SBS News in Easy English 24 April 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with . Coalition leader Peter Dutton has vowed to reassess the security clearance of Palestinians in Australia who have been granted visitor visas after fleeing Gaza. Mr Dutton will also recognise West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network says the policies would suppress what they have described as valid critiques of Israel. But Mr Dutton says it's about being tough on border security.
DUTTON: "Our nation is the greatest in the world, and we welcome migrants coming to our country. We have the most successful migration program, but we're not going to compromise on those settings which provide screening on people coming in from a war zone."
REPORTER: "Those people from Gaza though were vetted when they exited the Rafah border crossing by Israel, and then Home Affairs as well, so do you not trust our security agencies or our allies?"
DUTTON: "Well, we'll take and advice and - but we'll conduct proper security checks." A man has been charged over a data breach that hit the New South Wales court system earlier this year. The 38-year-old man is accused of accessing the state's JusticeLink system which holds files for thousands of cases. But Acting Attorney-General Ron Hoenig says no personal information has been detected online or on the dark web. He also says no one protected by apprehended violence orders has been identified as being at increased risk of harm. Santos has been given final approval for its multi-billion dollar Barossa gas project, after years of delays and fervent opposition from environment groups. The green light has come from offshore oil and gas regulator, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority - or NOPSEMA. Gas is now expected to flow from the Adelaide-based company's six wells in the coming months from its site off the coast of Darwin. Pipeline work on the controversial project had been halted in late 2022, after a court challenge from three Tiwi Island elders that the company eventually won last year. The latest snapshot of the Great Barrier Reef has found widespread bleaching across the northern regions of the marine park. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's newest report says the bleaching is largely because of prolonged exposure to higher-than-average water temperatures. The report has emerged at the same time as a survey from the International Coral Reef Initiative. Caribbean Steering Committee co-chair Melanie McField says that report shows 84 percent of the ocean's reefs have experienced harmful bleaching. "We've just reached 1.5 degrees (Celsius) in the ocean and you see the repercussions... It's unprecedented... very alarming. So I think people really need to recognise what they're doing, you know, by the inaction. It's the kiss of death for coral reefs." The New South Wales government has pleaded with residents to get vaccinated against the flu. The call comes on the back of figures that show an uptick in influenza B cases this year, particularly in school-aged children and young adults. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin says many people think the flu is a minor illness. But Health Minister Ryan Park says influenza can be very serious. "It is absolutely imperative that we do what we can as we track towards what is likely to be a difficult flu season. What we're observing in North America and Europe is a challenging flu season that they've come out. That normally trends for us in a similar way, so we can expect a significant impact on the community over the coming months." Food charities have reported a surge in people coming to them for help - including families with two incomes. 77 percent of the hundreds of free food providers surveyed in the OzHarvest network say they have seen an increase in people seeking food. But just over half of them say they have had to turn people away. Australian Council of Social Service CEO Cassandra Golding has told Channel 9 not enough is being done to help people in that position. "Food has become a really discretionary item for far too many people. Wow. We're still waiting to see what the major parties will offer. Well, look, we are still waiting for the major parties to offer to help people who are out there with the least." A group of First Nations youngsters from Western Australia have finished one of the world's most gruelling treks. Nineteen teens have hiked the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea as part of a leadership development program. 16-year-old Stanis Jack from Kalgoorlie was among the group. He says they were retracing the path followed by Australian soldiers to repel the Japanese army's advance on Port Moresby in 1942.
"I've learned a lot from Kokoda. Leadership is one thing - talking to people and encouraging them. Then the other one is never giving up, always giving your best in everything you do."
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