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Overview:

In recent months, there has been growing debate in Australia over the presence of gambling advertisements during live sports broadcasts. Many argue that these ads normalise betting and pose a risk to vulnerable audiences, particularly younger viewers. As a result, the Australian government has been negotiating new regulations to curb or ban gambling ads during live sport. This topic raises important questions about the balance between corporate interests, public health, and the role of government in regulating advertising. Should gambling ads be banned during live sport? What are the potential impacts of such a decision?

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Overview:

South Australia is considering a ban on social media for under 14-year-olds primarily to address concerns about the negative effects of social media on young people’s mental health, well-being, and development. The proposal aims to mitigate risks such as cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate content, and the pressure of social media-induced self-esteem issues.

Advocates for the ban argue that younger users are particularly vulnerable to these risks and that age restrictions could help protect them from potential harm. Additionally, proponents believe that restricting access might encourage healthier online behaviors and provide more time for young people to develop critical thinking and interpersonal skills outside of the digital sphere.

Critics, however, argue that such a ban might be difficult to enforce and could potentially limit the educational and social benefits that social media platforms can offer when used responsibly. They also suggest that digital literacy education and parental guidance might be more effective strategies for ensuring safe and responsible use of social media by children.

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Overview:

For the past few years, it’s been impossible to escape the impact of inflation. Meeting our most basic needs – such as food, housing and healthcare – now costs significantly more, and wage increases haven't kept up.

Australia now finds itself in the midst of an economic downturn, putting further pressure on households. What should be done to help Australians during the cost-of-living crisis?

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2024 - Year 10 English - Presenting Argument - Oral Presentation Tasksheet and Rubric

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Instructions:

Submit a proposal to your teacher on TEAMS page (Holiday Homework - Due: Week 1, Term 2)

Draft a point of view speech and submit on your TEAMS page (Holiday Homework - Due: Week 1, Term 2)

Refine and edit point of view speech (Week 4, Term 2)

Rehearse.

Publish final copy to your TEAMS page and present point of view speech (Week 5, Term 2)

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All students are required to submit an Oral Proposal at the beginning of Week 3, Term 4.

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Start with a story.

Start with a joke.

Start with a series of rhetorical questions.

Start with a metaphor.

Start with a shocking or provocative statement.

Start with an anecdote.

Once you have your audience's attention, introduce yourself (persona/stakeholder), clarify the issue, state your contention and signpost your main arguments.

Write the body

For each body paragraph, ensure that you create strong topic sentences that clearly highlight your main arguments, and then develop each argument using your carefully selected language and evidence.
Each body paragraph should include:
Remember:

Cohesion is king! Keep your line of argument consistent and use connectives throughout.

Analyse the evidence! Don't just present a raft of statistics or evidence and expect them to make the argument for you. Analyse their importance in relation to the debate.

Include some rebuttal! An issue has two sides - you need to rebut at least one argument from the opposing point of view. Rebuttal should follow this structure:

Write the Conclusion

Aim to finish strongly. Reiterate your contention and then tell the audience what they should think, feel or do. To ensure that you finish on a powerful note, consider using an appeal, a rhetorical question, or a call to action.

Proofread and Practise

Don't Just Read Your Speech
Instead you should:

Try to memorise as much of it as you can.

Use cue cards with dot points to prompt you but do not to write the entire script.

Make eye contact throughout most of your speech.

How do I Improve my Delivery?

Lots of practice.

Practise in front of the mirror.

Practise in front of friends/family and ask for feedback.

Record yourself and review it.

Watch other examples of speeches for tips.

Spark was adapted from Insight Publications.

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Start with a story. Start with a joke. Start with a series of rhetorical questions. Start with a metaphor. Start with a shocking or provocative statement. Start with an anecdote. Once you have your audience's attention, introduce yourself (persona/stakeholder), clarify the issue, state your contention and signpost your main arguments.

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Below is the link to the Plain Speaking Awards. Have a look at and 3 Youtube clips of powerful persuasive speeches.

