BtN: Episode 1 Transcripts 16/02/10
On this week's Behind the News:
- Is it curtains for the rock eisteddfod challenge?
- Will NASA continue to boldly go where no-one has gone before?
- And what’s the secret recipe on the menu for these endangered quolls?
Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News and our first show for 2010.
Also later in today's show, we like a bit of diversity on BtN, so we'll find out why this is the year of Biodiversity and why it's important for planet earth.
Leadership Lowdown
Reporter: Nathan Bazley
INTRO: Now it might have felt way too short for you guys, but for pollies in Canberra it's been a long, hard summer with a new leader, new policies and a whole lot of arguing thrown in for good measure.
So why are they all hot and bothered? Because it's getting close to an election, of course!
So let's take a look at all the silliness that went on while you guys were away.
NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Like sands through the hourglass, these are the political leaders of our lives.
Well they were the leaders last time you checked in with us but one has changed since then.
So let's go back and find out what's happened over the holidays!
The soap opera all started over the emissions trading scheme we told you about last year.
It basically about charging businesses who release greenhouse gases in an effort to reduce them.
The government wanted to push the plan through. And opposition leader at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, was a fan of the idea.
MALCOLM TURNBULL, OPPOSITION LEADER: We can either be seen as a party of tomorrow, a progressive party that believes in taking action on climate change, or we can go backwards.
But as with every good (...or bad) soap opera, he had his enemies.
TONY ABBOTT, LIBERAL BACKBENCHER: I will be calling on a challenge, but ...
ALAN JONES, 2GB: And you'll stand?
TONY ABBOTT: Yeah. Yeah, I will.
Meanwhile, some just stood back and laughed as the chaos wound up...
NICK XENOPHON, INDEPENDENT: Malcolm Turnbull reminds me a bit like that Monty Python character, the black knight, who's lost both arms, both legs, blood spurting everywhere and he says, "Just a flesh wound."
In keeping with the soap opera script then there was a big confrontation.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Just hang on, hang on, hang on. Just settle down. Calm, calm, calm. I know you're excited.
REPORTER: Unfortunately they don't settle it with a duel - political fights go to a much less-exciting vote.
COALITION MEMBER: I will be voting for Tony, definitely.
IAN MACFARLANE, SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENERGY AND RESOURCES: I will be supporting Malcolm.
COALITION MEMBER II: I'll be voting for him.
WILSON TUCKEY, COALITION BACKBENCHER: It's Tony Abbott.
The party was clearly divided, and the final result proved how divided.
Tony Abbott took it out 42 votes to 41.
The winner was a little swept up in all the drama.
TONY ABBOTT, OPPOSITION LEADER: I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.
And here we are today... with Tony Abbott as the new leader of the liberal party and opposition!
REPORTER: So who is this new guy?
Well he's not really all that new, he's been in parliament for around 15 years.
He's quite into cycling...
And likes a good dip, although he really needs to buy some boardies.
He's still anti the emissions trading scheme and now has his own plan to battle greenhouse gases.
But more importantly he is looking like he'll be the man that will take on Kevin Rudd in the federal election coming up sometime probably in the next year.
And we'll bring you more on him and the continuing soap opera that is politics throughout the year.
Presenter: We promise there won’t be any more shots of Tony Abbott swimming though.
NASA Funding
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: When you think of astronautsyou probably think of NASA and space shuttles.
You might have even seen one launched last week on TV.
The US space agency has been a world leader in space exploration ever since they won the race to get a man on the moon back in the 1960s.
But as Sarah's found out, NASA might have to start rethinking some of its biggest plans for future travel.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: This was the moment that made the US and NASA the world leaders in space exploration. After years of research and huge amounts of money Apollo 11 took off bound for the moon.
NEIL ARMSTRONG: One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
The American flag became the first to be planted in ground not belonging to the Earth.
NASA stopped sending people to the moon in 1972 but it wasn't done with space! There was research to do, satellites to launch and, eventually, a space station to build. The rockets that went to the moon were no good for that because they weren't designed to come back to earth. Only a little capsule came back with the astronauts inside. So NASA came up with the only reusable space ship ever built; the shuttle. It had wings designed for gliding back to earth, while a big, break-away fuel tank and reusable rockets gave it the boost needed to get into orbit. It couldn't go all the way to the moon but it was perfect for going into orbit to say, drop off a satellite.
