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SBS News in Easy English Bulletin 29 November 2022

A high-angle photo shows a small inflatable boat with people in it, positioned next to a large whale. The whale is partially tangled in a fishing net, and a rescue effort appears to be underway.
Rescuers help a whale caught in a shark net off the coast of Queensland. Source: AAP / Jerome Delay

A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability. 


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Updated

Presented by Biwa Kwan

Source: SBS News


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A daily 5 minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability. 


This is SBS News in Easy English, I'm Biwa Kwan.

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Affording rent is becoming increasingly difficult in capital cities and regional areas around Australia.

A new report - the Annual Rent Affordability Index - has found rents are rising faster than household incomes.

Hobart is the least affordable city in Australia. And for the first time, Brisbane has become "moderately unaffordable".

Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie says the situation is increasingly grim.

"People are sleeping in swags; families are in the back of cars; families are in tents next to the highway and in the parks. Thousands of people are sleeping on peoples' couches; they're sleeping in peoples' garages, in their spare room, under the house, in the garden shed. I mean this is unfathomable to me, that this is happening to people in one of the richest countries in the world."

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A new report has confirmed Australian workers with disabilities feel anxious about sharing this information with employers, for fear it could result in discrimination.

The APM group, which offers employment and disability job services for workers and employers, compiled an index of Australian workplaces, ranking them on disability diversity and inclusion.

The report found 53 percent of Australian workers who have a disability are reluctant to share that information with employers.

Thirty per cent of survey participants experienced negative consequences after disclosure, and following a request for support in the workplace.

The numbers are at odds with the finding that 82 percent of businesses want to build a workplace that is more welcoming for people with disabilities.

Twenty-year-old Ben Johnston who was born blind says it has been an adjustment in his new traineeship in Sydney.

"A lot of that companies that I work for haven't worked with someone with a disability, let alone a full vision impairment. So that was a big learning curve for everyone, just to understand how I work on computers using screen readers and stuff like that. And same thing with the phone. So that was the biggest hurdle coming in to it."

APM has launched a new campaign, called #DearFutureBoss, which calls for the posting of encouraging messages about the kind of workplaces people with disabilities would like to see.

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The federal government says it does not accept the blame for a report that has recommended the status of Australia's Great Barrier Reef be changed to 'in danger'.

The United Nations report determined Australia's plans for the reef are inadequate.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek says that the report is based on policies of inaction from the previous Coalition government.

She says the new Labor government has taken a different approach.

"Everything has changed... Climate change is a risk to every reef globally and we need to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees if we're going to protect not just the Great Barrier Reef but all reefs."

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A volcano in eastern El Savador has become increasingly active, prompting authorities to issue warnings to residents.

The San Miguel volcano has begun spewing gas and lava to the surface, raising fears that volcanic blocks of ash could rain down on nearby towns.

A security zone around the crater has been extended to keep people away, and tourist and agricultural activities have been suspended.

Antonio Sarabia, from the Civilian Protection Team, says authorities are watching events closely.

"We continue under constant monitoring and alerting the population in the area around the crater of the volcano; one, to maintain the suspension of not climbing, and two, that we keep and constant communication and readiness, in case of any situation that may arise so we can make the appropriate evacuation process if necessary."

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And in football, Portugal is into the final 16 at the World Cup, beating Uruguay with a score of two-to-nothing.

Midfielder Bruno Fernandes delivered the winning goals to ensure Portugal becomes the third team, after France and Brazil, to qualify for the Cup's knockout stage.

Uruguay has now dropped to the bottom of Group H, with one game remaining.

The team must now defeat Ghana to have a chance of progressing.

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You've been listening to SBS News in Easy English, I'm Biwa Kwan.


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