The deliverables are required to be submitted in hardcopy and softcopy (Microsoft Word) and will consist of the following:

• Detailed report on options for developing a creative industries training program for male and female youth in Kiribati, including identification of appropriate creative industries with commercial potential, advice on the marketing opportunities for these products, identification of trainers with skills in these industries, information relating to  any cultural or other barriers that may relate to skills transfer, identification of suitable youth groups for training and implementation proposal.

The report should include a list of all literature reviewed and persons consulted. The consultation requires travel to Kiribati to be undertaken. This task must be completed by 30 June, 2009.

Qualified and experienced women and Pacific Islanders are encouraged to apply. All Expressions of Interest containing the CV of the Consultant, rates for services and availability to undertake the tasks must be received by UNESCO by 31 March, 2009.  Short-listed candidates will be notified by 17 April, 2009 and invited to submit a detailed proposal by 30 April, 2009.

Guidelines covering UNESCO’s contractual requirements and format for development of the proposal will be provided to all short-listed candidates.

For further information please contact Sue Vize at s.vize@unesco.org or on (685) 24276.
Expressions should be marked “Creative Industries Kiribati” and may be submitted by post, email or fax to the following address:

The Director
UNESCO Apia
PO Box 615 Apia, SAMOA
Ph: (685) 24276; Fax: (685) 22253; Email: s.vize@unesco.org

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International Finance Corporation
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) – SENIOR LEASING SPECIALISTS, ADVISORY SERVICES

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, is one of the leading investors and lenders in emerging markets.  In addition to investment activity, IFC has developed significant expertise and track record in advisory services. Leasing is a major component of IFC Advisory Services (AS) activity, which is delivered to IFC clients through a network of multi-donor funded operations managed by IFC Regional Facilities that span the following seven regions,  Africa, Central & Eastern Europe, East Asia & the Pacific, South Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, Middle East & North Africa, and Southern Europe & Central Asia.

IFC’s Global Leasing Program (the Program) aims to foster access to medium and long term equipment financing to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), by increasing the availability of lease financing in developing countries. The Program works in close coordination with IFC Regional Advisory Facilities, IFC Global Financial Markets Department, and the World Bank  to promote conducive regulations and laws, build capacity of leasing institutions and banks, and raise market awareness on the benefits of leasing for SME access to finance.

The Program is currently seeking Senior Leasing experts who can help IFC clients (Banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions) set-up or improve their Leasing operations. The missions typically will range from short-term consulting to Resident Advisor assignments and will require technical focus in the following areas: 1) strategy design / implementation, 2) integrated risk management, 3) financial / internal control, and 4) MIS implementation.  Priority regions covered will include, but will not be limited to, East Asia & the Pacific (China, Mongolia) and Africa.

Minimum Criteria for Short Listing Consultants

* Managerial and operational experience in small and mid-ticket leasing in both developed and emerging countries.
* More than 10 years of experience, in various positions including: credit, risk management, financial/ internal control, and international development.
*  Experience in a bank-owned leasing company and consulting experience and/or experience in private equity/ investment banking/ project financing.
*   Strong financial knowledge and analytical skills. Experience in financial modeling and ability to assess main aspects of a financial institution’s operations, including strategy, product/services design, credit risk management, credit underwriting, collections, etc…
*    Technical expertise in SME Finance concepts, products and methodologies in developed and emerging markets. Familiarity with international best market practices and global trends in SME Financing and Lease Financing.
*    Strong client orientation and ability to generate and sustain commitment to quality and results on the ground.
*    Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to work in an inter-disciplinary, team-oriented environment as a team member as well as a team leader.
* Sound business judgment, demonstrated ability to deliver results under pressure, and “roll-up sleeves” attitude.
*    Advanced degree in business, finance, economics, or related areas.
*    Strong communications skills, ability to make persuasive oral and written presentations
*    Ability to deal sensitively with others in a multi-cultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
*    Flawless integrity and decisiveness.
*    Commitment to the World Bank Group and IFC’s mission, strategy and values.
*   Fluency in English, working knowledge of two other languages would be a plus.
*    Ability and willingness to travel extensively.

Submission of EOI

Candidates fitting the minimum criteria above should send an expression of interest with their resume of no more than 2 pages total to: Leasing@ifc.org by April 3, 2009. Selected consultants will be pooled in a database and will be sent a request to present their proposals on a project per project basis. Final selection will be made based on technical and regional experience as well as geographical location.

