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Episode 24
Questions for discussion 28th August 2018
PM Scott Morrison
1. Before you watch the BTN story, record what you know about Scott Morrison.
2. Who was the Prime Minister before Scott Morrison?
3. What positions did Scott Morrison hold before he became Prime Minister?
4. Scott Morrison is our ________ Prime Minister in Australia?
5. How many PM’s have we had in 5 years?
6. Who chooses the leader of a political party?
7. Which politician started the challenge for the leadership?
8. Name three facts you learnt about Scott Morrison.
9. What questions do you have after watching the BTN story?
10. Do you agree with the decision to make Scott Morrison Prime Minister? Explain your
answer.
Check out the PM Scott Morrison resource on the Teachers page.
Great Barrier Reef Problems
1. Working in pairs, record what you know about the Great Barrier Reef.
2. About how many people visit the Great Barrier Reef every year?
3. The Reef is home to more than ________species of fish.
4. What is coral bleaching and how does it happen?
5. What happens to the algae in the coral when the sea gets too warm?
6. Why is ocean acidification a problem for the Great Barrier Reef?
7. Run off from the land and farm chemicals can lead to outbreaks of what?
8. Crown-of-thorns starfish can eat their body weight worth of ______________ every day.
9. What impact can cyclones and storms have on the reef?
10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BTN story?
Check out the Great Barrier Reef Problems resource on the Teachers page. Do the quiz on the
BTN website.
Great Barrier Reef Solutions
1. What did the BTN story explain?
2. How can water quality be improved at the Great Barrier Reef?
3. Apart from farming, what else is impacting on the water quality around the reef?
4. What impact do crown-of-thorns starfish have on the reef?
5. Finish the following sentence: Studies show that where there are certain kinds of pollution,
there are more…
6. What causes coral bleaching?
7. Scientists say burning fossil fuels like ____________ and __________ is a big part of the
global warming problem.
©ABC 2018
8. Many countries, including Australia, still mostly rely on fossil fuels. True or false?
9. How has your thinking changed since watching the BTN story?
10. What do you think can be done to improve the health of the Great Barrier Reef? Brainstorm
some solutions.
Get your class involved in BTN’s Ask A Reporter! This week’s topic is the
Great Barrier Reef.
Cystic Fibrosis Drug
1. Summarise the BTN Cystic Fibrosis Drug story.
2. How old is Evie?
3. About how many Australians have cystic fibrosis?
4. Which parts of Evie’s body are affected by CF?
5. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder. True or false?
6. How does Evie describe living with cystic fibrosis?
7. What are some of the challenges of living with cystic fibrosis?
8. Why did Evie and her mum protest and petition the government for help?
9. How will having access to cheaper medication affect Evie’s life?
10. What did you learn watching the BTN story?
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
Hot Air Balloon Pilot
1. What was the main point of the BTN Hot Air Balloon Pilot story?
2. How old is Ella?
3. How old was Ella when she started hot air ballooning?
4. Ella’s dad became a pilot before her mum. True or false?
5. What does Ella love about hot air ballooning?
6. The balloon has no _____________or ______________, unlike many other forms of
aviation.
7. At what rate does the balloon go up and down
a. 50 feet a minute
b. 100 feet a minute
c. 200 feet a minute
8. What is the mental challenge of hot air ballooning?
9. What would Ella like to do in the future?
10. What was surprising about this story?
Write a message about the story and post it in the comments section on the story page.
©ABC 2018
Teacher Resource Episode 24
28th August 2018
PM Scott Morrison
Students will learn about the roles
1. Before you watch the BTN story, record what you know about Scott and responsibilities of Australia’s
Morrison. Prime Minister. Students will
2. Who was the Prime Minister before Scott Morrison? discuss and identify the
characteristics that would make for
3. What positions did Scott Morrison hold before he became Prime a ‘good’ leader.
Minister?
