Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew discusses Australia’s failure to attract more female engineers. Only 16 per cent of Australia’s working engineers are female, and of that 16 per cent, 3.8 per cent of them are born in Australia. “There is cultural reasons and there is bias reasons,” Ms Madew told Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood. “If you look at girls in schools, the schools don’t advocate the importance of maths and science. “Parents, teachers and career advisors don’t advertise and advocate on behalf of engineering.” Ms Madew added that young girls also do not know what being an engineer means and more work should be done to bring them into the industry.

Sky News host Rowan Dean has criticised Energy Minister Chris Bowen for “trashing” nuclear energy. Mr Dean said nuclear energy is the one energy source with zero emissions Australia “do have a potential abundant supply on”. On the ABC, Mr Bowen acknowledged starting nuclear energy in Australia from scratch would be costly and difficult. “Until recently we didn’t have a renewables industry either we started that from scratch,” Mr Dean said. “Everything this bozo is doing is starting from scratch.”

Sky News host Rowan Dean has blasted Energy Minister Chris Bowen for his “lowballed cost” of transitioning Australia’s power. Mr Dean said there are claims the energy minister “lowballed" the cost of transitioning the country’s power grid to net zero by as much as a hundred billion dollars. “What’s that to a Labor pollie?” Mr Dean said. “That’s a hundred billion dollars of your money extra that’s going to be splurged in this net zero comedy show.” The Sky News host said Mr Bowen has been “wasting all our money on hopelessly inefficient renewables”.

Israel protests government, display car drives into Sydney store front, Jetstar aborts flight after door was left open, AMA on vaping public health crisis, aged care workers to receive pay rise, UK leaders to travel to Australia for AUKUS talks, and Chicago river has been dyed green for St. Patrick's Day. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Sky News host Rowan Dean has slammed Labor’s “idiocy and incompetence” after the government “mucked up” again in the detainee debacle. It was revealed earlier this week that there were “technical inconsistencies” with the Abbott government-era laws surrounding the visas given to the cohort of detainees released into the community following a controversial High Court ruling last year. The legal issue was later fixed, and all 149 visas were reissued. Mr Dean reacted to the Albanese government “blaming everyone other than themselves”. “The classic Labor ploy,” he said. “Incompetence the lot of them.”

Ukraine attacks amid Russian election, new Gaza ceasefire talks to be discussed, Cyclone Megan moving slowly towards Northern Territory coast, Queensland Labor holds seat of Inala in by-election, Tasmanian Liberals to introduce stability clause, Foreign Minister Penny Wong marries long-term partner, and 3 killed in Philadelphia shooting. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Sky News host Rowan Dean has criticised the teals after they urged Labor to reinstate funding to UNRWA. Extra aid will be sent to Gaza as Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong lifted a funding freeze on the main UN relief agency. “UNRWA is not a terrorist organisation,” Ms Wong declared during a media conference on Friday. Ms Wong assured Australians of safeguards implemented to ensure taxpayer-funded relief was used appropriately despite allegations 12 UNRWA staffers were involved in the October 7 terrorist attacks. Mr Dean claimed Labor is “in bed with the teals” and is unfit to be in power.

Sky News host James Morrow has slammed Labor’s “big Australia” policy, which has seen Australia’s migration intake soar to record levels. According to the Daily Telegraph, Australia’s migration intake hit record levels in January despite Labor’s plan to slow the surge of new arrivals. “This is really, really sinister here – I mean, we talk about a housing crisis, we talk about inflation, we talk about household incomes going backwards,” Mr Morrow said. “And this is because Labor has decided to pursue a big Australia policy. “What have we got? We’ve got sticky inflation; we’ve got housing prices that are through the roof.”

Shadow Attorney General Michaelia Cash has slammed Labor’s handling of the immigration detainee debacle as a “total trainwreck”. The government has been under pressure in recent months over its response to the High Court’s decision in the NZYQ case, which led to the release of 149 detainees. “A competent government would continually be working with officials and with their legal drafters to put in place legislative responses,” Ms Cash told Sky News Australia. “All you hear now, and this is directly from the Prime Minister, is ‘this is a decision of the High Court, hands up, there is nothing more we can do’. “It is totally shambolic, and I have to say what we saw on Friday with the admission that they had literally lost control of this portfolio really does say these two ministers should not be holding these portfolios.” Ms Cash claimed the Prime Minister has “given up” on the security of Australia.

Indigenous voters in South Australia have cast their ballots for the state’s Voice to Parliament. Around 30,000 people were eligible to vote, but it could still be weeks before the full results are revealed. South Australia’s First Nation’s Voice passed parliament last year. This means it exists in state law, not the constitution, as what was proposed in the failed referendum to establish a Voice at the national level. Of the 113 candidates, 46 will be elected to form six local Voices – 12 members will then go on to become the state Voice to Parliament, the first of its kind.

