2012-08-19

Heading Down Under A huge armada of rickety boats, stacked with hundreds of desperate people, is setting out from Sri Lanka: destination Australia. They’ve paid up to $8,000 each to sit huddled in the hold of tiny fishing boats, up to 12 people crammed into a 1 x 2 metre space, for the two week journey to what they hope is a better life. For every one of the 29 boats to have arrived in Australian waters this year carrying Sri Lankan asylum seekers, many more are turned round and seized by the Sri Lankan navy. The rush is sparked by fears Australia will soon pass new laws re-introducing off shore processing – so the race is on to get here before the legislation hits. While our politicians fiddle and fight over how to tackle the crisis, in this special Sunday Night investigation from the high seas, reporter Tim Noonan boards the boats and speaks to the new wave of illegal immigrants about their Australian dream, and entertainer Kamahl shares what he believes we should do next. Assistance Animals Forget the traditional guide dog, this is the truly remarkable story of animals transforming the lives of humans. From Cali the guide horse who accompanies her blind owner on a plane, to Kasey the monkey who brings the phone, puts on a DVD, turns the pages of a book, and even scratches her owners itch. The pictures of what these animals do for their owners have to be seen to be believed. Join Sunday Night as we visit the special animal training school where Kasey learnt her incredible skills – the only one of its kind in the world. Hearing for the First Time Sunday Night was overwhelmed by viewer responses to our videos of children hearing for the very first time. Little Cooper’s bright smile and cheeky laugh when he heard his first sounds melted hearts around Australia. Mark Ferguson caught up with a bright and bubbly 3-year-old Cooper a year after that switch-on video. Now, his parents reveal the real story about his diagnosis and what the future holds for Cooper. Meet Australian children who have received the gift of sound thanks to the hard work of Professor Graeme Clark. This week Sunday Night hands our show to the audience – these are your stories, and the videos you sent in. It’s not to be missed.