REPORTER: When the shuttles first took off it was a huge deal! There were live TV broadcasts and it was considered pretty exciting viewing. Politicians were prepared to put a lot of money into getting people into orbit
As the missions have continued we've become used to seeing people in orbit. Meanwhile the shuttles have aged. There are only three left and they're getting worn, outdated and riskier to fly. And in September this year, after 134 launches, the last one will touch down forever.
REPORTER: NASA doesn't have anything else capable of carrying people into orbit. So what comes next? Is this the end of American journey into space?
NASA did have some big plans for the future. NASA has a project called Constellation to take people back to the moon then on to Mars but now Constellation might be pulled back to Earth. It would cost billions and President Obama reckons the money might be better spent here on earth on things like schools and hospitals. But that's made some American's sad. NASA will still be funded to explore space. And whatever happens; It's not the end of humanity's journey beyond earth. Russia's Soyuz spacecraft are taking people and supplies to the space station and back. They're also working on getting people back to the moon and so are India, China and South Korea. Another hope is that space tourism will take off and private companies will get people into orbit and beyond. So we probably haven't seen the last human footprint on the moon although, chances are, next time there'll be a different flag up there.
Presenter: We might do a poll on that.
Poll
The question is - Should countries spend money to explore space?
If you want to vote just go to our website.
Eisteddfod
Reporter: Tash Thiele
INTRO:It's been around for 30 years, but now the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge is coming to an end.
Almost 300 Aussie schools and 25-thousand students used to take part in the event - so why would they axe it?
Well as Tash discovered, it all comes down to money and sponsors.
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Eisteddfods have been around for decades, like this one back in 1959.
But over the years they've become even bigger productions and the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge is the major one students rehearse for every year.
They work really hard to put together an energetic and entertaining show packed with dancing, drama and amazing costumes. The performances tell a story like this one about soldiers fighting on the Kokoda Track back in World War Two.
REPORTER: But without funding there would be no show! No lights, no music, no performers or even an audience!
Funding needs to come from big companies and the government to help cover the costs. And here's the problem.
Because the Eisteddfod doesn't have enough sponsors and isn't getting enough cash from most State and Territory Governments, they can't afford to put on a professional show. So organisers have had to bump up ticket prices making it too expensive for some families to attend!
But ticket sales alone won't cover the costs and now the event has been dropped!
KID: It's a bit of a bummer 'cause like, a lot of kids around Australia really love performing just like myself, and because it's been cancelled it doesn't really give us a chance to.
KID: I reckon it's a shame that a lot of big companies aren't sponsoring these types of events 'cos they're the people that keep it running.
KID: The Government spends a lot of money on things that aren't as important as thing, I mean, this is our education and it's a real big deal.
Art and drama teachers reckon it's important money is pumped into events like the Rock Eisteddfod, because for some students it's their passion and it's what they want to do when they're older.
KID:It's not hard to tell I love being centre of attention and getting everyone seeing what you can do. And there's so much talent out there that's hidden.
It also keeps kids active and gives them confidence.
But there are two sides to the story. Some people reckon funding should be spent on things like maths and science programs instead.
The organisers say they'll keep trying to get the show back on, so maybe the curtain hasn't come down forever.
Quiz 1
Ok while we're in performance mode, let's perform a quick quiz!
The word eisteddfod comes from which language?
Norwegian
Welsh
German
Answer: Welsh
Presenter: Tricky one there - in the Welsh language it means 'session', but as you know, for us it means a concert or contest.
Time to check out some other contests nowand see what's been happening in the sports world.
The Wire
Tragedy hit the Winter Olympics on the weekend.
21 year old Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed just hours before the opening ceremony when he flew out of the luge track and hit a pole during training.
IOC PRESIDENT JACQUES ROGGE: He had a dream to participate in the Olympic Games, he trained hard, and he had this fatal accident, I have no words to say what we feel.
To Rugby League now, and an all-star exhibition match where fans chose the teams has kicked off League in 2010.
The two teams were the Indigenous All-Stars and the NRL All-Stars, but they certainly didn't take the one-off match easy.
There were cool try celebrations, but in the end the Indigenous All-Stars took a tight match 16 - 12.
