Sky News host Chris Kenny has slammed Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen for taking a separate private jet from the Prime Minister to attend the same event in the Hunter Valley. Revealed by radio host Ben Fordham, two Dassault Falcon 7X Jets were photographed at Scone airport on Thursday ahead of an announcement in the Hunter Valley. Mr Bowen claimed the small regional airport at Scone could not take the Prime Minister's large RAAF plane. Mr Kenny compared the Labor MP’s “hypocrisy” with climate change activist and actor Leonardo Di Caprio. “You've sent our power prices skyrocketing because of your renewables energy zealotry, you have thrown grants and subsidies to every renewables grifter on the planet, you're taxing our petrol for every dollar you possibly can,” he said. “You're making our petrol and diesel cars and utes more expensive, you're trying to force us into electric cars. “Soon you'll have us eating nothing but weeds and grasshoppers and you reckon you're okay to flit about the place dispensing your words of wisdom from a taxpayer-funded, avgas-guzzling VIP jet.”

Ukraine should be heading to the polls today to decide on the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Russian invasion has delayed elections indefinitely. The President says he doesn’t believe the country can or should hold an election. His term is due to expire next month. Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has held six presidential elections. The election was set to be held at the end of March.

Residents in Haiti have taken an apparent break from the violence during Easter. Children and adults created and flew coloured paper kites. The tradition is akin to the practice of painting eggs in some Western countries. Haiti is dealing with escalating gang violence, which has killed more than 1,500 people this year. The gangs leading the violence are estimated to be in control of about 80 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Solo sailor Lisa Blair is attempting to break the world record for the fastest time to sail from Sydney to Auckland alone. The current holder of the world record is James Prascevic who completed the trip in just over 12 days. “I’m super stoked to be out here,” she told Sky News Australia. “I’ve been at sea for just a little over an hour now. “It’s just me on the ocean and hopefully eight days at sea.”

News Corp columnist Angela Mollard says the Royal Family are rebranding themselves as a more “open and honest” unit than they were under the rule of the late Queen Elizabeth. Ms Mollard’s comments come as both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have shared personal details about their own separate health battles. “What we are actually seeing is this very unified group of people working together,” Ms Mollard told Sky News Australia host Caroline Di Russo. “They’ve been incredibly transparent about their medical issues. “In a sense that’s rebranding them from the Royal Family the [late] queen oversaw. “It is about being open, it is about being honest about what is going on for you.”

Many people are “confused” as to why Prince Harry is not going to pay the sum of his failed legal bid against the UK Home Office, says writer and broadcaster Esther Krakue. “Usually it is sort of common for people that lose a law case to foot the bill of their defendants’ legal bills basically,” Ms Krakue told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo. “But I suspect it’s his right as a British citizen to contest any decision made by the Home Office and … I suspect that falls under kind of, legal aid – but it has cost the Home Office a lot of money. “I think what most people actually will think is he thought this case was, one strong enough to actually win and he thought it was important enough for him to take it all the way to court basically. “Half a million pounds, I mean if that’s what the Home Office spent, I suspect he spent probably double that on a team of private lawyers who ultimately it looks like gave him ill advice because he’s lost this case.”

Australian Grape and Wine Chief Executive Lee McLean says it will “take time” for Australian winemakers to “rebuild our presence” in the Chinese market. China’s government has officially abolished heavy tariffs on Australian wine. The tariffs were placed on $20 billion of Australian exports in 2020 and 2021. The Commerce Ministry in Beijing has announced it is ‘no longer necessary to impose anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties on the imports of the relevant wines originating in Australia.’ “It’s going to take time for us to rebuild our presence in the market,” Mr McLean told Sky News Australia. “It is going to look a little bit different, but I think with the right amount of work … we’re looking forward to getting back into the market.”

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says there have been “big increases" in electric vehicles as he stressed his government wants more Australians to have "better choices". The government has released new figures showing nearly 100 new DC fast-charging sites have been added to the national road network in the first quarter of 2024, according to The Australian. It follows the government's introduction of its New Vehicle Efficiency Standards legislation into parliament last week. “We want people to be able to make informed, good choices," Mr Bowen told Sky News Australia. “You’ve seen two-thirds of the EVs on the road today were sold under the Albanese government. “So EV charging needs to keep up because the take-up is going up very fast.”

King Charles made his first major public appearance on Easter Sunday as he attended a church service in Windsor. Upon arrival, His Majesty and Queen Camilla were met with hundreds of supporters and well-wishers, with the royal pair speaking and shaking hands with many who appeared at the service. Many supporters who appeared at the church were heard wishing the King and Queen a Happy Easter and sending Charles get-well messages. According to the BBC, King Charles will not return to regular public duties despite his Easter Sunday appearance. Prince William and Princess Catherine did not attend the service, as the Princess of Wales continued her cancer treatment. In the King's absence, Queen Camilla has picked up a large portion of royal duties while also being a pillar of support for Princess Catherine.