4. Scott Morrison is our ________ Prime Minister in Australia?
5. How many PM’s have we had in 5 years?
6. Who chooses the leader of a political party?
7. Which politician started the challenge for the leadership?
Civics and Citizenship – Year 6
8. Name three facts you learnt about Scott Morrison. The responsibilities of electors and
9. What questions do you have after watching the BTN story? representatives in Australia’s
10. Do you agree with the decision to make Scott Morrison Prime democracy.
Minister? Explain your answer. Civics and Citizenship – Year 7
Use democratic processes to reach
consensus on a course of action
relating to a civics or citizenship
issue and plan for that action.
Class discussion
The key features of government
Discuss the BTN PM Scott Morrison story as a class. What questions were under the Australian Constitution
raised in the discussion (what are the gaps in their knowledge)? Below are with a focus on: the separation of
some questions to help guide the discussion: powers, the roles of the Executive,
the Houses of Parliament, and
the division of powers.
• How did this story make you feel?
• What did this story make you wonder?
• How did Scott Morrison become prime minister?
• What is a ‘leadership challenge’?
• Why do you think there has been a leadership challenge?
The following KWLH organiser provides students with a framework to explore their knowledge on this topic
and consider what they would like to know and learn.
What do I want What have I How will I find
What do I know?
to know? learnt? out?
©ABC 2018
Questions for inquiry
Students will develop their own question/s for inquiry. Students will collect and record information from a
wide variety of sources (internet, books, newspaper and magazines) and present the information they find in
an interesting way.
• Do you think it is fair that Malcom Turnbull’s role as prime minister was challenged? Explain.
• Have there been other leadership challenges in Australia’s history? Research the history of Federal
leadership challenges in Australia and use a timeline to display your findings.
• Who chooses who will be the prime minister? Explain the process for choosing a prime minister in
Australia. Explain how Scott Morrison became Australia’s 30th Prime Minister.
• How long can someone be a prime minister in Australia? How does this differ in other countries, for
example the United States?
Further challenge
• Many of Australia's Prime Ministers have either started or finished their terms without the public
voting. What does this statement mean?
The role of Prime Minister
Students will find out more about the role of Prime
Minister.
• How is the prime minister chosen?
• What is their role? Make a list of tasks.
• Is the prime minister a member of the House of
Representatives or the Senate?
• Who is the current prime minister? What political
party do they represent?
• Where are the official residences of the prime
minister? Find using Google Maps.
To learn more about the role of the prime minister visit
the PEO for facts and diagrams.
Source: Parliamentary Education Office link
Profile of Australia’s Prime Minister
Students will create a profile on the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, using a range of sources of
information. Students can use this template to record their findings.
Interview your Prime Minister
Students will imagine they are given the opportunity to interview Australia’s Prime Minister on behalf of their
school. Their task is to write a list of interview questions that they would like to ask the prime minister.
Students need to remember to write open-ended questions. Open-ended questions have no right or wrong
answer and can’t be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Before writing their questions, students will need to think
about the following:
• What do you want to find out about the Prime Minister?
• What issues would you like to ask about?
• Choose a topic that is important to you and your school community. What do you want the Prime
Minister to do about it?
©ABC 2018
What do you think makes a great leader?
As a class brainstorm and list as many qualities that you can
think of that makes for a great leader. Record your ideas on the
class whiteboard. For example:
• honest
• good at communicating
• good at listening
• has a positive attitude
• commitment
• trustworthy
• creative
• inspiring
• confident
What are some examples of good leaders? They may be world leaders or leaders at your school. They can
be leaders from a range of different areas, like science, fashion, politics or sport. In small groups brainstorm
what a great leader is, does, does not and says. Share your ideas as a class. Students will think of activities
that they can do at home or school to help build their leadership skills.
Turn your class into a parliament
Students will run their own their own debate, make their own speeches and vote on issues. Download the
Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) Role-play lesson plan – Law making: House of Representatives and
The Parliament for a step-by-step guide, scripts, props and costumes.
