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October 18, 2023

UOW expert commentary (17 October)

ÃÃÍÅÊÓƵ academics provide expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing and breaking news stories

The conflict in Gaza

Associate Professor Markus Wagner can provide commentary on the conflict in Gaza. is an expert in international law and former clerk at the Supreme Court of Israel for then-President Aharon Barak. He is the Director of the Transnational Law and Policy Centre at UOW. His research and teaching is in the areas of international and comparative law. During his former position on the Supreme Court, Professor Wagner has witnessed first-hand the complexities of the situation in the Middle East and dealt with similar questions that the current outbreak of violence raises.

Illegal transfers and deportation of Ukrainian children

Associate Professor Phil Orchard is available for interviews about Russia’s illegal transfers and deportation of Ukrainian children, which he says is a clear violation of international law. In a new article for Australian Foreign Affairs , an international relations expert from the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, argues that Australia should condemn Russia’s illegal transfers and deportations:

“It’s a growing problem and at the end of August this year the Ukrainian government reported that at least 19,546 children had been deported into Russia,” Associate Professor Orchard said.

“The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has found that many of these so-called evacuations were non-consensual and, in certain cases, war crimes.” 

ABS Data Release - Labour Force Survey (Thursday 19 October) 

Associate Professor Martin O’Brien is available for interview about the ABS Labour Force Survey which will be released on Thursday 19 October. He can discuss employment, unemployment, underemployment, participation and hours worked. is an economist and the Director of the Centre for Human and Social Capital Research. His research interests include segmented labour market theory, econometrics, older worker employment issues and hidden unemployment. 

Important sex differences in brains of people with Major Depressive Disorder

Dr Samara Brown can talk about new research that has found molecular evidence highlighting important sex differences in the brains of people with Major Depressive Disorder, with evidence of changes occurring specifically in the female brain, but not in males. She says the research shows a need to consider sex differences in psychiatric research and treatment. Dr Brown is a neuroscientist in the School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences. 

ÃÃÍÅÊÓƵ academics exercise academic freedom by providing expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing social issues and current affairs. This expert commentary reflects the views of those individual academics and does not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the ÃÃÍÅÊÓƵ.