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WATCH: Greta Thunberg's full speech to world leaders at UN Climate Action Summit

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The Truth About Growing Up Disabled | Dylan Alcott | TEDxYouth@Sydney

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In The News | Alliance For Gambling Reform

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Australia plans a minimum age limit for social media use | CNN Business

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Australia intends to set a minimum age limit for children to use social media, citing concerns about mental and physical health. The plan has sparked backlash from digital rights advocates who warn the measure could drive dangerous online activity underground.

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Australia plans social media minimum age limit, angering youth digital advocates

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Australia plans to set a minimum age limit for children to use social media citing concerns about mental and physical health, sparking a backlash from digital rights advocates who warn the measure could drive dangerous online activity underground.

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Social media ban for children to be introduced before the end of this year

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Anthony Albanese vows to introduce legislation to ban children from accessing social media by the end of this year — but the age cut-off is yet to be determined.

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Tech solutions to limit kids’ access to social media

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The gambling industry is pulling out all the stops to prevent an ad ban, but the evidence is against it

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Lobbyists for Australia’s gambling sector argue advertising isn’t normalising the practice to children and that any ban would force people to bet illegally. Results here and globally say otherwise.

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The federal government is due to respond to a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling.

Last year the inquiry, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, recommended phasing out gambling advertising over three years leading to a total ban.

But there are reports the government will stop at a partial ban. This could take gambling off social media and stop ads from airing within an hour (before and after) sporting matches.

How effective would a partial ban be? History shows it may not be enough.

Advertising normalises gambling

Advertising is one way industries normalise harmful commodities such as gambling. They also use marketing, such as sponsorships, celebrity endorsements and charitable donations.

These same tactics have been employed by alcohol, tobacco and gambling businesses.

The effect on young people can be profound. Numerous studies linked tobacco advertising with young people's uptake of smoking. Similar research has shown young people exposed to gambling marketing are also more likely to take up gambling and experience harm from it.

Most parents are aware of this, which is why so many Australians - at least 70% - oppose gambling advertising.

The inquiry

Murphy launched the online gambling inquiry in September 2022. The committee expressed concern about the "increasing reach of online gambling platforms into Australians' lives", and especially the impact on children and young people.

When the report was published in June 2023, the committee - whose members represented every party and the crossbench - made 31 recommendations.

These included four steps to phase out gambling advertising altogether.

Limits on ads would increase over a three-year period, starting immediately. Online advertising restrictions would be introduced, alongside rules for radio and stadiums. For example, one phase could ban ads on commercial radio during school drop-off and pick-up times. Another phase could ban ads being shown one hour either side of sports coverage.

The Murphy reforms would also prohibit on-field gambling signage and logos on sporting uniforms.

There would be bans on inducements, such as offers of "free money" to encourage account holders to make bets.

The final phase is total: it bans all advertising and sponsorship by gambling organisations.

It is not yet clear which elements of the committee's advertising recommendations the government will endorse. But if it chooses to only partially adopt some of the recommendation's phases, it leaves major loopholes for continued gambling promotion.

Could a partial ban work? Lessons from tobacco

History shows wherever there is an opportunity to promote their product, harmful commodity industries will exploit it.

Tobacco companies employed this strategy until the government torpedoed it by introducing comprehensive bans on advertising, sponsorship and marketing.

Australia's initial response to the recognition of tobacco's harms focused on a concerted campaign to ban broadcast advertising. Between 1973 and 1976, tobacco advertising was phased out.

However, the tobacco industry continued to pursue incidental advertising - such as advertisements at sports grounds and on player's uniforms.

Denormalisation was key to successful campaigns to reduce harm from tobacco. This involved restricting and then banning advertising, sponsorship and other marketing - along with restricting where tobacco could be consumed.

The lessons of tobacco make it clear that if the Murphy recommendations are only partially adopted, gambling businesses will increase spending on anything still allowed.

Do sporting codes need the money?

The pushback from sporting codes and broadcasters recalls the time when tobacco advertising was restricted.

Sporting codes including the AFL and NRL - alongside some media companies - argue the sky will fall in if gambling revenue declines.

Broadcasters sell premium advertising slots during popular sports coverage and pay a premium to sporting codes for the rights to do so.

But sporting codes and broadcasters didn't collapse when tobacco advertising was restricted. They are unlikely to do so because of a gambling ad ban. And Murphy's recommendations address these concerns through the proposed phase-in.

