Domain Chief of Research Dr Nicola Powell discusses how the latest policies from the federal budget will affect the housing and rental crisis. “It is great to see that rental assistance has increased by 10 per cent, and that is on top of the 15 per cent increase that was announced in September of last year, it is grossly needed,” Dr Powell told Sky News Australia. “I think there is more that needs to be done, I think it is a positive step forward, we do need to do things like reducing red tape to make sure there is land being released in the right areas at affordable prices. “I really think it is a call to the government of all levels, local governments, states to federal, to collaboratively work together to get the job done. “Ultimately, that job is about providing supply.”

There is “a little bit of cancel culture happening” to Kansas City Chiefs’ Kicker Harrison Butker after he delivered a speech at a Catholic liberal arts school, says former Special Forces commando Wes Hennessey. Mr Butker told female students he expected them to be “most excited” about the “marriage and the children you will bring into this world”. “I think what he is trying to emphasise, maybe poorly, is that the role of the mother and bringing up children – doing that full time is a highly regarded profession,” Mr Hennessey told Sky News Australia host Erin Molan. “It is something that is extremely important.”

Australian farmers are furious over plans to phase out live sheep exports in 2028. In an unprecedented move, industry leaders gathered in Canberra this week to move a vote of no-confidence in the Albanese government. They also staged a walkout as Agriculture Minister Murray Watt gave a post-budget speech on Wednesday. The government has allocated $107 million to help the industry transition from the practice.

People should be “very worried” about China and Russia deepening their partnership, according to Strategic Analysis Australia’s Michael Shoebridge.  This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met in Beijing this week and signed a joint statement pledging a “new era” of cooperation.  “They’re really celebrating their relationship and celebrating their progress in political security and economic fields,” Mr Shoebridge told Sky News Australia.

Strategic Analysis Australia’s Michael Shoebridge says China is “pretending” to support the UN Charter.  He said however, China’s President Xi Jinping is supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin fight the war in Ukraine.  “It’s a very hypocritical stance from Beijing.”

National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke discusses the Albanese government’s decision to ban live sheep exports from 2028. “Our concern is not only is the time frame too short, the quantum of the funds is too small to make any significant change on how we operate our businesses,” he told Sky News Australia. “Our message is simpler than that. We are telling the government they can hold on to that $107 million and put that into something that will build economic development, maybe roads, maybe infrastructure to help agriculture. “And we will keep the trade, thank you very much.”

“Quite frankly, farmers are frustrated with the position, not only of the banning of live exports but also multiple other issues around industrial relations, around water buybacks and even the way that we’ve had discussion around the biosecurity levy,” Mr Jochinke told Sky News Australia. “We haven’t been able to get the voice of the farmer where it depends the most … we need to get a better consultation, co-development, codesign when we have these discussions.”

Sky News has revealed three out of five medium-sized businesses have experienced a cyber-attack or cyber incident.  This is according to new research from the business management platform MYOB.  It conducted a poll of 500 businesses with up to 500 full-time staff members and found 61 per cent have experienced a cyber-attack or incident.  That figure rises to more than 80 per cent for those in the finance and insurance sectors.  However, many businesses are now stepping up their defences.

Motorway giant Transurban has warned changes to Sydney’s network could see commuters paying more.   An interim report into the network review suggests overriding current toll road contracts and giving a government body the power to set fares.   Transurban, which controls 11 of Sydney’s 13 toll roads, supports several of the report’s suggestions but says a switch to distance-based tolling would not benefit motorists.

Australia's southeast is set to experience a cold front over the weekend as a polar air mass sends temperatures dropping. Parts of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia are set to experience very cold temperatures due to the weather event. The polar air mass is likely to bring showers, possibly hail, and even snow in the southern alpine regions.

Security expert Lincoln Parker discusses Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's foreign policy ‘faux par’ when he let his Foreign Minister Penny Wong break the news of the swearing-in of a new Singaporean Prime Minister.   Singapore swore in Lawrence Wong as its first new Prime Minister in 20 years, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese failed to publicly congratulate his new counterpart. “You would have thought the Prime Minister of Australia would have welcomed the new Prime Minister in Singapore, but he left it up to the Foreign Minister Penny Wong,” Mr Parker told Sky News host Erin Molan.   “She put out something on Twitter, and immediately, you saw a lot of pushback saying, 'why isn’t the Prime Mister making these sorts of announcements'.   “It’s a little bit of a foreign policy faux pas, and we’ve really got to do better than that when they are a key ally, a strategic ally.   “We do a lot of trade with them, we import over 12,000 megalitres of petroleum through and from Singapore.”

UNSW Economics Professor Gigi Foster says Australians are “uncertain” about the future.  “What we need is a government sometimes to think about structural changes and ways that they can change the way they’re interacting with government contractors, for example, with private businesses, with individuals,” Ms Foster told Sky News Australia.  “To make it easier to do business, to make it easier for people to take risks and to get the productivity slump out of the picture or at least a bit more controlled and just generally make people feel more confident about the future.  “Because, at the moment, people are very uncertain, and they’re worried about the bottom line in every household.”

UNSW Economics Professor Gigi Foster says she doesn’t think interest rates will drop sooner rather than later.  “I do think with this budget particularly, but even before the budget came down, I was not predicting rates to fall very soon,” Ms Foster told Sky News Australia. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s much really hope that that’s going to happen because there is going to be more money injected into the economy.  “I don’t expect that the rates are going to come down certainly in the near future and maybe not for the rest of the year.”

The expense bill for federal politicians is out for the latest quarter, and it is a costly business, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spending the most with taxpayer money. Mr Albanese has spent more than $1.3 million on international travel, as well as car and office expenses. Travel and expenses for the coronation of King Charles was the most expensive trip for the Prime Minister, costing just under $130,000.

New government data has revealed tax revenue from tobacco could fall by $12 billion over the next five years. The revenue decline is due to the rise in illegally imported cigarettes which are openly on sale across the country through the black market. Budget papers suggest the tobacco excise has been slashed by $2 billion this year. The drop is after Labor pledged $188 million earlier this year to crackdown on illegal nicotine.

The IDF has confirmed troops have recovered the bodies of three hostages from Gaza. It's understood the three people were killed by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival during the October 7 attacks. On Thursday night, the Israeli military recovered their corpses during an operation in the city of Rafah.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has vowed to cut migration to ease housing pressures. The Opposition Leader promised to reduce immigration to Australia by 25 per cent over two years in his budget reply. Mr Dutton claims his proposal would free up around 40,000 homes in its first year, and 100,000 homes over the next five years.

New speed cameras will be rolled out to detect mobile phone usage in Western Australia. New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland are strictest states in the country when it comes to mobile phone usage behind the wheel. New technology which can detect seatbelts and mobile offenses have been trialled but have not yet been implemented in Western Australia and South Australia.

Liberal MP Keith Wolahan says Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s migration policy proposal is “being received well”. “My electorate is a very good test case for that,” Mr Wolahan told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio. “70 per cent of my electorate are first or second-generation migrants – I myself was not born in Australia.”

Sky News contributor Emily Carver has reacted to Jeremy Clarkson winning the title of UK and Ireland’s sexiest man. “I am a little bit surprised but it shows the power of personality and success,” Ms Carver told Sky News Australia host Danica De Giorgio. “He almost got cancelled but it seems like British women don’t mind that too much. “They are thinking of his show on Amazon, Clarkson’s Farm, which has been a roaring success. “He is not a typical beauty of a man but, clearly, he is popular.”