SBS News in Easy English 14 January 2025
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A woman remains in hospital after being stabbed at a Queensland supermarket.
Her condition is listed as critical but stable at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton is in Ipswich as he continues his unofficial election campaign, and has told supporters the Coalition supports an emphasis on law and order reform because of incidents like this.
“This matter is obviously before the courts so I won’t make any comment in relation to it specifically. But I would point out that the Coalition has had a policy for a long time now to introduce uniform knife laws across the country. We’ve done a lot of work in relation to Jack’s Law and working with the Beazley family. And again, one of the core strengths of a Coalition government is law and order and making sure that we can put everything possible in place to keep people safe.”
A review into the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre in Western Australia has found detainees are being held in cells with no toilets or running water.
The Commonwealth National Preventative Mechanism Ombudsman’s report has also concluded detainees have limited access to support services and family visits.
Refugee advocates say the findings indicate a disturbing disregard for basic human rights.
Around 160 people are currently detained at the facility, with 29 of those held there for more than 6 years.
Dangerously high winds are expected to return to Los Angeles.
It’s feared the dry Santa Ana winds of up to 80-110 kilometres per hour could jeopardise efforts to contain two massive wildfires that have levelled whole neighbourhoods and claimed the lives of at least two dozen people.
Officials say fire crews have been able to keep the fires from spreading overnight and are preparing for the increased winds in the days ahead.
Major General Pat Ryder says the National Guard has also been helping out.
“As part of our ongoing support to California, over 1,800 California National Guardsmen have been activated to assist with the firefighting efforts, including hand crews, rotary wing aircraft and military police that are working in support of local law enforcement. Additionally, eight C-130s equipped with the modular airborne firefighting system, or MAFS, are currently on station at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station to support aerial firefighting efforts.”
A national strategy for autism has been unveiled in Australia.
The action plan aims to address the social and economic exclusion often experienced by autistic people, as well as improve access to diagnosis and support services.
National Autism Strategy Oversight Council co-chair and autistic person Clare Gibellini says the strategy recognises change is needed.
A mother and daughter are among four people dead in a fiery crash after an SUV was deliberately driven on the wrong side of a highway in Perth.
Western Australia Police say they believe the SUV driver went the wrong way deliberately before crashing into the taxi the pair were travelling in.
Dashcam footage from an SUV shows the driver turning onto the off-ramp of the highway before making their way along the road at high speed.
Health Minister Mark Butler has called on psychiatrists in New South Wales to keep negotiating with the state government, despite their decision to quit en masse.
Around 200 psychiatrists have already submitted their resignations after the union’s request for a 25 per cent pay rise was denied.
Minister Butler says there is a lot at stake for everyone.
“I understand this is largely the product of a wage dispute, or wage negotiation between the public psychiatrists on the one hand and the New South Wales government on the other. I really urge them both to get back to the table and to resolve this in the interests of patients.”
One home has been destroyed and another six evacuated after a landslide struck a coastal hill in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
It’s understood the destroyed house was empty after it had been hit by a smaller landslide about a week before.
Victoria’s acting premier Ben Carroll says there have been no previous concerns about the stability of residences in that area.
“First and foremost, my thoughts are with the family in this house, it must be devastating for them. And obviously their neighbours as well. So, this will be something that obviously the Planning Minister, the Minister for Building, all authorities will look at what’s happened here (and) consult with the local council. But it hasn’t been an issue that’s been raised previously.”
