Questions for discussion

PM G201. Why is Australia’s Prime Minister travelling overseas at the

moment?2. How is the global economic crisis affecting people?3. What is the G20 Summit?4. What is it trying to achieve?5. What sorts of issues are usually discussed at the Summit?6. How much of the world’s population is represented at the

Summit?7. Why do countries need to work together to resolve the crisis?8. Give an example of how economies around the world are

connected.9. Why are some people opposed to the G20?10. What would you like the G20 Summit to achieve?

Send a message or tell us what you think on the BtN Guestbook.

Lying judge1. What was the main point of the story?2. In your own words, describe what perjury is.3. Why is it important for people to tell the truth in court?4. What are the consequences of lying in court?5. Describe what happened to the Australian court judge, Marcus

Einfeld.6. Do you think the consequences were fair? Explain your

answer.7. Think of three adjectives to describe how Marcus Einfeld might

be feeling.8. If you could ask Marcus Einfeld a question, what would it be?9. What do you think the public’s expectations of judges are?10. What do you understand more clearly about the court system

since watching the BtN story?

What are three qualities you think court judges should have? Explain your answer.

Stormwater recycling1. Describe the water crisis in Australia.2. Why is the Government encouraging councils to recycle

stormwater?3. Where does most stormwater go?4. What sorts of things might you find in stormwater?

© ABC 2009

EPISODE 7

31ST MARCH 2009

5. What impact does pollution have on rivers, creeks and the ocean?

6. How is the recycled stormwater being used in the suburb near Adelaide?

7. How do wetlands clean the stormwater?8. What is an aquifer and how does it work?9. Create a plus, minus and interesting chart about recycling

stormwater.10. What other solutions are there to the water crisis?

`Would you drink recycled stormwater?’ Vote in the online poll.

Cambodian orphanage1. Briefly summarise the Cambodian orphanage story.2. Why did Tom choose to paint a portrait of Geraldine Cox?3. Describe Cambodia’s past.4. What affect has it had on some Cambodian children?5. Describe life for children living in the Sunrise Children’s

Villages.6. What skills do the children get the chance to develop?7. How are some children in Australia supporting Cambodian

orphans?8. Describe the effect the orphanage has on the young people

that visit.9. What impact has Geraldine Cox had on their lives?10. How did this story make you feel?

Create a crossword or word search about Cambodia.

Penguin guard dogs1. Retell the story in your own words.2. What is the breed of dog that’s protecting penguins?3. Why are the penguins in danger?4. In your own words, describe what a predator is.5. Where did the idea to use these dogs to protect penguins

come from?6. What makes these dogs good protectors?7. What has happened to the penguin population in the last thirty

years?8. What is the current state of the penguin population on Middle

Island?9. Why do you think it is important to protect penguins?10. What was surprising about this story?

Test your knowledge in the online quiz.

© ABC 2009

Stormwater recycling

In a country struggling with the drought, clean stormwater is increasingly being seen as a valuable resource.

Focus Questions

11. Describe the water crisis in Australia.12. Why is the Government encouraging councils to recycle

stormwater?13. Where does most stormwater go?14. What sorts of things might you find in stormwater?15. What impact does pollution have on rivers, creeks and the

ocean?16. How is the recycled stormwater being used in the suburb near

Adelaide?17. How do wetlands clean the stormwater?18. What is an aquifer and how does it work?19. Create a plus, minus and interesting chart about recycling

stormwater.20. What other solutions are there to the water crisis?

Stormwater solutions

The quality of stormwater has a direct impact on the health of rivers, creeks and oceans. Students will be investigating how stormwater becomes contaminated, the impact pollution has on waterways and ways of preventing it. Students will begin by clarifying their understanding of what stormwater is and where it goes. How is stormwater different to wastewater? Ask students to go out into the school grounds and identify where the stormwater is collected. Where do they think the water goes? Brainstorm with students what is meant by pollution. Record responses on a concept map. Refine the discussion by asking students to consider what the sources of stormwater pollution are. Students will then research and produce a labelled diagram that shows the journey of stormwater and pollutants that enter stormwater. As part of their research, they need to investigate the following:

© ABC 2009

EPISODE 7

31ST MARCH 2009

Learning AreaScience, Society and Environment

Key learningStudents will explore how stormwater becomes polluted and ways to reduce pollution.

