Author Douglas Murray says there was “almost no knowledge about the consequences” of puberty blockers but “so-called niceness” was used to do a very wicked thing. The NHS has confirmed children will not be routinely prescribed puberty blockers at gender identity clinics. A recently published NHS England policy document noted: “We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of (puberty blockers) to make the treatment routinely available at this time.” “Whatever the causes are, we just have to look at the facts,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi. “One of the things I was startled by always was some of these procedures, some of these drugs were being administered when there was almost no knowledge about the consequences. “There was so few studies, there was so little literature, so little information … yet our societies have fallen into this place where we sort of just done something I think will be looked at as very, very wrong. “We did it out of kindness … but sometimes it requires a so-called niceness to do a very wicked thing, and I think that is likely to be the case in this whole area.”

Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Bridget McKenzie says the Labor government can’t get the “basics” of national security right. Ms McKenzie’s comments follow news of several Palestinians who fled Gaza to Australia getting their temporary visas cancelled, leaving them stranded in other countries. “It’s almost unprecedented that somebody gets turned back once a visa has been granted,” she told Sky News Australia. “As an Opposition, when these changes were being made last year, we asked the government to scrutinise the changes to make sure they were conscious of the impacts and that everything was as it should be. “We were assured it was, and it turns out it’s not; the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is real – it is a warzone, and we need to uphold our own reputation as a country.”

Assistant Health and Aged Care Minister Ged Kearney says the health system is “not right” as female GPs receive more “complex and difficult patients” which has created a gender pay gap for female GPs Two-thirds of Australian women say they’ve experienced gender bias or discrimination when accessing healthcare, according to the federal government’s landmark #EndGenderBias survey, conducted to improve access to healthcare and outcomes for women. “I really do believe that is the case, but we can’t just rely on them [female medical professionals],” Ms Kearney told Sky News Australia. “Often, we’re finding that women GPs … often get a lot of the complex and difficult patients. “This has created a situation where there’s a gender pay gap for female GPs. “Inherently, the system is not right.”

Assistant Health and Aged Care Minister Ged Kearney says she was a “little bit shocked” two out of three Australian women say they have experienced “some form of bias or discrimination” in the health system. Two-thirds of Australian women say they’ve experienced gender bias or discrimination when accessing healthcare, according to the federal government’s landmark #EndGenderBias survey, conducted to improve access to healthcare and outcomes for women. “I wasn’t surprised by the response as a health professional and as a woman,” Ms Kearney told Sky News Australia. “I have understood the discrimination bias felt by women in the system, but I’ve got to say I was a little bit shocked two out of three women say they experience some form of bias or discrimination in the health system. “70 per cent of those said it happened at their local GP … so these outcomes are shocking.”

German police are searching for the close friend of Madeleine McCann's suspected murderer Christian Brueckner. Armed police descended on a small house at an allotment in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony searching for a 56-year-old man named Ralph H. Ralph, reportedly a long-time friend of paedophile Brueckner, vanished before the German police’s raid, Before the 56-year-old vanished, Ralph claimed he and Brueckner discussed robbing homes together and reportedly drove the sex offender's cars. “I acted as a lookout for him during burglaries and as a getaway driver as well. I know exactly the sort of crimes he (Brueckner) got up to and what he did on the dark web,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that one-third of the heavy vehicles operating out of Team Global Express’ Western Sydney facility will be electric. Mr Albanese described this as a “great day” and a “game changer”. “That’s good for this company because it drives down emissions, it drives down their costs,” Mr Albanese said during a media conference on Thursday. “Good for the environment in reducing our emissions. “We know that around about over 20 per cent of Australia’s emissions are due to the transport sector. “This transformation together with, of course, the partnership with ARENA, and the parentship with Volvo, is a great example of my government working with the private sector, with the business community to assist the economy, to assist them but also to assist our objective of heading towards net zero.”

Professional surfer Blake Johnston has his eyes set on breaking another record. In 2023 Johnston broke the world record for the longest-ever surf session. “I actually have my own record to break,” he told Sky News Australia. “I was going to run before I ever did the surf and I’m going to stick to my word. “I’m going to run barefoot from Ulladulla to Cronulla later in the year.” The distance for this run is around 204km, and Johnston has also hinted he might be attempting to break another world record in 2025.

One year ago, professional surfer Blake Johnston broke the world record for the longest-ever surf session. Mr Johnston broke the record in Cronulla last year in a mission to raise awareness of the importance of mental health. “Mentally, it was draining,” he told Sky News Australia. “It’s constant work to be on top of ourselves, to become self-aware enough to know when we need to seek help. “Or when we need to change our environment to be able to keep moving forward and function well in a society.”

Columnist Justin Smith has backed “the sentiment” behind the actions of several Extinction Rebellion protesters but also produced a stern word for their behaviour potentially lacking credibility. The Extinction Rebellion protesters gathered in Melbourne’s CBD to spread their flags and lie down on a busy pavement. “The issue is just far too important, and I really don’t want it going into wacko territory,” Mr Smith told Sky News host Chris Kenny. “It gives people like you two the opportunity to sling off at them. “I’d like to see them dial down the wacko just a touch and make it a little bit more credible.”

