Queensland Opposition leader David Crisafulli has blasted the Queensland government for not doing “what mattered when it mattered”. “The government’s slogan for this budget is ‘Doing what matters’, yet they are now telling Queenslanders what they have done in the past no longer matters,” Mr Crisafulli said during his budget reply speech on Thursday. “The record shows this government did not do what mattered when it mattered. “Queenslanders are paying for that fact today.”

Former Labor senator Stephen Conroy says Opposition leader Peter Dutton is able to “attack from all sides” because he does “not” have a policy. Mr Dutton said he would not quit the Paris Accord or give up on net zero. It is understood Mr Dutton's recent dismissal of the 2030 climate target was due to the goal being unachievable. “The majority of the Australian public has demonstrated, by the last election … that we need to move to renewables, and they would like to move to them as fast as we can,” Mr Conroy told Sky News host Paul Murray. “The challenge for Labor has always been … is that it absolutely says gas has to be part of this transition. “Peter Dutton’s position of saying I’m not going to tell you – it’s too hard to do out of government. “I’ve seen experiments like this before – not having a policy – you’re able to attack from all sides, frankly.”

Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick says the Australian government needs to discuss the safety of gender identity services for children. This follows the American College of Paediatricians urging medical bodies to abandon support for gender-affirming care for transgender youths. “The interesting thing about what they said in the US was they were also referring to social transitioning,” Mr Limbrick told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “Which is not medically involved but it’s also, as was pointed out in the Cass review, a serious active intervention that needs to be considered carefully. “And in Victoria, we don’t do that.”

Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick says Australia has its “head in the sand” regarding handling gender identity services for children. This follows the American College of Paediatricians urging medical bodies to abandon support for gender-affirming care for transgender youths. “We’ve had many of these reviews now, like the Cass review, and many countries have been doing a U-turn… but Australia just seems to be putting its head in the sand,” Mr Limbrick told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “There was a response from the health minister for the Victorian government just recently in response to a petition on this topic and they basically just said everything’s going fine. “Governments, they’ve been captured by these activists. “They have to face reality - that what’s happening is being questioned, and we need to look it at much more seriously.”

A massive blaze has erupted within a liquid asphalt storage facility at an oil refinery in Iraq’s northern city of Erbil. According to local media, witnesses heard three explosions before the outbreak of the fire. A dozen firefighting teams are trying to put it out. All the workers managed to escape early. No casualties have been reported thus far.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Opposition leader Peter Dutton will “damage our economy” if he rips up the Albanese government’s emissions targets. Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he will not quit the Paris Accord or give up on net zero. It is understood Mr Dutton's recent dismissal of the 2030 climate target was due to the goal being unachievable. “Peter Dutton’s a very risky proposition when it comes to the economy, and I think this commentary shows that once again,” Mr Chalmers told Sky News Australia. “If he rips up emissions targets, that will send a shiver up the spine of the Australian investment community. “One of the reasons we have these targets is to provide certainty to investors, to businesses and to workers so everybody knows our ambition, and everybody knows what we’re working towards. “If Peter Dutton rips that up, it will create extreme investor uncertainty; it will damage our economy, and our workers, businesses, employers and investors will be poorer for it.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond says there is a “genocide” being conducted on Australian chickens. “We know there are only five outbreaks currently in Victoria of bird flu – they have been contained,” he said. “A genocide is being perpetrated upon the chickens in order to stop the proliferation of bird flu.”

Former speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop discusses South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas' announcement to ban political donations. "I think the idea of eliminating donations just widens the gap between those who are in power or elected, even those in opposition from the people who are being governed," she told Sky News host Paul Murray. "It is morally wrong in a democracy."

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says the Central Land Council booked flights out on the only day they are “supposed to be available”. “The Central Land Council decided to book their flight out in the middle of the day,” she said. “On the only day that’s held for the Indigenous portfolio where all land councils are supposed to be available.”

Sky News Caleb Bond discusses the US President's son Hunter Biden's gun charges. "Trump got done for the hush money stuff because it might have influenced the presidential election," Mr Bond said. "Now, sort of tit for tat, we got over here proof as well that the justice system is total unbiased because we got Hunter Biden on something, you know, but there is a lot of other stuff  that they could well have gone him for and chose not to do."

Sky News host Caleb Bond has reacted to animal rights activists defacing the first official portrait of King Charles III.  On Tuesday, two campaigners were seen plastering over the artwork with a picture of a character from the famous British animation series Wallace and Gromit.  “If you look at the original version of the King Charles portrait – I reckon that was actually an improvement,” Mr Bond said.  “I reckon it looks better now with Wallace on it.”

Sky News host Paul Murray says rental stock in Victoria has “gone down” by 15,600 properties. “Meaning there’s 15,000 less places to rent this year compared to last year in Victoria,” Mr Murray said. “Not enough houses for the people who live here already let alone the number of people who keep being tipped into the country”.

The Australian Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says Anthony Albanese doesn’t “talk sense” on issues regarding the Middle East. Hamas has submitted a response to a UN-backed ceasefire proposal expressing readiness to positively reach a deal. “The whole world wants to two state solution but that’s further away than our nuclear submarines,” Mr Sheridan said.

The Australian’s Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton says both Donald Trump and Hunter Biden are victims of the “weaponisation of the justice system”. A jury on Tuesday (local time) found the 54-year-old son of US President Joe Biden guilty on three felony gun charges. Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison and a huge fine, though it is not expected he will receive the maximum penalty given he is a first-time offender. “It’s a pretty sad day for the US justice system for both cases but the irony is that I don’t think it’s really going to have an effect on the political outcome – either for Trump or the Biden family.”

Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie says the Chinese military has “breached” a “number of boundaries”. “In any relationship, there has to be boundaries,” Mr Hastie told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “We saw last year our navy divers experience a sonar attack whilst underwater from a Chinese destroyer.”

The Australian’s Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton says it’s “not surprising” French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been gaining popularity. French President Emmanuel Macron has called a snap election as the far-right national rally trounced the president's party in the EU elections. “All the forecasts are that she will probably win in 2027,” Mr Creighton told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “The so-called far-right parties; the growth of them is a symptom of widespread dissatisfaction with rampant immigration, with rising prices and ... fear of a war with Russia.”

Sky News contributor Gary Hardgrave says the Queensland government has “lost its way” after it recently published its budget. “It is the walking dead”, he told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “They can’t wait until the 24th of October because all of the traps that they’ve set for an incoming Crisafulli government are already in place.”

Filmmaker Ami Horowitz says US President Joe Biden is “in a bit of a pickle” after his son Hunter was found guilty on gun charges. A jury on Tuesday (local time) found the 54-year-old son of US President Joe Biden guilty on three felony gun charges. Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison and a huge fine, though it is not expected he will receive the maximum penalty given he is a first-time offender. “This was really an open and shut, clear-cut case,” Mr Horowitz told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

Australia seems to be “putting its head in the sand” when it comes to calling out life-changing gender treatments for underage kids, Victorian Libertarian Party MP David Limbrick. “There was a response from the Health Minister for the Victorian government just recently in response to a petition on this topic,” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “And they basically said everything is going fine.”

Filmmaker Ami Horowitz says the Biden administration simply does not want to “piss off” the left flank of the Democratic Party. Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the White House to protest the Israel-Gaza war. “Their miscalculation is, it’s that kind of behaviour which is losing them the election with the more important constituency which is the independents,” Mr Horowitz told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “The independents look at this and they are disgusted by it.”