BtN: Episode 33 Transcripts
17/11/09
On this week's Behind the News:
Are koalas disappearing?
Should kids be taught in their own language?
And making movies in the outback.
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.
Also on the show today, what is school like in California? Find out soon if it‟s really like
your favourite TV shows!
Those items later, but first let‟s catch up with the headlines.
The Wire
The Prime Minister has officially apologised to people who were looked after by the
government or churches when they were kids more than 30 years ago.
It's estimated around half a million kids were put in foster care or orphanages by the
government from the 1930's to the 70's.
Many were treated badly and they're called the Forgotten Australians.
The government says it‟s important to say sorry and learn from the past so it will never
happen again.
*************
Teenagers are still not taking the dangers of sunbaking seriously according to the cancer
council.
They've launched a new campaign that uses shock tactics to warn kids that sunbaking can
kill.
17 hundred Australians die of skin cancer each year, but the campaign tells young people
'not to be a victim.'
**************
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Here is a survival story for the ages - Sabi is an Australian Army bomb detection dog who
went missing during a firefight in Afghanistan more than a year ago.
Well the brave pup has just been found by an American soldier after wandering the wartorn country for a total of 14 months.
The dog's handlers were thrilled to get her back and hope to have her back in Australia as
soon as possible, as a bit of a reward.
**************
And back home, adults who give kids alcohol without their parent's permission could be
fined - if some people get their way.
We've told you before how experts say kids who drink alcohol are seriously damaging their
brains.
The Australian Drug Foundation says an alarming number of kids are drinking in homes
and at parties, so it wants tougher laws.
It some state adults can be fined 6 thousand dollars for giving kids alcohol without their
parent's permission, so it wants those sorts of laws everywhere.
Presenter: There‟ll be a lot of arguments for and against that one, so let‟s find out where
you stand. We‟ll make that this week‟s poll.
Poll
The question is: “Should parents be allowed to give their kids alcohol?”
If you want to vote, go to our website.
Now to the first of our features.
United Nations
Reporter: Kirsty Bennett
INTRO: When there's trouble around the world you often see the United Nations.
It's involved with the asylum seekers who are all over the news at the moment - and it’s in
the middle of the fighting in Afghanistan, working alongside the Australian Army we saw
in the wire just before.
So why is it working in all these situations? Here's Kirsty to explain.
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KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: When a war breaks out, these are the pictures which are
broadcast to the world. But while the focus is on the battles, innocent people are often
caught in the middle. Many of them are forced to flee their homes and end up in refugee
camps. It can be a desperate situation and kids are affected as well. But there are
organisations which try to help.
You may have seen these initials before - they stand for the United Nations. They can pop
up anywhere around the world. So what is it?
KIRSTY: There are 192 countries in the United Nations. That's almost the whole world!
It was created in 1945 after the Second World War by a small group of countries. They
wanted an international organisation which could work towards peace. Today, the United
Nations is huge and does all sorts of stuff. It tries to keep peace and security throughout
the world, make friendships between nations, and get rid of things like poverty and
disease. It delivers food to refugees, improves health services and helps out in disasters.
Kids are also pretty important to the UN. It has an organisation called UNICEF, which is
the United Nations Children's Fund. It works towards improving the lives of kids and
mums by giving them things like proper health care.
The UN headquarters is here in New York City but it's not part of the United States. It's
actually on international land that is owned by all the people of the world. So it has its own
flag, post office and even it's own stamps! There are six official languages used in the
headquarters too. It's like heaps of countries rolled into one area!
With so many countries involved, there's one big boss. His name is Ban Ki-moon and he's
the UN Secretary-General. His job is to speak for the UN and to work on its goals like
world peace. Now you've seen where the UN is, how does it make decisions?
There're lots of different committees inside the United Nations where countries express
their views. They also wear earpieces so a person can translate the conversation into their
own language. One of the more well-known parts of the UN is the General Assembly. The
United Nations' General Assembly is like parliament for the world. It's where each country
- no matter how big or small, rich or poor - gets a vote. They vote on issues like peace,
security and climate change.
It all sounds great but some people reckon the United Nations doesn't work very well.
When decisions are made in the General Assembly the countries don't have to act on them.
