BtN: Episode 9 Transcripts 28/04/09
On this week's Behind the News:
· Kids pay their respects to the Anzacs
· Turning happy snaps into art to win a national competition
· And picking up some tips … and some sore spots … from rugby league stars.
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.
Also on the show today – how schools are helping in the fight against one of the country’s worst pests.
We’ll get to those items later, but first to our top story.
Asylum Seekers
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: Over the past couple of weeks you might have heard a lot about asylum seekers - they've been in the headlines almost every day.
It's a strange sounding name but they're a group of people at the centre of one of the most emotional debates in Australian politics.
So who are asylum seekers and why do people argue about them so much? Here's Sarah to explain.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTING: Over the past couple of weeks you might have heard a lot about asylum seekers - they've been in the headlines almost every day. It's a strange sounding name but they're a group of people at the centre of one of the most emotional debates in Australian politics. So who are asylum seekers and why do people argue about them so much? Here's Sarah to explain.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Can you imagine travelling overseas in a boat like this? You'd have to leave your home and all your stuff behind and spend days even weeks with not much food or water. Then there's the risk of sinking or getting attacked by pirates.
REPORTER: It's an extremely dangerous journey but some people pay thousands of dollars to do it just for the chance to get to Australia. Why?
Turn on your telly at night and you'll see there are lots of terrible things happening in the world. People are sometimes attacked because people don't like their race or their religion or their political views. For many, the only way to survive is to leave their country and become a refugee. There are international laws which protect refugees. They say countries have a responsibility to look after these people if their life is in danger. Many end up in refugee camps like this some try to come to Australia.
REPORTER: Every year the government lets a certain number of refugees come to Australia, but they have to prove they're true refugees. The people who want to become refugees are called asylum seekers.
The word asylum means a safe place and that's what these people say they're looking for. Most asylum seekers get permission to come to Australia as refugees before they arrive but some come first and apply when they get here. That's what these guys are doing. They don't have permission to be here but they're not here illegally because under international law anyone has the right to ask to be treated as a refugee. Even so the government catches them and interviews them. If it decides an asylum seeker is not a genuine refugee, they can be sent home. It's the way they're arriving that been causing a lot of controversy. A few weeks ago there was an explosion on a boat carrying asylum seekers into Australia. Five people were killed and many more were injured. In the past there have been terrible accidents where asylum seekers on rickety boats have drowned. A big worry is, people are making money by selling tickets on unsafe boats and sneaking people into Australia. That's called people smuggling, and it's illegal
KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: People smugglers are the vilest form of human life. They trade on the tragedy of others and that's why they should rot in jail and in my view, rot in hell.
Most pollies agree they want to stop people smuggling but they disagree how to do it. But with the economic crisis and lots of wars at the moment there are warnings there could be even more people prepared to risk their lives to come to Australia.
Presenter
The issue of asylum seekers is enormously complex and we've only just managed to touch
on a few angles in our story. If you want to know more go to our website.
Quiz
Now Saturday was ANZAC Day so let's do an ANZAC quiz.
In which war did the most Australians die?
1. First World War
2. Second World War
3. Vietnam War
Answer: First World War
Anzac Vigil
Reporter: Catherine Ellis
INTRO: More than 60 thousand died in the first World War, close to 40 thousand in the Second and about five hundred in Vietnam.
On Saturday lots of people turned out to remember those that died and the thousands more that were injured.
Many kids also took part and Catherine joined a group who held their own special event.
CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: As dawn broke Anzac Services began across the country.
They'd set their alarms really early so the could pay their respects and remember the sacrifices made by Australians in war.
But it all began many hours earlier for a group of kids in Adelaide.
CATHERINE: It's 6 o'clock the night before Anzac Day and kids from right across South Australia; Army cadets, Navy, Airforce cadets, SES, Scouts, Girl Guides and kids from lots of other organisations have gathered here at the States War Memorial.
They're taking part in an all-night vigil. Three hundred kids will take it in turns to march around and guard the historic site before the dawn service begins at 6AM.
It's their chance to have their own Anzac service especially for kids.
TEGAN, CFS CADET: It's really important because it shows our appreciation to the elderly people and to commemorate the people who we don't know but have fought in war for us.
MITCH, SCOUT: You just imagine if you were out there type thing, if you were running for your life on the beaches at Gallipoli and seeing your mates being shot down either side of you, it's pretty upsetting. But and then you just think about celebrating what they did for our country and that kind of stuff so it's really special.
And the whole event is organised by kids.
At 8pm they hold a special ceremony, which the Governor attends, but it's the kids who run it. Each group lays their headgear at the base of the memorial and kids representing different cultures lay tokens of appreciation.
It's a chance to wear badges they've earned and also the war medals of relatives - like 11-year-old Megan who wore her grandpa's medals.
CATHERINE: How important is it for you to wear those medals and how does it feel?
MEGAN, GIRL GUIDE: It feels great. It makes me feel like im honouring those people who went to war and my grandpa.
Even the snacks were traditional.
CATHERINE: Connor what are you eating? CONNOR: An Anzac biscuit on Anzac Day.
It was the wives, mums and girlfriends of the soldiers all those years ago who came up with the nutritional, long lasting snack and sent them off to the war zones.