Inquiries and submissions may be emailed to: Leasing@ifc.org Attn.: Senior Leasing Specialist

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Asian Development Bank
TA Name: Regional Partnerships for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Preparedness
Country: Regional
TA Number: 6496
Project Number: 41187- 01
Fund Source: Approved
Budget: US $1 million

The Pacific island countries regularly suffer the impacts of natural hazards, including hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunami, and floods. The region has recognized the need to be better placed to respond to the impacts of these events, and adaptation measures are steadily being incorporated in national plans and development schemes with the support of development partners. One gap in mechanisms to cope with natural disasters is the availability of catastrophe insurance. However, sound geophysical information is required as a base for decision making regarding adaptation and also as a basis for an insurance scheme.

The Pacific ROBP 2007-2010 has as one of its three strategic objectives to support the effective provision of regional public goods. More specifically, the ROBP notes the intention to work with international and regional organizations to develop regional partnerships for climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness. A specific activity for this was included in the 2009 non-lending pipeline.

However, the World Bank in 2008 has commenced work to examine the suitability of its Caribbean Catastrophe Insurance Facility for the Pacific. The opportunity to work in partnership with the World Bank has therefore arisen earlier than initially anticipated. The World Bank is an essential partner given their institutional knowledge accumulated in this area in the Caribbean. ADB brings to the task a wider membership among Pacific nations and a larger Pacific portfolio representing many years of practical operations in Pacific developing member countries. It is anticipated that other development partners may become involved in the wider catastrophe insurance project as it develops with opportunities for cooperation on components including parametric modeling, and legal and financial analysis. Building such partnerships are highlighted as a priority within the Pacific ROBP.

Project Impact: A strengthened financial resilience of participating Pacific islands to the effects of natural disasters.
Geographical Location: Pacific developing member countries.
Procurement: Consulting Services Consulting Services yet to be determined. Responsible ADB Officer Edy Brotoisworo
Responsible ADB Department: Pacific Operations Division, Pacific Department
Executing Agency: Asian Development Bank
(Note: We met with this project officer during the recent trade mission to ADB. He is a very cooperative person to communicate with. An introduction can be facilitated.)
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One-minute lesson

What is the difference between an international consultant and a local consultant when required for a project?

Basically, the international consultant is YOU! The local consultant will be one based in the country where the project will take place. Local consultants are used to:

(1) give the international consultant a higher degree of local knowledge and provide in-country support, and  (2) build the capacity of the country involved
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Did you miss any of the previous newsletters? Please write to us below and we’ll be very happy to send them to you!

To receive newsletters regularly, please register on the Australian Tropical expertise website at  http://www.australiantropicalexpertise.com.au/ which is managed by Advance Cairns or contact Lianne Brown at cco@advancecairns.com to be added to the mailing list.

For more information about projects or assistance in finding project partners, please contact:

Graham Poon
graham@kleinhardt.com.au
Ph: (07) 4040-7100
Mobile: 0448-951454

Kathy Rankin
Kathy.Rankin@dtrdi.qld.gov.au
Ph: (07) 4048-1126
Mobile: 0417 753 759

Disclaimer: This information is provided as general information only. You should ensure that any actions taken are suitable for your own situation. Work in developing countries may have a higher risk in health and security aspects.

Tropical Queensland has an unenviable record of natural disasters since the time of European settlement. Tropical cyclones and associated sea surges, in particular, are a threat to life and property.

Using coastal sedimentary deposits set down during cyclonic and tsunami events, Professor Jon Nott has recently extended the chronicle of disasters into prehistory. His work has greatly improved knowledge of disaster incidence and frequency through time, enabling more accurate risk assessment than ever before. It has also resulted in a methodology to assess the scale of prehistoric events, revealing the frightening proportions of some weather events.

Disaster management agencies nationwide are concerned about a general lack of hazard awareness and preparedness in the community.

Information from surveys of community understanding of weather warnings and of general disaster preparedness by Associate Professor David King and colleagues in JCU’s Centre for Disaster Studies have improved the capacity of public agencies and coastal populations in the tropics to apply best practice in dealing with natural disasters.

The research showed that public education programs and radio broadcast warning advice need to better consider community diversity.

The research team worked with the Bureau of Meteorology and residents of remote Indigenous and non-English speaking communities to develop weather warnings and web advisory services appropriate to these groups.

In collaboration with Queensland Health, Queensland Education and Queensland Emergency Services, the Centre set up a cyclone awareness educational program, targeting primary school children via the Web.

Using results from surveys conducted after cyclones Larry and Monica in 2006, the Centre showed that resilience in the wake of natural disasters is now a more pressing issue than community preparedness.

These more recent results have been influential in moving public education practice and public authority action planning towards emphasising resilience.

Biologists first started noticing a worldwide decline in amphibian populations about 20 years ago. The ecological research of Professor Ross Alford of JCU’s School of Marine and Tropical Biology was instrumental in establishing the reality of amphibian population crashes in protected habitats. Australian amphibian populations, most diverse in the Wet Tropics, are recognised by the Queensland and federal governments as subject to this global trend of severe population declines.

