Questions for discussion

Labor Votes1. Explain to another student what the Labor Votes story is about.2. Who is currently the leader of the Australian Labor Party?3. Explain the difference between voting in America or Australia, do they vote for a political party or

leader?4. In what year was Kevin Rudd voted out as Prime Minister by his government?5. How did Kevin Rudd become the Prime Minister again three years later?6. Kevin Rudd wants to change the voting rules so that elected politicians can’t vote out a Prime

Minister. True or false?7. The Labor Votes story was an example of a...

a. Procedureb. Argumentc. Report

8. How did you feel about the recent leadership changes in Australia?9. What qualities do you think are needed to be an effective political leader?10. Would you like to be Prime Minister? Why or why not?

Post a message on the Labor Votes story page http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3804344.htm

Royal Baby1. What well known British royal couple are awaiting the birth of their first child?2. William and Kate are the Duke and Duchess of...

a. Cambridgeb. Cornwallc. Duke

3. It’s estimated that the new royal baby will boost England’s _____________ by 390 million dollars.

4. Over the last century or so how many kings has England had?5. Traditionally boys were always first in line to become the next king. Can you explain how we got

our current Queen, Elizabeth II, if boys were always considered first in line?6. Recently the laws changed, explain this new law to another student. 7. Who is currently in line to become the next King or Queen of England?8. How many Commonwealth nations have the Queen as their head of state?9. What percentage of people thought Australia should become a Republic?10. Name three facts you learnt from this story.

Check out BtN’s Royal Baby teacher resource. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/resources/teacher/episode/20130723-royalbaby.pdf

Fruit Farmers1. Do you know where your fresh or tinned fruit comes from? Is it grown locally, interstate or

overseas?2. Why are many Australian fruit farmers struggling?3. Where in Victoria is the Singh family’s fruit orchard located?

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Episode 1923rd July 2013

4. List some of the fruits that they grow in their orchard.5. What company has been preserving Goulburn Valley fruit since 1917?6. What is one of the main reasons that has contributed to Aussie fruit being more expensive for

overseas buyers, and imported fruit cheaper for Aussies?7. Why did the Singh family have to cut down many of their fruit trees?8. What are some of the benefits of buying Aussie fruit and vegetables?9. How can you find out if you are buying fruit or vegetables that are grown in Australia?10. Has your thinking changed since watching this story? If so, how?

Test your knowledge in the Fruit Farmers quiz. Go to the BtN website and follow the links.

Would you buy an Australian made product even if it cost a lot more than one from overseas?Have your say on the BtN online poll. To vote head to the BtN website http://abc.net.au/btn/polls.htm

Wild Mob1. Which Australian national park did the kids travel to in the Wild Mob story?

a. Lamington National Parkb. Kakadu National Parkc. Daintree Rainforest

2. Using Google Earth, locate Lamington National Park.3. What did the kids learn about on the 3 day adventure? Make a list. 4. What skills did the kids learn from setting up their own tents and making dinner for themselves? 5. How does getting rid of weeds help the environment? Consider the following statement to help

your discussion. In the bush weeds compete with native plants, affecting regeneration.6. What nasty weed did the kids help get rid of on their trip?7. Would you go on the Wild Mob adventure? Why or why not?8. What would be your biggest challenge if you went on the Wild Mob adventure?9. Describe the environment of Lamington National Park having watched the Wild Mob story.10. How does the environment of Lamington National Park differ to where you live?

Check out BtN’s Wild Mob teacher resource. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/resources/teacher/episode/20130723-wildmob.pdf

Send a message to the kids in the Wild Mob story. Visit the Wild Mob story page and leave your comment. http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3804350.htm

Cyclo-cross1. Describe a typical cyclo-cross course.2. How does cyclo-cross differ to other types of cycling?3. In which European country did cyclo-cross originate?4. Which Aussie road racing champion has recently just become a cyclo-cross fan?5. What well known cycling competitions has Robbie McEwen competed in?6. Anyone can get involved in cyclo-cross. True or false.7. Why do you think cyclo-cross is becoming more popular?8. A cyclo-cross bike has thicker tyres than a road bike and they have more grip. Why do you think

cyclo-cross bikes are designed this way?9. Would you use a low or high gear when cycling up a hill?10. Name a well known International cycling competition.

