Hack (AU)

HACK finds out the latest on a proposal for an Islamic school in a small town outside Sydney. There were protests against the plan late last year and lots of residents are not happy about it. The local council was due to make a decision around now, but that's been delayed.

If you go to a music festival you're pretty much guaranteed to see plenty of buff blokes with their shirts off. This week HACK heads to a festival to find out why the boys are doing it, and if muscly dudes with their kits off are getting more common.

Womens' participation in sport is always lower than guys, especially for teenage girls. This week HACK is talking to young women who surf about how they got into it, how they got past the crap that guys dish out, and if more young women are getting into the sport.

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says there's a growing epidemic of binge drinking among young people, and he wants to do something about it. HACK asks young people how much they drink, if they consider themselves binge drinkers, and if they think the government's plans will make any difference.

One in four young people in Australia are overweight, but only a few States have treatment services offering help. This week HACK visits one of those centres to chat to some teenagers dealing with excess weight issues.

This week Hack's getting up early to go clean up other peoples' mess. Ronan Sharkey hits the road with some garbos to find out the best and worst parts of the job, and the reaction they get when telling people what they do.

Recently heaps of young people got together in Canberra for the 2020 Youth Summit. Hack decided to chat to a bunch of Canberra locals who didn't get the chance to be involved, to get their vision for Australia by the year 2020.

It's ANZAC day this week and Hack is taking a look at women in the military. Guys outnumber girls by over 7 to 1, but the Defence minister wants more women to join up. So what it's like being a woman in such a bloke dominated world?

As the Olympic torch makes its' way around the world, including Canberra last week, China's control of Tibet is back in the spotlight. This week Hack chats to young Chinese and Tibetan Australians for their take on the issue.

Taxi drivers get a lot of grief or much worse from passengers, especially at night. Last week a cabbie in Melbourne was nearly killed. This week Hack jumps in the cab with some late night drivers to find out how they handle the job.

Part one of Hack's look at WA's coal industry. This week Ronan Sharkey chats to coalminers in the One Night Stand town of Collie. Find out how they like the work, and what they think of environmentalists who say coal should be phased out.

In part 2 of Hack's look at the coal mining industry, Ronan Sharkey looks at how much WA relies on coal for its' energy, and what plans the State government has for clean energy alternatives.

Ronan Sharkey visits young Catholics in Melbourne planning to participate in World Youth Day in Sydney. He finds out what the event means to them and how they feel about their faith.

Following the recent decision by the local council in Camden to stop the go ahead of constuction of an Islamic School, Hack's Ronan Sharkey caught up with local residents to examine the issues.

Ronan Sharkey takes us crayfishing, the most lucrative fishing industry in Australia, and has a chat to young people working the decks.

The Federal government wants to see more Hybrid cars on Australia's roads to help reduce greenhouse emissions from petrol. And the government is spending millions to support the technology. This week Hack chats to young people who know a bit about cars and a bit about climate change, to see if they reckon it's money well spent.

This week Hack gets down in the mud with some young soldiers taking part in the military's new Gap year Program. It's a one year try-before-you-buy scheme that the Army, Navy and Air Force are hoping will solve their recruitment problems.

Australia's Sudanese population is one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in the country. But Sudanese people have also been copping lots of flak over claims they're not settling in. This week Hack chats to some young Sudanese refugees to get their take on life in a new country.

Ronan Sharkey looks into the live music scene in regional areas, bumps into Lior who was hitting up this scene, and tries to find ways to make this music more accessible to people in rural areas.

If you're renting you'll know that it's getting harder and harder to find an affordable place. This week Hack is taking a look at one solution - don't pay. Ronan Sharkey catches up with a bunch of people who've been squatting for years.

In HACK Ronan Sharkey catches up with some pilgrims who are part of the couple of hundred thousand Catholics that hit Sydney for World Youth Day to celebrate their faith. He also talks to protesters who are against the church's stance on issues like condoms and homosexuality.

Scientists say climate change is coming and politicians are hitting the fear button. This week HACK looks at how the Federal government's plan for an emissions trading scheme has set off a new round of scary stories, about environmental disaster and economic ruin.

Long distance truck drivers say big supermarkets aren't paying enough to cover the cost of high fuel prices. This week Hack chats to some young truckies who reckon it's less and less likely they'll ever be able to afford their own truck.

For a lot of young people the idea of working at the snow is pretty appealing, and some can't get enough of the life. This week Hack chats to people chasing the endless winter, to see if they're worried about getting trapped in the lifestyle.

The Paralympic Games kick off in Beijing next week and Australia is sending one of its' biggest teams ever. Hack chats to two Paralympic swimmers about how they got into their sport, and finds out if it helped them get accepted growing up.

This week Hack takes a look at grief, and how you deal with losing someone you love. Ronan Sharkey chats to Antony Catt, whose sister Annabel died last year after taking what she thought was an ecstasy pill at a festival.

In less than 2 months America chooses its' next President. Will it be a 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran, or a 47-year-old aiming to become the first African American in the job? This week Hack finds out how each candidate will impact on you in Australia.

Recently a bunch of young Aboriginal bands played a big concert in Alice Springs - called the Bush Bands Bash. Before the gig, Hack headed to the remote community of Papunya to meet some guys from one of the bands, and to find out more about where they come from.

This week Hack is back in Alice Springs for the second part of our story about the Bush Bands Bash. It's an annual concert featuring Aboriginal musicians from remote communities around Central Australia. Ronan Sharkey catches up with the guys from the Tjupi band as they get set to play their headline set at the gig.

This week Hack chats to 25-year-old Alex Marshall who's been homeless for most of the past year. When Alex's rent took a big jump, one thing led to another and he found himself without a home. Ronan Sharkey chats to Alex about how he got out of the homeless cycle, and how street soccer helped.

Alice Springs is full of non-indigenous professional people from around Australia who've come to work with Aboriginal people - like doctors, nurses, social workers and lawyers. This week Hack chats to a few women following that path, to find out why they've come, and if they think they're making a difference.

Most weekends somewhere in Australia you'll find heaps of young people getting flung around by angry bulls and bucking horses. And they call it sport. This week Hack travels to a country rodeo to chat to some cowboys and cowgirls about whether rodeo is a sport, or a lifestlye.

The cargo shipping industry in Australia has a shortage of young people, and the Federal government is looking at how to fix that. This week Hack jumps on board a cargo ship to chat to some cadet merchant mariners about why they love the life at sea.

If it's not a recession coming, it's looking like the global financial crisis will definitely bring an economic downturn. This week Hack looks at job prospects for young people in a slowing economy, and finds out what high school and uni students think as they head into the workforce.

It's estimated only around 15% of sexual assault victims report the crime to police, and by far most victims are women. This week Hack takes a look at why so many women don't report the crime. Ronan Sharkey talks to a young woman who was sexually assaulted and did report.

It's schoolies week! Or more like schoolies month, as school leavers from around the country start celebrating the end of exams. Hack joins a crew of schoolies having a slightly quieter schoolies in a caravan park, to chat about friendship, pressure, and that feeling of what the hell do you do now?