BTN: Episode 33 Transcript21/11/17

Hi, Amelia here. Welcome to BTN!

Coming up today:

  • How drivers could be taking a backseat in the future.
  • Visit the Great Barrier Reef for its once-a-year show.
  • And what should you do with your pets during a bushfire?

Marriage Survey Results

Reporter: Matthew Holbrook

INTRO:All that soon. But first today to the results of one of the country's biggest voluntary surveys ever! The majority of Aussies voted yes to changing Australia's laws to allow same-sex couples to get married.Here's a closer look at the results and what will happen next.

For many, it was cause for celebration, and even a few tears.

DAVID KALISCH, AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS: For the national result: Yes responses, seven million, eight hundred and seventeen thousand, and two hundred and forty-seven.

61.6 per cent of the more than twelve million Australians who took part in the same-sex marriage survey voted yes. Soon afterward, Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, addressed the nation, saying he wants to legalise same-sex marriage by Christmas. But while some couldn't be happier, the actual weddings might have to be put on hold for a bit. Not good news for these slowly deflating balloons. I don't think they'll last that long.

See, just because the majority of voters said that Australia's marriage laws should be changed, it doesn't mean it automatically happens. The postal survey wasn't legally binding, it was just a way for our pollies to know for sure how Australians were feeling.

So now, it's in the hands of these guys. Once they're done with that cake, anyway.

This guy, Dean Smith, has already drawn up a new law, or bill, to change the marriage act. But it still needs to be put to both houses: The Senate and the House of Representatives.

The senate has their hands on it at the moment. Here, the bill is debated and discussed. All senators will get to vote on it, and decide if they want new marriage laws to go ahead, and under what wording and conditions. If they're approved, the House of Representatives will get their shot at it. From there, any changes have to get the all clear from both houses. And the Governor General has to sign off on it. But that bit's just for the lulz. Mostly.

Many politicians have already said they're voting yes, others say they are definitely voting no, and some say they'll vote on the new bill depending on how their electorate voted. With 133 out of 150 electorates voting yes, it's a pretty clear response, and a new bill looks very likely to succeed. There could still be a couple of road bumps ahead, though.

One of them is the wording. There's a lot of debate between our politicians on exactly how the new laws will be worded, and what extra conditions might be included. A biggie in the bill being discussed right now is that ministers of religion shouldn't be forced to marry same-sex couples if they don't want to. Some people want to extend that to other businesses, too.

Another, is that the PM wants to give the Senate extra time to debate those conditions. Parliament's only meant to be sitting for two more weeks this year, but the government's cancelled one of those weeks, and will instead force everyone stay back until it's worked out.

CHRISTOPHER PYNE, LIBERAL MP: The government's agenda is to deal with marriage equality, and to deal with citizenship, and that's what the Australian public have very clearly indicated.

The details are still being hashed out, but having public support to change our marriage laws is reason enough for these guys to celebrate.

This Week in News

First up to Africa where Zimbabwe's ruling political party made a historical decision on the weekend to sack the country's president Robert Mugabe.

President Mugabe has been in power for more than 35 years! Many people weren't happy with his leadership and celebrated when the announcement was made.

But Mr Mugabe isn't leaving without a fight, in fact the 93-year-old has refused to stand down!

Zimbabwean officials say they will arrest him if he keeps being uncooperative.

And staying overseas. Nearly a million Rohingyan refugees from Myanmar are now living in camps over the border in Bangladesh.

They've fled their home country because of the violence they face there. In fact, the United Nations says they're currently some of the most persecuted people in the world.

Now the crowded camps are running out of water and space and the Bangladeshi Government is asking other countries to step in to help out.

A 5-hundred-year-old painting by Leonardo da Vinci has smashed the all-time art auction record!

It's called Salvator Mundi and was thought to be lost until it was rediscovered and restored in 2005.

It's been sold at auction for around 520 million Aussie dollars making it the most expensive painting ever sold.

And give yourselves a pat on the back because according to a survey from the Cancer Council, Australian kids are better at slip-slop-slapping than grown-ups!

95% of parents said their kids demonstrate more impressive sun safety than they do like remembering to wear sunscreen more often as well as protective clothing like rashies and hats.

Driverless Cars

Reporter: Ruby Cornish

INTRO: Next up today, to a new technology a lot of people are looking forward to trying out. The International Driverless Car Summit was recently held in Australia where experts from around the globe gathered to talk about the benefits and challenges of letting cars take control.