Design and illustrate your own cyclo-cross course.

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Activity

Wild MobKey LearningStudents will explore the concept of ecoregions and examine the eight ecoregions in Australia. Students will learn about Australia’s natural environment and examine the affect that human impact has on these environments.

The Australian CurriculumScience / Science as a Human Endeavour / Use and influence of science

Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE062)

Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220) (ACSHE217)

Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to a range of contemporary issues; these solutions may impact on other areas of society and involve ethical considerations (ACSHE120)

Science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management (ACSHE121)

Geography / Geographical Inquiry and Skills / Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing

Represent the location and features of places and different types of geographical information by constructing large-scale and small-scale maps that conform to cartographic conventions including border, source, scale, legend, title and north point, using spatial technologies as appropriate (ACHGS043) (ACHGS036) (ACHGS029)

Science / Science Understanding / Biological sciences

Living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and the environment to survive(ACSSU073)

Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment (ACSSU043)

The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment (ACSSU094)

Discussion Questions1. Which Australian national park did the kids travel to in the Wild Mob story?

a. Lamington National Parkb. Kakadu National Parkc. Daintree Rainforest

2. Using Google Earth, locate Lamington National Park.3. What did the kids learn about on the 3 day adventure? Make a list. 4. What skills did the kids learn from setting up their own tents and making dinner for themselves? 5. How does getting rid of weeds help the environment? Consider the following statement to help your

discussion. In the bush weeds compete with native plants, affecting regeneration.6. What nasty weed did the kids help get rid of on their trip?7. Would you go on the Wild Mob adventure? Why or why not?8. What would be your biggest challenge if you went on the Wild Mob adventure?9. Describe the environment of Lamington National Park having watched the Wild Mob story.10. How does the environment of Lamington National Park differ to where you live?

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Episode 1923rd July 2013

Activities

What is an ecoregion?

Students will work individually or in groups to discover more about Australia’s ecoregions.

1. Deserts and Xeric Shrublands2. Mediterranean Forests,

Woodlands and Scrub3. Montane Grasslands and

Shrublands4. Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed

Forest5. Temperate Grasslands, Savannas

and Shrublands6. Tropical and Subtropical

Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands

7. Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests

Class discussion Discuss as a class what you have discovered about the variety of different environments in Australia. What type of environment is your school situated in? Have you visited any of these environments on a holiday?

Research project

The following activity is a research-based project for students to work on individually or in groups. The project encourages students to use research and inquiry based learning to discover more about Australia’s

©ABC 2013

Research questions

What is an ecoregion?

How many different types of ecoregions can be found across the globe?

List Australia’s eight ecoregions. Try and match the eight ecoregions against the shaded map below. Compare your results with other students and then check your results. Refer to the following map for results. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/pubs/ecoregions.pdf

In the BtN Wild Mob story the students travelled to Lamington National Park. What ecoregion does this rainforest belong to?

Choose one of the eight ecoregions found in Australia and describe its main characteristics.

Further investigation – What is the difference between an ecoregion, ecosystem and biome?

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

environment and the conservation of our environment. This project emphasises quality research, collaboration (if working in groups) and effective presentation.

Students will need to choose, explore and research a significant Australian environment. Below are some examples of significant Australian environments. Students can choose from the following list or identity another area.

o Tasmania’s forestso Great Barrier Reefo Lord Howe Islando Kimberley Rangeso Lamington National Parko Kakadu National Parko Blue Mountainso Daintree Rainforest

8 Related Research Links

Wildmob – Volunteers for Wilderness Conservation

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Environment profile What are the physical features? E.g.

rivers, mountains etc. Why is this type of environment

important? Where is it located? Locate on Google

Maps. Create your own map highlighting geographical features and information.