Students can develop a glossary of terms that relate to stormwater. These can include:stormwaterwastewaterpollutioncontaminated

Why does stormwater pollution need to be prevented? What is the environmental impact of stormwater pollution? What measures are in place to reduce rubbish in

stormwater? What else could be done to prevent stormwater pollution? Whose responsibility is it to prevent stormwater pollution?

Students display their labelled diagrams in an area of the school that other classes have access to, for example the resource centre.

ReflectionWhat do you understand more clearly about the importance of clean stormwater since completing the investigation?

Further investigation

What is being done in your area to become more water smart? Contact your local council or water authorities to find out more.

Create a poster to educate the public about the importance of reducing or eliminating pollutants entering stormwater.

8 Related Research Links

ABC News – Millions for Adelaide stormwater harvestinghttp://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/08/2385200.htm

ABC Local - Council offered stormwater harvest fundshttp://www.bananasinpyjamas.com/news/stories/2009/03/23/2523795.htm?site=idx-sa

Salisbury Council – Parafield Stormwater Harvesting Facilityhttp://cweb.salisbury.sa.gov.au/manifest/servlet/page?pg=16065&stypen=html

Salisbury Council – Aquifer storage and recoveryhttp://cweb.salisbury.sa.gov.au/manifest/servlet/page?pg=16064&stypen=html

CSIRO – Turning stormwater into drinking waterhttp://www.csiro.au/resources/ASTRbottledwater.html

© ABC 2009

Melbourne Water – Tips for keeping the rivers and creeks healthyhttp://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/rivers_and_creeks/get_involved/tips_for_everyone.asp?bhcp=1

© ABC 2009

Lying judgeRecently, an Australian judge was sentenced to jail for lying in court. What qualities do we expect judges to have? Is honesty one of them?

Focus Questions

1. What was the main point of the story?2. In your own words, describe what perjury is.3. Why is it important for people to tell the truth in court?4. What are the consequences of lying in court?5. Describe what happened to the Australian court judge, Marcus

Einfeld.6. Do you think the consequences were fair? Explain your

answer.7. Think of three adjectives to describe how Marcus Einfeld might

be feeling.8. If you could ask Marcus Einfeld a question, what would it be?9. What do you think the public’s expectations of judges are?10. What do you understand more clearly about the court system

since watching the BtN story?

What makes a good judge?

Effective citizenship involves people understanding how the court system works. Judges are an important part of the system so students will be investigating the role of a court judge and what qualities they think are important for judges to have. Begin with a class brainstorm to find out what students associate with the word `judge’. Record all student responses. Then in groups, ask students to write down what they understand to be the role of a court judge. Check their understanding with other groups and relevant websites (there are some useful weblinks at the end of this activity). They may want to add to or change their list. What qualities do they think are important for judges to have? (For example fair, good communicator, experienced, honest) Why are they important? Write a job description for a court judge outlining the role and qualities needed to perform the job. Divide

© ABC 2009

EPISODE 7

31ST MARCH 2009

Learning AreaSociety and Environment

Key learningStudents will explore the qualities they think it is important for judges to have and why.

.

the qualities into `Essential’ and `Desirable’. Present the job description in an interesting format. Ask students to compare their job descriptions. What were the similarities and differences in the qualities they thought judges should have?

What’s your opinion?Do you think the penalty Marcus Einfeld received for perjury was appropriate? Give three reasons to support your opinion. Share these with the class.

Further investigation

Use the Internet to research how judges are selected in Australia. Do you think the way judges are selected is fair? Record the pros and cons. Is there a way to make the process fairer?

