Can dried cranberries be used? I live in Australia and can’t access fresh cranberries. Will recipe work if dried fruit soaks overnight in juice?

Lynne - short answer is yes, you can use dried cranberries instead of fresh. Rehydrate (with either boiling water or hot fruit juice) before adding to the recipe. More details in this linked article.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/351370-how-to-rehydrate-dried-cranberries/

Another option - if you can find frozen cranberries in your stores, they can be used 1:1 for fresh ones.

Last, here are a couple recipes for cranberry chutney or compote that I have found tasty and reliable.

https://food52.com/recipes/40360-cranberry-chutney-white-wine
https://food52.com/recipes/78152-cranberry-ginger-sage-chutney