Queenslanders have voted in the state council elections. The LNP’s Adrian Schrinner has been re-elected as Brisbane Lord Mayor. Mr Schrinner posted a statement to the social media platform X, saying that he was “humbled” residents re-elected him. He also criticised the time it’s taking to count the votes. “Like me, I am sure many residents are disappointed at the slow count as well as the long queues and shortage of staff and ballot papers that occurred at many booths,” he said in the statement. “The Electoral Commission of Queensland’s performance will need to be further considered once the counting is finished.”

The Queensland Labor Party has retained the seat of former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk but has possibly lost the seat of Ipswich West in yesterday’s by-election. Both electorates had at least a 20 per cent swing to the LNP. Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafulli claimed locals are tired of the current government. “What we did today is we asked Queenslanders to send a message, and they did,” he said. Premier Steven Miles says he expected swings and has pledged to continue delivering on his party’s promises to Queenslanders.

Queensland Labor is looking likely to hold Inala in the by-election. LNP recorded a 22.6 per cent swing in the city. However, the Labor Party are still in for an anxious wait with the results in the Ipswich West by-election indicating there will be a massive swing to the LNP. It follows pleas from Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafuli to voters of Ipswich West to register a loud protest vote against the Miles Government. The response to Mr Crisafuli’s request has been deafening making the once safe Labor seat likely to be lost.

President Joe Biden has hosted the Irish Prime Minister at the White House against the somber backdrop of wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Ahead of St Patrick's Day tomorrow, the US and Ireland are celebrating one hundred years of diplomatic relations. The delegation is typically a light-hearted occasion but this year the topics of ongoing conflicts were top of the agenda. The meeting comes one day after US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel. Both President Biden and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar called on congress to pass funding for Israel and Ukraine.

Boeing's crisis has deepened as the airline manufacturer has suffered another mid-air incident. During a flight from San Francisco, a United Airlines 737 lost an external panel. The plane managed to land safely in Oregon. There were 145 passengers including crew on board the 25-year-old aircraft at the time of the incident. Boeing have since directed airlines to check all 787 Dreamliner cockpit seats for switch covers, which is suspected to be the culprit in this case.

The Labor Party in Queensland is in for an anxious wait over the results of the Ipswich West by-election indicating there will be a massive swing to the LNP. The seat south-west of Brisbane had been safe for Labor but results so far Saturday night indicate the party's candidate is struggling to hold. Queensland Opposition Leader David Crisafuuli was urging the voters of Ipswich West to register a loud protest vote against the Miles Government, and their response has been deafening. At one point on Saturday night the Labor Candidate Wendy Bourne was leading the LNP's Darren Zanow by just one vote with 22 per cent of the ballots counted. The result could be a catastrophic vote of no confidence in new Labor Premier Steven Miles, who replaced three-time election winner Anastacia Palaszczuk in December. So far in Ipswich West Labor has 25.1 per cent of the primary vote -five points ahead of the LNP but it's hoping preferences from One Nation will close the gap to promise what could be a boil over that will hardly auger well for the survival of the Miles Government in the October state election. The seat in Inala vacated by former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will be retained by Labor, but the government looks set to suffer another major swing to the LNP.

ResMed ambassador Olivia Arrezolo says it is “highly likely” there are a large number of Aussies suffering from sleep apnea without even knowing. It follows Res Med’s 2024 Global Sleep Survey report which studied over 1,500 Australians, and has uncovered some of the most critical sleep challenges faced by Australians. “It’s highly likely that so many Aussies are struggling without even realizing,” Ms Arrezolo told Sky News Australia. “The ResMed survey also found that 66 per cent of Aussies have not consulted a medical professional for their sleep problems. “Most likely they are just putting up with it because the common signs are not necessarily ones that we would connect to sleep apnea.”

Tropical Cyclone Megan has formed in the Gulf of Carpenteria. The system is expected to strengthen into a category two system overnight. It is then predicted to make landfall as a potential category three storm on Monday. Heavy rainfall, flash flooding and destructive winds will intesify as the cyclone approaches the coast. A cyclone warning has been issued for Alyangula in the Northern Territory through to Mornington island in Queensland.

Swinburne Space Technology and Industry Institute Co Director Dr Rebecca Allen has weighed in on SpaceX’s third Starship test failing despite being the furthest the Starship has ever flown. SpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built was destroyed during its return to Earth after nearly completing its third test flight. “SpaceX is certainly happy with the majority of how the mission went,” Dr Allen told Sky News Australia. “It’s the furthest that the starship has ever been able to fly – with the past two tests not even really making it very far off the launch pad. “However, the final stage of this test was for the starship spacecraft and the booster engine to deorbit, and hopefully even capture that booster engine again – and that did not happen. “It seems that both components have broken up on re-entry.”

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has accused Premier Jeremy Rockliff of heading down the wrong path and claims the AFL dream can go ahead without a stadium. Ms Lambie weighed in on the March 23 state election during an interview with Sky News reporter Lauren Evans. “I don’t think the Premier is coming back at all at this stage when he continues to go after independents, and micro parties,” Ms Lambie said. “That is real, stupid political tactics for the people that you may need, you may need my people, or other independents out there to help you form your government and you’re attacking us?” The Jacqui Lambie Network is confident they can secure seats in four divisions.