Freedom activist Monica Smit says people are "afraid” of digital IDs controlled by the government. Ms Smit told Sky News Australia that people need to understand that they can say no. “A lot of people have recently realised how sinister people in the government can be," she said. “I think it’s only recently that people have realised that in the wrong hands, this sort of data being in the one place is a real concern. “A lot of people aren’t going to care … but I would say to them, do you trust the government with all of your data in one place – do you trust them to keep it safe? “And I have had nobody be able to say yes to that.”

Lindsay Partridge has reflected on his time as Brickworks CEO after announcing his plans to retire. Mr Partridge has been the chief executive of Australia's biggest brickmaker for 25 years. The board acknowledged him by saying when he started the company had an asset base of $500 million, now it has $6 billion. Mark Ellenor, Brickworks Chief Operating Officer, will become the new CEO after Mr Patridge retires on July 31. “When I started in 1985 I was factory manager and we had a factory that was the worst performing factory you had ever seen,” Mr Patridge told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “It was the dirtiest place you had ever seen and my job was to turn it around … and turned it into a really magnificent plant and from there I never looked back.”

Pastoralists and Graziers Association WA President Tony Seabrook says the “greatest threat” to Australia’s food security is the government itself. Mr Seabrook joined Sky News Australia to discuss the Labor Party’s ‘Nature Positive Plan’ which aims to reform Australia’s environmental laws. “Quite simply we feed every Australian remarkably well,” he said. “We then feed another 50 million people all around the world. “The greatest threat to food security in Australia is actually the government and bureaucracy.”

Freedom activist Monica Smit says digital ID is “going to take a while” for the government to bring in. Ms Smit told Sky News Australia that she doesn’t have high hopes for them being able to do this "anytime soon”. “But of course, how will they keep our data safe?" she told Sky News Australia. “So I think people are really concerned about all their data being in one place. “Because anything online is hackable – that is the internet.”

Pastoralists and Graziers Association WA president Tony Seabrook says Labor’s ‘Nature Positive Plan’ is just a repeat performance of the Murray – Darling Basin. The Labor government’s ‘Nature Positive Plan’ sets out the government’s commitment to reform Australia’s environmental laws. “The elites in Canberra out of touch – trying to force upon us something we didn’t ask for, we don’t need, and will cost us a huge amount in the long run,” Mr Seabrook told Sky News Australia. “It’s amazing how they dress things up – social justice, fairness, all these words they use… They wrap it around in cozy words. “But in actual fact this is almost a repeat performance of what they did with the Murray- Darling Basin plan 12 or 14 years ago.”

Sky News host James Morrow expresses concern over the Biden administration playing a “two-faced game” regarding its support for Israel as it does “absolutely nothing” to stop Iran. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh visited Tehran last month and praised Israel’s “political isolation” after the UN Security Council voted for a ceasefire. Mr Morrow warned the Biden administration is allowing Iran to become the “regional hegemon”. “It seems to me that the Biden administration in particular is playing a very two-faced game here where they're acting still supportive of Israel, still supplying arms to Israel, although that support is being progressively withdrawn, while at the same time doing absolutely nothing about stopping Iran supplying arms to Hezbollah, giving aid to Hamas,” Mr Morrow said. The Sky News host discussed this issue with former British commander Richard Kemp.

Freedom Activist Monica Smit says using cash in today’s society is “very empowering”. Ms Smit told Sky News Australia that the push to keep cash “goes across so many political spheres”. “Left and right … everyone wants to keep cash alive. “It’s so important because people don’t want to lose the freedom of being able to spend cash where they want to. “Without anybody knowing … of course, you’ve got the sinister things like obviously the government tracking you.”

Sky News host Rowan Dean says he finds it “unappealing” to see senior Australian political figures landing “cushy” United Nations jobs. Former Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop has been named UN envoy for Myanmar. Myanmar has been facing renewed violence since the army ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021. The UN hailed Ms Bishop for her "extensive policy, legal and senior management experience". She takes over from Singaporean diplomat Noeleen Heyzer.

Sky News host Rita Panahi claims the “abysmal” voter turnout for the South Australian Voice shows Indigenous people “aren’t interested” in the state-based body. Less than 10 per cent of approximately 30,000 Indigenous people voted in the voice elections late last month. According to The Weekend Australian, senior SA Liberals believe the low voter turnout in the voice elections should compel the party to go to the 2026 state election promising to scrap it. The Liberals’ current position is to review the voice to see if it is working with the option of repealing it. “They are far more likely to vote in state, federal, council elections than they are for these bodies, which tells you it is the activist class who wants this,” Ms Panahi said.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns reveals the state is struggling to meet housing targets as he calls on the federal government to fast-track tradies immigration into Australia. The target for New South Wales which was set out by the federal government in August will need to see an average of 75,000 new accommodations built a year over the next five years. “In the next year and a bit in New South Wales our proportion of the national figure will be extremely difficult to meet. “I want to be upfront about that. “We’re coming from a long way behind; we’ve got major constraints when it comes to financing from banks as well as labour to build the actual houses. “In the long run, it’s important to have targets and in the end, everyone needs to know the scale, particularly when it comes to completions for a major city like Sydney.”

