The Australian Bite

Cane toads, rural doctors & what young Australians care about

2 December 2010

Listen and download: MP3

This week on the Australian Bite, cane toads on the march – we look at the continuing battle against one of Australia’s worst introduced pests We look at a new survey of Australian youth and find out what issues are at the top of their minds. And the Rural Doctors Association’s Medical Student of the year, Heather Hanks, talks about some of the challenges and opportunities for doctors in rural areas.

Young Australians – what do they care about?

For the last nine years, community service organisation Mission Australia has been taking an annual snapshot of the issues that matter most to young Australians. In their latest national youth survey, more than 50,000 people aged between 11 and 24 were asked to rank a number of personal issues in order of importance. Body image remains very high on the agenda, as does family conflict. But what else does the survey tell us about how they see the future? Anne Hampshire is the head of Research and Social Policy with Mission Australia, and has been conducting this annual national survey for almost a decade. She speaks with Richard Aedy.

Cane toads on the hop across northern Australia

Cane toads were brought to Australia more than 80 years ago to fight the beetles eating the sugar cane crops in Queensland. But recently these poisonous and devastating pests crossed the border into Western Australia and they’re having a devastating effect on the local wildlife – including freshwater crocodiles. Local volunteers in Kununurra (just over the Northern Territory border in WA) have been trying to hold off the hordes for years by picking up & killing as many toads as they can. But are they fighting an unwinnable war? Kaitlyn Sawrey went out with the Kimberly Toad Busters to the frontline in the battle against the toads.

Student shows a passion for rural medicine

In Australia, one of the biggest challenges for rural communities is attracting and keeping young doctors – particularly in more remote areas. There are lots of reasons for that – some doctors see rural medicine is a second-class option, or they believe that working in urban areas brings better career opportunities. Some of course, just prefer to live in the city. But that’s not the case for Heather Hanks, who grew up in country New South Wales, and is in her fifth year at James Cook University medical school in Queensland. Heather Hanks was recently named the Rural Doctors Association’s Medical Student of the year because of her outstanding dedication to rural practice. She speaks to reporter Miriam Hall in Townsville.

Music (not in podcast)

Hungry Kids of Hungary are a four piece indie pop group from Brisbane. We play a track from their recently released debut album, Escapades.

Artist: Hungry Kids of Hungary

Track: You Ain’t Always There

Album: Escapades (2010)

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