Sky News host Peta Credlin says the Australian public are in a “recession” while the country remains out of one. “Australians are starting to wake up to the distinction,” she said. “Australia is not in a recession, but Australians are." Ms Credlin stated that is "the difference”. “Everything feels squeezed.”

Sky News host Peta Credlin says ABS migration data numbers are out indicating “record highs”. “With Question Time, the focus today of course those official ABS migration data numbers out,” she said. “Labor’s big Australia push continues on unabated.” Ms Credlin stated the number is reaching “record highs”. “The RBA has been crunching the numbers.”

Washington H. Soul Pattinson CEO Todd Barlow says his company has been “very active” in public markets portfolios. His comments follow Soul Patts’ asset values lifting by ten per cent to $11.5 billion. “The activity is definitely picking up, and that’s in response to the market dynamics,” he told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “We’ve been very active for a couple of years now in redeploying our assets into more private markets transactions, private equity, and credit in particular. “But also our public markets portfolios in large caps and small caps have been very, very active.”

Sky News contributor Prue MacSween has blasted former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews over the Commonwealth Games fiasco following recent reports that he “overstated” the cost of hosting the games. A report from the Victorian Auditor-Generals' Office revealed the cost of cancelling the 2026 games cost Victorians $589 million with 'no discernible benefit'. According to the Auditor General’s report, 'The cost estimate for the Games that the government publicly released in August 2023 of $6.9 billion was overstated and not transparent'. “It was all just a big con job,” Ms MacSween told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “Andrews was coning everybody and sadly they fell for it.”

GB News host Patrick Christys has urged the woke mainstream media to “leave Bond alone” as speculation brews around the casting of the iconic British character. The new face of James Bond may soon be made official as British-born actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the role, according to UK tabloid The Sun. The BBC claims there is no truth behind the rumours of the Bond casting. “The BBC says it’s not true because they don’t want it to be true,” Mr Christys told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “Shock horror – James Bond is a straight white male. “Bond is a hunky man, a bit of a womaniser who shoots bad guys; he is not an electric car driving, pink hat wearing vegan.”

Education Minister Jason Clare says the Universities Accord Final Report is a “blueprint” for higher education reform. Mr Clare said it will be for the “next decade and the one after that”. “And it includes recommendations in it about how we make our HECS system fairer and simpler. “We’re looking at all of the recommendations in that report at the moment, including the recommendations around HECS. “And we’ll respond to the first stage of our reforms, responding to that report in the next few months.”

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has engaged in a heated exchange with Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Tony Bobulinsky during a hearing on Wednesday. Bobulinsky, a witness related to US President Joe Biden's impeachment inquiry, attended the House Oversight Committee Hearing. During the hearing, AOC asked Bobulinsky if he had ever seen “the president commit a crime”. Hunter’s former business partner responded by asking, “How much time do I have to go through it” and listed crimes such as “corruption statutes, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO) and conspiracy." AOC cut off Bobulinsky, “What is the crime sir, specifically”, sparking a heated debate between the two before she condescendingly asserted “Excuse me, sir, RICO is not a crime. It is a category”. Wednesday's hearing, which looked at the Biden family business dealings, lasted just under eight hours. GOP members in the House of Representatives alleged the Biden family, including the president, profited from policy decisions during Obama’s presidency, according to Reuters.

University of Tasmania Associate Professor Kate Crowley says "all the pundits" believe the Liberals will "fall into a minority" in Tasmania after the upcoming state election. Ms Crowley joined Sky News Australia to discuss the latest on Tasmania’s politics as the state’s election draws nearer. “This is the last Liberal government standing around the country,” she said. “Yesterday the Premier said that he was within striking distance of remaining in government. “I do believe he thinks he’s within striking distance but all the pundits and the just general feeling on the ground really for the whole campaign has been that they will fall into a minority.”

Seven Network Commercial Director Bruce McWilliam has resigned after more than 20 years at the company. He has worked as a Commercial Director at Network Seven since May 2003. Chairman of Seven West Media Kerry Stokes thanked Mr McWilliam for his "significant contribution" to the company and wished him all the best in the future. "Bruce has been an excellent executive of Seven for the past 21 years, having been involved in all of the major corporate initiatives we have undertaken during that period," Mr Stokes said in a statement. Mr McWilliam said in a statement he was very proud of his time at Seven and will be focused on his media advisory and property interests going forward.

Filmmaker Ami Horowitz has questioned the point of Melania Trump teasing the idea of rejoining former US president Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. This comes after Melania was asked whether she’d be returning to the campaign trail with her husband and she replied, ‘stay tuned’. “Who cares?” he told Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi. “I don’t think it makes a difference. “Yeah she can stand by her man all she wants, but ultimately I think it’s going to have no particular role of whether or not he wins or loses in this campaign.”

