August 5, 2026 • 5 mins
Our Australian correspondent talks bird flu, “slave” labour and a runaway coal train.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's there. Osie correspondent Chris russ All based out of Sydney. Now, Chris,
when it comes to the bird flu our fingers crossed?
Touch what here's hoping? It's all quiet on the Western
Front here in New Zealand, not the case in Australia.
Do you think it's a matter of when not if
we have the same issues.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I hate to say it, Jamie, but I think that's
probably true. I mean, we're now well over one hundred
and twenty birds, but more significantly, we've had our first seagull. Seagulls,
of course, are the potential super spreaders because they fly
inland a long way. We've also had our first more
bulk mortality if you like, on an island off the
(00:41):
South Australian coast called Broody Island, and they had seventy
eight birds only one hit or killed there at once.
So that's the first time we've had that sort of
mass killing. Australian government is really saying, yes, it is
a matter of time. Now. The Daly place that hasn't
seen it yet is Tasmania, surprisingly because it's the closest
(01:03):
to Antarctica, but nonetheless they haven't seen them. But once
again they're saying only a matter of time. So they've
now created the federal governments created a sort of doomsday
list of two thousand native birds and animals just to
rank them in terms of house is set to all
they'll be and how likely it is they're going to
(01:23):
survive the spread of this HFI then one strain of
bird flu. According to that list, five species are not
likely to make it at all, while hundreds of other
species these are we talking native animals here are expected
to see a severe reduction in population size. So they're
ranked from load to extreme. Takes into account their habitat,
(01:47):
their equalogy where they live, their behavior, and or all
those sort of things. A bird called the herald petrel
is under extreme threat, along with Christmas Island frigate and
us other birds which you know which are sort of
coastal dwellers. So you know we're going that direction. We're
(02:09):
already talking about planning for really reduction in the number
of eggs available, the number of broilers available, and I
think where that's the road we're like to be going
down in the not too distant future.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Jamie Donald Trump has lifted tariffs from ten to twelve
and a half percent for Australia and New Zealand off
the back of a part of a flaky argument, a
non existent argument, that we're using forced or slaved labor.
But maybe the Trumpster has a point. Australia accused of
having a slave trade amongst its fruit pickers.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, you know, the public question is here. I mean,
we don't, I'm sure, but the question is here the
wages that are being paid, particularly to Pacific Island workers
that come in and pick fruit, and they're what the
argument is is, at the time they've taken out there,
their accommodation costs, their food costs, which is all covered.
(03:03):
You know, they're earning slave pay is all they're getting
at the end without their accommodation and food costs. Now,
I remember we had a young lady visiting us from
England who was out here as a student picking strawberries,
and until she'd really learned what she was doing, she
was learning as little as six dollars an hour because
of she just wasn't picking enough strawberries to actually get
(03:25):
any more money than that. So they're now saying there's
ten thousands of margaret workers living in the shadows here
and they're vulnerable to this type of exportation. They don't
want to go back to where they came from. It's
forty degrees. They're picking oranges or picking strawberries or whatever
it is, and they're saying that really although they're in
(03:46):
one sense they think you're doing them a favor because
of the fact they can send money home, but they
don't have any power, they don't have any voice. So
that's the argument, and there are a large number of
groups that are arguing for them. And we've just had
a recent Corners investigation. I don't know if you get
that show over there, but they have a four Corners
investigation over here into just whether Australians can trust for
(04:08):
claims about responsible payment to fruit pickers when they buy
food in the supermarket, which says it's fair trade based fruit.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Let's just finish on the story of the runaway coal train.
Chris Russell.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well, you've probably seen the movie in America, but there
was real questions being asked here now. After a runaway
train rolled downhill through the Hunda Valley which is up
Maitland Singleton Way for several kilometers with no one on board,
the train reached the excess of sixty comers. Now, these
trains are over a kilometer long, fully laden with kyl,
(04:46):
so we're talking at tens of thousands of tons, and
they went through a number of podesta not pedestrian railway
crossings for cars. Of course, they automatically were triggered to
go down as it was heading towards them, but nonetheless, yes,
it went through those the time it got to where
they could actually pull it up as it was going
up a hill. I'm not sure if the drivers were
(05:07):
chasing behind the helicopter light they were in the movie.
But the driver just forgot to put the brakes on
as far as I concerned, when he was getting out
for a cup of tea, and there wasn't enough breaking
tower in the train to when the automatic system turned
on there was enough breaking power to pull it up
until it actually got to a hill. So it damaged
(05:28):
a whole lot of wheels and sparks going everywhere. But
these trains, Jamie, but round about one and a half
kilometers long. They have about up to ninety wagons and
the thought of one of those just running through the
middle of Tamworth or somewhere because the brakes are good
enough to pull it up. That pretty scary thought. I
always thought they had a dead man's handle, but I
(05:49):
can guarantee they'll have one after this little incident. Jamie.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yes, I think the driver will be a bit more
careful next time he pops out for a cup of
teat Chris Russell. Thanks me, Tom catching next week.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
No worry, Shami,
He's there. Osie correspondent Chris russ All based out of Sydney. Now, Chris,
when it comes to the bird flu our fingers crossed?
