Boomerang Australia Studies
Darlinghurst NSW 2010 SYDNEY
Contact detailsTel: (612) 9356 4125 (Spanish) or
(612) 9331 8627 (French, Italian)
Fax: (612) 9475 4078
Opening hours :Monday to Friday
10.00am to 5.30pm
Contact : France Arnaud (Director)
News Flash
Australia’s greenest universities
Australia’s education institutions are working hard to promote an environmentally friendly approach to education in every sense.A report in "The Australian" newspaper recently highlighted the 10 universities with the greenest credentials.
1. Monash University: Winner of the 2010 Premier's Sustainability Award, the UN Association Education Award and the 2009 Banksia Environmental Award, Monash offers degrees in sustainability and runs the Monash Sustainability Unit. Two new student residences at Clayton campus, boasting solar panels, grey water recycling and high efficiency hydronic heating, have received a five-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia.
2. Australian National University (ANU): Winner of the 2009 International Sustainable Campus Network award for getting the university community involved in its ANUgreen programme which works to reduce the environmental impact of its research and teaching. Home to the Climate Change Institute.
3. Macquarie University: Winner of the 2010 NSW Green Globe Public Sector Award for its all-inclusive approach to sustainability. Has achieved large scale savings on energy, water and waste. In 2001, Macquarie won the Green Globe for its gas-fuelled cogeneration plant which reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 44%.
4. University of Western Sydney (UWS): works on sustainability across the board: teaching and learning, research, administration, community engagement, transport, recycling, waste, water and buildings. Even their carpets have 50% recycled content. Lead institution on an international study of turnaround leadership for sustainability in higher education.
5. University of Adelaide: Innova21, engineering, mathematical, computer sciences and six-star Green Star building, won the 2011 National Award for Sustainable Architecture from the Australian Institute of Architects. The university runs an ‘ecoversity’ program to reduce its carbon footprint and has a specially developed web-based data management platform that streamlines the capture and reporting of environmental data so it can see its frootprint at the touch of a button. Home to the Environmental Institute Climate & Ecology.
6. University of Melbourne: Has set a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and is making the university greener all round. Since 2006, it has reduced nett energy emissions by 43% and water consumption by 30%
7. Charles Sturt University: Winner of the 2011 Green Gown Award for Excellence from the Australian Campuses Towards Sustainability. CSU has set operational targets to cut energy and water use by 25%, increase biodiversity by 20%, and become carbon neutral by 2015. By 2014, it plans to have reduced solid waste by 70%.
8. University of the Sunshine Coast: University buildings have been designed to be energy efficient and reduce the need for air-conditioning in this hot, humid Queensland. First Australian university to gain full accreditation from the Urban Development Institute of Australia for sustainability across ecosystems, waste, energy, materials, water and community.
9. James Cook University: Winner of the 2010 Australian Business Award for environmental sustainability and the 2011 Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association (TEFMA) Innovation Award for its approach to reducing energy consumption. JCU is a world leader in reef and rainforest research. Its TropEco program aims to promote on-campus environmental sustainability through a range of programmes, fun activities and competitions that encourage wide-scale behavioural change.
10. La Trobe University: Winner of the 2011 Green Gown Award, judges hailed it as "an excellent example of sustainability across the whole institution, with measureable outcomes, powerful internal communications and strong leadership and direction from senior management." Appointed Australia’s first Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) in 2010 and was the first university in the world to publish an externally assured sustainability report on its social, environmental and economic footprint. The report, Responsible Futures, won the ‘Best First Time report’ award at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sustainability Reporting Awards.
University of Sydney leads science rankings
The University of Sydney has been ranked first in Australia, first in the Oceania region and 53rd in the world in the SCImago Institutions Rankings World Report 2011
The SIR rankings analyse scientific output, international collaboration, scientific impact, specialisation and excellence for 3042 research institutions around the world including universities, government agencies, research hospitals and major companies.
Other Australian institutions to rank highly in the international list were: the University of Melbourne – 2nd in Australia and the region, 57th in the world; the University of Queensland - third in Australia and the region, 77th in the world; UNSW - fourth in Australia and the region, 87th in the world; Monash University - fifth in Australia and the region, 117th in the world; the Australian National University - sixth in Australia and the region, 172nd in the world; the University of Western Australia - seventh in Australia and the region, 236th in the world; the CSIRO - eighth in Australia and the region, 239th in the world; and the University of Adelaide – 10th in Australia and the region and 295th
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY IN FOCUS
A massive $320 million has been invested across Griffith University’s five campuses, including the most significant in the University’s 40-year history, the $150 million Griffith Health Centre on the Gold Coast .Located in the middle of the Health and Knowledge Precinct and directly across the road from the State Government’s $1.76 billion Gold Coast University Hospital, the health group is set to become a world leader when it is completed in 2013.
It is the catalyst for the University’s largest growth over the next decade with student enrolments set to tip 21,500 by 2020 on the Gold Coast alone. There are currently 43,000 students enrolled across the University’s five campuses, hailing from 131 countries, with Gold Coast enrolments amassing more than 16,500.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has trumpeted the project and surrounding developments as one of the most significant health commitments in the state and a boost to the local economy.
“The Health and Knowledge Precinct will be home to new industries driving the Gold Coast’s economic development and prosperity,” the Premier says.
“The Gold Coast Health and Knowledge precinct provides a unique opportunity to bring the visions of the Queensland State Government, Griffith University and the Gold Coast City Council together to drive economic growth for the city and surrounding region over the next 10 to 15 year period.”
If you are planning to study a Health Specialisation, contact us so that we can find you the best options.
SOCIAL NETWORKING IN SYDNEY
You are French, you live in Sydney and you are interested in networking and meeting other fellow or Australian professionals? Take advantage of the UFE Sydney Gala (Overseas French Union ) on 2nd December 2011 at Sofitel Wentworth Hotel, 61 Philip Street.If you don't know anyone yet, contact us at Boomerang Australia Studies, we are organising a table of 10!
Infos
Vous êtes Français, vous habitez Sydney et vous rechercher à connaitre des professionnels compatriotes ou Australiens? Profitez du gala organisé par l'UFE SYdney (Union des Francais de l'Etranger) le 2 décembre au l'hotel Sofitel Wentworth Hotel, 61 Philip Street.
Si vous ne connaissez personne, contactez-nous à Boomerang Australia Studies, nous organisons une table de 10!
Infos
Sydney e-commerce company means (big) business
Eddie Machaalani, a bachelor of science and computing graduate from UTS, and partner Mitchell Harper have come a long way from 18-hour days coding software in a friend’s spare room.Their company Big Commerce now employs more than 70 people globally, boasts an annual revenue of $10 million (EUR7.3m), and just raised $15 million (EUR11m) in investment from a large US venture capital firm.
The company provides small to medium businesses with the full e-commerce platform and shopping cart software needed to sell products online, handling the hosting, software upgrades and making sure the online store is always open for business. They now have 20,000 customers.
The investment in Big Commerce is the latest in a series of Australian technology companies attracting impressive funding (read about Atlassian in ‘Australia’s runaway IT success story' in International News) and start-ups being purchased by high profile companies. Tapulous, the leading game app maker for the iPhone and iPad recently acquired by Disney, was founded by University of Melbourne law and commerce graduate Andrew Lacy.
Boost in graduate salaries in Australia
The full-time earnings of recent Australian graduates increased by 35% in the first three years after course completion, according to the 2010 Beyond Graduation Survey (BGS) by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA).The BGS followed up more than 10,000 individuals who completed a course of study from an Australian higher education institution three years earlier. It found that the median earnings of Australian bachelor degree graduates in full-time employment increased from $45,000 (EUR32,450) when they were surveyed in 2007 to $60,800 (EUR43,830) in 2010.
The research also found that Australian bachelor degree graduates enjoyed low unemployment rates during the same period, with just 3.3% of graduates in the full-time labour market unemployed at the time of the 2010 survey.
The majority of Australian bachelor degree graduates in full-time employment at the time of the survey reported that they were in a job that was related to their full-time career goals, with graduates from the study fields of education, health, and engineering and related technologies the most likely to be so employed. Infos.
Australian scientist Brian Schmidt one of trio awarded Nobel Physics Prize
For the first time since 1915, an Australian has taken home the Nobel Prize for Physics. Astrophysicist Brian Schmidt last night became only the 12th Australian to win a Nobel prize, recognised for his ground-breaking research on supernovae and the expansion of the universe.The Nobel jury announced that Professor Schmidt, 44, had won this year's physics prize alongside fellow astrophysicists Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess of the US.
