BtN: Episode 27 Transcript 21/09/10
On this week's Behind the News:
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The Commonwealth Games are just weeks away, but what's a commonwealth?
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We'll find out why investors think bling is the thing.
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And we'll go trackside to a high stakes competition with a difference.
Hi I'm Sarah Larsen, welcome to Behind the News.
Also on the show today, how early do you get out of bed? We'll catch up with some
dedicated swimmers who are up at 4.30am for training!
News Ministers
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: Well there's no time for training for our new government.
Just days after being confirmed as Australia's Prime Minister, Julia Gillard named
her new team.
And when I say team I don't mean she's planning a footy game on the lawns of
parliament house.
Her team are playing politics and just like sports stars they all have positions they
need to play here's Nathan.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Julia Gillard loves her footy.
She's the number one ticket holder for the Bulldogs, but you get the feeling she'd love
to have a shot at coach.
JULIA GILLARD: I'm pretty good at nerves of steel.
Unfortunately she's already got a coaching job that keeps her hands pretty full, Prime
Minister of Australia.
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But how is being PM like coaching, you might ask?
Well just like a footy coach, the PM gets to pick the team she'll lead against the
opposition.
And just like a coach, she looks at her player’s strengths and weaknesses to decide
who'll get a guernsey.
Let's imagine you're running a school footy team.
Before giving everyone their positions, you want to make sure everyone is put in a
position that suits them best.
First up, you might ask if anyone has any experience.
Then you might look for people that have the natural abilities needed like height or
strength.
And finally you might look for some kids that have done well in the last game and
give them some more responsibility.
It's exactly the same choosing ministers, but instead of positions on a field, they're
given portfolios or area's they're in charge of.
There's Treasurer, Defence, Transport, Foreign Affairs, Climate Change, Health and
Schools, to name a few.
So just like a coach, you look for people that have experience in those areas.
You look for people that have natural interest.
And you look for people that did really well in their last portfolio.
And at the end of it all, instead of winning the game, your team can hopefully do their
best running the whole country!
REPORTER: So that's how it's done. Now let's have a look at who Julia Gillard called
up to her team.
Wayne Swan was once again picked as her deputy or her right hand man.
He also takes the most important portfolio, Treasurer, meaning he's in charge of all
the cash.
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Next down the list is Kevin Rudd, who was promised the Foreign Affairs portfolio,
after being chucked out as Prime Minister only a few months ago.
Julia lived up to her promise and put him in as the man in charge of our interests
overseas.
But will they be able to work together despite their nasty past?
JULIA GILLARD: Of Course.
Well, the distance will help. Kevin's already jetting out to America to get started.
But that leaves Stephen Smith, the last Foreign Affairs minister, jobless.
STEPHEN SMITH: When the Prime Minister told me she was going to appoint Kevin
Rudd as Foreign Affairs minister she asked me what I'd like to do, and I said defence.
That means he'll be in charge of all our armed forces and have responsibility for wars
like Afghanistan.
But most importantly, who's the minister in charge of things that matter to you?
Well that'd be Peter Garrett, who's in charge of school education, early childhood and
youth.
All up, 30 ministers were sworn into their various roles by the Governor-General.
And over at Parliament House, Tony Abbott was naming the opposition members
that would be taking them on, called shadow ministers.
So now the teams are picked, the leaders are ready, let's hear the siren for the start of
play.
Presenter: We'll be keeping our eye on that game!
The Wire
Let's see what else is happening in the news with Tash.
People living near the mouth of the Murray River are breathing a sigh of relief as
South Australia’s lower lakes fill with water.
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For years lakes Albert and Alexandrina have been drying out.
The drought meant there wasn't enough water flowing down the Murray to fill them
And lakeside towns were left high and dry.
But the recent rain which brought floods to Victoria has brought hope to these
communities.
LADY: The water's moving and so is the land. We can hear the frogs, we can see the
birds are feeding, the fish are running, the tube worm on the back of the turtles are
going away. The country's refreshed and there's new life and the communities are
feeling happier too.
And there's been some more good news from the Gulf of Mexico in the US.
