SBS News In Easy English 30 June 2025
Welcome to SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat. Anthony Albanese says Australia will not increase defence spending next April as part of the national defence strategy, after calls from the US to increase the defence budget. This comes as Foreign Minister Penny Wong heads to the United States for high level discussions with counterpart Marco Rubio ahead of a meeting of Quad leaders. The US has been calling for Australia to lift its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. The Trump administration also announced this month that it would take a 30-day review of the AUKUS agreement, which will see Australia purchase US nuclear submarines. Mr Albanese says the government is engaging with the US on the matter. "Every opportunity, Australia, raises our points that we have and AUKUS benefits three countries; Australia, the UK and the US. But it does something more than that, as well, it benefits the world, because it makes our region and the world, more secure." Penny Wong is also expected to discuss tariffs during her visit to the US. From July 1 Australians will have greater access to paid parental leave, the minimum wage will go up and millions will see an increase in their Centrelink payments. Australia's lowest-paid workers will receive a pay increase, with the national minimum wage increasing by 3.5 per cent. Millions will also see an increase to Centrelink payments, with a 2.4 per cent increase to help ease the rising cost of living. Australian families will benefit from a more generous paid parental leave scheme, with the amount of government-funded leave increasing from 20 to 22 weeks. Speaking on Nine's Today Show, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says the expected changes will ease pressure on Australians. "We're not pretending that people aren't still continuing to do it pretty tough, which is why there's a whole range of support that comes in on the first of July. So it is about increasing the minimum wage and increase in super but there's also increases in payments that come from the government. There's increase in PPL, and we're paying super on PPL. There's a whole range of areas where we're providing additional assistance, there's the energy bill rebates come in." Authorities across multiple European countries are urging people to take shelter as wildfires and a punishing heatwave hit the region. Fires broke out in France and Turkiye over the weekend, with this summer's first major heatwave in Europe leaving others on high alert. Ambulances are standing by tourist sites as experts warn that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, will only get worse. Attending the UN Development Summit in Spain, Nabeeha Kazi says it's very clear that climate action is needed. 'The heat is incredible, no doubt about it. We are navigating it. We´ve been in a lot of indoor places. You know it is unfortunate that climate change is what it is. I don´t think they anticipated it will be this hot this year but we are here for an important mission which is about how we ensure that we are supporting countries that are also affected by climate change.' Nurses in Queensland are threatening industrial action after the state nurses union issued a pay deal ultimatum to the state government. The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union is calling for a 13 per cent pay rise over three years, while the state government is offering an 8 per cent rise. While voting to take protected strike action earlier in June, Queensland nurses have not walked off the job since 2022. Union secretary Sarah Beaman says the state health minister has until Tuesday to agree to the union's terms or they will escalate to stage two protected industrial action in early July. Aldrich Potgieter has ended the protracted Rocket Classic, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole to outlast Max Greyserman for his first PGA Tour title. He celebrated on Sunday by embracing his caddie and shaking hands with Greyserman and his caddie before giving his father, Heinrich, a hug. The 20-year-old Potgieter is the youngest player on the tour and its biggest hitter, averaging 326-plus yards off the tee.
That was SBS News In Easy English. I'm Catriona Stirrat.
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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Is the teen social media ban ready for rollout?
