Financial Planner and Author Patricia Howard says Australia has a “situation” where inflation is “rising”. “We also have substantial wage growth of about four per cent,” she told Sky News Australia. Ms Howard said “we’re also looking at a federal government budget which by every indication” is “going to be inflationary”. “There’s going to be more defence spending, more spending on the NDIS, then it’s going to be followed in quick succession by the stage three tax cuts. “That’s going to put even more money into the economy and with that more pressure on prices.”

Financial Planner and Author Patricia Howard says the rate of inflation is “stubbornly staying” above three per cent. Ms Howard said the Reserve Bank of Australia wants to get the rate “back into its preferred trading range” between two and three per cent. ‘It’s stubbornly staying above 3 per cent,” she said. “The most recent figures for March are suggesting that inflation is actually about to increase. “Certainly, increased during the March quarter and there are every indications that it will continue to rise.”

A couple of finance experts are forecasting possible interest rate rises this year. This comes as the ABS this week published worse-than-expected inflation figures as the price of rentals and insurance increase. Financial Planner and Author Patricia Howard joined Sky News Australia to discuss the possibility of interest rate rises. “I think there’ll be a lot of people holding their breaths waiting for the reserve bank to announce their decision in May,” Ms Howard said. “I think all signs are showing that there’s a possibility that the reserve bank will lift interest rates … in order to get the rate of inflation under control.”

Cartoonist Mark Knight explains the “political analogy” behind the sketch of an iconic WWII photo on the Kokoda Trail and its “similarity” to Anthony Albanese and James Marape. Mr Knight’s ‘Walking Kokoda … Then and Now’ illustration shows an injured Australian Prime Minister being assisted along the path by his PNG counterpart in a mirror image from a WWII digger guided by a local tribesman. “Albo does have a few little injuries from opinion polls lately,” Mr Knight said. “So, I had James helping him down the track. “And if you look closely, Albo has that hole in his foot which is where he shot himself in the foot during the Voice referendum.”

Paramedics are treating two people at the scene of a plane crash at Mount Beauty near Falls Creek in the Victorian Alps. Emergency services responded to reports a light aircraft had crashed around 1:30pm on Saturday afternoon. The Country Fire Authority has confirmed two people were onboard the plane and are currently being assessed. Victoria Police have also arrived to assist with the situation. The incident has been announced as under control as emergency crews continue to go through their respective operations.

Small Business Women Australia’s Amanda Rose says she hopes Scott Morrison “shows some compassion” to the people who “suffered depression during the COVID-19 pandemic after the former prime minister revealed his own mental health struggles. Ms Rose’s comments come after former prime minister Scott Morrison is set to reveal details in an upcoming book on his mental health struggles. “Politics can be quite nasty,” she told Sky News Australia host Steve Price. “Show some compassion to all the people that have been impacted by his decisions and by politics. “We had a lot of people suffering depression say from the lockdowns during COVID and so forth.”

Sky News contributor Joe Hildebrand has called for the “brutality of politics” to come to an end. Mr Hildebrand’s comments come after former prime minister Scott Morrison is set to reveal details in an upcoming book on his mental health struggles. “This is why I was very dark on people smashing him up for going to Hawaii on that ill-fated family holiday,” Mr Hildebrand told Sky News Australia host Steve Price. “Sooner or later, you have got to draw a line and say these people are human beings. “It is time to lay off.”

Sky News contributor Emily Carver has blasted Meghan Markle following revelations on why she snubbed King Charles' coronation. According to reports it's alleged Meghan was unimpressed with the Royal Family’s reaction to the bombshell allegations made during her explosive Oprah Winfrey interview. “I mean this is quite incredible, what a privilege it is to be invited to the coronation … and for her to potentially have snubbed this simply because she wasn’t happy with the King’s response to what was a pretty awful interview not just rude but arrogant, dismissive,” Ms Carver told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio. “This woman clearly has no deference, no sense of authority, no sense of duty, no sense of how to communicate with the family. “She clearly feels like she was not heard enough.”

Queensland opposition likely to win election, tech issues cause delays at Melbourne’s international airport, gardener charged with murder after dispute, South Australian train drivers call off strike action, Chinese hackers targeting Australian systems, Andrew Tate to face trial in Romania. Plus, Olympic flame passed to Paris delegation. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

A prominent Melbourne squash coach has praised his student for recognising an unusual sign of prostate cancer that has prolonged his life. New research suggests prostate cancer cases will double in Australia in two decades, prompting calls for more men to get tested. The 63-year-old father of three had been experiencing heat pain for more than a year but brushed it off as a sports injury. “I had this pain in my right hip, and I just thought oh it’s a typical injury you get from squash and it would just not go away, it just nagged and nagged and was keeping me awake at night and it getting worse,” Malcolm Mc Clarty said. His student and friend of 16 years Niall Tebbutt encouraged him to take action. “I never thought something like this would happen to me,” Mr Mc Clarty said.

