Past Programs
Family and Children - 2008
Foster care
24/11/2008
Nearly 30,000 children live in foster care. The number has doubled in the last decade with NSW leading the statistics. The number of foster carers can't keep up with the rate of children coming in, and there are major problems with recruiting and retaining foster carers. They fall out of the system because they feel undervalued and don't get sufficient support. However there're also reports of foster carers taking children for the money and not providing proper care.
Is our foster care system breaking down? What has to change? And is foster care the best way to assist children in troubled families?
Government support and private childcare providers
12/11/2008
The Rudd government has put up a 22 million dollar contribution to keep 1,040 ABC Learning child-care centres open until the New Year. The ABC learning receivers have said that 40 per cent of the centres are not profitable, despite the one million dollars a day the centres received from the childcare rebate. Will community-based and not-for-profit providers be able to fill the gap and maintain services to 120,000 children, and does government need to retain more of an interest in the way childcare services are delivered in the future?
Daylight saving
22/10/2008
This weekend will see the start of daylight saving in Western Australia. WA is joining the other Australian daylight saving states with a three-week delay. With Queensland and the Northern Territory opting out of daylight saving, Australia is dealing with five time zones. So would it be important to harmonise time in Australia? Does daylight saving benefit businesses and reduces energy consumption? Or has it just a negative impact on our rhythm of life?
Obesity
01/09/2008
A report commissioned by Diabetes Australia shows that obesity risks cost Australia 58 billion dollar this year alone. That's three times the costs a couple of years ago. Over 17 per cent of Australians are currently considered obese, and the study also shows that obesity is a stronger contributor for developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and osteoarthritis than previously thought.
Sugar is said to be a major player when it comes to obesity, and it's one of the most hidden components of the food we buy and consume. How can we get a grip on Australia's obesity problem? And should we start with focussing on sugar?
Truancy and welfare
28/08/2008
Education Minister Julia Gillard says parents who don't send their children to school will have their welfare payments cut. Payments could be suspended for up to 13 weeks but would be re-paid in full once school attendances improved.
A system of welfare quarantining will be trialled in eight communities, mostly in the Northern Territory. The trial will be assessed in 2010 before a decision is made on its application nationally. So who would benefit from the scheme? The Minister says there could be up to 20,000 children of school age who do not regularly attend school. But is there a link between welfare and truancy? And how would the system be policed?
Intercountry adoptions
20/08/2008
It's been over thirty years since 281 Vietnamese orphans were airlifted to Australia from wartime Saigon. Since then, adoptions have been on the decline in Australia however the vast majority (7 out of 10) of those that DO take place are intercountry adoptions.
Intercountry adoptions can take tens of thousands of dollars and take up to eight years. Should they be so difficult? The Rudd government has set up the National Peak Overseas Adoption Support Group to provide advice to the government on this issue, and they are set to tackle the lack of consistency between the states.
Should Australia be assisting other countries to become signatories to the relevant Hague convention to enable prospective adoptive families more access to children?
Adoption and privacy
21/07/2008
Today on the program we're looking at plans by the Queensland government to allow people involved in adoptions before 1991 access to reciprocal personal information.
Should privacy be preserved or is full disclosure the best option?
Join the program today with your views on the legacy of Australia's adoption practices: has it resulted in the protection of vulnerable children or should we view it as a failed social experiment?
Gender pay gap
13/05/2008
A current global study of 63 nations and a government annual report have produced the same results: women are still earning up to one third less than men. Is wage equity achievable or are the different social and family demands on women preventing it?
And what is the government's responsibility? Today's Budget may include plans to means test the baby bonus, reducing the extra pay for many families, and Australia is one of very few developed countries without paid maternity leave.
Should the government make up for women's shortfall in pay when they take on family and child-raising duties?
After the Mullighan Inquiry
07/04/2008
South Australia is reeling from the findings of the Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry, headed up by Ted Mullighan QC. The report presents not only a historical narrative of the abuse of children in the care of the state, but pinpoints a number of current issues which require urgent attention.
We'll address two of the key findings: a recommendation for a radical overhaul of emergency accommodation ... and a call for an extensive education campaign addressing child abuse.
South Australian listeners please note. If you wish to contribute to the program you can call in on 1300 22 55 76 at 5.40pm South Australian time and hear the program in real time before making your comment on the program. This is the best chance to have your say on this important topic, so please ring early!