Advertising bans have been effective in other countries. In Spain, the gambling regulator reported no dire consequences for broadcasters and sports teams when ads were banned.

Gambling ads have also been banned in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. And broadcast ads have been banned in Germany. Celebrity endorsements have been prohibited in the Netherlands and Canada.

Where to from here

It's possible reports of the government's intentions are incorrect. The government says it is still consulting and will make an announcement in the coming weeks. Certainly, the Murphy report recommendations require serious consideration.

It's not yet clear how the government proposes to deal with the 30 other recommendations contained in the report. These argue for:

a national online gambling regulator

more research funding and access to de-identified gambling data

international agreements to regulate online gambling.

Action to reduce the " gamblification " of video games is also recommended.

Adopting only some of the recommendations doesn't do enough to stop the promotion of gambling and will continue to expose young people to its life-destroying harms.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you're concerned about someone you know, visit https://gamblershelp.com.au/get-help/ or call 1800 858 858.

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The government is under pressure to ban gambling ads. History shows half-measures don't work

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Reports indicate the government is considering watering down gambling ad bans proposed by an inquiry. If these are correct, it would be a win for powerful vested interests.

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Gambling is Australia’s ‘blindspot’: Tim Costello - ABC listen

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Calls are mounting for the Federal Government to do more on gambling reforms and to not abandon the key recommendations of the Murphy review. Gambling reform advocate Peter Costello told RN Breakfast while he’s not a gambling prohibitionist, children should be protected from being “groomed” by the industry through advertising. He says while the “blindspot” in the US is guns, in Australia it’s gambling - and gambling losses.
Guest:Tim Costello, chief advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform Producer: Eleni Psaltis

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Why is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suddenly so keen to deliver extra cost-of-living relief - keen enough to summon Labor members of parliament to Canberra for a briefing on Wednesday, followed by an address to the National Press Club on Thursday?

One immediate reason is that he is keen to make sure Labor wins the upcoming by-election in the outer-Melbourne electorate of Dunkley on March 2.

But the cost of living wouldn't matter much for Dunkley - and it wouldn't matter much for the rest of us - unless it was really biting.

And despite what the treasurer himself has been trying to tell us, it is biting.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has been pointing out that in the June quarter and the September quarter (the three months to June and to September), real wages grew for the first time in years. By that, he means that the wages index compiled by the Bureau of Statistics began growing faster than the consumer price index.

It's better than growing more slowly, but it tells us next to nothing about what's happening to buying power. Here's why.

Way back in the late 1990s, more than a quarter of a century ago, the consumer price index used to actually reflect the cost of living. It included all of the big costs incurred by households including - importantly - mortgage interest payments, which at the time accounted for an average of $5 of every $100 each wage earner spent.

Then in September 1998, in response to representations from the Reserve Bank and the Treasury, the bureau changed the way it calculated the index, excluding mortgage and other interest payments in a decision it acknowledged would make the index worse at measuring living costs.

It still carries the warning on its website, saying the consumer price index is "not the conceptually ideal measure for assessing the changes in the purchasing power of the disposable incomes of households".

The index actually does a pretty good job of measuring changes in living costs at times when mortgage rates aren't much changing, but at times when they are tumbling it'll overestimate living costs, and at times like the ones we are in when mortgage rates are soaring it will way understate what's happening to living costs.

We know by how much. For years the bureau has also published a separate set of measures it pointedly calls "living cost indexes". These do include mortgage and other interest charges, and for households headed by employers (those for whom the buying power of wages matters) they are substantial.

Living costs are up 9 per cent rather than 5.4 per cent

Whereas the consumer price index (the one quoted by the treasurer) increased 5.4 per cent in the year to September, the living cost index for households headed by wage earners climbed 9 per cent.

For these working households, the price of food climbed 4.8 per cent in the year to September, the price of electricity 14.5 per cent and the price of mortgage interest charges 68 per cent.

It's the increases in mortgage rates that have made the increases in the other prices hurt so much.

Nine per cent - the overall increase in prices faced by wage-earners - is way above the typical wage increase of 4 per cent.