• Think of an issue that is important to your class or use one of the scripts provided by the PEO. The
scripts include specific roles that can be assigned to students and indicate what they have to do and
say.
• Turn your classroom into a parliament. Download the seating plan of the House of Representatives
which can be found in the PEO toolkit.
• Make your own props, including a mace, and Speaker’s gown. Use the templates provided in the
PEO toolkit.
• Run your own classroom parliament. Debate the issue, make your speeches and vote on the issue.
School parliament
Does your school have its own school parliament? As a class, discuss how a school parliament might work,
using the following questions to help guide the discussion:
• Do you think it would be a good idea to have a school parliament? Why or why not?
• What sort of issues or topics could you and other students raise during school parliament?
• Why is it important to include the whole school?
Students will need to liaise with teachers and the principal in the initial stages of setting up the school
parliament. It is important that everyone understands how the school parliament will work and what the roles
and responsibilities are for each of the representatives. Each class will vote and elect one student who will
be their representative at the school parliament. The most senior class/es will elect representatives who will
act as the prime minister and deputy. The school parliament will be responsible for naming their school
©ABC 2018
parliament, writing a school constitution and running school parliament sittings. Download this document to
help establish a school parliament at your school – Model for a school parliament.
Discussion questions
Watch the BTN story Leadership Moves to learn more about changes in Federal leadership.
1. Discuss the issues raised in the
Leadership Moves story as a class.
2. In the BTN story what do they mean
when they refer to the Prime Minister’s
job as being risky?
3. Explain the difference between voting in
America and Australia, do they vote for
a party or a leader?
4. Who was Prime Minister before Julia
Gillard?
1. Tony Abbott
2. Kevin Rudd
3. John Howard
5. What are the names of the two main political parties in Australia?
6. How do opinion polls affect political parties and their leaders?
7. What qualities do you think a political leader should have?
8. Name three facts you learnt watching this story.
9. Do you think governments should be allowed to change leaders without an election? Explain your
answer.
ABC News - Scott Morrison wins leadership spill
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-24/scott-morrison-wins-liberal-leadership/10160168?section=politics
ABC News – Scott Morrison: From `stopping the boats’ to Prime Minister, `ScoMo’s’ often controversial rise
to the top job
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-24/scott-morrisons-rise-to-prime-minister-of-
australia/10160458?section=politics
BTN – Leadership Moves
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3720526.htm
National Archives Australia – Australia’s Prime Ministers
http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/timeline/results.aspx
ABC News – Confused about Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership crisis? Here’s how we got here
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-20/malcom-turnbull-leadership-crisis-explained/10139208
Prime Minster of Australia – Scott Morrison
https://www.pm.gov.au
©ABC 2018
Teacher Resource Episode 24
28th August 2018
Great Barrier Reef
Students will develop a deeper
1. Working in pairs, record what you know about the Great Barrier understanding of the threats to the
Reef. Great Barrier Reef.
2. About how many people visit the Great Barrier Reef every year?
3. The Reef is home to more than ________species of fish.
4. What is coral bleaching and how does it happen?
5. What happens to the algae in the coral when the sea gets too warm?
6. Why is ocean acidification a problem for the Great Barrier Reef?
7. Run off from the land and farm chemicals can lead to outbreaks of
what? Science – Year 4
Living things have life cycles
8. Crown-of-thorns starfish can eat their body weight worth of
______________ every day. Living things depend on each other
and the environment to survive
9. What impact can cyclones and storms have on the reef?
10. What do you understand more clearly since watching the BTN story? Science knowledge helps people to
understand the effect of their
actions
Science – Year 5
Living things have structural
features and adaptations that help
them to survive in their environment
Note taking
Students will practise their note-taking skills while Scientific knowledge is used to
solve problems and inform personal
watching the BTN Great Barrier Reef story. After and community decisions
watching the story, ask students to reflect on and
Science – Year 6
organise the information into three categories. The growth and survival of living
things are affected by physical
What information in the story was...? conditions of their environment
• Positive
Science – Year 7
• Negative or Interactions between organisms,
• Interesting including the effects of human
activities can be represented by
food chains and food webs
Class Discussion
Hold a class discussion about the issues raised in the BTN story. Use the following questions to help guide
discussion:
• What do you know about coral?
