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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
Australia believes it can help mediate trade tensions between the United States and China under a second Trump administration, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed trade was a topic in his recent call with the president-elect.
Donald Trump's election has raised diplomatic concerns, with fears that his protectionist policies and tariffs could impact Australia's economy by billions of dollars.
Mr Albanese, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference tells ABC Radio that Australia will advocate for stronger trade relations and collaborate with global partners to promote economic growth.
"I pointed out that Australia has, or the United States has, a trade surplus with Australia. So it's in the United States interest to trade fairly with Australia, but it's also obviously in Australia's interest the United States is a major investor here in Australia, that investment creates economic activity, creates jobs."
Mr Trump's election comes as APEC leaders from 21 major economies meet to boost trading relationships in the region and promote economic growth.
US President-elect Donald Trump has announced Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.
In a statement, Mr Trump says the pair will pave the way for his administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.
Elon Musk has pushed for a government efficiency department, emphasising the acronym for the agency: Doge - a reference to a meme of an expressive Shiba Inu.
Mr Trump says the agency will conduct a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and make recommendations for reforms.
Federal ministers have written to parent and school groups about a plan to ban social media for children under 16 years of age.
The government will soon present the legislation, aiming for similar benefits to those seen with mobile phone bans in schools.
If passed, the law would take effect in 12 months, restricting access to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Educational and health resources online would remain accessible.
Trials for age verification systems are underway, set to conclude in early 2025.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was asked by ABC Radio this morning [[13 October]] if adults will have to provide their identification documents to social media platforms as a consequence of children having to verify their age.
"Well, we've got a year for that detail, and one of the things that we're doing is having a trial as well of age verification. And that's why we're doing a trial, to make sure that we get this right, to make sure there aren't unintended consequences."
If successful, Australia would be the first nation to enforce a minimum age limit for social media.
President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as US ambassador to Israel.
Mr Huckabee, an evangelical Christian and strong supporter of Israel, backs Israeli settlements in the West Bank which are widely regarded as illegal by much of the international community.
The 69-year-old has been critical of President Joe Biden for pressuring Israel to moderate how it is conducting the Gaza war.
Mr Huckabee served as Arkansas governor from 1996 to 2007 and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016.
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, welcomed the nomination.
"I want to congratulate my dear friend, Governor Mike Huckabee. I think he will be a great ambassador to Israel. He's very familiar with the facts on the ground. I think he visited Israel dozens of times. You know, he had like a yearly visit to Israel and I had the honour to escort him. Also, after October 7th, he came and I took him to visit the sites where the massacre took place. So we will welcome him and we will be expecting his arrival."
That was SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