8 Related Research Links

ABC Four Corners –Marcus Einfeld storyhttp://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2009/20090323_car/interviews.htm

ABC News – The dishonouring of Marcus Einfeldhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/23/2523570.htm

Legal Aid Queensland – What is perjury?http://www.legalaid.qld.gov.au/Legal+Information/The+justice+system/Offences/Perjury.htm

Courts Administration Authority SA – Ask the judgehttp://www.courts.sa.gov.au/schools/index.html

Federal Court of Australiahttp://www.fedcourt.gov.au/

Department of Justice Victoria – Roles in courthttp://www.justice.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/DOJ+Internet/Home/Courts/Going+to+Court/Roles+in+Court/

© ABC 2009

BtN: Episode 7 Transcripts 31/03/09

On this week's Behind the News:

The little lie that could put you in jail. Could stormwater help solve the drought? And how Aussie's are helping kids without families in

a place called Cambodia.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley welcome to Behind the News.

Also on the show today - what is a penguin dog?

Those items later but first to our top story.

PM G20Reporter: Catherine Ellis

INTRO: Right now the Prime Minister is jetting around the world.

He's just met the new President of the United States in Washington and he's cruised over to Britain where he'll go to something called the G20.

But what on earth is the G20? And what is he doing over there when, back home, Australia's economy is in big trouble? Catherine explains.

© ABC 2009

CATHERINE ELLIS, REPORTER: The Global Economic Crisis is the worst financial crisis in 70 years and every night on the news, every day in the papers, everywhere, adults are talking about it. But how are young Aussies feeling about all this.

GIRL 1: My partner's just lost his job.

GIRL 2: I know my uncle and my dad's cousin, they've lost their jobs and are scarce for money.

BOY 1: We've had to cut back on the fun stuff and save for more of the essentials.

GIRL 3: Mum and dad have cut back on pocket money

BOY 2: My mum's taken on extra jobs just so that we can eat.

BOY 3: My worry is that in the future it will be harder for the younger kids to get a job.

GIRL 4: All the little coffee shops are closing down and stores.

GIRL 5: Why can't they just print more money and hand it out?

CATHERINE ELLIS: Kids right around the world are asking the same questions. So what's being done about it? Wouldn't it be a good idea for the leaders from lots of countries to get together to try to fix this mess? Well that's exactly what's happening this week.

It's called the G20 Summit, which stands for 'group of twenty'. Leaders from the world's richest countries - including Australia's PM Kevin Rudd - will gather in London.

© ABC 2009

Together they represent two thirds of the world's population and 85 percent of the world's economy.

The G20 has actually been happening for ten years now.

Each year they gather in a different country to discuss world issues like business, the environment, poverty and pollution.

They spend two days chatting, trying to come up with ways of working together to fix problems.

But this year the focus will be the Global Economic Crisis - they've even organised to have budget conscious celebrity chef Jamie Oliver prepare their meals.

So what do you guys hope the leaders will achieve at the summit?

GIRL 1: Just for people to get their jobs back and for this global crisis just to stop.

BOY 1: They've tried pumping money into the economy and all that stuff and so far it hasn't really worked, but if they keep on trying and persist I think it will work.

GIRL 2: I think they should be educating the students more and like and preferably teenagers about how they should save their money.

They'll be thinking about a whole range of ways to kick start the economy.

Australia has already been doing that, but you can't just work on your own.

© ABC 2009

CATHERINE: Say each country made up parts of a big house, Australia could work really hard to make its wall strong, but if another country collapses it can cause others to come tumbling down.

For example if China's economy collapsed and they could no longer afford to buy our coal, we'd lose lots of money - miners would end up losing jobs and their families would suffer.

So cooperation between countries is very important and Kevin Rudd has to make sure he remains good mates with other world leaders.

But not everyone agrees with the G20 summits and they often attract lots of protestors.

Some people say they're not fair because they favour the bigger, more powerful countries.

But the meeting will go ahead with the aim of coming up with a solution to the this Global Economic Crisis and to prevent a disaster like this from happening in the future.

The Wire

Now let’s catch up with some of the week's headlines.

******

Lights all across Australia were turned off at 8:30 on Saturday night for Earth Hour.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about climate change by encouraging people and businesses to switch off their lights for an hour.

© ABC 2009

The idea is in its third year and saw demand for power in Sydney drop nine percent.

But some people say the small saving on one night is a waste of time, and we should be focusing on long term solutions.