Sky News Business Editor Ross Greenwood says the United States House of Representatives has effectively said TikTok would either need to be “sold or somehow busted up or closed down” in America. Mr Greenwood said in Australia, the Attorney General banned TikTok from all “public servants phones, mobiles and computers”. “The US has gone one step further, and now the House of Representatives effectively says that TikTok in America would either have to be sold or somehow busted up or closed down,” Mr Greenwood told Sky News Australia. “It’s got to go through the Senate in America, and maybe they’ll take a more moderate approach towards TikTok. “It just goes to show how sensitive all of the data that’s been accumulated by what is said to be a Chinese-owned and controlled social media site. “The reality is that there’s so much more – it’s not just what they have, it’s what could be altered in the event of a significant conflict that people would be most concerned about here.”

NPR Technology Correspondent Bobby Allyn warns putting TikTok “out of business” in the United States would have a global impact. “America is TikTok’s largest market, and putting it out of business here would have a global impact,” he told Sky News Australia. “Squelching that enormous user base ... would send a wave across all of social media. “To shut down TikTok, you’re going to cut off the pipeline from TikTok to Instagram.” Mr Allyn’s remarks come as a bill that could ban TikTok if its Chinese parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell its controlling stake within six months has passed the US House of Representatives and will now head to the Senate.

Victoria Police have confirmed a 37-year-old miner trapped below ground in a Ballarat mine has died. The miner spent 15 hours pinned by rocks trapped underground after the mine collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. It is now understood that 30 people were involved in the mine collapse. 28 of them were able to move safely to a pod and wait for their rescue. A 21-year-old Ballarat man sustained serious life-threatening injuries to his lower body. The man was worked on by paramedics before being flown to hospital.

A video of a ‘groggy dog’ in the US has gone viral. Footage of the dog, Donuts, has taken over the internet, as people relate to his refusal to wake up. The 7-year-old Great Pyrenees mix works the night shift on a farm in the US. Donuts is the watchdog to 15 sheep. The good dog has now won over a lot of admirers thanks to the videos.

Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson has confirmed the last miner trapped down a collapsed gold mine has passed away due to multiple injuries. “It is no longer a rescue – it is a recovery,” Mr Hudson told Sky News Australia. “Our thoughts go out to the family of that miner, also to all of his colleagues that were in the mine with him at the time.” Emergency services were called to Mount Clear, near Ballarat, around 5pm on Wednesday evening following reports two workers were pinned down by fallen rocks. The second miner has been airlifted to The Alfred Hospital with significant injuries.

NPR Technology Correspondent Bobby Allyn says TikTok has deployed its lobbyist to Washington to try to “bend the ear” of US Senators because they see a bill that could ban the app as an “existential threat”. The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its stake in the US version of the app or see it banned. The bill will now head to the Senate for a vote, where it faces an uncertain path. “While it passed overwhelmingly in the House, it’s less so in the Senate,” Mr Allyn told Sky News Australia. “There’s a number of Republicans who are worried about this bill from a civil libertarian standpoint.”

Sky News host James Macpherson has pointed out the “irony” in the NSW government’s plan to ban gay conversion therapy. Mr Macpherson’s remarks come after NHS England’s decision to stop prescribing puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria. “Chris Minns was introducing ant-gay conversion which of course will make it illegal to oppose gender affirmation,” he said. “So, it’s an incredible irony while overseas they’re recognising, we really need to hit pause on this and recognise gender affirmation is not the way to go. “You’ve got to consider a holistic approach.”

Sky News host Liz Storer says the smarter your car, the “more data they are gathering”. Ms Storer’s follow reports cars could be “spying” on drivers in the US and reporting their behaviour to insurers. “The smarter your phone and the smarter your car, the more data they are gathering,” she said. “It is such a breach of privacy, it’s not funny. “It’s completely unknown to the consumer, and that is just completely unfair.”

Sky News Australia host Liz Storer has responded to a proposed law in Canada that could see people serving life sentences for offending someone. The law if introduced will make it a criminal offence to offend or discriminate against someone on the basis of their race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, among other factors. The law would also enable people to report others for a pre-crime, if they have a strong sense such an offence is going to be committed. “How can they possible have enough prison space to serve out that many life terms?” Ms Storer said. “Good lord, the three of us would be locked up every single night for life, if this was the case in Australia.”

Sky News host Liz Storer says NHS England banning puberty blockers for children is “incredible news”. “You might want to run outside, hug your neighbour, dance in the streets,” Ms Storer said. “The National Health Service have announced effective immediately – puberty blockers are banned for children in the UK. “This is a massive win. “What a win for humanity – common sense has finally prevailed.”

Sky News host Caleb Bond says gender ideology in Australia is “robbing children of so much opportunity in life”. Mr Bond’s remarks come after NHS England’s decision to stop prescribing puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria. “If you’re stopping the actual process of puberty that changes your body for life,” he said. “If you do that at 12, 13, and you’re a biological girl, and then you decide at 19, that actually I am a girl – you’ve lost your opportunity to ever have kids. “We are robbing children of so much opportunity in life for an ideology that the rest of the world has woken up to.”