The Australian Bite

Sinking islands, the nuclear debate & train travellers talking

9 December 2010

Listen and download: MP3

This week on the Australian Bite, the nuclear power debate is up and running again in Australia – and a new report investigates possible sites for nuclear power stations. We’ll also hear about at turtle tagging and the effects of rising sea levels in the Torres Strait Islands. And we’ll drop in on the the Southern Crossings project – an art installation and story-sharing project at Melbourne’s Southern Cross train Station.

Nuclear power plants – in whose back yard?

Unlike a number of countries in the region, Australia does not have nuclear power stations. But right now there’s a push to revive the nuclear power debate. Those in favour of nuclear power argue that it could solve the need for a clean green energy solution – reducing Australia’s heavy reliance on coal.

But Canberra based independent think tank – The Australia Institute, says that regardless of any rationale for going down the nuclear path, the first thing to resolve is where proposed nuclear power plants should be built. The Australia Institute has released a research paper called “Siting Nuclear Power Plants in Australia: Where would they go?” The author, Andrew Macintosh came up with 19 possible locations across Australia, and Michael Cathcart asked him about the criteria upon which they were selected.

You can download a copy of the report here at the Australia institute website

You can read an interesting opinion piece on nuclear power in Australia  here on the ABC unleashed website

Torres Strait youth share their experience of climate change

The Kids Teaching Kids Conference was recently held on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. It brought together more than 500 young people from all over Australia, including a school group from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait where climate change is already having a dramatic effect on islands and coral reefs. Reporter Kaitlyn Sawrey went along to the conference and spoke to a number of the students and teachers, as well as Kids Teaching Kids founder Aaron Woods.

This story was originally broadcast on the ABC’s Speaking Out indigenous culture, lifestyle and current affairs program

Southern Crossings gets train travellers talking

For the last few weeks, a group of artists have been collecting stories about travel, from a makeshift lounge room in the foyer of one of Melbourne’s busiest train stations. It’s called the Southern Crossings project and it’s trying to put a bit of human interaction back into train travel. As Irene Scott from the ABC;s  found out, all they offer is a comfy chair, a cup of tea, and the time to tell your story…

More on this story at the ABC Triple J Hack website

Music: (not in podcast)

Dan Kelly and the Ukeladies sing a song about the impact of climate change on island dwellers, while people in the cities drive around in their fuel-guzzling SUV’s.

Artist: Dan Kelly & the Ukeladies

Track: The SUV song

Album: – (free download single 2008)

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