A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Greg Dyett.
New Zealand's government has defended plans to overhaul the nation's gun laws, as the country marks five years since a deadly terror attack on two mosques in Christchurch that claimed the lives of 51 worshippers.
The killings prompted all but one member of New Zealand's parliament to vote for tough restrictions on semi-automatic weapons.
Nicole McKee is a former Council of Licenced Firearms Owners spokeswoman and now the associate minister responsible for rewriting the laws.
She's recently told Newshub law reform is necessary because guns are in the hands of criminal gangs while law-abiding competitive shooters are punished.
"What we will be looking to do is to have a regulatory reform that ensures the safety of New Zealanders, increases compliance with the legislation, and reduces regulatory burdens on some."
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The environmental regulator in New South Wales says its investigation into asbestos-laden mulch in sites across Sydney will continue, as the government prepares to increase their powers.
Under the reforms, the state's Environment Protection Authority will be given more powers to prosecute individuals and companies who fail to dispose of asbestos correctly while penalties for those offences will double.
Chief Executive Tony Chappel says the new reforms are designed to stop asbestos contamination from spreading.
He says their inquiries into how asbestos ended up in so many places around Sydney is ongoing.
"We have the largest investigation in the EPAs history still underway. We are now at 78 positive detections for asbestos contaminated mulch in Sydney. All of these sites are contained and being remediated. We've done over 2000 tests."
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The number of electric cars on Australian roads has more than doubled.
The figures from the Electric Vehicle Council's annual industry review show almost 100,000 vehicles were purchased within the last 12 months, and the low-emission vehicles now make up one in every five new cars sold in the nation's capital.
Charging locations have also increased by 75 per cent over the past year, mostly in New South Wales and Queensland.
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One of the most powerful First Nations organisations in the country, the Northern Land Council, has elected a new leader.
Matthew Ryan is an advocate for constitutional recognition and says his priorities include improvements to education, telecommunications and health services.
"We need to address a lot of issues that are really burning. All communities, several regions. Please forgive us, we aren't trying to offend anyone. I think the truth speaks a lot of words."
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The N-B-A season for Australian basketball export Ben Simmons is over.
The 27-year-old is undergoing surgery for a nerve impingement in his lower back - but is expected to make a full recovery by autumn, when his Brooklyn Nets side will hold its training camp.
The three-time All-Star last played on February 26th.
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And in AFL news,
Carlton has won another close game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground edging out Richmond 86 to 81.
It's the sixth game in a row Carlton has won by a goal or less, stretching back to round 22 last season.
I'm Greg Dyett and that's SBS News in Easy English.
