Bondi Partners Senior Advisor Peter McGauran says there will still be “tough going and pain” on interest rates in 2024, but there is a “light on the horizon”, although it is a distant horizon. The Reserve Bank of Australia left the cash rate unchanged at 4.35 per cent at their meeting on February 7. “People are generally aligned on the belief that they will begin to be cut towards the end of the year,” Mr McGauran told Sky News Australia. “If it is September, we’ll be lucky. “There’s still going to be tough going and pain, but there is a light on the horizon, but it’s pretty distant horizon.”

Bondi Partners Senior Advisor Peter McGauran has slammed the Albanese government for “importing hate” in their “political move” of granting 2,400 Palestinians visas. The federal government has accused the Coalition of fearmongering after 2,000 Palestinian visas were granted. 334 people from the Palestinian territories have so far arrived in Australia on the visitor visas. “No, we’re taking 2,400 Palestinians from a war zone – there’s not the paper checks,” Mr McGauran told Sky News Australia. “If I’m wrong, I’m happy for the government to explain how they’re doing these character and security checks. “It’s a political move by the government to address stirrings within their Muslim communities. “We shouldn’t be importing hate, and we have to wait until the fighting and the war eases or ceases before we can really be sure of who we’re letting into our country.”

Vacancy rates for share houses are edging close to “record lows”, says REA Group Senior Economist Eleanor Creagh. Ms Creagh told Sky News Australia how 2024 hasn’t brought much change to the state of the rental market. “We’ve still got an incredibly tight rental market around the country,” Ms Creagh said. “Vacancy rates remain really close to record lows. “January was the busiest month on record for flatmates.com.au.” In partnership with realestate.com.au

Bondi Partners Senior Advisor Peter McGauran says while this week’s announcement that wages grew by 4.2 per cent is a “trend in the right direction”, it is “not a slam dunk” for the Albanese government. The Australian Bureau of Statistics announced on Wednesday that wages grew by 4.2 per cent during 2023 – the biggest wage rise since 2009. “4.2 per cent, just ahead of the inflation rate of 4.1 per cent,” Mr McGauran told Sky News Australia. “It’s illusionary though – 4.2 per cent is before tax, so you’ve got to tax off 30 per cent for most people. “It doesn’t take into account the seven per cent plus mortgage rates. “It’s a trend in the right direction, but it’s not a slam dunk for the government.”

US President Joe Biden has announced at least 500 sanctions on Russia. The move is in retaliation for the suspicious death of Alexei Navalny. Mr Navalny had remained a Vladimir Putin critic despite imprisonment for his resistance. Mr Biden met the wife and daughter of the deceased Mr Navalny. Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader's mother was finally allowed access to his body.

The city of New York has “jeopardized" global investment after former US president Donald Trump’s civil fraud case, says Lawyer Robert Barnes. “What made America a great place for the whole world to invest was the stability and the reliability and transparency and impartiality of our legal system,” Mr Barnes told Sky News host James Morrow. “New York, one of its principal areas of investment is real estate and now you have taken one its most successful, one of the most prominent people, a person who helped revitalize New York real estate. “They have jeopardized all of it in the name of getting rid of Donald Trump. “All they have really done is hurt New York, hurt America and hurt the credibility of our legal system.

Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines have encountered their “first foe” which is a rare butterfly colony, says Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight. The rare butterflies are located where the AUKUS shipyard is planned to be built. “I just hope they’re not taken down by a butterfly,” Mr Knight told Sky News host Steve Price. “It would be pretty bad. “Floats like a butterfly and I think this butterfly stings like a tomahawk missile.”

Opposition leader Peter Dutton says he thinks Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has a “problem with the truth”. “Because he just sees things that blatantly are not true,” Mr Dutton told Sky News host Erin Molan. “The fact is that the government has brought people in from a warzone in record time, I don’t believe, with requisite checks.” Mr Dutton’s remarks come after it was revealed that Australia had granted more than 2,000 visas to Palestinians caught in the crossfire of the war in Gaza. The Opposition criticised the federal government’s handling of the issue following revelations that 2,273 people who hold a Palestinian Authority travel document have been given Australian visas between October 7 and February 6.

Wrong Speak Publishing Founder Adam B Coleman is “not too worried” about Google’s AI image generator being woke because people can “recognise this is nonsense”. Google’s new AI image generator has been slammed for being woke and trying to make America’s founding fathers and Scandinavian ice farmers more diverse than they actually are. It also refuses to recreate Norman Rockwell paintings because they ‘perpetuate harmful stereotypes’. “I’m not too worried, and part of the reason why is we’re still ruled by human beings,” Mr Coleman told Sky News host James Morrow. “Human beings can recognise this is nonsense. “I’m not necessarily worried about this particular type of issue.”

Wrong Speak Publishing Founder Adam B Coleman says a city in Nevada facing backlash for announcing plans to host a Black-owned business fair this weekend in celebration of Black History Month is “very tricky”. Some are alleging this fair constitutes government-sanctioned and taxpayer-funded racism by discriminating against white business owners. “I think when it comes to anything that’s public related, as soon as you take a side or a racial lens to it … can be tricky,” Mr Coleman told Sky News host James Morrow. “It depends on how you look at it. “But I think it’s safer to say that you should probably stay away from things like this. “When you say that some people can attend and other people can’t, that becomes very tricky, and you’re using public funds or politicians to have this, I think it becomes very tricky.”

