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SBS News in Easy English Bulletin March 16 2023

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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Presented by Catriona Stirrat

Source: SBS News


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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 unemployment rate has fallen back to 3.5 per cent in February from 3.7 per cent the previous month.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicates that approximately 64,600 jobs were added to the economy over the month.

The head of statistics Bjorn Jarvis says the February increase in employment follows consecutive falls in December and January.

But some indicators, such as job vacancies and advertisement data, point to a slowdown in employment.

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Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has called for international aid following Cyclone Freddy, which has devastated the country.

The storm - one of the strongest and longer-lasting cyclones, has left at least 246 people dead in the country’s southern region, with countless others injured and reported missing.

Mr Chakwera has called for assistance while attending the funeral of some of the victims, after a second hit from the storm.

"Malawi is in a state of disaster. What Cyclone Freddy has done is to pull us back even when we were trying to rebuild because of past tragedies. And I appeal to the international community to please look at us with such favor because we need help."

Another 20 people have died in neighbouring Mozambique, and an estimated 88,000 people have been displaced.

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Australians are set to receive more important details about an Indigenous voice as key decision makers prepare to meet for the final time.

South Australia's deputy premier and Indigenous affairs minister will present their model to the referendum working group today in Adelaide before they give their final advice.

The referendum legislation will be introduced to federal parliament by the end of this month, and a second bill will outline the question to be put to Australians in the national vote later in the year.

The Climate Council claims new gas is not the solution to Australia’s future energy needs, following warnings of possible shortages this winter.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has released a gas supply update which warns of winter shortages for the east coast market, calling for a need for more gas supply.

The energy market's chief executive Daniel Westerman claims the call for an increase in supply is due to risks of high demand for heating and power generation at the same time.

But Andrew Stock from the Climate Council emphasised that finding new gas supplies is not a workable solution.

"Gas is one of the key reasons why our electricity bills are going up and up. And the longer we stay linking electricity to gas supply, the worse it will get. Gas will never make electricity cheap. What we need to be doing is to be really doubling down on our investment in renewables and storage and solar, so that we can get households off being hooked on gas particularly for gas heating in household. "

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Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson has supported the NRL's call to introduce an 11-day concussion policy.

Mr Robinson claims clubs cannot expect the league to regulate for players with a significant history of concussion, after the league introduced its 11-day policy.

On Wednesday, the NRL announced the most significant changes to its concussion policy in nearly a decade, declaring that players who suffered head knocks would be automatically sidelined for 11 days.

The change comes after Newcastle five-eighth Kalyn Ponga suffered his fourth concussion in ten months during round two, raising concerns about his future in the game.

But the new rules make no exceptions for players with a history of concussions, such as Ponga, who is expected to be out for more than 11 days.

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That was SBS News in Easy English, I'm Catriona Stirrat.


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