Head back to convict times in Tasmania

Interested in Australian history?

Thousands of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish convicts transported to Australia, as well as people resisting colonial invasion and forced into the convict system, will be brought back to life in a digital exhibition revealing a new understanding of the convicts’ contribution to the struggle for Australian democracy.

The Monash University‑led exhibition, titled UNSHACKLED: The True Convict Story, will be officially launched by Federal Assistant Minister, former Tasmanian Labor leader and local MP Rebecca White at the Woolmers Estate, Longford, Tasmania, on January 30.

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed convict site will offer Tasmanians and interstate visitors an immersive encounter with the political prisoners, rebels and unfree workers who helped shape modern democratic rights.

UNSHACKLED reveals how Australia’s convict workforce of 160,000 resisted the exploitation of their labour in their place of exile - forging early forms of solidarity, improving conditions, and ultimately contributing to the end of transportation.

The exhibition also highlights more than 3,600 political prisoners transported for protest, democratic reform, media freedom, unionism and anti‑colonial revolution, many of whom had profound influence on democratic movements in Australia and abroad.

Associate Professor Tony Moore, project lead from Monash University’s School of Media, Film and Journalism, said political prisoners are central to the exhibition’s story.

“Few Australians realise that from the earliest days of the Sydney penal colony their homeland was once the British Empire’s Guantanamo Bay, where about 3600 rebels, radicals and protesters were transported as political prisoners in the late 18th and 19th centuries,” Moore said.

“ ‘Death or Liberty!’ was the rallying cry of a stream of political exiles including liberals, democrats and republicans; English machine breakers, trade unionists and Chartists; radical journalists, preachers and intellectuals; and of course Irish, Canadian and even American revolutionaries opposed to imperial rule.”

Professor Hamish Maxwell-Stewart added: “Over 20% of Australians have convict ancestry, and the figure is 70% for Tasmanians,”

Woolmers will serve as the exhibition’s Australian base, with a mobile pop up version of the exhibition travelling around Australian capital cities and regions, the UK and Ireland throughout 2026.

How eating eggs may help you live longer

Regular consumption of eggs is associated with a 29% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death in relatively healthy older adults, new research from a Monash University-led team has found.

In a report published in the journal Nutrients, the researchers found that for relatively healthy older adults, consuming eggs 1-6 times per week was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (death from any cause) and CVD mortality compared to those who rarely or never eat eggs.

The study involved 8756 adults aged 70 years or older, who self-reported the frequency of their total egg intake: never/infrequently (rarely/never, or 1-2 times/month), weekly (1-6 times/week), and daily (daily/several times per day), as part of the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub-study.

First author Holly Wild, a PhD candidate and lecturer from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said compared to older adults who never or infrequently ate eggs (up to twice a month), those who ate eggs 1-6 times a week had a 15% lower risk of death from any cause, and a 29% lower risk of cardiovascular disease-related death.

“Eggs are a nutrient-dense food; they are a rich source of protein and a good source of essential nutrients, such as B vitamins, folate, unsaturated fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins (E, D, A, and K), choline, and numerous minerals and trace elements,” Wild said.

“Eggs are also an accessible source of protein and nutrition in older adults, with research suggesting that they are the preferred source of protein for older adults who might be experiencing age-related physical and sensory decline.”

The study also explored the relationship between egg consumption and mortality across different levels of diet quality (low, moderate, high).

“The study found that older adults with a moderate-to-high diet quality reported a 33% and 44% lower risk of CVD-related death, suggesting that the addition of eggs to moderate and high-quality diets may improve longevity,” the researchers wrote.

The current Australian Dietary Guidelines and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend that adults with normal cholesterol can eat up to seven eggs per week, while some European countries suggest limiting it to 3-4 eggs per week. 

The AHA also supports up to two eggs per day for older adults with normal cholesterol.

“Previous research has observed a higher risk of mortality with egg consumption for those who have high cholesterol," Wild said. "For this reason, we also explored the association between egg consumption and mortality in people with and without dyslipidemia (clinically diagnosed high cholesterol).

“We found a 27% lower risk of CVD-related death for participants with dyslipidemia who consumed eggs weekly, compared to their counterparts that consumed eggs rarely or never, suggesting that in this study cohort, the presence of dyslipidemia does not influence the risk associated with egg consumption.

“Our results suggest that eating up to six eggs a week may reduce the risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular related diseases in older adults. These findings may be beneficial in the development of evidence-based dietary guidelines for older adults.”

Read the full paper in Nutrients: Egg Consumption and Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study of Australian Community-Dwelling Older Adults. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17020323

Fires may impact 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games

The wildfires currently ravaging Los Angeles and surrounds have raised doubts about the Californian city’s ability to host the Olympic Games in 2028.