What ecoregion does it belong to? Describe the climate.

Is it a World Heritage Site?

Animals and plants Describe the ecosystem. What animals and plants are unique to this

area? Are there any rare or threatened species? List any introduced species to the area. In

what ways can these species harm the environment?

How do the plants and animals interact?

Threats and human impact What are some of the threats to the plants and animals in this area? What affect has human impact had on the environment? Consider the effects of development,

farming, logging and marine pollution. Why is it important to protect this environment? What steps have already been taken to try and protect this area? Suggest some strategies which could be used to prevent further harm to the area in the future.

What can individuals do? What can communities do?

Fact and statistics sheet Create your own fact and statistics sheet which illustrates the importance of the environment and

highlights the affect that human impact has on the environment. Consider creating your own infographic or poster to be displayed in the classroom or around the

school.

http://www.wildmob.org/

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities – Australia’s ecoregionshttp://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/bioregion-framework/terrestrial-habitats.html

WWF – Ecoregionshttp://worldwildlife.org/biomes

National Geographic Education – Marine Ecology, Human Impacts, & Conservationhttp://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/collections/marine-protected-areas/?ar_a=1

WWF – Invasive plants and animalshttp://www.wwf.org.au/our_work/saving_the_natural_world/wildlife_and_habitats/threats_to_species/invasive_plants_and_animals/

Child and Youth Health – You and the environmenthttp://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=288&id=2651

Behind the News – Plastic Oceanshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3591476.htm

Behind the News – Bushcare Kidshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3586880.htm

Behind the News – Devil Islandhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3619585.htm

©ABC 2013

Activity

Royal BabyKey LearningStudents will learn about the Commonwealth and explore similarities and differences between countries that are a part of the Commonwealth.

The Australian CurriculumHistory / Historical Knowledge and Understanding / Australia as a Nation

Key figures and events that led to Australia’s Federation, including British and American influences on Australia’s system of law and government. (ACHHK113)

History / Historical Skills / Chronology, terms and concepts

Use historical terms and concepts (ACHHS118)

History / Historical Knowledge and Understanding / The Australian Colonies

Reasons (economic, political and social) for the establishment of British colonies in Australia after 1800.  (ACHHK093)

Discussion Questions1. What well known British royal couple are awaiting the birth of their first child?2. William and Kate are the Duke and Duchess of...

a. Cambridgeb. Cornwallc. Duke

3. It’s estimated that the new royal baby will boost England’s _____________ by 390 million dollars.4. Over the last century or so how many kings has England had?5. Traditionally boys were always first in line to become the next king. Can you explain how we got our

current Queen, Elizabeth II, if boys were always considered first in line?6. Recently the laws changed, explain this new law to another student. 7. Who is currently in line to become the next King or Queen of England?8. How many Commonwealth nations have the Queen as their head of state?9. What percentage of people thought Australia should become a Republic?10. Name three facts you learnt from this story.

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Episode 1923rd July 2013

Activities

What is the Commonwealth?

After watching the BtN Royal Baby story encourage students to participate in and contribute to a class brainstorming session about the Commonwealth, what they already know and what they want to learn. Record student’s ideas on the classroom whiteboard or on a large sheet of paper.

Some starter questions include: Where have you seen the word 'Commonwealth' before? What do you think all the countries who compete in the Commonwealth Games have in common?

Follow up the brainstorming session with a class quiz, using the following multiple choice questions.

Research project #1

Answer the following questions:

Did you know that there are 54 countries that are members of the Commonwealth? How many can you list? For a full listing of members of the Commonwealth refer to this document http://www.thecommonwealth.org/files/218312/FileName/A3FlagPostergreyOct2012NoTrimMarks.pdf

What year did Australia become a member of the Commonwealth?

What are the largest and the smallest countries that are part of the Commonwealth? Provide answers in square kilometres.

Are all the countries that were originally part of the Commonwealth still run by the British Monarchy? Which countries have gained their independence?

