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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
About 1,500 firefighters in yellow jackets have shut down parts of Melbourne's city centre amid a dispute between their union and the Victorian government.
The protest is believed to be the largest by the United Firefighters Union, with workers coming from across the state.
Cries of "shame" and "union power" rang out as speakers blasted stalled negotiations over a new enterprise agreement the union claims puts safety at risk.
Workers rallied at the fire station in East Melbourne before marching to parliament and then to the Fair Work Commission.
Victorian branch secretary Peter Marshall says firefighters had been negotiating with Fire Rescue Victoria for two years across 76 meetings and reached agreement on all but two matters but the organisation and government then withdrew on the agreement.
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Qantas pilots have called for the airline's chairman Richard Goyder to resign after a series of decisions that have impacted workforce and customer trust.
The Australian and International Pilots Association has written to Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson to explain its "unprecedented intervention", alleging that Mr Goyder has overseen one of the most damaging periods in the airline's history.
The airline has been the subject of recent scandals including allegations of selling tickets for cancelled flights, a High Court ruling that it had illegally sacked workers, and consumer issues against its return to operations after Covid-19.
The Association's Vice President Mark Hofmeyer told SBS News pilots have lost confidence in Mr Goyder, who accepted a recent pay rise while airline staff experienced a wage freeze.
"That's why we think its probably time for the leadership of Mr Goyder to finish but for Vanessa Hudson's perspective, look she's saying all the right things. I think it's important that talk is cheap so the action she actually implements going forward will be the proof in the eating. We're committed to working with her to try and turn this company around so you and all of your listeners can be proud of Qantas once again."
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken has participated in a signing ceremony with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown as President Joe Biden established formal diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands and a second nation in the South Pacific, Niue.
Mr Blinken says the Biden administration aims to show Pacific Island leaders the US is committed to increasing American presence in the region.
"It opens a new and I think, very exciting chapter in our relationship. It in a sense, reinforces what's already there, because the relationship, even in the absence of this recognition, has been long and enduring. But, I think this is a way to deepen even more the bonds that join us together."
Mr Biden has prioritised improving ties in the Pacific amid rising US concern about China’s growing military and economic influence.
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In football,
The Australian Professional Leagues have announced that former Labor Senator Stephen Conroy will be the first Independent Chairperson of the A-Leagues.
Mr Conroy, who was born in the UK, spent over 20 years as a member of the Victorian Senate and was also a former Minister of Communications.
In his opening statements as the new head of the men and women's professional football league in Australia, Mr Conroy says his mission is to bring together all sides of the football community.
I'm Catriona Stirrat. That was SBS News in Easy English.
