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St!Leonard’s!College!0!Year!12!English!2014!

Unit!3!Outcome!3.1!–!Language!Analysis!!!!

PRACTICE!SAC!!!!!!STUDENT!NAME:"____________________________________________________________"""TEACHER:"____________________________________________________________________""""""""""""

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Background to the Issue : The summer months has seen an increase in shark attacks along Australia’s coastline. The Western Australian government has begun a program of shark culling in an attempt to reduce the population of sharks and make beaches safer for surfers and swimmers. !

In a coherently constructed piece of prose, analyse how written and visual language are used to present an argument in the Editorial in The Australian newspaper, the letter to the editor by Torry Goodall, and the accompanying cartoon by Mark Knight "

WA!entitled!to!cull!sharks!"EDITORIAL) $! THE$ AUSTRALIAN , "JANUARY'29, '2014' ""IN#1971,#when# saltwater# crocodiles#were# first#protected,)decades)of)unregulated)hunting)had)reduced& their& numbers& in& the& Northern&Territory( to( 3000.( Now( there( are( more( than(100,000$crocs$ in$the$Top$End$and,$on$average,$they% are% much% larger.% The% consequences" are"sometimes' fatal,' as' we' saw' at' the' weekend'with%the%death%of%a%12$year$old$boy$in$Kakadu.$At# least# three# crocodiles#were# shot# and# killed#as# police# and# park# rangers# responded# to# that#tragedy.) Each) year) upwards) of) 200) "problem")crocodiles) posing) a) threat" to" humans" are"captured)or)killed)in)the)Territory."

Every& year& along& the& nation's& east& coat,&hundreds( of( sharks( are( killed( by( nets( and(baited'drum$lines&in&longstanding&programs&to&protect'swimmers'at'136'beaches.'These'shark'control' measures' have' proven' effective.(Between& 1919& and& 1961,& there& were& 27&reported' fatal' shark' attacks' in' Queensland;'since&nets&and& lines&were& introduced&53&years&ago,%there%has%been%one%fatality%at%a%controlled%beach.'It' is'60'years'since'the'only'NSW'death'at#a#netted#beach#(bodyboarder(Zac(Young(was(killed& at& unprotected& Campbells& Beach& last&year).'Before'the'1930s,'deaths'occurred'at'the'

rate% of% one% a% year% $! and$ in$ both$ states$ the$number' of' people' in' the' water' has' at' least'doubled' since' the' measures' began.' The'controls(are(not( foolproof,'with'sharks'able' to'swim% beneath% or% around% the% nets,% yet%indisputably, while, thousands, of, sharks, have,been$ killed,$ many$ human$ lives$ have$ been$saved."

Given& this& history& it& is& surprising& that& shark&control' measures' introduced' in' Western'Australia) $! after& seven& fatal& attacks& in& three&years& $! are$ generating$ such$ controversy.$ State$Treasurer' Troy' Buswell,' an' architect' of' the'drum$line%plan,%says%his%government%has%a%duty%to#protect#citizens#and#he#accuses#protesters#of#hysteria.*"What*amazes*me*is*that!these%people%respond( in( this( way( to( the( WA( government's(efforts' to' protect' our' public,' and' say' nothing'about&what's&been&happening&in&Queensland&or&NSW$for$years$and$years$and$years,"$he$says.$"I$mean,& it's& lunacy."& He& has& a& point.& Either& the&protesters' value% the% lives% of% West% Australian%sharks&more&highly&than&eastern&states&sharks,&or# they# value# the# lives# of# West# Australian#beachgoers* less* than* swimmers* on* the* east*coast."

A"similar"shark"program"operates"on"the"South"African(coast,(and(around(the(world(dangerous)animals'from'wolves'and'tigers'to'brown'bears'and$cobras$are$killed$or$captured$when$close$to$populated) areas.) Elsewhere) in) Australia) we)don't& tolerate& funnelwebs& under& the& house& or&brown& snakes& in& the& backyard.& So& while& it& is&self$evident'that'the"ocean"is"the"great"white's"domain,( as( the( estuary( is( for( the( crocodile,( it(should' go' without' saying' that' we' should'minimise& the& risk& where& human& populations&are$high."

On#the#east#coast,#common#and#aggressive#bull#and$tiger$sharks$are$seen$as$the$greatest!threat,'making'up' the'bulk'of' sharks'killed' in'control'programs.)And)the)first)kill)in)WA)was)either)a)bull$ or$ tiger$ shark.$ Bull$ sharks$ continue$ to$thrive' in' Queensland's' Brisbane' River' and'coastal'canals,'cheek'by'razor$tooth$with$large$urban& population& centres.( Great( white( shark(populations*have*proven*difficult*for*scientists*to# quantify# but# there# is# ample# anecdotal#evidence' from' fishermen' and' scientists' that'numbers(and(sizes(have(significantly(increased(since& they& were& protected& in& the& late& 1990s.&Previously,) unregulated) trophy) fishing) had)taken& a& heavy& toll& $!with% the% numbers% caught%declining(by(up(to(90(per(cent(over(time($!so#it#is#hardly#surprising#the#population#might#have#recovered.( What( the( WA( government( is( now(carrying( out( is( far( from( open( slather.% It% is% a%carefully) monitored) and) targeted) attempt) to)control' the' risks' at' popular' swimming'beaches,( and( it( will( be( subject( to(environmental+ assessment+ and+ oversight.+ The+evidence' is' that' similar' but' more' extensive'programs(in(the(eastern(states(have(prevented&many%attacks%$!human&lives&should&be&accorded&equal&value&in&the&west."

Australia's* environmental* record* is* one* few*countries* can* match.* We* have* rescued* many*threatened( species,( including( two( of( the(world's( most( fearsome( predators,( the( great(white& and# the# saltie,# but# we# have# a# right# to#protect' human' lives.' Activists' who' seek' to'prevent' lawful' shark' cull' activities' should' be'dealt&with&under&the&law."""

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I"have"been"silent"on" the"shark"baiting"debate"so"far"because"as"an"educated"man"I"can"see"all"sides"of"the"argument,"if"you’re"going"to"kill"an"animal,"use"it."Why"aren't"we"using"the"caught"sharks" for" research" and" science" or" at" least"food?"

I'm"sitting"here"in"Perth"in"a"flash"hotel"waiting"for" tonight's" fireworks." I'm" watching"my" kids"swim" in" the" luxurious" pool" and" flicking"through" news" feeds" feeling" Aussie" and" then" I"just" witnessed" the" first" photo" of" a" beautiful"large"tiger"shark"being"hauled"up"the"side"of"a"boat"to"be"shot"and"dumped."

My" business" solely" runs" on" the"willingness" of"humans" to" swim" in" and" under" the" sea" and"lately" business" has" been" bad." But" you" know"what,"I"do"not"want"my"money"and"way"of"life"to" be" justified" or" subsidised" on" an" ocean" of"blood." Why" should" innocent," amazing,"necessary" living" beings" be" slaughtered" so" our"Aussie"way"of" life" can"prosper." I"have" to" say" I"would" give" up" this" hotel," pool" and" all" the"fireworks" in" the" world" to" bring" back" the" one"shark"in"that"picture."

To" the"majestic" female" tiger" shark" that" let"me"swim"with"her" in" Fiji" –" I'm" sorry" on"behalf" of"the"human"race."To"the"WA"government"listen"to"your"people.""

Feeling" very" ashamed" to" be" an" Aussie" on"Australia"Day.""

Torry%Goodall,%Coastal%Water%Dive%owner.%%

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