Shadow Environment Minister Jonathon Duniam says the Labor government’s Nature Positive Plan is going to be a “disaster”. It includes establishing an independent Environment Protection Agency, armed with the power to immediately halt any activity in breach of environmental law. Penalties for the worst offenders could be as much as $780 million or seven years behind bars. Mr Duniam said the government has only announced a “new bureaucracy” and is “in over its head”. “It is going to be a disaster when they do eventually bring laws in,” he told Sky News Australia.

Shadow Environment Minister Jonathon Duniam says the Labor government is “in over its head” with its Nature Positive Plan. It includes establishing an independent Environment Protection Agency, armed with the power to immediately halt any activity in breach of environmental law. Penalties for the worst offenders could be as much as $780 million or seven years behind bars. “Today the minister [Tanya Plibersek] has embarrassingly stepped out to announce a new bureaucracy – administering the laws that were in place for the last 20 years,” Mr Duniam told Sky News Australia. “When asked today in her press conference, would we have them in this term of parliament – it was a big fat no.”

Shadow Environment Minister Jonathon Duniam says there are plenty of ways to improve the Labor government’s Nature Positive Plan “all over the shop”. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced the new reforms on Tuesday. “There are better ways of doing this all over the shop,” Mr Duniam told Sky News Australia. “Providing certainty upfront about where you can and can’t commission new projects, I think, is a good way of doing it. “But I would not trust Canberra to get it right.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has officially declared the Sydney church stabbing a terrorist act. A religious leader was stabbed multiple times at his pulpit by a teenager in Southwest Sydney on Monday Night. At least four people are believed to be injured, and currently undergoing treatment in hospital. Ms Webb told media Monday that following “consideration of all the material” she has declared the incident a terrorist act. Ms Webb also confirmed that Strike Force Petrina has been established to investigate the terrorist element to the incident.

Greens Senator Nick McKim has told Woolworths Group Chief Executive Brad Banducci he is “not interested” in his “bulls**t” after Mr Banducci claimed he had answered Mr McKim’s question. The chief executives of Coles and Woolworths are facing a Senate inquiry today as the government continues its investigation into price gouging. Mr McKim advised Mr Banducci that it is “open to the Senate to hold a witness in contempt when they refuse to answer a legitimate question,” to which Mr Banducci said he had answered the question “many times”. Mr McKim responded, “You have not answered the question, Mr Banducci. “Honestly, I’m not in interested in your spin or your bulls**t – this is a Senate Inquiry; answer the question.”

Prince Harry has lost an initial bid to appeal against a High Court ruling over his security when he’s in the UK. The Duke of Sussex plans to continue the legal fight. "The Duke of Sussex will be seeking permission from the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of Mr Justice Lane," his legal team said. The internet is reacting to the development with many criticising Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. “If there was a more nauseating couple on the planet I’d love to see it,” one user posted on X.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says Australia’s major supermarkets aren’t showing fairness and transparency “from the farmgate to your plate”. Mr Littleproud’s remarks come as the Coles and Woolworths CEOs face a Senate inquiry into price gouging. “We produce enough food and fibre for … a nation of 27 million people, and there is not fairness and transparency from the farmgate to your plate,” he told Sky News Australia. “We’ve got a responsibility of the privileged position as legislators to do something about that and make sure there is fairness and transparency. “The Nationals have said that; Labor’s turned their back on it.”

Cumberland Councillor Steve Christou says Monday night’s church stabbing is “not in the spirit of Western Sydney” and calls for “peace, love and unity” as it marks the second stabbing in three days for the city. A religious leader was stabbed multiple times at his pulpit by a teenager in Western Sydney on Monday night. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb has declared the incident a terrorist act. “What happened last night was very shocking and disturbing to most of the community in western Sydney,” Mr Christou told Sky News Australia. “I would like to express my sincere sympathies and wish the bishop and anyone hurt last night a very speedy recovery. “This is uncalled for; it was a random act of violence, and this is not in the spirit of western Sydney. “We call for peace, love and unity at this trying time. Especially after what we witnessed – the horrific events of the weekend down at Bondi Junction.”

A black ribbon was lit up on the sails of the Sydney Opera House Monday night in tribute to those killed in the Bondi Junction mass stabbing on Saturday. Six people were killed as a result of the heinous attack. A further six people remain in hospital. None of them are believed to be in a critical condition. This includes the nine-month-old girl who is in a serious but stable condition in intensive care.

The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan believes Israel “will strike back” against Iran but they will let them “stew in the technical failures” of their attack for a while. There are growing calls for restraint as the world reacts to Iran’s aerial bombardment of Israel. It is Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its neighbour. Israel says more than 300 missiles and drones were fired by Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, but most were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. “I think Israel will strike back against Iran in due course,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “But they’re going to let Iran stew in the technical failures that it racked up for a while.”

