Edith Cowan University

SAH3200: INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY

Six talented 3rd Year Broadcast 2021 students from ECU met with Community Television Broadcasting at the beginning of Term 4 Semester 2. Over 10 weeks the team worked on two major final community engagement projects. This included a podcast, video news item, and two written articles with photographs. Story one as below covers the Kelmscott Bulldogs Football Club Integrated Sports grand final and story two, the conflict as it continues today in Myanmar.

Congratulations to all of those who took part from the CTB team based at ABC East Perth.

Podcast

Fair chance to play broadcasters

Written article by Ravneet Kaur

06 October 2021

“It is raw, pure, emotion football. ” – Robert Turner

Perth’s Integrated All Abilities Division A finalists Willetton and Coolbinia battled it out at the Kelmscott Bulldogs Football Club for the cup on the 21 August 2021 with Willetton defeating the reigning champions at 45-26.

Kelmscott Bulldogs Football Club coach Robert Turner established the club’s first Integrated team earlier this year to provide a platform to those living with disability to participate in Australia’s biggest sport, AFL.

With the 2021 inaugural season finished, Robert Turner looks back on the progress made this year.

Whilst Kelmscott’s Integrated team finished second bottom on the ladder, the clubs football director and team coach said this was not a loss.

“We started with seven players back in April, and now finished the season with 18.  Having nearly 50 supporters and people involved is huge, so we will keep getting bigger and bigger,” he said.

“The key word there is growth and development.

“I could give you a story about every single player.

“You can just feel the atmosphere.

“It is raw, pure, emotion football,” Turner said.

Kelmscott player Larry said the team had developed their skills very well during the training.

“The players have got a strong bond and if I am playing well, they will let me know,” he said.

Minister for Sports and Member for Armadale Dr Tony Buti has supported Robert, the Integrated league and all of its volunteers during the sporting season this year.

“It is great to have what we have got behind us right now with all the political people. Our local community is comes down to support us and offers funding as well.

“Tony himself has come to the field twice and helped me to the coach the team” Turner said.

In Australia, around one in five people live with a disability, and participation in sport for those over the age of 15 is only 24 per cent, just over a third of those without disabilities, which stands at 64 per cent.

The people of Myanmar are still mourning and seeking international support to end decades of military rule.

“Military tracked them [people] down, killed them, detained them, tortured them, raped the women.” – National Unity Government activist.

Written article by- Ravneet Kaur and Bianca Gimondo

6 October 2021

Myanmar/Burma is a Southeast Asian country currently grappling under the control of a military coup and a collapsed health system amidst rising Covid-19 cases.

Earlier this year on the 1st of February, the military declared a state of emergency for one year, seizing power across Myanmar.

The military, also known as the Tatmadaw, made the decision to seize power after claiming that the 2020 general elections won by Aung San Suu Kyi, a leader of the National League for Democracy party, were fraudulent.

Suu Kyi and her party’s leaders have been detained by the military, while some of them have managed to escape.

Since the British rule ended in 1948, Myanmar has struggled to become a democratic country with military rule lasting until 2011.

A decade of civilian rule and hope of living in a democratic country was once again crushed by the military leader Min Aung Hlaing in 2021.

Min Aung Hlaing has most recently declared himself the president of Myanmar and extended the state of emergency until March 2023.

The military coup has justified its control by pointing out the flaws in existing democratic rule and has assured to form a more disciplined democracy.

Following this unstable rule, people including teachers, students, lawyers, government workers and bank officers have started protesting in Myanmar streets in hopes to restore their democracy.

The military has killed many people, tortured them, imposed unnecessary restrictions, used water cannons and rubber bullets on these peaceful protestors.

Myanmar citizens of Australia, who are part of an advocacy group known as the National Unity Government, have also protested outside the Parliament House in Canberra against the cruel actions of the military and Australia’s lack of intervention in these unjust crimes.

A National Unity Government (NUG) representative (who wants to stay anonymous due to security purposes) said her family was not safe under military rule.

She said the military would kidnap children from anywhere at any time, so her nephew had to stay inside the house, out of site from the armed military.

“I can’t stop worrying about them (my family),” she said.

“Every child is targeted by the military, so please do something for them.

“I try to reach politicians and human rights groups, but they do not respond at all.”

NUG is protesting in all the capital states of Australia in efforts to convince the Australian government to take legal action against the military coup.

Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America have already imposed sanctions on the military of Myanmar, but Australia’s silence and unresponsiveness is impacting Myanmar diaspora living in Australia.

Myanmar people and activist groups are urging the Australian government to act against the military coup now so that their families can remain safe back home and they can return to their home country safely one day.

Thousands of people are still awaiting democratic rule in Myanmar and demanding a call to action against the military coup for their survival.

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