Sydney Pead Hello, I'm Sydney Pead, filling in for Sam Hawley for the next couple of weeks. Great to be with you. The countdown is on to the start of the social media ban for Australian children aged under 16. It's due to start in December, but which platforms are banned and how users will have to prove their age is yet to be revealed. Today, the ABC's national technology reporter, Ange Lavoipierre, on the many unanswered questions. On Gadigal land in Sydney, this is ABC News Daily. Ange you've been tracking this plan to ban kids under 16 from social media ever since the government announced this world-leading law last year. So just remind me, where is that ban up to? Because it's not in place yet. Ange Lavoipierre Oh, my goodness. I feel like I've been looking at and thinking about this ban for such a long time. So, yes, it was last November when the government passed this new law and this bill, an amendment to the Online Safety Act. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia Social media is doing social harm to our young Australians and I am calling time on it. I want Australian parents to know that we have your back. Ange Lavoipierre It's not in place, as you say. That's expected to happen in December. At that point, there will be a minimum age for access to major social media platforms. The minimum age is 16. So anyone younger than 16 will theoretically not be allowed to use those platforms. And it's a pretty serious consequence for those companies. Fines of up to $50 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to keep them off. So, yes, the reason that we are here in the first place is because there's just this mounting community concern. You could even sort of say panic, really, particularly from parents who felt like they were worried about their kids online and, yeah, the harms that they're being exposed to there, whether that's cyberbullying, predatory behaviour from adults, exploitative behaviour, whether they're being exposed to things they shouldn't be exposed to, you know, violent content, sexually explicit content, and, yeah, what the net effect of that is for a young person. Sydney Pead OK, so the government is bringing in this ban. They've given themselves a 12-month buffer to figure out what they're going to do. But there's still so many questions around how they're actually planning to age-proof social media. So how are they trying to figure it out? What are they doing? Ange Lavoipierre So a big part of this puzzle is something called the Age Assurance Technology Trial, which has been going on for, gosh, eight months now, but about three, four months of that included field trials. So what they were doing is taking all these different systems, technologies, tools that check people's ages, 53 companies altogether, and they, yeah, were testing out the tech, not to work out which would be the tool, the specific tool that, you know, was the one that was used ultimately. It was really more of a temperature-taking, almost, of where this technology is up to. Is the tech fit for purpose in general? So more than 1,000 high school students have been trying out these tools in a trial that's been run by a consultancy firm called KJR. They've also been testing out the technology on adults, but the really crucial testing was done in classrooms on those young people. Sydney Pead Yeah, right. So you were able to get into some of these classrooms where they're testing out some of this tech that could be on the table. So how did that play out? What were they testing exactly? Ange Lavoipierre Ok well, they were testing a lot of estimation tools. Age estimation is, you know, we're taking a stab, it's a guess. And there are a few different types, but the main one is facial age estimation, right? So scanning the face and trying to work out from a person's face how old they are, which is... Yikes. Yeah, it's about as hard as it sounds. And the tech is really impressive, I have to say, and it has come such a long way. However, what we saw, particularly at John Paul II College in Canberra, when I went along to a session there, you saw this wild variation in the results people were getting. Just sometimes decades off what their actual ages were. School kid Oh, it gave me 29, that same one. I've been told my whole life I look about four years younger than I actually am. Ange Lavoipierre So you've got this iPad and you pop your face in front of it and you sort of follow the prompts and it'll spit you out an age. And some of these kids, they were, you know, maybe 15, 16, 17. They were getting results like 37. School kid 19, 37, 26, and I think it was 23 as well. OK, wow. So, yeah, it's pretty inconsistent. School kid 13. I just got 13. Went from 15 to 40 to 13. I'm getting younger by the minute. Sydney Pead OK, so that doesn't sound especially promising. So what kind of results are we actually seeing from this technology? How accurate can it be? Ange Lavoipierre So from those classroom trials, the preliminary data that was shared with the ABC by KJR, that consultancy firm, was that facial estimation was able to get a kid's age right within 18 months about 85% of the time. That's pretty impressive technology. 18 months is a pretty big margin when you're talking about 16-year-olds. And, you know, it's only 85% of the time. This is hundreds of thousands, if not more than, you know, a million people who are kind of in that margin of error there looking at the Australian population. Sydney Pead Yeah, OK. So obviously that facial age estimation technique doesn't seem perfect, but what other tech is being trialled? Is there anything else in the toolkit there? Ange Lavoipierre You know, there's a really interesting tool that looks at how your hand movements work. I didn't know this until I started reporting on this story, but there are ligaments in your hand that they age in a really specific and linear way. So you can tell a lot about a person's age based on how their hands move. There's also voice assessment. But again, these are all estimation. So they're never going to be perfect. Other avenues for checking a person's age, I mean, you can assess their online activity, who they're friends with, what they're interested in. But, you know, there can be some red herrings there. I mean, I don't know about you, but my algorithm, sometimes it seems to think that I'm like a 60-something-year-old man based on the ads that I'm served. So really the only ironclad way to check a person's age or verify a person's age is using hard ID, government-issued ID, something like a passport or a driver's licence. Sydney Pead Alright, so kids obviously may not even have a government ID. So giving that to a tech company or to the companies who might be checking that ID on behalf of