BtN: Episode 01 Transcript 09/02/16
Coming up on Behind the News.
Meet the kids going back to school after bushfires hit their community.
Find out why scientists are working so hard to rid Australia of this fish.
And how much is too much in your school backpack?
Hello Nathan with you for another exciting year of BtN!
Stay with us in 2016 for all of the biggest stories and most interesting kids from
around Australia and around the world.
Plus we'll have all your favourites back like heaps of quizzes and #askareporter too.
The Wire
INTRO: But let's kick off the year as we kick off most episodes with a quick look at all
the biggest headlines from the past week.
A big virus outbreak has been declared a global health emergency. It's called Zika
and it's spread by mosquitoes. While it isn't deadly it can be really dangerous for
unborn babies. It's already affected thousands of people in South and Central
America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. But authorities say it's unlikely it'll spread
here.
A big legal battle took place last week over one of Australia's offshore detention
centres.
The High Court was asked to decide whether it was legal for the Australian
Government to keep asylum seekers on Nauru. The court ruled that is was, which
means 270 asylum seekers who had been brought to Australia from there will now
probably have to go back. That led to protests around the country asking the
government to let them stay.
And some state premiers have written letters to the PM asking to host the asylum
seekers too.
Finally billions of people around the world have celebrated Chinese New Year.
Including many right here in Australia!
The first day featured the tradition of lighting fireworks to chase off evil spirits.
But the celebrations don't stop there! For the next 15 days people will take part in
many different events and ceremonies.
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Chinese New Year is held at a different time to the Australian New Year because it's
based on the phases of the moon.
Moving Australia Day
Reporter: Carl smith
INTRO: Okay now a couple of weeks ago the nation celebrated Australia Day. It's
held on January 26th each year but do you know why? Well it marks a significant
date in Australia's history but not one everyone thinks it's a date that should be
celebrated. And that's why, this year, there were calls for Australia Day to move.
Here's Carl with more. But first a warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
viewers, this story contains images of people who've died.
We've all seen the thongs and tongs of Australia Day. But do you know what the
famous public holiday is really all about? Well Australia Day actually has a pretty
complex history.
So let's jump back two hundred and twenty eight years to see where it all began.
In the late 1700s Britain found itself with too many prisoners and not enough prisons
to hold them all. They needed a place to send them and the recently discovered
Australia fit the bill.
JUDGE KID: You are sentenced to transportation across the seas for a period of
seven years.
So the First Fleet loaded up with 759 convicts, travelled to the other side of the world
and set up the first Australian colony - New South Wales.
They landed at Sydney Cove on January 26 the date that would eventually become
Australia Day and Captain Arthur Phillip took possession of the land for the British
Empire. But Arthur Phillip wasn't just taking control of empty land.
Aboriginal people had been living in Australia for at least 50,000 years before that,
and that's why for many Aboriginal people Australia Day is not a celebration - it's a
day of mourning. Some people even call it Invasion Day.
This mixture of feelings towards Australia Day was easy to see on January 26 1988.
As many Australians celebrated the 200th anniversary of the First Fleet's voyage to
Australia, Aboriginal people held huge demonstrations and protests because they
didn't think it should be a day to celebrate.
KID, 1988: I'm very proud to be Aboriginal, and I'm glad I could take part in the
march and be here today. 200 years from today, white man came and started to
destroy my people of this land.
Because of this many people are now starting to think that Australia Day should be
moved to a different day, and there are a few options that people have suggested.
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One is January 1st, the day in 1901 that the Australian colonies united to form a
single nation. Another is January 25th, the day before British settlement and the last
day the Australian continent was inhabited only by indigenous people.
Some have also talked about fusing Australia Day with ANZAC Day in April, or
Wattle Day in September. Others think it could be the day Australia's first federal
parliament was opened, or the day of the referendum that recognised Aboriginal
people in the constitution.
There are lots of different options, but many people still like January 26th too. Some
like it because it's the traditional day we've celebrated Australia Day, others because
it's a great time of year to have a swim and a barbie.
But whether the day changes or stays the same, it'll still involve some very special
things: welcoming newcomers into our society, celebrating parts of our culture, and
remembering the generations of Australians who have come before us.
Poll
Okay let's see where you guys stand on that with a poll.
Should Australia Day be moved to a different date?
