Labor’s “simplistic claims” about public servant numbers have been “precisely disproved” by the evidence, according to Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher. “We have been critical of the fact that Labor’s proposing a 36,000 additional public servants in this budget,” he told Sky News Australia. “There is not a one-to-one correlation between the number of staff and service levels. “Labor’s simplistic claims that more public servants mean better service levels is actually precisely disproved by the evidence.”

Former Labor senator Stephen Conroy says Treasurer Jim Chalmers has set a “bold prediction” for inflation. Mr Chalmers predicted inflation will be two to three per cent by the end of the year, differing from the Reserve Bank’s projections. “If you look at the measures that were taken around energy relief last year, you can see that they’ve fed directly into what was already a reducing inflation,” Mr Conroy said. “Treasury and the Treasurer have got real confidence that these measures on rental, on energy relief, will have a direct impact on that inflation number and drive it down faster than the Reserve Bank want to accept or acknowledge.”

Group of Eight Chief Executive Vicki Thomson has questioned what problem the government is trying to solve by putting a cap on international students. Ms Thomson questioned whether it was the housing crisis, rental affordability, the regions and developing skills in the regions or “all of the above”. “Is the one single lever to somehow put a break on international education," she said. “In terms of the housing affordability issue, we are talking to the government and the government has made it very clear to us that we need to have skin in the game. “We do have skin in the game … we have large residential colleges, we have large arrangements with private providers, etc.”

National Senator Matt Canavan says Australia “needs to invest” in “reliable power systems”. Mr Canavan’s comments come as the energy market operator has warned of blackouts this summer as Labor transforms the country into a renewable energy superpower. “Not just gas, we should be investing in coal as well, it’s still 60 per cent of our electricity supply and as we shut down coal, our lights are going out,” Mr Canavan told Sky News Australia. “We need to invest in that too.”

Queensland Premier Steven Miles is backing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s calls for immigration cuts. The move is at odds with the Albanese government which has pushed back against decreasing immigration levels. The Commonwealth has warned the move will hurt international education as well as the health and aged care sectors.

The energy market operator is warning of blackouts this summer as Labor transforms the country into a renewable energy superpower. Delays in transmission lines, hydro, wind and solar projects have increased the possibility of reliability gaps as states move forward with the shutdown of gas and diesel generation. AEMO has planned the choppy transition to green power on a year-long lag in delivering the energy connect power cable between New South Wales and South Australia.

A clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin's and Chinese President Xi Jinping's bodyguards breaking their tough demeanour for a brief exchange has gone viral. The footage shows one of Putin’s bodyguards awkwardly approaching Xi’s bodyguard on Friday, exchanging a glance, a smile, and a nod, which was reciprocated. The internet went wild, with many joking this brief encounter did more for international relations than expensive diplomacy. X users turned the encounter into a viral meme, debating “who would win in a fight". “The Chinese bodyguard looks more diehard. Will give it to him," one user said. It comes as a hug between President Putin and President Xi sparked a bitter response from the US, highlighting fears over China-Russia cooperation amid the Ukraine conflict. The two leaders met in China to discuss forming a stabilising force amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Sky News host James Macpherson has slammed the UK Labor Party's plans to 'simplify' the process of changing gender. The proposed policy could see a ditch of a panel of doctors and lawyers who approve gender recognition certificates and check each application against the legal criteria. Mr Macpherson claiming that there are “contradictions everywhere” in Labour's proposed policy.

Sky News host Paul Murray says Queensland Premier Steven Miles is “cooked” at the upcoming state election due to what the Labor Party has done to emergency services in the state. “This bloke is cooked, and this cooked at the upcoming election and one of the biggest reasons why is because of what the Labor Party has done to the hospitals and the ambulance services in Queensland,” Mr Murray said. “Queensland has an opportunity in a few months to get a new broom and actually fix their problems.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond says former US president Donald Trump made his popularity out of entertaining the crowds and it is something people “love to see in a politician”. “He made his popularity out of being an entertainer right,” Mr Bond said. “He just adds something to politics you can’t get anywhere else.”

