SBS News in Easy English 25 August 2022

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a Royal Commission into the previous government's bungled Robodebt scheme, as promised by Labor at the Federal election.

Robodebt saw thousands of welfare recipients wrongly pursued by Centrelink for debts they did not owe, and the scheme was found unlawful in 2019, with a class action against the Commonwealth resulting in a $1.9 billion settlement for victims.

The Commission will look into how the scheme was established, who was responsible, why it was necessary, how it affected individuals, and the financial cost to government.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Commission will also be tasked with ensuring a similar shameful episode never happens again.

"Robodebt was, of course, the Coalition's brainchild - a computer program to find out if someone owed the government money rather than involving a real person. One of the commitments that I made was to put the humans back into Human Services, to make sure that this can never happen again. We know that almost 400,000 Australians fell victim to this cruel system. A human tragedy with very real consequences for its victims. "

Qantas has posted its end-of-year financial results, reporting a full year pre-tax loss of 1.86-billion dollars.

The results reflect the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the airline, with Qantas clawing back some revenue once restrictions eased and air travel resumed.

Flying levels for the year averaged 33 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, but have bounced back strongly, finishing the financial year at 68 per cent.

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce says the results tell the story of a turbulent time for the national carrier, but the recovery has now begun.

"It's fair to say this has been an extremely challenging time for the Qantas group. For our people and unfortunately for our customers. 12 months ago, almost all Australia's borders were closed. Most of us were stuck at home. International travel felt like a distant prospect. Now our flights are full and we can't bring aircraft out of storage fast enough. "

An Australian social services body says it supports the federal Green's two-year rent freeze proposal.

The Greens say a two-year rent freeze, followed by a two per cent cap in increases every 24 months, will enable wages to catch up with prices in the rent market by the end of the decade.

Catholic Social Services Australia says the proposal is a vital initiative that warrants serious national consideration.

The organisation's chair Francis Sullivan says it should be a part of the national debate around the cost-of-living crisis.

"They are heading in the right direction. Governments need to start to take some control over the costs of rent, but also the general cost of living. Over the last 12months rents have gone up seven times faster than wages in capital cities. It's time for governments to re-think and deliver a new accord between prices and our incomes."

And in sport, the former world number one tennis star Angelique Kerber has announced she will miss playing at this year's US Open because she is pregnant.

The three-time grand slam winner from Germany posted the news on social media, saying she'd decided that "playing two against one just isn't a fair competition".

The 34 year-old won her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2016, followed by the US Open in the same year and Wimbledon in 2018.

The US Open starts on Monday.