Bill Mitchell of The University of Newcastle points out that on this measure, the correct one, the buying power of wages has been falling for 10 consecutive quarters. He says it puts the treasurer's comments in a wholly different light.

We are right to distrust the CPI

Working Australians are right to distrust the consumer price index, which is something the Australian Council of Social Service warned the bureau about when it made the change.

Each month the Melbourne Institute asks Australians whether their family finances have deteriorated over the previous year. Usually, about one-third of those surveyed say they have.

But for more than a year now around 50 per cent of those surveyed have been saying their finances have got worse, a peak not seen since the global financial crisis, and one that has lasted longer.

Asked about family finances over the next 12 months, more than 30 per cent say they'll worsen further. It's usually 20 per cent.

Looked at from today's perspective, the arguments put forward in 1997 for weakening the consumer price index as a measure of living costs seem weak.

The Treasury noted that many welfare recipients didn't have mortgages and that a consumer price index that excluded them would better reflect their living costs.

The Reserve Bank argued that interest rates were "conceptually different from other prices" and in any event wanted them excluded because it found it hard to use higher interest rates to bring down inflation if those higher rates pushed the measure of inflation up.

The change attracted little attention at the time because mortgage rates weren't moving much. By the time they did, it had been bedded down.

Things might start to turn around soon

For most of the time since the change, mortgage rates have either increased gradually or been cut, meaning the difference between what the consumer price index has been telling us and what's been happening to us hasn't been too stark. It's been stark lately because interest rates have been rising quickly.

The good news (and there is good news) is that financial markets expect rates to begin falling this year, with the next move down. Inflation as measured by the consumer price index (inflation excluding mortgage rates) is already falling.

We get the next official update on the consumer price index next week (and the update for the lesser-known living cost indexes a week after that).

It makes now a particularly good time to announce measures to address the cost of living crisis. We need them because we really are in something of a crisis. Things are a lot worse than the official index suggests.

And there's a chance that soon they'll begin to get better, allowing the prime minister to claim a win.
Peter Martin is a visiting fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

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The true cost of living has climbed far faster than we've been told. Here's what's actually going on

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Now is a particularly good time to announce measures to address the cost of living crisis. We need them because things are a lot worse than the official index suggests, writes Peter Martin.

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The cost-of-living crisis has roots in property but whether you rent or pay a mortgage, there’s a dark tunnel ahead

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Right now Australia is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis that has its roots in the property market, the availability of housing and high levels of personal debt. Are there any tangible solutions, asks David Taylor.

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Helping people in need during a cost-of-living crisis: Findings from the Australian Community Sector Survey - ACOSS

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Acknowledgements Foreword Recommendations 1 Executive Summary 2 Communities face acute daily living pressures

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Cost of living crisis forcing students to take on more hours of paid work

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Most university students supporting themselves say it is negatively affecting their studies, survey finds

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Should young people be paid less? - BTN High

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Neelima Choahan and Jack Evans for BTN High, with graphics by Sharon Gordon

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Jayda was excited when she got her first pay cheque. Then, she looked at the hourly rate

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Employers can pay youngsters aged below 21 less than the minimum wage. But some say it is not a fair deal and are pushing for equal pay.

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‘Deeply unfair’: The divide over paying Australians like Jenny more

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Junior pay rates for workers aged 18 to 20 are “deeply unfair”, “discriminatory” and should be abolished, Australia’s peak union body says. But some business groups have reservations over the push to have them scrapped.

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Helena worked a second job to make ends meet while she did her apprenticeship. It still wasn't enough.

Officially, this week the national minimum wage was raised to $24.10 - but thousands of young workers are lawfully being paid as little as $15.06 an hour due to "junior" pay rates. Today volunteers with the Young Workers Centre in Victoria officially began work on a campaign to scrap junior rates.

Today (3 July 2024) the Young Workers Centre has released a report showing that junior pay rates are unfairly penalising young workers. Census data shows that young people from low-income localities and migrant families are more likely to begin working at a young age and are therefore more likely to be penalized by earning lower junior rates.