And in AFL fans got their first taste of the code for the yearwith the kick-off of the pre-season cup.
West Coast took out Essendon and Port Adelaide smashed the Adelaide Crows.
Hawthorn produced a similar result over Richmond, while in the final game the Western Bulldogs took out the Brisbane lions in a low scoring rain-soaked match.
Biodiversity
Reporter: Sarah Larsen
INTRO: Did you know that this is the International Year of Biodiversity?
The United Nations has chosen 2010 as the year we celebrate life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives.
It's probably an idea you've heard before, but do you know what it means? And why does it deserve an entire year dedicated to it?
Well Sarah put on her favourite safari suit and found out that it's a complicated word for a pretty simple idea.
SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: When you think about it, Planet Earth is a pretty crowded place! At last count we human beings shared the planet with almost 2 million different types of living things and more are being found all the time!
REPORTER: If you've ever wanted to discover a new type of animal or plant it's not too late! Around the world about 18 000 new species are being identified each year!
All this diversity of biology is what you often hear described as biodiversity. And what that really means is variety; all the different plants and animals and insects and bacteria that make up the forests and the oceans and the deserts and the cities of the world!
So when they say Australia's one of the most bio-diverse places on earth that's what they mean! This country's home to more than 150 thousand different types of plants and animals that have been named by scientists and many don't exist anywhere else on earth!
REPORTER: Of course, that's all very interesting if you're into wildlife watching but does it really matter? I mean, if we've got so much wildlife does it really matter if we lose some?
Well, biologists say yes. Look at the insect I just squashed. It might help to pollinate flowers to keep plant species alive or might be eaten by a frog, which is eaten by a bigger animal. It's all like a complex and delicate machine and if you break piece you can affect the whole thing! At the Museum of South Australia's brand new biodiversity exhibit you can see how local species live together in a delicate balance; from undersea parasites which soak up poison from sea creatures to the native birds, reptiles and mammals which rely on each-other to survive.
KID: I think it's very good for kids to learn about Biodiversity.
KID: 'Cause it’s good for the environment.
KID: Because all a part of nature.
KID: Because if we don't then it probably won't look after us and we might die.
KID: Many of them are becoming extinct
KID: I think it’s good for all the people to know what types of animals are out there for all the world.
In Australia we've seen first-hand how humans can impact biodiversity; by bringing in new species that don't belong here, hunting or taking away natural habitats. When it comes to losing mammals we've got the worst record in the world of all the mammal extinctions in the past couple of hundred years, nearly half were Australian. That's bad news for everyone and it's why the experts want everyone to learn about biodiversity and how we can look after the life that's all around us.
Presenter: The Aussie Government has a list of 427 threatened animalsso we've put a link to that info on the story page of our web site so be sure to check it out.
Ok I think it's time to squeeze in another quiz.
Quiz 2
What can sausage skins, or casings, be made from?
Sheep guts
Pig intestines
Cow skin
Answer: All 3!
Presenter: Of course they're all cleaned carefully before use, and the whole cow skin isn't used - a special protein called collagen is extracted from it and turned into sausages skins.
Cane Toad Snags
Reporter: Tash Thiele
INTRO: Bet you're feeling hungry now, so how's this - have you heard of cane toad sausages before?
Well, they might not sound very tempting to us, but it's hoped they'll save some of Australia's precious native animals from dying in the wild.
Tash found out how the experiment's going.
NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: You may know about cane toads or even have seen them in your backyard, but they're considered a pest! This is what we're talking about. They're not a pretty looking creature and are actually one of the country's worst environmental disasters.
KID: I don't really like them. They're kind of sort of not really gross, but not really nice and they're not very pretty at all or anything.
KID: I'm still kind of scared of them, they creep me out a bit but you get used to it.
So how did cane toads end up in Oz? Scientists brought them into Queensland from South America more than 70 years ago to eat another pest, the cane beetle. But the toads liked their new home a little too much and they've gone crazy!
A toad can lay 30 thousand eggs at a time. They've spread into the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales. They eat everything from dog food to mice and because they're poisonous, when native animals eat them it spells trouble!
Quolls, which are these little guys and other native animals, need to be extra careful. If they eat the cane toads, it can make them really sick and they could die. So Aussie researchers have come up with a way to protect the quolls from being on the endangered list, by teaching them to stay away from the toads.