Head to our website to place your vote.
Bushfire Recovery
Rookie Reporter: Kane
INTRO: Now over the summer holidays, bushfires struck many communities around
Australia. For the kids that live in those areas, recovering has been a really long
process. So we asked some of them to let us know how they were going in the leadup to school going back. Rookie Reporter Kane has more.
KID: Hi, my name's Kane and this is a pretty exciting day for my family.
We're getting these cool packs, and so are hundreds of other kids around here.
And we're getting them for free! It's kind of like a back to school boost for all of us
kids because, for a lot of people here, things haven't been so great over summer.
A few months ago, a bushfire broke out in Pinery in South Australia, which is really
close to Hamley Bridge where I live.
When the fire started me, my friend we were looking on the computers at where it
was and everywhere. When my mum picked us up from school me, my brother and
sister were scared when the smoke came over and we hopped in the car and my
mum took us to the Balaklava recovery centre.
All up, the fire burnt 87 homes and around 300 farm sheds. Two people died and so
did heaps of animals.
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Coming back into town there were some trees green and some trees were black and
then there were some houses burnt to the ground.
But our area wasn't the only area to be hit by a big bushfire this summer.
Over in Western Australia, the town of Yarloop was hit by a bushfire. Now there's
basically nothing left.
And over in Victoria, there was another fire that caused heaps of damage. But my
friends can tell you more about that.
Thanks Kane! Hi I'm Pema. Hi I'm Juna. we live in Wye River in Victoria.
We were having Christmas lunch at our Auntie Carol's. Mum got the evacuation
message on her phone. We went home and started our fire plan. Fortunately Auntie
Carol's house was ok. But as you can see it came pretty close.
Dad's a fire fighter so he went straight to the station. Mum had already packed our
bags so we went home, got our stuff and came straight the surf lifesavers club.
This is where we huddled. We waited for the fire to come. It was very hot. We had to
drink heaps of water.
When the fire finally came, it was pretty scary. There were heaps of fire fighters and
helicopters and luckily they managed to save lots of the town. Wye River lost 115
houses but most importantly, no lives were lost.
It's going to take a long time for the area to recover, but with the help of volunteers
and people like our parents we'll all get through it together.
Back here in Hamley Bridge, we're now getting ready for school to start again.
Luckily my school wasn't badly damaged in the fire so now we can go back straight
away. And these packs will really help, especially for those kids that lost everything.
KANE: This is Rachel and she's the nice lady that's organised the backpacks for all
the other kids. So Rachel, how many packs did you do in total?
RACHEL: In total we've got 209 packs for kids registered by their family and we had
a school call us and say can you help us out with another 320. So we've got lots of
packs to deliver over the next two days and we asked lots of people through our
Facebook page if they could help out and donate. We've had help coming in from
Melbourne and Western Australia and Whyalla and boxes arriving every day full of
supplies.
KANE: I've got snacks, a pencil case, a lunchbox and a watch.
Things might not be completely back to normal for me or my friends, but we're
staying positive and looking for a better future.
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Controlling Carp
Reporter: Matthew Holbrook
INTRO: Thanks Kane. Next we're learning about carp which are one of Australia's
most destructive pests in the water. But recently scientists announced that they've
found a way to control them. They've found a virus that they think should get rid of
most of them. But is releasing a new virus a safe way to fix the problem? Matt found
out.
They're the outlaws of our lakes and rivers, wanted for damaging our waterways and
harming native plants and animals. Carp are a real menace. And no-one has
managed to stop them until now.
Carp were first introduced to Australia in the 1800s for food and sport. Today, there
are millions and millions of them, and they've spread in lakes and rivers in south
eastern Australia.
MATT HOLBROOK, REPORTER: So even if I did manage to catch one or a lot
more, it's probably not going to make much of a dent in the overall population. Oh
well.
One of the big problems is that carp take up important space and resources that
native fish need. They collect food by sifting through mud which, well, muddies
everything up.
They can also survive in tough conditions and breed really quickly. A single female
can produce up to 1.5 million eggs. And they're just some of the reasons carp are on
our "Wanted" list. But now scientists at the CSIRO reckon they've found a way to
deal with them. A virus that kills carp, and leaves other plants and animals
unharmed.