Independent MP Dai Le says migration has to be done in a “planned and managed way” amid Australia’s low housing supply. Australia has experienced a surge in migration despite the low numbers of new housing being built. “At the moment, we don’t have enough housing, jobs,” Ms Le told Sky News Australia. “We welcome migrants, we welcome settlement refugees ... but we need to understand that we have to have the infrastructure, we have to have services. “We have to ensure that people are brought in and are set up to succeed. “We have to manage our migration system.”

An Israeli mother who watched her daughter die moments after her husband was shot by Hamas has spoken out about her ordeal. Chen Almog Goldstein was later taken hostage at gunpoint along with her other children for 51 days. “There were four or five of them inside the safe room,” Ms Almog Goldstein said. “The conditions in the apartments were not easy, when there is running water you need to decide who’s going to shower.” There were times Ms Almog Goldstein was worried she would be killed by Israeli forces. “It was really scary and dangerous, we were really in danger when they took us out to the street and we walked down the street and we saw the devastation and destruction it was really hard—it was terrible,” she said. “We need to do everything possible in order to release the people who are still there, to bring them back to their families, to bring them back to our country and do everything possible so that they’ll be released as soon as possible.”

Australia’s unemployment rate has fallen to 3.7 per cent from 4.1 per cent. “We’ll see reactions no doubt in the Australian dollar, which is likely to fall as a result of this”, Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood said. “It’s likely to be seen in the stock market, where the stock market is likely to be even higher again. “On top of that also, it’s just trying to figure out where these jobs have come from as well. “For the Reserve Bank to consider interest rate cuts in the future, it really very much would be seeing the unemployment rate rising and not falling in this way.”

The US Federal Reserve System is expected to cut interest rates by 0.75 per cent – signalling inflation is cooling enough to reduce borrowing costs. The announcement comes as Federal Reserve officials voted unanimously to leave rates unchanged at the 23-year high of 5.25 to 5.5 per cent. A policy statement from the Federal Reserve cited job gains remaining 'strong' as well as unemployment remaining 'low' following the decision. This comes as the US inflation rate is 3.2 per cent. The Fed clarified it does not expect it will be “appropriate” to reduce the target range until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably towards the two per cent goal.

The federal government will introduce tough new vaping legislation today. The new laws would see pharmacies become the sole trader of products in a bid to tackle the rapid rise in vaping among young people. Criminal penalties will apply for any other businesses that manufacture or supply the e-cigarettes. Public health bodies have given their strong support to the tough laws. Some MPs and experts are concerned that a prohibitionist policy will further prop up illicit trade of disposable vapes.

Watch-and-act warnings remain in place for parts of northeast Perth as fires threaten lives and property. Firefighters reported a number of structures have been destroyed but no homes have been lost yet. Strong winds have fanned the fire, which has so far burned through 700 hectares of land. Challenging terrain meant crews deployed heavy air tankers over the fire zone. Residents in Red Hill, Millendon, Herne Hill, and Baskerville have been told to remain on alert and monitor for conditions.

High-level talks are set to continue between international leaders in Canberra. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will host the former UK prime minister and now Foreign Secretary David Cameron. Defence Minister Richard Marles will sit down with his UK counterpart Grant Shapps. The meetings revolve around the annual Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN). Both meetings will take place on Thursday.

There's been a fiery finishing round to the Tasmanian election campaign with the Premier and Opposition Leader butting heads over a controversial stadium plan. The Labor Leader emerged as the crowd favourite at the Sky News/Mercury People's Forum after both leaders were grilled by undecided voters. Aside from the AFL stadium debate, cost-of-living and housing were at the forefront of voters’ minds. Current Premier Jeremy Rockliff has urged Tasmanians to vote for consistency. Labor Leader Rebecca White has encouraged her state to vote for change.

A bus driver is fighting for life in hospital after two buses collided in Sydney’s south on Wednesday. Police were called to Campise just after 4pm after one bus crashed into the rear of another, before hitting three parked cars. One of the bus drivers, a 63-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Firefighters had to pry open a smashed windscreen to rescue her, as well as another passenger trapped inside. Reportedly, 25 passengers were assessed at the scene, 12 of whom were taken to hospital.

Filmmaker Ami Horowitz has weighed in on the US Supreme Court voting to allow Texas state law enforcement to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border. “This was actually very, very unexpected,” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi. "Because prior courts in the past have held the states do not have a right to police the borders, that falls within the federal jurisdiction, according to the constitution. “I’m a constitutionalist … I don’t like activist courts on either side, on the right or the left. “So of course while yes, this is something that its going to be very helpful to stop this illegal flow coming to this country … I don’t like judicial activism on either side.” “Now in saying that, this really is a gamechanger.”