"I'm in shock," Professor Schmidt said after he heard last night he would split half of the $1.5 million award for physics.
The US-born Australian citizen will share the prize with his long-time friend and collaborator Professor Riess, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Space Telescope Science Institute.
THE Nobel Prize jury has inadvertently honoured a Canadian scientist who died days before the announcement, which contravenes the rules of the award.
The other half of the prize goes to Professor Perlmutter, an astrophysicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley.
While they worked on two separate teams, all three were honoured for using data from exploding stars called supernovae to discover the accelerating rate of the expansion of the universe - including the probable end of the universe in ice - and the importance of so-called dark energy.
The Nobel jury said the trio's discoveries had changed humanity's understanding of the universe. "In 1998, cosmology was shaken at its foundations, as two research teams presented their findings," the jury said.
Australians have now won 12 Nobels, all but one for science and medicine, with the exception being Patrick White's literature award in 1973. Professor Schmidt is the first Australian winner since 2009, when molecular biologist Elizabeth Blackburn was named the Nobel laureate for physiology or medicine.
The first Australians to win a Nobel prize were William Bragg and his son, Lawrence, who were jointly awarded the prize in physics in 1915 for their analysis of crystal structures using X-rays.
Professor Schmidt, of the Australian National University and Mount Stromlo Observatory, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT last night he was "weak in the knees, really excited, and somewhat . . . amazed".
He later said it might not have happened if he hadn't met his Australian wife at Harvard and moved here 17 years ago.
"Being in Australia was probably absolutely essential for being part of this," he said. "I came here at the age of 27 and was (given the resources) to run an international team. And you know that's a uniquely Australian thing."
He described Mount Stromlo as "one of the great astronomical institutions in the world".
The future laureate completed high school in Alaska, and then went to the University of Arizona in Tucson to begin his career in cosmology and astrophysics.
He did graduate work at Harvard University and then, with his new wife, moved to Australia where he is currently at the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.
''Adam Riess and I were working very closely at the time, trying to figure out this crazy result,'' he recalled of the moment more than a decade ago when they realised that, according to their findings, the cosmos was accelerating toward disconnected nothingness.
''It seemed too crazy to be right. We were a little scared.''
While not undertaking astronomy, Schmidt lives with his family on a 35-hectare farm just outside of Canberra, where he maintains a vineyard and winery, he wrote in an autobiography for another award, the Shaw Prize.
ANU vice-chancellor Ian Young said he was overjoyed. "He has shown that what we see in the skies is but a tiny fraction of what is really out there. Brian reminds us of the infinite mysteries yet to be understood."
The two research teams found more than 50 distant supernovae whose light was weaker than expected. This was proof that the expansion of the universe was accelerating.
Albert Einstein had reached the same conclusion in 1917 but thought it must be wrong, calling it his "greatest blunder". So how does Professor Schmidt feel to prove Einstein both right and wrong? "It feels pretty good," he told The Australian. " I'm not sure what old Albert would think but he'd be scratching his head for sure."
AUSTRALIA AT THE FOREFRONT OF SCIENCE DISCOVERY!
Earliest life forms discovered in Australia's West!Extraordinarily preserved microfossils discovered in a slab of rock in a remote part of Western Australia are providing insights into the type of life that first existed on Earth.
Scientists based in The University of Western Australia's Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis in collaboration with Oxford University have found tiny fossils of microbes that lived by the sea 3.4 billion years ago. They consist of carbonaceous cells along with the protective tubes (sheaths) that housed some of these cells.
UWA Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr David Wacey said the discovery indicates that earliest life relied on sulphur, not oxygen, to survive. "This ability to essentially ‘breathe' sulfur compounds has long been thought to be one of the earliest stages in the transition from a non-biological to biological world", said Dr. Wacey.
Knowing what the most simple life on Earth looked like will help scientists search for and recognise life elsewhere, even on the planet Mars. The microfossils were found between grains of sand at Strelley Pool, a remote region of the Pilbara. They are the oldest microfossils ever to be found in sandstones, extending the record of life on Earth in such rocks by about 300 million-years.
POSITIVE CHANGES FOR STUDENT VISAS IN 2012
The 41 recommendations made by Mr Michael Knight in the Knight Review of the Australian Student Visa Program look, in the first instance, to be very encouraging for the Australian University sector. With implementation of the streamlined visa processing times, post study work rights and improved integrity measures, the Knight Review reforms should lead to increased interest from international students looking at Australia as a study destination.
The Knight Review is still being analysed by universities . It is anticipated that it will take some time before the full implications become clear, with implementation of the recommendations not due until sometime in 2012.
The main significant change will be about granting a "Post Study Work Visa" to international students willing to work in Australia after obtaining an Australian universitiy degree. It will be only valid for full time studies and applicable to Bachelor and Master degrees only (it does not include Graduate Certificates and Diplomas). International students meeting these requirements will be able to work between 2 to 4 years in Australia. It is supposed to be implemented in 2012, we will inform you immediately when the dates of application will be published. Read more.
70,000 years of Aboriginal settlement in Australia
The first genome of a 100-year-old hair from an Australian aborigine establishes the arrival of migrants from Africa to Australia about 50,000 to 70,000 years ago.DNA testing of a 100-year-old lock of hair from an aborigine helped establish the early migration of Africans to Australia about 50,000 years ago.
The lock of hair was donated to British anthropologist Alfred Haddon in the early 20th century by an aboriginal man from Western Australia's Goldfields region. DNA sequencing of the hair showed the man was a direct descendant of African migrants. It showed no genetic input for modern European Australians who migrated to the country much later.
University of Western Australia archeologist Dr Joe Dortch, who co-authored the study, said the finding is significant because it indicated a timeline for Australian inhabitants of at least 50,000 years.
"So far there are no (archeological) sites that are over 50,000 years old so it puts a time limit on that and focuses our future efforts.... No one else in the world can say, 'I am descended from people who have been here 75,000 years'," ABC News quoted Mr Dortch.
The findings appear to provide an answer to the question if there was a single wave of migration out of Africa into Europe, Asia and Australia. One theory is that the first migrants to Australia were branched off from the Asian population who were differentiated from European ancestors.
Mr Dortch said the study indicated that when the first migrants in Australia arrived, the Asian and European ancestors have not differentiated and were probably still in Africa or the Middle East.
David Lambert, the co-author and professor of evolutionary biology at Griffith University, pointed to the natives in Papua New Guinea and Aetas of the Philippines as the ones closest to the population of Australian aborigines.
Hair analysis expert Silvana Tridico, who contributed to the study published Friday in the Science journal, said that he was able to see features on the hair shafts such as ochre and weather conditions in the harsh outback. He said the research showed that hair preserved not under frozen condition could still be used for genome sequencing minus the risk of modern human contamination typical in ancient bones and teeth.
Stanford University paleoanthropolist Richard Klein added that most of the early migrations to Australia, whether by people or animals, were not successful because of the continent's desert land. However, the aboriginal Australians found they way to the country's south which has vegetation and helped the migrants survive to this day.
FIVE Australian universities have been rated among the world's top 50
Eight Australian institutions made it into the top 100 - 23 are in the top 500 - in the QS World University Rankings, released on 5 September 2011.
The outstanding result has been welcomed by sector leaders. Top of the local league was the Australian National University, ranked 26 in the world, followed by the University of Melbourne at 31.
Universities Australia chief executive Glenn Withers said: "To have something like 60 per cent of Australian universities in the top 500 shows the strength of our system by world standards, given there are some 16,000 institutions. (But) we need to maintain that strength. "
We are looking for the base funding review and the way the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency are going to operate to help us maintain that strength in the system." Griffith University's deputy director, research policy, and QS board member Tony Sheil, said the rankings were "capturing more up-and-coming universities, especially from the fast-growing economies like China, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea".
This was in contrast to one of its rivals, the Academic Ranking of World Universities, previously known as the Shanghai Jiao Tong, whose methodology is heavily weighted towards research performance and tends to favour older universities. "The good news for Australia is that it performs very well on both rankings - our universities conform to what some call the global university model," Mr Sheil said. "(However) QS does need to have a closer look at the data accuracy contained in several indicators."
The QS methodology allocates a 40 per cent weighting for academic reputation, gauged via a worldwide questionnaire, 10 per cent for reputation among employers, 20 per cent for student-to-staff ratio, 20 for citations per academic staff member, and 5 per cent each for international staff and international students.