The cars of the future people used to dream up often had wings or propellers and flew through the air. Now don't get me wrong, flying cars could definitely still become a thing. But the cars of our immediate future are going to be special for another reason. Scientists and engineers have been developing tech to help drivers since cars were first invented and they've given us heaps of great improvements like windscreen wipers, central locking, parking assistance and cruise control.

But recently the automation in cars has been ramping up, with the goal of replacing one of the most important features of a car -the driver!

REPORTER: This is an example of some driverless technology that's been developed. It's a driverless shuttle bus and it's designed to take small groups of people short distances, so they don't have to walk in the rain.

This pint-sized bus has no steering wheel, driver’s seat or pedals. It uses a mixture of cameras and lasers to direct itself and weave around obstacles. They're already in action in some parts of the world, and so far, there haven't been any mishaps.

SIMON PEARCE, EASY MILE: If an object is detected within one metre of the vehicle it will fully break the vehicle and ensure that it stops.

I also hitched a ride in a more normal looking car with some tricks up its sleeve.

REPORTER: So, this car isn't exactly driverless but what makes it special?

DAVID PICKETT, VOLVO: The car will actually accelerate and brake by itself. It's actually keeping itself in the lane. It uses a camera to follow the lines and will keep the car centred.

Pretty neat but I can do all those things myself perfectly well.

REPORTER: People can drive anyway. Why do we need to make it automated at all?

DAVID PICKETT, VOLVO: 90 per cent of crashes are caused by drivers or inattention so there's a lot of road safety benefits that come from having automated systems.

Computer can't fall asleep or check their mobile phones when they're driving, so in theory, they could make the roads way safer. Having nobody in the driver's seat will be a pretty big change, but if you're feeling disappointed about the prospect of never getting to learn how to drive, don't! The automation revolution is still a while away.

REPORTER: How long do you think it's going to be before we don't actually have drivers at the wheel at all?

DAVID PICKETT, VOLVO: Probably going to be a long time. Especially if you look at a country the size of Australia, there's a lot of roads that really aren't that suitable for autonomous cars.Maybe in city areas you'd have an autonomous car but then there will be another car for big trips interstate or something like that.

So, it looks like you'll still have a chance to get behind the wheel!

Ask a Reporter

Have you got a question about the driverless revolution? Ask me live on Friday during Ask A Reporter!

Head to our website for all the details.

Poll

And for our poll today. Are you excited by the idea of driverless cars?

Let us know on our website.

And here are the results of last week's poll. Thanks for having your say!

Coral Spawning

Reporter: Charlotte Batty

INTRO: A special annual event has just taken place off the coast of Queensland.At roughly this time each year coral right across the Great Barrier Reef reproduce.But experts are paying particularly close attention this year.Here's why.

Down in this vibrant underwater world something spectacular has just begun.

This amazing display is what's known as coral spawning and it's happening right now in one of Australia's most iconic places, the Great Barrier Reef!

It's the biggest coral reef in the world stretching more than two and a half thousand kays along the coast of Queensland. It's actually the only living organism that's visible from space!

Usually it's a pretty calm, peaceful place. But visit around this time of year and things are a little different.

DR LINE BAY, SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE: For coral biologists spawning is a little bit like Christmas!

Coral spawning happens every year around the November full moon and it's when baby coral is born.

REPORTER: If you've ever felt coral you might've noticed all these tiny little bumps all over it and inside those bumps are actually tiny living organisms called polyps.

During spawning season polyps release tiny reproductive cells into the water which join together to create new coral.

But experts say this year's spawning event is especially important because coral cover here has dropped by about half over the past 30 years.

They say there are a few reasons for this. Cyclones can destroy coral in shallow water. Pollution can be a big problem too. Some think farm chemicals wash out onto the reef and cause outbreaks of these pesky little guys, the crown of thorns starfish. They can eat their body weight worth of coral every day!

But one of the biggest threats is something called coral bleaching which is caused by global warming. You see, inside of polyps there is also special algae which turns sunlight into polyp food. That's what gives the coral its amazing colour. But that algae is really sensitive, so if the sea gets too warm, the algae leaves and the coral turns white. And if it stays too warm for too long some coral can even die.

That's why researchers are using this year's spawning event to measure how much the reef is suffering and what effect that might have on the next generation of coral.

