On This Week's Behind the News s3

BtN: Episode 15 Transcript 4/6/13

On this week's Behind the News:

 We turn the spotlight on malaria it's a big killer in some countries so what's being done to fight it?

 Community radio has launched many young people's careers but its own future is less certain.

 And how do you go dog sledding with no snow? Well hopefully not like this.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley, welcome to Behind the News. Also on the show today we meet an inspirational women's footy team who are making their mark in the sport. But first today let's get a wrap up of the main news stories this week. Here's Matt with the Wire. The Wire

The US has been hit with more tornadoes. At least thirteen people have died; among them three professional storm chasers. Tim Samaras and his team were part of a tornado research company.

It was their job to get as close as possible to the storms and take photos and measurements. While the tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma nearby states have also been hit with severe storms.

There have been huge protests in the country of Turkey. It began as a protest against a property development in the city of Istanbul. But now, it's become something much bigger. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest against the Government. They want Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, to resign. But he says they're just trying to cause trouble.

There's a risk people have been exposed to dangerous building material asbestos at some NBN worksites. Several sites in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia have had to be shut down after asbestos was disturbed by workers. The Government's looking at what it can do to help those affected.

Mandawuy Yunupingu, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, has died at the age of 56.

He was well known for his award-winning music. His band released six albums between 1988 and the year 2000 and in 1992 won song of the year with Treaty.

1 In 2012 he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Yunupingu also broke records outside of music. He was the first Indigenous Australian from Arnhem Land to get a university degree and in 1990 became the country's first Aboriginal school principal. Aussie Cars Reporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Recently Ford said it is going to close its factories in Australia. Many people will lose their jobs and communities will be affected. So why is Ford closing its doors and what does that mean for the future of the car industry here? Sarah finds out.

Here in the urban jungle, it's possible to spot a species that many describe as endangered.

KID: There's one.

The Australian made car, capable of causing fierce passion amongst enthusiasts.

FORD SUPPORTER: Ford rocks.

And bouts of national pride. They're getting harder to spot amongst the introduced species but that wasn't always the case.

Australia got its first car factory way back in 1925 when the Canadian Ford Motor Company opened a factory in Geelong, Victoria. A few years later a former Adelaide saddle maker called Holden joined up with America's General Motors and went into the car business. At first they made copies of overseas models but then they started designing cars just for Australia. Like the world's first ute from Ford and Australia's own Holden.

OLD HOLDEN AD: Australia. The time, 1945. The challenge to establish a full scale automotive manufacturing industry.

Being able to drive a car made from scratch in Australia was a pretty big thing for a young country. It meant more jobs and more profit for Australian businesses. And people loved their big tough Aussie machines.

OLD HOLDEN AD: We love football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars.

Models like the Ford Falcon and the Holden Kingswood became the country's top selling cars. And other companies started their own factories in Australia. But times changed, cars changed. Aussie factories started to struggle and one by one they closed. Now there are only three left, Toyota, Holden and Ford.

KID: I wonder why they all disappeared.

There are lots of reasons. One was that governments made it easier and cheaper for overseas companies to sell their cars here. For customers, that meant more choice and better value but it was hard for Australian factories to compete. Workers here have to be paid more than in some 2 overseas factories and when the Aussie dollar is high it's much more expensive to make cars in Australia.

Plus, tastes changed. Instead of the big Aussie models more people started buying smaller cars from overseas. In the past ten years sales of Ford Falcons have gone from more than 70,000 a year to less than 20,000. The company is losing money. And in three years, it will close its doors forever.

1,200 people will lose their jobs. Then there are the many businesses who make parts and supply equipment to Ford and the community that's built around the factory. For them it's devastating and for Ford fans it's the end of an era. And things aren't good at the other factories either. Some reckon there will come a time in the not-too- distant future when no cars at all are made in Australia

KID: Has anyone tried to stop them from disappearing?

They have. In the past few years the Government has spent billions on trying to help the struggling car makers. Some say that was a waste. The say car makers are businesses like any other and they shouldn't get handouts from taxpayers when they don't make a profit.