The broken well which caused the worst oil spill in the country's history is now
officially plugged.
For months the company responsible for the leak has been drilling holes down to the
base of the well.
Then they pumped in cement to squeeze it shut.
Even though the oil isn't leaking out anymore the disaster isn't over
"It’s not finished we've still got a lot of oil out here to pick up".
It could be years before coastal environments recover and some are worried about
what affect the oil will have on sea creatures.
Commonwealth
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: If you tune into the Commonwealth Games next month you'll see athletes
from all over the world, from Canada to South Africa to Tonga and Tuvalu.
But there are a few big countries you won't see represented, like China and the US.
So what's with that? And what is the commonwealth anyway? Let’s find out.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Once upon a time there was a little country called
England.
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It wasn't very big, but being an island the English knew a thing or two about ships.
So they sailed around the world trading with other countries and eventually claimed
some for their own.
KID: I claim this new found land in the name of the Queen of England!
And that's how the British Empire began. Britain being the old Roman name for
England and Empire meaning the collection of countries it ruled.
England claimed countries all over the world, sometimes through wars, sometimes
through business dealings, and sometimes through discoveries of land that they said
was empty.
REPORTER: Of course, Australia wasn't empty at all. Indigenous people had been
living here for tens of thousands of years, but nevertheless Australia became a part of
the British Empire.
At first it was ruled by England, but in 1901 Australia got a government of its own.
Soon after, England came up with a new name for its old Empire, the
'Commonwealth'.
It means a collection of countries that come together for the common good.
REPORTER: It's a word that you've probably seen around the place and that's
because we still live in the Commonwealth of Australia. That bank used to be owned
by the government, that's why it's called the commonwealth.
As part of the Empire, Australia shared a lot with England. We kept the English king
or queen as our head of state and we followed some English laws. We also shared a
love of cricket!
And when England went to war, so did Australia.
But over the years, Australia grew more of its own identity and stopped relying so
much on England.
Other countries broke away from the empire, either peacefully or by force, and
eventually it came to an end.
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But there is still a commonwealth. These days it's called the Commonwealth of
Nations and 53 countries are active members. It's not like the Empire. It's more like a
club that countries can choose to belong to.
They work together to support each other and encourage peace and human rights.
But the Commonwealth is probably best known for this, the Commonwealth Games.
They were first run in 1930 to try to bring together countries in the British Empire.
In fact, back then they were known as the Empire Games.
But while the Empire faded the games continued.
Like the Olympics, they're held every four years in different Commonwealth
countries and this year it's India's turn.
They've been racing to get new sporting venues finished on time and they want to put
on a spectacular show, because next month a lot of people will be watching.
Presenter: As you know the games are held every four years so let's have a quick
quiz.
Quiz 1
Which city will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games?
Brisbane, Australia
Glasgow, Scotland
Vancouver, Canada
Answer: Glasgow
And that will be the 20th Commonwealth Games.
Gold Price
Reporter: Nathasha Thiele
INTRO: Now at the Commonwealth Games a lot of athletes will be chasing gold.
But it’s not just sports people who are obsessed with the precious yellow metal.
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Investors and finance experts spend a lot of time thinking about the price of gold.
And at the moment it's at a record high.
So why is that important? And why is gold so precious? Tash has been
investigating.
"Aztec Gold. All the gods placed upon the gold a terrible curse"
"His gold! Fort Knox, the world's biggest bank!"
"Look MacKenna, I'm covered in gold!"
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: It's pretty obvious gold is one precious metal!
The name 'gold' comes from an Old English word meaning 'yellow'.
Its soft compared to other metals and can be turned into different shapes without fire
or other heat.
Gold is valued for its shine and it's been used for thousands of years to make
jewellery.
REPORTER: This is what real gold looks like. It's pretty cool and it’s quite heavy.
And all this gold here in my hand is worth 20 thousand dollars!
Besides the bling factor, gold is also used in medicine, technology like computers and
electronics, that's because it's a great electrical conductor and it doesn't corrode.
It even gets used for cake decorations. It's extremely thin pieces called gold leaf.
But hold on! When did people start realising gold was so precious?
