A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability.
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
The government is to ask the Fair Work Commission to increase the minimum wage to match inflation.
Labor will make its submission to the Fair Work Commission on Thursday ((28 March)) as part of the annual wage review.
Inflation is sitting at 4.1 per cent, as of December last year.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke says wages need to keep increasing to manage cost of living pressures.
"People need to be able to keep pace with cost of living. For the last three quarters, we've had real wages growth, we hadn't had thee quarters in a row of real wages growth for five years. So the fact that we've started to turn the corner doesn't mean that people are after 10 years of wages flatlining, suddenly feeling that they're now ahead."
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The federal government will look to change secrecy laws that criminalise disclosing information from national security agencies.
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is undertaking a review of security offences to see if the laws are too broad, possibly unduly penalising journalists and whistleblowers, or those who inform on a person or organisation engaging in alleged unlawful or immoral activity.
ASIO boss Mike Burgess will give evidence during the public hearing today, along with legal and policy experts, and journalists.
The head of the Independent Monitor, Jake Blight, says the laws need to strike the right balance.
"Secrecy crimes have a role to play in protecting our national security. But in making laws to empower our police security and intelligence agencies, it's important that we don't actually undermine the very democracy we're asking them to protect. That's a democracy underpinned by free political communication, and free speech, and accountable government. And all of those things are underpinned by a free press."
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Almost twenty Pro-Palestinian trade unionists were arrested overnight after protesting the arrival of an Israeli shipping company at Port Botany in Sydney.
The trade union members were among hundreds of activists demanding state and federal exclusion of Israeli company ZIM from Australian ports, as well as the implementation of broader sanctions on Israel.
Police say they were responding to an unauthorised protest and arrested nineteen people who they allege disobeyed police instructions.
One of the speakers at protest said the presence of riot police is not necessary at a peaceful protest.
"That's why they are cracking down on us because what we're doing here when we're blocking ZIM ships, we have a chance of actually disrupting Israel's economy, and they know that. And that's why that they have sent these massive forces riot police, there was no riot here. There was no riot. It was a picket by the workers, a picket by the workers surrounded by community."
Members of the union are alleging that just fifteen minutes after the protest commenced, police moved in and started assaulting protesters.
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New South Wales health care workers will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the government moves to abandon mandates for the sector.
Public health orders mandating health workers to be vaccinated were brought in during the COVID-19 pandemic and saw those who refused either quit or be fired from their position.
New South Wales Health Minister Ryan Park says that even though COVID is still circulating, people need to get on with their life.
He says that if the order is lifted, those who lost their job in the sector may reapply through the usual recruitment processes.
The change in policy however is not expected to result in a significant increase in the health care workforce, with most of those leaving the sector during the pandemic not citing vaccine requirements as their reason for leaving.
That was SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