Some reckon the Government should be focusing on more modern and innovative businesses that are doing things better than they're done overseas. But others say the country can't afford to lose its manufacturing industry. They reckon the Government needs to do more to keep Australian made cars from going the way of the dinosaur. Online Poll

OK let's make that our poll this week.

The question is:

Should the Government give money to help car manufacturers?

To vote just head to our website. Malaria Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: The disease malaria is one of the biggest killers of children in the world. So why don't we hear more about it? Well this week one of the world's richest people visited Australia to raise awareness about the disease and what can be done to fight it.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: There is a disease that can strike anywhere, at any time.

It is baldness. Okay so baldness is probably more of an affliction than a disease. And at worst, it might cause some minor scalp coldness. But despite this, $3.5 billion dollars is spent each year trying to fix it. 3 Now here's a disease that is infinitely more serious. It's called malaria and it's most common in some of the poorest countries on earth. Each year, 219 million people contract it and 660,000 die from it, most of them kids. You'd expect that the world would be throwing money at this horrible problem. But the total is $547 million, far, far less than the money spent on baldness, which to the best of my knowledge is rarely fatal.

One man who's trying to bring this unfortunate fact to the world's attention is Bill Gates. He's the man who made a ridiculous amount of money starting Microsoft. Now he donates a ridiculous amount of money to charity.

BILL GATES: When you're lucky enough to have substantial wealth, what are the possibilities? You can build a pyramid, you can have 400 people fan you, there's kind of a limit to consumption. If you feel like a citizen of the world and want to help humanity, then you ask, where is the greatest injustice?

He says the biggest tragedy of malaria is the fact that it can be prevented and treated, but the funding just isn't there to do it. Let's find out how the disease is spread and how it can be stopped.

In Australia, mozzie attacks are all too common. They can be annoying but they're not usually a big deal. But overseas, one bite can be the difference between life and death. You see, malaria is actually a parasite that's carried by mosquitoes in some countries. They infect people through their saliva when they bite.

So the first key to stopping this disease is stopping mozzies. Two of the most effective weapons are bed nets and spraying. Bed nets stop the mozzies biting people at night, when they're often on the hunt for blood. And spraying houses and still water with chemicals can help reduce their numbers. But these two tactics won't stop malaria for good.

So that's where medicine comes in. Quite a few drugs have been discovered that are effective against most types of malaria. But there is a problem that keeps coming up again and again. Over time, malaria can develop a resistance to them, so new ones need to be uncovered.

That's why a vaccine would be really handy. With a vaccine, aid groups say they would stand a good chance of wiping out the disease. But while scientists have announced they're close many times of over the last decade, a vaccine still hasn't been released. And Bill says funding is one of the big holdups.

BILL GATES: Whenever you have a disease when at that time was killing a million children a year, now because of bed nets we're down to more like 700,000, the idea that the world can't take 10 percent of what it spends on a baldness drug and put it towards a malaria vaccine seems pretty stunning to me.

And more stunning than a new head of hair, that's for sure. Quiz 1

4 OK let's have a quiz.

The question is:

What does the word malaria mean?

Mosquito bite

Bad air

Deadly disease

Answer: Bad air

It comes from medieval Italian meaning bad air because they thought that bad- smelling air caused the disease. Community Radio Reporter: Matthew Holbrook

INTRO: Now to a story about community radio. Just about anyone can get involved from the young to the very old. And it can play an important role in the community. But some stations are saying their future is under threat. Matt finds out why.

When the red light's on, it's showtime!

ANNOUNCER: Hi everyone, you're listening to Youth FM on 93.7.

A chance for this team of radio presenters to have a chat.

ANNOUNCER 2: Very interesting stuff, they'll be up shortly.

Play some music and talk about issues that are important to local people.

KRISTI: And of course all our youth news and events we always play for you guys.

This is a community radio station. Unlike the big commercial stations, it's run by volunteers and it isn't out to make a profit.

STELLA: It's really nice the community's putting something together. It's run by volunteers, so people who are really passionate about it.

Community radio has been around since the seventies as a way of giving a voice to local communities. Now there are hundreds of them, broadcasting all sorts of things. From shows in Indigenous languages, to music from local bands. Community radio can also be a way to get hands on radio training, whether it's in big cities or regional areas.