• What are some threats to coral?
• Why is the Great Barrier Reef special?
• Why is the Great Barrier Reef in danger?
• What can be done to protect the Great Barrier Reef?
Glossary
Students develop a glossary of words and terms that relate to the Great Barrier Reef. Below are some words
to get them started. Students will add words and meanings to their glossary as they come across unfamiliar
©ABC 2018
words throughout their research. Students may want to consider using pictures and diagrams to illustrate
meanings.
coral coral bleaching ecosystem biodiversity
Crown-of-thorns
conservation climate change pollution
starfish
Great Barrier Reef Research
The Great Barrier Reef has been listed as one of the most complex natural ecosystems on earth. Coral
bleaching, cyclones and outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish has meant that certain species or habitats
have declined and affected the ecosystem that makes up the Great Barrier Reef. Students will complete the
following KWLH organiser to explore their knowledge on the Great Barrier Reef and consider what they
would like to know and learn.
What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learnt? How will I find out?
Here are some possible questions for students to research:
• What is coral bleaching? What impact is it having on the Great Barrier Reef?
• Why is biodiversity conservation important for the Great Barrier Reef?
• How is the crown-of-thorns starfish affecting the Great Barrier Reef? Investigate ways in which the
starfish could be controlled?
• What impact is pollution and run-off having on the Great Barrier Reef?
• What do you think could be done to help protect the different habitats and animals in the Great
Barrier Reef?
• Who do you think should be responsible for looking after the health of the Great Barrier Reef?
As a starting point for their research, students can watch the following BTN stories that explain some of the
issues. Students can present the information in one of the followng ways:
• A ‘Did You Know’ Facts sheet
• Oral presentation
• Prezi presentation
• An infographic using Canva
Coral Bleaching Reef Warning
©ABC 2018
Reef Threat Coral Spawning Virtual Reef Diver – Citizen Science Project The Virtual Reef Diver project allows students to become citizen scientists, classifying underwater images of coral. The data collected is then used by researchers to make better decisions about protecting the Great Barrier Reef. Virtual Reef Diver also allows students to explore 360-degree images of the Great Barrier Reef (through the Google Play store). Students will create a quiz about the Great Barrier Reef using Kahoot!. Quizzes can be created to recap learning or test personal knowledge. There is also the option to connect with classrooms around the world and play kahoot in real time. BTN - Coral Bleaching http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4430560.htm BTN – Coral Spawning http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4765561.htm BTN – World Heritage http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3958277.htm BTN – Reef Warning http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3603113.htm ABC 730 – Can we repair the Great Barrier Reef or is it already too late? http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/can-we-repair-the-great-barrier-reef-or-is-it/10144988 ©ABC 2018
BTN: Episode 24 Transcript 28/8/18
Hey, I’m Amelia and you’re watching BTN. Coming up today.
• We take a special look at the Great Barrier Reef, the threats it's facing and how we can
tackle them.
• Plus, the new medicine that will make a big difference to kids with cystic fibrosis.
• And what does it take to pilot a hot air balloon?
PM Scott Morrison
Reporter: Amelia Moseley
INTRO: We'll get to all that later. But first, wow, what a week it's been in Canberra! After days of
chaos and confusion, Australia has a new Prime Minister. Here's how it happened.
It's time to play everyone's favourite game show: Who's our Prime Minister? Oops, time's up. It's
Scott Morrison!