"In whichever evaluations you refer to in recent times, the QS World University Rankings by Subject, The Excellence in Research for Australia initiative, or the Shanghai rankings, Melbourne keeps getting stronger," QS vice-president John Molony said. Mr Gallagher agreed that while "there are different perspectives and flaws in all rankings systems, the consistent message is that they reinforce different groupings, especially the top tier".
The field of global rankings for universities is intensely competitive. QS claims to be the most extensive of its kind, evaluating more than 700 universities. Its results are the second set to be published in the current rankings season. The recently published ARWU rankings ranked the Go8 universities at the top of the local league. The final big-name global rankings for the year, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011, conducted with Thomson Reuters, are due out next month.
ACT OF KINDNESS SYDNEY 2011
Sydneysiders may have a reputation for being brash, busy and preoccupied but sometimes they do go out of their way for strangers!!
Sharing Birthday food with homelessmen in the park, offering someone who's coughing at the train station a tissue and using Facebook to return an expensive smartphone it it owner are just a few stories Sydneysiders have submitted to a public art Project launching on Friday 23 September for the City of Sydney's Art and about Festival.
For the 24th Kaldor Public Art Project in partnership with Art & About, celebrated UK artist Michael Landy has created a major new work, Acts of Kindness, for Sydney. Acts of Kindness explores the meaning of kindness in today’s fast-paced world, focusing on the simple everyday gestures of compassion and generosity that occur throughout the city streets and often go unnoticed. Stories of kindness have been collected from people across Sydney to form the basis for Landy’s ambitious new artwork.
Visit lower Martin Place to see Landy’s 13-metre installation, mapping the Sydney CBD and indicating where the 200 stories of kindness have been placed throughout the city streets. Participate and send us your story of kindness for the online component of Acts of Kindness. Michael Landy is one of Britain’s best-known artists and is recognised as having created some of the most significant public art projects of the past decade. One of the Young British Artists of the 1990s, Landy became famous for his monumental project Break Down in 2001, in which he systematically destroyed all of his personal belongings, from his birth certificate to his car, in a former department store in London’s Oxford Street. Landy’s other major projects include Semi-Detached (2004) for which he reproduced his parents’ house to scale inside the galleries of Tate Britain, and Art Bin (2010) where he invited artists and members of the public to dispose of works of art, receiving contributions from fellow artists Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Gillian Wearing. Landy’s works explore the experience of life in a consumer world, reflecting on contemporary values, from economic worth to the importance of human relationships.
For Acts of Kindness, Landy has adapted the visual language of mapped directions, store logos and urban street signage that characterise the commerce and business of the Sydney city streets, to present his own interpretation of the city, focusing on the social interactions of its inhabitants and their stories.
Acts of Kindness, 2011
23 September - 23 October 2011
Installation in lower Martin Place, Sydney, and across 200 CBD sites
Read More
DAYLIGHT SAVING IN AUSTRALIA ON 2 OCTOBER 2011
Daylight saving begins in Australia apart Western Australia on Sunday 2 October 2011 at 2:00 am, when clocks will be put forward one hour.Daylight saving ends again in Australia on Sunday 1 April 2012, at 3:00 am when clocks will be put back one hour.
For future summers, daylight saving in New South Wales begins at 2:00 am, Eastern Standard Time, on the first Sunday in October and ends at 3:00 am Eastern Daylight Saving Time on the first Sunday in April. Read More
Wayne Swan named world's best Treasurer by Euromoney magazine
On 21 September Wayne Swan joined Paul Keating as the only Australians to be named by banking magazine Euromoney as the world's finance minister of the year. The Treasurer received the accolade for his judgment in steering the Australian economy through the global financial crisis and guiding a strong recovery.Mr Keating received the award at the end of his first year as treasurer in 1984.
"Mr Swan receives his award for his careful stewardship of Australia's finances and economic performance both during and since the global financial crisis," the magazine's citation says. "Throughout that time, Australia has not only avoided falling into recession, but has been the best performing of the world's developed market economies."
Mr Swan will receive the award on Friday in Washington, while there for meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the G20.
"Our first priority has always been jobs with decent pay and conditions," Mr Swan said last night. "There's an extra 750,000 Australians bringing home a pay packet since we were elected and that's what Labor governments are all about."
Euromoney acknowledged that Mr Swan had inherited a strong economy from his predecessor, Peter Costello, and also that Australia had been helped by the strength of the Chinese economy. "But, beginning with his swift response to stimulate the economy in 2007-08 despite strong opposition at home, Swan has succeeded in getting most of the important decisions right," the magazine said. These included the measures to stimulate the economy after the global financial crisis struck and putting in place an "exit strategy" and for returning the budget to surplus with "a fiscal discipline that many other finance ministers refuse to adopt".
Mr Keating, who received his award for floating the Australian dollar and deregulating the banking system, told Euromoney Mr Swan's achievement was "his ability to comprehend danger and act decisively to minimise it".
The magazine said: "If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, Wayne Swan's treasurership brought Australia through this profound crisis." Mr Swan's office circulated congratulatory comments from business, union and other leaders, including World Bank president Robert Zoellick, who said it was a "significant and deserved honour".
"This is the second time in the history of the awards that Euromoney's finance minister of the year has gone to an Australian treasurer, a demonstration that Australia has benefited from the continuity of effective, influential treasurers," Mr Zoellick said. Mr Swan's reputation in the international banking community exceeds his standing with Australian voters, who have rated the Coalition as the party best able to handle the economy throughout most of his tenure.
Vote for Australian icons to be named world’s most wondrous!
Tourism Australia is asking all Australians to lend their support as national icons Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef bid to become two of the world's New7Wonders of Nature.With less than 70 days left to vote, we need to get voting. The New7Wonders campaign is a global search to recognise the world's seven most wondrous natural sites, as voted by the general public. Both Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef have been shortlisted among the 28 finalists, which include New Zealand's Milford Sound, South Africa's Table Mountain and the USA's Grand Canyon.
"We know that Australia's candidates are phenomenal and stand a very strong chance - we just need the public to take action and vote," said Andrew McEvoy, Tourism Australia's Managing Director.
To vote for Australia's candidates, visit www.new7wonders.com or send an SMS with Uluru or Ayers Rock and GBR or Reef to 197 88 555* (SMS cost $0.55 including GST).
Mentors@Macquarie on hand to ease first-year stress
The first year at university can be a challenging time for any student. For international students, there is the added challenge of moving to a new country, adjusting to a different style of education and sometimes learning a whole new language.Mentors@Macquarie assists over 5000 international and domestic students each year as they take their first steps into study at Macquarie University.
The program starts with a week-long Academic Orientation before classes commence in February, after which first-year students are provided regular contact and assistance from mentors throughout their entire first year.
In August, Mentors@Macquarie hosted "Drop in B4 U Drop Out" - a joint initiative with Campus Wellbeing that provided support and information for students who were considering dropping out of a unit, or out of university altogether.
Dedicated Mentors@Macquarie Program Coordinator Kelly Sharpless says initiatives like these were part of the aim of being "one of the best mentor programs in Australia."
Mentor and international student Jack Wai-Him Yip says the program benefits the mentors as much as the students they assist.
"As an international student, I try to utilise every opportunity that can help me grow from my time in Australia," he says.
Mentors@Macquarie man the Mentor help desk in the Macquarie University Library.
"Mentors@Macquarie enables me to meet and help students from all over the world. My involvement has not just enriched the diversity of the program but it has helped me gain an insight into how awesome Australian culture is."
Participation in the program also enhances a student's employment prospects after graduation by building on interpersonal, communication skills and team building skills as well as leadership abilities.
"Mentoring offers opportunities that I can't find in other programs," says Bachelor of Commerce student Grace Zheng. "You can discover and develop your talent, which is then showcased in blogs and videos, and celebrated at the Mentor Awards Night."
INCREASE IN IELTS FEES
Please be aware that from August 1st, the IELTS exam fees will increased from AU$317 to AU$330, all over Australia.AUSTRALIAN THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH!!
Photo Agnes Chupin Les australiens sont le peuple le plus heureux du monde selon un indice mesurant la qualité de la vie réalisé et compilé par l'OCDE.l'OCDE a créé ce nouvel indice interactif qui permet aux individus de mesurer et comparer leur vie en allant au-delà des chiffres du PIB traditionnels. Cet indice de "vivre mieux" permet aux citoyens de comparer les niveaux de vie dans 34 pays, en se basant sur 11 dimensions comme le logement, les revenus, l'emploi, l'éducation, la satisfaction de la vie et la santé.
