Sky News host Sharri Markson says things “couldn’t be looking worse” for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese just months out from the federal election. Ms Markson said Opposition leader Peter Dutton is accusing Mr Albanese of breaching the ministerial code of conduct in what has now become a “major political scandal”. “Accusations that Anthony Albanese has misled voters about why his son had chairman’s lounge access,” she said. Mr Albanese has faced a barrage of criticism regarding allegations he solicited tens of thousands of dollars of business and first-class upgrades from former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce. The Prime Minister admitted he discussed flights with the former Qantas CEO but declined to answer specific questions about whether he had solicited upgrades.

Writer and broadcaster Esther Krakue has weighed in on why former US president Donald Trump appears to be unpopular outside of America as the race to the White House ramps up. It comes as a poll suggests two-thirds of British people claim they want Trump to lose. “It's because our media class who see themselves as the arbiters of polite society just cannot fathom the idea that this man might actually be popular domestically,” Ms Krakue told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “You don't have to necessarily agree with Trump or even like him or even vote for him to understand where people that would vote for him are coming from. I'm sorry, it's not like that he's exactly facing a stellar candidate in Kamala Harris.”

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the “wind is at Donal Trump’s back” with only just over a week to go until the US presidential election. Mr Spicer said in the battleground states, the polls indicate that the Republican presidential candidate is either ahead or the “wind is at his back”. “In every single one of them,” he told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

Not “once” has Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pushed for answers on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic from China’s President Xi Jinping, Sky News host Sharri Markson says. “Australia's premiers have been blasted for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the federal inquiry report,” Ms Markson said. “The main action to prevent another pandemic would be to investigate the origins of COVID-19, work out why this virus spread around the world. But not once has Albanese asked Chinese President Xi Jinping, his good mate, about this, not once, because it was Scott Morrison's demand for an inquiry into the origins of the virus that sparked China's aggression against Australia including trade tariffs.”

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has slammed Australia’s response to the COVID pandemic, calling it a “shame” to the country. Mr Bolt's remarks come after the COVID-19 response inquiry findings were handed down on Tuesday. “This was far too gentle about a response which should shame this country,” Mr Bolt said. “Our leaders overreacted, they spread fear, they smashed Australians with tough bans and massive overspending. “This report should’ve named and shamed these politicians and experts responsible for this disaster.”

Sky News host Sharri Markson highlights the difference between “unjust” violence against women under Sharia law and the Israeli women fighting with men in the defence force. “The beauty of having young women fighting shoulder to shoulder with Israeli men as they launched strikes against the military sites of the misogynistic Iranian regime,” Ms Markson said. “A regime where the Ayatollahs don't allow women to show their face, they need to wear hijab headscarfs at all times. Where women who dare to protest against this have been beaten to death and executed.”

Sky News host Sharri Markson discusses the “massive scandal” around Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce on the 22 free upgrades for flights. “Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce is set to be hauled in front of a Senate inquiry to detail the free upgrades he gave his mate, Anthony Albanese,” Ms Markson said. “This has become a massive scandal. Albanese personally requesting 22 free upgrades including on a flight with his son from Sydney to Rome. That gift around $10,000. Collectively, the 22 free upgrades would be worth tens of thousands of dollars.” The free upgrades for Mr Albanese dates back over a few years to before he became prime minister.

History lecturer and author Stephen Chavura says it is a “triumph” for three state, territory and national leaders to have Italian heritage. “The Italians after the British were the highest percentage of immigrants to come to Australia after World War II,” Mr Chavura told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “I think it’s a function of just the numbers of Italians and the ease with which they … assimilated into Australian society.”

Liberal Senator James McGrath has discussed the possibility of an early federal election in March. “I’d love them to call an election today for early December to get rid of this terrible Labor government,” Mr McGrath told Sky News host Peta Credlin. “If you’re a betting person, I would start to look at dates in March.”

Liberal MP Keith Pitt has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s renewable energy plan as a “disaster”. His remarks come after Broken Hill experienced blackouts and power shortages due to a storm destroying transmission lines. “They look out the window and see giant solar and wind factories that are at Broken Hill, and they’ve still got no power,” Mr Pitt told Sky News Australia. “This is what the future looks like under a Bowen and Albanese plan, it is a disaster.”