SCOTT MORRISON I, Scott John Morrison, do swear that I will well and truly serve the people of
Australia.
He's 50 years old, 182cm tall and father to Abbey and Lilly. He's known as 'Sco-Mo' to people that
don't actually know him, and he was once a child actor! He was Australia's Treasurer and before
that Immigration Minister and now he's the 30th Prime Minister of Australia! For those playing at
home he's also our 5th PM in 5 years.
OK, I know what you're thinking "What did Scott Morrison look like as a kid?" Ha-ha! Just jokes.
No, you're probably thinking "How did this happen?" I bet this guy's been thinking a bit about that
too (our now former PM, Malcolm Turnbull). So, let's go back a bit. In Australia, it's important to
remember we don't vote for the PM. We vote for members of a political party and it's up to them to
choose their own leader, but they can change their minds.
That's what happened a few years ago when the last PM, Tony Abbott, was voted out and
replaced by Malcolm Turnbull. Before that, Labor PM Kevin Rudd replaced Julia Gillard, who'd
previously replaced him. Yeah. Messy.
So, here's what went down this time. Former home affairs minister Peter Dutton said he wanted to
lead, because he didn't think Malcolm Turnbull was doing such a bang-up job. So, their party - the
Liberal Party - had a vote, but Dutton didn't win. End of story? No chance.
Some politicians who used to support Malcolm Turnbull then changed their minds and they rallied
to force another vote just a few days later, which didn't exactly make this PM very happy.
©ABC 2018Mr Turnbull decided to take himself out of it saying he'd quit parliament altogether if the vote went ahead. So, the race came down to Peter Dutton Deputy leader Julie Bishop and Treasurer Scott Morrison. Morrison turned out to be the winner, of course, with Josh Frydenberg as his deputy. While it's all a bit confusing, the winner of this political game is clear for now. So, we'd better learn a bit more about our new PM. MAYA Hey everybody, I just talked to Scott Morrison. Luckily, our Rookie Reporter Maya met him back in 2016! SCOTT MORRISON, 2016 When I was young, I always wanted to be involved in some sort of public service. My father is a policeman and my brother is an ambulance officer, he's a paramedic and my brother in law was a fireman. He also seems to be a bit of a BTN fan! SCOTT MORRISON, 2016 I remember watching BTN when I was a kid at school so it's great to say that it's still going! We sure are! Been around for, oh, about 12 prime ministers now. This Week in News Okay so that was a pretty dramatic turn of events but what happens now? Well that's exactly what we'll reveal in this week's news headlines. Now that all that party voting stuff is over the hard work starts for PM Morrison. One of his first jobs was choosing the Cabinet. That's the group of ministers who'll look after important areas Deputy Leader Josh Frydenberg will also be Treasurer. Foreign affairs, will be handled by Marise Payne. Christopher Pyne will look after defence. Melissa Price is in charge of the environment. Dan Tehan will look after education. And Greg Hunt will be minister for health. Meanwhile, with our old PM Malcolm Turnbull no longer, well our PM, and on Monday he announced that he's leaving parliament altogether by the end of the week. That means there will have to be a by-election in his seat of Wentworth in Sydney so people who live there can choose a new representative even though the next election might only be 6 months away. ©ABC 2018