The Young Workers Centre's analysis of census data has found that young people in the most disadvantaged suburbs and localities were nearly 20% more likely to be in paid employment than young people in middle-class suburbs. Close to 60% of full-time workers aged 20-24 lived in areas of below-average socio-economic status.

Outreach organisers at the Young Workers Centre say that junior wages also contribute to "wage opacity" - making it difficult for workers to directly compare pay and conditions.

Earning a fraction of the official minimum wage, many young workers feel they have no choice but to work longer hours.

At 17 years old, Helena was working nights at McDonalds to save money while working during the day as an apprentice chef. "My mental health went down the drain. Because money was tight and moneys only made when you work. The hours didn't correspond to the pay that I was getting - it was a very sad pay check at the end of the week".

Burnt out and struggling, Helena quit her apprenticeship. "I couldn't continue it for three years, even though I would have been qualified by the time I turned 19. It wasn't viable."

Apprentices are especially penalised by junior rates. If an apprentice begins their apprenticeship prior to their 21st birthday, then they receive a lower rate than an apprentice who began their apprenticeship after they turned 21. Their status as a junior apprentice remains even if they turn 21 through the course of their apprenticeship.

It's an unfair and confusing system that costs young workers in Australia around $3bn a year - mostly pocketed by multinational companies.

Sign the petition to end junior wages and find out more about the campaign here.

The Young Workers Centre campaign seeks to:

Abolish junior wages

Abolish junior apprentice wages and penalties for non-completion of year 12

Increase apprentice wages across the board

Amend legislation to entitle workers under 18 to superannuation in line with older workers

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Officially, this week the national minimum wage was raised to $24.10 - but thousands of young workers are lawfully being paid as little as $15.06 an hour due to "junior" pay rates. Today volunteers with the Young Workers Centre in Victoria officially began work on a campaign to scrap junior rates.

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ACTU seeks wage justice for young workers - Australian Council of Trade Unions

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The union movement’s peak Congress meeting in Adelaide has endorsed a new youth policy to tackle discriminatory junior rates of pay designed to make work fairer for young people.

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Overview:

The "wage versus age" issue in Australia pertains to the differences in wages, especially junior wages. Younger workers, particularly those just entering the workforce or in early-career stages, often earn lower wages and are discriminated against based on their age. One of the primary concerns is that junior wages, which are lower rates paid to younger workers or those with less experience, can be perceived as unfair. If a young worker performs the same tasks as an older, more experienced worker, the lower pay for juniors can seem unjust and discriminatory.

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Overview:

While e-scooters offer potential benefits for urban mobility, there are many challenges associated with safety, regulation, and community integration. There have been numerous reports of accidents involving e-scooters, both for riders and pedestrians. The lack of protective gear among riders exacerbates these risks. In addition, Melbourne’s bike lanes and footpaths are often not designed to accommodate the rapid influx of e-scooters, leading to potential conflicts between different types of users.

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The rules and offences for privately owned e-scooter and e scooter trial use, and how to safely ride your electric powered scooter on Victorian roads.

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Melbourne bans e-scooters as city cracks down on misuse

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Melbourne’s decision to ban share hire e-scooters could send ‘shock waves’ to other Australian cities

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Experts say the City of Melbourne’s snap decision to end its share hire e-scooter scheme is sending shock waves around the country, as states decide whether the vehicles are worth the safety risk.

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"I've heard in recent days from residents, from traders, from visitors to Melbourne, literally begging us to bring the trial to an end to make our city safe again. And that's what council voted to do last night."

Neuron and Lime have been given 30 days to remove their e-scooters from the City of Melbourne's borders. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele

Reece was initially a supporter of the e-scooter trial when it started in 2022.

"We agree that there is an urgent need for co-ordination and alignment between the state government and the City of Melbourne to conduct the necessary considerations and evaluations one would expect before such a drastic decision is implemented," Bryant said.

The e-scooter divide

Associate professor Alexa Delbosc from Monash University's Insitute of Transport Studies described the ban as a "knee-jerk reaction".
With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.

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A 'knee-jerk reaction' or ending 'havoc'? The divide over Melbourne's e-scooter ban

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Victoria's premier Jacinta Allan is among the critics of the City of Melbourne's move to ban e-scooters, and says she hopes the state government won't have to intervene.