The Albanese government is making sure “every state gets its fair share” of infrastructure funding, says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. His remarks come after he announced his commitment of an extra $3.25 billion to Victoria’s North East Link. “On its merits – this is a great project,” Mr Albanese said during a media conference on Thursday. “This is a vital piece of the missing links that are here in Melbourne. “It’s not just about where we are now and the magnificent tunnels that will be built here – it’s about the other upgrades that will occur, including to the M80.”

Former CIA chief of counterterrorist operations John Kiriakou says he can’t “imagine” a situation where the United States cuts off the delivery of weapons to Israel. Mr Kiriakou’s comments come as the US reviews their weapon shipment to Israel. “The delay is temporary, it’ll likely remain temporary,” Mr Kiriakou told Sky News Australia. “I can’t imagine a situation where the US actually cuts off the delivery of weapons to Israel. “It’s a good move symbolically right now, but it won’t last.”

Independent MP Dai Le has pushed for a recent debate over same-sex books being banned from public libraries to remain focused on protecting children. The New South Wales government has threatened to cut funding to some Western Sydney libraries after a local council voted to ban books from public libraries showing same-sex parents. The move has been met with backlash, with thousands of people signing an online petition to overturn the ruling. “What we need to be reminded of in this whole discussion here is children,” she told Sky News Australia. “It’s so critical that children, no matter what faith, what background, what cultural background, what upbringing, our children need to be so protected.”

Lowy Institute Senior Fellow Richard McGregor says in many respects Australia is the “most vulnerable” to Chinese pressure. Mr McGregor says the Chinese would “certainly think that”. “The most important country in this respect to the Philippines is the US which is a treaty ally … Japan is also important," Mr McGregor told Sky News Australia. “Australia is an important third partner in that aspect. “We are the smallest partner … compared to Japan and the United States. “I think China sees us, wants to put pressure on us and so far, the government has stepped up and stood its ground. “I think we’re going to see more of this.”

A Gold Coast women’s shelter is being forced to turn away domestic violence victims amid an overflow of women fleeing for their lives. At the heart of the crisis at the Women, Children and Pet refuge lies bureaucratic hurdles, preventing beds from being used by those in dire need. “I turn away so many every day. 15, 20 a day through Facebook, through Instagram, through email, through text message, through phone calls,” The Sanctuary Women, Children, and Pets Refuge CEO Simone McKeown said. The Sanctuary Women’s Refuge can’t work to its full capacity due to bureaucratic red tape, as three rooms must remain vacant since it doesn’t comply with the Department of Housing. “Why not fund it and help and go, ok, if you weren’t meeting certain compliance steps, what can we do to help you, instead of, if you don’t do it, we shut you down,” Ms McKeown said. Despite a recent boost in funding for domestic violence, the Sanctuary Women’s Refuge has received just $8,000 since opening in 2018 and relies solely on the generosity of donors to keep its doors open. If you or anyone you know needs support: 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 Lifeline: 13 11 14 Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

Prince Harry has made a rare return to the UK with no signs of a thawing in relations between himself and the rest of the Royal family. The Duke of Sussex attended a service to mark 10 years of the Invictus Games while his father hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace. At the ceremony, Prince Harry was greeted not by the royal side of his family, but by Princess Diana’s brother and sister. He was surrounded by his military family, however, Meghan Markle was not with him, nor was the King. At Buckingham Palace, the other side of the Royal Family were instead supporting King Charles at the garden party.

CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski says the ASX 200 is predicted to kick off “ever so slightly in negative territory”. “The Futures are telling us we will be down by around 0.1 of a per cent,” he told Sky News Australia. “We have really been in a bit of a holding pattern the last couple of days. “Yesterday, the market only up by about 0.1 of a per cent – the positive there being that we have preserved that very significant improvement on Tuesday.” Presented by CommSec.

Labor is under pressure to vote down a resolution which would admit Palestine as a full member of the United Nations. In a letter to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry warns acts of mass terrorism should not be rewarded. The letter also argued that voting to admit Palestine without a functioning state was inconsistent with past practice. This is after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conceded that the popular pro-Palestinian chant ‘from the river to the sea’ undermined a two-state solution. The news comes as both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests escalate across Australia.

Melbourne’s Monash University has ordered the removal of certain anti-Israel signs as protests at Australian universities increase. Legal advice to the institution has deemed ‘Zionists not welcome’ slogans as harassment and vilification. It follows Jewish students and staff reporting fears for their safety on campuses around the country. Both pro-Palestine and pro-Israeli protests have been established at multiple universities. Universities have reported a reluctance to send in police over concerns that could lead to clashes which were seen in American colleges.

Sky News host Caleb Bond has raised concerns over Queensland Premier Steven Miles’ $1,000 cash rebate, claiming it is a “stimulus package” and not a subsidy for power bills. “If you can spend this money on anything you like, it’s essentially a stimulus package,” Mr Bond said. “Now what happens when you give people a stimulus package? They bloody well spend it. “And what happens when people spend lots of money en masse? It creates inflation. “What happens when you have inflation? Your power bills go up.”

Staff at La Trobe University have been told not to intervene if a protestor disrupts their class or lecture. An email sent to La Trobe University staff on Wednesday addressed the pro-Palestine protest on campus and that protestors may affect classes. “If protesters enter your classes, we would ask that you refrain from intervening and allow them to share the information they wish to,” the email read. “If they stay for longer than five minutes, we request that you notify security.” Sky News host Caleb Bond slammed the move from the University. “Once again we have just handed a green light to these protestors – to do whatever they want,” Mr Bond said.