All this drama hasn't exactly been a hit with voters. The latest Newspoll had support for the Coalition down a fair bit. We asked you guys what you thought about it all too. KID 1 I think that all Australians should have a say in the decision. KID 2 A way they could maybe solve the problem would be making sure the Prime Minister has to stay in their full terms. KID 3 I think they could solve this problem by bringing in a new law where you have to serve 4 years as a Prime Minister like they do in the United States with their Presidents. I just think that would make it a lot more organised and stable. In other news, the ABC's done a study for Bookweek looking at one hundred of the top selling kids picture books from last year. It found that 51 of them had a male as the lead character, 26 had no lead or a lead with no gender, and only 23 feature a female character. It also found that there were a lot more books written by male authors. Finally, to the world air guitar championships in Finland! Japan's Nanami Nagura took out this year’s top prize with her acrobatic routine and expert air- playing. Part of her prize is an actual guitar which seems slightly insulting to the entire concept, to be honest. Great Barrier Reef Problems Reporter: Matt Holbrook INTRO: Okay. Moving right away from Canberra now and all the way up to Queensland! We're going to take a special two-part look at one of Australia's natural wonders - the Great Barrier Reef. It's the biggest reef in the world but experts are really worried about how it's going. Later on, we'll find out what can be done to fix the reef. But first here's a look at its biggest threats. You'd have to be living under a rock, or many rocks actually, not to have heard that this big ole thing, the Great Barrier Reef, is in a spot of trouble. But, from pictures like this that may seem hard to believe. The reef covers two and a half thousand kays off the coast of Queensland, and two million people flock to it every year. All keen to check out the super colourful coral, and the more than 1,600 species of fish that call it home! But all of this prettiness isn't the whole story. In some parts there's hardly any life left at all. So, what's to blame? Well, the biggest issue here is coral bleaching. That can happen when water gets ©ABC 2018
too warm. See, what we know of as coral is actually cities, if you will, of tiny animals called polyps.
Algae live in the polyps, and polyps feed off the algae. Working together, they're happy and pretty
and colourful. Yay!
CHARLIE VERON, RESARCHER: The very, very essential thing about corals, is they build their
own place to live. Corals, have got together with algae, to build things that nothing on earth could
possibly rival. That’s how they live, and I reckon that’s as fascinating as biology can get.
But if the sea gets too warm, the algae's forced out, and the coral turns white. And if the sea stays
warm for too long, algae never come back, and the coral can die. Bacteria and seaweeds take
over. End of friendship.
Coral can recover if sea temps drop in time, but if it keeps happening, and happening too
frequently, that becomes much less likely. And that's exactly what scientists believe is happening
right now because of climate change...
TERRY HUGHES, MARINE BIOLOGIST: So, the interval, between pairs of, repeated bleaching
events globally is shrinking.
So, climate change is a huge threat. But it doesn't just raise temperatures either. Another issue is
ocean acidification. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. If there is more of it in the
air, more ends up in the ocean which makes it more acidic. That can affect sea life, as this again
colourful, but slightly sad cartoon illustrates.
There are many more things being thrown at the Reef. Run off from the land can carry nutrients
and sediments into the Reef, along with farm chemicals. That can lead to outbreaks of these little
guys, crown of thorn starfish. They can eat their body weight worth of coral every day and have
worked through large areas of the reef already. Another issue is cyclones and storms. They're not
just damaging on land, they can destroy coral in shallow water, which can take hundreds of years
to grow back.
So, they're just some of the threats facing the reef. And scientists say more needs to be done to
address them as soon as possible. For us, and for the creatures that call it home.
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT true of the Great Barrier Reef?
It can be seen from space.
It's home to 100% of the world's species of fish.
It's one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
The answer - it's not true that the reef is home to 100% of the world's fish species. It's actually
about 10%.