*****

Meanwhile Earth Hour was celebrated in a slightly different way in North Queensland. Residents there used the time to search for cane toads in their backyards.

Thousands of the pests were collected and weighed.

The toads were then taken away and put down

******

And there are some amazing pictures from South Africa of a man who's been called the Lion King.

Kevin Richardson owns a private reserve which is home to a pride of 38 lions.

He can roll around with them and even pat the cubs.

Richardson says he's fully aware that the lions could easily kill him, but it's not something that worries him.

PresenterI'm sorry but that guy is clearly crazy.

Let's move on from that and into our first quiz.

© ABC 2009

Quiz

If a car is photographed speeding who should pay the fine?

1. Owner2. Driver 3. Passenger

Answer: Driver

The fine is sent to the owner of the car but the owner should tell police who was actually driving and this next story is an example why.

Judge LieReporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Now you've probably heard that 'honesty is the best policy’ but the truth is people tell little white lies every day. And it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes you lie to save someone's feelings - like when I told Sarah a cake she made tasted really good.

But while I can get away with that kind of thing, there is one place where even a little lie can land you in jail for a very long time.

Uh Oh!

MUM: What happened to my vase?

Now you two have a decision to make. a) Admit you broke the vase or b) Tell a lie.

© ABC 2009

Now if you tell the truth it might not be pleasant. You could get a severe yelling at. Or you could get grounded.

On the other hand you could make an excuse

KID: The dog did it

REPORTER: So you lied. And, you know, quite a few people would have chosen to do the same but have you thought about the consequences of that lie? Will you end up in worse trouble then if you'd just admitted to breaking the vase?

It's a long way from your living room but let’s just pretend that this little accident ended up in court

Lawyer - So you saw who broke the statue?

KID: yes it was the dog!

REPORTER - Wow. Big mistake! Did you know he's just committed a crime? And it's a serious one. In fact Joe here could end up in prison for up to 10 years. Not for breaking the statue. That was an accident but for something called Perjury

Perjury is when you lie in court.

Lawyer : Take the bible in your hand. Do you swear the evidence you give to the court shall be the truth so help you God. Say I swear

KID: I swear

If you're a witness or an accused person you have to promise to tell the truth which makes sense. How are the courts supposed to bring about justice if people just lie?

© ABC 2009

So lying in court is a full blown crime with a hefty penalty.

KID: I hereby swear that fluffy broke the statue.

And it doesn't have to be in the courtroom. If you lie when you fill out a legal document, it's also a crime.

Last week this guy found out just how serious the consequences can be.

His name is Marcus Einfeld and he was a really famous Australian judge. He worked in one of the country's highest courts and was well known for helping struggling communities.

A few years ago a police camera snapped his car speeding but he told a lie.

He wrote a letter saying he'd lent his car to a friend and he wasn't driving. When he went to court he told the lie again.

That was perjury.

Later on some Journalists found out the truth.

Einfeld was charged and a couple of weeks ago he was sentenced.

He'll spend at least two years in jail for lying.

It’s made a lot of people sad because they think Einfeld should be remembered for all the good he's done not one little mistake. But others say judges and lawyers should know better.

© ABC 2009

So does Marcus Einfeld

EINFELD:I told a lie which was a disgraceful thing to do and for which I've been paying ever since and for which I will pay, I presume for the rest of my life.

Sadly the former judge can't go back in time and tell the truth but today we're going to give these guys a second chance

MUM - Oh no what happened to my vase?

KIDS: I'm really sorry mum, it was us.

MUM: Well you should be more careful but, you know, I never really liked it anyway!

Quiz 2

Alright our next story is about water so we might just check how much you know about it first.

Question: How much does a litre of water weigh?

Answer: 1 kg. A litre of pure water weighs one kilo at 20 degrees Celsius.

Stormwater HarvestingReporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Many Australian towns and cities are still struggling with the drought and are desperately trying to find new ways to get water.

© ABC 2009

One of the answers might be under our feet!

Every year billions of litres of rain flows down gutters and into drains. The government wants to change that by encouraging councils to recycle stormwater.

Sarah has a look at how it all works.

Ah rain.

In many parts of Australia it's a welcome sign bringing that precious water we've all been waiting for.