Les résultats montrent que les australiens sont les plus satisfaits de leurs vies, suivis par le Canada, la Suède, la Nouvelle Zélande, la Norvège, le Danemark, les Etats-Unis, la Suisse, les Pays-Bas et le Luxembourg. La France est dans les profondeurs du classement, confirmant la réputation de mécontents des français.
Les australiens ont le taux de satisfaction global le plus élevé avec 75%, spécifiquement dans les secteurs clés du bien être. Le revenu moyen des foyers australiens reste supérieur à la moyenne des pays de l'OCDE, et ce, même s'il a tendance à diminuer avec l'augmentation des biens de consommation et du logement, même constatation pour l'espérance de vie et la qualité de la vie en général. Les femmes ont plus de chances de retrouver un emploi après un arrêt pour élever leurs enfants, ce qui laisse suggérer que l'équilibre entre la vie personnelle et la carrière est mieux respecté.
Enfin, les australiens travailleraient également moins que les autres pays de l'OCDE ce qui renforcerait l'équilibre entre la vie et le travail, concept si cher aux australiens, le fameux "work-life balance"!
Australia scores high on quality of life
An international survey has ranked Australia's lifestyle as one of the best in the world.
The Better Life Index compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranks Australia highly in the areas of income, life expectancy, health, housing, employment, the environment, education quality and life satisfaction.
* Income: The average household income is US$27,039 (EUR18,735), well above the OECD average of US$22,284 (EUR15,441)
* Education: 70% of adults aged 25 to 64 have earned the equivalent of a high-school diploma. Australia is a top-performing country in terms of the quality of its educational system. The average student scored 515 out of 600 in reading ability according to the latest PISA student-assessment programme, higher than the OECD average.
* Employment: Almost 72% of people aged 15 to 64 have a paid job, and 71% of mothers are employed after their children begin school, suggesting that women are able to successfully balance family and career.
* Health & Environment: Life expectancy at birth in Australia is 81.5 years, more than two years above the OECD average. The level of atmospheric PM10 - tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs - is 14 micrograms per cubic meter, and is much lower than levels found in most OECD countries.
* Satisfaction: 75% of people in Australia said they were satisfied with their life, much higher than the OECD average of 59%.
AUSTRALIAN VISAS ON THE RISE
The Australian Department of Immigration - DIAC has just announced a fee increase for most visa application from 1 July:- The student visa will cost AU$565
- The working holiday visa will cost AU$270
- The long stay tourist visa e676 will cost AU$110
BOND LAW ACHIEVES MOOTING SUCCESS ON THE WORLD STAGE
Bond Law has triumphed in three international moot competitions so far for 2011, adding to the long list of accolades for the Faculty.This year’s wins include The Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) Intellectual Property Law Moot, Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong and the International Criminal Court Trial Competition in The Hague, Netherlands. The Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) Intellectual Property Law Moot was held at the BFSU Law School from May 21 to 22. Bond Law students received first place in the competition and Best Petitioner Memorial, with Bond student Henry Norris acknowledged as Best Advocate. The competition is held in Beijing each year with participation from high profile IP judges and internationally renowned IP lawyers.
Another prestigious win for the faculty was in the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot held in Hong Kong from April 4 to 10. Vis (East) is reputed as one of the biggest and most prestigious international moot competitions with 87 teams from more than 20 countries vying for the coveted title.
The International Criminal Court Trial Competition was held from April 10-15 in The Hague, Netherlands, with 21 universities representing 13 countries competing in this world-renowned competition. In addition to winning the competition, Bond Law students won accolades for Best Prosecution Team and Best Victims Counsel. Nalsar University of Law (India) and Osgoode Hall Law School (Canada) took out second and third places, respectively.
Réunions d'information par UFE Avenir à Sydney!
L'UFE Avenir de Sydney (Union des Français de l'Etranger) organise des sessions d'informations gratuites au consulat de France au 31 Market St pour tous les nouveaux arrivants. La présentation est en Français et traite des points essentiels pour vous aider à vous installer facilement à Sydney.Pour plus d'informations, cliquer ici.
DENNIS NONA REPRESENTED IN LYON!
The new museum Musée des Confluences being built in Lyon at the crossing of the Rhone and Saone Rivers and with the objective to hold amazing world collections and discussions about arts has chosen an Australian Indigenous artist to commission a giant statue in front of the museum. The artist name is Dennis Nona from the Torres Strait Islands who was exhibited earlier this year in Paris at the Australian Embassy Rue Jean Rey and soon at the museum of Rochefort from 3 June to 30 september 2011.
RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS IN THE CONSTITUTION
The Australian Constitution is the basis for Australian laws and political system and represents the values that define Australia as a nation. A lot has changed since the Constitution was written in 1901.Nowadays many Australians would be surprised to know that the Constitution still includes the possibility for discrimination based on your race, and ignores Australia's first peoples and their role as custodians of the world's oldest continuing culture.
The Australian people have the power to update the Constitution through a referendum so that it better reflects our shared values. In the latest referendum, 75% of Australians have voted positively to review the constitution and include the contribution of Indigenous Australians.
In light of this, the Australian Government has appointed The Panel to consult with the people and lead a nationwide discussion on the issue.
By December 2011, after a period of consideration, discussion and consultation with all Australians, the Panel will advise the government about the options for improving the Constitution to reflect modern Australian values and for the first time formally recognising the unique place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the history of Australia.
You Me Unity is the national conversation about updating our Constitution to recognise our first peoples and define equality for all Australians. Infos.
ADELAIDE'S REPUTATION ON THE RISE
Adelaide's reputation as a quality education provider among international students has risen dramatically according to a 2010 StudyAdelaide Brand Health report.While Adelaide's cost of living still ranks as the number one reason students come from abroad, quality of education has risen from 14th to the second most popular motive for choosing South Australia as a study destination in the last three years.
Adelaide also ranked more highly than any other capital city when it came to international students' overall perceptions.
Employment, Training and Further Education Minister Jack Snelling said it was hard to argue with a finding that showed nearly 60 per cent of students surveyed recognised Adelaide as Australia's "learning city".
"The survey endorses Adelaide's position as one of the country's, and indeed the world's, great learning cities and goes a long way to encouraging prospective overseas students and their families to put their faith in South Australia's international education system," Mr Snelling said.
"Adelaide's cost of living has always been a key component of attracting international students but it is pleasing to see our growing reputation as a quality education provider reflected in the findings."
The 2010 StudyAdelaide Brand Health Report surveyed 3500 current and prospective students and 200 parents about their experiences and perceptions of living and studying in South Australia.
The top 10 reasons for choosing Adelaide compared to 2007 were:
Cost of living
Quality of education
Safer place to live
Better place to live
Smaller city
Lifestyle
Family / friends live there
Tuition fees are lower
Best location for my course
Friendly / welcoming
Adelaide ranked the highest among international students perceptions of all Australian capital cities. 88.6 per cent of survey respondents perceived Adelaide as a good or excellent place to study, followed by Melbourne (66.4), Sydney (60.3), Brisbane (50.2), Perth (48.1) and Canberra (38.7)
Key findings of the study also included:
Adelaide has a high retention rate with 67 per cent of current students indicating they will continue to study here;
Three-quarters of current students indicated that Adelaide was their first preference for their current studies; and
The majority of students surveyed agreed that the Adelaide community is friendly and welcoming.
Prospect Research and Marketing Principal and author of the findings Robert Lawrence said the Brand Health Study results indicated Adelaide was a very attractive destination when it comes to international study.
"We set out to determine overseas students' attitudes and perceptions of Adelaide in comparison to other Australian cities and to determine the level of satisfaction with Adelaide as a study destination," Mr Lawrence said.
"What we found was that Adelaide rates highly in regard to quality of education, cost of living and friendliness and every time affordability, safety and education were mentioned in the survey Adelaide rated highly."
The Study Adelaide brand also received strong recognition with 50 per cent of students indicating they were aware of the brand, compared to just 7 per cent three years earlier.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY RECEIVED AN AMAZING GIFT!
An anonymous donor has given the University of Sydney a multi-million-dollar Picasso painting.The United States-based donor flew to Sydney last year to give the university the Picasso painting, "Jeune fille endormie", on the condition it was sold to fund scientific research.