©ABC 2018Great Barrier Reef Solutions Reporter: Amelia Moseley INTRO: Okay. Now it's time for part 2 of our special look at the Great Barrier Reef. This one is all about what needs to change to make sure the reef is still around for centuries to come. Take a look. How do we save the Great Barrier Reef? It's a question a lot of Australians have been asking for years now and the good news is there are some ideas about how we might be able to turn things around. Experts say pollution is one of the biggest issues affecting the water around the reef. Farmers can help by using less pesticides and fertilisers and trying to reduce run-off from their farms. That's the water that flows over the ground and into streams and creeks and eventually out to sea. Many farmers are already trying to do that. But developments and other industries operating around the reef impact the water quality too, and some reckon more needs to be done to protect it from these pollutions. These prickly pests like nothing more than to chomp down on tasty coral. But studies show where ever there are certain kinds of pollution there are more of these little greedy guts around. So, keeping the water clean and healthy helps coral thrive and stops these things from thriving so much. Researchers are also getting hands on injecting the crown of thorns with a special poison that kills them. It works, but it's also time consuming and not exactly a long-term solution. Finally, the biggest issue of all is also the hardest to stop - bleaching. This one's so tough because scientists say it's caused by climate change. TERRY HUGHES, MARINE BIOLOGIST It's the number-one driver of the rapid decline of the Great Barrier Reef. We can't fix everything else and ignore climate change. It's not going to work. So! How do you solve a problem as big as climate change? Great question. Ah, well, governments around the world are still trying to work that one out too. Most experts say the biggest issue to tackle is where we get our energy from. Scientists say burning fossil fuels like coal and gas is a big part of the global warming problem and that making the switch to renewable energies like wind and solar would help to fight it. But many countries, including Australia, still mostly rely on fossil fuels and making the switch isn't always an easy process. Plus, we aren't a big fish in the pollution pond, so for big improvements to be seen other countries would have to cut back as well. There you have it - a few ways we could improve things for the Great Barrier Reef and all of the living things that call it home from the tiniest algae to the biggest sharks. It's not hard to see why so many people care so much about this incredible place. Ask a Reporter Do you have a question about the Great Barrier Reef? Ask me live on Friday during Ask a Reporter. Just head to our website for all the details. ©ABC 2018
Podcast Promo BTN has a brand-new podcast. We’re bringing you the hard hitting, quirky, and just plain weird news stories of the day. A survey has found, one in three Aussie kids doesn’t brush twice a day. That’s a bit gross. There’s a new episode out every weekday. You can get it as a podcast, on the BTN website and, if you’ve got one, on your smart speaker. Tune in and we’ll brush up on the news together. Cystic Fibrosis Drug Reporter: Ruby Cornish INTRO: Okay next up. Young people living with cystic fibrosis have just been given some really good news. An incredibly important, but incredibly expensive medicine has just been made heaps cheaper by the Government. Here's more. EVIE: Hi BTN, my name's Evie Marshall, I'm 12 years old and I live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. I also have cystic fibrosis. Evie is one of about 3 thousand Australians who are living with cystic fibrosis, or CF and she's never known a life without it. EVIE: CF is something I was born with. It means my lungs and digestive system don't work very well. They hate me. CF is a genetic disorder. It affects the respiratory system, which is what we use to breathe, and the digestive system, which is what we use to process food. EVIE: Living with cystic fibrosis is like being really sick 24/7. I have to go to hospital a tonne and I have to take a lot of tablets. People living with CF often cough a lot and get lung infections, so Evie has spent a lot of her life in hospital. EVIE: There are some challenges with living with cystic fibrosis. It's really, really boring being isolated in a hospital all the time without any friends. I also have to miss out on a lot of things that my friends get to do because I am too unwell. There is no cure for CF, although researchers are working hard to find one. In the meantime, people with CF need to take medications to keep their organs healthy. One of those medications is called Orkambi. But Evie and other people with CF have had a hard time getting their hands on it. EVIE: The problem with the medicine was definitely the cost. It was really expensive. It cost about the same as buying a house each year. So, Evie and her mum started going to protests and petitioning the Australian Government for help. They asked for Orkambi to be put on a list of medicines in the PBS, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which would bring the price way down, making it affordable for everybody. ©ABC 2018
