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Heywire: When mining comes to town

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Teenager stands in park
Heywire: When mining comes to town

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10


Imagine living in your own little piece of paradise, only to have a mining company move in and start changing it in ways you don't like.

On the other hand, imagine the benefits that a mining company would bring to struggling businesses in the area! There are always different perspectives on any issue.

As you listen to this Heywire audio story, explore how Anita Thomson expresses her perspective.

Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community?

The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22 year olds in regional Australia. Enter to get your story featured on the ABC and score an all-expenses-paid trip to the Heywire Regional Youth Summit in Canberra. More: https://www.abc.net.au/heywire/


Things to think about

  1. 1.Search the ABC website (www.abc.net.au) for articles, using the keywords 'gas boom' and 'rural Australia'. Find two articles that highlight the benefits of the gas boom and two that highlight its downside. The headlines often reveal which side the article focuses on. What are some of the pros and cons of this issue?
  2. 2.What does Anita love about rural communities and their people? List three changes in the town of Chinchilla after the gas companies came to town. What does Anita feel gas companies should do? What do you think Anita means by 'we must make sure we don't get too greedy'? What word does Anita repeat in both her first and last sentences?
  3. 3.Think about what Anita loves about Chinchilla and what she fears is being lost. What is it that Anita implies the gas companies are interested in? What evidence does she provide to support her view? Consider your own interpretation of the issue. Which side of the debate do you support?
  4. 4.Pretend you are Anita. Write a letter to the chief executive officer of a gas company, explaining how you feel about Chinchilla and your concerns about the way it is changing. Offer some suggestions about how the company might work more effectively with the community. You can make up a name and address for your letter, but remember to set it out formally.



Date of broadcast: 31 May 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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