SBS News In Easy English 20 November 2024

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TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I’m Catriona Stirrat.
A union has agreed to delay strike action that threatens to shutdown the Sydney train network.
A strike was due to start tomorrow night but is now expected to begin on Friday.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union agreed to the concession which will mean thousands of Pearl Jam fans will be able to get to and from Sydney Olympic Park to attend the rock band’s Thursday night concert.
New South Wales Transport Minister Jo Haylen says it’s a small concession and she’s calling for the union to keep negotiating over a new enterprise agreeement.
“The actions are still in place for Friday and Saturday causing potential massive disruption to our network and meaning that people can’t get where they need to go. Now the only way to keep our network running and to make sure people can get where they need to go is for the union to withdraw their industrial actions that are currently in place for Friday and Saturday and that remains our ask of the unions.”
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Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, says his team is ready to work with Donald Trump.
In the past, Kevin Rudd has been highly critical of the president-elect calling him a threat to democracy.
In a video address from Washington to United States Studies Centre, Ambassador Rudd says he and his team are ready for a Trump administration.
“Here at the embassy, we’ve been working hard through the course of the last year to ensure that we were well prepared for this moment. And the bottom line is, we’re ready. The team here at the embassy and the government of Australia are ready to work closely with the new Trump administration to continue to realise the benefits of what is a very strong economic and security partnership.”
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Older Australians will be able to use their retirement savings more effectively under a government reform to improve the quality and transparency of superannuation.
The federal government will improve resources on its financial advice website Moneysmart and improve regulations around innovative income streams, which will give super members more options.
The superannuation industry will also be subject to a new set of voluntary best practice principles to improve the quality of their offerings, while a new reporting framework will allow retirees to see how their super products are performing and compare it to others.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the retirement phase will become increasingly important as the population ages.
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A new report by Australia’s cyber spy agency has found private schools, aged care homes and real estate agencies are among the top targets for cyber hackers.
The Australian Signals Directorate says there were more than 87,000 cybercrimes reported in the past year and the agency took more than 36,000 calls to the Australian Cyber Security Hotline which is a 12 per cent increase.
The Coalition’s spokesman for Cyber Security, Senator James Paterson, says people should never pay money to criminals if they are the victim of a cyber attack.
“Because there is no guarantee that your data will be returned or released and there is no guarantee that you won’t be victimised again and in making that payment, you are helping this business model and supporting this business model. But in some circumstances people still do make the choice to pay and unfortunately that sends a signal to cyber criminals that their crime does pay and they continue to do it.”
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In football, the Socceroos have retained the second automatic qualifiying place in their World Cup group by drawing 2-ALL in Bahrain.
The team took the lead early and had a 1-NIL second half lead before conceding two goals in two minutes.
An injury time equaliser from Kusini Yengi ensured the Socceroos retain second place in the group.
That was SBS News In Easy English. I’m Catriona Stirrat.