Ron Turner – Cooloola, Lighthouses and Ranger Service Ron Turner, former Ranger-in-Charge at Cooloola National Park, with wife Yvonne, has written some thoroughly readable memoirs of his experiences. Take for example the charming e-book Living at a Lighthouse, chronicling sojourns […]
Emeritus Prof Ray Specht commenced his career as a botanist in 1948 on the American- Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land. This ground-breaking expedition, which laid the foundations for his subsequent remarkable career, was brought to mind by a celebratory […]
In April 2020 Members Philippa England and Nelson Quinn of Griffith University’s Law School trialled an online survey with a small number of stakeholders interested in the operation of Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act. Respondents were mostly current or previous landholders […]
Members Philippa England and Nelson Quinn of Griffith University’s Law School are undertaking project-driven research on the operation of the Vegetation Management Act in Queensland. The project aims to identify opportunities for incremental improvements to the legislation with a view […]
The attachments below should have accompanied the Newsletter: Introduction – Dr. Bailey Message from The Governor
In 2019, for the first time, articles in the Proceedings will be published on line as they are accepted and typeset, without awaiting printing. This new procedure applies to the annual issue, volume 124, and three of the four Special […]
Researchers with scientific knowledge to share are invited to submit papers for forthcoming issues of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland. Separate Guides to Authors for each issue are available. Proceedings 124 – the annual issue, published regularly […]
Past President Paul Sattler OAM has updated his memoir. A copy is available on the Members’ Collection page. The memoir is a thoroughly interesting story of the drive to enlarge the National Park State and other initiatives in conservation policy […]
The Queensland Government has announced a review of the electricity legislation. It has published an Issues Paper and has invited public comments until 19 June 2018.
Taxonomy is a neglected field in science as it crosses numerous disciplines and no single discipline can speak on its behalf. But it is an field essential for understanding numerous other disciplines. An ‘Exposure Draft’ of a decadal plan for […]
Papers are invited for the next edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, one of few Queensland-specific peer-reviewed outlets for the natural sciences. The journal has been in continuous publication since 1885. It is not necessary to […]
The Royal Society of Queensland now has a presence on Facebook.
Member Prof Bill Laurance, Director of the Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science at James Cook University, has just published an opinion piece on the current affairs site The Conversation.
At a forum on community health held at Cairns on 30 May, unambiguous scientific evidence was presented that consumption of refined sugar by children can have ill effects on their health lasting into adulthood.
The culprits are not just sugar-laden soft drinks, but also cordials, fruit juices and junk foods generally. The human body is not by nature adapted to digesting refined sugar: in traditional life, sweets such as honey would have been a rare treat, not a daily substitute for meals.
The practitioners and experts gathered for the forum recommended that a sugar levy should be imposed on refined sugar, with the revenue directed to preventative health programs. This proposal is being considered by the Society’s Council.
The event was generously sponsored by the Australian Institute for Tropical Health and Medicine. The proposal for a sugar levy is not necessarily endorsed by the Society or the Institute.
The interest of the Royal Society of Queensland in community health dates back to its foundation in 1859. The first paper in the Transactions was on asphyxia, the second on ventilation of buildings. Other early papers covered public sanitation and the water supply for Brisbane. The scope of the Society’s activities is “science and the application of science”, fields of knowledge that are central to the challenges facing community health.
Presentations and summaries will be posted here soon.