The cost of rebuilding and insurance are casting a cloud over preparations, says Dr Tom Heenan, who lectures in sport, global and Australian studies at the Monash Intercultural Lab in Australia.

“LA 2028 will be the Olympic version of the Hunger Games," Heenan said in a media statement.

“Even without the wildfires, the Games will cost Angelenos dearly, especially the poor and homeless, and prove to be another IOC-orchestrated budgetary blowout, if not a Montreal-type black hole.

“The additional infrastructure requirements will strain an already stretched public purse and shift labour from the much needed rebuild in the hills.

“For a city built on property speculation, 2028 could be a repeat of the 1932 Games, which was a real estate agent’s dream.

“The winners will be property developers and the head of LA's organising committee, Casey Wasserman, and his sport-entertainment empire.

“The losers may well be LA residents who will bear the expense of the Olympics and a costly yet questionable rebuild in fire-prone hills.”

A trip back to a rebellious time in Tasmania

A new exhibition at the Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery will take a trip back to convict times in Tasmania before a nationwide tour.

Thousands of English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish convicts transported to Australia, as well as people resisting colonial invasion and forced into the convict system, will be brought back to life in a first-of-its kind digital exhibition that aims at revealing a new understanding of the convicts’ contribution to the struggle for Australian democracy.

The Monash University-led convict exhibition UNSHACKLED will be exhibited from now until July 28 at TMAG before embarking on a national and international tour.

UNSHACKLED reveals how Australia’s convict workforce of 160,000 collectively resisted the exploitation of their labour in their place of exile, leading to improved conditions, embryonic unionism and ultimately the end of transportation.

It also focuses on the more than 3,600 political prisoners who were transported to Australia as convicts for protest, democratic reform, media freedom, unionism, and anti-colonial revolution, many of whom had significant political impact advancing democracy.

Monash’s School of Media, Film and Journalism and project lead, Associate Professor Tony Moore, said political prisoners are a major focus for the exhibition.

“Few Australians realise their homeland was once the British Empire’s Guantanamo Bay, where about 3600 rebels, radicals and protesters were transported as political prisoners in the late 18th and 19th centuries. ‘Death or Liberty!’ was the rallying cry of a stream of political exiles including liberals, democrats and republicans; English machine breakers, trade unionists and Chartists; radical journalists, preachers and intellectuals; and of course Irish, Canadian and even American revolutionaries," he said.

“This rag tag bunch of journalists and political activists accused of sedition, as well as industrial and rural protesters, trade unionists, rebels and revolutionaries will capture the hearts of new generations. Their political impact in their place of exile helped democratise Australia.” 

Over 20% of Australians have convict ancestry, and the figure is 70% for Tasmanians.

Stories will be showcased through mini-documentaries, large scale animated projections, animated portraits, as well as collected material artefacts, from cruel instruments of punishment to weapons of resistance.

UNSHACKLED has been created by Roar Film and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in partnership with Monash University.

The exhibition will travel around Australian capital cities and regions, the UK and Ireland from September 2024 to 2026. Click here for more information, including the UNSHACKLED trailer.

"Waste not, want not" message for winemakers

Waste from winemaking could be a valuable source of ingredients for nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and food colouring, a new Australian study has revealed.

Research from chemical engineers at Monash University, Rachel Liu and Victoria Haritos, found that compounds derived from red wine grape varieties have significant levels of bioactive natural compounds called polyphenols and anthocyanins..

“Bioactive polyphenols and anthocyanins could have a number of commercial applications as functional ingredients, in dietary supplements and as natural food colourings” said Liu.

Diets rich in polyphenols, which are found in a range of fruits, vegetables and cereals, have been associated with protection against developing cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases in a number of epidemiological studies.

Anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for the colours red, purple and blue in many fruits and vegetables, have also been associated with antioxidant effects and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes among other conditions.

In Australia, around 2 million tonnes of wine grapes are crushed annually, with about 20% by weight remaining as waste, including skins, seeds and stalks, after processing.

The majority of winemaking waste is currently returned to the land as compost, or other low-value uses and the potential value of the bioactives it contains goes unrealised.

“Across the Australian wine industry this means there is a massive volume of waste from which these compounds could be recovered and used,” said Haritos.

“We see great opportunities and are keen to explore how this waste product can be processed commercially.”

The initial research has been published in the international journal Cleaner Waste Systems and was supported by Treasury Wine Estates and in collaboration with Coldstream Hills Winery in the Yarra Valley.

Image: Goran Nikolic, Scop.io