DR LINE BAY, SENIOR RESEARCH SCIENTIST, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCE: We can collect them and do cross experiments and this allows us to understand how they're going to respond to the pressures they're facing out on the reef.

But they have to be quick. Spawning only lasts between a few days to a week. So, they're collecting as many samples as possible to take back to the lab to continue their research.

They reckon this should help them understand why some species of coral are better at surviving in warm water than others. The hope is that these researchers will find a way to keep this great reef as colourful and lively as ever.

Quiz

Okay time for a quiz now.

What percentage of marine creatures live amongst reefs?

5%

25%

75%

The answer is 25%

Pet Bushfire Safety

Reporter: Ruby Cornish

INTRO:As we head into bushfire season around Australia fire services and the RSPCA are teaming up to remind people not to leave their pets out of their family's action plan.

Here are some of the best ways to keep your two and four-legged friends safe this summer.

The furry and feathered friends we call our pets are pretty special. They make us laugh, cheer us up when we're down, and people have gone to some pretty serious lengths to rescue animals from sticky situations. But when we get into danger ourselves, sometimes we can't give our pets our full attention. That's why the RSPCA and the South Australian Country Fire Service has put together a three-step plan to make sure our animal buddies are kept safe this bushfire season.

Step one, have a pet emergency plan!

REPORTER: It doesn't really look like it right now but we are coming into fire season, so what does that mean for your property? What do you have to do?

SARAH: It's a lot of work to keep a property in good maintenance order, so that if a fire does come through we can try and defend it, or if we decide that we're not going to defend and we leave, to try and make sure that the animals are as safe as possible.

REPORTER: You've got horses and chickens and goats and a dog, so how do you look after all of them in the case of a fire?

SARAH: It's a matter of planning. So, I don't wake up on that morning and go "Oh, there's going to be a total fire ban today". I plan about a week beforehand.

Some pets, like your dog, you can just take with you in the car with you when you go. But for other animals, like a flock of chickens or a horse, that's going to take a bit more planning! Sarah puts her chooks in a smaller pen so she can move them easily at short notice. Horses and goats are moved to a paddock with very short grass, where fire won't be able to travel as fast.

SARAH: You can't do it all in the one day, it's something you have to plan for and think ahead.

That brings us to step two - The pet emergency kit.

REPORTER: This is Shelly from the RSPCA and she knows all about pet emergency kits. So, Shelley what exactly is a pet emergency kit?

SHELLY: All these items in here are really important for if you need to evacuate or relocate really quickly at short notice. It's really important to have what you might need for a week, sometimes you're going to be relocated for a week, sometimes more.

Key kit items include vaccination info, any medication your pet needs to stay healthy, and all the usual creature comforts!

SHELLY: Food, water bowls, and a lead or if it's a cat a harness, a carrier, that sort of thing. So you need to tailor your pet emergency kit to whatever animal you have as well.

Step three, practise your plan! This is basically a rehearsal before the real deal. And for dog-owner Victoria, it's been the trickiest step. Her playful pooch Nelson loved helping pack his kit, but other things haven't gone quite as smoothly.

VICTORIA: Nelson isn't that great about getting in cars unfortunately. So we've had to put it into practice using treats, just to make sure that he realises it's pleasurable to get into the car. It's still a work in progress but he's getting better.

And sure enough, after a while, practice makes perfect!

Quiz

Now to a quick quiz.

What is the highest rating for fire danger?

Extreme

Catastrophic

Critical

The answer is catastrophic

Teacher Awards

Now is your last chance to nominate your favourite teacher for the BTN Teacher Awards.

All it takes is a short video to put them in the running.

Just go to our website to upload your entry.

The winner will be announced in our final show of the year!

Sport

The Aussie women's team has retained the Ashes trophy but the fight isn't over yet!

The Aussies won the first Twenty 20 match on Friday night which gave them enough points to make sure England couldn't win over all. But the visitors won the second Twenty 20 game on Sunday so it all comes down to the final T-20 tonight.

If the Aussies win they win the series outright!If they lose, they'll still keep the trophy but the series ends in a draw.

Meanwhile Australia has taken a clean sweep of the international rules seriesafter beating Ireland by just three points on the weekend but the win didn't come easy.

The visitors were leading for pretty much the whole gameand things got a bit rowdy when Joel Selwood was sent off for this late bump.