A daily five-minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
This... is SBS News in Easy English... I'm Claire Slattery.
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A major review of Australia's Defence Force has found it needs an urgent overhaul, with a shift towards long-range strike abilities and better spending of taxpayer funds on military projects.
The independent review was done by former defence minister Stephen Smith and ex-defence force chief Angus Houston, and a declassified version has been released today.
The report highlights six new priority areas for defence, including the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, developing the ability to accurately strike targets at a longer-range and building ammunition locally.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the review highlights the need for Australia to be more self-reliant in the future.
"The recommendations of this review will underpin our work, bolstering relationships with our international partners and promoting peace, stability and prosperity in our region and our world."
The report's authors say China's rapid military build-up and the decline of the United States require Australia to take urgent action.
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More than $50 million is expected to be spent on research into long COVID.
The announcement comes after a parliamentary committee examined the condition and released its final report today.
The funding will allow experts to better understand why some people retain COVID symptoms several months after their first infection.
Dr Mike Freelander, who lead the committee, says it's important to conduct a more thorough investigation into the disease.
"We don't know what we don't know, so one of the problems is actually getting data about the incidents and about effective treatments and the longer term."
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Authorities say there is no longer the threat of a tsunami following a big earthquake in the South Pacific Ocean this morning.
The earthquake measured 7.1 magnitude and at a shallow depth of just 49 kilometres near the uninhabited Kermadec Islands, about 1000 kilometres northeast of Auckland.
The islands are located between two tectonic plates about halfway between New Zealand and Fiji.
The first quake was followed by a pair of aftershocks measuring 5.4 and 5.3 magnitude.
New Zealand's National Emergency Management Agency was on alert for a possible tsunami caused by the quakes, but has now assessed that threat as unlikely.
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In sport,
And a 20-year-old country football player from South Australia has died after an on-field collision.
Antonio Loiacono, died in hospital on Sunday evening after the incident on Saturday while playing for the Birdwood Football Club.
Reports suggest the young player was knocked out in a collision in the fourth quarter of the A-grade match against Gumeracha in the Hills Football League.
He was taken to hospital for treatment but his life support was turned off about 24 hours later.
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You've been listening to SBS News in Easy English... I'm Claire Slattery.
