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.”

United States President Joe Biden has travelled to Baltimore to visit the site of the deadly Francis Scott Key bridge collapse. The president surveyed the wreckage which was caused after a ship collided with the bridge last week. “The damage is devastating and our hearts are still breaking,” Mr Biden said. “Eight construction workers were under the water when the bridge fell – six lost their lives. “We’re going to move heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible and we’re going to do so with union labour and American steel.”

Curtin University Dean of Global Futures Joe Siracusa says US President Joe Biden is “going down the gurgler” following Israel’s war in Gaza. Mr Siracusa said he if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “changes his tune and changes his tactics” it won’t “save him for an election when the war is over” “I think Israel may have had some other ways to do this. “Anything should’ve been tried compared to what we’re doing. “Even if Netanyahu changes his tune and changes his tactics – it won’t save him for an election when the war is over. “It’s not going to revive Gaza which is a dead man’s zone. “Everything’s gone there, commerce, finance, education, health, ain’t nothing left.”

Cutin University Dean of Global Future Joseph Siracusa says the Netanyahu government in Israel is “hanging out a couple of its generals in the wind” to take the blame for the death of the aid workers in Gaza. Mr Siracusa’s comments come after the Australian government wrote to Israel calling for more transparency and accountability in the fallout from the airstrike which killed seven aid workers in Gaza. The Curtin University Dean of Global Futures says over 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza “because of the tactics used” by the Israeli Defence Force. “Their objective is to eradicate Hamas and to go into the area and take it over themselves and free the hostages,” Mr Siracusa told Sky News Australia. “In an urban conflict and in an urban conflict everything that moves is a target and it’s very, very hard to figure this out. ‘The Israelis will do what they have to do.”

NSW State Emergency Services has issued multiple evacuation orders after intense rainfall across the Greater Sydney region on Friday night. Warragamba Dam is at capacity and has begun to overflow as major flood warnings are in place for the Hawkesbury River, the Nepean River and the Colo River. Residents in northwest Sydney are expected to be greatly impacted as river levels rise with an expected peak on Saturday night into Sunday. The Bureau of Meteorology says moderate flooding is happening in North Richmond, Windsor and Putty Road. The SES has conducted 152 flood rescues since heavy rain and high winds lashed the state as crews also work to restore power to more than 9,000 residents.

New South Wales SES Public Information Officer Scott McLennan says there have been approximately 172 flood rescues across the state in the last 48 hours. "Our key areas of concern are Sydney metropolitan areas still, Wollongong, Nowra, Batemans Bay, Goulburn and South Coast," Mr McLennan told Sky News Australia. "We have attended in the last 48 hours alone just on 4,000 incidents. "Which is approximately 172 flood rescues. "And out of those 172 flood rescues, 80 of those have been in the Sydney metropolitan region."

Racing Dreams provides an in-depth look into the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival featuring some of the biggest events on the racing calendar including The Golden Slipper and The Championships.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has heaped criticism on Israel after the “utterly inexcusable” deaths of seven aid workers in an airstrike including Australian Zomi Frankcom. “Clear practical action is needed to ensure this tragedy is never repeated,” Ms Wong told a media conference on Saturday afternoon. Ms Wong detailed a letter both she and Defence Minister Richard Marles had sent to Israel demanding “full accountability”. “We acknowledge, since we sent the letter, Israel has now confirmed that two individuals involved in this incident have been stood down,” she said. “We reiterate that appropriate action must be taken against the individuals.”

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has called for more women and ethnically diverse MPs to join the Liberal Party. Mr Abbott said more women and ethnically diverse MPs would help improve the party's reflection of modern Australia. The number of Liberal women in federal parliament is declining, making it a three-decade low. Many women are being encouraged to run in safe seats to not have their seats taken by men. Mr Abbott said he wants the Liberal Party to reflect modern Australia.

Australia's recently retired energy infrastructure commissioner, Andrew Dyer, believes Australia's proposed renewable energy needs to be overhauled. Mr Dyers claimed that under the government's proposed plans, it's unlikely that it will reach its green energy target. Mr Dyer is suggesting a plan including nuclear energy. He said the right solar wind transmission and battery project both need to be built in the right location to meet the government's green energy target. Mr Dyer raised concerns that the current development pipeline contains projects that might never progress.

Racing Dreams tipping comp has reconvened for a competitive sixth week. Hosts Julie Snook and Tim Gilbert again invite Racing and Media personalities to place their tips for an eventual tally at the end of the racing season. The tips for the first weekend in April were placed on races in Randwick and Dubbo. Tipster Nick Berney continues to lead the way with four of five successful weeks. In partnership with Racing NSW