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SBS News in Easy English 12 May 2023

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A daily 5-minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.


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Presented by Biwa Kwan

Source: SBS News


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A daily 5-minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.


This is SBS News in Easy English, I'm Biwa Kwan.

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Australia's federal opposition leader Peter Dutton has used his federal budget reply speech to criticise the level of migration in the country.

Updated projections from the Treasury say 1.5 million new migrants could arrive in Australia over the next five years, including 400,000 net overseas migrants this financial year.

Mr Dutton has used the numbers to criticise the government.

"Well, I just make the point that this is the biggest migration intake in our country's history - and it is done in an unplanned way. We live in an amazing country with a great multicultural story. The success of our country is based on a number of firm pillars, but one of those the successful migration story, bringing people from the four corners of the earth. But it has to be in a managed way. At the moment, we've got Australians who can't find rental accommodation."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says figures reflects a recovery after pandemic travel restrictions saw numbers drop to levels unseen since World War Two.

In 2020-21, Australia experienced its first net migration decline since World War Two, with 85,000 more people leaving Australia.

Net overseas migration is projected to return to pre-pandemic levels this financial year.

The government has said previously it expected the overall population level to decline by 473,000 people in the financial ending in 2026.

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Republicans in the US have used their numbers in the lower chamber of Congress to approve a draft law aimed at stopping asylum seekers and migrants from crossing the US-Mexico border.

In addition to restarting construction of a border wall, the law seeks to reinstate a policy of former president Donald Trump that required asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their hearings played out.

The Biden Administration says it will block the legislation in the Senate, adding that restricts lawful pathways for asylum seekers and fails to address the root causes of migration.

Analysts say the debate could lead to a new policy on border security and immigration in coming months.

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says there have been increased numbers of immigrants at the border in recent weeks.

"It is no longer the case that individuals can, on their own, reach the southern border of the United States. They have to place their lives and their life savings in the hands of ruthless smugglers that exploit them and ruthlessly do so. And we have not only a security obligation, but a humanitarian obligation to cut those smugglers out. And that is indeed what we are doing."

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Members of the Australian metal band Voyager are celebrating after making it through to the Eurovision grand final.

The Perth band will compete in this weekend's final in the UK city Liverpool against other acts from the top 10 countries, including Albania, Cyprus, Armenia, Poland and Belgium.

Voyager's lead singer immigration lawyer Danny Estrin and bass player Alex Canion say they're excited to perform before a potential audience of 180 million viewers.

"Danny Estrin: I don't know, until they say it, until you hear those words, or that one word, really.

Alex Canion: We kind of felt relaxed about it though because relaxed about it though because we had given it our all - and that is all we could - we did everything we possibly could in our power to do it. So we were like: well, we played a pretty good gig."

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The World Health Organisation says the global outbreak of mpox, which was initially known known as Monkeypox, is no longer an international emergency.

The smallpox-related disease spread to more than 100 countries last year and saw mass vaccination programs for those considered most at risk, including LGBTIQ+ people.

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In cycling, Australian Simon Clarke says he is devastated after coming close to winning stage six of the Giro d'Italia.

Danish cyclist Mads Pedersen came out on top in the final sprint to the finish line.

Clarke says it was so close that with another 10 or 15 seconds, he believes he could have won.

Pedersen says it came down to the final 300 metres.

"It was pretty close in the end, it was not easy to catch them (Clarke and De Marchi) for a long time. They had a lead of two minutes and we had to use basically everyone, and not only us, all the sprinters had to use all the guys we had available. It was really not easy to catch them but 300 metres to go we caught them. I feel really sorry for those guys because they did really, really well but I'm happy I could take the win."

The Giro d'Italia ends in Rome on May 28.

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You've been listening to SBS News in Easy English, I'm Biwa Kwan.


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