Wait where is it going?

When rain falls on city streets it can't soak into the ground.

REPORTER: So most of it ends up going down here into the drain

And on its way it picks up a whole heap of rubbish, chemicals and other nasties.

REPORTER: That's a problem because this is where stormwater drains end up - in rivers, lakes or in the ocean where it doesn't do anyone any good. Seems like a waste, doesn't it?

So let's go back.

Why don't we try to catch some more of that storm water and make it work for us?

That's exactly what's happening here in this suburb.

© ABC 2009

All the houses in this new estate have two pipes. There's your regular drinking water from the reservoir and there's recycled storm water.

That's used for the garden and flushing the loo.

It's cheaper than regular tap water and most importantly it's not being taken out of the Murray which is good for the river.

But wait a sec. Remember how gross that water was by the time it went down the drain? So how do they make it clean enough to use?

Here's the answer. It's a wetland and besides being a pretty looking place for birds to hang out it's an all-natural water treatment plant.

The reeds remove nutrients from the water, mud takes out some pollution and the sun's rays destroy bacteria.

The water experts here reckon once the water comes in here it's clean in just a few hours but to make sure they keep it there for 10 days.

Then to make it extra clean, the water is pumped underground into an aquifer.

They're like underground reservoirs that have formed naturally over thousands of years.

The water sits in between sand or rock and it's full of tiny organisms that clean it up.

So after a while down there it can be pumped back up to the houses and factories.

© ABC 2009

At the moment it's not used for drinking but the experts here say after a few years of research it will be good enough.

But not everyone's keen on drinking water that was once in the drain.

There are stormwater recycling schemes in other parts of the country and now the government is giving 200 million dollars to help set up more.

These water recyclers hope one day they'll be everywhere and we'll stop sending our most precious resource down the drain.

Online Poll

An interesting idea there so I reckon we might make that our online poll for this week.

The question is 'Would you drink recycled stormwater?'

If you want to vote go to our website at abc.net.au/btn

Cambodian OrphanageReporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: In this country we have it pretty lucky - we don't have war, bad poverty or anything like that.

But there are some kids around the world who aren't quite as fortunate.

© ABC 2009

Some will never be able to go to school, some will rarely be fed and some don't even have a family.

That's the situation for the kids in this next story from Cambodia but there is one Aussie lady trying to help.

A few weeks ago we met a young guy by the name of Tom who was entering the Archibald prize.

His inspiration was a lady named Geraldine Cox.

You might have been wondering why he chose to paint her?

She doesn't look all that special - except for maybe that chopstick in her hair.

But the reason Tom chose Geraldine, is because of a trip he took with his family to a little country called Cambodia.

Cambodia is a country north-west of Australia in Asia, and it's had a pretty turbulent past.

There's been a lot of fighting and many people there have been killed.

Those that are left face tremendous hardship and famine.

This is the world Geraldine stepped into when she first visited Cambodia.

She saw a lot of terrible things, but what affected her most was the Cambodian children.

Many didn't even have mums and dads, so she decided to volunteer to run an orphanage called 'Sunrise'.

© ABC 2009

GERALDINE COX: When children are brought to us some of them are trembling with fear. They've been abused and neglected and they don't know what's happening to them and they're afraid.

To help them heal Geraldine keeps the kids here very busy!

They get a chance to study as well as learn how to cook and clean and other useful skills.

Many kids here would never normally get that chance.

They also get to have a lot of fun singing and dancing!

But as well as changing the lives of the Cambodian kids, the orphanage also has a big effect of kids that visit like Tom.

TOM: I think it's made me value things a lot more and the time I have with my parents and family.

Many Aussie kids decide to sponsor a child here after visiting with their parents.

GERALDINE: There are a lot of, not secondary, but primary school education children who are saving up their pocket money, who are washing cars who are having cake bakes at their school and when they leave from spending a day at Sunrise they're really fired up to do something.

And because of this sort of sponsorship, some of the kids from the orphanage even get the chance to come to Australia to work and study.

GERALDINE: We've now got six children in Australia because they've been here, spoken with Australian children,

© ABC 2009

seen what they can achieve and they've gone back to Cambodia and they've said 'I want that'.

