2 Visit Inkwire at http:// journalism.curtin.edu.au for Curtin journalism online. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joseph M Fernandez STAFF EDITOR Sean Cowan STUDENT EDITORS Aaron Bryans Pierra Willix NEWS EDITOR Louis Zambotto FEATURES EDITOR Caitlin Creeper PHOTO EDITOR Kira Carlin PRODUCTION MANAGER Nadia Budihardjo SPORTS EDITOR Kristie Lim ARTS EDITOR Bridgette Stephens CHIEFS OF STAFF Helene Lambetsos Chelsie Stone Tim Walker Ricci-Lee Smith Jai Price CHIEF SUB EDITOR Jesinta Burton DESIGN ADVISOR Tom Henshaw LEGAL ADVISOR Joseph M Fernandez TEACHING STAFF Sean Cowan Nicole Cox Shannon Harvey Daile Pepper Chris Thomson
April 2015
NEWS
A message from the student editors “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” – William Shakespeare It took just three days to become heartbroken. With determined heads and energetic hearts, the 14 students who enrolled in this semester’s Print Production class ignored the possibility of the upcoming pain so many had warned us about. Now we know the brutal truth. Print journalism is a tough and demanding environment, set on pushing you to your physical and mental limits. It surprises you, excites you, and breaks you. But, if you are one of the few who strive for quality reporting, who persist for greatness, who push and push until you succeed, you can make it. With the smallest staff in the history of the Western Independent many believed we would not be able to
produce a high standard, publishable work. Yet here we are. What did we learn from it all? To be a successful journalist you must be determined, tireless, strive to be the best and refuse to lie down when the odds are stacked against you. Many say print journalism is a dying craft. We say it will live on, carried on the shoulders of journalists who will not break and will only accept the highest standard of work. With so few on the team this semester, delegation and organisation was crucial for success. Noodles and hot chocolate were the keys to surviving the destruction of the dreadful green pen sub. There were late nights, there was yelling, there was fork throwing and even chair skating, but here we are – proud to present a paper that has been built on tenacity and plain hard work. - Aaron Bryans and Pierra Willix
Donor rates low Bayley Howe Western Australia has the lowest number of registered organ donors aged 18-24 in the country, according to the Australian Organ Donor Register. Figures show only about five per cent of the 280,000 West Australians in that age group are registered organ donors. Organ Donation and Transplant Foundation executive director Simone McMahon said the low participation rate was because of a lack of information. She also said it was important people discussed their wishes with their family. “Many families are not aware that their loved ones want to be organ donors and are less equipped to cope with making this decision at the difficult time in their lives,” she said. Ms McMahon said final donation decisions required family consent, making it important for people to discuss the issue with their family
while they were healthy. “It would be unethical to disregard the families’ wishes over their loved one’s bodies,” she said. She said less than one per cent of people died in hospital in circumstances where organ donation was possible. Organ and Tissue Authority WA media official Sue Scrutton said health organisations were directing their efforts towards social media and technology to encourage young adults to register to donate. “We have a number of organisations all trying to promote organ and tissue donation—Transplant Australia, Organ Donation and Transplant Foundation WA and Donor Mate are a few of the main ones,” she said. “We realise people don’t necessarily register from these efforts but we just hope if they are approached about donation by their loved one along the years, they will think favourably about donation and consent to it.”
Sharing helps remove stigma — Beyond Blue Chelsie Stone Getting young people to share their stories about depression and anxiety can be a powerful tool in the battle to prevent suicide, according to Beyond Blue. Beyond Blue Youth and Families Program leader Luke Martin said strategies such as the City of Kwinana’s Positive Vibes Project helped tackle the negative stigma around mental health. “Young people sharing stories about their depression and anxieties lets other young people in the community, who might be going through something similar, know that they are not alone,” he said. “We know that about three in four young people that are going through mental health conditions don’t seek
help for it. There is a lot we don’t really know about how to prevent suicide effectively, so trying new things like this and experimenting with different approaches will help best with suicide prevention over time.” The project will capture the stories of people aged between 12 and 18 through photography. The city will use $8,720 from the latest round of One Life WA Suicide Prevention Small Grants to fund the project. Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams said the project would help young people learn about the many mental health support services available in the community. “Young people will also learn photography skills and share their personal stories to help increase awareness of staying mentally healthy,” she said.
Western Independent Telephone 08 9266 7038 08 9266 7878 Facsimile 08 9266 7142 Postal Address GPO Box U1987 Perth WA 6845
Ethical Guidelines The highest standards of ethical conduct are expected in the way the Western Independent's journalists obtain and present information. One of the course requirements is that they abide by the Media Entertainment and Arts Code of Ethics and Curtin University Department of Journalism's ethical guidelines in all aspects of writing, photography and production. The MEAA Code of Ethics and Curtin's journalism guidelines are designed to safeguard individual rights while respecting the public's right to information.
REDMYLIPS: Men red for sexual assault awareness.
PHOTO: Kira Carlin.
Men needed for campaign against sex assault Helene Lambetsos Male involvement in sexual assault awareness campaigns is vital to their success, according to the Australian representative for a group that fights against “victim blaming”. Red My Lips Australian ambassador Emma Barbato said it was important everyone was involved in discussions about sexual assault.
“Women are naturally going to be talking about it, pounding the pavement about it, so it’s wonderful that men turn around and say its not a ‘she said’ it’s a ‘we all say’,” she said. Ms Barbato said her organisation wanted to reduce the number of people who suggest victims may have invited a sexual assault. “This is about a global stance for men and women about sexual violence and the rape culture,” she said.
University of Western Australia gender studies lecturer Chantal Bourgault du Coudray said men should not be excluded from the discussion. “When people talk about sex and gender, for too long that’s meant women, and women’s issues,” Dr Bourgault du Coudray said. “What we’re starting to recognise, collectively, slowly, is that men have a gender too, and men are very much implicated in sex and gender relations.”
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 48,300 Australians were victims of sexual assault in 2013/2014. It said more than one-third of incidents were reported to police. The 2015 Red My Lips campaign encourages people of all genders to wear red lipstick to show their support. Dr Bourgault du Coudray said the campaign was one of many that changed the way in which people talked about sexual assault.