EVIE: My mum and I started pushing for this medication because it would make a whole lot of CF- ers, including me, feel a lot better. It would also keep us out of hospital. And now finally their wish has come true. EVIE: Last week the Australian government said we could have this medication and it wasn't going to cost the price of a house. Turns out it's only going to cost 6 dollars 40 a month and that is great news. It means Evie's life has completely changed. EVIE: This medication is going to extend my life by 20 years. Now that Orkambi is on the PBS it means my life expectancy is no longer 37, it's now 57 and that is amazing because I have never been able to think of a future before and now I can. And when it comes to the future, Evie's got big plans. EVIE: In the future I really want to travel all around Australia and get some great photography shots. Did you know? It's estimated that there are about 100,000 people around the world living with Cystic Fibrosis. 3/4 of them find out they have it before they turn 2. Sport The Sunshine Coast have won back to back Super Netball grand finals! They faced the West Coast Fever in Perth yesterday in front of a record-breaking crowd of 13 thousand, 700 hundred people. It was a close match, but the Lightning came out on top in the final few minutes winning the match 59 to 62 and the championship for the second year in a row! Now to the AFL and it's finals time! Demons fans are pumped to see their team playing in September for the first time in 12 years while Richmond fans are quietly confident their team can go all the way again after securing their first minor premiership since 1982. Speaking of Richmond, Jack Riewoldt has been awarded the Coleman medal for kicking the most goals in a season 65. It's the third time Jumping Jack's won the award. ©ABC 2018
Now to France where the Mountain Bike World Cup was held over the weekend. Riders had to fly through this messy, muddy, hilly course as fast as possible and this veteran competitor did exceptionally well. Her name is Rachel Atherton and she won the women's event for the sixth time! RACHEL ATHERTON: Oh my gosh, that is hands down probably one of the hardest races I've ever, ever done. And finally, a furry field invader had fans all excited at the Asian Games on the weekend. The stands were packed for the women's hurdles when this guy appeared on the track! He had some serious trouble staying in his lane though. Hot Air Balloon Pilot Rookie Reporter: Ella INTRO: Finally today. Being a pilot would be a pretty cool job but how about being a hot air balloon pilot? It turns out there's a job shortage in the hot air balloon industry, so instructors are trying to train up the next generation. Here's pilot-in-training Ella to tell us what it takes to take to the skies! ELLA: It's really awesome. It's a bit like riding on the clouds. I'm really, really scared of heights and a lot of people tell me I couldn't go up there, I wouldn't be able to cope with the height. But for me it’s so surreal, you don't actually realise you're that high! I'm Ella Tregale, I'm a student hot air balloon pilot, and I am 16. I started out when I was 3. My mum became a pilot before my dad around 2010, then my dad joined in and became a pilot, too. Before that we used to crew and chase balloons. We love going around and seeing different types of animals and different types of birds. It's the same world you look at, it's just a birds' eye views. We look along and there's rows of kangaroos and different paddocks and I love looking at the colour variation in the different seasons of the paddocks, just the beauty of it. The balloon has no engine and no steering wheel, unlike many other forms of aviation. So, we go up and down at a rate, most of the time, about 200 feet a minute. It can be anything, anything the wind is! PETE, INSTRUCTOR: It is relatively simple to learn how to fly a balloon but you need to go through the steps. We are very methodical in the way we learn. It's one of those things where if you play by the rules, there's no problem at all, and it's a heap of fun. BALLOONIST: The mental challenge to work out what altitude gets me left or right to get to where I want to go is really fascinating. But then the physical ability to do it, to not burn too much or too little, to stay within that layer of air and move along perfectly level to get to where you want to go. ©ABC 2018
ELLA: I'll probably start by trying to get my hours up. It's really a hobby for us and our family. I love going up with my family. I'll probably go up with my brother and he’ll probably follow in my footsteps after he's 12. I'm not sure where it'll take me. I might try to do a few competitions. Our ballooning community is really, really small. There's not many people in Australia who fly balloons. I love just being in the air and the serenity of it and the peace. Also, the social side of it, we have such a tight community. That’s really awesome, we're like one big family. Closer Thanks for that, Ella! Well that wraps us up for another week! But as always, there's plenty to see and do on our website. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next week for more BTN. ©ABC 2018
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