Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says Australians can’t take Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “at face value”. “And you can’t believe a word that he says,” he said. Mr Dutton held a media conference on Thursday to address Labor’s decision to make changes to the stage three tax cuts to address the cost-of-living crisis. The Opposition leader accused Mr Albanese of misleading the public during his National Press Club address on Thursday over the broken promise. “I think he’s got a very significant credibility problem,” Mr Dutton said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says $15 a week is not going to cut it for the average Australian under the Labor government’s tax changes. “The Liberal Party is the party of lower taxes ... we dragged the Labor Party, kicking and screaming, to support, stage one, stage two, stage three,” Mr Dutton said during a media conference on Thursday. “Stage three was also about providing support to people with aspiration as well, people who are in households at the moment where they’re paying $24,000 or more extra for their mortgage under this Labor government. “When the Prime Minister came into office to this point now, we know that Australians are paying 27 per cent more tax than when the Prime Minister was elected. “$15 a week is not going to cut it for families who continue to pay more and more for their energy bills under Labor.”

Market Economics Managing Director Stephen Koukoulas says the social and political aspects and the issue of fairness are “certainly front and centre” of the government’s backflip on stage three tax cuts. Mr Albanese fronted the National Press Club on Thursday, where he copped a grilling over his decision to break a major promise on stage three tax cuts. Mr Albanese addressed the press and defended Labor’s plan for reform to address cost of living issues for low and middle income earners. “It’s really just shuffling the tax scales that were in the original stage three package,” Mr Koukoulas told Sky News Australia. “The microeconomic aspect ... it’s been virtually non-existent.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying he thinks the PM has “destroyed his leadership”. Mr Dutton’s comments come after the Prime Minister announced changes to the stage-three tax cuts. “How do you trust a bloke who’s gone to two elections telling you that his word is his bond and that he has made a solemn promise to the Australian public … and then walk away from it and without justification,” Mr Dutton said. “I think he’s destroyed his leadership. “We’re seeing a political charlatan who’s prepared to do or say anything.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has a “responsibility to act” as the nation’s leader as he defended his government’s tax cut changes. The Prime Minister fronted the National Press Club to defend his decision to break an election promise, where Mr Albanese vowed multiple times that he would keep the former Coalition government's stage three tax cuts. “We are acting in a way in which we will provide assistance to people without adding to inflation because that would be counterproductive,” Mr Albanese said during his National Press Club address. “I accept this is not an easy decision to make, the easy option is to kick the can down the road. “This is the right decision done for all the right reasons and as Prime Minister I will always do what I believe is in the national interest.”

Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan says Donald Trump was exuding “chilling confidence” during his phone call with the former president as he takes a decisive win in New Hampshire. “My phone went on Monday night, I was just about to come in to do the show, and it was Donald ... a very nice chat,” Mr Morgan said. “He really just believes he is going to win.” Donald Trump last night became the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in both Iowa and New Hampshire – a feat only accomplished before by a sitting president. He got close to 55 per cent of the vote in New Hampshire, making a presidential rematch between Trump and Biden all but certain.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government’s aspirations are “inclusive, not exclusive”. Mr Albanese addressed the National Press Club of Australia on Thursday and defended Labor’s plan to change the stage three tax cuts. “No one held back is about aspiration because that is a fundamental Labor value too,” Mr Albanese said. “Making sure that every Australian is encouraged to aim high, to pursue their dreams and reach their potential and to get a fair reward for the hard work they put in along the way. “Our government’s definition of aspiration is much bigger and broader than just the highest income level – our aspiration is inclusive, not exclusive because when no one is held back, and no one is left behind, everyone is lifted up.”

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has been upgraded to category two intensity as it draws nearer to Queensland’s coast. The system is expected to slowly and steadily intensify on its track towards the coastline. Landfall is expected on Thursday night between Ingham and Bowen, with Townsville facing the threat of a direct hit from a category two tropical cyclone. “As that system moves towards the coast, near the centre of that will see the heaviest amount of rainfall,” says the Bureau of Meteorology’s Laura Boekel. “But all communities within the current warning zone are at risk of seeing heavy rainfall, which can lead to flash flooding – we could see isolated totals of up to 300 millilitres as this system crosses the coast.”

Footage has emerged of the aftermath of a strike on a Mosque in southern Gaza on Wednesday. This video was captured by local journalist Mahmoud Bassam. Several people were reportedly killed in the strike. Another local journalist shared vision of injured people being rushed to a nearby hospital following the strike. The latest strike comes 110 days since Hamas launched its attack on Israel.

Australians have suffered through a cost-of-living crisis in this country for years and the Prime Minister has “only recently” discovered it, says Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson. “He spent the first 18 months of his term obsessed with dividing Australians with the Voice in our Constitution,” Mr Paterson told Sky News Australia. “And he has only belatedly discovered that there is a cost-of-living crisis, perhaps coincidentally, because there is a by-election coming up where there are a lot of Australians who are struggling with the cost-of-living. “That is not an excuse – those circumstances did not recently change. “The very least the Australian people deserve is an apology from the Prime Minister and the Treasurer Jim Chalmers for lying.”