If Labor were “really serious” about driving down high food prices, they would tackle inflation and not target companies, argues Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume. It comes as the chief executives of Woolworths and Coles are set to face a Senate Inquiry into supermarket prices in Canberra. “If Labor was really serious about getting down the cost of groceries, they would tackle the big issue, which is inflation," Ms Hume told Sky News Australia. “The drivers of those cost of grocers. “They would be tackling high energy prices. “They wouldn’t be imposing restrictive industrial relations laws on companies like Coles and Woolworths.”

The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says Iran “needed to show their militia groups” they were prepared to “put some skin in the game”. There are growing calls for restraint as the world reacts to Iran’s aerial bombardment of Israel. It is Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its neighbour. Israel says more than 300 missiles and drones were fired by Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, but most were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. “They [Iran] certainly calibrated this strike … they gave everyone notice,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “But I’m sure they thought that some more would get through than did get through. “I think they needed to show their militia groups that they, themselves, the Iranians, were prepared to put some skin in the game.”

CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski says gold prices have “surged overnight” following rising tensions in the Middle East. “The geopolitical issue in the Middle East is so much front of mind for investors,” Mr Piotrowski told Sky News Australia. “That saw gold prices surge overnight, once again, not hitting record highs but up 1.6 per cent. “Oil prices were actually lower for a decent part of the session, down by as much as two per cent, but they have gravitated back towards that $86 mark in terms of West Texas Intermediate. “That’s important because, yesterday, mining and energy stocks were able to hold the market up.” Presented by CommSec.

Strategic Analysis Australia Director Peter Jennings says direct conflict with Iran is not “highly likely”. His comments come after Iran launched drones and a missile barrage against Israel. Mr Jennings said he thinks the next thing that might be seen is a “large-scale Israeli campaign in the North of Israel going into southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah”. “I think direct conflict with Iran is not highly likely,” he said. “Israel is justifiably fearful of Hezbollah being able to do on a much larger scale what Hamas did down in the south. “If Hezbollah attempts to do that in the north of the country that’s a large, populated area, it really does present an existential threat to the future security of Israel.”

Independent MP Dai Le is calling for people to “remain very peaceful” following the stabbing at a Sydney church. Ms Le’s comments come after a Western Sydney Bishop was rushed to hospital after being stabbed multiple times during the service. The Western Sydney MP described him as a “wonderful bishop”. “His congregation just love him,” she told Sky News Australia. “He would absolutely want us to remain very peaceful and to pray and continue to spread the message of peace. “I think he would be very disappointed if people are all angry over this, I know he’s a very forgiving man.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi says the US city of Chicago has seen “another horrific weekend of violence”. At least 40 people were shot and seven killed with the victims including a seven-year-old girl who was shot in the head and later pronounced dead. “If this was a school shooting, the left media would be all over it,” Mr Panahi said. “This violence in cities like Chicago is largely ignored. “40 shot and seven killed in one weekend – what can be done.”

Strategic Analysis Australia Director Peter Jennings says there is “real concern” in the “risk of conflict” growing in the mid-2020s. Mr Jennings raised concerns for Australia’s military capabilities saying Australia is the “only advanced military in the world which does not have an armed drone”. “We’ve used drones for reconnaissance services, for a range of other tasks," he told Sky News host Peta Credlin. “But not for carrying weapons. “Drones are changing the nature of air warfare.”

The Australian New South Wales Political Reporter Alexi Demetriadi says there has been “huge calls” from elected representatives “urging calm” after a stabbing at a Western Sydney church. Unverified footage has shown a Bishop at the front of the church being repeatedly stabbed, understood to be in Fairfield, in Sydney’s West. There is now a significant police presence at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Western Sydney. “To allow the police or different squads there to do their jobs,” Mr Demetriadi told Sky News host Paul Murray. “I know that all the elected MPs at the area are ... trying to keep social harmony intact.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi has slammed the “pathetic, dangerous simpletons” who were being taught to chant ‘Death to America’. “Let’s start with a pack of self-loathing American lefties, many of them born and bred in the United States, being taught how to chant ‘Death to America’ in Farsi,” Ms Panahi said. “They forced me to chant that when I was at primary school in Tehran. “That’s the indoctrination of the Islamist-Iranian regimes there. “As a five-year-old, I had more pride in the US because I refused to do it.”

Sky News contributor Gary Hardgrave says Meta has been making money out of “somebody else’s efforts”. There are growing concerns Meta will introduce a news ban if the Labor government designates the social media giant as a news media outlet in the Bargaining Code. “Making them a publisher makes a lot of sense to me,” Mr Hardgrave said. “There are a lot of ways of getting our news but there are professional journos doing this day in, day out; they do have to be paid. “I think it is reasonable that people start to subscribe to stuff if they want the information and to stay informed as a result.”