Many thousands of years ago, gold was used to pay for things and was turned into
coins.
Before that, people would use things like stones or feathers to buy or swap items like
food, clothing and shelter.
But they discovered the precious metal was better because it lasted longer and was
rare. It was difficult to find.
Gold hasn't just been a currency, these days some people buy it as an investment so
they can make money from it!
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Experts say you can always fall back on gold because it'll always keep its value.
And at the moment the price of gold has hit a record high!
That means investors don't have a lot of confidence in how the world is going at the
moment.
So people can either sell their bit of gold and make a profit or buy more!
But they don't actually get to hold the gold in their hand; it's kept in secure places
like banks and government storage vaults.
Like many precious metals, gold is bought and sold every day on what are called 'gold
markets'.
You've probably even seen people talk about these markets on the news.
FINANCE REPORTS: Gold is flirting with its record high. And gold this morning is
trading at one thousand two hundred and sixty six dollars and eighty cents an ounce.
These bulletins tell us how much gold is being bought and sold.
Although we don't see people use gold as money any more, it's still being traded.
So with gold becoming more valuable, we could see more people investing in the
precious metal.
Presenter: Ok let's have a quiz about gold now and this one's pretty tricky.
Quiz 2
The question is: What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Gd
Au
Na
Answer: Au
Like lots of science things, the symbol comes from a Latin word and the Latin name
for gold is Aurum.
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Ok next up is a story about some kids in search of their own bit of Aurum!
Swim Comeback
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: Would you fancy a dip at 4.30am? What a way to wake up!
For swimmers in training that's a part of their normal day.
I 'volunteered' to jump out of bed nice and early to catch up with some kids hoping
to be stars of the future.
And along the way found out about a star swimmer from the past who's making an
amazing comeback.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: What were you doing at 4.30 this morning?
These guys put in two and a half hours of training before school starts.
MIA: Sometimes we fall asleep in some lessons. But that's the life we choose.
They have nine training sessions a week, in the mornings and the afternoons. All up
it’s about twenty hours of hard work. But to compete at the National level they need
every minute and Mia reckons it’s worth it.
MIA: Definitely when you hit that finishing line and you see everyone finish behind
you it’s just the best feeling you know you've done your best.
Getting to an elite level of just about any sport you can think of takes years of hard
work and dedication. And you don't get to stay at the top for very long.
Many athletes retire in their thirties or even their twenties because their body slows
down or because they get tired of devoting their life to sport.
That's something Geoff Huegill knows all about.
Ten years ago he was on top of the world. Years of hard work were paid off with a
silver and a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics.
GEOFF HUEGILL: I still get goose-bumps thinking about it.
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But that was his last big win and Geoff decided to quit swimming and soon got pretty
out of shape.
GEOFF HUEGILL: I lived a life to excess, so to speak. You know, instead of sticking
to diets and routines and exercise, I did everything completely the opposite to what I
had grown up with.
It's a pretty common story amongst retired athletes. One of the problems is their diet
has to change.
Competing and training uses a huge amount of energy and they need to replace that.
US Swimming star Michael Phelps says he eats about five times more than an
average person.
REPORTER: He says his daily diet looks a bit like this. For breakfast there are three
fried-egg sandwiches, an omelette, cereal, pancakes and French toast. Then there's
lunch and dinner! So you can see why it might be hard to get back into normal eating
habits!
Geoff's weight was getting unhealthy so he decided to do something about it. He
started swimming to get fit, but soon found he missed the competition.
COACH: When Geoff first came to me and spoke to me about wanting to make a
comeback and wanting to make the Commonwealth Games it was like, ok. It was sort
of an out-there idea and a great dream goal but he's done it.
With a lot of hard work Geoff managed to get back into his old training regime. He
dropped more than 40 kilos and won a place in the Commonwealth Games squad.
His coach says Geoff's swimming faster than ever.
GEOFF HUEGILL: That would be great. But, for me, I think I've already won my gold
medal. I've been able to turn my life around and to have a second chance.
It's an inspiring story and not just for retired athletes.
MIA: Absolutely amazing. I just can't image how hard it must be to get back t the
level he's at. Just missing one lesson for us is so hard.
