September 16, 2025
UOW expert commentary (16 September)
UOW academics provide expert commentary, opinion and analysis on a range of ongoing and breaking news stories
Climate Risk
A range of UOW experts can discuss the Government’s recently announced National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA), across the following topic areas:
- Professor Helen McGregor specialises in paleoclimatology and climate change, using past climate records to understand present-day climate threats and improve forecasts, including regions like the Great Barrier Reef and Antarctica. is a member of UOW’s Environmental Futures research centre, and is a leading researcher in .
- Professor Rabindra Nepal can discuss climate risk from the energy transition perspective, bringing internationally recognised expertise in energy-related economic and policy analysis. is a Professor of Economics in the School of Business. He is a founding member of the UOW Blue Energy Futures Network and an international advisory board member of Energy Policy journal.
- Dr Alan Green focuses on disaster resilience and building adaptation to natural hazards including heatwaves and bushfires. is a Senior Research Fellow at the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC). He researches how buildings can be adapted to address multiple climate hazards, as well as the co-benefits of resilience strategies.
US politics
Doctor Daniel Fleming can talk about United States President Donald Trump and the current political climate in the US.  is a historian with expertise in the US civil rights movement, US history and politics, race, gender and class. He is a lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.
Russia and Ukraine
Dr Stephen Brown can discuss the latest developments in the Russia and Ukraine conflict. is a historian who has researched Russia for more than 30 years. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry.
PNG defence treaty
Dr Cammi Webb-Gannon can provide expert commentary on the implications of a bilateral defence treaty between Papua New Guinea and Australia. is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Social Sciences and Coordinator of the West Papua Project at UOW. Her research focuses on the Pacific Islands region. Dr Webb-Gannon is the author of Morning Star Rising: The Politics of Decolonization in West Papua (2021, University of Hawai’i Press).
Maritime security and the Blue Economy
Dr Prakash Gopal can discuss that explores the critical interplay between maritime security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia, emphasising that regional economic aspirations are intertwined with geopolitical realities. The researchers write:
“Maritime disputes, criminal activities, and great power competition, particularly in the South China Sea, pose significant threats to Blue Economy outcomes. These tensions undermine regional cooperation, deter investment, and hinder sustainable development.”
is a lecturer at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS).
UOW 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 51²è¹Ý.