Outgoing Queensland Premier Steven Miles has said being the state’s Premier has been the “greatest honour” of his life as he congratulated David Crisafulli on his election win. “It is an honour that he[David Crisafulli] has now earned, I congratulated him on a great campaign and on his effort to become our states Premier,” Mr Miles said during a media conference on Sunday. “I’ve formerly tended my resignation as the state’s Premier. “I’m very proud of the campaign that I ran and the government that I lead. “From here the task of all our Labor MPs who have been successful is to rebuild our party and prepare to return to government at the next election and to hold the current government to account.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has congratulated incoming Queensland premier David Crisafulli on his election win. "I want to work with him in the interest of Queenslanders, he certainly has indicated the same," Mr Albanese said. “I know David quite well … we have a big job to do both in terms of our bilateral relationship but also through the national cabinet. “I want to pay tribute to Steven Miles … Steven Miles ran an effective and vigilant and courageous campaign; he was always against the odds. “The outcome was much better for Queensland Labor … with the retaining of seats that were, seemed to be, under threat, but also gaining a seat of the Greens political party.”

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Sky News host Rita Panahi has reacted to Senator Lidia Thorpe’s top five meltdowns. “Our own Lidia Thorpe can always be relied upon to be a leftie losing it, whether she’s attacking the kind, having a meltdown outside an immigration detention centre, or claiming Australia is quite literally at war with itself,” Ms Panahi said.

Queensland Premier-Elect David Crisafulli has held his first press conference since winning the state election. The Liberal National Party will form government in Queensland, bringing to an end nine years of a state Labor government. “Once the premier has called on the Governor, if that is to occur today, it’s my intention to visit her excellency and indicate that we can form a majority LNP government,” Mr Crisafulli said at a media conference on Sunday.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud has slammed outgoing Queensland premier Steven Miles as “arrogant” for his “ugly” speech after his government’s election defeat. The Liberal National Party is expected to form a majority government in Queensland, bringing to an end nine years of a state Labor government. “I think the speech that we saw from Steven Miles last night just reinforced why Queenslanders got it right last night,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News Australia. “Steven Miles was petulant, he was arrogant, and, quite frankly, it was ugly.”

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says Israel launching air strikes on Iran is “another concerning development” in what has become a “very long-running conflict”. “We recognise that all nations, including Israel, have a right to defend themselves in line with international law,” Mr Watt told Sky News Australia. “What we’re working with … is to try and have a ceasefire across the Middle East; we don’t want to see an increasing number of civilians lose their lives like we’ve seen in Gaza and … Lebanon.”

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says abortion was a “very contributing factor” to the Queensland election result. “There was a range of issues at play here, of course, cost of living, I think, was still the dominant issue; the fact that Steven and his team put on the table things like the 50 cent fares really cut through on that cost-of-living issue,” Mr Watt told Sky News Australia. “Certainly, through the campaign, I think the confusion and uncertainty around the LNP’s position on abortion really cut through, particularly through women and also through younger voters.”

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says the Coalition has a “very clear pathway” on how they will achieve its nuclear plan. The Australian Energy Regulator told a Senate Committee that setting up a regulatory system for nuclear energy in Australia could take ten years. “We have a very clear pathway of how we will achieve this in setting up agencies and drawing on the international experience to ensure that Australians have confidence in how we’re going to do that,” Mr Littleproud told Sky News Australia. “No one should underestimate our determination to get this done.”

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says the seats Labor looks like “gaining and retaining” in Queensland are “far higher” than people thought was possible. “When you consider where all the projections were … this is a much better than expected result for Queensland Labor last night,” Mr Watt told Sky News Australia. “It does look likely that David Crisafulli and the LNP will have a narrow majority, but the number of seats that Labor looks like gaining and retaining is far higher than people thought was possible. “If we were going to lose, at least there’s a very healthy opposition number, and some of our most important people have retained their seats for the future as well. “I think Steven Miles, the state secretary … and the entire team have done a remarkable job to bring back Labor from where we were a few months ago.”