A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Gareth Boreham
To the election campaign and shadow federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has criticised the Prime Minister's response to the cost-of-living crisis.
He says Scott Morrison takes credit for everything that goes well, but never takes responsibility when times are tough.
Mr Chalmers has warned that things will get harder for Australians if the government is re-elected.
"It's not good economic management if Australians can't get ahead. It's not good economic management if Australians are falling further and further behind. Now, the thanks that Australians get for the sacrifices they have made for each other can't be another three years of falling real wages, skyrocketing inflation and interest rate rises."
But Mr Morrison says his government has provided a "shield" for people against the rising cost of living.
It comes as the one-off $250 cost-of-living payment went out to people on fixed income support payments and pensioners.
Mr Morrison says the measures are temporary, including the cut to the fuel excise.
"What we were seeking to do in the Budget was put a shield up for Australians against those higher world oil prices. Now, they won’t be permanent. And one of the hallmarks of our economic response in this pandemic is we’ve always designed it carefully. It’s been temporary in many occasions, it’s been targeted, it’s been done in a way that you can be confident that it'll turn up."
The Federal Opposition says childcare will be cheaper and more accessible under a Labor government.
Labor M-P Amanda Rishworth says making childcare cheaper will provide a "real" and "immediate cost of living relief".
And she says it will allow more skilled workers to return to the workforce.
"What Labor's childcare policy does is deliver a double dividend. Of course, families are being smashed with the cost of living, with childcare out-of-pocket costs up 4.2% per cent this year. So, families are struggling with having to find more and more money to pay for the cost of childcare. Labor childcare policy will reduce those cost pressures on families, saving an average family $1600 per year."
New South Wales police are investigating a suspected gangland killing in Sydney's south-west last night.
Media outlets have named the victim as underworld figure Mahmoud "Brownie" Ahmad, though officials have not formally identified him.
He's the brother of killed underworld figure Walid "Wally" Ahmad, who was shot in 2016 at Bankstown shopping mall.
Residents in the suburb of Greenacre heard loud bangs before finding cars on fire.
Yatin [[yah-tin]] Sheh says he immediately called emergency services.
"Yeah, I was just watching my TV and heard some loud bangs, and first I thought it could be maybe someone banging the door. But it just happened repeatedly. I just rushed out and saw the big flames and saw the car is on fire. And I straight away called triple-zero."
The shooter remains on the run.
To sport and in Rugby Union, Wallabies player [[flanker]] Lachlan Swinton says he feels the team is well prepared to face off against England's team in a three-test showdown set for July.
The schedule has been released, with the Sydney Cricket Ground set to host the third and potentially deciding match on July 16.
It will be the first Test at the venue since 1986.
Former Wallabies boss Eddie Jones, now the coach for the England team, has beaten Australia seven times in a row since 2016.
Swinton says the team is ready to turn things around.
"I just feel like that we've got that campaign last year. And we're building nicely. We've had a similar sort of squad with Dave Rennie and our coaching staff for a while. He has been cementing the same sort of patterns and plays. They're a world class team and through their whole squad they have got some good depth. But matching up against our squad, I am pretty confident, we can put a good performance in."
I'm Gareth Boreham, this is SBS News in Easy English