This is a community radio station in Mt Gambier, South Australia. I volunteered here while I was at school. And now, fifteen year old Dylan is doing the same. 5 DYLLAN: It also teaches you a bunch of skills, like talking in public, and a bunch of other skills that are pretty cool, too.

In the past few years radio has gone through some big changes. A couple of years ago, digital radio was rolled out in most capital cities, promising a clearer sound and better reception than FM stations. Community radio stations got money from the Government so they could get in on the action. But now, they say they haven't been given enough money in the budget to keep transmitting. The Government says it's already doing its bit, and stations shouldn't rely on funding. But many can't afford to do it on their own.

MATT: While a lot of digital community stations transmit the same thing you can hear on analogue frequencies, others are completely different. So some people are worried that content could be lost.

Wally De Backer is one of those people. You might know him better as Gotye. He's written a letter to the Government asking for more funding. He says community radio is really important and for young artists it's often the only way to get air time.

WALLY DE BACKER: It really is an amazing thing when you're a young songwriter and struggling to make ends meet, and you get a cheque for playing your own music live and sending it out to community radio. And that gets you places.

While community radio would still be there in analogue form, some worry that it might be left behind if it can't afford to broadcast in digital as well.

KRISTI: We'll have to shut down, there's no way we could raise those funds. Which is a big loss to communities, youth, everyone getting involved.

Nothing's going to stop these guys from making an awesome show. But without funding, you soon won't be able to hear them on digital radio. So it looks like the future of digital stations is still up in the air.

Football for All Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: Sport can be a great way of bringing people together. And that's exactly what's happening at one football club in New South Wales. A group of mainly Muslim women have got together to create their own team. And while they may be struggling on the ladder they're making their mark in other ways.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: This footy team might not know everything there is to know about the game, but they do know everything about the spirit behind it.

LAEL: Growing up with 9 older brothers, I grew up watching them play and going to the footy to watch them play and I always loved it. When we had the opportunity to create the girls team after they created the Auburn Tigers men's team me and Amna got together and it was a chance that we couldn't miss. This is the Auburn Tigers, a club that's challenging perceptions of what an Australian rules club should be like. 6 LAEL: I'm very passionate about creating opportunities for women and passionate about anything to do with women's rights and advocating for women to participate so it was just one of those opportunities that I grabbed with both hands. The club was started by Lael and Amna.

AMNA: We messaged all our friends and most of them are from Auburn, Granville, Bankstown and I think there were only two people in our team who weren't Muslim.

One of them is Helen.

HELEN: I decided a couple of years ago that I wanted to play AFL and I had a look online looking for a local team and the Auburn Tigers came up so I emailed Amna and she was lovely from the start. She was really enthusiastic about getting me on the team and invited me along to training and it just went from there.

Their coach is Lael's brother, who's played a lot of footy in his day. But this is an entirely new challenge.

REPORTER: So when you say you got roped in were you reluctant or willing from the start?

SALEM: No very willing, just a bit apprehensive about coaching females. Especially being mostly an Islamic team, you have to be very mindful of having a male presence in the change rooms with them alone. I think that has worked out really well. It’s got better and better. It's probably taught me more than it's taught them, particularly coaching females I found it very, very different to coaching men and playing with men.

REPORTER: They talk a lot more?

SALEM: They talk a lot more but they actually listen a lot more as well, whereas coaching the men's team you tell them the same thing 10 times they wouldn't remember it. These guys they remember it straight away and they try and implement it.

The team is now getting so popular some have to miss out.

AMNA: Yeah it’s great to have a big side but one of the downsides sometimes will be that players have to miss out and this week we had really big numbers and my coach doesn't know this so he'll be hearing this for the first time and I felt that I just couldn't message one of the players and tell them you can't play this week so I chose not to play. It's tough but I'm here with a really strong purpose. What this team does for our girls no one understands. I love these girls and the thought of one of them sitting out, I just couldn't.

SIMONE: We don't see any differences when we're up against Auburn, they're a fantastic team.

While the result doesn't go their way today, the Auburn Tigers don't mind at all. They might not have got the win, but they're winning minds with every game.