Sky News host James Macpherson calls out New South Wales' government hypocrisy over their threat to withhold funding from Cumberland City Council after they banned a same-sex parenting book. The Western Sydney Councillor who banned the books, Steve Christou, told Sky News Australia they were 'reflecting the views of what we feel is the majority of our local community'. “This is a state government where a local council decides we don’t want the Australian flag being shown, and the government are mute," Mr Macpherson said. “A local council can decides we are not going to promote Australia Day, and the government are mute. “But the council says we aren’t going to promote same-sex parenting and all of a sudden, the state government says we’re are going to withdraw funding. “Where was the Arts Minister when Roald Dahl books were being edited and removed from libraries?”

Daily Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers says King Charles's decision not to meet with Prince Harry while the Duke of Sussex is in the UK “speaks volumes”. The Duke of Sussex arrived in the UK on Tuesday ahead of the 10th Anniversary of the Invictus Games. It was revealed that Prince Harry would not be able to meet King Charles due to the King's busy schedule. “The fact that the King hasn’t got time to see his own son when he was just three miles away from him yesterday speaks volumes I think,” Mr Myers told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “And certainly people on Harry’s side on the weekend were telling me that he was making plans to see the King. “So whether something has happened in this sort of intervening time, whether words have been exchanged we don’t know but it's certainly a strange series of affairs over the last few days.”

The Australian's Media Writer Sophie Elsworth has weighed in on Prince Harry’s relationship with his family. Ms Elsworth’s remarks come as Prince Harry's spokesperson revealed the Duke of Sussex would not be able to meet King Charles due to the King's busy schedule. “It's pretty embarrassing for Prince Harry,” Ms Elsworth told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “He’s treated his family I would argue incredibly poorly and what comes around goes around when you throw your whole family under the bus. “He's not going to see his father, or his brother, or Princess Catherine. “I mean this is how bad things have got, this is the biggest falling out of such a high-profile family on the global scale, they can't even stand each other in a room for a few minutes.”

Former Labor Senator Stephen Conroy says the Chinese government “could not give a stuff” what Australia says. Mr Conroy told Sky News host Paul Murray that China will “play us on a break” whenever they can. This comes after a fighter jet from the People’s Liberation Army-Air Force dropped flares in the immediate flight path of an ADF Seahawk conducting routine operations off HMAS Hobart in the Yellow Sea on Saturday night. “So, the most substantive thing that Australia can do is to continue as we have been doing – opposing their coercion and bribery in the Pacific Islands. “Working to build the alliance network across the Indo-Pacific.”

Former Brexit leader and GB News host Nigel Farage says the one thing that is certain in the lead-up to the next general election is the Tories are “toast.” It follows the Conservative Party’s devastating defeat at UK local elections last week where they lost more than 400 seats. “What is for certain is the Tories are toast,” Mr Farage told Sky News Australia host Paul Murray. “They are gone. “It’s over, in fact manner of their former voters hate them for what they’ve done, and for their breach of promises. “Labour are going to form the next government.”

Former Speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop says that people “can’t believe a word” Anthony Albanese says. Ms Bishop told Sky News host Paul Murray that Anthony Albanese has “accepted his role” as the head of a “vassal state”. This comes after a fighter jet from the People’s Liberation Army-Air Force dropped flares in the immediate flight path of an ADF Seahawk conducting routine operations off HMAS Hobart in the Yellow Sea on Saturday night. The Opposition leader called on the Prime Minister to pick up the phone to Xi Jinping after the incident. “All he wants is that when the election comes, the Communist Party of China will send messages out to the diaspora that’s here in Australia.”

Sky News host Sharri Markson says there are reports King Charles is “refusing” to meet with Prince Harry. “Well, Prince Harry is in London but there are reports the King is refusing to meet with his own son,” Ms Markson said. “Surely the King can find time for a cup of tea or a cucumber sandwich with Harry. “Or whatever it is the Royals eat.” Ms Markson sat down with Daily Mirror Royal Editor Russell Myers to discuss the King’s reaction to Prince Harry’s book ‘Spare’.

A new poll has revealed Australians are not convinced by the Albanese Government's renewable energy plan. An SEC Newgate Mood of the Nation poll conducted in April shows only 40 per cent of voters are confident that Labor’s 43 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 target would be met. And only 37 per cent are confident that we'd reach net zero by 2050. Sky News host Sharri Markson has discussed the latest finding from the poll with Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas and former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger. “Just in case there’s any Australian politicians who haven’t quite cottoned on to this yet – the Australian public are not mugs,” Mr Zempilas said. “The Australian public are saying no – we can’t see it at that moment.”

Sky News Australia host Liz Storer feels the mental health crisis is not discussed enough in relation to the staggering rise in youth crime. The latest national data shows youth offender rates have increased for the first time in more than a decade. “What we don’t talk about enough is obviously happy, healthy kids do not engage in criminal activity,” Ms Storer told Sky News Australia host Chris Kenny. “We do know that we have a mental health crisis here in this country, which is disproportionately affecting our young people. “They’re growing up in a world that is unrecognisable, thanks to technology. “Unrecognisable for their parents, and the toll that is taking on kids mental health, and how they feel about the world and their place in it.”