Sky News host Rowan Dean says it is “great news” that Matt Kean has distanced himself from the Liberal Party’s push towards nuclear. Mr Kean claims there is no practical pathway for nuclear to play a role in helping Australia replace coal-fired power stations in line with climate science. Mr Dean said it will help Opposition Leader Peter Dutton “win the next election” by distancing away from Matt Kean. “The more Matt Kean disagrees with you, the more likely you are to be successful in politics," he said. “That’s the basic rule of thumb.”

Parts of South East Queensland are on alert for torrential rain and flash flooding this weekend. Authorities are advising people to re-evaluate their travel plans, as severe storms could lead to life threatening flash flooding south of Brisbane. A storm system could bring isolated downpours of up to 100 millimeters in Logan, the Scenic Rim, and the Gold Coast. There are fears the flood risk could intensify if the storm system combines with the effect of a coastal trough. Reprise from the wet weather is on the way as sunny, and dry conditions are forecast for Tuesday.

Emergency flood warnings have been issued in parts of New South Wales, after days of heavy rain. Evacuation orders are in place for Cornwallis, the eastern and western part of the Richmond Lowlands, Agnes Banks, north of Bligh Park. Parts of Angus, parts of Lower Portland, Sackville and Sackville North, parts of Leets Vale, Ebenezer, low lying areas of Freemans Reach also have warnings in place. As well as the Riverside Caravan Park in Cattai, Pitt Town Bottoms and the northern edge of Pitt Town. The New South Wales State Emergency Service has conducted more than 150 rescues across the state.

There is mounting pressure on the Federal government to overhaul Australia’s HECS system. Claims have been made saying it’s making life harder for the younger generation. Former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry has labelled the scheme as “unfair”. “We have to do something right … I think the whole system needs changing,” Mr Henry said. Last June millions of Australians saw their student loan debt increase.

King Charles has reportedly told his team to ramp up plans for his tour to Australia in October. The Sun newspaper says the monarch is 'over the moon' at a positive start to his cancer treatment. It's believed the itinerary would be stripped back to allow for more downtime and recovery between commitments. This comes after the King appeared in very good spirits on Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday was his first public appearance since his treatment for cancer began.

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is calling for more women and ethnically diverse MPS to join the Liberal Party. The number of Liberal women in the Federal parliament is declining, making it a three-decade low. Many women are being endorsed to run in safe seats to not have their seats taken by men. Mr Abbott says he wants the party to reflect modern Australia.

Almost 100 Australian medical clinics are charging sign-on or membership fees to patients who want to access bulk billing services, according to a national report. Questions are being raised over the legality of the fees. The Health Insurance Act disallows any additional charges on top of a bulk-billed service. The report by Cleanbill says the exact membership models are not clear. The national rate of bulk billing has declined significantly falling from 82 per cent to 76.5 per cent between 2022 and 2023.

The United States is on high alert over the possibility of a strike by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets inside Israel. An airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this week killed a number of senior leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has blamed Israel but the IDF has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement. A US intelligence assessment warns Iran is about to retaliate. According to officials, the attack is likely to take place between now and the end of next week.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has stopped the sale of all arms to Israel. It’s the first official stance the council has taken in the Palestine-Israel conflict. The UN hopes the move will prevent any further violations of international humanitarian law. 28 member states out of 47 voted in favour of the resolution, six voted against and 13 abstained. Countries are advised to cease selling arms, ammunition and other military equipment to Israel.

Curtin University Dean of Global Futures Joe Siracusa says if Iran were to strike against the United States it would be either “rockets” or an “isolated attack”. Mr Siracusa’s comments come as the United States is on high alert over the possibility of a strike by Iran on Israeli or American assets inside Israel. “I think there would be an attack on American personnel,” Mr Siracusa told Sky News Australia. “The Iranians are a little bit afraid of the Israelis because the Iranian air force is really no match for the Israelis or for the Americans for that matter. “But this thing could spill over very, very quickly. “The rest of the world is watching this, trying to figure out who’s in charge and the answer from where I sit is nobody’s in charge.”