Coming here teaches them many new skills, skills they can hopefully use to improve things back home.

And that's the real strength Geraldine sees in this orphanage - two different cultures helping each other to learn and grow.

PresenterAnd there's more info about the orphanage on our website.

The Score

Time for some sports news now. Here's Catherine.

A new racing team has surprised everyone by winning the Australian Grand prix in Melbourne.

British driver Jenson Button snatched victory for Brawn which was only formed six months ago.

His teammate Rubens Barrichello was second and of course there were the usual bingles and bust ups on the way to the finish line.

**********

A Perth teenager has started at the world track championships in Poland.

19 year old Josephine Tomic has won gold in the OMNIUM which is a combo of five events.

© ABC 2009

Australia has won the most medals at the event.

**********And the Australian cricket team has lost the 20/20 series in South Africa.

The Proteas made 156 while the Aussies reached 8 for 139.

Quiz 3

Ok let's hit up a quiz now and find out how much you know about man's best friend.

Question: Scientists think that all dogs are descended from

1. Hyenas2. Dingoes3. Wolves

Answer: Wolves

Apparently even poodles and chihuahuas but I'm not really convinced.

Penguin Dogs

Reporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: Sheep dogs, on the other hand, are something we've all heard about but what about penguin dogs??

© ABC 2009

Well there is one breed of dog that was so successful protecting farm animals from predators, that they're now performing body guard duties on an island full of penguins!

It's all about protecting the native species from foxes, which had been wiping out the local population. And soon they could be protecting all sorts of different animals in danger!

It might look like these dogs are frolicking around having a nice dip but they're actually on duty and an important duty at that!

These are bodyguard dogs otherwise known as Maremmas and they've just started patrolling the beaches and cliffs here on Middle Island in Victoria.

“ Good girl, yes you are! Yes you are!”

They're on the lookout for foxes sneaking in on their turf and they won't be very welcoming.

DAVE WILLIAMS: If a fox was to come out here, they would chase it and if they caught it they'd give it a shake and it'd be a quick death but they're more of a preventive tool. So their presence here, the place smells doggy, they bark, they're around all the time and foxes just keep away.

Away from what?

Well it's not the usual livestock needing protection way out here. It's these little guys.

Penguins!

The idea to use pups to protect penguins actually started with a very different sort of bird.

© ABC 2009

This is a free-range chicken farm and these chooks are all protected by two maremmas.

They might look pretty lazy right now but all their really important work happens later.

ALLAN MARSH, CHICKEN FARMER: These dogs will work all night. They don't muck around. If they can catch a fox they'll kill it straight away.

Yep, they live with the chooks 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

Allan, or 'Swampy' as he's called round here, swears by these pups.

He says the cost of fencing his chooks could be as high as $40,000, whereas his dogs only cost a few hundred to buy plus a few handfuls of food and a good pat on the head each night.

Maremmas have been bred over hundreds of years for this exact job so they're really good at it.

And that's why Swampy recommended them for the penguins!

ALLAN MARSH: I think it's really good that we've got a European dog protecting Australian penguins from European predators. I reckon that's great.

And his idea couldn't have come soon enough.

Middle Island is a dangerous place for penguins.

© ABC 2009

Generally their colonies are found on really steep cliffs or on islands far out to sea but these little guys decided to build their homes here where it's a lot easier for foxes to get to.

30 years ago 1,000 peguins used to bunker down in little holes here to breed. But by the late 90s that number had halved and by 2005 there was only four birds left.

The foxes had taken a huge toll.

But only a few years on and things are looking much brighter.

This year researchers have seen 80 penguins arrive here to breed and 26 chicks were born.

The colony is still far from its full strength, but it's growing every year - a fact these two pups can be pretty proud of!

Maremma's bodyguarding skills have been so successful another pair has also started work looking after these birds not too far away.

Conservationists are over the moon with them and I'm sure the penguins and other birds are pretty happy with their new protectors too!

Closer

That's it for another show - we'll leave you with some pics from a kite festival which was held over the weekend. Catch ya later.

© ABC 2009