CQU academics and researchers highlighted at agricultural and economics conference

13 February 2025
Image of a group of CQUniversity academics and researchers standing beside a banner on the AARES Conference
The CQUniversity contingent at the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society in Brisbane recently.

By Greg Chapman

CQUniversity’s researchers took centre stage recently at the Conference of the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society in Brisbane.

Academics and experts in economics and agriculture converged on the Grand Chancellor Hotel for the event which aimed to address issues and challenges facing the agricultural sector as it transitions to a sustainable future. 

CQU academics and researchers including Professor John Rolfe, Nicole Flint and Jaba Sarker presented during several panels, looking into issues including improving management of the Great Barrier Reef and water resources like the Fitzroy River Catchment.

One panel Prof Rolfe was a participant in examined the importance media can play in communicating new energy transitions in rural and regional areas.

Chaired by Griffith University Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication, Dr Monique Lewis, Prof Rolfe discussed the challenges alongside rural journalists Cathie Schnitzerling, Kallee Buchanan, Rhianna Patrick and Liz Wells.

Image of John Rolfe holding a microphone with a woman seated beside him on a microphone
CQU Regional Economics expert Professor John Rolfe with Griffith University Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication, Dr Monique Lewis.

The “Shaping the Narrative of Agriculture and Energy Transition” panel discussed the media’s role in informing, engaging, and persuading diverse audiences, from policymakers to people on the ground.

Prof Rolfe said as someone whose research and studies into economic impacts in regional areas regularly featured in the media, compressing the data and information into something useful to audiences was always vital.

“The key is to try and make it personal – to look at how it would relate to people at an individual level,” Prof Rolfe said.

He added that trust between academics, the media and rural communities was also important.

“Country people tend to trust radio more – perhaps it’s because they hear the voice? I think you have to be genuine and speak very clearly and also be un-academic when you’re working with the media,” he said.

ABC journalists Cathie Schnitzerling and Kallee Buchanan said the challenges facing rural communities around energy transition could be complex.

Image of Prof John Rolfe seated with some women on a panel in a large room
(L-R) Griffith University Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication, Dr Monique Lewis, CQU Professor John Rolfe, National Indigenous Radio Service journalist Rhianna Patrick, ABC journalist Cathie Schnitzerling, Grain Central's Liz Wells and ABC journalist Kallee Buchanan.

Ms Buchanan said one of the biggest challenges is around media avoidance, because a lot of the news is so bleak. She proposed that ‘solutions journalism’ is a huge opportunity for agricultural media because it turns the notion of journalism just looking for problems on its head and that people find agency and hope in stories that provide solutions. 

Ms Schnitzerling highlighted the complexities of doing stories about power stations being shut down and wind turbines appearing on farmland in Western Australia and that a lack of consultation and misinformation had split communities.

Liz Wells from Grain Central added that stories of local industries making energy transition changes resonated with local audiences. 

Freelance Torres Strait Islander journalist Rhianna Patrick said Indigenous communities faced various issues around energy transition, including unreliable power capabilities in remote communities, and a desire for consultation and understanding. 

She said many First Nations communities relied upon their National Indigenous Radio Service but were also using social media to tell their own stories.

CQUniversity was a principal sponsor of the AARES event across 12–14 February 2025, showcasing a strong presence this year with 13 scientists from CQU’s Centre for Regional Economies and Supply Chains.