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Quiz

1. What is the Commonwealth?a. I have no ideab. A banking institution that aims to give out money fairlyc. A voluntary association of countries spread across every continent and united by common

values.

2. How many countries are in the Commonwealth?a. 14b. 54c. 104

3. How many people are there in the Commonwealth?a. 200,000b. 2 millionc. 2 billion

4. Who is the Head of the Commonwealth?a. Queen Elizabeth IIb. Barack Obamac. Kevin Rudd

Answers: 1(c), 2(b), 3(c), 4(a)

What is the highest position of political authority in Australia? (Identify Australia’s current Queen, Governor General and Prime Minister and then rank from the highest position to the lowest position of political authority)

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of the Commonwealth?

Finish these sentence starters.

The Commonwealth ____________________________________________________________________.

The Head of State ______________________________________________________________________.

The Commonwealth Games _____________________________________________________________.

Research project #2

Choose two countries that are a part of the Commonwealth and complete the following comparison research project.

8 Related Research Links

CBBC Newsround – What is the Commonwealth?http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/commonwealth/newsid_1834000/1834438.stm

Young Commonwealth – Find out more about the Commonwealthhttp://www.youngcommonwealth.org/

Official website – The British Monarchyhttp://www.royal.gov.uk/

©ABC 2013

Research project: Compare two countries that are a part of the Commonwealth

Name of the country

Which continent is the country found in?

What is the population?

Main languages spoken

Capital City

Interesting historical facts

Parliamentary Education Office – The Constitution: The head of statehttp://www.peo.gov.au/teachers/parliamentary-lesson-plans/head-state.html

CBBC Newsround – Royal Baby: Why naming an heir to the throne isn’t easyhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/23314722

The Commonwealth – Commonwealth Flags and Maphttp://www.thecommonwealth.org/files/218312/FileName/A3FlagPostergreyOct2012NoTrimMarks.pdf

The Commonwealth – Your World, Your Commonwealthhttp://www.thecommonwealth.org/files/167596/FileName/YourWorldYourCommonwealth.pdf

Behind the News – Royal Familyhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3178713.htm

Behind the News – Commonwealth Gameshttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3012459.htm

Behind the News – Republichttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3775972.htm

©ABC 2013

BtN: Episode 19 Transcript 23/7/13On this week's Behind the News:

Our old Prime Minister is our new Prime Minister again. Now he wants to end the political game of musical chairs.

The new royal baby. Why is the birth such a big deal and what does it mean for England and the Commonwealth?

And we meet some city kids who went on a rainforest adventure with cameras in hand.

Hi I'm Nathan Bazley, welcome to Behind the News. Also on the show today the strange story of why Aussie farmers are being forced to pull out their fruit trees just so they don't go broke. But first. Let's catch up with the main news stories of the week in the Wire.

The WireWhile you were on holidays a lot happened in politics. A leadership spill saw Kevin Rudd become Prime Minister for a second time. He took over from Julia Gillard who'd been struggling in the opinion polls. And many in the government saw Kevin Rudd as their best chance in the upcoming Federal Election. Just three years ago, the same thing happened to Rudd.

The shake-up means a few changes in the cabinet. Julia Gillard has decided to leave politics. Anthony Albanese is the new Deputy PM. And a lot of ministers have stepped down from politics. Here's what you think about what's happened.

BOY 1: Since she was the first female Prime Minister, they were focusing on her faults a lot, rather than with the first of something, they'll focus on the negative rather than the positive.

GIRL 1: I'm happy that Kevin Rudd was elected because I feel like he makes better decisions.

BOY 2: They were taking all the small minimal things and turning them into big things that the media is focusing on.

And the new Prime Minister has made a big change to Australia's asylum seeker policy.

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KEVIN RUDD, PRIME MINISTER: From now on, any asylum seeker who arrives in Australia by boat will have no chance of being settled in Australia as refugees.

