The Australian Bite
Teenage drinking & expat koalas
18 November 2010
Listen and download: MP3
This week on the Bite, we talk koalas with Dr Geoffrey Pye who leads the koala medicine and surgery program at the America’s San Diego Zoo. We’ll hear how young Australians are experiencing overwhelming pressure to drink alcohol with their friends even when they don’t want to. And we drop in on an organic farming project providing much needed employment for people with disabilities in rural New South Wales.
Peer pressure fuels teen drinking
The Australian College of Surgeons has used its annual Trauma Week to call for increased taxes on alcohol and tougher rules on its availability. At the same time, new research from the organisation DrinkWise has identified a so-called “cultural contradiction” when it comes to young Australians and their drinking habits. The report has found that young people experience overwhelming pressure to drink with their friends even when they don’t want to. It says that young people who choose to stay sober will typically have to come up with socially acceptable reasons why they are not drinking and will potentially face heavy social exclusion at worst, through to constant interrogation at best. Reporter Emily Bourke speaks to DrinkWise’s Trish Worth and John Crozier from the Australasian College of Surgeons.
You can download the DrinkWise report here
Market garden brings much needed jobs
When you live in a rural town, and you have a disability, it can be difficult to get and keep a job. The range of available work is limited and the right support isn’t always there. However an organic farming project in Griffith in southern New South Wales is trying to turn that around. Late last year Ningana Enterprises, a Disability Support Service in Griffith NSW received $500,000 from the Federal Government’s Jobs Fund. It helped them to start up a market garden, designed to provide jobs for people with a range of disabilities. Laurissa Smith dropped by the farm, and spoke to Ningana’s CEO Fiona Durham and farm manager Ryan Wiseman.
More on this story at the ABC Rural website
Quensland, koalas & San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo’s Senior Veterinarian Dr Geoff Pye has been visiting St Bees Island in Queensland to give the koalas there a thorough medical check. Originally from Australia, Geoff’s main role is to lead the koala medicine and surgery at the Zoo, along with other Zoos across Europe and North America, who are loan partners. This trip to St Bees will provide him with information that will help to keep expatriate koala populations fit and healthy. Kim Kleidon speaks with Geoff Pye about his work in San Diego and Australia, and some of the difficulties faced by koalas in overseas zoos.
You can listen to some more interviews about the St Bees Island koalas with Kim Kleidon here
More on the San Diego Zoo’s koala program here
Music (not in podcast)
Kooii is a seven-piece collective from Brisbane, who combine a mix of Reggae, Jazz and Latin sounds. Almost five years after their debut album Beads on a String, they’ve recently released their second album In this Life.
Artist: Kooii
Track: Down to the River
Album: In this Life (2010)
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