CATHERINE: How many have you eaten? Connor: Three. Catherine: But there might be a few more eaten tonight? Connor: Yes I think so.
As well as being a chance to learn more about the Anzacs, the kids get to stay up all night in the middle of the city and make new friends.
And it was Kids who came up with the idea.
BETHANY: Quite a few years ago before this started, the day before Anzac Day the memorial was vandalised. The youth was blamed and so to prove that the youth wasn't like that we started this up.
Some kids are doing it for the third year in a row - like Mitch.
CATHERINE I might have to come back and see how you've gone!
MITCH: you'll have to get yourself out of your nice warm bed!
Taking that as a dare from Mitch, I made my way back at 4am and they were still marching!
CATHERINE: Have you guys been to bed?
BETHANY: I haven't haha.
CATHERINE: Mitch how have you gone?
MITCH I'm stuffed. I am absolutely stuffed!
CATHERINE: Did u enjoy the marching?
ADRIAN: Yeah it was okay until it rained.
But despite the tired eyes and damp uniforms everyone agreed it was a great experience.
CFS CADETS: I think it's a lot of fun it you want to do something to honour the troops who have done so much for us.
And as 6AM came and the last shift finished their marching many were already making plans to return next year.
Presenter:
And other kids have also got involved in Anzac ceremonies. Catherine has more about them in the Wire.
The Wire
Some kids travelled to the other side of the world to the birthplace of the ANZAC legend.
They took part in the dawn service at Gallipoli in Turkey
**************
On Thursday more than three-thousand kids got together in Brisbane for a special ANZAC ceremony for students.
They came from 164 schools.
Emily, GC Christian College: “To honour those that have died in the war and to remember them.”
The Queensland Governor and veterans also turned out to help the kids show their respects.
**************
Another Queensland school kid inspired his town to build a memorial for one of Australia's war heroes.
13 year old Ronan lives in the country town of Blackall where Major Edgar Towner grew up.
Ronan: “I was asked to write an essay about the war and chose Major Towner.”
Major Towner was extraordinarily brave in World War One, winning the military medal and the highest award for bravery the Victoria Cross.
Ronan: “He was shot in the head and kept fighting for 30 hours.”
In his essay Ronan asked why his town had never had a memorial to Major Towner. He sent it to the local paper and the town responded.
The statue was erected for ANZAC Day, and the town is now very proud of its memorial and of Ronan.
**************
In other news kids have been enjoying some early snow in the snow fields.
Cold weather meant there was a thick covering of the white stuff even though the ski season is still six weeks away.
**************
And a bullock in Ireland has caused havoc in a supermarket.
It escaped from a pen at a cattle market and ran into the store.
Workers tried to block its path with a trolley but didn't have much luck.
The bullock's owner also turned up - but when it saw him it chased him.
It was eventually steered into a field.
Rabbit Scan
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: It's not long past Easter, a time when lots of us spent our days eating chocolate bunnies to the point of feeling sick ... But while those tinfoil ones went down a treat... there are others out in the wild that aren't so well-liked.
Rabbits have been big pests in Australia for more than a hundred years ... and while they had been under control for a while... their numbers now seem to be rising once again.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: They're often seen as loveable little animals - cute, cuddly and harmless.
But to many people in Australia, rabbits aren't that loveable at all!
Rabbits are one of Australia's worst feral animals and they are definitely making farmers everywhere hopping mad. They cost around $200 million a year in lost production.
But how can these little balls of fluff be that bad?
Well there are two reasons. The first is they eat quite a lot each and their favourite foods are often native plants or farmers' crops.
The second reason is that rabbits breed like... well... rabbits!
Two rabbits can turn into five within 14 weeks, then 15 the same time after.
From there it jumps to 35, then 70!
By the end of 18 months, one breeding pair can turn into a whopping 184 rabbits!
They were brought out by some of the first European settlers and released for hunting, but their number quickly exploded, so people started looking at ways to get rid of them.
These days they have a few methods.
There are poisoned baits, ripping up their burrows and most spectacularly, blowing them up!
But the most effective so far has been less explosive but far more deadly!
In 1950, scientists found a special virus that only affects rabbits. It was called myxomatosis.
After its release it got quick results.
Within 2 years, the population of rabbits dropped from 600 million to just 100 mil.
Unfortuntely many of the rabbits left were resistant, so a different virus had to be used.
Next cab off the rank was the 'calicivirus' in 1995.
It also had a big effect originally, but like myxomatosis, it's now starting to lose its effectivness.
So what now?
Well kids are helping out as the next line of defence in the war against rabbits.
These guys are part of a project called 'Rabbit Scan,' which aims to find out exactly how many rabbits are out there in different areas of Australia.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Now there aren't going to be many rabbits out during the day, so the kids are looking for signs of rabbits instead. That can include burrows, broken plants or even poo!
First they get a lesson on what to look for, before heading out in groups to record everything they find.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Now the poo that the kids are looking for today has actually been digested twice - now that because rabbits have this disgusting habit of eating their own poo! Now the reason is they don't get enough nutrients the first time they digest it, so they have to eat it again. Eww.
By doing this, these kids are helping scientists to get a better idea of how they can best stop the rabbit in its tracks.
Because the future of Australia's environment depends on a much better result than this.