Touch what here's hoping? It's all quiet on the Western
Front here in New Zealand, not the case in Australia.
Do you think it's a matter of when not if
we have the same issues.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I hate to say it, Jamie, but I think that's
probably true. I mean, we're now well over one hundred
and twenty birds, but more significantly, we've had our first seagull. Seagulls,
of course, are the potential super spreaders because they fly
inland a long way. We've also had our first more
bulk mortality if you like, on an island off the
(00:41):
South Australian coast called Broody Island, and they had seventy
eight birds only one hit or killed there at once.
So that's the first time we've had that sort of
mass killing. Australian government is really saying, yes, it is
a matter of time. Now. The Daly place that hasn't
seen it yet is Tasmania, surprisingly because it's the closest
(01:03):
to Antarctica, but nonetheless they haven't seen them. But once
again they're saying only a matter of time. So they've
now created the federal governments created a sort of doomsday
list of two thousand native birds and animals just to
rank them in terms of house is set to all
they'll be and how likely it is they're going to
(01:23):
survive the spread of this HFI then one strain of
bird flu. According to that list, five species are not
likely to make it at all, while hundreds of other
species these are we talking native animals here are expected
to see a severe reduction in population size. So they're
ranked from load to extreme. Takes into account their habitat,
(01:47):
their equalogy where they live, their behavior, and or all
those sort of things. A bird called the herald petrel
is under extreme threat, along with Christmas Island frigate and
us other birds which you know which are sort of
coastal dwellers. So you know we're going that direction. We're
(02:09):
already talking about planning for really reduction in the number
of eggs available, the number of broilers available, and I
think where that's the road we're like to be going
down in the not too distant future.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Jamie Donald Trump has lifted tariffs from ten to twelve
and a half percent for Australia and New Zealand off
the back of a part of a flaky argument, a
non existent argument, that we're using forced or slaved labor.
But maybe the Trumpster has a point. Australia accused of
having a slave trade amongst its fruit pickers.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, you know, the public question is here. I mean,
we don't, I'm sure, but the question is here the
wages that are being paid, particularly to Pacific Island workers
that come in and pick fruit, and they're what the
argument is is, at the time they've taken out there,
their accommodation costs, their food costs, which is all covered.
(03:03):
You know, they're earning slave pay is all they're getting
at the end without their accommodation and food costs. Now,
I remember we had a young lady visiting us from
England who was out here as a student picking strawberries,
and until she'd really learned what she was doing, she
was learning as little as six dollars an hour because
of she just wasn't picking enough strawberries to actually get
(03:25):
any more money than that. So they're now saying there's
ten thousands of margaret workers living in the shadows here
and they're vulnerable to this type of exportation. They don't
want to go back to where they came from. It's
forty degrees. They're picking oranges or picking strawberries or whatever
it is, and they're saying that really although they're in
(03:46):
one sense they think you're doing them a favor because
of the fact they can send money home, but they
don't have any power, they don't have any voice. So
that's the argument, and there are a large number of
groups that are arguing for them. And we've just had
a recent Corners investigation. I don't know if you get
that show over there, but they have a four Corners
investigation over here into just whether Australians can trust for
(04:08):
claims about responsible payment to fruit pickers when they buy
food in the supermarket, which says it's fair trade based fruit.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Let's just finish on the story of the runaway coal train.
Chris Russell.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well, you've probably seen the movie in America, but there
was real questions being asked here now. After a runaway
train rolled downhill through the Hunda Valley which is up
Maitland Singleton Way for several kilometers with no one on board,
the train reached the excess of sixty comers. Now, these
trains are over a kilometer long, fully laden with kyl,
(04:46):
so we're talking at tens of thousands of tons, and
they went through a number of podesta not pedestrian railway
crossings for cars. Of course, they automatically were triggered to
go down as it was heading towards them, but nonetheless, yes,
it went through those the time it got to where
they could actually pull it up as it was going
up a hill. I'm not sure if the drivers were
(05:07):
chasing behind the helicopter light they were in the movie.
But the driver just forgot to put the brakes on
as far as I concerned, when he was getting out
for a cup of tea, and there wasn't enough breaking
tower in the train to when the automatic system turned
on there was enough breaking power to pull it up
until it actually got to a hill. So it damaged
(05:28):
a whole lot of wheels and sparks going everywhere. But
these trains, Jamie, but round about one and a half
kilometers long. They have about up to ninety wagons and
the thought of one of those just running through the
middle of Tamworth or somewhere because the brakes are good
enough to pull it up. That pretty scary thought. I
always thought they had a dead man's handle, but I
(05:49):
can guarantee they'll have one after this little incident. Jamie.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Yes, I think the driver will be a bit more
careful next time he pops out for a cup of
teat Chris Russell. Thanks me, Tom catching next week.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
No worry, Shami,
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