Major changes announced for international student visas; The Bureau of Meteorology issues a cyclone warning for Queensland; And in sport, Emma McKeon ruled out of the Queensland Swimming Championships due to injury.
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts.
TRANSCRIPT
- Major changes announced for international student visas;
- The Bureau of Meteorology issues a cyclone warning for Queensland;
- And in sport, Emma McKeon ruled out of the Queensland Swimming Championships due to injury.
The government has introduced a raft of changes to the international student visa as part of its migration overhaul announced today.
From early next year the English language requirements for student and temporary graduate visas will be increased.
The government says the change will improve the quality of students' educational experience in Australia and reduce the potential for workplace exploitation.
Home Affairs Minister Claire O'Neill says evidence shows English language skills is a key determinant of success for international students.
"Now what we have seen with students who are struggling with their English is that they're at much higher risk of exploitation and that they are likely to gather in really low paid work and not be able to move out of that in their time in our country. Now we want to run a good integrity-filled education system here, but we also want to set our students up for success. And if we allow them to come here without functional English that will allow them to work, we're not doing that."
—
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a cyclone warning for Queensland, with Cyclone Jasper expected to have impact within the next 24 hours.
The bureau will now issue three hourly warnings on the progress of the cyclone, which has been downgraded to a category one but is expected to intensify to a category 2.
Queensland's Deputy Premier Steven Miles says Tropical Cyclone Jasper remains offshore in the Coral Sea, 36 kilometres from Cairns and 530 kilometres from Townsville.
Mr Miles says residents should ensure they are prepared.
He says he's particularly concerned about those who have recently migrated to Queensland and may be unfamiliar to natural disasters.
"There will be lots of new Queenslanders who maybe aren't as prepared. So if you have neighbours who you know have moved to Queensland recently, just check in on them. Make sure they know how to have their evacuation kit ready, make sure they know what to have in their fridge should the cyclone hit their area."
—
A class action against has been launched against JB Hi-Fi, alleging extended warranties offered by the electronics and appliances retailer had litle or no value.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers is seeking compensation for hundreds of thousands of Australians who bought an extended warranty from JB Hi-Fi between 1 January 2011 and 8 December 2023.
The action alleges the warranties were of little or no material value because the customers already had those rights for free under Australian Consumer Law.
Principal Lawyer Miranda Nagy says it is a landmark case which could have implications for other retailers.
"Nobody I think has ever tried to look deeply at the intrinsic value or lack of value of these products before, there's been cases by regulators which look at how they're sold, and what people are told at the point-of-sale, when you're in a pretty vulnerable sort of situation. But what we've really tried to do is to look at what value they actually offer in comparison to our very strong consumer rights under the Australian consumer law."
—
The federal government is committing $170 million in funding for wi-fi and fixed wireless projects in remote regions in the Northern Territory, including 44 First Nations communities.
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy says inadequate access was a critical issue, with some residents unable to contact local health clinics or buy food with their EFTPOS card.
RMIT University-led research released in September showed 43 per cent of Australia's more than 1500 Indigenous communities have no mobile service, and that some only have a shared public phone or no telecommunications at all.
Australia's Closing the Gap targets aim for First Nations people to have equal levels of digital inclusion by 2026, though there has been limited data to track progress over the last decade.
—
And in sport,
Australia's most decorated Olympian Emma McKeon has been ruled out of the Queensland swimming championships after her coach revealed she has been battling a torn muscle under her armpit.
McKeon was set to race alongside the returning Cate Campbell in Monday's 100m freestyle heats in Brisbane.
Coach Michael Bohl said McKeon had been managing "a minor tear under her armpit for some weeks" and that the medical advice was to not rush back into competition.
McKeon won four golds at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and seven medals in total - the most by any female swimmer at a single Olympic Games.