The painting by the Spanish-born co-founder of cubism is expected to fetch up to $18 million when it goes to auction in June, making it one of the largest gifts to the university in its history. The artwork, only 40 centimetres wide, depicts Picasso's lover and muse, Marie-Therese Walter, in vivid colours.It was painted in 1935 at Picasso's French country home, Chateau de Boisgeloup.
Ronan Sulich, the Australian representative for Christie's auction house in London, which has the job of promoting the painting before it goes to auction, says it has rarely been seen by the public until now.
"It's a picture of Picasso's mistress Marie-Therese Walter with her arms crossed and her head sort of leaning on her arm asleep," he said.
Mr Sulich says the painting was originally bought by the founder of the Chrysler car company, Walter Chrysler."It was actually acquired by Walter Chrysler Jnr after it was painted and then it was sold by him to the current donor," he said. "It's only been seen in public once in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and then on tour in the US in 1941, and since then it's been tucked away in a private collection."
Sydney University vice-chancellor Michael Spence says the bequest came with three conditions.
"First, that the donor remain anonymous, second that the painting be sold and the proceeds be used for scientific research, and third, that the gift be recognised in particular ways which we will be announcing in due course," he said.
"I have learnt more about the fine art market in the last couple of months than I thought I would ever learn, and it's a very exciting and interesting world."
Dr Spence says the money will mostly go towards funding a new centre for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease."This is an unusual project because it will involve everything from economics of grocery shopping all the way through to the physiology of the metabolic disorders," he said. "It's a very holistic, pan-university approach to these really pressing social problems. It's a project into which the Government has already put $95 million, the total cost of which will be around $400 million, and one we think is very important not only for Australia but also for the world more generally."
IT TOOL TO FAST-TRACK INVESTIGATIONS
A tool developed by a University of South Australia team is the latest weapon designed to help fight terrorism.The UniSA software can fast-track data extraction from the massive amounts of unstructured information in counter terrorism data bases, including hard disks and mobile phones, and identify hidden patterns and relationships.
The application will be used by Australian law enforcement agencies for criminal investigations, but could also be applicable in the commercial world. UniSA Division of IT, Engineering and the Environment research dean Jill Slay, who also heads up the university's Forensic Computing lab, says the tool could save weeks and months on investigations.
AUSTRALIA'S RUNAWAY IT SUCCESS STORY
A few years ago University of NSW business information technology students Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes were running their software business out of their bedrooms.Today, their award-winning company Atlassian has offices in Sydney, San Francisco and Amsterdam, plus satellite offices in Poland and Brazil and Kuala Lumpur.
Atlassian's bestselling product remains its first, an "issue, bug and project tracker" called JIRA. JIRA, along with other creations such as Fish Eye (a source code browser), Bamboo and Green Hopper (a project management tool), which are all designed to help groups of people track inhouse projects, have helped pull in high-profile customers including video game designers such as Sony, Disney, Facebook, Microsoft and Cisco Systems, as well as BP, the Reserve Banks of Australia and New Zealand, Toyota, and Boeing. At last count they were servicing 20,000+ customers in more than 130 countries.
Atlassian now donates to a scholarship program for students taking the same course at UNSW that Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes did a decade ago.
Australian students among best in the OECD
The 2009 OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has revealed that Australian students remain among the top academic performers worldwide.PISA, a major international student assessment, tests the abilities of 15-year-olds in 65 countries every three years; with the focus of the assessment on one of the three major domains of reading (2000/2009), mathematics (2003) and science (2006).
PISA 2009 involved 470,000 students internationally, including 14,250 Australian students from 353 schools.
* Australian students performed well above the OECD average in all three assessment areas and are amongst the best in the OECD.
* Australia came nineth in reading; tenth in science; and fifteenth in maths, out performing the UK and USA. Of the European countries, only Finland consistently ranked higher than Australia across the three categories.
The PISA 2009 report is available at www.pisa.oecd.org. The PISA 2009 Australian national report is available at www.acer.edu.au/ozpisa.
The major reason why Australian results are high is the teaching methods combining learning and creative thinking, engaging students in debates.
STUDENTS SATISFACTION IN AUSTRALIA
International students around the world have to make some significant decisions about their education and their future. Studying a degree overseas represents a weighty investment. With so many factors to consider, choosing where to study can be both a daunting and an exciting prospect.
A recent national survey of international students studying in Australia (conducted by the Australian Government) showed the top four factors influencing tertiary students' decision of where to study were as follows: quality of teaching (94%); reputation of the qualification from their chosen education institution (93%); personal safety (92%), and reputation of the institution (91%).
This 2010 survey also confirms that international students currently studying in Australia have done the right choice: 86% of all international student respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall living experience in Australia and 84% were satisfied with their study experience.
The overall satisfaction with the information, advice and support provided to students on arrival, as reported by both HE and VET respondents to the 2010 survey, was 86%. The HE sector recorded a satisfaction rating of 86%, while the public VET sector recorded 87%, the same as for private VET.
All these figures confirm that studying in Australian universities offers students a rigorous and rewarding educational experience. Studying in an Australian university makes students globally employable, with strongly-set academic and professional skills. These skills are coupled with an enriching cross-cultural experience, brought about by the interactions and connections forged in a global classroom. Moreover Australian universities have built a strong international reputation for excellence and quality in the educational programs on offer. Australian degrees blend a good marriage between the generic nature of American undergraduate education and the specialised nature of British undergraduate educations.
As a summary, Australia is still the right study destination if you are looking at quality education, a safe country, good quality of life and excellent support during your studies.
AUSTRALIA AGAIN ON THE LIST OF BEST COUNTRIES TO LIVE IN!
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has nominated Australia as the second best country in which to live in 2010 according to their statistics on Human Development Index (HDI). All factors are calculated on the basis of richness, poverty, health and education criteria. InfosQUEENSLAND FLOODS UPDATES
Australia, like most parts of the world, is affected by extreme weather conditions from time to time. Recent heavy rainfalls in some parts of Australia, most notably in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, have caused river levels to rise and severe localised flooding. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected.The Australian Government is providing assistance to communities affected by the floods and will continue to work with the Queensland Government in providing support.
While visitors are urged to avoid the flood affected areas of Queensland and other states, Australia remains open for business and continues to welcome travellers.
The Australian continent is very large and whilst the floods are widespread, they are in fact restricted to a relatively small part of the country. The vast majority of the major international travel destinations in Australia, including Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, Melbourne and Uluru are all completely unaffected.
Below is some up to date detailed information from Queensland and New South Wales. Please feel free to provide this to your industry partners and clients.
Customers should also be advised to contact their travel agent, accommodation or tour provider directly if they have any concerns about any current bookings, or before considering changing their travel plans.
Tourism Australia is providing daily updates and links to official Queensland Government information on its consumer website www.australia.com, as well as its trade and corporate websites. Our international offices are also providing this information to consumer, media and trade enquiries.
Queensland Flood update
Access to parts of Queensland is currently affected by flooding. If you are planning to visit southern Queensland in the immediate future you should check official sources for up to date information about access to those areas.
Parts of Brisbane, Central Queensland, the Queensland Outback, Southern Downs and Granite Belt, Toowoomba and Darling Downs, Western Downs, South Burnett and the Lockyer Valley are currently affected by flooding and access is restricted in these areas. For information on latest conditions visit www.qld.gov.au/floods or http://131940.qld.gov.au for the latest road updates.
Most tourism businesses in Bundaberg, Gladstone, Agnes Water and 1770, Bargara beaches, Lady Elliot Island and Lady Musgrave Island, are now open and returning to normal business operation. There may however be some limited local road access.
The Gold Coast, Whitsundays, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns, Port Douglas and Tropical North Queensland are currently accessible and most tourism operations in these regions are open for business. This includes beaches, island resorts, accommodation providers, tours and attractions.
Most tourism operations on the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Coast are currently open; however localised flooding has affected road access in some of these areas. For latest road conditions visit http://131940.qld.gov.au/
With the exception of Rockhampton Airport, all Queensland airports are currently open. For those travelling by road, please visit http://131940.qld.gov.au/ for the latest updates on road closures and travel information.
Please contact your travel agent, accommodation, attraction or tour provider directly for concerns about any current or upcoming bookings you may have or before considering changing your travel plans.
For the latest flood news and updates Tourism Queensland recommends visiting the Queensland Government's official Queensland floods webpage: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/ or visit the Bureau of Meteorology http://www.bom.gov.au/ to check weather forecasts for your holiday destination.