Sky News host Liz Storer says the Greens consider themselves “absolutely crucial” to the making up of the Defence Committee. “Very serious committee, it is going to fill a massive function and the Greens before it has even started are demanding a seat onboard,” Ms Storer said. “Of course the Greens with their massive knowledge of all things defence, who wouldn’t want them to be on this committee?”

Sky News host Caleb Bond questions what “happened to the world” following South Australia “bailing” on gas production. “We are bad neighbours says the Adelaide Advertiser of South Australia … South Australia bailing on gas production could plunge Victoria into blackouts,” Mr Bond said. “The idea that South Australia is going to give up on gas … what has happened to the world?”

The Albanese government has been slammed on migration with 60 per cent of voters in a poll claiming Labor handled it in an “unplanned and unmanaged way". Recent polling also revealed 50 per cent of voters wanted Labor to make deeper cuts to migration than it revealed in last week’s federal budget. Sky News host James Macpherson and Caroline Di Russo joined Chris Kenny to discuss the recent polling on Labor’s migration plan.

Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council Executive Manager Joel Burnie slammed the “distinct lack of leadership” amid the Israel-Hamas war. This comes amid the growing concerns of anti-Semitism across the globe. “There is a distinct lack of leadership,” Mr Burnie told Sky News Australia. “Straight from the top, there has been flip flopping around by this federal government as to … the conflict over there but also in the treatment of Jews here in Australia."

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has hit out at ABC host Sarah Ferguson over an interview with Opposition leader Peter Dutton about his plans to cut immigration. In a one-on-one sit-down interview after the Opposition leader’s budget reply speech, the ABC host claimed the ‘Australia First’ slogan does not sound like an “Australian -type thing to say”. Mr Bolt questioned whether the ABC wants the country’s immigration slogan to be “put Australia last”. “We have got to treat immigration policy more seriously than this,” he said.

Sky News host Rita Panahi outlines the “vast difference” between Joe Biden’s demeanour day to day and on stage. It follows a debate announcement between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, where the former president has called for Biden to be drug tested before the event. “There’s such a vast difference between how we see him day to day, where he really does struggle with autocue and notes and all sorts of assistance,” Ms Panahi said. “And then you see him, and he seems to be sharper and more lucid and you’re wondering what’s the change there. “Is he getting some help, is he just having a good day?”

Comedian Alex Stein discusses the “weaponisation” of Joe Biden's presidency against Donald Trump. It follows calls about whether Donald Trump’s trial and gag orders were a measure used by the opposition to hinder his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. “They weaponised the Obama presidency and they’re weaponising the Biden presidency against Donald Trump,” Mr Stein told Rita Panahi. “Because they’re afraid of him. “If Donald Trump gets into the office, I hope that he uses some of his power to go against the evil people that are running our country like Hillary Clinton.”

Sky News Business Reporter Ed Boyd says the ASX closed up 0.63 per cent on Monday and is “getting very close to its record high” of just under 7,900 points. Intelligence software company Nuix soared 25.21 per cent after the tech stock upgraded its annual guidance due to positive trading. Online bookie Pointsbet also upgraded its earning guidance, sharply lifting 9.89 per cent. Litigation funder Omni Bridgeway slumped 9.21 per cent, and tech stock Appen was down 4.62 per cent.

Agribusiness Elders expects better trading conditions in the second half of this year after a tough six months due to challenging weather, cautious client sentiment, lower fertiliser prices and falling livestock prices. Elders reported a 19 per cent drop in revenue to about $1.3 billion. The underlying profit slipped 72 per cent, and the company’s statutory profit was down 76 per cent to $11.6 million. Elders cut its dividends to 18 cents per share, down from 23 cents in the prior period.

Casino operator Star Entertainment Group has confirmed it has received opportunistic takeover offers from third parties. The company told the market this morning it “has received inbound interest from a number of other external parties regarding transactions including a consortium of investors which included the entity Hard Rock Hotels and Resorts (Pacific), which The Star understands is a local partner of Hard Rock. The Star said all offers it has received have been confidential, unsolicited, preliminary and non-binding.