Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce says China is “not a democracy” and calls for Australia and the Western world to become as “powerful as possible” to deter the Chinese regime. “They are not a democracy, they are a totalitarian regime with a sort of unitary point of control,” he said. “There is not one country in their perimeter who has not got some territorial dispute. “Russia just has to wait around a little while and they will want to go back there. “The powerful will do as they will and the weak will suffer as they must, we have to become as powerful as possible as quickly as possible.”

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes says Labor’s emissions standards are an “absolute tax grab”. “This is an absolute tax grab by this government,” she said. “Yet again, we see Casanova Bowen racing, racing, too hard and too fast here in a bid to chase this emissions target he is consistently just setting for himself. “It is six years that we are looking till they want this 60 per cent standard to be put into place. “It is going to push up the cost.”

Sky News host Danica De Giorgio says Labor’s emission standards are set to be fought over in the next federal election as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “insists” petrol cars are not being “banned”. “The fight over Labor’s emission reduction plan for cars and Utes shifts into top gear,” she said. “Manufacturers will face fines unless they lower the carbon intensity of their fleets by more than 60 per cent by the end of the decade. “It has been touted as Labor’s great climate change market intervention. “Though the PM insists petrol cars are not being banned.”

News.com.au Columnist Jana Hocking says Princess Kate’s photoshop blunder wasn’t just a “little change”. Ms Hocking joined The Daily Telegraph’s Chief Entertainment Writer Jonathon Moran to debate whether the royals can be trusted. “That’s not a little filter of Paris,” she said. “There were 20 differences – this photo had been manipulated 20 times. “This wasn’t a little change – this was a lot.”

The Daily Telegraph’s Chief Entertainment Writer Jonathon Moran and News.com.au Columnist Jana Hocking have debated whether the royals can be trusted. “Of course they can be trusted,” Mr Moran told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio. He admitted it’s an “anachronistic system”. “But these guys are leading a life of service. “This is just an absolute storm in a teacup that has been turned into a mountain out of a mole hill.”

The Treasury has more than 1,000 documents classed as advice to Treasurer Jim Chalmers about changing negative gearing and capital gains tax arrangements. The Tax Expenditures and Insight Statement released in January found there are $7.8 billion worth of negative gearing losses claimed in 2020 and 2021. The capital gains tax discount on assets was worth $19 billion in last financial year's budget. The Opposition is accusing Labor of secretly creating plans to change negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount on the sales of property. The Treasurer's office has denied any changes to tax arrangements regarding investment properties.

There are growing concerns over weather related freight disruption in Western Australia. This follows a damaging flood event in the state. Industry groups say they can’t cope with severe weather events. It was revealed only 30 per cent of the roads across the state are sealed. Multiple roadways that are crucial to freight transportation have been closed.

A supermarket inquiry is directly related to the cost of living crisis in Australia. Australian Food and Grocery Council CEO Tanya Barden says there have been several “new entrants” into the grocery market over the last decade. Ms Barden told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood that Aldi, Costco and Amazon are now boosting grocery supply options for consumers in Australia. “But it does remain the case that we have a heavily concentrated supermarket sector. “And it is the second most concentrated market in the world after New Zealand.”

The government has committed up to $840 million to help build a mine and processing plant for Arafura’s ‘Nolans Project’. The Nolans project claims that it could supply a significant proportion of the world’s demand for the key metals NdPr. “NdPr stands for neodymium and praseodymium, these are the rare earth elements that you need to make strong permanent magnets that are used in your phones, that used in wind turbines, robotics, electric vehicles,” Arafura CEO Darryl Cuzzubbo said. He says the commonwealth funding package is really “the cornerstone” of their total funding solution. “It’s also very significant because it shows that Arafura is a key part of the Australian government’s critical minerals strategy. “We will be producing a rare earth oxide … that you cannot make electric vehicles and wind turbines without.”

Sky News host Rowan Dean has slammed Labor's push for electric vehicles. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, alongside Team Global Expressed, announced a third of their truck fleet will be electric vehicles. “Not a great day in my opinion, for people who want their parcels delivered, not in clown cars, but with the efficiency and reliability traditionally provided by the good old fashioned petrol engine,” Mr Dean said. The Sky News host said some of the electric trucks only go about “100k before needing to be recharged for about 90 minutes”. “Even less if it’s a hot or cold day and the heating or the air conditioning is on,” he said. “We the taxpayers have certainly assisted your performance by giving … over $20 million of taxpayers to assist the purchase of these clown cars.”

Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew discusses the skill gap issue as Australia powers ahead with its transition to renewable energy. “We have capacity holes and we have a leaky pipeline when it comes to engineering,” Ms Madew told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “What that means is we don’t have enough home grown born engineers to focus both on energy transition and all the other national priorities we have.” Ms Madew acknowledged that they will never fill the skills gap required but discussed the role technology and artificial intelligence plays in filling the gaps. “We need to be looking at not just the skills uplift in clean energy, it is also how does digital and technology fit and support and enable the clean energy transition we are going through,” she added.

Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew discusses Australia’s failure to attract more female engineers. Only 16 per cent of Australia’s working engineers are female, and of that 16 per cent, 3.8 per cent of them are born in Australia. “There is cultural reasons and there is bias reasons,” Ms Madew told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “If you look at girls in schools, the schools don’t advocate the importance of maths and science. “Parents, teachers and career advisors don’t advertise and advocate on behalf of engineering.” Ms Madew added that young girls also do not know what being an engineer means and more work should be done to bring them into the industry.

Sky News host Rowan Dean has criticised Energy Minister Chris Bowen for “trashing” nuclear energy. Mr Dean said nuclear energy is the one energy source with zero emissions Australia “do have a potential abundant supply on”. On the ABC, Mr Bowen acknowledged starting nuclear energy in Australia from scratch would be costly and difficult. “Until recently we didn’t have a renewables industry either we started that from scratch,” Mr Dean said. “Everything this bozo is doing is starting from scratch.”

Sky News host Rowan Dean has blasted Energy Minister Chris Bowen for his “lowballed cost” of transitioning Australia’s power. Mr Dean said there are claims the energy minister “lowballed" the cost of transitioning the country’s power grid to net zero by as much as a hundred billion dollars. “What’s that to a Labor pollie?” Mr Dean said. “That’s a hundred billion dollars of your money extra that’s going to be splurged in this net zero comedy show.” The Sky News host said Mr Bowen has been “wasting all our money on hopelessly inefficient renewables”.

Israel protests government, display car drives into Sydney store front, Jetstar aborts flight after door was left open, AMA on vaping public health crisis, aged care workers to receive pay rise, UK leaders to travel to Australia for AUKUS talks, and Chicago river has been dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Sky News host Rowan Dean has slammed Labor’s “idiocy and incompetence” after the government “mucked up” again in the detainee debacle. It was revealed earlier this week that there were “technical inconsistencies” with the Abbott government-era laws surrounding the visas given to the cohort of detainees released into the community following a controversial High Court ruling last year. The legal issue was later fixed, and all 149 visas were reissued. Mr Dean reacted to the Albanese government “blaming everyone other than themselves”. “The classic Labor ploy,” he said. “Incompetence the lot of them.”

Ukraine attacks amid Russian election, new Gaza ceasefire talks to be discussed, Cyclone Megan moving slowly towards Northern Territory coast, Queensland Labor holds seat of Inala in by-election, Tasmanian Liberals to introduce stability clause, Foreign Minister Penny Wong marries long-term partner, and 3 killed in Philadelphia shooting. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Sky News host Rowan Dean has criticised the teals after they urged Labor to reinstate funding to UNRWA. Extra aid will be sent to Gaza as Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong lifted a funding freeze on the main UN relief agency. “UNRWA is not a terrorist organisation,” Ms Wong declared during a media conference on Friday. Ms Wong assured Australians of safeguards implemented to ensure taxpayer-funded relief was used appropriately despite allegations 12 UNRWA staffers were involved in the October 7 terrorist attacks. Mr Dean claimed Labor is “in bed with the teals” and is unfit to be in power.

Sky News host James Morrow has slammed Labor’s “big Australia” policy, which has seen Australia’s migration intake soar to record levels. According to the Daily Telegraph, Australia’s migration intake hit record levels in January despite Labor’s plan to slow the surge of new arrivals. “This is really, really sinister here – I mean, we talk about a housing crisis, we talk about inflation, we talk about household incomes going backwards,” Mr Morrow said. “And this is because Labor has decided to pursue a big Australia policy. “What have we got? We’ve got sticky inflation; we’ve got housing prices that are through the roof.”

Shadow Attorney General Michaelia Cash has slammed Labor’s handling of the immigration detainee debacle as a “total trainwreck”. The government has been under pressure in recent months over its response to the High Court’s decision in the NZYQ case, which led to the release of 149 detainees. “A competent government would continually be working with officials and with their legal drafters to put in place legislative responses,” Ms Cash told Sky News Australia. “All you hear now, and this is directly from the Prime Minister, is ‘this is a decision of the High Court, hands up, there is nothing more we can do’. “It is totally shambolic, and I have to say what we saw on Friday with the admission that they had literally lost control of this portfolio really does say these two ministers should not be holding these portfolios.” Ms Cash claimed the Prime Minister has “given up” on the security of Australia.