DR KENNETH MCCOLL, CSIRO: We can show that this virus will only affect carp
and carp alone. What this virus does is to injure the kidney and skin of carp and so
they, the affected carp, then take on water and they effectively drown.
Carp aren't the first introduced species in Australia to be targeted in this way. In 1950
scientists used a special virus called myxomatosis to try to control the rabbit
population. Hundreds of millions of feral rabbits had spread across the country,
eating crops and natural vegetation, and myxomatosis was seen as the answer.
It quickly wiped out most of the species, but some were resistant. So in 1995, a
different virus was used, the calicivirus. They both helped reduce rabbit populations
in a big way, but didn't get rid of them completely.
Other attempts to control pests have been a lot less successful. Cane toads were
brought in to Queensland from South America to eat beetles that were annoying
sugar cane farmers. Soon they got a little too comfortable and started spreading
everywhere. To top things off they're poisonous, so they make our native animals
sick if they try to eat them. That one was a real fail, so people are always cautious
about the unintentional impacts of releasing a new animal or disease.
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But scientists say that after years of testing, the virus is safe for all other animals,
and is the best way to deal with the carp problem. That's why recreational fishers
and conservationists have teamed up to support the plan. It still has to be approved
by the government, and that process could take a couple of years. But it means this
wanted, or rather, unwanted pest, could one day be gone for good. And until then, I'll
do my bit to help!
Quiz 1
And we'll stay with carp for our first quiz of the day. The largest carp ever caught
weighed in at
15kg
28kg
Or 48kg
The answer is 48kg and here that monster is!
Heavy Load
Reporter: Carl Smith
INTRO: One of the big parts of returning to school is packing your school bag again.
But physiotherapists are warning that many kids are carrying too much around with
them which could lead to problems down the track. So how much should you be
carrying on your back? Carl unzipped the answers.
How much heavy stuff have you got crammed into your school bag?
KID: I have a sticky tape dispenser in case someone needs tape. I have a giant
dictionary and a laptop.
CARL: Alright so you must feel like you’re carrying around a pretty heavy bag?
KID: Yeah, I think so.
CARL: Does it hurt?
KID: Sometimes!
In fact physiotherapists reckon too much weight or the wrong backpack can cause
some big problems for your back and neck.
So what can you do to protect yourself from these back-to-school aches and pains?
CARL: Ok so Yi, you're a physiotherapist which means you’re all about taking care of
our backs and keeping them out of trouble. I'm guessing the first thing we're going to
do is pick the coolest one with the best colour right?
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YI, PHYSIOTHERAPIST: No. Look the important things to look for in your backpack
is you want to make sure they have wide shoulder straps so it doesn't dig into your
shoulders, and make sure it has nice padding on the back of your backpack as well.
CARL: Ok Yi, so we've talked about picking the right pack, the next thing is how to
wear it? We've got Raoul here, our bag model extraordinaire today, and he's wearing
it on one shoulder, is that ok?
YI: No that's not the best way to wear the bag, the best way to wear the bag is to
wear both straps on both shoulders at the same time, so we’ll just pop that shoulder
on so this will help to distribute the weight more evenly so that you’re not lopsided
and put too much pressure on one shoulder. Secondly the backpack is looking pretty
saggy at the moment, so we want to make sure the ideal height for the backpack is
that the bottom sits above your bottom and make sure it’s not too high so that when
you look up towards the ceiling your head doesn’t hit the backpack as well. And one
other thing we need to remember is pack the heavier stuff closer to the body to help
distribute the weight better.
CARL: Ok Yi so even if you’ve got the right bag and you’ve strapped it up right and
you’re standing up straight, some of these bags still look really heavy! I mean
Alessandro here looks like he's carrying the weight of the world on his back. So how
heavy is too heavy?
YI: Yeah look this is way too heavy for Alessandro, the rule of thumb is that you don't
carry more than 10% of your body weight in the bag.
CARL: So 10%, what's the average weight of maybe a year 6 student then?
YI: I would say between 35 kilos to 45 kilos.
CARL: And then 10% of that would be 3.5 to 4.5 kilos.
YI: Wow the bag is over 8 kilos, so yes definitely is too heavy for Alessandro.
CARL: So what about taking some of this stuff out then. He has a whole lot of stuff in
here. Alessandro, have you just filled this with bricks or something? We could take
some of this stuff out then. Alright.