People wishing to directly help flood victims can donate to the Queensland Government Flood Assistance Appeal at www.qld.gov.au/floods
New South Wales Flood update
Parts of northern New South Wales are currently affected by flooding which has led to the closure of some major roads and highways.
People intending to travel to northern New South Wales by road via the Pacific or New England Highways are advised to postpone their trip until flood waters subside and roads reopen.
The Pacific Highway is currently closed from Halfway Creek in the south to Maclean in the north while the New England Highway is closed north of the Queensland border. The alternative route between Coffs Harbour and Grafton, The Orara Way, is also closed in both directions.
The Gwydir Highway is closed between Grafton and Glen Innes. The Bruxner Highway is closed between Casino and Tenterfield and the Summerland Way is closed from Grevillia to the Queensland border.
In western New South Wales, the Kamilaroi Highway is closed between Bourke and Brewarrina.
For further updates on road closures visit the Roads and Traffic Authority's website at www.livetrafficnsw.com.au or contact the RTA Traffic Information Line on 132 701.
The State Emergency Service is also advising people who are camping in northern New South Wales to establish camp sites on high ground well above areas liable to flooding and that those travelling with caravans should also be parked well away from rivers and streams. The SES advises that rising rivers are likely to cut access so campers and caravanners should consider whether to find a different camping area where access will not be lost.
Further details and updates on flood emergency procedures visit http://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/ and for Emergency Assistance in Floods & Storms
Phone: 13 2500
Griffith University named best tourism educator
Griffith University's Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management achieved hall of fame status after taking out the Tourism Education and Training award for the third year in a row at the annual Queensland Tourism Awards in November 2010.
Professor Kristine Toohey, head of the Department of Tourism, Leisure, Hotel and Sport Management, said the University was proud of this achievement.
"It is recognition of our sustained excellence in educating the leaders of Queensland tourism," Professor Toohey said.
She attributed the department's success to their achievements in teaching and research.
"For a number of years we have been a world leader in tourism research and our students are taught by world experts who are providing them with cutting edge knowledge," Professor Toohey said.
"I believe we won these awards because we keep building on Griffith's sustained contributions in the tourism, hotel and event teaching areas.
"Thus, we go beyond training: we educate and generate knowledge to pass on to our students.
"Some of our past students are now leaders in Queensland tourism and I believe many of our present students will be the industry's future leaders."
Contact us if you are planning to study at Griffith University!!
WELCOME TO SYDNEY SEMINAR
The French Australian Chamber of Commerce in Sydney in partnership with avec Boomerang Australia Consulting organises an Information Seminar on Thursday 25 November at the Sydney Exhibition Centre : WELCOME TO SYDNEY: one Place, one Day, all the expertise your need to successfully settle down in Australia! Click here for further information. Contact us if you have questions.La Chambre de Commerce Franco-Australienne de Sydney en conjonction avec Boomerang Australia Consulting organise un séminaire d'informations le jeudi 25 novembre au Exhibition Centre de Sydney: WELCOME TO SYDNEY: un seul lieu, une seule journée, toute l'expertise dont vous avez besoin pour réussir votre installation en Australie! Cliquer ici pour plus de renseignements. Nous contacter si vous avez des questions.
Sydney still one of World's Most Liveable Cities
Sydney has retained its spot in the top ten of the world's most liveable cities.Sydney took out tenth place in the Mercer Quality of Living Survey, scoring 106.3 points. Melbourne ranked 18th on 104.8 points. Perth ranked 21st, Canberra 26th, Adelaide 32nd and Brisbane 36th.
The 2010 survey, covering 221 cities, is based on 39 criteria, including political, socio-economic, environmental, health, education, and transport.
In Mercer's eco-city ranking list, Adelaide was ranked at number seven. Criteria for the eco-city ranking include air pollution, traffic congestion, water availability, waste removal and sewage treatment.
Australia Defies Global Slump
Australia continues to resist the global downturn, with the country's deficit of almost A$41 billion (EUR 28 billion) estimated to turn into a surplus in 2012-13, three years earlier than forecast. The deficit peaked at 6.1% of GDP, a fraction of the percentage in the wealthy G7 countries. The economy is forecast to grow 3.25% next year and 4% in 2011-12, while unemployment has fallen from its peak last year of 5.8% to 5.3%. In a poll conducted by the Lowy Institute think tank, 86% of Australians were optimistic about the country’s economic performance over the next five years.ENHANCE YOUR CAREER PROSPECTS, STUDY OVERSEAS!!
A recent survey conducted by "i-Graduate Research" on the advantages of studying abroad, indicated that companies prefer to employ staff who have undertaken studies in a foreign country.
The article "Global Horizons and the Role of Employers" revealed that more and more international companies seek to employ "internationalised" graduates and, in particular, show preference for those who have undertaken a period of study abroad. According to the companies, those who have studied in another country are often more in tune with (cognitive of) cultural differences, are more adept at working in a team with colleagues of other nationalities as well as being readily available to travel for work.
Will Archer, Director of i-Graduate who conducted the survey over 15000 graduates, states: "This research should serve to inform students and parents and make them aware that. for those who study or have work experience in a foreign country, there are many more opportunities in the working world. Nowadays, it is important for each university graduate to demonstrate that they have a mind which is pliable and ready to be confronted at an international level. It would seem that the best way to demonstrate this to future employers would be to include in their curriculum, an experience of study and work abroad".
UTS MBA among the world's top 100 MBA!
UTS has made it onto the world's top 100 MBA list (and the top 14 in the Asia-Pacific region), according to international recruiters surveyed by QS Quacquarelli Symonds. Please refer to the following article for more information.UTS International believes this is further proof of the quality education that UTS provides to its MBA students and wishes to thank you for helping to realise this successful ranking, along with the Learning and Teaching Performance Fund top rating that we received from the Australian Government.
FREE SCHOOLING FOR PHD STUDENTS DEPENDENTS!!
NSW Government Announces Free Schooling for PhD Student Dependants !
The Department of Education and Training in the state of NSW has announced that NSW government school education fees will now be waived for dependants of international postgraduate doctorate students (with the exception of King Abdullah Scholarship holders). The change will be implemented for the 2010 school year. Those students who are entitled to a fee waiver and have already paid education fees for their dependants in advance will receive a refund of these fees.
The fees applicable to dependants of other postgraduate (masters by research and coursework) international students will not increase in 2010 but will continue to be charged at the 2009 rate. NSW government school education fees will continue to be waived for dependants of international students who are in receipt of a fully funded scholarship from the Australian government or from a government-funded Australian university.
Further information about fees for dependants of international students in NSW government schools can be found on the NSW Department of Education and Training website.
Contact us if you are planning to apply for a PHD.
Ne manquez pas le prochain COOEE au Side Bar mardi 4 mai !!! / Do not miss the next COOEE at the Side Bar ont the 4th of May !!!!
AUSTRALIAN CITIES AMONG THE MOST LIVEABLE CITIES IN THE WORLD!!!
According to the latest 2010 survey of the Economist Intelligence Unit, four Australian cities - Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide - are amongst the best 10 cities in the world to live in!!This research was done in 140 different cities and based on five main categories: geo-political stability, public health, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.
In the 2010 report concerning liveability in cities, Melbourne gathered 97,5 out of 100, Sydney 96,1 and Perth as well as Adelaide 95,9.
Infos.
DAYLIGHT SAVING IN AUSTRALIA COMING SOON!!!
Please remember that Australia will apply Daylight saving on Sunday 4 April 2010 at 3:00 am: clocks will be put back one hour, meaning that we will have now 8 hours difference with Europe (add + 8 hours from Europe, substract 8 hours from Australia to get European ).University of Sydney Nutures World Class Talkers
The University of Sydney has won this year's world debating championships, out arguing its counterparts from Oxford and Harvard universities.Steve Hind, ranked the No 2 debater in the world and an arts-law student, and Chris Croke, ranked No 5 and a student of social science and law, prevailed in the final. It was Sydney's fifth victory in the World Universities Debating Championship; the university has now won more championships than any other university.
Some 240 universities entered the competition this year, which is based on British parliamentary debating.
REUNION D'INFORMATION AVEC ACU NATIONAL LYON
Nous sommes ravis d'organiser une réunion d'information le 23 mars de 11h à midi au café Chères Cousines avec la représentante de l'université ACU National Louise Howie. Cette université australienne publique offre des carrières dans toutes les disciplines (niveau Licence et Master) et compte 3 campus: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane.