The Federal Government's announced that asylum seekers will be processed in Papua New Guinea, a small country just above Australia. And if they're found to be refugees they can live there. The plan has sparked a lot of debate - some people think it's a good idea but others think it's unfair. Meantime, there are warnings to people smugglers.

And we'll have more on this issue next week.

Labor VotingReporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: Well as you just heard Australia has a new Prime Minister which is the old Prime Minister while the old Prime Minister is now out. Wow. That's confusing! Many Aussies are pretty sick of all the to-ing and fro-ing of the past few years and so are some politicians. Now, Kevin Rudd wants to make the leadership more stable by changing the way leaders are elected. Here's Sarah.

Work harder give me 70 star jumps now! My grandma kicks better than you do! Your knees should be hitting your chest!

SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Have you ever wished you could sack the person in charge?

Maybe because they're unreasonable. Why'd you stop? Do you want 100 more where that came from? Or maybe because they're not getting the job done.

COACH: Sorry you lost. Maybe if we stick to the plan we'll win next time

Well, here in the political game leaders only stay leaders if their team likes them. It has to be one of the few jobs where people can sack their own boss and we've seen that happen a fair bit recently. Opposition leaders have been replaced and so have prime ministers.

COACH: What! That's ridiculous! They're our leaders, we should choose!

COACH: Yes - that doesn't seem very democratic to me.

Well, if you think about it there are some good reasons. Remember in Australia we don't vote for the prime minister. We vote for a politician to represent our local area. And the people we vote for choose their own leader.

That way, at least in theory, Aussie democracy is more about the policies of the whole party and not just the personality of the guy or girl in charge. But there are down-sides and in the past three years we've seen them pretty clearly.

©ABC 2013

When Kevin Rudd was voted out by his government in 2010 it made a lot of people angry and it started three years of squabbling between supporters of the old PM and the new one. Some reckon all that fighting within the party made it pretty difficult for the Government to focus on their game and let the Opposition score quite a few points.

Now the new PM wants to stop this sort of thing from happening again. By giving more people a say over who leads the team. You know how football teams have members? Not players, but ordinary people who love their team so much they pay to support them and go to their games.

Well political parties are similar. If you like what a party stands for and you want to help them out and become a member. You might pay a membership fee or donate money or you might volunteer your time and help to campaign during elections.

Sometimes members even get to vote on where the party stands on key issues. And now Kevin Rudd wants ordinary members to help choose the party's leader. It would be kind of like letting the team's supporters have a say over who gets to be coach.

All together their votes will be worth the same as the elected politicians and it means it might not be so easy for these guys to ditch their boss. Some people reckon it's a great idea because it makes politics more democratic and more stable. It might also encourage more people to join the Labor Party which would be a good thing for them.

But others aren't so sure. Some reckon it'll make it harder to get rid of a bad leader and turn politics into a popularity contest. As for the Opposition - they reckon Labor's problems are because of their policies, not voting rules.

So will a change of leader, a redraft and a change of strategy be enough to turn the game around for the government? We'll find out in a few months!

Royal BabyReporter: Nathan Bazley

INTRO: It's not often that the birth of a baby is celebrated by thousands of wellwishers covered 24 hours a day by reporters and inspires its own merchandise sales. But then again it's not every day that the future ruler of the Commonwealth is born.

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: It was the birth many around the world were waiting and hoping for.

And as the parents prepared for the imminent arrival, royals gathered from far and wide to help welcome this very special baby into the world. Wait up

©ABC 2013

we've got the wrong vision. That's the nativity movie. Let's rewind and take it from the top!

It was the birth many around the world were waiting and hoping for. And as the parents prepared for the imminent arrival, royals gathered from far and wide to help welcome this very special baby into the world. Ahh, that's better!

Okay so this story's all about Prince William and his wife Kate and their first baby.

But it's still early days so we don't yet know what it will look like what it'll be called or what it will weigh not that any of you would care about that.

But there are people who do care about that and every other detail of this royal baby.Here are some of them - reporters.

