The Australian Bite
Archive for May, 2009
National Reconciliation Week
28 May 2009
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This thought-provoking ad campaign is appearing right now in newspapers, on televisions and on billboards around Australia. It’s all about encouraging discussion and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, and we’ll find out more about it on this week’s Bite. We’ll also meet Kath Daley, a member of the stolen generations who was taken away from her family at the age of 10 to work as a servant. And Australian singing legend, and former Seekers member Judith Durham tells us about the alternative words she’s written for Australia’s national anthem.
Melburnians trial shared bike scheme
21 May 2009
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Ben Landau & Ronald Haverman from RMIT University
On this week’s Bite we take a look at a shared bicycle trial that’s taking place right now in Melbourne. We meet the author of a new book that documents the growth and development of Darwin in the decades following the Second World War. And two young dancers from the Queensland Ballet tell us just what it takes to become a professional dancer – and I’m telling you its a long hard road!
Australia faces obesity epidemic
14 May 2009
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A growing number of Australians are overweight or obese
Yes it’s official – Australians are getting fatter. That’s according to the latest National Health Survey which found that almost seventy per cent of adult men and fifty five per cent of adult women are overweight or obese. So this week we hear from obesity expert Dr Tim Gill from Sydney University, and we also visit Burnie in north-west Tasmania to hear about a healthy eating program for kids.
And on a completely different note, we meet Melbourne writer Christos Tsiolkas, whose book “The Slap”, is one of five books shortlisted for this year’s Miles Franklin award – Australia’s premier literary prize.
Mums push for island births
7 May 2009
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The Palm Island group of islands. Photographer Kathy Cogo
It’s babies and diamonds on this week’s Australian Bite. We’ll find out why the women of Palm Island, off the coast of Queensland, want birthing services restored at their local hospital. We’ll meet a young surrogate mother who had a baby for her sister at the age of 16. And blue diamonds – they’re very very rare, and equally expensive. We travel to Perth to look at a recent release of precious blue diamonds from the Argyle mine in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