Merci de confirmer votre présence aupres de notre bureau de Lyon Marlene Guillemaut à france@boomerangaustralia.com ou tel: 04 78 24 22 13.
Adresse Chères Cousines: 23 Rue Bugeaud, 69006 Lyon (métro FOCH)
Tel: 04 78 52 03 29
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS PERFORM LIKE LOCAL STUDENTS!
International students in Australia's top universities do every bit as well as their Australian counterparts, according to a study of student pass rates.In an analysis of 195,694 students, it was shown that international students pass 91.6% of what they attempt, while Australian students' pass rate is 92%. This proves the high academic support given to international students during their studies.
The research by IDP Education was drawn from data supplied by the Universities of Sydney, Queensland, Adelaide, Western Australia, New South Wales, and Melbourne, Monash University and the Australian National University.
SI VOUS ETES A LYON, LISEZ CE MESSAGE
Une représentante de l'université UNISA sera présente à Lyon au mois de novembre. Si vous êtes interéssés par des études à Adelaide, South Australia, merci de retrouver Melissa Waniarcha pour une réunion d'information sur les Bachelors, Masters….
le mercredi 25 novembre
au café Chères Cousines
23 Rue Bugeaud. LYON (pas loin du métro Foch)
à 10h30.
Merci de réserver auprès de Marlène Guillemaut à france@boomerangaustralia.com ou tél 06 50659970
UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG in Top 2% of World Universities
The recent release of The Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings reinforces UOW's position in the top 2% of the world's 20,000 universities. UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton, said there were always fluctuations from year to year within the rankings tables but UOW has consistently remained within the top 2 per cent tier. Read more about UOW's QS World University Rankings result.
UOW has a campus in Wollongong and their Sydney Business School in the heart of Sydney city. If you wish to enrol in an Undergraduate or Postgraduate programme at UOW, please contact us!
IMPROVEMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN AUSTRALIA
Up to 30 international students had the opportunity to discuss issues affecting their experience of studying in Australia at the Student Round Table to be held at Parliament House in Canberra on September 14 and 15.
Participants will reflect the wide diversity of nationalities and cultures of the 190 countries that make up Australia's international student community, and will be drawn from different education sectors, states and territories. Students will be able to put forward ideas and subsequent outcomes will be discussed with State and Territory Education Ministers at the inaugural meeting of the Ministerial Council on Tertiary Education and Employment in November.
Australia's Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, has also announced the establishment of a student hotline - 1300 363 079 - to enable international students to anonymously raise any concerns they might have during their stay in Australia.
Australian Universities actively forge their presence in Europe: Australian institutions have established 1736 formal links (up from 1413 in 2003) with European universities, covering student exchange, study abroad, staff exchange and academic-research collaboration. Just a few examples: - Monash University's Prato centre in Italy attracts students from all corners including Europe, Israel, America and Canada. Edith Cowan University (ECU) runs a joint Bachelor of Communication with Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm, Sweden, while Victoria University has a Bachelor of Business program with the Angell Business School in Freiburg, Germany. This helps the path to qualification equivalences and understanding between the Australian and European education systems.
This is the evidence that the Australian Government is committed and actively working hard so that the quality of Education in Australia is assured and that Australia is a safe and excellent study destination.
THE RULES OF STUDYING OVERSEAS
We always think that studying in neighbouring countries makes it easier but the UK government has toughened the immigration requirements for international students and it makes it easier now to study in Australia !!
Click here to read an article about the difficulties you will encounter to go and study in UK. If you choose Australia, don't hesitate to contact us here in French, English, Italian or Spanish!!
AUSTRALIAN VISA FEES ON THE RISE!!
Bad news!! Most Australian visa fees will considerably increase from 1 July: the student visa will be at AU$565 and the Working Holiday Visa at AU$270.
NEW HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENT VISAS!
We have good news! If you come from Western European countries, the Australian Department of Immigration does not require medical examinations and X-ray whatever the length of your stay apart for French Polynesia, New Caledonia,Spain and Portugal.
Click here for further information and other countries not mentioned above.
LATEST UPDATE SWINE FLU IN AUSTRALIA
We would like to update you in details about the Swine Flu Pandemic and the situation in Australia. So far the state of VICTORIA has confirmed around 1000 cases but the other states are not hit yet . The Australian government has organised measures to protect other states. Most airports also have detectors to put people with fever or fly in quarantine.
We are based in Sydney and we can confirm that we are safe here and that most people take precautions to avoid further stress.
INCREASE IN IELTS FEES
Please be aware that from this month, the IELTS exam fees have increased from AU$325 to AU$310, all over Australia.FLIGHT DISCOUNTS TO AUSTRALIA UNTIL 31 may 2009!
You can find really good flight offers at the moment from Europe to Australia with Qantas, from 899 euros - taxes included- as well as with Air Austral (1AU$325 - taxes included) but you have to book before 31 May 2009! Contact your travel agent ASAP!! If you are in France, contact Australie a la CarteAUSTRALIA IS AMONG THE CHEAPEST DESTINATION FOR ENGLISH TRAINING!
According to the lastest global survey organized by the Language Travel Magazine, Ireland is now the most expensive destination to learn English, by comparison with average tuition prices in other countries; the UK is pipped into second position. Meanwhile, Malta continues to offer the cheapest courses in dollar terms. Agents continue to be an important source of student recruitment for all schools, but are most important in New Zealand (78 per cent) and least important to Italian language schools (30 per cent). Australia is among the cheapest destination for English tuitions, even in front of New Zealand !
Please click here to read the details of the survey
KANGAROOS TEACHING US ABOUT GENES!!
Kangaroo Genome Has a Human Side: Australia's largest marsupial, the kangaroo, is helping scientists to understand how human genes work and evolved.Marsupial genomics are important in identifying the role of human genes because marsupials diverged from other mammal species about 148 million years ago, and there are large pieces of the human genome present in the kangaroo genome. And finally, after more than four years, the genome of the kangaroo has been mapped.
Early findings from the project, the first of its kind in Australia, have helped explain genetic puzzles such as the sex determination gene and the origin of human blood proteins. Clinically, the discovery of a new hormonal pathway is helping to explain rare human medical conditions such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
In addition, the marsupial has the ability to enter embryonic diapause in which it can suspend development for up to 11 months; scentists say the implications for cancer research are significant as the genes involved in embryonic diapause might be harnessed to switch off cancer.
BOOMERANG AUSTRALIA STUDIES ET LE 4L TROPHY
L'Australie et Boomerang Australia Studies seront au rendez vous du 4L Trophy organisé par DELOITTE et auquel participent plus de 1000 équipages, tous étudiants de France ou autres pays européens d’écoles supérieures. Un de nos anciens étudiants Victor Glorion sera un des 1000 pilotes et nous avons décidé de sponsoriser son aventure dans la belle Clara qui sera peinte en drapeau australien et parsemée de kangourous !!
Le but est de traverser toute la France jusqu’au fin fond du désert marocain, en 4L, à partir du 19 février, pour amener des fournitures scolaires aux enfants dépourvus. La couverture media sera quotidienne et complète.
Pour suivre les évènements et encourager Victor, cliquer sur www.4ltrophy.com ou http://lescompagnonsdelatlas.over-blog.com
L'AUSTRALIE SAMEDI 24 Janvier SUR FRANCE 5
L'émission « Echappées Belles » sur France 5 se consacrera sur l'Australie ce samedi 24 janvier à 20h35 !
Saviez-vous que Boomerang Australia Studies a été impliqué dans l'organisation de leur section sur la ville de Sydney ? Alors suivez 2 de nos étudiants venus sur un visa Working Holiday : Dorothée et Nicolas. France, directrice de Boomerang Australia Studies apparaîtra également ainsi que d'anciens étudiants maintenant résidents ou d'autre immigrants qui vous feront découvrir Sydney avec leur propre regard.
Si vous ratez l'émission, elle sera retransmise sur le net pendant 15 jours au lien suivant : http://www.france5.fr/echappees-belles/. Cliquez sur « L'émission de la semaine en vidéo ».
Australia, the movie
Don't miss the Movie Australia! It is on screen now all over the world! It will give you an idea of the amazing beauty of this wonderful country.
Blockbuster movie Australia, directed by Baz Luhrman, is the number one in Australian cinemas, drawing in AU$14.6 (EUR7.2m) at the box office. Australia's most expensive film ever made, a World War II drama about an English aristocrat, a cattle drover, an Aboriginal child and a cattle drive across Australia's stunning outback, stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, who was recently christened "Sexiest Man Alive" by the USA's People magazine.
