BtN: Episode 12 Transcript 15/5/12
On this week's Behind the News
· Surviving on two dollars a day kids get a taste of what it's like to be in poverty.
· A fashion mag takes a stand against using underage and unhealthy looking models.
· And should animals be banned from the circus we look at both sides of the debate.
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley, welcome to Behind the News.
Also on the show today we meet some researchers trying to figure out a way to scare sharks away from swimmers.
But first today a story about our defence force.
Defence Dollars
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: One of the big cuts in the Federal budget was in Defence spending. It got 5 billion dollars less than expected and that's made some people angry. But others reckon it's about time the defence force budget had a bit of a trim. Sarah looks into it.
BOY: We have collected the taxes your Grace. How shall you spend the Kingdoms gold?
BOY: Well that's a silly question. Spend it on the army, of course!
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: For a long time the military was the main thing leaders spent money on. The bigger your army, the more powerful you were.
GIRL: Um, your Grace, are you sure you want to spend it all on the army?
Of course! What else is there?
Well, you could spend it on education. You know, teaching people to read?
Everyone: Hahaha!
Times and budgets have changed.
WAYNE SWAN, Treasurer: Health, education, infrastructure and clean energy. Australians with a disability the aged and those who cannot afford dental care.
These days the biggest pile of money goes to welfare; looking after people who can't work. It gets a third of all the money in the budget. Next comes health, which gets about 16 percent. Education gets about 8 percent of the budget. And defence gets about six percent.
The Army Navy and Air Force cost taxpayers about 26 billion dollars a year. It's a lot of money for a country that's not under attack. So why do we need a defence force? Well defence isn't just about fighting. Australian military workers have all sorts of jobs, like helping out in natural disasters or helping to keep the peace in other counties. Like East Timor where Australians helped the country set up an independent government.
Then there are times when soldiers are sent to fight in overseas wars. That happens for a few reasons. It could be the belief that fighting will help to make Australia safer; maybe by getting rid of terrorists or dangerous governments. And it might be to support Australia's allies, just like they'd support Australia if it were attacked.
That has happened before. 70 years ago during the Second World War Japanese planes bombed Darwin, killing around 250 people. That sort of thing hasn't happened since but defending Australia from an armed attack, from the air or the sea, is still the military's most important goal. But is that likely to ever happen? Well some say no.
Any country that attacked Australia would face pretty serious consequences from big international organisations like the UN and NATO. Plus its size and isolation would make it difficult to invade and Australia has pretty good relationships with most of its neighbours.
Over in New Zealand the government spends much less on its military. Instead of buying jets and submarines it focuses on overseas peacekeeping and minor threats at home. And there are some countries that don't have a military at all like Samoa and Costa Rica.
But Australia's much bigger. It has a bigger economy, and more of a say internationally. Some say to keep that place in the world it needs a defence force with the best technology and training. And that's something that doesn't come cheap.
Poverty Line
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: Last week there would have been some pretty hungry people throughout Australia. Not because of some new fad diet but because they were taking a week to experience what life is like for someone below the poverty line. It's a tough challenge but sadly for more than a billion people around the world it can be a life sentence. Here's just a very small taste of what it's like.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Food shopping is a task that your parents would probably rather avoid. Battling the crowds while pacing up and down aisles, making sure they get everything they need to feed you for the week ahead.
NATHAN: But how much worse would it be trying to do the shopping with just a fraction of the money you usually spend? Well that's the aim of Live Below the Line, a fundraising program that challenges kids to feed themselves for five days on just 2 dollars a day. And these guys are just some of the people risking hungry stomachs by taking part. Alright, I have your ten dollars for the week - let's go shopping!
LAURA: People all over the world are taking on this challenge to raise funds for education projects in Papua New Guinea.
MATTHEW: I'm really scared that I might not buy enough of the food I need.
KRISTIAN: Hopefully I've bought the right things.
NATHAN: Come in guys. Right let's see what you've bought!
NATHAN: Okay so what are you planning to cook with all of those things?
LAURA: I'll have oats for breakfast, with some sugar, then I'll have oats again for lunch, with more sugar, then I'll have pasta for dinner with the tomato sauce.
MATTHEW: I'll probably have plain toast for breakfast.
SARAH: So I'll have the Weetbix for breakfast with hot water,
NATHAN: The Weetbix with hot water. How's that going to taste?
SARAH: Probably not that good, but Weetbix are filling.
MATTHEW: Then a potato sandwich for lunch, followed by pasta and tomato sauce for dinner.
NATHAN: Umm not so sure about the carrot sandwich.
KRISTIAN: We'll like Matt's potato sandwich, a carrot sandwich tastes just as good.
NATHAN: Hmmm not so sure about that, how does every feel about a carrot sandwich?
SARAH: I'd go the potatoes.
LAURA: I wouldn't go either!
SARAH: Dinner I'll have pasta with chickpeas cos they're really filling and carrots chopped up.
NATHAN: Okay you're not going to see that on Masterchef anytime, I think we can safely say.
But while Live Below the Line aims to give participants just a taste of what it's like trying to survive below the poverty line, for those facing it each and every day it's a very different and much more difficult story.
Currently, it's estimated around 1.4 billion people live below the poverty line around the world. That means they have nowhere near the amount of money the need to be able to feed their families, not enough to give them proper shelter and clothing, or enough to make sure their kids get an education.
Some areas of Africa have struggled with this problem for decades and people here are still starving every day.
