TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
Political leaders have called for Australians to come together and show compassion at home as tensions continue to simmer because of the Middle East.
Education Minister Jason Clare has told Seven's Sunrise program that Jewish and Palestinian Australians are scared and angry at the scenes of violence thousands of kilometres away.
He has cited the example of his Jewish friend who was in Tel Aviv at the time of the October 7 Hamas attack to call for Australians to turn down their anger in the face of the violence.
"When she got back to Australia the first thing she did was go and see her Muslim friends and wrap her arms around them. We need a little bit more of that in Australia at the moment rather than these awful protests. We can't change what's happening on the other side of the world but we've got to keep this country together. And that means all of us turning the temperature down a little bit."
Meanwhile Employment Minister Tony Burke says the tone of debate and level of animosity in the community over the conflict between Israel and Hamas cannot be judged by the loudest voices.
He says people can miss there is a lot of good intention in Australian society if they listen to the "loudest voices" and find the most offensive comments.
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Greenpeace Australia have welcomed a landmark deal at the COP28 climate summit to help vulnerable countries affected by natural disasters.
The United Arab Emirates and Germany have already pledged $100 million each for the loss and damage fund, and Greenpeace's head of advocacy Dr Susie Byers says Australia should also make a significant contribution.
"The pledge from the UAE is a good first step. But now the loss and damage fund needs to be filled. Australia is the third largest fossil fuel exporter in the world. And a major contributor to global emissions. And so, the Albanese government absolutely has a responsibility to step-up and to make a serious contribution to the loss and damage fund."
The 39 countries that make up the Alliance of Small Island Nations have released a statement at COP28 with a similar sentiment, saying they will not rest until the fund is adequately financed and "starts to actually alleviate the burden of vulnerable communities".
They say they are bearing a heavier burden as encroaching oceans eat away low-lying land, fiercer storms wipe out large chunks of their economies, and others are forced to move to higher ground.
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A parliamentary inquiry has released a damning report into Australia's system for jobseekers, finding it has tied up service agencies in bureaucracy and made job-seekers less employable.
The 650 page review into Workforce Australia has made 75 recommendations to rebuild the system, including moving compliance checks back to Centrelink and away from agencies.
The parliamentary committee says the whole system is currently driven by the myth of the "dole bludger", with "patently ridiculous" levels of compliance that take jobseekers away from activities that are actually helpful, like their existing study or casual work commitments.
The report also says that employers find the system adds little value to their business, and repeatedly tries to force unsuitable job seekers into vacancies without adequate incentives or support.
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To sport,
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino has called on television broadcasters to invest more in women's football.
In a speech to the European Broadcasting Union, he has said broadcasters should pay a fair price for the commercial rights to women's games.
He has also suggested they show at least one hour of women's football content per week to provide a bigger stage for the players.
The comments follow a difficult negotiation process for this year's women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, with FIFA and EBU only reaching an agreement on broadcasting rights for the tournament around a month before kick-off and several months of "tough talks".
I'm Catriona Stirrat. This is SBS News in Easy English.