They've been camped outside the hospital 24 hours a day for the past week, hoping for even the tiniest detail about this tiny tike. Then there are the thousands of well-wishers who, along with the rest of Britain, have snapped up more baby merchandise than a crazed fan at a One Direction concert.

In fact, it's estimated the new royal bundle will boost England's economy by 390 million dollars. That's a lot of mugs and spoons. But a royal birth is big news for other reasons too.

This baby may not even be born yet, but it's already racked up one big achievement. Somehow, whilst still in the womb, it has managed to change British laws that date back hundreds of years. Here's how.

Over the last century or so, England has had 58 kings, but only eight queens. Why? Because boys are traditionally always first in line. So if a King had a son, he would automatically become King, even if he had heaps of daughters first.

Girls are only allowed to rule if they have no brothers at all. That's how we got our current Queen - Elizabeth the Second. But these days, most people think that whole 'boys are better than girls' idea is pretty outdated. So before the royal birth all the laws were changed.

Meaning this baby will be third in line to the throne, behind Prince Charles and Dad Wills, no matter what gender it is.

Yay for royal equality! That means the royal whippersnapper could eventually be the head of state in these countries. All up, these 16 nations make up 18.7 million square kilometres and a population of 134 million. But those numbers might decrease in the future, if countries like Australia ever decide to become a republic.

It's a debate that's been going on here for years. And not long ago, we asked you whether you thought that was a good idea. 47 percent said yes, we should

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become a republic. But 53 percent said no, we should keep the monarchy. Meaning a narrow win to the Queen and ultimately the little baby with a very big future ahead.

Quiz 1Okay let's have a quiz on that.

The question is: Which Commonwealth country does not have the Queen as its head of state?

India

Belize

Canada

Answer: India

India does not have the Queen as its head of state but it is a member of the Commonwealth.

Fruit FarmersReporter: Sarah Larsen

INTRO: When you munch on an apple or dive into a tin of peaches, do you ever think of where they came from? Many Australian farmers make their living from growing and selling fruit and veggies. But in the past few years they've been struggling to compete with cheaper food from overseas. Sarah meets a Victorian family who are finding it tough on the land.

PARNEET: I'm Parneet, and this is my sister Sukhneet, this is my cousin Savreen and my younger brother Maan and we live on a fruit orchard in Merrigum.

Growing up here in Victoria's Goulburn Valley is pretty good, according to these guys. There's heaps of space, fresh country air, and then there's the fruit which this part of the country is famous for.

PARNEET: A variety of fruits; apples plums, apricots, pears, peaches and some people grow vegetables like we used to.

This is an ad for SPC which stands for the Shepparton Preserving Company. Since 1917 it's been preserving all sorts of Goulburn Valley fruit and veg and selling it both in Australia and overseas. Except lately business at SPC isn't going too well.

©ABC 2013

REPORTER: You get an idea of why if you have a look on the supermarket shelves. Here's a can of Goulburn Valley pears for $5.40 or you can buy pears that were grown and canned in South Africa for just over $2.

There are a few reasons for that. Workers in Australia are paid more than in some overseas companies which makes processing the fruit more expensive. Then there's the high value of the Aussie dollar it's made overseas imports cheaper for Aussie shoppers. But it's having a devastating on farmers like the Singhs.

PARNEET: We've cut down our trees because people aren't buying them because there's been cheaper fruit coming in from overseas.

SPC isn't buying as much fruit as it used to from Goulburn Valley farmers. This year it only bought half as many pears as usual. These types of pear are grown especially for cans and with no-one to buy them they were left to rot on the trees. That can spread pests and diseases and the farmers need their land so they had no choice but to cut them down.

JIMMY SINGH: It is really, really sad. Really sad. You can see how healthy these trees are and they'll grow beautiful fruit but unfortunately you can't sell it.

Around the Goulburn Valley thousands of trees have been ripped out

SUKHNEET: If you listen really closely the person that cut down all these trees they're helping lots of other people cut them down as well.