YI: So Alessandro’s bag just weighs 3 kilos now which is perfect for him. So what I
would recommend that he do is hold one thing in one hand and the others in the
other hand to balance out the weight a bit more evenly.
CARL: So that's Alessandro fixed up. But, what did the rest of the class learn about
their bags?
KID: Well what I found really interesting was the heavier stuff should go closer to
your body.
KID: I should take some things out of my bag and put it equally in both hands.
KID: Don't wear it on one shoulder, wear it on two.
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KID: That my straps should probably be a bit wider and also that I should probably
have a waist strap as well.
Quiz 2
Ok, time for our second quiz.
How many bones make up the spine?
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3
Or 33
The answer is 33.
The Score
INTRO: Right it's sport time now. Here's some of the biggest moments from this
week.
The Denver Broncos have won this year's Super Bowl defeating the Carolina
Panthers 24 to 10. The Superbowl is the biggest sporting event in America with
more than 100 million people tuning in to watch the game. It's known for its huge
half time shows and its hugely expensive ads. This really, really weird one got
people talking.
Fans got a hit of Rugby over the weekend with the rugby sevens tournament. It's a
faster version of Union with only seven people on each team so there is a lot of
running.
Australia made it through to the finals but New Zealand took home the top prize
beating the Aussies by just 3 points in the final moments of the match.
And a golfing robot has hit a hole in one at a tournament in the US. The robot is
named "Eldrick" after Tiger Woods. That's Tiger's real first name. And the robot did
its namesake proud sinking this impressive hole in one. The crowd went wild while
Eldrick typically played it cool.
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Changing Barbie
Reporter: Matt Holbrook
INTRO: Barbie dolls are one of the most well-known toys on earth but now, after
more than 50 years, Barbie is changing. For the first time, the dolls will now come in
different body types, hair styles and skin tones. But why has its maker decided to
change it after so many years? Here's Matt.
MATT HOLBROOK, REPORTER: She's been a doctor, a jet pilot, and even the
President of the United States. Over the years Barbie's done some incredible things
and been through some big changes. But this could be her biggest yet.
This is the new Barbie. She now comes in different body types, including tall, curvy,
and petite, and seven different skin tones, along with different eye colours and
hairstyles.
ADVERTISEMENT: This is radical because we're saying that there isn't this narrow
standard of what a beautiful body looks like.
But the changes haven't come out of nowhere. For a long time, people have
complained that toy dolls like Barbie are unrealistic and say they can put pressure on
girls to look a certain way. And that can be really unhealthy, or even impossible.
See, if Barbie were a real person, she'd look something like this. Proportions that
look nothing like a real woman. In fact, doctors say her feet and legs are so thin she
wouldn't be able to walk. And her head is so large she wouldn't be able to hold it up!
Barbie's not the only toy to be given similar treatment. Bratz dolls and action figures
like GI Joe and Star Wars have all been criticised for creating unrealistic
expectations of what we should all look like.
Mattel says it's made changes to Barbie to help girls feel good about who they are.
And while lots of people support the move, not everyone agrees with it. Some say
kids know the difference between toys and real life. And that dolls and toys don't
have to represent real people. Others don't like that the new body shapes have been
labelled, and some say the Ken doll could use a more realistic make over as well.
But what do you think? Do toys need to be more realistic?
GIRL: I think it's good that they're changing it, because the kids might be inspired to
be like them and they'll try and be them and they won't realise it's unhealthy for them.
BOY: I think they should sort of still change the look of the action figure so they can
relate to little boys like the Barbie’s of course. So that they can play with it and be
comfortable not feeling isolated that nothing here looks like me.
GIRL: If it's a Barbie doll or an action figure I think they should but if it's a young
children's toy like a toddler and it's supposed to be a fantasy I think it should stay the
same.
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BOY: Let's say a barbie it's actually meant to be a thing you look up to, it's meant to
be a human, it’s meant to be actually be a role model but the problem is it's actually
way too thin, it’s actually unhealthy.
BOY: Definitely some kids will think that's how I want to be and that's how I should
be, and then they won't be happy when they're not like that. Kids need to understand
that not everyone is the same and you need to be unique for who you are.
CLOSER
And that wraps up our first show back!
See you next week!
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