tech companies, that's pretty fraught with, you know, security and privacy issues, right? Is that still being considered? Ange Lavoipierre So important to mention that people will not be forced to hand over government ID. And the reason for that is that there was an amendment to the law, a last-minute amendment when it was passing through Parliament back in November, that means that companies, social media companies will have to offer an alternative to that government ID. What it means is that because there has to be an alternative on offer, it means that that alternative is necessarily going to be just a little bit more gameable than that hard government ID. And we don't know what the design is going to be, but say, for instance, you know, you go to log on to Instagram or Snapchat and you might get a couple of offers. It might say, hey, you can prove it using ID, you can verify your ID with this now, or you can use facial scanning tech. Now, just say you're a young person who's keen to get around the ban, you're 14 or 15, but you'd like to still create an account. You're going to opt for the facial scanning, aren't you? Because you think, well, maybe I've got a shot of tricking that. And we know that there will be alternatives on offer to government issued ID because of that amendment to the law. That's going to be one to watch. Sydney Pead Right, yeah. Well, where there's a will, there's a way. For teens, obviously. The other big issue that the government's still trying to figure out is exactly which platforms are going to be included in this ban. And YouTube was exempt from it initially, but now it could be on the chopping block for under 16s as well. Just explain that for me. Ange Lavoipierre Yeah, so the law is really broad in the types of platforms it captures. And then within that, you've got carve-outs. So you can have a carve-out if you're, you know, primarily for educational purposes, for example. Now, we did see draft rules at the beginning of this year. And the interesting thing about the draft rules was that there was a carve-out for YouTube by name. The explanatory note for that was, well, we're hearing from teachers and parents and children that YouTube's a really valuable educational resource. Now, no doubt it is. The objection raised by a lot of YouTube's competitors, in fact, pretty much all of them, they kind of formed this rare united front and made these submissions to the government and contacted the media, including me, saying this is deeply unfair. And a lot of experts really agreed with them on that. And policy folk agreed with them on that, saying, well, YouTube has a lot of the same features that apparently really worry us about their competitors. So you get to the end of a video and then the next one will just play. Also, you've got algorithmically driven recommendation systems. And you have a lot of content on YouTube that is not fit for children. Now, what we saw recently was that the e-safety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, she came back to the government saying really unambiguously that YouTube should not be exempted. She made that point more fully at National Press Club. Julie Inman Grant, eSaftey Commissioner This wasn't just about YouTube. Our recommendation was that no specific platform be exempted because, as I said, the relative risks and harms can change at any given moment. Ange Lavoipierre She presented some research the office of the e-safety commissioner had done that surveyed more than 2,600 kids between the ages of 10 and 15. And they found that YouTube was the most frequently cited platform in their research, finding out where kids experience harm online. Julie Inman Grant, eSaftey Commissioner Alarmingly around seven in ten kids say they have encountered harmful content including misogynistic or hateful material, dangerous online challenges, violent fight videos and content promoting disordered eating. Sydney Pead So YouTube is obviously going to push back against this. It's claiming it's not a social media site. It's primarily a video streaming platform. But I guess we'll need to wait and see what the minister decides when she hashes out all the rules in the coming months as to who will be in and who will be out. But let's just take a step back because we're already in July, Ange. And the ban's supposed to be in place by December. That's less than six months away. I suppose the big tech companies are pretty keen to know what's going on too, because they're the ones who are going to be punished under these laws, as you say, not parents. So what are the tech firms saying? Ange Lavoipierre Yeah, to say they're keen to know what the plan is is the understatement of the century, I think. There does seem to be a degree of acceptance. You've seen a slew of announcements from those social media companies since the bill was passed into law, outlining all the different ways that, you know, they're trying to make their platforms safer for kids and build in more parental controls, build in more safety features. You can imagine, although I can't read minds, that they're hoping that that will mitigate the situation for them and perhaps help convince the government that they're able to cooperate and that the stick needn't be wielded so readily because $50 million fines per breach, that can really add up. Sydney Pead Well, the government is obviously very committed to this ban. There's a lot of public support for it, especially from worried parents. But what should parents realistically expect from these laws? Can the legislation really save kids from all the harmful material and the potential abuse and the online bullying? How realistic is this at this point? Ange Lavoipierre Everyone's saying, this isn't gonna be perfect. So yeah, I think it would be wise for parents to manage their expectations. We got some hints from Julie Inman Grant at the National Press Club. When she said something interesting, she said that we may still be building this plane a little as we're flying it. Interesting metaphor, because that's not really what you want for a plane. Luckily, this isn't a plane, but it does give us a sense that it may be a work in progress as it gets up and running. We are still in the dark to a large extent about what this ban's gonna look like. And we're less than six months out. We'll know more in the next few months once the minister makes decisions, and once social media platforms start telling us how it's gonna look in the wild. Sydney Pead Ange Lavoipierre is the ABC's National Technology Reporter. This episode was produced by Kara Jensen-Mackinnon. Audio production by Sam Dunn. Our supervising producer is David Coady. I'm Sydney Pead. ABC News Daily will be back again tomorrow. Thanks for listening.
