The Australian Bite
Marine “report card” shows Nemo heading south
10 December 2009
Listen and download: MP3
This week on the Australian Bite we talk to one of the seventy scientists who have worked to compile the first ever report card on Australian coastal waters. It shows that as ocean temperatures continue to rise, there are some very big changes going on. We meet a bunch of Aussie blokes who are well over sixty years old, and just learning to cook – and I’m not just talking steak and potatoes. And we also have an update on moves to get more women into top management roles and on company boards in Australia
Fish move south as waters warm up
Seventy marine scientists from around the country have spent the past year studying every bit of the Australian coastline and its waters to produce the first ever report card. And according to one of those scientists, if you are a climate change sceptic, then this report will be a wake-up call. Alistair Hobday is senior marine scientist with the CSIRO - Australia’s peak scientific research organisation. He told Michael Muller that our oceans are warming, and the consequences will be huge.
View the report card on line at http://www.oceanclimatechange.org.au/content/images/uploads/Report_card_web.pdf
A step forward for women on boards
The push to lift the paltry number of women in top management roles and on company boards in Australia got a boost this week. The Australian Securities Exchange’s (ASX) Corporate Governance Council has ruled that from June next year, listed companies will have to disclose to the stock exchange whether they are meeting the gender targets set by their Boards. The new disclosure rules have been hailed as a major reform. But at least one prominent women director believes the changes will do little to improve gender diversity. Sheryle Bagwell speaks about the ruling with Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, former Qantas director Margaret Jackson and Jillian Segal, who sits on the Boards of the National Australia Bank and the ASX.
You can read the new ASX Corporate Governance Council Recommendations on Diversity in their press release here
Seniors cook up a storm
The kitchen of Spillett House is a very nice place to be. Not only is it filled with the delicious aromas of curries and fried rice, but the laughter amongst the novice chefs shows they’re clearly having a great time. Spillett house is the headquarters for the Council of the Ageing in Darwin, and the group doing the cooking are part of Wannabe Chefs, a program designed to teach older men to cook, often for the first time in their lives. Kate Humphris dropped in for a chat and a taste!
See Kate’s pictures of the blokes and their culinary creations here on the ABC Darwin website
Music (not in podcast)
Boy and Bear are a four piece outfit from Sydney, who are inspired by the sounds of 1970′s folk rock.
Artist: Boy and Bear
Track: Mexican Mavis
Cookin’ on 3 Burners are in their own words, “Australia’s hardest hitting Hammond organ trio – joining the dots between Deep Funk, Raw Soul, Organ Jazz & Boogaloo.” This great track features on their album Soul Messin’ and has also been released on 7” vinyl.
Artist: Cookin’ on 3 Burners
Track: This Girl
Album: Soul Messin’ (2009)
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