From the late 1970s, starting in southeast Queensland, rainforest frog populations experienced a series of crashes, culminating in the disappearance of eight species in the Wet Tropics in the 1990s. The causes of these declines, and similar ones in other parts of the world, remained a mystery until researchers in the Schools of Public Health & Tropical Medicine and Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences, led by Professor Rick Speare, discovered and described the disease chytridiomycosis and the organism, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes it.

Subsequent research by JCU’s Amphibian Disease Ecology Group showed that this disease caused the declines and disappearances in the Wet Tropics.

Professor Alford, working with a group of international researchers in Panama, proved conclusively that the disease can be absent from all amphibians in a region, appear suddenly, and cause massive die-offs.

His group is now investigating how the fungus interacts with other microbes that live on frogs, with the goal of developing probiotic mechanisms to prevent and treat the disease.

Because of JCU research, chytrid fungal infection has been recognised as a “Key Threatening Process” in the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

A Threat Abatement Plan drafted by Professor Speare has been adopted by the Australian Government.

Professor Speare is collaborating with a group of African researchers to test the hypothesis that the fungus has spread from a source in Africa to Australia and elsewhere, almost certainly as a bi-product of the global amphibian trade.

As a result of his efforts, the World Organisation for Animal Health has placed chytrid fungal infection on the Wildlife Diseases List, the first entry specific to amphibians. The Organisation is developing standards that will establish quarantine and other mechanisms to minimise its spread.

Palm Oil is the cash crop with the greatest economic importance to Papua New Guinea, directly supporting about 20,000 small-holder families and six large companies and bringing in increasing export earnings ($264 million in 2006).

Company plantations achieve yields of 20-35 tonnes of fresh fruit bunches per hectare annually. However smallholders, who control half of the area cultivated, on average achieve only about half of this yield. Improvement in smallholder productivity will have huge economic and social benefits through enhancing rural incomes and social advancement. Developing practical ways to improve smallholder production is a national research and development priority.

Fertiliser is the largest cost but also offers the highest potential return on investment in oil palm plantations and its use holds the key to this problem. In collaboration with scientists in the PNG Oil Palm Research Association, CSIRO and Massey University, and with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the European Union and AusAID, agronomist Dr Paul Nelson investigated inefficiencies in the uptake of nitrogen, magnesium and potassium in fertilisers.

The research involved field trials at more than 25 plantation and smallholder blocks, glasshouse and laboratory experiments, and re-examination and packaging of regional soil survey data into a GIS format, to make this information widely accessible.

The research established methodologies, types and application rates to maximise the benefits of fertiliser use in relation to soil type. An immediate benefit was improved site-specific fertiliser recommendations for the main smallholder areas in West New Britain and Oro provinces. To come up with improved management practices, the agronomic research results were integrated with new cash management and payment strategies from research by others into socio-economic limitations to production.

Field days, radio programs and local planning committee and grower association meetings were used for telling growers about practical steps they could take. One outcome is that production data from West New Britain, which generates about half of the national crop, has shown a gain in palm oil crop yields of about 30 per cent. Training programs have been provided for over 300 smallholder advisers and plantation managers and the way fertiliser is applied is being modified throughout PNG.

The northern Queensland coast is prone to major tropical storms and cyclones. Tropical Cyclone Althea struck the Townsville region on Christmas Eve 1971, causing extensive property damage and disruption to the community.

In more recent years, Tropical Cyclone Larry crossed the tropical north Queensland coast near Innisfail in March 2006, and although no lives were lost, damage to infrastructure and crops was valued at around half a billion dollars.

Three years after Tropical Cyclone Althea, Tropical Cyclone Tracy caused significant damage to houses in Darwin, leading to industry and government recognising the need for a better approach for the design of buildings and other structures in cyclone-prone regions. This led to the establishment in 1977 of the Cyclone Testing Station associated with JCU’s School of Engineering.

For more than 30 years, the Cyclone Testing Station has provided independent advice to industry and government on the effects of severe winds on structures such as low-rise domestic and industrial buildings. This advice has also been incorporated in design codes and standards for buildings and their components in Australia and overseas, and has resulted in new buildings being able to cope better with tropical cyclones.

Under the guidance of research director Dr John Ginger, the Cyclone Testing Station leads engineering research into wind effects on structures. Research includes wind load effects and response of building components such as roof cladding, timber trusses, ceiling and internal wall linings, fatigue failure of light gauge building components and the vulnerability of buildings.

The Station simulates wind loads on full-scale buildings and their components, and at model scale in its wind tunnel. In addition, it makes use of computational analytical methods.

It communicates directly with its benefactors which include state and local governments, insurance and building supply companies. The Station’s research has influenced the State Government policy on storm tide mitigation and contributes to the prevention of catastrophic loss of life and property.