Joe Biden has fallen off the face of the earth. Whilst Donald Trump is enjoying his moment in the sun after his historic Iowa caucus win, Joe Biden is nowhere to be seen. Sky News All Stars Andrew Bolt, Adam Creighton and Piers Morgan investigate the reasons for Joe Biden’s absence and ask whether his cognitive decline has finally sidelined him for good.

Sky News US analyst Michael Ware has questioned how far US Republican candidate Nikki Haley can go in her race against Donald Trump. “How much longer can Ambassador Haley go?” Mr Ware told Sky News Australia. “We’ve got the Nevada primary coming up – because of a change in rules, she’s not even on the ballot. “So we’re looking at her home state of South Carolina, which she’s probably going to lose. “I think by the first week of March, we will all know that this is going to be the rematch no one in America wants, according to the polls, Biden versus Trump.”

Former NSW premier Mike Baird is being touted as a possible replacement for Scott Morrison in the seat of Cook. Former prime minister Scott Morrison announced his retirement from parliament, effective end of February. Party sources say powerbrokers within the Liberal Party are already in tense negotiations over possible candidates as nominations for pre-selection in the seat open. Some members have actively put forward the former premier's name as a possible replacement since the 2022 election defeat. Insiders say Mr Baird's appointment would make an immediate impact after his father held the seat prior to Scott Morrison's tenure.

Sky News host Laura Jayes questions why Australians should believe anything the Prime Minister says after he broke his major election promise to not touch stage three tax cuts. Ms Jayes said the tax cut changes are the Prime Minister’s attempt to bring back middle Australia after losing them with the Voice to Parliament proposal. “On face value, it is very clever politics and it's hard to argue that people on $150,000 a year and less shouldn’t be given a higher tax cut,” Ms Jayes said. “The problem is he's telling a 35-year-old living in Melbourne with two kids, one stay-at-home parent, and a huge mortgage, that they are rich. “But a 70-year-old, for example, part pensioner, rich in investment assets deserves a bigger tax cut than they were going to.”

Tropical Cyclone Kirrily has formed off the coast of central Queensland. The Bureau warns the category one system will intensify before making landfall between Cardwell and Bowen sometime tonight. A warning is in place for a quarter of a million residents between Innisfail and Sarina, and inland towards Charters Towers. More than 120 schools across the region have been closed as a precaution. Queensland's Disaster Assistance Response Team arrived in the region yesterday ahead of Kirrily's arrival. Meanwhile, claims received for damage caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and storms that battered southeast Queensland over the Christmas period have exceeded $743 million.

As part of his push to win the 2022 election, Anthony Albanese convinced the Labor Party to support the Morrison-era stage three tax cuts and that's been Labor's position – until now. As the Prime Minister readies himself to officially break his promise and take the axe to the tax cuts which are set to be announced at his National Press Club address today, he will have explain the backflip and ready himself for a battle. The changes spell a breach of faith which could be politically fatal for the PM. As it stands, the legislated cuts are skewed in favour of higher income earners with the tweak set to distribute this among the lowest income earners. The changes are setting the government up for a bitter stoush with the Coalition and business groups who are going nuclear over a broken election promise. The full details of the government’s tax changes and cost of living relief will be unveiled at the National Press Club on Thursday.

Former Speaker of the House Bronwyn Bishop has slammed the Albanese government for achieving “nothing” in their first 18 months of government. “They have nothing,” Ms Bishop told Sky News host Paul Murray. “They have done nothing. “A whole year went on the Voice and that was because all Albanese has ever had was the aim to have a republic. “The Voice was going to be the trial run, tell them nothing, get it through, and we’ll do the same with the republic. “It is a catastrophic miss and all they’ve got is to fiddle around with these tax cuts.”

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer has called out Nikki Haley's decision to stay in the GOP race after losing to Trump in New Hampshire. “I mean, she has a right to do it, but we're wasting time and money that could be focused on winning in November,” he told Sky News host Sharri Markson. “I think she’s throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, but the reality is when you look at Donald Trump versus Joe Biden in the battleground states in the eight states that are actually going to make a difference in the general election Donald Trump is beating Joe Biden. “This is a Republican party where supposed to be picking the republican nominee.” Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire Republican primary on Tuesday, solidifying his lead to become the party’s nominee for president.

Sky News host Liz Storer says the ABC can have News Corp’s “10-year-old scraps” with incoming chair Kim Williams. “I just found this so hilarious, right, because all the headlines say the same thing,” Ms Storer said. “Like, ‘Ex-News Corp CEO’, he was CEO for less than two years. “So, don’t worry, he’s not really ‘our guy’. “But, hey, ABC, you can have our 10-year-old scraps - we don’t mind.”

Sky News host Paul Murray says to not “patronise Australians” and remarks the government is trying to “help itself” in the stage three tax cuts debacle. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has broken his promise to deliver the stage-three tax cuts in full and will change them so anyone earning over $150,000 will miss out on the tax cuts. “Don’t patronise people by pretending they’re not in the money because they’re $25 better off a week,” Mr Murray said. “Don’t patronise Australians by telling them the world got better because they’ve got $35 a week extra. “My aggro tonight is that the prime minister makes all this noise and all this fuss and calls all the MPs back to Canberra to rubber stamp a decision that had already been taken by cabinet and had already been leaked to the newspapers.”