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s secrecy around their use of private jets doesn’t help the issue “millions” of Australians “don’t trust politicians.” Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen have come under fire for using two private jets to fly to the Hunter last week. “If there’s nothing to hide, then start with the transparency and let’s get going,” Ms Lambie told Sky News Australia. “There are millions of Australians out there that don’t trust politicians, and you wonder why. “This is not helpful.”

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes has slammed the Albanese government for the “opacity they show” on every policy and says Australians can “see through this hypocrisy” from Labor. The latest Newspoll shows the Coalition surging ahead of Labor in Western Australia and drawing level in New South Wales. Support for both parties is now beginning to slip in South Australia. “The electorate can see right through this sort of hypocrisy, and I think as we get closer to the election, they’re going to continue to see through this hypocrisy from this government that’s very much do as I say, not as I do,” Ms Hughes told Sky News Australia. “Mr Albanese promised that this would be a government that was transparent. “We know the opacity that they show is just breathtaking with every policy.”

Liberal Senator Dave Sharma says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing “a number of difficult decisions”. Protesters have gathered in Jerusalem, calling for the release of hostages and the removal of Netanyahu. Many attending the protest believe Netanyahu hasn’t done enough – he hasn’t prioritised the return of the hostages; he’s been concentrating on other things like the prosecution of the war. “At the moment, he is Israel’s Prime Minister,” Mr Sharma told Sky News Australia. “Israel doesn’t face elections for a couple of years yet, so the only thing that’s going to bring him down is if he loses his coalition partners. “He’s facing a number of difficult issues.”

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen not giving a "simple explanation" for their use of private jets last week is going to be a "problem" for them. Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen have come under fire for using two private jets to fly to the Hunter last week. “He needs to be transparent,” Ms Lambie told Sky News Australia. “If there’s a simple explanation then he should just come out and explain it mate. “It really shouldn’t be that hard, but while they are not explaining it, and while they are not being transparent - that’s going to be a problem.”

Turkey’s main opposition party has declared victory in local elections. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu led the city’s mayoral race by nearly 10 points, with more than half the vote counted. The Republican People’s Party has retained Ankara and gained nine other mayoral seats in big cities nationwide. Analysts say Erdogan and his AK Party fared worse than predicted. This is likely due to soaring inflation, dissatisfied Islamist voters and Imamoglu’s appeal in Istanbul.

Journalists have been told to stop stealing souvenirs from Air Force One. An inventory check was conducted, which revealed items were missing. The items that disappeared include branded pillowcases and glasses. Stealing items with the Air Force One logo is a common occurrence. The White House Correspondent’s Association has warned that doing so isn’t allowed.

There are calls for the New South Wales government to rethink proposed reforms which some warn could exacerbate the housing crisis. Under proposed legislative changes, if someone is living in a caravan connected to power and water for longer than six months or if the caravan exceeds 20 square metres, they would need council approval. If the proposed laws come into effect, it would represent the biggest shakeup of such planning laws in three decades, but there are questions over whether now is the right time as the state battles a housing crisis. New South Wales Planning Minister Paul Scully says the changes wouldn’t be retrospective, and people wouldn’t need a development application. Sky News understands fees would vary between councils. “In a time where we are increasingly seeing tiny homes and movable dwellings becoming permanent secondary residencies, we also want to provide our Councils with peace of mind when planning for local amenities and infrastructure,” Mr Scully said in a statement.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has criticised the Opposition and the Greens for refusing to support the Albanese government’s proposed emergency migration laws. The legislation could allow certain groups from blacklisted countries to enter Australia. The Coalition has questioned why certain people would be permitted while others from the same country are banned. The government is considering calling an urgent session of Parliament before the federal Budget in another attempt to pass the law. Some believe Labor has nobody to blame but itself for the bill's failing. “The Labor Party had this legislation weeks before we returned to Parliament last week,” One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby told Sky News Australia. “They’ve made no attempt to consult with either the Coalition or the crossbench … so as far as I’m concerned, the Labor Party are the ones playing politics with this.”

The latest Newspoll shows the Coalition surging ahead of Labor in Western Australia and drawing level in New South Wales. Support for both parties is now beginning to slip in South Australia. More male and young voters are turning towards the Opposition, while the government has seen increased support in Queensland. On a national scale, Labor’s primary vote has increased by one per cent but still trails the Coalition 33 to 37 per cent. Labor has maintained its lead on a two-party preferred basis – 52 to 48 per cent – while Anthony Albanese remains 12 per cent ahead of Peter Dutton as the better prime minister.

Pope Francis has led the Easter Mass at St Peter’s Square despite concerns over his health. The 87-year-old has been battling a respiratory illness. He used his traditional Easter message to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Ukraine. Around 30,000 people gathered at the Vatican to hear the Pope. The Pontiff had skipped the Good Friday procession due to health reasons.

While Meghan Markle is reportedly 'anxious' about Prince Harry's upcoming UK visit, others are questioning whether he will finally mend his relationship with the family. Plus, King Charles has returned and is raring to get back into action. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.