The History of Voting

Fire Season It’s been a terrible start to spring for many communities in NSW and Queensland where bushfires have destroyed homes and property. While fires aren’t unusual in Australia, experts say these ones have hit way earlier than usual, in places that aren’t usually affected by fire. We find out more about this terrible start to fire season and how some kids are getting ready for the hot weather to come. Fish Rescue A mass fish rescue is underway right now in the Darling River in NSW. Native species are being caught and relocated to other parts of the river or to fish hatcheries to try to prevent what the State’s environment minister has described as a potential fish “Armageddon”. Many are worried, when summer comes, we’ll see another mass fish die-off caused by blue green algae. We find out more about what’s happening to the health of Australia’s biggest river system. E-cigarette Warning Most young Aussies know about the dangers of smoking, but there are worries that there’s a growing number of young people using e-cigarettes or vaping. While they were originally marketed as being a safer alternative to cigarettes, recently there’ve been a few cases of people getting sick after vaping and even some deaths overseas. We find out more. Peace Games It’s not very often that 11-year-olds are asked to prevent wars and solve big economic, social and environmental crises, but this week that’s exactly what some South Australia kids are being asked to do. They’re taking part in the World Peace Game - a very different sort of board game developed by a US educator who’s on a mission to prove that kids can make great diplomats. Magpie Season It’s that time of year again - when school yards and streets are menaced by swooping magpies! We find out why magpies attack and what you can do to protect yourself.

Hurricane Dorian The Bahamas have been battered by the fiercest hurricane to hit the islands since records began. Hurricane Dorian was category 5 when it made landfall - the strongest category there is. We look at how hurricanes work, how they’re measured and how people are coping with the disaster. Trade Wars You might have heard on the news over the past few months about something called a trade war that’s going on between the US and China. The countries aren’t really 'at war' - but they are having a serious disagreement about tariffs and it’s having an effect on economies around the world - including here in Australia. We find out what tariffs are and how they’re being used as a weapon by the world’s most powerful countries. Human Evolution Scientists are really excited about a new find in Ethiopia. It's a 3.8 million-year-old skull belonging to one of our oldest ancestors and they hope it'll give us a much better understanding of human evolution. Matt find out more about the find and how humans became humans. NASA fossils Scientists from NASA and the ESA have been in Western Australia’s Pilbara region learning how to collect the best rock samples from the surface of Mars! Both space agencies are planning unmanned missions to the red planet which will involve collecting Martian rock samples and looking for signs of ancient Martian life. So that they know what to look for, they’re learning more about ancient Australian rocks which hold clues to the beginnings of life on Earth. Worm Wee We meet some school kids who’ve made a business out of worm wee! While it might not sound too tasty to us, plants love the liquid created by earthworms and so do gardeners. The students from Mercedes College teach us more about worms and how they help the soil to stay healthy.

Amazon Fires For the past three weeks massive fires have been burning in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The natural disaster has a lot of experts worried because of how important the Amazon is to the world’s environment. We look at the role of the rainforest and why it’s in trouble. World War II Sunday marked the 80th anniversary of the beginning of World War II. We look at the events that led up to the war and present a brief history of one of the deadliest conflicts in history. Music Copyright Recently music star Taylor Swift announced she was planning to re-record her first five albums after the rights to the original recordings were bought by someone she doesn’t like. We look at the issue of music copyright and why artists don’t necessarily own their own songs. Flag Day September 3 is Australia’s Flag Day - which marks the anniversary of the flag’s first flight in Melbourne in 1901. We look at the history of Australia’s flag and the ongoing debate over whether it’s time for a new national symbol. Pandas Olivia goes to Adelaide Zoo to meet Australia’s only two pandas, Wang Wang and Funi. They’ve lived in Australia for 10 years, but like all pandas, they officially belong to China and - while the zoo is hoping to keep them here - their time here could be up next month.