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Future hinges on bridging Australia's digital skills gap
Australia's economic future hinges on the strength and adaptability of its digital workforce. As technology continues to reshape industries, services and the nature of work itself, demand for tech talent is surging – and fast. To keep pace, we need to rethink how we attract, train and support the next generation of tech talent. Traditional career and education paths alone won't meet the scale or diversity of demand. From Agentic and Generative AI (GenAI) to quantum computing and advanced robotics, emerging technologies are redefining how we work, and the capabilities businesses need to stay competitive. Among these advances, GenAI, and now Agentic AI, stand out as the most transformative. Their rapid evolution and adoption are not only reshaping the tools we use, but the very nature of work. A recent Mercer report found that nearly three-quarters of Australian organisations are already experimenting with AI tools, and more than a quarter are actively developing formal AI strategies, particularly within IT functions. Yet from a skills perspective, many Australian organisations aren't prepared to make the most of AI. The Women in Tech report by RMIT Online and Deloitte Access Economics found that over a third of employers say their workforce either lacks or has outdated tech skills. As future-facing technology adoption grows, so too does the need for a workforce that can guide, collaborate with, and govern AI responsibly. To remain competitive in a digitally driven economy, organisations must go beyond building AI capabilities. They must invest in their people, equipping them with the skills, confidence and adaptability to thrive alongside AI, not be left behind by it. Clearly, AI implementation is contributing to a sense of uncertainty and instability in some workplaces. According to Deloitte's 2025 Human Capital Trends report, 75 per cent of thousands of workers surveyed globally feel they need greater stability at work in the future. As AI transforms how work gets done, the role of people leaders must evolve. Managing tasks and outputs is no longer enough. Leaders need to become coaches who help their teams navigate change and develop skills that have the greatest potential to create value for both the organisation and individual. Tina McCreery is Chief Human Resources Officer at Deloitte Australia. We also need more flexible and accessible entry points – especially for individuals from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds. This includes women, who still represent just 30 per cent of the tech workforce. The Women in Tech report identified more than 660,000 women in Australia who could reskill into technology roles in six months through short courses or on-the-job training, boosting their earning potential by more than $30,000 annually. Inclusive, targeted programs have the power to turn this potential into real progress. One program helping lead the way is Deloitte's Digital Career Compass. Designed for people navigating life transitions or barriers to employment, the 12-week program equips participants with foundational tech training, industry-recognised certifications, business readiness skills and one-on-one mentoring. The goal isn't just to upskill, but to create genuine pathways into sustainable tech careers. Katherine, 43, learned about the Digital Career Compass program just a year after a family event had left her in significantly diminished economic circumstances. Through the program, she learned to build foundational technology knowledge and received expert support to apply that knowledge to complete a Salesforce certification. Upon completion, she was equipped not just with technical skills, but the confidence and business readiness to thrive. Though she initially applied for an entry-level role at Deloitte Australia, her performance and potential meant she progressed quickly, not only transforming her career but also bringing much needed talent, skills and capability. Programs like this show what's possible when we empower people with the tools and the opportunity to succeed because as GenAI becomes embedded across industries, the demand for digitally fluent and adaptable talent will only accelerate. Meeting this demand requires more than technical training. We need to continuously embed AI fluency across every level of the organisation. When employees feel confident using AI tools, they're more empowered to contribute, collaborate, and innovate. Equally important is fostering a culture of experimentation where people are encouraged to explore AI hands-on. This builds the resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving mindset that future-fit organisations will depend on. With bold thinking and collaborative action, we can close Australia's digital skills gap and build a workforce that's not only ready for what's next but equipped to shape it. While the challenge is urgent, the solution is within reach. Tina McCreery is Chief Human Resources Officer at Deloitte Australia. - Disclaimer This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication. About Deloitte Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ('DTTL'), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see to learn more. Copyright © 2025 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. -
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
$74,800 rise: Brisbane hits $1m as Qld set to boom
Brisbane has officially joined the ranks of the world's million-dollar house markets, with home prices soaring by the largest dollar increase among all Australian capital cities. The latest PropTrack Home Price Index, released Tuesday, has locked in the Queensland capital's median house price at $1.015m, as it flagged a fresh boom in prices out of regional Queensland. Brisbane homes (houses and units) spiked by the equivalent of an average salary, rising $74,800 in the past 12 months without owners lifting a finger - with the biggest driver coming out of units which jumped a massive 12.9 per cent, up $82,300 in just one year to $708,000, while houses rose by $68,300 (6.93pc) to notch its $1.015m level. Brisbane's median price for all dwellings now sits at $908,000, marking an 8.26pc increase for the year to June, but experts are predicting the next big surge will come from regional Queensland, which is already outpacing Brisbane, seeing its home price rise 9.2pc in 12 months to $719,000 — a jump of $70,700 in one year. Townsville leads the charge as not just the strongest Queensland SA4 region but the top performer in Australia, with an 18.7pc rise in its median home price to $546,000 over the past year. Cash-strap student turns $40k to 38 homes Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday recorded a 14.98pc surge, bringing its median to $550,000, closely followed by Central Queensland's 14.72pc rise to $531,000. Areas west of Brisbane city also showed strong results: Toowoomba rose 13.01pc to $674,000, Ipswich increased 11.36pc to $754,000, and Darling Downs-Maranoa jumped 9.98pc to $457,000. Across regional Queensland, Wide Bay notched a 9.69pc rise to $596,000, Cairns climbed 8.62pc to $571,000, Gold Coast rose 8.02pc to $1.066m, Queensland-Outback increased 6.74pc to $267,000, and Sunshine Coast was up 5.23pc to $1.076m. REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh said Brisbane continued to see strong performance despite affordability constraints slowing the pace of growth. 'Prices are continuing to lift, and we're expecting that they will continue to do so,' she said. 'Affordability is a significant challenge even with interest rates falling.' Ms Creagh said many existing homeowners were now using accumulated equity to upgrade or purchase investment properties, often less expensive options on Brisbane's outskirts or in regional Queensland. MORE: Govt pays $3.3m for unliveable derelict house Shock as city's distressed home listings surge 36pc in one month Real Estate Institute of Queensland head Antonia Mercorella said there was extraordinary strength in Queensland's property market. 'Brisbane is playing catch up,' she said. 'Quite frankly, we have often been overlooked, Sydney and Melbourne have been the cities to watch.' Ms Mercorella expected to see a flight of investment capital to more affordable areas, especially across Queensland's regions. 'Regional Queensland, even though we have seen strong price growth as a general rule, is a more affordable option compared to the southeast corner in many cases.' But she warned new housing supply would ultimately determine how prices shape up. 'When we're talking about affordability and accessibility, all roads lead back to supply.' 'Anyone who's trying to get their foot on the ladder is all too familiar with this price growth,' she said. 'It's timely that the government's shared equity scheme beginning this month has a threshold of $1m reflecting market reality.' Across the greater Brisbane region's SA4s, Brisbane-North was up 9.78pc to $1.019m, Moreton Bay-North rose 9.37pc to $825,000, Logan-Beaudesert increased 8.4pc to $784,000, Brisbane-East climbed 8.22pc to $1.027m, Moreton Bay-South jumped 7.7pc to $902,000, Brisbane Inner City rose 7.21pc to $940,000, Brisbane-South increased 6.42pc to $1.159m, and Brisbane-West climbed 6.02pc to $1.191m.