So it can take a long time for anything to get done. People also say the UN should do a lot
more to stop wars, but the UN says it can't act without most of the countries agreeing. So
while this symbol can't always make countries keep promises, the United Nations is a place
where nearly the whole world can discuss issues which affect us.
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Presenter: And we might do a U.N. quiz.
Quiz 1
Which country starting with a „v‟ is not a member of the United Nations?
Answer: Vatican City
Presenter: I know that doesn't sound like a country but the Vatican City is considered a
City State even though it's a small place in the middle of Rome. It even issues it own
passports.
Endangered Koalas
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: Lets head back to Oz and have you ever wondered how animals are classified
as endangered or not?
Well believe it or not there is one group whose responsibility it is to work all that out.
They're called - well the name takes a while to say - but last week they met to pass
judgement on how the koala is doing.
Some think it's in trouble, while others think they are doing okay, why the argument?
Let's find out.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Koalas are one of the most recognisable animals we have.
Visitors and even locals love cuddling the furry tree-dwellers at zoos across the country.
We have cartoons about them and even lollies.
NATHAN: But debate is now raging about how real koalas, like this are doing in the wild.
Some groups say their numbers have dropped dramatically, and they want them listed as
vulnerable, which is the step before being endangered.
But it's not quite that simple.
So let's take a closer look at how the whole process works.
The group that labels animals as being endangered or vulnerable is called the National
Threatened Species Scientific Committee.
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Hmm... Let's call them 'the committee' for short.
Different groups of animals are studied by the scientists of the committee to see how they
are going.
If research proves their numbers are dropping, they're given a classification.
Animals can be listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered to name a few.
And last week it came to be the koalas turn to get assessed.
The last time that happened, the committee said there were hundreds of thousands of
koalas left in the wild, so they couldn't be classified as vulnerable.
But this time around, the national koala foundation says it has proof their numbers have
dropped dramatically.
DEBORAH TABART, NATIONAL KOALA FOUNDATION: We're saying it could be as low
as 43,000 and as high as 80,000.
That's a lot less than they found during their last assessment, which is why the koala
foundation is really worried.
So if that's true, what might have happened to them?
Well koala displays in zoos like this one teach visitors what's going wrong each day.
LONE PINE KOALA SANCTUARY PRESENTER: The major threat in this day and age is
land clearing. Up to 80 per cent of koala home ranges have been cleared for housing
developments and for roads.
That's what all these people marched for a few months ago - better protection for koala
habitats.
And if they're listed as vulnerable they will get the benefit of extra help in protecting them.
But the committee says it needs to make absolutely sure they're really declining before they
make their decision.
And we'll find out what that decision is in the middle of next year.
Indigenous Language
Reporter: Kirsty Bennett
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INTRO: The language we speak shows a lot about who we are and where we come from.
In the Northern Territory, there's a fight over which languages are used to teach kids in
school.
Aboriginal communities are worried that new government rules could destroy their
culture.
But the government reckons it will be better for kids in the long run. Kirsty has the story.
KIRSTY BENNETT, REPORTER: Imagine rocking up to school one day and most of your
classes are in another language that you know very little about.
TEACHER: Bien y...
BOY 1: Muy bien gracias.
GIRL 1: Bien gracias y tu?
GIRL 2: Trienta.
What would you do? How would you go trying to learn new things?
That's what these kids in the Northern Territory have to do.
KIDS: They were having a fighting game yesterday. (translation)
KIRSTY: They're talking in Warlpiri - their native language. They live in Lajamanu where
horses roam free and the footy field looks more like a desert. It's a pretty remote place. It's
around nine hundred kilometres from Darwin and has a population of about 800 people.
While they speak a different language, their dreams are pretty similar to you guys.
JOURNALIST: When you're big what do you want to do?
BOY 1: Play football. (translation)
GIRL 1: Nurse.
BOY 2: Workshop.
For the past thirty years, kids at schools in Indigenous communities like this have learnt in
their own language as well as English. This is called "bilingual education", which means
kids are taught in two languages. They learn mostly in their own language first and then
English is introduced later on.
But last year the government decided to change the system.
MARION SCRYMGOUR, FORMER NT EDUCATION MINISTER: I will mandate that
English will be the language of instruction in all Northern Territory schools..."
