A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Greg Dyett.
Australia's competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will investigate rising energy prices.
The findings of the inquiry are expected to be released next month following a meeting of the nation's energy ministers.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he is pleased the regulator is investigating.
"A number of concerns have been raised about pricing and energy markets. We want to make sure that there is no dodgy behaviour making life harder for pensioners, Australians and industry."
Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe says he expects inflation to rise to 7 per cent this year.
"It's going to be some years, I think, before inflation is back in the two to three per cent range. But it will, over the next couple of years, it will gradually come down."
Mr Lowe says he doesn't think Australia is facing a major economic downturn.
Australian children aged five and under could be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination within a matter of weeks.
Health Minister Mark Butler says local authorities are considering an application from Moderna to allow its vaccines to be given to children aged from six months to five years old.
Mr Butler says it could be a month or two before vaccines for those aged under five are actually administered in the community.
A United Nations meeting has been warned about the threat hate speech poses to the world.
Speakers at the meeting - held to mark the first International Day for Countering Hate Speech - say the growth of the cyber world has heightened the use of harmful language.
A Japanese court has ruled the country's ban on same-sex marriage does not violate the constitution.
Japan remains the only member of the G7 industrialised nations that does not recognise same-sex unions.
A series of LGBTIQ+ equality organisations is opposing a decision by swimming's governing body to ban transgender athletes from women's competitions.
Equality Australia CEO, Anna Brown, says the new policy needs to be reviewed.
"When you're impacting on human rights, where you're excluding and discriminating against people, it's really important that you take an evidence based approach. And only limit human rights when it's absolutely necessary and proportionate to the harm or risk that is attempting to be mitigated."
And railway workers in the United Kingdom have decided to stop work as part of a campaign for higher wages.
London Underground workers will walk off the job for 24 hours demanding better pay and conditions.
I'm Greg Dyett and that's SBS News in Easy English.