7 REPORTER: So who plays better the girls or the boys?

FAN: The girls!

REPORTER: Correct answer!

PRESENTER: OK let's keep going with the sporting theme and catch up with the latest action in the Score The Score

Collingwood boss, Eddie McGuire has been in a fair bit of trouble over the past week after making a comment on radio about Swans star, Adam Goodes that many viewed as racist.

It came just days after McGuire stood in support of Goodes when he was the victim of a racist comment during a game.

McGuire says it was a slip of the tongue, and he didn't mean anything by it. He contacted Goodes as well as the AFL to apologise.

“It's a very disappointing moment for me to be sitting here today I made a slip of the tongue that was the opposite of what I was thinking.”

He offered to stand down as president of the Collingwood Football Club but the board say they want him to stay on.

McGuire now has to take part in an AFL education program about racial vilification.

And Aussie golfer, Karrie Webb has won her 39th pro title. She finished with a three under par, 68 for a two shot win at the LPGA Classic. She says her grandmother who is really sick in hospital inspired the win.

“She told me I had to win this tournament for her she's on the mend fortunately, but it's still for her.” Quiz 2

Ok we're going to have a story about dog sledding next but first let's have a quiz.

The question is:

Which of these commands is used to make sled dogs move?

Giddy-up

Answer: Hike Dog Sled Reporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: Dog sledding is a sport that people might associate with cold, snowy conditions in places like Europe and Alaska. But the sport also exists in Australia where teams compete on dry land. How does that work? Tash went along to find out.

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: There aren't many extreme sports that you get to share with the family pet. But this is one of them.

MUSHER 1: The adrenalin rush, going through all the little creeks and having the water splash up on you!

MUSHER 2: It's really fun!

Dog sledding is a sport that needs courage, co-ordination and co-operation from your four legged team mates. While it might look a little unusual, dog power has been used for travel for thousands of years.

In cold climates dogs like the Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamut were specially bred to pull sleds over the snow and ice. And sled dog racing is still a popular sport. In Australia there might not be quite as much snow. But there are sled dog racers like twins Liam and Raymond whose pets are trained to pull sleds specially designed for the Aussie bush.

RAYMOND: If you don't mind getting wet, you like to keep your dog fit, this is a good sport.

LIAM: It's basically going out, having fun with your dog and letting your dog have a happy life.

REPORTER: Who's better?

RAYMOND AND LIAM: Me. Me! Definitely me!

This weekend's competition is at Kuitpo Forest in South Australia.

REPORTER: Well it's 6:30 on a Saturday morning, not really the time I'd like to be up. It's quite chilly and it's dark out here. The good thing is the dogs are making a lot of noise, which means they're excited to go. The race is about to start, so it should be awesome!

Some people use up to 6 dogs, but most compete with just one. And any type of dog can race, as long as it's strong enough to pull a person on a scooter. Today, there was a dog with three legs competing! Dog sledders say it’s a great way of keeping their fury friends fit and healthy. 9 MUSHER 3: Our dog's really hyperactive, we just thought it would be a bit of way to run him down.

MUSHER 4: You couldn't tell she's a racing dog. She just sleeps on the couch all day, so it's the best of both worlds.

MUSHER 5: I'd like to see more kids get involved with it because it'll get their confidence back and it'll be really fun to just have a bit of fun with their dogs instead of just sitting down on the lounge.

While the dogs do the heavy work it's up to the musher, the person controlling the scooter, to direct their dog around corners or other teams.

REPORTER: At BtN we do lots of stuff involving animals and obviously reporters going through puddles, so could be fun! This is the moment. I'm going to give it a go. I know how to ride a bike, I don't really know how to ride a scooter especially when it's being pulled by a dog so wish me luck! Five, four, three, two, one, go! I just got a mouth full of water.

But that didn't stop me. I went for round two!

REPORTER: Okay that was a disaster!

For the winners there are some hard-earned doggy treats, but for most of these races it's not really about winning or losing. It's about enjoying a ride with your best friend.

Closer

That actually looks like a lot of fun. And that's it for the show. You can jump onto our website if you want to get more info on any of the stories. You can send us your comments and don't forget to vote in this week's poll. I'll see you next time.