The government made it compulsory for all schools to teach only in English for the first
four hours of the day. That leaves only one hour in the afternoon to teach in the local
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language. The government says it made the changes because the kids were behind with
their reading and writing in English. But some Aboriginal elders and teachers aren't happy.
KIRSTY: It takes a lot of thought and concentration when you learn a new language. So
Kayla what does that mean?
KAYLA: It means can I go to the toilet? Puedo ir al bano?
KIRSTY: Puedo ir al bano? The worry is that if kids are spending a lot of time learning in
English they won't be developing their own language.
The Aboriginal elders want the kids to learn English so they can get a job. But they also
want the kids to keep the community's traditions.
FATHER: Really the English, really when they can learn read and write and all that, they
can get a job anywhere in Australia but he have to learn Warlpiri too because that's his first
language.
They're scared that they'll lose their own language because they won't be able to develop it
in school. And if their language isn't passed on through generations, their culture could
slowly die out.
Some teachers aren't too keen on the new system either. They say the kids find it confusing
and it slows their learning later on.
But the government says it hasn't worked. It says it's not banning Indigenous languages it
just wants all kids to have the same reading and writing skills in English. So for the time
being at least, these guys will be learning under the new system.
Presenter: It must be very hard for kids that want to learn in two languages, but a cool
skill to have later in life.
And while we're on it, we might do a quiz about Indigenous languages.
Quiz 2
Approximately how many Indigenous languages originally existed in Australia?
1. 10
2. 25
3. 250
Answer: 250
Remote Art
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
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INTRO: Now let's move to another part of the Aussie outback.
Kids in isolated towns sometime struggle to find things to do.
But now in a place in Western Australia they're being given a chance to be movie makers.
Let see what some of Australia's most remote kids get up to with a camera.
Meet the Aussie cinema stars of the future; the actors, the directors, the camera and sound
operators and editors.
KIDS: Camera rolling, action.
But this isn't Hollywood, it's Newman.
REPORTER: In fact, you couldn't get much further away from Hollywood.
Newman is a mining town in Western Australia's Pilbara Region. It's about 900 kilometres
from Broome and more than a thousand k‟s from Perth. When it comes to iron ore and
spectacular landscape it's a major centre but to some kids here it can feel like the middle of
nowhere.
REPORTER: If you've grown up in an isolated town you'll know what I'm talking about.
You watch TV and see city kids up to all sorts of fun things but out in the country that's all
a long way away.
So the company that runs the mine up here joined with Country Arts WA and a Sydney
media company to show Newman kids how to make their own fun. They're helping them
make their own short films.
PETA: My film I've been doing; the Cave Crew, it‟s going to be a series we're going to
continue doing it and it has the story line of a map that they find in the first episode that
has all these markers on it and they have to follow the markers around to see why they're
there. I'd thought about doing a bit of computer and media work but I never thought
anything like this was even remotely possible in this town.
What really surprised the organisers was just how good the films were.
SHAKTHI SIVANATHAN, MEDIA SPECIALIST: They're going to go to uni and teach their
lecturers so they've definitely been given a big leg up and who knows what's going to
happen.
JESSICAN MACHIN, COUNTRY ARTS WA: Who knows, one of these kids could be
accepting an Oscar in 20 or 30 years time.
The kids made their own website so they could share their creations with the world.
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PETA: We've posted all our videos and I've watched some of the kids that I've worked with
and people they've actually been watching our films and not just from Newman so it‟s great
to see how much support‟s been coming in from outside of Newman
And there was a film festival for the locals. It was fun for everyone - but for some kids it
was better than that. The films showed them they could achieve great things.
PETA: It's given me something to strive for and something to do. The way I act now is a lot
better than the way I used to act. I used to be fairly juvenile acting but this has sort of
straightened me out. It‟s a lot of fun and I enjoy doing it
Peta's gone from a kid who used to skip school to a project leader.
PETA: I've learned a lot of social skills like looking after kids working with children and
working in a big group „cos I'm not usually like that I usually keep to myself.
For some kids it‟s opened up new career paths.
ZAC: I was hoping to become a director before they came that's like letting me not just
doing in to directing but editing as well so it gives me a few career options to fall back on to
So move over Hollywood, here comes Newman!
Presenter: And if you want to see all those movies there‟s a link on our website. Time for
sport.