New data shows Australians are gravitating to feel-good brands and marketing. Speaker and Author Amanda Stevens has joined Sky News Australia to discuss the latest consumer confidence data. “Even though consumer confidence is low, it's actually up significantly on the same time last year,” Ms Stevens said. “So, when we dig a little bit deeper into the data we're seeing, given the cost of living pressures, interest rates relatively consumer confidence is quite high. “We're certainly seeing that smart marketers are really dialling into the positive messaging, feel-good nature almost sort of escapism … and those kinds of themes and messages are really resonating with consumers right now .”

Train drivers in South Australia have called off a strike which was due to affect next week's AFL Showdown. The result comes after a breakthrough in pay negotiations. The Footy Express was one of many services that have been affected by industrial action and overtime bans in recent weeks. Unions had been seeking a 20 per cent pay increase over four years but were offered a 14 per cent increase over the same period. Members will now vote on a new draft two-year deal.

Uber has announced a service for teenagers which will be launched in several Australian states, says Tech Guide Editor Stephen Fenech. “Parents are quite busy, they are taxi drivers for kids,” Mr Fenech told Sky News Australia. “What Uber has launched here is a service where the child can actually access their parents’ Uber account, book a ride, their parent gets a notification, they approve it. “They can only be picked up by highly rated drivers, they have got working with children checks as well and they are able then to track the ride. “So all the ride details are shared – there are even safety features so if the ride goes off course or stops early, parents get a notification, you can even record the audio during the ride.”

The Albanese government has announced a $161.3 million national firearms registry in partnership with all state governments. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus fronted the media on Saturday morning to announce the development. “The national firearms register is the most significant advance in Australia’s gun safety regimes since the 1996 national firearms agreement,” Mr Dreyfus told media. “This national firearms register will help ensure that police know guns are in the community, where they are and who owns them. “It will help keep all Australians, especially police officers, safe from gun violence.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles on Friday met with his Polish counterpart Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in Warsaw. The pair spoke about the two nations while announcing a $50 billion defence boost over the next decade. Poland and Australia will also co-operate in trade shows and prepare mutual offers for the development of the arms industry. “The relationship with Poland is put into sharp relief and we see that there is an enormous opportunity for our two countries to work together. " Mr Miles said. "We look forward to working with you to look at ways in which we can reach agreements in respect defence cooperation, as you said, in relation to defence industry," he said.

Chances of a royal tour of Australia later in the year are looking more likely as Buckingham Palace announces King Charles' return to public-facing duties is imminent. Buckingham Palace announced on Friday night Charles would resume royal duties. “His Majesty the King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis," the announcement read. Reporter Ian Woods joined Sky News Australia to discuss the latest on the monarch health. “You have to say it now seems much more likely that visit to Australia will go ahead,” Mr Woods said. “We know that planning for it is underway because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that last month these things don’t just happen overnight.”

Voters in Queensland are leaning towards Peter Dutton as their preferred Prime Minister. A poll conducted by YouGov shows that 45 per cent of Queenslanders believe Mr Dutton would do a better job as PM. While 37 per cent still believe in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and 18 percent cannot decide between the two. The polling shows voters in the sunshine state have split from the national mood. The latest national polling conducted last month has Mr Albanese with a 13 point lead in the battleground state.

Reporter Ian Woods has reacted to the latest news that King Charles will return to public-facing duties after responding well to cancer treatment. “It is great news, but you have got to remember he still has cancer and he still is being treated for cancer, so it is very much one step at a time,” Mr Woods said. “The only events that Buckingham Place have confirmed so far are a visit next Tuesday to a cancer treatment centre here in the UK and he's going to be hosting the emperor and the empress of Japan in June. “So those are the only two official visits.” Buckingham Palace announced on Friday night Charles would resume royal duties. "His majesty is greatly encouraged to be resuming some public-facing duties and very grateful to his medical team for their continued care and expertise,” the palace's statement read.

King Charles will return to royal public-facing duties for the first time since his cancer diagnosis in February. To mark his return, the royal couple will visit a cancer treatment centre on Tuesday, according to Buckingham Palace. A new portrait of the King and Queen has been released alongside a statement from Buckingham Palace. The palace said; "His majesty's treatment programme will continue, but doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the king is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties." "His majesty is greatly encouraged to be resuming some public-facing duties and very grateful to his medical team for their continued care and expertise,” the palace's statement read.

Meghan Markle reportedly snubbed the King’s coronation invitation because she was unimpressed with the Royal Family’s reaction to the bombshell allegations made during her explosive Oprah Winfrey interview.  Sky News contributor Emily Carver says this is “quite incredible”.  “For to potentially have snubbed this simply because she wasn’t happy with the King’s response to what was a pretty awful interview,” Ms Carver told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio.  “This woman clearly has no deference, no sense of authority, no sense of duty, no sense of how to communicate with the family.  “She clearly feels like she was not heard enough.”