The Australian Bite

A boost for aid & a world champion thrower

20 May 2010

Listen and download: MP3

This week on the Australian Bite we look at the increase to the Australian aid program following the recent Federal Budget. We meet the author of a new book that celebrates the close relationship between Australia’s Indigenous and Jewish Communities, and we find out what it takes to become a world champion discus thrower with young Australian athlete Dani Samuels. 

 More money for Australia’s overseas aid program

The recently announced Federal Budget has boosted the Australian aid program, with an extra half a billion dollars being directed into the development assistance over the coming financial year. Aid money as a percentage of Gross National Income is forecast to increase to 0.33 per cent over this period: it’s a step along the way to the Rudd government election’s promise to increase Australia’s overseas development assistance to 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015-16.  So how much of a difference will that extra money make to people’s lives? I put that question to Dr Matthew Clarke, Director of the International and Community Development Programat Deakin University in Victoria.

More information:

ABC News – Budget boosts foreign aid

Australian Government media release on the 2010-11 International Development Assistance Budget

Responseto the budget announcement by Andrew Hewitt, General Manager Oxfam Australia

 Hand in Hand – Jewish and Indigenous Australians

A new book called Hand in Hand: Jewish and Indigenous people working together  looks at the close relationship between Australia’s Indigenous and Jewish communities. The history between these two groups started in 1938 after Aboriginal activist, William Cooper presented a Letter of Protest to the German consulate in Melbourne in the days after Kristallnacht, (The Night of Broken Glass) – an anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany and Austria in November of that year. That was just the beginning of an ongoing relationship, as Rhianna Patrick found out when she spoke to co-author Lisa Sarzin.

Find out more about the book here 

Information about the 1965 Freedom Ride 

Information about Kristallnacht from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Dani Samuels – youngest ever discus world champion

In August last year, twenty-one year old Dani Samuels became the youngest ever world champion discus thrower, when she took out the title in Berlin.  To do that she threw the wood and metal disc 65.44 metres, but it’s not something that came easily because discus doesn’t just involve strength and power – it is actually an extremely technical event. Dani will be heading off to Delhi in October to compete at the Commonwealth Games and she’s also a member of Athletics Australia’s Target 2012 team, destined for the London Olympics. She speaks with Geoff Hutchison.

View Dani Samuel’s profile on the Athletics Australia website

You can read a very interesting feature article on Dani at The Australian newspaper

 Music (not in podcast)

Dan Kelly, nephew of the legendary Paul Kelly, is about to release his third album entitled Dan Kelly’s Dream. This is the rather whimsical first single from it, Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam

Artist: Dan Kelly

Track: Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam

Album: Dan Kelly’s Dream (forthcoming)

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