Meanwhile in Papua New Guinea, the focus of this year's campaign, 40 percent of the population live below the poverty line. The aim of this year's fundraising is to help build schools here to help kids get an education, get better jobs and finally break the poverty cycle.
Across Australia, thousands of kids have signed up for the Live Below The Line challenge this year, trying to help this massive problem in whatever small way they can. For the guys I met, this is the kind of stuff they've been eating during their five days below the line.
And this is how much good they've done so far.
SARAH: We've got a lot of sponsors, lot of people behind us, and we've raised about 8 thousand dollars as a team.
Not only is it a good cause, it's a good reminder of what most of us take for granted and what much of the world are forced to go without.
Presenter: Let's see what else is making the news. Here's Tash with the Wire.
The Wire
The Ugandan military's just announced it’s caught one of the commanders of the Lord's Resistance Army. It's a rebel group led by this guy Joseph Kony the world's most wanted man. You might remember there was a huge social media campaign recently to try to encourage governments to work harder to catch him. And while Joseph Kony hasn't been caught yet, the Ugandan military is hopeful the capture of one of his key associates could mean they're closing in.
****
A new study in the US has found head injuries from playing football are more serious than most people think. Researchers say players don't even need to have concussion to be seriously injured. They're now working with Australian footballers who have suffered injuries from tackling but say more study has to be done.
****
And finally Prince Charles made a surprise appearance on Scottish TV last week to read the weather. It was to mark sixty years of the BBC broadcasting in Scotland.
Skinny Models
Reporter: Matt Holbrook
INTRO: It seems that the fashion industry may be moving towards a change. Fashion mag Vogue has announced that it's going to stop using models who are unhealthily thin or younger than 16. It now wants to promote a healthier body image. Body image can be a serious problem and as Matt reports, it's one that affects many young people.
MATT HOLBROOK REPORTING: Kate's fourteen. She's just landed her first modelling job, and is getting ready for her shoot.
KATE: Quite excited, a little bit nervous. Just looking forward to it.
Kate's got the look that modelling agencies are after. She was just walking down the street one day when she was 'spotted' by Dale, who's a make-up artist.
KATE: I was walking down the street with some friends and he pulled over and gave me his card and wrote some numbers on it and I came in and got to do a workshop.
For some young people, it's a dream to be, or even look like a model. But in reality, it can be really tough, because the people you see up here don't represent what most people look like.
The average Aussie woman is between a dress size 14 and 16. While many runway models are expected to be a dress size 6 to 8. And not only do they have to be really skinny, they also have to be much taller than average. So the bodies we see in magazines and in fashion shows are much thinner and taller than most of us. And that can make some people sad about the way they look.
A survey last year by Mission Australia found that a third of young people rated body image as one of their biggest worries. It surveyed more than forty five thousand Aussies aged between 11 and 24. And it also found it's not just girls who struggle with it.
VOX: I think for men more now more than ever we're feeling more self conscious with how we look, how we dress, just our general appearance.
For many young people, the pressure to look a certain way has been linked to problems like eating disorders and other health issues. In recent years, there's been a bigger push to use models who look more like everyday people. In 2009, the Federal government introduced a code of conduct that says models should be people of all sizes and backgrounds. And that message seems to be hitting home with some of the world's biggest fashion mags.
Vogue says it will no longer use models who are unhealthily skinny, or younger than 16. It's a bit of a turnaround, because last year, the very same magazine was criticised for using these photos of a ten year old girl wearing make-up and high heels.
Back at the modelling agency, the owner, Brigette says while they still look for tall, skinny models, there's more of a demand now for a variety of body shapes.
BRIGETTE: You will always wants your fashion models to be of a certain height and body type, but commercial models can be all shapes and sizes.
Brigette's agency does use models under the age of 16, like Kate. But she says kids should only do jobs appropriate for their age.
MATT: How do you feel having been on your first shoot now?
KATE: Quite excited for the next one, been really fun and the people have been really helpful, since I'm new.
Kate hopes she'll get a chance to do some more modelling work in the future, and carve out a c
Presenter: OK, on the subject of models and fashion. Let's have our first quiz of the show.
Quiz 1
The question is:
On what part of the body would you wear a cummerbund?
Head
Waist
Shoulders
Answer: Waist
It's like a big sash worn around the waist usually with a dinner jacket or tuxedo.
Circus Animals
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: Next to a story about circus animals. For some people they're an important part of the big top experience just like clowns and a trapeze artist. But others think that making animals perform is wrong and should be banned. Let's take a look at this debate from both sides.
Animals have played a starring role in circuses for many years. Back in the old days, thousands applauded their amazing feats and impressive training. But eventually, the less-than-impressive treatment they received started overshadowing their performances.
Since those days, things have changed a lot.
Some areas of Australia have banned the use of circus animals completely, while others still allow animal performers as long as they are kept in conditions the government approves of. But that hasn't settled the fight.
So today, as we take you on a special behind the scenes circus tour, both sides will try to convince you why they're right about circus animals.
JAN, STARDUST CIRCUS: I'm Jan Lennon owner of Stardust Circus, my husband and I own it, all our family work in the show and we have animals which are looked after with the greatest of care.
JESSICA, ANIMAL LIBERATION ACT: I'm Jessica Ferry, I'm from Animal Liberation ACT. Animal Liberation ACT opposes the use of animals in any way that inhibits their ability to live their life naturally.