SBS News in Easy English Bulletin 8 December 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. 


This is SBS News in Easy English. I'm Hannah Kwon.

The Australian government says it's a "difficult day", after the person who made the bomb used in the 2002 Bali Bombings attack, was released from prison on parole.

Umar Patek has served just over half of his 20-year sentence, after being found guilty of the attack.

The attack ripped through two nightclubs killing 88 Australians.

The Australian government had been working to make sure he was kept in jail.

But local authorities say Umar Patek has changed since undergoing a deradicalisation program and has met the requirements for parole.
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The New South Wales Nationals say they support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

New South Wales Indigenous Affairs Minister Ben Franklin has confirmed the party's position.

He says the state Nationals' decision has nothing to do with that of the federal party, who have already announced they are against the proposal.

"I'm not going to comment on the federal National party and the decisions that they've made. We've made it very clear what our position is, and our position is that we think that the Voice to Parliament, enshrining an Aboriginal Voice in the Constitution is a good thing - and we've given it our in-principle support."

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25 people have been arrested in Germany, on suspicion of planning to overthrow the government.

The suspects include a member of the military and several reservists, as well as a judge who used to be a member of parliament from the far-right party A-F-D ((Alternative for Germany)).

An investigation found the group had been preparing a coup for over a year.

Federal prosecutor Peter Frank says the coup was supposed to bring to power a German nobleman, prince Heinrich von Reuss, who authorities say had been courting Russian support.

"Based on the information we have, this group is set up into a kind of council which is supposed to be a kind of government organisation which was split up into a different departments just like the cabinet of a country."

One of the people arrested was a Russian citizen.

Russia has denied involvement.

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A new report shows people who unemployed for long periods of time are being left behind.

The report, by Anglicare Australia, reveals that almost 100,000 people are looking for work and it's taking them an average of five years to look for that work.

One in ten are also finding they don't have enough experience or qualifications, or they have barriers to work, such as having English as a second language.

Anglicare Australia's executive director Kasy Chambers says she's concerned about the findings.

"We've got to remember that at the moment, we're in a narrative of full employment. The conversations are about employers trying to find employees. But what we find when we look at this, is that right across the country, there are 15 jobseekers for every entry-level position. In some areas, that's far more dire. Our systems are not working for them, the job market is failing them."

You've been listening to SBS News in Easy English. I'm Hannah Kwon.

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