Sky News Digital Editor Jack Houghton has lashed The Saturday Paper for its “self-indulgent rant” about Taylor Swift’s “whiteness”. The newspaper published an article titled ‘The exclusionary empowerment of Taylor Swift’ where the author took aim at the global superstar’s failure to write about the “social and political issues around her”. “She is the sound of whiteness. She makes music that confirms whiteness for an audience large enough to be reassured by its whiteness,” the article read. Mr Houghton took aim at the “deranged” publication for trying to “shame” Swift’s fans. “Do we really need Taylor Swift to weigh into the incredibly complex Middle Eastern issues for us to know she is a good person? Do we need to always be defined by our personal political views?” he said.

Former Australian Special Forces commando Wes Hennessey says, “one shoe doesn’t fit all” when it comes to IR reforms on working from home options. “It is very dependent on what their specific job role function is, who they are working for, what credibility has been established in regards to their productivity,” Mr Hennessey told Sky News host Erin Molan. “We should always offer the ability for people to work at home with compassionate or extenuating circumstances. “They may have sick children or a sick partner. “As long as their productivity is there, the guidelines are clear.”

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Andrew McKellar says it is not clear if companies can get higher productivity with people working from home. New pay deals containing generous “working from home” rights for federal public sector workers are set to be voted up in some of the biggest government departments next week, according to The Australian. The move would extend the new flexibility clauses to 85,000 government employees. Under the “working from home” clause, which the federal government and the Community Public Sector Union (CPSU) expect to apply across 103 agreements, agency caps that in practice have limited the right to work from home to two or three days a week are scrapped. “This is very strongly an employee benefit, it would be something that employers, workplaces are likely to agree to if they can see it has already been underpinned by productivity,” Mr McKellar told Sky News host Steve Price.

Meta has been dragged over the coals for “very alarming” revelations during a US Senate hearing, says former Australian Special Forces commando Wes Hennessey. “Safety catch-nets for our children that we thought were within the apps were clearly not,” he told Sky News host Erin Molan. Mr Hennessey’s comments come as Florida looks at introducing a new law to ban social media for users under 16 years old. “Parenting isn’t parenting anymore so we can’t rely on parents,” he said “We certainly can’t rely on Meta to provide the safety catch-net appropriate to protect our children.”

The Rubenstein Group’s Oliver Lavers says renters in Australia are becoming increasingly interested in “cosmopolitan living”. Recent analysis has shown Australians are now seeking out and looking to rent smaller properties, reversing the pandemic-era trend towards larger homes. “They are wanting to be closer to cafes and shops and pubs,” Mr Lavers told Sky News host Erin Molan. “The social aspect of life and of people is coming back. “I know that’s what I look for so I’m excited for it.”

Liberal Party Defence and National Security Policy Chair Lincoln Parker says the world is becoming a “dangerous place” as attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels ramp up. Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the assault on a British-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden. “The takeaway from this really is that these Houthi attacks are increasing,” Mr Parker told Sky News host Erin Molan. “We weren’t able to send a single warship to help our allies in the Red Sea. “The world is a dangerous place and it has become even more dangerous over the last couple of years with all of the wars and all of the conflicts that are going on.”

The outbreak of war in the Indo-Pacific is an all too real possibility, according to a special report for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Report author William Leben sets out that growing mistrust and competition between regional powers and potential miscalculations all heighten the risk. ANU National Security College Senior Research Officer William Leben joined Sky News Australia to discuss this issue. “Accidents are prone to happen, and in that heightened psychological environment, the possibility of miscalculation and misreading signals and acting early on an error is very real,” he said.

Sky News host Paul Murray has lashed an article in The Saturday Paper which argued Taylor Swift fans are embracing their “white privilege” by enjoying her music. “She is the sound of whiteness. She makes music that confirms whiteness for an audience large enough to be reassured by its whiteness,” the article read. The Sky News host argued that the global superstar can’t do anything about her skin colour. The article also targeted Swift for her failure to write about climate change and political leaders. “Screw you for being such a pompous piece of work,” Mr Murray said. “Especially when somebody of any celebrity – and it could be your favourite sports star, favourite pop star, your favourite person on TV – but for a lot of people someone like a Taylor Swift literally means it was the light at the end of the tunnel to get through hospital.”

Police have clashed with pro-Palestine activists that gathered outside the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan. At least two demonstrators were arrested. The protest took place outside the “Ask an IDF Solider” event which was hosted by Coleman Hughes. The purpose of the event was to have respectful conversations with Israeli veterans about the war in Gaza. Pro-Palestine activists were filmed chanting “shame” and waving the Palestinian flag.

The issue of the border crisis in the United States is "exploding" with thousands of illegal immigrants pouring over the southern border each week, says Sky News host Sharri Markson. Ms Markson said US President Joe Biden now has the "audacity" to blame Donald Trump for the crisis. "This is emerging as a major ... one of the leading issues in the presidential election," Ms Markson said. The Sky News Australia host spoke with Hudson Institute Senior Fellow John Lee about the latest unfolding events being seen in the United States. Discussing the border crisis, Mr Lee commented, "I'd say it's one of the top two issues – it's this issue and it's cost of living".