They'll clear this land and plant different types of fruit that will hopefully sell better. But it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Farmers aren't the only ones who are suffering. In the past 4 years around 10 Aussie fruit and vegetable processing factories have closed down and many people have lost their jobs.

Whole communities are being affected. The Government and other groups are trying to find ways to help. They're offering some farmers cheap loans to help them plant new crops. They're also looking whether they can make overseas imports more expensive by adding a special kind of tax, called a tariff. And farmers groups have asked supermarkets to help stock their shelves with more Australian grown products.

SUKHNEET: They could buy some of the people whose orchards are being cut down they could buy some of their fruit so they will get their property back and they can grow their orchard and trees again.

In the Goulburn Valley and around the country growers are hoping that things get better soon. So in the future Aussie kids will still be able to enjoy Aussie fruit.

©ABC 2013

Online PollOK let's make that our poll this week.

The question is:

Would you buy an Australian made product even if it cost a lot more than one from overseas?

To vote just head to our website.

Wild MobReporter: Natasha Thiele

INTRO: It's not every day a bunch of city kids get the chance to go camping in a rainforest. But some students in Queensland did through an environmental organisation called Wild Mob. And they took a video of their experience to share with BtN. Here's what Shontelle and Anna got up to.

SHONTELLE, STUDENT: For some of us, it was the first time we'd met. But we were all about to experience something completely new! We travelled from Brisbane down to Lamington National Park. It's on the Queensland-New South Wales border. The trip was organised by an environmental charity called Wild Mob. Our mission was to learn about rainforest conservation and to meet other people.

STUDENT 1: I came here because I really like science and like I'd really like to learn about the environment more.

STUDENT 2: I'm hoping to jump in the waterfall all pretty and stuff and then yeah, get to know everyone, everyone who's here.

This is Tim. He was our guide for the three-day adventure. First things first, we learned to put up a tent. It took a lot of teamwork and patience, but we got there in the end!

STUDENT 3: It's the second morning we're here and last night was the first time I've ever slept in a tent. It's like the first time I've ever camped, so yeah I was scared because there was like, I could hear insects and birds and everything right outside by tent and I was like, I'm like in a jungle isolated!

ANNA, STUDENT: We worked in groups to prepare meals and we toasted marshmallows over the fire. But what we absolutely loved was riding the flying fox! But the main reason we were here was to learn about the Australian environment.

TIM O'REILLY, WILD MOB: It's really great to see that it'll actually will come back naturally. None of it’s been replanted, it's all just natural regrowth.

©ABC 2013

He pointed out the native birds and he let us try native fruit.

TIM O'REILLY: Some of them are edible, this one is edible as I said it smells nice, it tastes, it tastes not that great but you can try a little bit.

STUDENT 4: It's very sour.

This was when we helped get rid of a nasty weed called Cobbler's Pegs. It's found throughout the rainforest.

TIM O'REILLY: On the Cobbler's Peg, the flower actually develops into a seed.

We had to wear these blue suits to protect us from their sticky seeds. If we didn't suit up, we would've ended up looking like this.

STUDENT 5: After we did all this weeding, I reckon the rainforest needs to be protected.

SHONTELLE: After three days it was time to pack up.

STUDENT 6: It was really good to meet everyone new because I thought it was going to be one of those things, like we'd all have our little groups and not come together, but we all did and the friendships have just grown.

STUDENT 7: My biggest challenge was walking on the bridge. I thought I was going to fall.

We learned a lot of things including how we shouldn't take things for granted.

STUDENTS: It's a different environment, there's like no power and because I live with power I wasn't used to it 'cause our torch went out and we were freaking out down here.

And we've made friendships that we'll hopefully keep for a long time.

Quiz 2Ok, let's have a quiz about rainforests.

The question is: Which is the world's largest tropical rainforest?

Daintree

Amazon

Congo

Answer: Amazon

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The Amazon rainforest is in South America and covers five and a half million square kilometres. Okay sport time now, here's the score.

The ScoreThe Tour De France is over for another year with Chris Froome winning road cycling's biggest event.