It just goes to show with courage, determination and a lot of hard work anything is
possible.
Presenter: Hope he does well!
Ok let's see what else has been happening in sport with Alfie.
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The Score
Aussie Casey Stoner's had his first win of the Moto GP season at the Aragon grand
prix.
The former world champion started in pole position and managed to hold off a
trailing Dani Pedrosa to take the win on the Spaniard's home soil.
After recovering from a minor crash during the warm-up, Stoner managed a
comfortable margin of more than five seconds.
CASEY STONER, WINNER: "Going into the race I was staying away from every
white line that I could. I did not want to get too close. But yeah, we were able to pick
up the pace when we needed to during the race and bring home a win."
Stoner's Honda team-mate Nicky Hayden pipped championship leader, Jorge
Lorenzo for third.
And back home in the A-league.
Melbourne Heart is celebrating their second win in a row, after defeating Wellington
Pheonix 2-1.
And Gold Coast United's had a goalless draw with the Central Coast Mariners at
Skilled Park.
Rabbit Race
Reporter: Natasha Thiele
INTRO: Animals can be put through their paces in a heap of sports, from horses
in elite dressage events to, believe it or not, pig jumping!
But did you know rabbits have their own competition too?
It's called rabbit jumping and Tash found out a little more about the unusual
sport.
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Meet Bob, the country bunny!
And Humphrey, the show off!
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Take note guys 'cause these furry characters could be the future champions of
the rabbit world.
This is rabbit jumping!
Rabbit jumping started in Scandinavia in the late 1970s.
Now thanks to the Internet, the rather different sport is catching on in Australia.
The rabbits compete in four events.
There's speed course, the multi-round with different height jumps, long jump
and high jump.
They need to run along these trestle tables, roughly about 8 metres.
Owners say the rabbits naturally love to jump, so all you gotta do is teach them
to follow the track.
But it's not just the adults getting involved in the growing sport.
Young people like Jack are too!
He's been involved in rabbit jumping for three years and this is his rabbit
Wilbour.
JACK, RABBIT OWNER: You have to pat it and get to know him and call his
name and pat the table because then he'll get used to your scent and when you
call his name he'll just jump automatically.
But Jack would like to see more kids get involved in the sport.
JACK, RABBIT OWNER: I'll like to have a competition, not just me and my
brother because sometimes we have to verse the adults and it's way too hard
because they've been training for like twelve years.
Sometimes during competition there can be a few accidents along the way, so
they need to spray the area down with vinegar so other rabbits don't get
distracted by the scent of other rabbits.
And although you're not allowed to touch the rabbits while they're in action, the
owners say getting them over the line comes down to lots of love!
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So lots of affection like patting them is their secret weapon!
Others prefer to use clickers and treats to reward the bunnies when they train
them, like they do with dogs.
Each breed has its own characteristics and personality and the lopped eared
rabbits seem to be the best!
REPORTER: And this is what they look like! Their ears hang down instead of
standing up.
But not everyone thinks rabbits are as cute and fun.
Wild rabbits are considered pests because they breed out of control in the wild.
They came here from Europe in 1859 and destroyed plants, trees and farming
properties.
And although it's illegal to sell or keep wild rabbits as pets, it's okay to breed
domestic rabbits in most parts of Australia.
A lot of money and research is going into controlling wild rabbits and that's why
farmers aren't too keen on pampering rabbits.
But according to some pet shop owners more people are buying rabbits,
especially as a first pet or around Easter time.
After all this rabbit talk, I thought I'd give it a go!
REPORTER: C'mon Wilbour, do me proud!
REPORTER: Aww nice one! See, it's not that hard after all!
So with the event now attracting other rabbit clubs from around the country,
maybe we'll be seeing a lot more rabbit jumping in the future!
Closer
Don't forget to log onto our website and get more info about any of our stories and
you can tell us what you think in our guestbook. We love hearing from you.
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We're taking a break for the school holidays for a couple of weeks, but you can still
catch us on BtN Daily and of course you can always get a dose of BtN Extra each
weekday on ABC3.
And we'll see you next time.
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