The Score
Everyone was tiger hunting last week when sports nuts went nutty about the world's
number one golfer.
It as Tiger Woods‟ first visit to Australia in 11 years and fans flocked to see him play in the
Australian Masters.
And he didn't disappoint - he won the tournament and its famous gold jacket.
******************
The Aussies pulled off an amazing win over England in the four nations final.
The Poms were ahead 10 minutes in the second half then the Aussies unleashed.
They went try crazy and ended up winning 46 - 16.
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************
And the Socceroos also had a freaky win in a game against Oman to qualify for the Asian
Cup.
They went a goal down early and then had a player sent off - but they came back and won 2
1.
Presenter: I can‟t wait „til the World Cup next year to see how the Socceroos do. Now
let‟s do one last quiz.
Quiz 3
How many states make up the United States of America?
Answer: 50
Presenter: 2 of those states are separate from the rest of America though - there's Alaska
way up North - and Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
California Classroom
Reporter: Catherine Ellis
INTRO: When you watch TV or head to the movies, huge amounts of what we see has
been made in America.
We can list heaps of US celebs, shows, movies and pop stars.
But is life there really like what we see on the screen or in magazines?
Catherine went to the United States of America and back to school to find out!
CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: Welcome to Lincoln Middle School!
We're in California which has around 15 million more people than the entire population of
Australia!
It's made up of cities like Santa Monica, Beverley Hills and Hollywood - the entertainment
capital of the world! So it's filled with film studios, movie crews and celebrities!
Even their Governor is a famous actor!
No surprises then, that the first class I met were learning to make their own tv.
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STUDENT: You guys face that way and then spin.
CATHERINE: So girls what are you doing?
STUDENT: Well we're recording intros for our student TV broadcast which goes
throughout the whole school for all the kids to get information.
With CJ keen to practise his skills, I handed over my camera, which gave me the chance to
focus on finding out if school here really is like the movies.
STUDENT: It's a lot more exaggerated than actual school life.
CATHERINE: So high school musical and stuff like that, is that realistic?
STUDENT: We don't break out in dance in the middle of a test of anything.
STUDENT: I've never sang on the last day of school or anything.
After visiting lots of classes I found they have most of the same lessons.
I sat a year six maths test - cheated of course - and got given homework!
I went to a swim class.
CLASS: "Hello Australia".
A P.E. lesson.
CLASS: "Hello Australia"
They do a lot of the same sports, but cheerleading as shown in tons of movies, is super
popular and American football is very different.
As for food, those big dining halls do exist!
But instead of recess they have nutrition.
STUDENT: It's like your break but at the second period.
STUDENT: We have all kinds of food
STUDENT: Pizza, chips anything a kid wants.
And at lunch there's a barbeque.
CATHERINE: Hi John
JOHN, CHEF: Hi howya doing?
CATHERINE: What are you making?
JOHN: Cheeseburgers, ribs, hot dogs and veggie burgers...
CATHERINE: Delicious!
ELLA: It's always a little crowded, but the burgers here are really great.
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Now for these guys the school year begins in September and finishes in June.
And as we head into summer, they're preparing for winter!
CATHERINE: And how do you guys imagine Australia to be?
STUDENT: If I picture Australia.. I picture like a kangaroo in like a desert.
CATHERINE: Do you know who the Prime Minister of Australia is?
STUDENT: No
CATHERINE: Do you know any Australian stars?
STUDENT: Um..
STUDENT: Is his name Hugh Jackman or something?
CATHERINE: Do you know any Australian singers.
STUDENT: The croc... no wait I don't know... because I know there was the Crocodile
Hunter, but I don't know if he was a singer.
One thing that's certainly different for kids in this particular area is the star spotting!
STUDENT: I saw Reese Witherspoon in Starbucks up the street.
STUDENT: Brea from Desperate Housewives at Douglous Park.
STUDENT: I saw Adam Brodie from the OC.
STUDENT: Arnold Schwarzenegger goes to my church.
ELIZA: It's cool „cos you see the magazines and you're like wait that's Santa Monica, I live
there.
But aside from the celebs, the kids, their classes and school seem just like ours!
Presenter: And there‟s more from those kids on our website.
Closer
That's it for another show, catch you later.
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