Chris Froome, second last year, is the winner of the Tour De France this time!

The British rider won three stages and finished more than 4 minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

CHRIS FROOME, TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER: "I think it's going to take a while to settle in but this really is a dream come true."

***

To cricket. England has won the second Ashes Test to take a 2-nil lead in the series. The Aussies were thrashed by 347 runs as our batsmen struggled against the England attack of seam and spin. Michael Clarke and Usman Khwaja battled hard for half centuries but after their dismissals wickets fell quickly.

Australia now has a big job to regroup before the must-win third test in Manchester.

***

And American Phil Mickelson has won the British Open.

He's done it! Oh brother!

He took out the tournament by three strokes beating Aussie Adam Scott who had been leading during the final round.

PHIL MICKELSON: To play the best round of arguably my career today, to putt better than I've ever putted and to shoot the round of my life here, just feels amazing to win this Claret Jug.

It's Mickelson's first British Open win and fifth major golf title.

Cyclo CrossReporter: Sophia Thomson

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INTRO: We've just heard about the world's best cyclists competing in the Tour de France. But there is a different form of cycle racing that doesn't just cover road tracks. It's called cyclo-cross and it involves riders taking their bikes around a 3-kay course, made up of all sorts of different obstacles. Sophia checked out the National Cyclo-Cross Series.

SOPHIA THOMSON, REPORTER: If you're steady on two wheels, fit and reasonably strong and don't mind getting a bit dirty, then you might just enjoy cyclo-cross.

Cyclo-cross is a type of bike racing. It involves laps around a short but tricky course with competitors tackling a lot of obstacles.

MARK CHADWICK, CYCLING AUSTRALIA: It originally started in Belgium as an off season sport for the road pros and they designed the bikes so they could cut through fields, and then it turned into a bit of a race and it's blown up in Europe mainly northern Europe. It's really huge, last year they had 60-thousand watching the world titles.

One of the sport's newest fans is Aussie road racing champion Robbie McEwen. As well as competing in famous races like the Tour Down Under and Giro D'Italia, he won the green sprinters jersey at the Tour De France three times over his career. I met up with Robbie at the national Cyclo-Cross Series in Adelaide to find out more.

ROBBIE MCEWEN, FORMER PROFESSIONAL ROAD CYCLIST: I think it's great for kids, it's off road, it's on a closed circuit, it's really safe, it's entertaining, it's got that cross between sort of BMX type skills, mountain bike, normal cycling, it's got a bit of everything and just for your average punter to come and do it, it's just a heap of fun.

It does look fun, but the tracks are intense. The start line's on a dirt path and over the course, the participants have to ride over mud and grass, bitumen, sections of sand, jump a barrier and go up a hill, most get off their bikes and run, go over bark chips and more barriers, Tackle a set of stairs, go down a hill to some more grass and mud and weave your way around trees on loose dirt which isn't easy! Then, do the whole course a few more times!

15-year old Che Thomas competes in road and track cycling and started cyclo-cross a few years ago.

CHE THOMAS: It's just fun, you get to do mud, get to be in the mud and the grass, it's not road, it's not boring, it's just fun!

He says anyone can try it on a road or mountain bike and if you like it, you can even get a cyclo-cross bike.

CHE THOMAS: The tyres are a bit thicker than a road bike and they have grip. It's like a road frame so it's lighter to pick up when you go over jumps. The shoes that you have to clip into the pedals so you can ride without

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slipping off means it's easier to get more power out of it. If you have a mountain bike it's like the up and down through the gears in the front and the back but it's set up like a road bike with the levers. You go to a lower gear so it's easier when you're going up a hill and to a bigger gear when you're going down a hill or on a flat spot.

While cyclo-cross might look like an exhausting sport, there's a lot of fun to be had!

CloserThat's it for the show. You can jump onto our website if you want to get more info on any of the stories. You can send us your comments and don't forget to vote in this week's poll. I'll see you next time.

©ABC 2013