Stateline Northern Territory

28/11/2008

Bilingual Education

Bilingual education has been a hotly contested policy in Australia since its inception more than 30 years ago. Last month, the Territory Education Minister dropped a bombshell. Facing another round of terrible reading and literacy results, she effectively announced the program's demise at the end of this school year. The move has shocked many working in the education field who have complained about a lack of consultation or hard data to support the Government's case.

Interview, Dr Charles Kilburn, Royal Darwin Hospital

It's hard to imagine a more serious or horrific crime. In March 2006, a 5 month old baby girl with a heart defect was raped in the Paediatric Ward of Royal Darwin Hospital. Somehow the rapist entered the ward, assaulted the infant and escaped undetected. The case led to an investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commissioner into the Hospital's response and whether sick children in Ward 5-B are now sufficiently protected. The Commissioner found that improvements to security had been slow and inadequate and the response to the incident exposed a lack of accountability at the highest levels of hospital management. Dr Charles Kilburn is the Co-Director of Maternal and Child Health at Royal Darwin Hospital and was working as a Paediatrician on Ward 5b the night of the rape.

Boxing

Amateur boxing is a sport which oftens cops more than its fair share of body blows. Medical experts have long called for the sport to be banned. But in the Territory town of Katherine it's being used to inspire teenage boys to excel inside and outside the boxing ring.

Tom Tom

A desire to improve Indigenous education and a passion for the outback has inspired one Territory teacher to put pen to paper. School Principal Rosemary Sullivan has drawn on more than 15 years as a bush teacher to write her picture book "tom-tom."