TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
Faith group leaders are calling for a vote on hate speech reforms to be pushed back.
The draft legislation is to be debated on Monday when parliament returns early, with the bill to include a defence for people quoting directly from a religious text, and a plan to create a principle-based test for conduct that incites racial hatred.
Anglican Bishop Michael Stead says the reform creates a minefield of definitions about hate, while Australian National Imams Council President Sheikh Shadi Alsuleiman says the bill could expose past lawful speech to new penalties.
But Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Channel 7 he believes the laws are balanced.
"These arguments have been put in front of the intelligence committee over the last couple of days. The intelligence committee is a serious committee. They'll work through the detail and provide a report, I expect by the end of the week. The government will have a look at that. But the exemption is there simply to ensure that we have freedom of religion in Australia... Just to make sure that people who are not involved in hate don't inadvertently get caught up."
—
The United States has stopped processing immigrant visa applications from 75 countries.
The State Department, led by Marco Rubio, says consular officers have been instructed to stop visa applications for green cards and permanent residency from those nations from January 21st.
The Secretary of State says the action is being taken because they want to confront what they allege is abuse of the public assistance system by immigrants - despite the Migration Policy Institute saying non-citizens already have to wait years and confront other significant restrictions in their eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps, and cash assistance.
Secretary Rubio says this measure builds on earlier immigration and travel bans.
"This is not a punitive thing we're going out to try and make examples of it. Our visa system - who you allow to visit your country - should reflect the national interest. We said that from the very beginning. It's one of the directives that went out from the President. It's one of the things he ran on."
—
The lower Murray River is to be listed as critically endangered.
The lower Murray is home to more than 50 native fish species and many other animals, it also helps supply water to South Australia, and holds cultural significance for local Indigenous groups.
Environment Minister Murray Watt says he has accepted the recommendation of the Threatened Species Committee to put the listing in place in order to provide stronger legal protections for the system.
"This listing covers the waterways, the wetlands, floodplains and vegetation of the River Murray, downstream from its intersection with the Darling River in NSW. And the listing includes the iconic Coorong Lagoon. The listing provides important recognition that despite the efforts of governments and communities, the lower Murray remains under great stress and that we need to do more to protect it and restore it."
—
A new study has found that artificial intelligence can be good for scientists - but bad for science as a whole.
Researchers at the University of Chicago and Tsinghua University in China have analysed more than 41 million research papers for signs of AI use, finding that the use of AI might be having a detrimental impact on scientific research.
Their study say the number of topics studied has decreased by almost five per cent on the back of an increase in AI in the sector.
—
To sport and in rugby league news,
Australian Willie Peters is among the first names put forward to succeed Shaun Wane, who has stepped down as England coach nine months before the Rugby League World Cup.
Peters led Hull KR to the rare domestic treble in 2025 of Super League champions, League Leaders Shield holders and Challenge Cup winners.
The Rugby Football League says Wane's successor will be a part-time appointment, opening up the opportunity for a Super League coach to take up the post alongside club duties.
