SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

SBS News in Easy English 13 August 2026

Easy English bulletin image square.png

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


Published

By Kerrin Thomas

Source: SBS News


Skip to podcast episode content

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


Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Kerrin Thomas.

+++

Jailed whistleblower David McBride has been released from prison after being granted parole.

Mr McBride has asked for privacy while he spends time with his family, and has announced he has been diagnosed with treatable lung cancer.

The former military lawyer who leaked Australian Defence Force information has served his full non-parole period of 27 months.

McBride plead guilty to stealing classified Australian Defence Force material and leaking it to journalists, and was sentenced by the ACT supreme court to five years and eight months jail.

The federal attorney general Michelle Rowland approved his parole this morning.

+++

Tasmania has recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu and says it's preparing for the risk of a mass mortality event.

A dead brown skua tested positive overnight.

The single migratory bird was found at Burgess Cove on Tasmania's north-west coast.

The state minister for primary industries and water Gavin Pearce says the government has been working with experts to ensure the state is prepare to protect threatened species as best it can.

"We have worked closely with the federal government to deliver protection plans for species considered most at risk. This includes the orange-bellied parrot, the Tasmanian devil, the shy albatross, the short-tailed shearwater, the Furneaux white-fronted tern, the fairy and little tern, Australian and long-nosed fur seal, and the Australasian gannet."

+++

The Climate Council has welcomed the government's plan to accelerate the de-carbonisation of Australia's largest electricity user as part of a bailout of a New South Wales aluminium smelter.

The Federal and New South Wales state governments have agreed to spend $2.5 billion dollars over ten years to secure the future of the Tomago aluminium plant in the Hunter region.

The Albanese government says as part of the agreement, it will underpin nearly 3 gigawatts of new renewable generation, and Rio Tinto will invest $100 million dollars in decarbonisation activities.

The Prime Minister says the deal has been reached after months of negotiations and is a significant win for Australian industry.

"This announcement today secures the future of this facility. An example as well of governments working with the private sector to make sure that we're not at the end of supply chains, making sure that there is a future made right here in Australia and a future made right here in the Hunter."

+++

To sport and in football,

Australian Socceroos star Lucas Herrington has signed a five-year deal with English Premier League club Hull City.

The composed defender has been the subject of interest from European clubs, including Barcelona and Liverpool, since before the World Cup.

The 18-year-old's stunning start to life as a Socceroo, and his impressive debut World Cup, only ramped up interest.

While Herrington's fee is undisclosed, it's understood to be about $33 million, a record transfer fee for an Australian player.

+++

This is SBS News in Easy English, I'm Kerrin Thomas.


Latest podcast episodes

Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world