Luhrman previously directed Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. Out in France today. Christmas Eve!
For further information about the movie or see the trailer, click here
Australia Tops Prosperity Index
Australia has topped the rankings in a prosperity index of 104 countries, with its quality of life and economic strength pushing it above Austria (#2) and Finland (#3).The Legatum Institute's Prosperity Index of 104 nations measures the material health of a country, including wealth, quality of life and life satisfaction. Along with economic success, the Index looks at prosperity based on strong families and communities, political and religious liberty, education and opportunity, and a healthy environment. Australia scored high on livability indicators, including health, charitable giving and effective governance, with strong civic participation, robust health, and plenty of leisure time contributing to the high livability ranking.
Australian dollar hits 2-year low!
The Australian Dollar has fallen sharply from the beginning of this week! This means that this is the best time for you to come and study in Australia! If you enrol in one of our Working Holiday packs or study courses, you may save a considerable amount of money in the exchange rate!Have a look at our website and contact us !!
5 Stars for UniSA MBA
UniSA’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is now the highest ranked in the State and among the country’s top ten with a five-star rating in the 2009 Good Universities Guide released this week.
The rankings are determined by the Graduate Management Association of Australia based on its assessment of the standard and value of a program, and are considered one of the nation’s most highly regarded guides to MBA selection.
The Good Universities Guide announcement follows the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS magazine’s latest ranking of MBA programs which rated the UniSA program seventh nationally.
UniSA MBA is now the highest ranked MBA in South Australia - both by the Good Universities Guide and by BOSS magazine. The strength of the program is its focus on flexibility and practical application – qualities which resonate strongly with the business world.
“The five-star ranking further recognises the benefits of our practical and student-focused approach to helping students become better managers and future business and community leaders,” the Program Director, Mr Bob Gilliver said. “We also build maximum flexibility into our study modes that fit with people’s lives. Students can complete their MBA, while working and balancing their personal lives, through a combination of night classes, intensive sessions, on-line courses and overseas studies.”
University of Wollongong tops country for learning and teaching citations!
The Australian Learning and Teaching Council has just announced its “Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning”—with the University of Wollongong (UOW) listed as number one university in the country.From a total of 210 awards nationally, UOW was the only university to receive the maximum 10 citations that can be awarded. Only five universities gained eight or more citations.
Over the three years that the program has been running, UOW has gained a total of 28 citations from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council which is also higher than any other university in Australia.
Top stars for Swinburne
Swinburne has again been rated as Melbourne's best university for teaching quality and graduate satisfaction.The Good Universities Guide 2009, released last week, also awarded Swinburne a five star rating for cultural diversity.
The result comes less than a week after an Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) report commended Swinburne’s strategic direction and the quality of its educational and international programs. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Young, said it was no surprise that Swinburne remained Melbourne’s top university for teaching quality.
“The Good Universities Guide results back up the AUQA report which commended Swinburne staff for their commitment and enthusiasm in promoting ‘real-world’ learning,” he said. “These results clearly demonstrate to students that they continue to be the focus of the Swinburne educational experience.”
“The AUQA report also gives a strong endorsement of Swinburne's internationalisation strategies. Across the organisation, significant effort has been put into achieving our internationalisation goals. “It is pleasing that the rapid progress … to develop our campus in Sarawak has been recognised along with the strong quality mechanisms that exist across all of our international activities.”
The Good Universities Guide provides an annual comparison of Australian universities. AUQA is an independent, not-for-profit agency that promotes, audits and reports on quality assurance in higher education.
Australian Universities Ranked Third in World!!
Overseas students have ranked Australia as the third best country in the world for university education, according to the StudentPulse 2008 survey conducted by the International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate).The survey of 11,000 prospective students from 143 countries found Australia just behind Britain and the US as a preferred study destination. The global study of the perceptions and motivations of prospective international students revealed that students thought Australia was safe, had universities with a good reputation and was an easy place to find employment after graduation
GREAT NEWS: ONE SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR A BACHELOR or MASTER DEGREE in Melbourne
We are pleased to inform you that we can offer a scholarship worth AU$23.000 if you are planning to study in Melbourne for at least 2 years!!Eligibility:
- Enrol in a Bachelor Degree or in a 2-year Master.
- Possibility to choose a course from all faculties offered .
- Study in Melbourne.
- Start your course in July 2008.
- Apply with Boomerang Australia Studies before 30 June 2008.
- Have met the English requirements specified below.
Entry requirements into higher education in Australia :
- Have completed Year 12 successfully for application in Bachelor degrees and have completed a Bachelor degree for application in Master degrees.
- English Requirements : a score equivalent to or over 6.0 IELTS academic or TOEFL IBT 80 for Bachelor degrees and 6.5 IELTS academic or TOEFL IBT 90 for Master degrees (other English requirements may also be accepted).
Contact us as soon as possible if you think you have the right profile.
FOR WHOEVER IS IN PERTH!!
If you are in Perth or heading to Perth, be aware that on Wednesday 12th of March will be held a very special party : "Island vibration" at the ONYX bar organized by a group of very active French students! Entry from AU$10! Don't miss it and support them!! More infosNATIONAL CELEBRATION OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR 2008 in AUSTRALIA!
Today is Chinese New Year's Day celebrating the Year of the Rat, supposed to bring peace this coming year. This celebration can last for 3 weeks and due to the importance of the Chinese community in Australia, this event is one the most yearly awaited festival! Did you know that the Chinese New Year parade in Sydney is the best outside China! So take advantage of this event to indulge in Chinese Culture! More info about the Chinese Community ; More info about the celebrations in SydneyAUSTRALIA DAY LONG WEEKEND 26 to 28 January inclusive
Our Sydney office will be closed for the Australia Day long weekend and will reopen on Tuesday 29 January! We wish you excellent celebrations!! Australians tend to celebrate this special day differently: either a National Celebration about the First European settlement in Australia (click here!) or a Survival Day for Aborigines and Torres Straight Islanders (click here for one of the major event.)Agriculture Graduates To Reap Rewards in Australia!!
Demand for graduates in agriculture and natural resource management in Australia will soar by 36% in the next six years according to a study by the University of Sydney. Findings indicate that environmental scientists and forestry scientists will be most in demand, with 45% and 44% increases respectively.The Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources study said issues such as climate change and the rise in biofuels would require a new skill set for agriculture workers. Almost all agricultural students at the University of Sydney had been offered jobs and had accepted the best offer even before graduation.
If you are an agriculture student and wish to further your studies at the University of Sydney or other universities, or find jobs in Australia, please contact us! if you are French, please click here to know more about our exclusive programme EXPERT +.
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY REGISTERED AS AACSB!
The Graduate Business School at Griffith University has joined the famous AACSB Club and is now among the best Business Schools in the world.
To top it all, the Griffith MBA has received a 5-Star rating from the Graduate Management Association of Australia (GMAA) for the 6th consecutive year, from 2002 - 2007. Griffith is the only Queensland university to have consistently been rated 5-Star since the GMAA began its independent ranking six years ago -1.5 yr program).
If you are willing to study a MBA in Australia, please contact us at study@boomerangaustralia.com !
UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG IN THE HEADLINES!!
Sydney Business School of the University of Wollongong has been listed in the QS Global 200 Business Schools, which includes business schools currently preferred by a number of the major international corporations seeking well qualified MBA graduates. This list is compiled from an annual survey of Human Resources (HR) Managers and Line Managers with global recruiting responsibilities. This is another confirmation of their graduates' employability in the global market.ICMS Sydney recognized as a leader in Sustainable Business Management!
The International College of Management, Sydney has been recognized as a leader in sustainable business in Manly, by winning two of the five Sustainable Business Awards assessed on business management practices within the spheres of social, economic and environmental practice. The International College of Management, Sydney won awards in:Excellence in Sustainable Business Management and Water Management.
"At the International College of Management, Sydney, we practice and promote corporate social responsibility to ensure our business leaders of tomorrow go on to have a direct and sustainable benefit to the community in which they live and work. The award for Excellence in Sustainable Business Management is particularly important to us, as it acknowledges the College's contribution to the community through projects run with charities such as Bear Cottage, and the Hop Skip and Jump shuttle service as well as our work with Djarragung College, in Australia's north," said Frank Prestipino, Managing Director of ICMS.
If you wish to enrol in this university, please contact us!
Australia’s greenest universities
Website by Francois Verollet